Traveling through time as a peasant girl to turn things around

That day, the academy finally recruited a young student, only eighteen or nineteen years old, whose talent was comparable to that of her own family member Chai En. Guoguo recruited him as the vice-president, and he acted on Guoguo's behalf to handle some daily affairs, with Li Jingwen assisting him. His name was Bai Yong, and Guoguo was very satisfied with his words and deeds. She felt that it was a gift from heaven to help her. Guoguo was leaving, and she took everyone in the Chai family home with her, including Huanhuan, Hengheng, Xiaoen, Xiaofu, and Chai Ye. Chai Ye did not enter the government, but was still studying in the academy, and he also helped Guoguo with his lessons. He wanted to study physics and English, and when he came back this time, Guoguo personally called them a few, and Yeheng could also teach him. He also wanted to listen to Guoguo's explanation again. The pulley system was widely used, and Yeheng understood it well. These people were preparing to take the exam again in the autumn and studied even harder.

Ye Heng summoned the three men who worked on the arithmetic and weaponry research at the Ministry of War—Jiang Qin, Li Tong, and Wang Ming—to attend his lectures. After one class, the three excitedly exclaimed, "This is amazing! It's so well explained, it's exactly what it's all about. I understand everything." Wang Ming replied, "We three want to learn." Ye Heng replied, "That's why you're here. It's very helpful for shipbuilding research." Jiang Qin's words captivated the three of them, and they asked, "Tell me what this is?" Ye Heng replied, "It's a carriage that can travel on water, very fast." Guoguo had a blueprint, and Ye Heng showed it to the three. Ye Heng replied, "We need to be able to make the necessary materials ourselves—steel." This blueprint captivated the three men. From then on, they settled down at the Chai Mansion, studying and researching how steel is produced. Guoguo took half a day of classes and half a day of childcare, never abandoning the children.

Professor Guo Guoye of Chemistry and Vice Dean Bai Yong also come to study for half a day every day and exchange experiences with classmates.

In the afternoon, Bai Yong returned to the academy to work. His days passed in a busy and orderly manner, and he learned more and more knowledge.

August arrived again. Guoguo became even busier in the middle of the month. She and Yeheng began harvesting crops. They first went to Xiaowangzhuang. There were so many fields, and Guoguo couldn't bear to overwork the farmers, so she harvested the crops herself. She harvested the crops at the farmer's door, while Guoguo worked on the other side. A large machine combined harvesting and plowing, while Yeheng remotely controlled the wheat planting from behind. Two thousand acres of soybeans, two thousand acres of wheat. Night people helped fill the bags at the edge of the field.

It took just one day and night. Guoguo had stored all the grain in her space. Elsewhere, the farmers still had a hundred acres of land to harvest. The Night Man helped out for two days.

In recent years, farmers have been living better and better. Leftover grain is sold to other villages, and vegetables are shipped to the city and sold at Jiaxing's shop—for money, allowing farmers to earn money again. Children are all in school, learning to read and write.

On the fourth day, Guoguo led the men in black to the mountaintop. The academy had arranged for students to help with the harvest. Guoguo harvested the large plots by machine, while the smaller plots had to be harvested by hand. Even the grass nests had food. The animals in the mountains were well-fed. The mountains were full of treasures. Sometimes the students would find potatoes and sweet potatoes and roast them. Guoguo spent three days harvesting the crops on the mountaintop. The rest he collected and ate himself. The remaining food and vegetables were enough for everyone in the mountains, with some left over. He also asked the locals to tend the cattle and sheep, paying them wages and giving them some food.

Now, people live on the hilltops. They're all on one or two hills. Hills three and four are occupied by students, and hill nine is home to the Black-clad Men. They occasionally visit, too. Even the uninhabited hilltops are now planted with crops and other edibles. The mountains are full of treasures; as long as you put in some effort, you won't go hungry, and this benefits the surrounding people as well.

On the 20th day of the eighth month in autumn, students from all over the country gathered in the capital to take part in the national examination, the annual imperial examination, which recruited talents for the court.

Ye Heng was still the chief examiner, and the emperor also changed into casual clothes and took the exam as the chief examiner. Ye Heng, the emperor, Duke Lu, and the Hanlin University Scholar were the chief examiners.

Chai Xiangyu, Chai Lu and Bai Yong all took part in this exam.

Rising early and working late, for nine days straight, three examinations, the emperor invigilated each session and inspected the examination halls. Tens of thousands of candidates, looking at the young examiners, were left wondering what to think. Some candidates were in their forties, yet Xiaodong was only in his early twenties, a youthful presence. The exceptional students watched with a sigh of regret. Little did they know that Xiaodong was the best in the world.

After the last exam, the students packed up and left the Imperial College. Someone was heard saying, "Oh, we failed the exam again. What is the South-to-North Water Diversion Project? I don't know anything about it. How can I answer the questions?" Someone else said, "Oh, it's not taught in the textbooks!" Someone else said, "How can the water in the south be diverted to the north? The teacher didn't say that." "It rains a lot in the south and the water is high, while it rains less in the north and the water is less. You can't build a river to the north!" "I just improvised and wrote it down." Bai Yong came out and talked with Chai Xiangyu and Chai Lu about their opinions on the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. "During the rainy season in the south, the water is overwhelming. No matter how many dams are built, the river water must have an outlet. This will prevent disaster from reaching the south of the Yangtze River. Water flows to lower areas, and drainage is needed through the river channels," Chai Xiangyu said. "Our north suffers from droughts every year and lacks rain. If we dig canals to divert water from the south to the north, it's possible. The people have great power, and it's possible to complete this great project." Chai Lu said, "The South-to-North Water Diversion Project can be accomplished if the right approach is used. It all depends on how it's implemented. I've written down my thoughts on this issue." Chai Xiangyu said seriously, "The key is the method! First, we need to have maps of the river basins drawn. The areas they pass through, upstream and downstream, and all the routes must be mapped and the routes measured. Completing this project is certainly not easy, but it is possible." The three of them walked and talked. Xiaodong listened and looked at the people; they recognized each other.

Xiaodong remembered these people in his mind.