What seemed like a simple task now, in the context of this great Cang Kingdom, was actually much more challenging.
For example, the simplest task—filling the land with water.
This was a huge project.
The riverbank, more than thirty feet wide, posed a big problem: how to begin digging?
Chen Xiaobei sat by the bank, dipping his feet into the cool river. The chill was refreshing, providing a slight pleasure on this hot summer day.
His mind was racing, constantly reconsidering the best way to proceed. His initial idea was to dig a channel so that water could slowly fill the wetland he had claimed.
But how to dig it, how deep to go, and what to do after the water is in? How to seal it?
If there's a drought, he'd need to constantly replenish the water.
Repeatedly digging a canal under current conditions was not something he could do alone.
That's when he realized that he might have been thinking too simply.
He pondered deeply, recalling scenes from his childhood when his family used to farm.
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head.
He had a solution.
He remembered from his childhood that the water well was on the east side of the road, and the fields were on the west side. When watering the crops, villagers used an underground canal.
They buried round concrete pipes underground, allowing people to walk above while the water flowed below.
They usually blocked the entry and exit points with weeds, clearing them when the water was needed.
With this memory, he jumped up excitedly.
Although in this era, there were no concrete pipes or even ceramic pipes, there was something else: stones.
Without round pipes, he could make a square one from stones, and it would work just the same.
With that, he quickly ran home to ask Cui Hongyu for some paper, ink, and a brush. These were items she had brought as part of her dowry.
After sketching his plan twice, Chen Xiaobei felt like it was coming together.
Cui Hongyu had been quietly watching him draw, her head tilted in curiosity. She was deeply shocked. Wasn't it said that Chen Xiaobei couldn't even read or write properly as a child? Yet, here he was, drawing such vivid plans. And on top of that, he had roughly marked out the measurements—though the handwriting wasn't perfect, it was still legible.
This was nothing like the stories she had heard about him.
After finishing the drawing, Chen Xiaobei tilted his head and admired it for a moment. He then suddenly realized that Cui Hongyu had been watching him the whole time. He smiled a bit awkwardly, "My handwriting is so bad, I'm sorry you had to see it."
Cui Hongyu quickly shook her head. "No, no, I think your drawing is great! Would it be possible for you to teach me how to draw like this?"
Chen Xiaobei's little sister, Chen Qiao'er, jumped up several times, trying to see what her brother was drawing on the paper. She clapped her hands excitedly, saying, "Brother's drawing is so beautiful, I want to learn too!"
Chen Xiaobei patted his little sister on the head, "Alright, you and your sister-in-law stay here at home. I need to go out for a while."
Chen Xiaobei left the house and headed straight west. Not far ahead was Li Dong's home.
Standing at the door, he immediately heard the sound of a baby crying from inside.
Li Dong had just had a son. In this era, having a son meant an additional strong laborer for the family.
Chen Xiaobei stood at the door and called out twice. Li Dong walked out from the house with a smile.
When he saw it was Chen Xiaobei, Li Dong stepped forward a few steps to greet him, "Brother Xiaobei, come in and sit."
Chen Xiaobei nodded and entered, first handing Li Dong two large coins.
Li Dong was momentarily flustered. "No, no, Brother Xiaobei, if you have something to say, just tell me. You don't need to..."
"Li Dong, these are just a small token for my little nephew, don't think it's too little."
Two large coins weren't too little, and in He Tou Village, it was definitely considered a generous gift.
After a few polite refusals, Li Dong still took the coins, knowing that this was a substantial amount for their family.
"Brother Li, I know you're a mason. I came to ask if you could help me with something."
Li Dong grinned when he heard this. "No problem, as long as I can do it."
Chen Xiaobei then took out the drawing he had made.
When Li Dong saw the drawing, he was a bit stunned. He hesitated and looked at Chen Xiaobei, "Who drew this?"
Chen Xiaobei smiled lightly, "Oh, it was Hongyu who helped me draw it. You know I can't read."
Li Dong nodded. "I thought so. Only she could draw something so beautiful."
"By the way, where do you need to build this?"
Chen Xiaobei explained the situation about the land he planned to develop. After hearing this, Li Dong seemed stunned.
"Brother Xiaobei, that land is really expensive—five big mouths for one mu of land. It's definitely not cheap, and growing crops there would be impossible."
"It's fine, brother. I wasn't planning to grow crops anyway. I want to fill it with water and raise fish."
"Raise fish?"
Li Dong's eyes widened. "There are so many fish in the river, why would you want to raise your own?"
Chen Xiaobei didn't want to get stuck on this issue. "Brother, don't ask so many questions. Just tell me if you can do the job."
Li Dong nodded after a moment. "Alright, let's go to the riverbank and you can tell me exactly what you want to do."
Chen Xiaobei led Li Dong to the spot he had chosen. After some gestures and explanation, Li Dong finally understood.
They would dig three feet down—yes, really three feet.
Because during the dry season, the river level drops significantly, Chen Xiaobei decided to make the underground canal three feet deep to avoid any issues.
After walking back and forth a few times, Li Dong came up with a construction plan.
According to Li Dong's idea, they would first dig from the riverbank and build a wall halfway with stones. Then they would fill the other side with soil and temporarily block the water inlet. Only after that would they complete the other half of the work, and once everything was done, they would open the water inlet.
After hearing the plan, Chen Xiaobei admired the practical wisdom of the working people in this era. This plan was much safer than simply digging an open water channel and using stones, ensuring that there would be no risk of flooding.
"Brother Li, I want to leave this job to you. You decide how many people and what materials are needed. Just tell me the result and how much the labor will cost."
Li Dong tilted his head and thought for a long time before scratching his head. "Four people for two days should be enough."
"Good, then it's four people for two days. I'll pay five copper coins a day for each person, and on top of that, I'll give you an extra copper coin per day to make sure the job is done properly."
Li Dong's eyes filled with gratitude. With such good pay, if he didn't do the job well, he'd have no face left.
Just then, as Chen Xiaobei turned around casually, he saw large flocks of birds circling in the air above Qingniu Mountain in the distance.
The birds were startled, which meant something was happening in the woods.
Chen Xiaobei's mind quickly shifted. He suddenly remembered the tracks he had discovered the last time he went up the mountain.
Could it be that someone else has gone up the mountain again? But the villagers who wanted to go to Qingniu Mountain would have to pass by this road. He hadn't seen anyone else.