Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 121 - 119: Turning Wasteland into Fertile Land is Not a Dream

Chapter 121: Chapter 119: Turning Wasteland into Fertile Land is Not a Dream

A group of people returned home, and Mrs. Liu was surprised at how many there were.

"Mother, these are our newly bought servants."

Servants? All of them? How did their family manage to buy servants? Weren’t they supposed to hire short-term and long-term workers? And they bought so many at once! But she didn’t ask about it in front of them.

"Now, let’s get to know each other, allocate work, then arrange their accommodations, and they will start working tomorrow."

Both families introduced themselves to Xiao’er after offering their respectful bows.

Xiao’er relayed the plans she had thought of in advance. After arranging the tasks for both families, Mrs. Liu assigned them to live in the front yard’s guesthouse, where they would start working the next day.

A family returning to the backyard, Shen Chengyao then explained to Mrs. Liu, "There is more and more work at home. You are up with the sun and down with it, but there is so much work. Moreover, Rui’er and the other two need a scholar to facilitate their studies, so we bought these two families."

"That’s good!" Mrs. Liu nodded slightly. She, herself, felt increasingly overwhelmed.

-

Xie An, who has been a village chief for many years, often does not understand why his new young master always asks him to do things that others will not do.

Like today, Xiao’er asked Xie An to help move two sacks of paddy from the cellar. These were rice seeds she had smuggled out of her space earlier using an excuse.

"Manager Xie, soak all these rice seeds in the water in this water tank."

"Miss, won’t the seeds get spoiled if soaked in water for so long!" These seeds were better than any he had seen before. If they get damaged, it will be a pity when they can’t be planted at the start of spring.

"No, I plan to use them for raising seedlings. Tonight, you’ll scoop up these soaked seeds, divide them into twenty small sacks and put them in the kitchen. It’s warmer there and conducive to germination."

"What’s raising seedlings? And it’s useless for these grains to germinate now. The weather is still so cold, we can’t plant them in the fields yet, or they will freeze to death."

"No, didn’t we prepare twenty plots of land the day before and have already fertilised them? These germinated grains will be sown in those plots, and then each plot will be covered with a thick layer of straw for insulation." Xiao’er thought to herself whether the water wheel had been made yet. If not, irrigating these plots would be very troublesome in the future.

That’s a workable solution? How can those plots accommodate so many seeds? It would be too dense, making it impossible for the seedlings to grow! Xie An had never heard of or seen this planting method. He shook his head secretly but said nothing.

Everyone followed the orders from the young lady, doing exactly as Xiao’er asked them to, without worrying about mistakes. He was just worried that this behavior was wasteful!

"Miss Xiao’er, Master said that Uncle sent over a water wheel. He asked you to oversee its installation!" Du Juan walked in and told Xiao’er. She is Xie An’s daughter. At ten years old, her appearance is unremarkable and easily forgotten, but she is intelligent and quick in decision-making, currently serving as Xiao’er’s maid.

Xiao’er’s eyes lit up when she heard this. The water wheel was finally ready. "I’ll go right now!"

Then she told Xie An: "Manager Xie, as soon as you’re done soaking the seeds, go over and help!"

"Alright." Though reluctant, Xie An sped up, pained at the sight of all the paddy soaking in the water.

Xiao’er found his expressions amusing but did not explain. Facts speak louder than words, and he would soon understand the efficiency of her farming method!

Leading Du Juan, she hurriedly headed towards the two barren mountains.

At this time, on the wasteland, the long-term workers and carpenters were joining forces to assemble the water wheel according to the blueprint. Xiao’er felt a thrill of excitement as she watched the assembly of the water wheel parts.

Xiao’er went to the river behind the barren mountain once again to confirm the locations for installing the two water wheels, and then returned.

From afar, she saw Shangguan Xuanyi walking leisurely towards her, bathed in the radiant sunshine. Xiao Fuzi, trailing behind him, was trying hard to shade him with an umbrella. Watching this scene, Xiao’er couldn’t help but break into a smile.

Seeing the arrival of Young Master Shangguan, Shen Chengyao quickly went forward to pay his respects. When others saw the master doing so, they also hurriedly put down their work and followed suit.

Xiao’er also gave a slight bow.

After they had been excused from their bows, Shangguan Xuanyi pointed to the almost assembled water wheel and asked, "What is this?"

"This is a water wheel. You’ll know what it is used for later." Xiao’er deliberately left him in suspense. Actually, water wheels had existed in ancient China, where it was known as a ’turning wheel.’ Although the mechanism differs from the current tubular wheel, it is the earliest form of it. However, for some reason, it has not made an appearance in this dynasty.

Or perhaps some things get lost in the churn of history.

Shangguan Xuanyi watched Xiao’er’s countenance, her mysterious and playful smile on her adorable face, and his icy, cool expression softened considerably. A familiar twinkle in his eyes indicated his pleasant mood.

A water wheel? Shangguan Xuanyi pondered. Studying the blueprints laid out before him, he made some connections – a horse pulls a carriage, an ox pulls a bullock cart, the water pulls the wheel? When water flows past this circular structure, if the flow is rapid enough and the impact is strong, the water wheel will start to move. The tubes... some water should flow into these tubes. If the water wheel continues to move and completes a half-turn, the water inside should flow out... Shangguan Xuanyi realized the purpose of this device and found himself secretly stirred by the revelation.

The assembly of the water wheel was finally completed, by a combined effort of more than ten people, taking half a day to finish. Shangguan Xuanyi, who practices martial arts and is physically strong, offered his help too.

It’s said that the melting of the snow announces the arrival of spring. At the beginning of spring, the snow on the mountains melts and the river flows faster than usual. Under the impact of the flowing water, the water wheel begins to move. The river water diverts into the irrigation channels designed by Xiao’er, flowing into the wasteland and into the pond, completely hands-free!

The people around the tubular wheel were stunned. They hadn’t realized this was what it was meant for. With this device, how far is this wasteland from becoming fertile land?

Some of them glanced at the barren mountains, noticing a pond at the top of one of the mountains. Looking back at the unassembled water wheel, they were amazed – this device could transport water that high! It was unbelievable!

Shangguan Xuanyi too felt invigorated. In the Minze Country, many plots of land were abandoned due to issues with irrigation. With this tubular wheel, how many more fertile lands would their country have? How many more people could be fed? Turning wasteland into fertile land was no longer a dream!

Everyone worked enthusiastically to set up the remaining wheel according to Xiao’er’s instructions.

"This one is a high-turn tubular wheel. The two wheels together can distribute water up to 200 feet high. It can reach every field on the mountain." Xiao’er stated as she watched the energetic workers, speaking to Shangguan Xuanyi.

Shangguan Xuanyi kept his eyes fixed on the assembly of the water wheel and didn’t answer.

"Miss Xiao’er, you’ve really done a great thing for the nation and the people!"

Shangguan Xuanyi blinked his eyes. Indeed, it was for the benefit of the nation and the people.

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