The three of them dived down to where the steel pillar had sunk. Si Cheng tried to pull one end of the pillar, but the buoyancy of the water, coupled with the fact that he had no foothold in the water, made it difficult to exert any force.
Si Cheng and the monkeys made an upward gesture, and the three of them were lifted out of the water by the buoyancy of the water.
Wiping the water off his face, Si Cheng said to Old Zhao on the bank, "Find some thick, sturdy ropes, and you guys can help pull it up from above."
Upon hearing this, Old Zhao led the two young men to the hemp ropes they had collected earlier, each carrying a large handful, and ran back to the lakeside. "How about these?" he asked.
Si Cheng told him to throw one end into the water to check. He controlled his strength and tried pulling it. The rope was quite strong, so he told them to connect two long ropes so they could help pull it from above.
This time, only Hou Yunhai and Si Cheng went into the water, while Da Xiong observed the situation on both sides from the surface so he could give orders later.
After tying the ropes together, Da Xiong made a hand gesture towards the water, and the people on the shore quickly pulled the ropes. With the effort from above, the steel pillar stood upright in the water. Si Cheng also used the strength to help move the steel pillar towards the shore and fixed it two meters away from the shore.
"Stay right here, don't let go yet." Si Cheng held onto the pillar with one hand and the bamboo raft that the bear was paddling towards him with the other.
"Ah Cheng, how do we secure it now?" The monkey also helped by holding up one corner.
"Have those who are good swimmers come down and hold the other end of the raft, so I can exert force more easily." Si Cheng knew that if he exerted force from his side, the raft would definitely tilt to the other side, which would then affect his balance.
Soon, following his instructions, seven or eight people who were good swimmers surrounded the other end of the bamboo raft to keep it steady at all times.
Old Zhao's eldest grandson and two other good swimmers joined Hou Yunhai in supporting the iron pillar.
Old Zhao and his men also brought over the large iron hammer and thick iron plate that Si Cheng had left on the shore using bamboo rafts.
Si Cheng placed the thick iron plate directly above the iron pillar and swung his hammer to strike it.
Hou Yunhai and the others felt a sudden, intense vibration in their arms. The steel bars they were holding suddenly sank, and the water became murky.
Those responsible for holding onto the other end of the bamboo raft held on tightly to prevent Si Cheng from losing his balance and falling into the water.
After regaining his balance, Si Cheng began striking again with the second and third hammer blows, until the other end of the steel pillar was almost submerged in the water before he stopped.
"Let go, it should be secured." Si Cheng can't see what's happening in the water right now because the bottom is completely murky. He'll have to wait for the surface to calm down before he can go in and see clearly.
Hou Yunhai and the others carefully released their hands, and the pillar still stood there even after their hands were completely removed.
"Did we succeed?" Old Zhao and the others on the shore asked the people on the water excitedly.
"It's not confirmed yet. After all, these are recycled steel bars. If there's no bending at the bottom, then it should be a success." Although the pillar is standing there now, Si Cheng can't guarantee that it's stable.
Most of the people who had gathered on the shore earlier had left while Si Cheng was sorting through the pile of materials. After all, everyone needed to survive and find their own food; they couldn't afford to waste any more time there. Besides, they already knew the information they wanted, and they would be more cautious in their dealings with Pinghe Village going forward.
However, some of the more curious individuals remained seated on the sidelines, continuing to observe the work being done.
Once the water had calmed down, Si Cheng and Hou Yunhai dived back down along the pillar.
The reinforcement work done on the shore beforehand was quite thorough, and the entire steel column showed virtually no deformation.
When they reached the bottom of the lake, they found that the entire pillar had sunk deep into the lakebed. Si Cheng picked up a few stones from the side and reinforced it further before it surfaced.
"Alright, we can install the iron pillars on this side of the shore first, so we can use the momentum to continue installing them outwards." Si Cheng told them about the situation down below after they got ashore.
"That's wonderful! With these iron pillars, we can build wooden houses on the water." Old Zhao was worried when he poured the pillars into the water, but now he was just happy.
"However, living on the water like this is definitely not a long-term solution. The weather is still relatively warm now, but if it freezes over later, it will be impossible to live there," Hou Yunhai reminded Old Zhao and the others, adding that making a living in a bamboo house is not a sustainable solution.
Old Zhao sighed, "Alas, this is only a temporary solution. As long as we can stay near the water source, we're safe for now. We'll have to deal with the situation later."
Si Cheng knew that the drought would last for another two or three years. Once this period was over, everything would be full of life, and you could find a place to plant and harvest crops. However, that would also bring another kind of crisis.
"Then continue binding it according to the previous iron pillar. We'll come back tomorrow to help you install it." Si Cheng was now certain that this method would work, so he told them to prepare properly.
Old Zhao quickly agreed, "Okay, we'll gather more tonight." He then handed the things in his hands to his grandson, "These are some wild mushrooms we picked in the mountains these past few days. We've cleaned and prepared them all, and we'll add them to everyone's meal when we get home."
"No need, you can keep them. Every household has these in stock." Si Cheng pushed them back directly.
"Please don't think it's too little. We will remember your help. We will do our best to help you in the future." Old Zhao was truly grateful to Village Chief Si and his team. They had already felt indebted to them for helping them so much even though there was no conflict of interest between them.
"Alright, we'll take it then." Si Cheng couldn't refuse any longer after hearing this, so he took the bag and handed it to Yun Xun beside him. "You guys go ahead with your work, we'll head back to the village now, and we'll come back at this time tomorrow morning."
After saying this, he led his people back, and those who hadn't dispersed by the lake unconsciously stood up and watched them leave.
"That's so cool! None of the special effects in the movies are as amazing as seeing them live. I wonder if Village Chief Si still takes on followers?" A young man looked enviously at Yun Xun and the others behind Si Cheng. If he couldn't be a superhero, being his follower would be pretty good too.
"Stop thinking about it. Even if it's our turn, it's impossible. Let's go find some food. We've wasted half the day here; the area around here must be completely emptied." His companion shook the empty cloth bag in his hand, reminding him that there were other more important things to do.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com