Chapter 113: Bamboo Tube Waterwheel 3

Chapter 113: Bamboo Tube Waterwheel 3

Actually, Gu Rong had already been here for quite a while.

He hadn't left all this time because there was still something he needed to discuss with Gu Chaoning.

"I'm planning to go to the prefectural city to pursue my studies. Brother Ning, are you really not coming?"

Gu Chaoning was taken aback.

He remembered that in his previous life, Gu Rong had attended the county school.

The county school was a government-run official institution.

The county school accepted students who were shengyuan (licentiates) and juren (provincial graduates).

Since the provincial exam was held only once every three years, students who enrolled got half off tuition and free fees for three years; within six years, tuition would be halved but students would pay for miscellaneous fees themselves.

If a student failed the provincial exam twice, or after six years of enrollment, they could still stay at the county school.

But all those perks would be taken away.

Still, six years of halved tuition and three years of waived fees could save a considerable amount of money.

For this reason, most students from poor families and farming families enrolled in the county school.

In his previous life, both Gu Rong and Gu Chaoning had gone that route.

"Why go to the prefectural city? Have you considered Qingshan Academy or Donglin Academy?"

Gu Rong smiled slowly, his expression softening.

"It was my parents, my older brother, and his wife. They heard from the teacher that the two great academies in the prefectural city—Qingshan and Donglin—are on par with each other, with students exchanging ideas and learning from one another, and they were moved."

There was another reason, too: Gu Chaoning and Yin Hongxue.

The rice-fish farming method had increased the family's income, which meant the family could set aside more money for his studies.

But what truly made his parents and older brother's family make the decision was the bamboo tube waterwheel that Yin Hongxue had developed over the past few days.

The bamboo tube waterwheel could lift water from low places, which made irrigating the wheat fields much easier. The wheat that received sufficient irrigation would certainly produce a better harvest than before.

Additionally, because his father and eldest brother had a thorough understanding of the rice-fish farming method, well-off families from other villages would hire the two of them to help.

These past few days, Uncle Cui Ling had been grateful for their family's help. Cui Ling had taught Gu Rong's eldest sister-in-law some cooking skills, and she could now assist Cui Ling at banquets to earn a few coppers helping out.

In short, the family was earning money more easily than before, which was what allowed him to go to the prefectural city to study.

Thinking of this, he looked at Gu Chaoning gratefully and replied, "The two academies are equally good. I want to go to the prefectural city to check them out before making a decision."

That made sense. Gu Chaoning nodded.

Gu Chaoning bowed and said, "I wish Brother Arong safe travels."

This was a polite way of telling Gu Rong that he had no intention of going to the prefectural city.

Gu Rong understood, but was very confused.

After all, compared to his own family, Gu Chaoning's family was even better off.

Moreover, Gu Chaoning was naturally intelligent, quick-witted, and good-natured. If he got into a prefectural academy, he'd not only improve his own skills, but he'd also make connections that could help him later.

Gu Chaoning could see the confusion on his face, but said nothing.

He couldn't very well tell him that in three years, the entire city of Chuanyang would suffer a severe snow disaster.

The reason he had rushed to introduce the rice-fish farming method right after gaining a bit of fame in this life was precisely because of that snow disaster.

When the snow disaster hit in his previous life, he had been trapped in the county town. The villages and towns most severely affected were just over half a day away from Dukou Town.

A large number of refugees who had lost their homes and food temporarily gave up going to more distant county towns and instead headed to other villages and towns—Dukou Town being one of them.

There were too many refugees, and the food Dukou Town could provide was merely a drop in the bucket. A small number of them wandered into the villages.

At that time, he had been trapped in the county town, and he didn't know much about what had happened back in Xiaohe Village.

He only knew that when he got back, his grandpa was permanently lame, and his dad had developed a chronic cough that acted up whenever he got cold, no matter the season.

For the rest of their lives, they were plagued by pain and illness.

Actually, after being reborn, he had considered taking his family to the county town or prefectural city to get away.

Especially after the family's money increased, he thought about it even more.

But if their family just up and left, what about the other villagers in Dukou Town and Xiaohe Village? What about those refugees whose homes and food had been destroyed, who walked half a day through the wind and snow hoping to find safety here?

Since he had been reborn with knowledge of the future, he had to do something.

Gu Rong saw that he wasn't speaking and felt a twinge of sadness, but still cheerfully changed the subject.

Thinking of the days ahead, Gu Rong gradually perked up.

The two chatted for a few more moments, and after Gu Rong said he would leave in two days, he left.

During the evening meal, Gu Muan mentioned it—he had heard it from Cui Ling.

Upon hearing that Gu Rong was going to the prefectural city academy to study, everyone looked at Gu Chaoning.

"Chaoning, what do you plan to do about your studies?"

If he wanted to go to the prefectural city, they could support that.

If he thought the prefectural city was too far and wanted to go to the county school instead, that was fine too.

"I want to stay in Xiaohe Village for now."

???

Everyone stared at Gu Chaoning in shock.

They had thought of the prefectural city, and they had thought of the county town, but they never expected that he would still want to stay in Xiaohe Village.

Gu Wen, Chen Youyan, and the others hadn't brought up the matter of his continued studies in the past few days—first, because Gu Chaoning had always had a mind of his own, and second, because they didn't want to pressure him too much.

But they never expected that he'd still want to stay in Xiaohe Village.

Gu Daniu frowned, and his tone immediately became stern.

"That won't do!"

Gu Daniu usually seemed pretty easygoing, but when he got serious, even Gu Wen and Chen Youyan would still get a little scared.

Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan, who had been sitting quietly without making a sound, got so startled they barely dared to breathe.

The two of them snuck a careful look at Gu Daniu, then at the bold Gu Chaoning.

Gu Daniu realized he had frightened Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan, and eased his frown a little.

But his gaze at Gu Chaoning remained stern.

Gu Chaoning didn't dodge or look away, quietly holding Gu Daniu's gaze.

Looking at those calm eyes, Gu Daniu cooled off a little more.

He remembered that Gu Chaoning was not the sort to mess around.

Gu Daniu's eyes softened slightly as a thought seemed to cross his mind.

"If you're worried about the family's finances and that's why you want to stay in Xiaohe Village, then Grandpa can promise you that we've got more than enough to cover your schooling in the city or county seat."

Gu Wen raised an eyebrow at Gu Daniu, then looked back at Chen Youyan.

He was wiggling his eyebrows and making all kinds of faces, like he was saying, "Yan Geer, who knew our old man was this loaded."

Chen Youyan: "..."

He just gave Gu Wen a deadpan look and ignored him.

Yin Hongxue and Gu Muan happened to be sitting across from Gu Wen, and watching him do that, Yin Hongxue was fine, but Gu Muan couldn't hold it in and broke into a grin, his eyes crinkling.

That little bit of clowning around completely broke the tension.

Gu Wen stole a quick look at his old man's face, then looked at Gu Chaoning.

"Yeah, son, we've got the money to put you through school."

After all, they'd been saving up ever since Chaoning started at the village school.

Gu Chaoning felt deeply moved, wrapped in his family's tolerance and care.

"No, that's not why," he shook his head. "Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Father, I know how much you all care for me, Chaoning. It's just that I'm still pretty young."

"The metropolitan exam is where all the provincial graduates from across Great Qi compete. Sure, I came in first in the provincial exam, but every prefectural city in Great Qi has its own top scorer. If I ever lost my edge, could I really keep my cool?"

"So I'd rather stay home and settle down for three years. After three years, once I've matured a bit, then I'll go study and take the exams."

That was a fair point.

Gu Daniu, Wang Xiuxiu, and Gu Wen all nodded to themselves.

This time, though, it was Chen Youyan who gave Gu Chaoning a cold look.

"Then shouldn't you be going to the prefectural city even more? Learn from the sharp students in the city, broaden your horizons, and toughen up your character."

"If you want to take a few more years to settle, you can do that while studying in the city too."

Right! Gu Wen realized Chaoning had just talked him in circles.

Everyone else nodded in agreement and turned back to look at Gu Chaoning.

Gu Chaoning hadn't expected his dad to be this sharp this time.

Since he couldn't bluff his way out, the only move left was to dig in his heels.

"I just want to stay here at home."

That conversation just sort of fizzled out, and things stayed tense until two days later, when the family saw Gu Rong off. After that, it hit a total deadlock.

This went on for five more days, until Gu Wen finished building a bamboo waterwheel as tall as two people, which broke the tension for a while.

The waterwheel, as tall as two people, took four people to carry it into the water together.

Compared to the little one Yin Hongxue and Gu Chaoning had built, Gu Wen, being a carpenter, had used his own know-how and craftsmanship to refine a few things on it.

The bamboo waterwheel sent up a big splash and settled solidly into the water, so stable that it didn't even need stones weighing it down underneath.

The bamboo waterwheel turned slowly, lifting the water up and letting it spill back down, pouring like a waterfall and kicking up spray.

Everyone grinned happily in the spray of the splashing water.

Since the waterwheel was big, the stones to hold it down had to be big as well.

The villagers had already scrounged up four, and the moment the waterwheel was set, folks hauled the stones over together.

With four more thuds, the large stones were pressed onto the four corners.

Everyone let go of the waterwheel and slowly felt their way backward in the river, then slowly took in the whole waterwheel.

They watched the waterwheel turn, scooping up the river water and spilling it back down.

Nobody knew who started laughing first, but soon, happy laughter spread along the riverbank, one voice after another.

Xiaohe Village was buzzing again.

The villagers, men and women, young and old, all ate breakfast and then headed out with hoes, rakes, and shovels.

They started by digging a small pond by the river, lining the bottom with stone slabs. The waterwheel turned, and before long, the little pond was full.

Using the pond as a starting point, everyone followed Yin Hongxue and the village head to mark out channel routes through their own fields.

Each channel ended in another small pond, with a shallow notch at the top connecting it to the river.

That way, the water in the ponds and channels couldn't run off, but it still stayed connected to the river and kept flowing.

It took over a month to dig the channels.

To be safe, everyone lined the bottoms of the channels with stone slabs as much as they could, which slowed things down.

Meanwhile, Gu Wen built three more big waterwheels and eight small ones, placing them along the river and in the channels.

Once all the irrigation channels were finished, everyone looked at the green fields and the softly flowing channels and broke into easy, content smiles.

Good, real good.