Chapter 229 The Reservoir
It was definitely asking for trouble if anyone wanted to steal Wu Xiyuan's thunder or be jealous of him.
This was what the Wu family had unanimously acquiesced to in their minds.
Wu Xiyuan and his wife were special to his parents. But in all fairness, their life got better and better mostly because of Wu Xiyuan.
Because Wu Xiyuan's good ranking in the provincial examination, everyone in the village was nicer to him when they came across him.
It seemed that Jiuyue did not contribute a lot in this, but everyone knew that if she hadn't been lucky enough to find and dig up that Ganoderma lucidum to exchange for rice, it would have been difficult for them to go through this winter.
Liu Cuihua put some bacon into Wu Xiyuan's bowl and said kindly, "Xiyuan, eat more. Look at you. You've only been there for a month and you've lost so much weight."
Su Jiuyue nodded her head next to her, "Yes, you need to eat more."
Wu Xiyuan found it funny because they were talking as if one or two more meals would make the weight grow back.
But he also knew that they were just caring about him. He smiled and ate the bacon that his mother had put in his bowl before saying, "You guys enjoy the meal, too. It snowed heavily last winter, so there should be no more famine this year."
Wu Chuan, who was also an expert on crops, nodded in agreement at these words, "Yes, we farmers depend on the weather. Fortunately, there is always a way out."
Dacheng glanced at his father, "Dad, the village chief said that he wanted everyone to come to his house for a meeting."
Wu Chuan frowned and asked, "What meeting? It's high time for spring planting. Won't that delay out plans?"
Dacheng explained, "Not actually. The village chief said that only one person from each family need to attend the meeting. I heard that it is about building a reservoir."
"A reservoir?" Wu Xiyuan asked surprisedly.
Dacheng nodded, "Yes. I only heard the village chief mention it, but we have to attend the meeting to find out what exactly it is about."
Wu Xiyuan felt a bit strange, "What's the use of building a reservoir here? There is only a small stream nearby. The stream will not even last a few days before it dries up once it gets too sunny, not to mention if there is a natural disaster."
All the family members were confused, but Ercheng interjected, "I've actually heard people talking about this. I worked with Ge Da the other day and I heard him say that our village is planning to build a reservoir at the back of the mountain. Each worker can earn eighty coins per day!"
"Eighty? Who's going to pay that much?" Liu Cuihua asked.
"The rich merchants in Yong Zhou City will pay for it and they will build a monument of longevity next to the reservoir. Whoever pays more will be able to have his name engraved on it, so that he will be known for centuries." Ercheng said enthusiastically, as he was obviously very excited, too.
"We should finish our work in the field as quickly as possible. Once the village starts to build the reservoir, the three of us, father and sons, will be able to join it and earn two hundred and forty per day. Once the two babies are born, they will be able to live a good life. Isn't it great?"
Tian Xiuniang and Chen Zhaodi looked at each other and were both excited. Building a reservoir would take at least six months. There was enough labor force in the Wu family. Even if Wu Xiyuan had to study and couldn't go to work, the other three men could still earn a lot of money!
Everyone in the family was happy, except for Wu Xiyuan who was deep in thought.
It was mostly dry in the northwest. Sometimes it did not rain for two or three years, and it made the people suffer.
Later, Prince Yan decided to build a reservoir here, so that during the rainy seasons, water from the Qing Shui River could be diverted to the reservoir. In dry years, the water could be used to irrigate the land.
The project was indeed a benefit to the local people.
However, this was five or six years earlier than the time when they built the reservoir last life.
How did Prince Yan come up with the idea of building a reservoir? Was there a wise man who gave him the advice? Or did he suddenly come up with it?
Wu Xiyuan thought about what Prince Yan had done in this life. He did not take the initiative to attack the Hu people. Instead, he kept a tight rein on Yong Zhou City. Even when the enemies feigned an attack on Tianshui, he did not have the slightest intention of going to support them.
Moreover, he had been engaged with Miss Su long ago, and he was not afraid of causing dread from the king.
He must have reached some secret agreement with the king.
Let him take another bold guess: could it be that Prince Yan was also from the previous life?
Wu Xiyuan felt that he might have actually gotten it right. At the same time, he also warned himself in his mind that he was not the only one favoured by God, and that he would have to be more careful in the future.
Su Jiuyue was listening to the conversation in the family with great interest when she turned around and found Wu Xiyuan in a daze.
She touched him with her elbow and only then did Wu Xiyuan come back to his senses. She asked in a low voice, "Xiyuan, are you a little bit tired?"
Wu Xiyuan smiled and shook his head, "Not really. It's just that I feel a little guilty thinking about not being able to work with everyone."
Su Jiuyue quietly held his hand tightly under the table and said comfortingly, "You just need to study hard. Don't think about other things. As long as you succeed in the exam and become an officer, our family will be so much better than this."
Just as she finished her words, she felt that she might be putting too much pressure on him by saying that, and said, "Don't worry too much. It doesn't matter even if you don't succeed in the exam in one go. You are still young anyway. It is always useful to study and read more."
Wu Xiyuan knew that she was trying to comfort him. It was indeed not easy for her to secretly hold his hand in front of so many people. He didn't want to tease her anymore, so he smiled at her, "I understand."
Liu Cuihua saw that everyone was talking excitedly, so she stretched out her chopsticks to knock lightly on the side of the bowl, "Don't you know that one should not talk while trying to eat or sleep? Hurry up and eat. If you keep talking, the food will get cold."
Only then did everyone stop talking and eat in silence.
After they finished eating, Su Jiuyue took out the things she had bought from the temple fair and showed them to everyone.
"This is the velvet flower I bought for my two sisters-in-law. I saw other girls wearing it and it looked really nice. I bought a new tobacco pot for dad, and I heard it was made of obsidian. Dad, can you see if it's true? I bought a box of face cream for Mom. The stall owner said that if you use it on your face, your skin will become fair and soft..."
She kept saying as she took them out. All eyes were focused on her little basket as if it was a treasure chest.
It was not until she gave a gift to everyone that she smiled faintly, "Okay, that's all."
Liu Cuihua cupped the small box of face cream as if she was holding some valuable treasure. She felt both happy and guilty, "Why did you spend so much money? What a waste of money to buy me the cream. You should keep it and use it yourself!"
Su Jiuyue laughed as she pushed her hand away, "Mom, I bought this for you on purpose. How can I take it?"