Chapter 380 Digging a Cellar
In fact, Gu Jiayue had known this news a long time ago.
At that time, she was sorting books in the school's library when she heard a clear prompt from the system in her mind.
As long as the children have studied in the school, they will be registered in detail in the system. In this way, Gu Jiayue will be able to know their grades at the first time.
The system will also generate corresponding study plans based on students' grades, which greatly reduces Gu Jiayue's teaching workload.
This is also the reason why Gu Jiayue can forgive the system's occasional mistakes. After all, it may not work in other places, but when it comes to teaching, it is a very good auxiliary tool.
Her third task was to have the school produce twenty successful candidates within two years.
But thanks to this group of students, she exceeded her target.
The system rewarded a large amount of points.
She used the points to pay off the debt she owed to the system, and then exchanged the rest for books, which she moved one by one into the empty spaces in the library.
Today, the library of Qiushi Academy has wooden shelves extending from the ground to the beams, with neatly stacked books covering ancient and modern classics, history, and literature, foreign mathematics, and even miscellaneous works recording farming, iron smelting, and medicine.
It is no exaggeration to say that it is the only treasure house of knowledge in the world.
So when Zheng Qinghe told her the news, Gu Jiayue didn't show much surprise. Instead, she raised the corners of her lips slightly, revealing a proud smile. "It's mainly because these children are smart and willing to work hard. We just pointed out the way to learn for them."
Zheng Qinghe shook his head, his eyes filled with genuine admiration. "You're being too modest. I've carefully reviewed the textbooks you've created, and they're indeed more relevant to teaching than those used by other schools. Every chapter and section has a clear objective and is much more targeted!"
He paused and added, "And you tailor the learning plans and teaching methods for each individual, teaching students in accordance with their aptitude. This is something no other school can do!"
"I was just thinking of discussing with you whether I could have the teaching materials you compiled. I want to promote this teaching method throughout the southwest. Of course, you can ask for any conditions you require."
Gu Jiayue's cheeks flushed slightly from the praise, and she said a little embarrassedly, "This isn't just my credit. The teachers at the academy are very experienced, and their teaching methods are also very good."
"If you need textbooks, just organize some people to come get them. Principal Jiang brought some to Kyoto before, and several academies in Kyoto have already started using them this year."
Gu Jiayue is very generous. She is so happy that someone is helping her spread knowledge. Why would she hide it?
She had previously confirmed with the system that any student using the textbooks she had written would be considered a student she had taught and would be counted towards the total number of students.
How long would it take for her to release these teaching materials on her own?
Now that someone is willing to help, she is very happy.
The two chatted a little more about the details of building the reservoir before Zheng Qinghe left, looking back every few steps.
He is now the county magistrate of Annan County. He has not yet dealt with the follow-up issues of the mudslide a while ago, and now he has to deal with the possible drought.
I am busy from morning till night and hardly touch the ground.
Those feelings hidden deep in the heart can only be suppressed temporarily like seeds buried in the soil to prevent them from sprouting.
He walked hurriedly on the village road, but he was thinking over and over again in his mind that once he had made some decent achievements and had the confidence to compete with his family, he would go and propose to his beloved girl.
only……
Is she willing to wait?
As soon as this thought came to mind, he suppressed it.
He didn't dare to ask, and was afraid of hearing an answer he didn't want to hear.
After seeing Zheng Qinghe off, Gu Jiayue turned around and went home.
My uncle has been taken home to rest. Lying in bed, he is still pale, breathing weakly, and showing no signs of waking up.
Gu Jiayue had just asked Zheng Qinghe about this. The murderer of her aunt's family had not yet been found, so how her uncle got hurt was still a mystery.
My aunt sat on a low stool beside the bed, wiping my uncle's hands with a wet towel while keeping an eye on her eldest grandson in the cradle.
By the way, a while ago, the family unanimously agreed to let Gu Yuchuan name the first great-grandson of the Gu family.
Gu Yuchuan held the child and pondered for three days and three nights, flipping through several books, and finally decided on the three words "Gu Zhouzhao".
Everyone thought the name had a good meaning, but it was a little difficult to pronounce, so they gave it a nickname - Gu Yuer.
Just because the child always liked to kick his legs and twist around when being held, just like a little fish swimming in the water, the nickname gradually spread.
Gu Jiayue walked to the bedside and teased Gu Yuer.
The little guy had just finished eating, his eyelids drooped, his little mouth pursed, he didn't cry or make a fuss, but just stretched out his chubby little hand to grasp her fingertips, and laughed with his toothless mouth.
He seemed to know that there had been a lot of things going on at home recently, so he never cried loudly. All he did every day was eat and sleep. He was happy no matter who held him, so he was very worry-free.
After playing with the child for a while, Gu Jiayue came to the backyard.
Except for a few younger generations who went to school, the labor force in the family was busy digging the cellar.
The cellar was dug very deep, and the soil piled up beside it looked like a small hill.
Everyone had a clear division of labor. Some were digging down with hoes, while others were carrying the soil up with baskets. They were working hard.
Gu Jiayue wanted to step forward to lend a hand, but looking at the scene in front of her, she didn't know where to start.
In the end, I had no choice but to stand next to my mother, take the basket full of soil from her hand, and pour it into the ditch outside the yard.
"Jiayue!" My eldest cousin had just brought up a basket of soil. His forehead was covered in sweat. He wiped it with his sleeve and asked breathlessly, "Our whole village is digging a cellar. Do you have enough cement?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the yard stopped what they were doing, raised their heads, and looked at Gu Jiayue with the same curiosity and worry in their eyes.
After pouring the soil, Gu Jiayue turned around and wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. "Don't worry, the village chief has organized the village labor force to collect materials. We have all the materials for making cement in the village, it just takes a little more effort."
The core raw materials for making cement are limestone, clay and iron powder.
The reserves of these in the southwest are not low, so it is not difficult to find them.
As long as the materials are ready, Ye Yuntang has a way to turn them into usable cement.
After hearing her words, everyone's worries finally settled down. The worry on their faces disappeared, and they picked up their tools and got back to work.
Jiang Luli left suddenly, and the burden of distributing cement fell on Gu Jiayue. They were actually very nervous.
When the villagers come to ask for cement but we can’t give it to them, they will inevitably have to listen to some sarcastic and foul words.
They were afraid that Gu Jiayue would be busy all the time and end up not being able to say a good word.
"Don't worry, the cement this time is not given for free." Gu Jiayue saw her family's concerns and added.
"Do you want the villagers to pay for it?" Second Auntie straightened up and asked with a frown, "I'm afraid they won't be willing to pay."
"We won't let them pay directly," Gu Jiayue explained. "The village will probably set up a cement workshop later. We can let them come to the workshop to work and use their wages to offset the cost."
It’s not that she can’t give it directly, but she knows in her heart that people often don’t cherish things that are easily obtained.
What you gain through your own labor will be remembered and used more carefully.
Seeing that Gu Jiayue had already made a plan in mind, the family members stopped asking questions and continued to work.
Grandpa squatted aside and took a big sip of sweet wine. His Adam's apple rolled. He put down the bowl, waved his hand, and said in a loud voice: "Okay, stop sitting around and chatting. Get up and work! Dig it up early. We have to go plant sweet potatoes!"
For a time, all parts of the southwest were in action.
People in Taohua Village were digging water cellars, people in the neighboring village were carrying hoes to plant sweet potatoes, and people at the foot of the mountain were carrying buckets of water to the woods. There were busy figures everywhere.
But there are also a few people who always think that "drought" is alarmist. They look up at the sky every day and mutter to themselves, "It will rain tomorrow."
He continued to visit and chat as usual, refusing to move.
Then, one day, two days...
A month passed and the sky was still blue without a single cloud.
Including the first few days, it hasn't rained for two whole months.
The leaves of the trees on the mountain first turned yellow, then slowly curled up into a ball, and finally turned completely dry and black, falling down when the wind blew.
The weeds and low plants under the trees had long lost their leaves, leaving only bare stems that would break at the slightest bend.
Even the mountain spring water that flowed all year round began to thin out little by little, and finally stopped flowing completely, leaving only dry and cracked mud at the spring.
Those who had not listened to the advice and refused to dig water cellars finally panicked.
They ran to the village chief's house in disheveled clothes.
His face was filled with anxiety, and he avoided looking at the village chief. He asked in a trembling voice, "Village chief, is it too late for us to dig a water cellar now?"
The village chief looked at them, his chest heaving violently, his face filled with unconcealed disappointment, his tone filled with anger. "Are you digging it up now to store your shit?"
"I think you should stop digging water cellars and start digging your own graves. That way, your whole family won't die of thirst and no one will bury them!"
No wonder the village chief was so angry.
When the whole village was busy digging water cellars, he saw that these families were reluctant to act, so he went to their homes to persuade them several times.
“It’s always good to store more water.”
"Even if it's just a small emergency?"
But these people either say "it's not that easy to get drought" or simply close the door and ignore others.
He really had no choice but to let them go.
Nowadays, most families in the village have enough water in their water cellars to last for a year.
But these families can't even get enough water for cooking.
The village well had dried up long ago and not a drop of water had been produced for seven days.
If they need water, they can only walk several miles along the mountain road to the river to fetch it, but the water level in the river is decreasing day by day. People in several surrounding villages depend on this river for their survival.
So every time we went to the river to fetch water, there would be fighting and shoving, with people pushing and shoving each other and cursing at each other.
Some people even stayed by the river at night to fetch an extra bucket of water.
But even so, running back and forth several times every day and carrying water alone would exhaust my energy.
The livestock at home need water to drink, and the crops in the fields need water to irrigate, but there is never enough water.
These people are really regretting their decision at this moment.
They plopped down on their knees before the village chief, tears streaming down their cheeks as they tugged at his trouser legs, crying, "Chief, please, save us! Without water, we'll really die!"
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