Pampered by the Toughest Man After Divorce
Chapter 1246 - 1068: Xiao’ai, Dabao, Xiaobei

Chapter 1246: Chapter 1068: Xiao’ai, Dabao, Xiaobei

Nan Feng dared not take all the credit alone, "I just suddenly thought of this method, but Ye Ge helped me a lot. Without his involvement, I definitely couldn’t have completed it."

Wan Jian’an walked from the riverbank to the vegetable field and back to the riverbank, looking here and there, "Actually, I had this idea two years ago as well, to use bamboo to lead the water. But at that time, I consulted several craftsmen, and they all said it required extremely skillful knife work and craftsmanship, otherwise it would be very easy to cause leaks and the bamboo pipes not joining properly. I didn’t expect such a formidable person to emerge from your Daping Village!"

Nan Feng modestly said, "I dare not, I dare not!"

Wan Jian’an asked Nan Feng and Ye Ge again, "If one day you two no longer wish to farm, you could come to the Yamen. I and the Prefect would recommend you there to take care of water management. How about that?"

This time, Nan Feng and Ye Ge almost shook their heads simultaneously, "Thank you, sir!"

Nan Feng said, "I still prefer these days of farming in the countryside, the Yamen isn’t suitable for me."

Although Ye Ge did not continue speaking, his refusal was even clearer.

His silence was stronger than any words.

The village chief could only try to smooth things over, "The official’s proposal was a bit sudden, and it scared the children. How about I slowly persuade them in the future? Maybe one day they will come around and agree."

Wan Jian’an laughed heartily, "Then you must persuade them well."

"Certainly, certainly."

...

Wan Jian’an inspected Nan Feng’s faucet and then went to Sunset Lake in the afternoon.

Sunset Lake, located on the mountainside, is a lake formed due to the streams on the mountain, thus creating a rather large freshwater lake. The water from the small stream by the rice fields is drawn up from this lake. Each year, the drainage volume is unpredictable; the lake’s water rises during the rainy summer season, increasing the drainage. In contrast, the drainage decreases in the less rainy autumn and winter seasons.

Thus, when spring comes and it’s time for sowing, the creek doesn’t rise, and there’s not enough water.

The people of Daping Village had always thought about how to channel the water from Sunset Lake to their fields. Some even thought about lowering the dike of Sunset Lake, but that could easily lead to underflow, possibly flooding the village.

Wan Jian’an explored around Sunset Lake for half the day but couldn’t come up with a definite answer; he just looked around and asked, "What do you think if we were to channel the lake water downhill? Is there a method?"

The village chief, made nervous by the question, awkwardly said, "Well... that’s why we asked for your help, sir. Building a reservoir is too difficult a task for simple folks like us to understand."

Wan Jian’an knew the village chief wouldn’t have any ideas and thus turned to Mo Wenxuan.

Mo Wenxuan thought for a moment and said, "Isn’t it about carving a hole in the mountain around Sunset Lake to let the water flow out? Then we could install a water gate near the hole to release water when needed."

Wan Jian’an shook his head and laughed, "I’m afraid before the gate is installed, the people who carve the hole would be washed away by the bursting water."

Wan Jian’an then looked at Nan Feng, "Girl, what do you think?"

Nan Feng thought for a moment, "I... don’t really have any ideas."

Actually, her thoughts were similar to Mo Wenxuan’s, but since Wan Jian’an had dismissed it, she simply didn’t mention it to avoid others saying she had a psychic connection with Mo Wenxuan.

Wan Jian’an turned to Ye Ge, "What about you, Ye Ge? Do you have any ideas?"

Ye Ge was still calm and composed, "There’s a sequence in learning, and specialization in professions. The matter of digging a reservoir should be left to professionals to think and decide on. I presume you already have some ideas, sir, so I won’t overstep my expertise."

Wan Jian’an burst into laughter, "Haha, Ye Ge, you really know how to speak. You praised me while also saving some effort, but you are right, I indeed have some ideas."

The village chief immediately asked, "Oh? Sir, what ideas do you have?"

Wan Jian’an promptly said, "Actually, the noble son’s general direction is correct, to construct a sluice and then draw out the lake water. The problem is we can’t directly take water from the lake as it would severely damage the vegetation. Although Sunset Lake is not large, if the banks collapse, those affected will still be your Daping Village."

The village chief eagerly asked, "Then is there another method?"

Wan Jian’an replied with feigned depth, "Well, I’d like to test you again. Your Daping Village builds a reservoir just to cope with the seeding season, and with just a few dozen households in your village, your water need isn’t large. Actually, there is a water flow from Sunset Lake to your village - that small creek by the rice fields. What do you think we should do?"

Nan Feng suddenly understood, "Sir, are you saying we don’t have to tamper with Sunset Lake and just focus on that creek?"

"Exactly, well taught!" Wan Jian’an laughed as he spoke to Nan Feng.

Nan Feng continued, "Usually, we can store the water from that creek, and release it to the fields when needed."

Wan Jian’an playfully tested Nan Feng, "Then how do you think we should store the creek’s water?"

Nan Feng quickly replied, "Build a small reservoir upstream of the creek, and when water is needed, we just open the sluice, and the creek water will naturally flow into the fields."

"Exactly, that’s it!" Wan Jian’an shouted excitedly, and kept giving Nan Feng thumbs up, "Truly a talent, truly a talent!"

Nan Feng was a bit embarrassed, "Where, where, with all that has been said by you, sir, how could I not guess it?"

The village chief and Mo Wenxuan were among those feeling ashamed.

Because they had not guessed it.

...

After returning from the mountain, Wan Jian’an still stayed at the village chief’s house to draw up blueprints.

Since there was no need to interfere with Sunset Lake, the reservoir project also didn’t require much manpower or resources, just like Nan Feng said, another small artificial lake could simply be dug below Sunset Lake.

Once Wan Jian’an finished drawing the blueprints, he went back to the county. He said he would come back to check every few days, but before he left, he assigned everyone different tasks.

The village chief was in overall charge, responsible for labor distribution and funding applications. Ye Ge was like a contractor; it was up to him to decide when the villagers digging the reservoir should start and finish work.

Nan Feng was responsible for logistics.

As for Mo Wenxuan, naturally, he was in charge of documenting the progress of the project, detailing each phase, which then the town’s Lizheng would forward to Wan Jian’an.

Each person had their own tasks, so they were all quite enthusiastic about their work.

...

Nan Feng was in charge of logistics, which meant coordinating with a group of women in the village to make food for the men working in the mountains; porridge, meals, and dishes were supplied in unlimited quantities every day, which then were transported to the mountains using a small pushcart.

However, her role as head of logistics was essentially just relaying messages, because as soon as she mentioned the task to Auntie Sima, Auntie Sima took over the matter without a second word.