Xiao Gengwu spent his days and nights at home fiddling with his wood, and he would only respond when Yao Tongjia called him to eat or go to bed.
Otherwise, even if you beat drums and gongs next to him, he will remain unmoved. Three days later, the foot-operated waterwheel was finished, and Aunt Xue happened to come back and see it.
Seeing the round, tall thing connected to bicycle pedals and a seat, I found it rather strange: "This is a bicycle? Why is it connected to this round, tall thing?"
Xiao Gengwu was still working on his answer and showed no intention of replying. Yao Tongjia answered instead: "This is a waterwheel for drawing water from the river!"
"A waterwheel? It can carry water by itself? How does it do that?"
Every summer, carrying water to irrigate the fields would exhaust even the strongest young men. If this waterwheel could actually lift water, that would be wonderful!
"Besides carrying water, it can also water plants!"
"What can water plants? Is it really that amazing?" Aunt Xue exclaimed in surprise!
Xiao Gengwu nodded: "We also need to make some small buckets to carry water, and then make a water-pushing board. When the water is pushed, the pressure increases, and the water shoots out farther."
Yao Tongjia had heard of waterwheels before, but thought they were just for drawing water. She never imagined they could be used to water plants. That's amazing!
Aunt Xue excitedly stroked the waterwheel: "Can it be installed yet? If so, please install it as soon as possible, because this is the hardest time for watering!"
"It's ready to be packed, but the stuff is too big and difficult to move!"
"I'm going to the station now to send a message to my old man to find someone to bring Xiao the boy back. Can you take a few days off?"
When it came to asking for leave, Aunt Xue felt a little guilty. She felt really guilty for calling someone else's child back to work and telling him not to go to class!
Xiao Gengwu nodded: "That's fine. I need to get some bamboo to make bamboo tubes so that the water can shoot a longer distance."
Yao Tongjia silently praised Xiao Gengwu. This was using the principle of a water gun to squeeze water out through a small hole; the smaller the hole, the farther the range.
This really allows water to be automatically lifted by human pedaling, and the fields can be irrigated automatically. This is truly a great invention!
The planks used for pushing water will probably require a lot of timber, but fortunately the fields are now relatively concentrated, so there will be some timber left over.
The village chief, who received the message, arrived the next day in a tractor. He was skeptical when he saw the round and tall thing, but decided to give it a try anyway.
The weather has been hot lately, and carrying water to irrigate the fields by hand is too hard. If this thing can really reduce the burden on manpower, then he will use it to make money in the neighboring villages.
The village chief's heart burned with excitement at the thought of money. In fact, their village, located near the back mountain, had extremely barren land, and no matter how hard they tried, they still couldn't get enough to eat.
If we can make money from this, the village can build a school so that the children can go to school!
Thinking of this, the village chief suddenly felt full of energy and followed the tractor driver to load everything onto the tractor.
Xiao Gengwu suddenly looked at Yao Tongjia: "Would you like to come with me? I'm scared to go alone!"
Everyone: "......." You're over 1.8 meters tall, and you're telling the person next to you who's only 1.6 meters tall that you're scared? Who would believe that?
But Yao Tongjia believed it. Thinking about how long she would have to stay in the village, she could only say to Yao Tongxu, "Please ask for leave for me this week. I'm going to the countryside with him for a few days!"
"Sis, let him go by himself. He's so tall and strong, what's he afraid of? He's going to help out in the village this time, who would dare to bully him?"
The village chief quickly assured him, "I will definitely ensure his personal safety!"
What a joke! Whether the villagers can have enough to eat and go to school depends on this Xiao boy. When he returns to the village, he will definitely treat them like royalty.
Yao Yanxin knew Xiao Gengwu's personality; once he got to work, he ignored everyone. This time, she was going to help, not to offend him.
"Tongtong, you go with your brother Xiao. If anything happens, help him communicate with the villagers!"
When Xiao Gengwu heard that Yao Tongjia could come to the village with him, he immediately beamed with joy, his smile as radiant as a lotus in bloom, filling the room with fragrance.
Everyone, including the village chief, was stunned. This kid was just too good-looking!
After several hours of bumpy travel, the tractor brought Xiao Gengwu and Yao Tongjia back to the village. When Yao Tongjia got off the tractor, she felt like her buttocks were going to split into several pieces.
As soon as the tractor stopped, the people chatting at the village entrance gathered around: "What's this? Village Chief!"
The village chief, of course, wouldn't tell them: "Don't ask anymore, you'll know what it is once it's installed!"
It was around three or four in the afternoon, and the sun wasn't too strong yet. The village chief tried to put on a gentle smile and said in a low voice, "Shall we go and install it now?"
These words made Xiao Gengwu and Yao Tongjia both step back. Yao Tongjia said directly, "Village Chief, you should just speak as usual. You're giving me goosebumps. It's too scary!"
Village Chief: "..." I was afraid I would scare you, but you actually were?
Without needing to use any more affected tones, he said, "Let's go to the fields now!"
When they arrived at a densely populated area of fields, everyone was diligently watering the plants. They saw the village chief approaching with a round object and asked, "Village chief, what are you doing?"
"Don't do anything, just get to work! If you don't, you'll lose work points!"
These words made Yao Tongjia burst out laughing, and a saying was passed down in later generations: "Points are the lifeblood of students."
Now things are better. Work points are still points, and adults are afraid of losing points!
Xiao Gengwu went to the river to check the water level. It was within his expected range. He did not go into the water himself, but told the village chief his request.
The village chief turned around and pointed to a few taller men: "Come here quickly, go into the water, and submerge this frame!"
Several people who were called out immediately ran over. Everyone looked at the item with curiosity, but no one made a move. The village chief's temper flared up: "Why aren't you putting on airs? What are you looking at?"
A man with a very dark complexion put on airs and said, "These are all made of wood, won't they rot in the water?"
These words made the village chief's heart skip a beat. Yes, it would be strange if the wood didn't rot after being soaked in water!
Yao Tongjia knew this; Xiao Gengwu had obtained some chemicals from the principal at school, such as water glass and sodium silicate, which has extremely strong corrosion resistance.
Upon hearing Yao Tongjia say that the wood had been coated with an anti-corrosion agent, the village chief was skeptical but still shouted, "Stop talking nonsense and do it quickly!"
The frame was quickly secured in the river, then it spun in a circle, and when the wheels were picked up, someone immediately exclaimed, "Is this a bicycle made of wood?"
These words drew many people closer, touching and examining the wooden bicycle for the first time.
Everyone was in high spirits!
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