In less than half a day, the stones were cracked, cleared, and the ditches were dug. Now we can go directly to Zhushan to cut bamboo, connect the culprits, and the spring water can be channeled to the herbal medicine shop.
Feng Er murmured, "Did we waste all that effort digging the ditch for over a year?"
They used to think there was nothing they could do when they encountered a boulder, but it turns out there was a way, and it didn't even take half a day. Now it seems that their efforts back then were a complete waste.
"The old boss said there was nothing he could do, that it was just bad luck for us, that we were destined to be miserable, fighting for water and carrying it. But it turns out that's not true?" Hong Daniu's eyes flashed with confusion as he looked at his two sons, realizing for the first time that even a miserable or good life could be changed.
It depends on who they follow.
Following their former employers meant being poor laborers who had to fight for water and do manual labor, only worthy of eating coarse grains and wild vegetables; but following their employers meant they could eat a mix of coarse and fine grains, plus some oil, and their work wasn't just pure manual labor.
With the help of donkeys, oxen, and tools, we did several times more work with less effort than before!
"Father, I think Madam is amazing! If Madam hadn't been able to bring the water down the mountain, we would have failed!" Hong Mancang was extremely excited.
Hong Manku was the same, constantly muttering, "We do a lot of work, but it's not important. Sure enough, brute force alone isn't enough; you have to use your brain to make a difference!"
Their eyes were filled with surprise, and they were incredibly excited.
Shui Qing quietly followed behind the others, walking back.
Listening to their unreserved praise, she thought that she still needed to read and see more. Only she knew that her so-called "ability" was all thanks to the education and knowledge she gained in China.
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Connecting the water source boosted everyone's morale, and they were eager to build the herbal medicine workshop overnight.
However, with everything prepared, the dozen or so houses were built very quickly, much faster than before.
Hundreds of men were divided into several groups, each building the houses in the southeast, northwest, and southwest directions. Within each group, some were responsible for mixing mud, some for passing bricks, and some for building walls. With their cooperation, the houses were built in just five or six days.
While the walls were being built, rough bricks and stone slabs began to be laid inside the house and in the yard.
After the house was built, the interior and exterior walls were plastered with damp lime, making it look bright and clean.
Spring water from the mountain is channeled directly into a large pool in the courtyard of the herbal medicine shop through bamboo tubes. The large pool makes it convenient to wash the herbs. A ditch was dug under the pool to release water. On weekdays, a stone slab is used to block the water to store it. When the herbs are dirty, the stone slab is removed to drain the water.
After the herbal medicine shop was renovated, the men immediately went to build a school.
Unlike the herbal medicine shop, which had more than a dozen rooms of varying sizes and a large courtyard, the study only had three main rooms, plus a kitchen and a woodshed. In front of it was a large drying yard, which served multiple purposes: a place for children to play when they were studying, a meeting place for villagers to discuss matters on weekdays, and a drying yard during busy farming seasons.
The villagers felt that living in adobe houses last year was the best they could ever hope for, and they had no other desires in this life. But after the medicinal herb workshop was built and plastered with lime, the whole house seemed to become much brighter. Suddenly, they wondered if the children's schoolhouse could also be plastered with lime.
Lime is not expensive, but it still costs money to buy. In the past, it would have been considered a waste of money to buy it, but now it seems acceptable.
Fan Jin and Shui Qing provided all the bricks and tiles for the study, so what's wrong with them contributing some lime?
They immediately approached the old village chief, expressed their intentions, and the old village chief took the lead by contributing 100 jin (50 kg). The other men contributed 30 jin, 50 jin, 70 jin... The shouts throughout the courtyard were deafening.
After tallying the numbers, Li Wen chuckled and said, "I'll buy them next time I go to the prefectural city to sell rabbits."
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