Chapter 290 Wan Lao Er Wants to Dig a Well
Early the next morning, Wan Laoer rushed to find the village chief.
"Village Chief, are you home?"
Wan Laoer stretched his neck and shouted inside through the fence of the village chief's house.
"Here." The village chief's voice quickly came from the yard.
Then there was a creaking sound of the door opening.
When Jinniu opened the door and saw that it was Wan Laoer, he was a little surprised.
"Jinzhu, why are you coming to my house so early? Is it about Guihua?"
The village chief thought that Guihua's mother regretted selling Guihua to the Wan family yesterday. There were many people selling their children in the village before, but they were all sold outside. This was the first time he had experienced selling a child to a fellow villager.
When the two of them came to sign the indenture yesterday, he had reminded Wan Lao Er that buying people from the same village could easily lead to unexpected events. Sure enough, just one night later, Chen might have come to his door.
Taurus thought so in his heart, with a hint of worry on his face.
Wan Laoer quickly smiled and waved his hand.
"Village chief, no, you are worrying too much. I came to you for something else. I want to ask you, among the people in our villages, do you know anyone who is good at digging wells? I want to dig a well in my yard."
When Taurus heard this, he felt relieved and quickly welcomed the person into the house.
"Come inside and talk. It's still cold outside."
The two men entered the house together. After greeting the two elderly people, Wan Laoer sat down on a small stool on the ground.
Taurus also moved a small stool and sat aside.
"Jinzhu, it's not that I don't want to tell you who has the better craftsmanship, but you also know why our Shizi Village got its name. Our village is covered with stones. Although there are no big stones, there are small gravels. Half of the gravels you dig with a shovel are stones. That's why people who dig wells are generally unwilling to take the work of our Shizi Village. This is another reason.
Secondly, I have also told you that the well in our village was a spring that people spent a long time to find. They also concluded that there was only one place in our village that could produce water. I advise you not to waste your money on it.
Thirdly, this is winter, which is not the season for digging wells. Our border is already short of water, and there is less rain in winter, so it is drier and the chance of getting water is even slimmer. So Jinzhu, you should listen to my advice and don’t waste the money. With the money for digging a well, you can hire people to fetch water for you for several years.”
Wan Laoer knew that the village chief spoke from the bottom of his heart and explained his words clearly to him. He was very touched, but next year there would be more places to use water at home, and if there was no well at home, nothing could be done. Thinking that this would most likely benefit everyone, Wan Laoer decided to succeed.
He himself had been hungry, and during the nearly one year he had been at the border, he had seen many people starve to death. He was moved with compassion, and if he could really grow something that could solve everyone's survival problems, he would be willing to try, in order to save more people and accumulate blessings for his children.
But now everything is still unknown, and Wan Laoer has no intention of talking about this matter now.
He insisted in his heart: "Village Chief, I still want to give it a try. Although it is cold now, it has not rained or snowed these days. The chance of getting water in winter is low. I will try again in the spring of next year. I don't believe that there is only one water source in our Shizi Village."
What Wan Laoer was thinking was that the well had been used in the village for hundreds of years. What if the amount of underground water had increased over the past few hundred years?
But the people in the village all kept in mind what their ancestors said. The village only had one water source, and they had never tried to dig more wells.
Seeing that Wan Laoer was so persistent and knowing that the Wan family had money, Jinniu sighed heavily and didn't continue to persuade him.
"Okay, since you insist on digging a well, I'll tell you about a man who has the best craftsmanship here. All the wells in the surrounding villages were dug by his ancestors, but he's old now, and it seems his son has taken over. He lives in Zhujia Village, which is thirty miles away from us. Their ancestors have lived in that village for generations. I heard from the older generation that the well in our village was dug by their ancestors."
Jinniu paused for a moment and continued, "When you go to Zhujia Village, just ask everyone you meet. Everyone knows that person. As for what his name is now, I really don't know, because our village hasn't hired anyone to dig a well for hundreds of years."
Wan Laoer was a little worried. It had been hundreds of years, and it was hard to say whether the Zhu family still had descendants. What if one generation was filled with only daughters? Wouldn't that mean the family would be extinct?
However, Wan Laoer did not say what was in his heart. Instead, he thanked Jinniu and left.
When I got home, I saw Guihua helping Wan Ersao with housework.
"Uncle is back." Guihua greeted him timidly and quickly lowered her head to continue sweeping the yard.
The little girl was so thin and weak that she was not even as tall as a broom. It was very difficult for her to sweep with a big broom.
Wan Laoer couldn't bear to watch it anymore, and since he had nothing else to do, he decided to take over Guihua's job. For him, sweeping the yard was an easy task, but for Guihua it was not so easy.
"Guihua, let me sweep the floor. You can do other work or go out and play."
Wan Laoer, who came from a peasant family, had no idea of ordering people around.
Now there is suddenly a new person in the family, a little girl, who is very sensible, which makes people feel a little distressed.
So Wan Laoer wanted to sweep the yard for Guihua. After all, doing these small chores was just a piece of cake for him.
"Uncle, I can do it. I do all the work at home. Can you let me do it? Auntie didn't let me work just now. I was nervous. I want to stay. I like your family and you guys."
Guihua was frightened by Wan Laoer's actions. She felt very insecure and always wanted the Wan family to see her value so that she could stay with peace of mind. However, early in the morning, she had not done anything and after finally getting the broom to sweep the floor, it was taken away again.
She got up earlier than Wan Laoer in the morning and wanted to go to the kitchen to boil hot water for the family. However, when she entered the kitchen, she saw Wan Er's wife was already busy. She wanted to light the fire, but was driven out by Wan Er's wife. She told her to go back to sleep, saying that the children needed more rest.
Guihua didn’t know for a moment whether she was sold to the Wan family by her stepmother to be a slave or a daughter.
Wan Laoer looked at the wary look in Guihua's eyes and felt a little amused. He also felt sad when he heard what Guihua said. He had never been sold and could not understand the pain of being sold, but he could understand the anxiety of a little girl without her relatives around her.
Guihua blurted out those words just now, and then she realized that she had said too much. She quickly lowered her head again, staring at her toes with her small eyes.
Wan Lao Er touched the top of Guihua's withered head and laughed loudly, "Okay, if you like to do it, just do it. If you want to do something else in the future, just tell your aunt and let her take a good rest."
When Guihua heard this, her face was full of joy. She nodded happily, and her little hands tightly grasped the broom handle, obviously very excited.
Guihua watched Wan Laoer go into the upper room, then she quickly lowered her head and began to sweep the floor seriously.
In the past, she was forced to sweep the yard at home by Chen, but now she sweeps it on her own initiative. She suddenly found that the two moods were completely different. Although her whole body was covered with a thin layer of sweat while working, she felt as light as a swallow and her mood was high.
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