Wu Baoan nodded happily, "Qing girl is really great. We've tried to plug this hole before, hoping the water would flow down, but it just didn't work."
The waterway under the rock may look small, but it can wash away anything you put in it; it's impossible to block it.
Now that's great, with this bucket, we can store the water.
Chen Qingqing wrapped several strands of hemp rope around the joint of the iron pipe, picked up the wrench she had prepared beforehand, and tightened the screw clockwise. Since she was not strong enough, she handed the wrench to Erdanzi and the others beside her.
"Follow my demonstration, connect all the iron pipes together. Remember, make sure to wrap the joints with this thin hemp rope several times before tightening them with a wrench. Don't let a single drop of water leak out, otherwise the iron pipes will easily corrode and rust, and won't be durable."
"Don't worry, Qing girl, we've got it."
Everyone agreed and got to work separately.
Some people connected the iron pipes, while others were responsible for reinforcing them.
With many hands making light work, all the iron pipes from the mountainside to the bottom were connected before sunset.
Wu Baoan stared wide-eyed at the spring water flowing from the pipe, grinning from ear to ear, "Great, we succeeded!"
At that moment, the villagers cheered and jumped for joy.
"Great, the water really came down."
"Yes, it's all thanks to Qingya. She's truly a lucky star for our village. With water, this large area of land has become fertile farmland, and we no longer have to worry about drought."
"You're right, Qingya has done a great thing for our village."
Faced with everyone's praise, Chen Qingqing simply smiled faintly.
"You flatter me. This is the result of our joint efforts, not just my achievement."
"What a humble and good child. He was clumsy and messy when he was little, but I never expected him to grow up to be so smart and capable."
"Who says otherwise? Luckily, Old Man Chen and his wife didn't marry Butcher Li back then. If they had, our village wouldn't have such a good life today."
"That's right. My wife can earn three hundred coins a month at the sugar shop, which is more than she earns from farming. It's all thanks to Qing'er."
"That's right, if it weren't for Qingya, our family would still be starving."
Hearing the villagers' words, Wu Baoan deeply sympathized. He waved his hand to the crowd, signaling them to quiet down.
"Fellow villagers, Qingya has worked hard to turn this barren land into fertile fields, and we are happy to benefit from it. But we can't let Qingya bear all the costs. Don't you agree?"
"See? There's no such thing as a free lunch. He may seem selfless on the surface, but he never suffers any loss in reality." Old Chen snorted and gave a sour smile.
Old Mrs. Chen's face was so dark it looked like it could be wrung out. That damned Wu Baoan was truly despicable.
No wonder the second son agreed so readily when he was given these few acres of dry land a few days ago.
So he already knew that this brat had a way to divert water down the mountain.
Turning dry land into fertile fields has resulted in a huge loss for the farmers.
If I had known this would happen, I should have divided the family property in half back then. We would have had two acres of land left over, which could have been sold for at least twenty taels of silver.
But now it's all gone; it's like giving the money to that unfilial ingrate Chen Zhanliang for nothing.
At this point, I really wanted to get the four acres of land back, but we had already signed a written agreement and couldn't renege on it.
She's so regretful now she's hitting her head in frustration, she even feels like dying.
Old Mrs. Chen spat on the ground and glared at Old Mr. Chen. "You're just bored out of your mind. This isn't our land, why are you meddling in this nonsense? Get home right now."
After saying that, she left without looking back.
Old Chen didn't dare say anything more and hurriedly chased after them.
Chen Qingqing didn't expect Wu Baoan to fight for her interests. These few dozen taels of silver were nothing to her, but she wouldn't refuse if the villagers were willing to share the cost.
If the villagers are unwilling and take her efforts for granted, then she won't need to be so kind anymore; she'll just need to save face...
Just then, all the villagers spoke up to express their opinions.
“Village head, you’re right, I agree to cover this cost.”
“That’s right, Qing’s money didn’t come from thin air, so we have to split it equally.”
"Yes, I agree."
"I agree."
Chen Qingqing was somewhat surprised. After all, they were all peasant families who could not save up two taels of silver in a year. If it was divided equally, each family would have more than one tael of silver, which was not a small amount for them.
Liang Fugui, standing in the crowd, spoke up and asked, "Village head, just tell me how much this fee is. My family doesn't have any cash right now, but don't worry, I'll definitely give the money to Qingya after the beets are harvested in the fall."
Wu Baoan nodded with satisfaction, "I know that no one is well-off these days, and this money doesn't need to be paid by everyone. Doesn't our village have public land?"
If any family wants to build a house or cultivate land in the future, they should give the money from selling the public land to Qingya.
This way, everyone won't have to spend a single penny, and it also solves the cost of bringing water down the mountain. What do you think of this idea?
Everyone nodded in agreement, and the matter was settled.
On her way home, Chen Qingqing felt a little lonely. Xiaoyu left in such a hurry, and she wondered how he was doing now.
I've taken care of him for so long, I can't just sneak away!
If you'd at least told me, I could have brought you some antidote pills, in case you get poisoned again...
As she approached her home, Chen Qingqing shook her head vigorously to clear her mind, her expression nonchalant.
Well, everyone has their own ambitions. Since he's gone, there's no need to worry about him anymore. Just live your own life well!
Lin was washing vegetables in the yard when she saw Chen Qingqing return. She quickly asked with a smile, "Qing'er, I just heard Fugui's wife say that you really managed to bring water down the mountain with that iron pipe."
"Yes, Mother, with water, we won't have to worry about the harvest on our two acres of land anymore." Chen Qingqing said, looking around. "Where's my older brother? Hasn't he come back yet?"
"No, perhaps something happened that delayed us. Let's wait a little longer!"
"He promised to come back this month, but he keeps delaying. Five days have passed now, and he's still working for Wu Shih-ren for free. Is he stupid?!"
“Your older brother isn’t stupid. He’s just honest. If the shop is really too busy, he’ll be too embarrassed to just walk away. Let’s wait a few more days!”
"Yes, my older brother is just too honest and can't bring himself to say no. If he doesn't come back in a few days, I'll have to go find him, otherwise he won't be coming back for a long time."
Chen Qingqing had already made up her mind. Now that her parents had a source of income, she would help Chen Feng open another restaurant as soon as possible, so that she could freely do what she liked.
......
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