Du Yuhan asked with some doubt after hearing Uncle Liang's words, "Don't you have a water pump? Using a diesel engine to drive a water pump should be no problem at all."
Liang Shouzhen said, "What water pumps or diesel engines do we have? Laohewan Village doesn't even have a tractor, let alone a water pump. Besides, there's nowhere to get that much diesel fuel."
He Zhendong said, "Yes, fuel is a war reserve material and is rationed, so it's very difficult to get. Tractors are even harder to get."
Du Yuhan thought for a moment and said, "Since we can't use machines, let's use manpower. Let's use a manpower-powered waterwheel."
The group exchanged bewildered glances after hearing Du Yuhan's words.
Liang Shouzhen said, "Xiaohan, I've also heard of waterwheels in some places. Are the waterwheels you're talking about actually working? Are they man-made?"
Du Yuhan nodded and said, "It can be fully operated by just a few people. If we set up a few waterwheels by the river and dig irrigation ditches, we can irrigate most of our village's fields, if not all of them."
Liang Shouzhen sat up straight and said, "Xiaohan, if you can solve the problem of irrigated fields for our village, you will be a great hero of our Laohewan Village. The whole village will thank you."
Du Yuhan laughed and said, "Uncle Liang, don't flatter me so much. I just have an idea. It might work. There's no need for the whole village to thank me. Just build me a house in the village. I'll pay for the house myself. You just need to give me a plot of land and find someone to build it for me."
He Zhendong asked in confusion, "Xiaohan, why are you building a house in Laohewan Village?"
Du Yuhan said, "I really like it here. When I graduate from medical school, I will build a clinic in the village. It will be able to provide medical care for the villagers, and the surrounding villages will also benefit."
Upon hearing this, Liang Shouzhen perked up even more and excitedly asked, "Xiaohan, are you really going to come to the countryside to be a village doctor instead of staying in the city?"
Du Yuhan nodded and said, "Actually, I don't like the city at all. The countryside is more peaceful and free. I don't want to go to a place like a hospital and work a routine job. I want to be freer and more leisurely."
Liang Shouzhen said happily, "That's no problem, I'll build you a house. Xiaohan, do you know how to make that waterwheel you mentioned?"
Du Yuhan nodded and said, "I'll draw up the blueprints later, and then my dad can make it. We'll need to find a few people to help him, because this waterwheel is quite large. Also, you'd better organize some people to dig a few irrigation canals so it will be convenient to irrigate the fields later."
Laohewan Village has a very good geographical environment. If it's properly planned and developed for animal husbandry and agriculture, it could easily become a very wealthy village. There wouldn't be a problem having enough to eat, let alone meat.
Liang Shouzhen was itching to get his hands on the waterwheel after hearing Du Yuhan's words. He couldn't wait to have Du Yuhan draw up the blueprints and build it to see if it could actually irrigate the fields.
Liang Shouzhen said, "Xiaohan, when can you finish drawing the blueprints?"
Looking at Uncle Liang's eager and expectant eyes, Du Yuhan smiled and said, "You're really in a hurry. Do you have a quiet room? I need to think about this by myself, and I don't want anyone to disturb me. I'll try my best to draw the blueprints for you today. Also, you need to prepare paper, pen, and a ruler for me, preferably the kind with markings."
There were students in Liang Shouzhen's family, so they had paper and pens.
He kicked his youngest daughter and son out of the room and then made Du Yuhan draw blueprints in the room where they had been doing their homework.
Du Yuhan needs a separate room to retrieve information from her storage space for research.
Du Yuhan had actually had this idea for a long time. She had already researched information about waterwheels and designed one, so all she had to do now was take out the drawings she had already made and copy them.
Because of low productivity, the country's level of agricultural mechanization is quite low. To improve this situation, we must start with agricultural machinery.
Du Yuhan began learning about mechanics as soon as she became aware of this.
In her previous life, she had earned several degrees. Although she hadn't studied mechanical design professionally, she still had some knowledge in that area.
She has also learned some mechanical drawing knowledge, and at least can read blueprints.
She even went to bookstores to buy several books on this subject to study. However, bookstores sell very few books on this topic, and she also has very few books on mechanics in her online space, so she can only learn the basics first.
Now she can at least draw some simple mechanical blueprints. The blueprints for waterwheels aren't difficult either; she can definitely draw them.
Two hours later, Du Yuhan left the room with a newly copied set of blueprints.
When Liang Shouzhen saw Du Yuhan come out with a piece of paper, he immediately stood up and took the drawing from Du Yuhan.
He Zhendong and Du Lianqiao also came over to take a look.
Du Lianqiao was skilled in carpentry and could read blueprints. He understood the blueprints for the waterwheel at a glance. Du Yuhan's drawings were very clear, with precise dimensions. Although the construction was somewhat complicated, once the axle and support were made, everything else would be easy.
Liang Shouzhen handed the blueprints to Du Lianqiao and asked, "How is it, Brother Du? Can you make it?"
Du Lianqiao nodded and said, "It can be done, although it will be difficult, but it is still possible."
Du Yuhan said, "Make several more of these waterwheels, set them up by the river, and dig irrigation ditches that lead directly to the fields. The water will then flow directly into the fields. Each waterwheel can be operated by two people, eliminating the need for so much manpower. The saved manpower can be used for weeding or other work in the fields."
If there isn't enough time to dig the canal, we can just make it shallow for now, enough to serve its purpose of diverting water. However, for the future, we should continue to maintain water conservancy projects and gradually improve the farmland irrigation facilities. As long as the river doesn't dry up, we won't be afraid of drought and will have water to irrigate our farmland.
Our village should also dig some drainage ditches so that we can drain water if there's heavy rain. This can't be done overnight; we can take it slowly. Right now, we should start by digging the irrigation ditches.”
Liang Shouzhen said, "I barely know how to dig an irrigation ditch. Why don't you give us some pointers, Xiaohan?"
Du Yuhan said, "It's still so cold now, and the ground is frozen solid, so it will take some time to dig the irrigation ditch. I'll come back after the New Year to take a closer look. We can make the waterwheel now."
Liang Shouzhen said, "You're right. Tomorrow I'll call a meeting with the village cadres to discuss building the waterwheel. Your father will be in charge of it, and I'll find a few quick and efficient people to help him. We'll calculate the work points for them later."
Before we knew it, it was getting dark.
He Zhendong realized they had to leave before it got dark. The road was difficult to travel, so it was best to get home before nightfall.
Everyone understood this principle, so they quickly loaded some local specialties into their car and helped He Zhendong and his sister onto the vehicle.
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