I didn't even have time to drink the soup in my hand before I hurriedly grabbed my gun and went down the mountain.
When we got down the mountain, we found Chen Jian and Wang Ping standing together. Chen Jian looked at me and smiled, "How's it going, Brother Sihai? Brother Wang and I have made a major discovery. Come and see!"
I noticed that Chen Jian and Wang Ping looked very calm, so nothing had happened.
Thinking about how anxious I was just now, I couldn't help but get angry. I kicked Chen Jian and said, "You little brat, if it's not something important, don't whine and scream like that next time, okay? You scared my heart so much it almost jumped out of my chest. I didn't even finish my meal."
Wang Ping looked at me and laughed: "Chen Jian is in a hurry, but we thought you had already finished eating. Don't eat now, let's go take a look first, and then go back to eat later."
I wasn't quite awake while I was eating, but Chen Jian woke me up. I yawned and followed behind Chen Jian and Wang Ping.
After walking for about ten minutes, Wang Ping pointed to the woods ahead. When I looked up, I realized that I had never been to this woods before.
The tree trunks in the forest were all very straight and not very thick, and they looked like they had just grown.
Chen Jian circled around me, chuckling, and said, "Brother Wang Ping said that the tree trunks in this grove are just the right size, neither too thick nor too thin. They would be perfect for making a waterwheel. And with their weight and length, one of us could easily drag two back. I'll go find Bai Wei and his group for a bit. If you think it's feasible, let's get started this afternoon."
I walked around this grove of trees. With so many trees, if they were to come every other tree, it shouldn't have much of an impact.
He nodded to Wang Ping and Chen Jian: "That's possible, but if we take all these trees back, how will you turn them into planks? Also, there are many intricate parts inside the waterwheel that we don't understand, at least I don't understand them at all. Have you two discussed this thoroughly?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Jian scratched his head and said, "Brother Wang Ping did show me the drawings he made on the stone wall this morning, but I still couldn't understand them. Who knows how Brother Wang Ping interprets them? Maybe he can figure them out!"
After hearing Chen Jian's words, Wang Ping looked a little embarrassed and shook his head.
"I've only ever seen this in movies before, but I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to actually do it. But we can study it and make it at the same time. I think waterwheels and windmills are pretty much the same. I used to make windmills for my sister when I was little, and I'm quite good at that."
Upon hearing Wang Ping's words, Chen Jian rolled his eyes: "My goodness, I thought you knew everything. I excitedly came out with you on an empty stomach, only to find out you don't understand anything. What are we going to do then? You said we need to build a large waterwheel on such a high mountain, but you don't understand anything. Even if we prepare all the materials, we can't start construction!"
Wang Ping looked at Chen Jian and bit his lip: "I remember there was a kid in Bai Wei's group who studied water conservancy before. Why don't we call him over and ask him? I reckon even if his professional knowledge isn't great, building a waterwheel shouldn't be too much of a problem."
Chen Jian frowned upon hearing Wang Ping's words: "Bai Wei and his gang have been sucking blood for a while now, and they're not willing to stop. If you hand this matter over to him, Bai Wei and his gang will become arrogant and cause endless trouble. I think if we can handle this ourselves, we should try to find a solution."
After listening to Chen Jian's words, I shook my head. If Bai Wei's group really had someone who could handle this matter, it wouldn't hurt to let him do it, since this matter wasn't just for our own use.
Bringing water up the mountain would benefit everyone; if we were to be attacked by large wild animals again, this water might save our lives.
Moreover, moving this water up the mountain wouldn't be a bad thing for them.
"If Bai Wei and his group really insist on wanting something, we can just exchange it using the same method as before. I don't believe that Bai Wei and his group can turn against us now."
Chen Jian sighed: "Alright, since you two are both older than me, whatever you two older brothers say goes. I'll go find it."
Wang Ping shook his head at Chen Jian: "I'll go. The matter between Bai Wei and me needs a solution. Even if we try to hide, we can't avoid it. I'll have them move all the things down. You and Sihai can stay here and see which tree is the most suitable. I've already told you. You just need to choose the one I told you."
After Wang Ping finished speaking, he turned around and went back up the mountain. Chen Jian sat by the tree roots, a straw in his mouth, sighing.
"Sigh, I thought the three of us could handle this, but it had to involve Bai Wei back then. Just thinking about it makes me sick."
I sat down on a tree root nearby and stretched: "We can do this ourselves, but how long will it take? And even if we do it ourselves, can you stop Bai Wei and the others from coming to use the water?"
"So, this kind of thing can only be done by all of us working together. It'll get things done faster. Let them participate too. And we don't need to support them. If they get lazy, this will never end. Their wooden house still isn't up and running. Once this waterwheel is finished, we'll help them repair that house. We can't just watch them sleep on the streets, right?"
Chen Jian frowned for a long time, but still nodded.
We waited for more than half an hour before Wang Ping finally arrived with a large group of people, with Bai Wei even following at the very back of the crowd.
Bai Wei's expression didn't reveal his attitude, and I couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention.
Wang Ping walked closer and pulled a boy wearing glasses in front of me.
I know this boy because he once went with me to the foreigners' camp.
This guy usually has a smiling face, which gives people the feeling of a smiling tiger, but he is quite quiet and well-behaved in the company, so I have a okay impression of him.
“His name is **. He studied water conservancy engineering in school. I think he should be able to do it. I just told him everything we had discussed earlier, and he said it shouldn't be a big problem, so this should be feasible.”
The kid named ** smiled and nodded as he approached me.
"Yes, Brother Wang Ping, as I've already said, all we need to do now is assemble all the necessary timber. I can make the remaining details and tools myself. I expect we can finish the waterwheel in about a month."
Just moments ago, Chen Jian had a long face, but upon hearing this news, he immediately showed an excited expression.
"If we can really get this water up there, then we'll have solved a major problem that's been bothering us!"
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