Priceless: A widow with a baby asks the prince to marry again

When the group returned to the inn, they couldn't tell whether they were happy or unhappy that afternoon, but they just lost interest in playing for the time being.

However, Chu Shiyu was afraid that Liu Rusi and Xiao Qinhao would be in a low mood, so he found a map of the area around Zhang Fubin City and asked the three of them to come to the study in the inn to discuss where to let those unruly people dig canals tomorrow.

Little Qin Hao was a little confused when he looked at the map. He had never seen a map before and was a little confused about the direction. However, he already had some ideas in his mind, so he asked, "Where are the places that were severely affected by the two previous floods?"

Chu Shiyu was obviously prepared. Upon hearing this, he pointed to a village near the river on the map and said, "This area was flooded twice, but because it was not too serious, not many people moved away."

Little Qin Hao stared at the piece of land, looking left and right, and finally decided to ask, "Can this map show the terrain? What kind of buildings are there in this area?"

"This kind of ordinary map will only mark some obvious mountains. Only detailed survey maps can mark the heights of the terrain, but they cannot tell you where the low-lying terrain is among a group of houses and fields." Chu Shiyu explained, and at the same time explained the meaning of the symbols and icons on the map one by one.

"If the terrain is not taken into consideration, it would be more beneficial to dig ditches closer to the farmland." Liu Rusi was still more concerned about practicality.

"Well, we can first select a few suitable routes, and then send people to check which route is convenient for canal digging tomorrow." Chu Shiyu said as he picked up a pen, dipped it in cinnabar, and drew a winding thin red line on the map.

Little Qinhao blinked and asked in surprise: "Can a map be drawn like this? Wouldn't it be damaged?"

Chu Shiyu was stunned for a moment, then said: "Normally, no. It is difficult to accurately copy a detailed map, so each copy is very precious. However... Uncle has privileges, so it's okay to waste a map, and it's not a random drawing."

Liu Rusi didn't know whether she should refute it for a moment. Is it really a good idea to instill such a privileged mentality in a child?

However, Xiao Qinhao stretched out his finger and gestured on the map, then said, "Then I don't need to draw it, I can remember it all. Mom, point to the place you want to mark, and I will remember it for me."

Chu Shiyu looked at Xiao Qinhao speechlessly. Was this a satire on his bad memory?

Liu Rusi gave Xiao Qinhao a complicated look. As expected, no status or identity could be as enviable as Tianci's talent. Even her own mother envied him...

Fortunately, you are familiar with Chu Shiyu, otherwise, if you said something that would stir up hatred, you might have to experience what it means to die young...

On the second morning in Fubin City, we canceled our sightseeing plans and went to investigate suitable locations for canal digging.

The four of them still traveled on horseback, but they all changed into relatively plain clothes. It was not because they were afraid of being hated again, but because they were participating in this kind of civil engineering project and any situation might arise, so wearing gorgeous clothes would not be appropriate.

He led the team out of the city gate on horseback. There were already hundreds of people waiting outside. Those who were responsible for the guard duty in the accompanying team were all here to prevent the situation of unruly people gathering like yesterday.

Although some unruly people escaped yesterday, those who were caught were the most unscrupulous people who stood in the front. It is enough to serve as a warning to others.

These unruly people were kneeling on the ground outside the city gate. No one knew what they had been through that night. They didn't seem to have any injuries on their bodies, but they all looked dazed and terrified...

"So many people supervising twenty people working?" Liu Rusi asked in a very low voice. The scene was a bit cruel just imagining it...even though they knew in their hearts that these people should be punished.

"Of course not. Since we have the idea to dig a canal, let's try to realize it. Even if 20 people work day and night, they can only dig a small ditch. The people we brought here are idle anyway. Except for some necessary guards, the others will go to dig. Let's see if we can dig the planned ditch in seven days."

In fact, Chu Shiyu was not very satisfied with these people alone. He always did things in a drastic manner. Even if it was not earth-shattering, it could not be a joke... But although he could use the tiger talisman to mobilize the Fubin city defense forces, it was not against the rules to pull them in to build fortifications for no reason. He could only use the people he brought with him.

Liu Rusi nodded when she heard this. It was good to use resources reasonably to do practical things. After thinking for a while, she suggested: "Why don't we recruit some more volunteers to participate? I wonder if anyone believes what we said about praying yesterday."

Chu Shiyu also thought about it and decided that calling on civilians was feasible. Even if the number of people was small, it was better than nothing. He added, "Two types of people can be recruited. One is to pray for blessings without compensation, and the other is to be paid on a daily basis. The money will be paid by Lord Li, the prefect of Fubin."

"Good idea." Liu Rusi couldn't help but smile. Who wouldn't say it was reasonable to use Li Yongren's money to do what Li Yongren should do?

Once you have an idea, you need an implementation plan. The two of them, along with little Qin Hao, discussed some details while walking on horseback.

For example, the salary for recruitment is one penny of silver per day, which is one hundred coins. This is a normal range for physical work such as digging canals, but it is not the busy farming season now, and the people of Daxia have few opportunities to earn extra money, so there should be people willing to work as temporary workers.

Then there should be a distinction between different people. Liu Rusi suggested: "Why not let each person who prays for blessings wrap a piece of red cloth on his arm? You can give the red cloth some meaning, for example, wrapping it with red cloth will make it easier for the gods to receive your prayers."

"Then let the unruly people who are atonement for their sins wear white cloth to prevent them from falsely claiming their wages." Chu Shiyu imitated the example.

Although wearing white cloth means there is a funeral in the family, most people would not be willing to do so, but when it comes to him, it’s good enough that they don’t have to hold their own funeral. How dare you refuse to wear a piece of white cloth?

Various details were temporarily settled, and the group arrived at a village that was often affected by floods.

Holding the map, several people began to explore the directions marked yesterday, and then they found that there were many differences between the paper and the reality.

Two of the routes are either located in naturally high terrain or are covered with rocks, so construction may be difficult and time consuming.

Then, they encountered even more trouble. Many villagers holding hoes and axes blocked their way.

"Our village has been looked at by a Feng Shui master! We cannot disturb the land without permission!"

"That's right. What if you dig up the village's earth veins? If you can't give birth to a son, and the family line is cut off, can you afford it?"

The steward beside Chu Shiyu stepped forward in fear and comforted him, saying, "I discussed this with your village chief last night, and it was agreed to!"

"Agree to what? You must have used coercion and bribery to force the village chief to agree! It doesn't count at all!"

The villagers were clamoring and clamoring, and in short, they didn't want to allow the digging to begin. If anyone walked a little forward, they would swing axes and hoes, as if they were going to have a fight.

Liu Rusi really wanted to complain, what kind of good feng shui is this that allows you to be flooded twice in ten years?

However, the villagers were stubborn and even talked a lot. They didn't even have time to persuade them. If they weren't so many in number, they would have been driven out...

The purpose of digging the canal is essentially to do it for the villagers, so there is no need to suppress the villagers and force them to start the construction.

Chu Shiyu and Xiao Qinhao were riding on their horses, both frowning and looking at the map carefully. They had to abandon this village.

There is also a village called Fujiang on the other side of Fubin City, which is also often flooded. I wonder if that village will agree...

I sent someone over to ask, and unexpectedly it happened to be the village where the old man who presided over the blessing ceremony yesterday was.

Fujiang Village is a large village, and the old man is a local squire, a man of certain prestige. Yesterday's blessing ceremony was jointly held by Fujiang Village and several nearby villages.

The old man was naturally still impressed by yesterday. Some of Liu Rusi's words touched his heart. For example, the Great River God probably didn't need mortal sacrifices. Otherwise, why did their village still get flooded despite the careful sacrifices every year? !

He was still skeptical about the idea of ​​digging canals and reservoirs to expand territory, but he felt that there was no harm in giving it a try. On behalf of Fujiang Village, the old man discussed with the neighboring village and believed that it would be better to dig a canal between the borders of the two villages.

When Chu Shiyu and his group arrived later, Fujiang Village and the neighboring village had already selected a construction site for them. It was a relatively low-lying area on the river that flowed between the farmlands of the two villages.

The location had been decided, and Chu Shiyu's subordinates were efficient enough. They quickly found red and white cloth, wrote down the details they had discussed, made a wooden sign with the two methods written on it, and began recruiting volunteers and workers.

What makes Liu Rusi embarrassed is that no one is willing to pray for blessings for nothing. Compared with the illusory blessings, the villagers around are obviously more enthusiastic about making extra money...

Why were they so superstitious yesterday? ! They are paid by others and do work that benefits them. This village of Fujie is really blessed!

There are many benefits to having the support of the villagers. More than 200 people came to recruit workers today, and the tools brought by Chu Shiyu and his team were not even half of what they needed. Originally, they planned to purchase and use them behind the scenes, but the villagers brought their own hoes and shovels to work, and they were willing to lend the extra farm tools to the construction team for free.

Tents were set up next to the construction site, and Chu Shiyu simply moved all the teams that were previously stationed outside the city here, so that the subordinates could get their meals on the spot and they didn't have to run back and forth to rest.

Therefore, the surrounding villages had another source of income, and the accompanying team bought vegetables and rice from them in the past few days. However, the expenses of the accompanying team were reduced because they could buy directly from the villagers, eliminating the transportation and middleman costs.

"We don't have to stay here to watch the construction all these days, right?" Chu Shiyu complained. He wanted to continue playing after everything was arranged.

"We don't need to supervise the construction. We can invite Doctor Ma over and we can learn here." Liu Rusi answered while writing down the names of the temporary workers.

"There's no need to waste these few days studying. We haven't started playing around yet." Chu Shiyu didn't want to spend his hard-earned few days of free time watching people digging the soil.

Liu Rusi wanted to do some work, but unfortunately even Xiao Qinhao didn't agree with her carrying the hoe. She turned around and asked, "Is there any place you want to play?"

Chu Shiyu took out the map again and said, "There is a temple with a lot of incense over here, and there is a beautiful mountain over here..."

"It seems pretty good, but I would like to learn some medical skills earlier. Otherwise... Mr. Chu goes by himself?" Liu Rusi stopped writing and said seriously.

Chu Shiyu silently put away the map.