Shipin Dalizheng

Of course Rong Tang could not forget the paddy fields. After he came here, the villagers unanimously agreed that all the income from the fields would belong to him. Without him, the village would not be able to get a single grain of rice. He had done enough for the village, and the people in the compound could not afford to buy rice for meals.

Rong Tang said, "Just add water, and let the two uncles do it. I won't treat them unfairly."

The Sixth Master exclaimed, "It's not that. I know the prince won't let them down. The river is shallow, and the ditch we dug can't bring in water. The two brothers work day and night to fetch water, but they can't even get enough for sixty acres. How about adding a few more people?"

Rong Tang then remembered that this land was originally cultivated by the Gao family. Although the family was cruel, they were all strong laborers.

"I gonna go see."

As soon as he moved, Rong Zhan followed. No matter when or where, unless he really couldn't break through the crowd, he must have someone to protect him closely.

To be honest, if they hadn't met a master like Lao Wen, they would still be able to handle it.

The three of them came to the river, only to see Rong Erzhu and Rong Sanzhu running back and forth, pouring two buckets at a time, and pouring the water into the field without a trace, which made the two of them very worried.

Looking at the river again, the water level has dropped seriously and the ditches dug by the village are no longer reachable.

"Is it like this in previous years?"

Sixth Master said, "That's right! Although our village hasn't experienced any serious natural disasters, there's very little rain during the hottest season every year. It only rained a few drops on your first day here, like cat urine, and it hasn't rained since. The water in the river is getting shallower and shallower. Not only the paddy fields, but even the dry fields need watering to get a good harvest. If this continues, every man, woman, and child in the village will have to go down to the river to fetch water, brew wine, and build houses. Everything will have to stop."

On the bridge, the Zheng family's carriage came swayingly.

Old Wen saw Rong Tang standing by the paddy field and stopped the car to the side.

"Sir, I saw Prince Rong. I'm going to talk to him."

Zheng Changzhi snorted, without even raising his eyelids, looking at the book in his hand.

At the back of the carriage, Xuanque was waving a mini fan, blowing air for him, which was very comfortable.

He is the eldest son of Zheng. How can a big fan worth one hundred taels be worthy of his status? He forced Tang Fuyun to make a small one for him to carry with him.

Tang Fuyun said, "Five hundred taels, no bargaining."

He did it, but with a condition: it would be the only one in Beijing. Tang Fuyun promised him that he would not give it to anyone else, at least not within this year.

but……

Zheng Changzhi was still very dissatisfied, because his foot had been dragged by Rong Tang for another half a month, and his patience was almost at its limit.

Fortunately it’s not hot, otherwise I would be even more irritated.

Old Wen came in front of the Rong family. The Sixth Master and the others seemed to have gotten used to his presence. They showed no intention of stopping and continued to talk to Rong Tang.

When Rong Tang saw him, it was like seeing a creditor, and he didn't want to pay any attention to him.

"Sir, what should we do?"

The Sixth Master had no other tricks, he was just used to asking the backbone for help when he encountered problems he couldn't solve.

Rong Tang squatted down by the river, touching his chin, picked up a branch and drew on the ground.

then……

"We can build water wheels to draw water from the river continuously and flow it into the ditches. When the ditches are full, the water will naturally flow into the fields of every household, so the whole village won't have to come to fetch water."

"Waterwheel..."

The six great grandfathers and their three companions looked bewildered, and could not help but glance at the Zheng family carriage on the roadside. It was true that carrying water in the carriage, and carrying a few more buckets per trip, was much faster than carrying water manually, but that was about it!

Rong Tang followed their gaze and realized that they were thinking in the wrong direction.

"Not a carriage."

“Is that an oxcart?”

"It's not a car... Let me explain it to you this way. Come on, follow me to the river."

The Sixth Master and his three sons, Rong Zhan and Lao Wen, followed him to the river together.

Rong Tang pointed to the low water level in the river and gestured as he said, "Build something. Put one end in the water and the other end on the shore. Spin it in a circle. The water will flow from the low point to the high point, into the ditch, and into the fields... Do you understand?"

Do not understand!

Five heads shook firmly.

Rong Tang felt very frustrated. Talking about water wheels with a few ancient people who had no idea about basic mechanics was like talking to a cow. If Tang Fuyun was there, even if it was Sima Xin, he would have some idea of ​​how to respond.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. Wait until I draw it... No, no, you'll know once I build it. Well, let me first..."

Just as he was about to dodge, Old Wen grabbed his collar and said, "Don't go. The Master wants to see you."

"senior……"

Rong Zhan still wanted to fight for it, but Lao Wen pressed a point on him with a finger from a distance, which made him realize once again that his uselessness was not ordinary uselessness.

"Senior, senior..."

Erzhu and Sanzhu did not retreat either, mainly because these people had come here frequently in the past few days, and they did not seem to be seeking revenge. It was said that they had something to ask of their prince, but they had never expected that their attitude would be so tough.

They came forward, but Lao Wen didn't want to attack ordinary people, so he said gently, "Prince Rong, I have no ill will towards you. Tell them to step back."

Rong Tang waved his hand, but he had no intention of going over. Instead, he discussed with Old Wen, "Grandpa Wen, I'm really busy. Look at this..."

Old Wen said, "You can't fool me anymore. I've been holding off for you long enough."

"But now the fields are dry and the land is dry. If I don't find a solution, the villagers will starve to death. Grandpa Wen is a martial arts hero, a celestial being. As the saying goes, with great power comes great responsibility. Heaven sent a great man like you down to earth to save the people from disaster and ensure that the poor have food in summer and clothes in winter..."

The compliments and flattery were endless, and Old Wen couldn't bear it anymore. He let go of his hand and said, "Stop... stop... let me slow down!"

Old Wen paused for a moment, wiped his face, and returned to the carriage. "Sir, Prince Rong has a new idea. He wants to build a cart that will reverse the flow of the river, from low to high. Then, the dry fields in the village will have water, and the crops will be abundant."

There was a long pause in the carriage, and then Zheng Changzhi's mocking laughter could be heard, "You believe this?"

Old Wen said seriously, "Of course he doesn't believe it, but he's already boasted so much, if I don't let him try, he'll definitely not be convinced. So I made a bet with him: if he builds it, I'll pay a high price for it. If he can't build it, I'm willing to wear a red skirt and walk from the palace gate to the south city gate."

(Rong Tang: I didn’t say that.)

(Old Wen: It doesn’t matter whether you said it or not. I, an old man, have a way to make you wear it.)

Zheng Changzhi laughed sarcastically, "Ahahaha. Fine, give him a few more days. If he can't make it, I'll host a viewing party and book all the restaurants from the palace gate to the South City Gate for everyone to see Prince Rong dressed in women's clothing. It's bound to be a grand spectacle."

Zheng Changzhi was in a good mood, so he asked Lao Wen to pull the horse back and go back to the city via the main road.

Rong Tang shouted, "Senior Wen, unblock the acupoints, unblock the acupoints."

Old Wen picked up a stone and threw it from a distance. Rong Zhan groaned and was able to move again, but he also became withdrawn.

Rong Tang tried to comfort him, "It's okay, he's an old senior, respecting the old and loving the young is a traditional virtue."

He had good hearing and didn't hear everything, but he caught words like "built...booked a restaurant...admired the style...grand scene".

He didn't hear clearly how Lao Wen persuaded Zheng Changzhi, but he guessed it was related to the waterwheel. For both public and private reasons, he had to hurry up.

When he returned to the compound, he looked through the drawings. When he first arrived, he drew whatever he remembered and wrote whatever he could remember. When he looked for it this time, he actually found the relevant information.