"Warm soup?!" Several workers gathered around and said:
"Is this true? How can we get warm soup in this remote mountain area?"
"Hey! Smell it! It really smells like sulfur!"
"The air is hot too! There must be water in it!"
No one was too busy digging lime and they all worked together using pickaxes to widen the gap.
As the gravel and soil were continuously cleared, the heat and sulfur smell became stronger and stronger, and the gurgling sound of water could be clearly heard!
Finally, after clearing away a loose stone slab, a spring the size of a washbasin was exposed to everyone!
Clear hot water is bubbling up from the bottom of the spring, bringing up tiny bubbles and steam! The water temperature is obviously higher than body temperature and it feels hot to the touch!
"Oh my god! It's warm!"
"The water is coming out! It's so hot!"
"Look! The water is so clear!"
Digging lime to find a hot spring! This is a truly astonishing discovery! Everyone was so excited that their faces flushed, and they gathered around the spring and marveled at it. Uncle Lao Gen was so excited that his hands were shaking: "Quick! Go report to the captain! This is a big deal!"
Sun Xiangqian reacted the fastest, running towards the village, shouting as he ran: "Lu Qingyang! Qingyang! We dug out a treasure! We dug out warm soup!"
Lu Qingyang was still in the field and heard his voice from a distance.
"Quick! Go and have a look! The lime has been dug up to reveal warm water!"
"Warm soup?"
"We were digging limestone! We were chiseling the rocks when suddenly there was steam coming out! A smell of sulfur! We dug it open and saw, wow! Hot water was bubbling out! It was hot! It was warm soup! There is a hot soup in the mountain behind our village!"
"Really?! They dug out a hot spring by digging lime? Are you sure?"
"It's true! They're all watching! It's so hot! Everyone is having a blast!"
"Let's go! Take me to see it!"
Lu Qingyang followed the excited Sun Xiangqian and trotted all the way to the lime digging site.
The place was already crowded with members who had rushed over after hearing the news, and each of them had a look of curiosity, as if they had discovered a new world.
"The captain is here!"
"Make way! Let the captain take a look!"
"Qingyang! Look! It's really warm soup!"
The group automatically separated into a path.
Wang Dagang was squatting beside the enlarged spring, scooping up a pool of clear hot water with a broken enamel pot and carefully handed it to Lu Qingyang: "Qingyang, feel it! It's hot! Smell it, it can't be wrong!"
Lu Qingyang took the enamel pot and it was warm to the touch, estimated to be around 40 degrees.
He leaned in and sniffed, a warm scent mixed with sulfur and minerals entering his nostrils.
He carefully observed the location of the spring, the amount of water gushing out, and the clear water quality with a faint milky white color.
"It's really warm soup! Our production team is so lucky! We dug out a golden baby while digging lime!" He put down the enamel pot and looked around at the excited crowd.
"Everyone, be quiet!" Lu Qingyang raised his voice. "Discovering hot springs is a good thing! It's a great thing! This hot spring water can drive away the cold and activate blood circulation in winter, and relax muscles and joints! It can also be used to wash things! But!"
He changed the subject and became serious. "This hot spring has just been discovered, and the situation is still unclear! Can we soak in the water directly? Is it poisonous? How long can it last? We are not sure! For safety reasons, no one is allowed to soak in it now! And no one is allowed to drink it carelessly!"
He pointed to the area around the spring and said, "Wang Shun, take a few people and surround the spring with stones and wood to provide some simple protection! Don't let the people fall in and get burned by accident!"
"Okay!"
"Don't worry, Captain!"
Lu Qingyang's calmness and arrangements calmed the excited crowd down a little.
Everyone also felt that the captain was right. It was better to be cautious when the hot water suddenly appeared.
"In addition," Lu Qingyang continued to make arrangements, "this hot spring was discovered by us collectively, and it is our collective property! We have to hold a meeting to discuss how to use it and how to protect it! We can't do anything reckless! Everyone should go home today and do what they need to do! I and a few other members of the team will study it first!"
Under Lu Qingyang's command, the group was reluctant but gradually dispersed, leaving only a few key members to build a temporary fence around the spring.
The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving only a few core members surrounding the steaming spring.
"Okay, now there's nothing else to say," Lu Qingyang cleared his throat and pointed at the gurgling hot spring. "This 'magic soup' is a treasure that we have collectively dug out. How to use it and where to use it, everyone, tell us what you think."
Wang Shun was the most impatient and was the first to speak: "Need I say that? Captain! It's getting cold, let's distribute hot spring water to every household to soak their feet! It will drive away the cold! It will make you feel comfortable! My mother's legs are cold, and this will definitely help!"
This idea immediately won the approval of everyone.
"Yes! Take a bath! Dig a big pool and take turns to soak in it!" another team leader also said excitedly.
"It's good for washing clothes! The water is hot and it saves firewood!" The custodian, Uncle Li, is more pragmatic.
"I think it would be better to divert a small canal to our barn!" Wang Dagang thought more practically, "In winter, we can give the animals some warm water and feed them, so they can grow fat faster!"
Everyone was talking at once, and the focus of the discussion was on the tangible benefits such as "water distribution", "bathing", "washing clothes" and "watering for livestock".
Accountant Xu smoked his pipe and concluded, "Qingyang, I think what everyone said is right. This hot spring is a gift from God, and everyone should benefit from it. Let the team use it first, for bathing and washing, and then consider diverting water to the barn."
Lu Qingyang listened patiently with a smile on his face. When everyone had finished speaking, he slowly spoke:
"What the uncles and aunts want is good, and they are all real benefits. This hot spring water can really help relieve fatigue and drive away the cold in winter by soaking your feet or taking a bath. It is a blessing that our members should enjoy. Giving warm water to livestock is also a good way to increase production."
He changed the subject and swept his eyes across the crowd, with a profound look that went beyond the immediate interests: "But, can we take a longer-term view?"
"Long-term?" Uncle Lao Gen put down his pipe in confusion, "How can this warm soup last long? Can it still produce offspring?"
Everyone also looked at Lu Qingyang curiously.
Lu Qingyang squatted down, scooped up a handful of warm spring water, and watched the clear water flow through his fingers:
"Uncles, think about it, why is this hot spring water so valuable? Is it because it's warm? Because you can take a bath in it?" He paused and asked a question that no one had ever thought about: "Because our hot spring water is not only hot, it contains 'treasures'!"
"Treasure?" Wang Shun's eyes widened. "Gold? Or silver?"
Lu Qingyang smiled, "It's not gold or silver, it's a 'medicine' that's even rarer than gold or silver! This water smells of sulfur and other minerals, it smells a bit strange, but soaking in it can relax the muscles and activate blood circulation, dispel wind and dampness, and is especially effective for some old cold legs, backaches and sore waists! Outside, this is called 'recuperation', it's a high-end enjoyment specially prepared for people with status and whose bodies need to be recuperated!"
He stood up and pointed at the hot spring: "We have such a precious treasure, are we only thinking about soaking our feet and washing clothes? What a waste!
Can we make the 돗 more presentable?
Dig a few decent ponds, build them with stones, and build a thatched shed or wooden house next to them to protect them from wind and rain?
Bring the water over there, so it's clean and comfortable?"
"Then what?"
Lu Qingyang smiled mysteriously: "You will know in the future."
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