Midway through the journey, they joked about the lake. Pointing out the mountains and rivers, carefree and unrestrained. Where should we dig?
"It's raining so heavily. Aren't you afraid that the water will flood the fields?" Wang Juan advised worriedly as she listened to Zhang Xiaobao's crazy words.
"There's no fields. We planted a lot of wheat there and harvested it long ago. The land is empty. If we don't dig the lake out now, it'll be hard to work when the rain clears up."
Zhang Xiaobao insisted. Even if the river flooded, there couldn't be too much water. Wouldn't a lake be enough to fill it? It could reduce the pressure downstream.
Wang Juan wanted to persuade him again. She opened her mouth but couldn't find a reason. She could only say, "Then where do you want to dig the hole? Don't let it wash away the construction site. "
"We'll see when the time comes. Let's go home first and persuade my father. Send someone to the coal mine to tell all the excavation teams to stop. No matter if it's the people from Elm Village who help us dig or the people who came to help us, no one is allowed to work. If something happens, we'll regret it for the rest of our lives."
"Yes, we have to stop. Although it's still an open-air excavation, who can guarantee that there's no fault in the coal? If there's a hole, it'll be fine on a normal day, but if it collapses on a rainy day, there won't be enough time to rescue it. It'll be like quicksand, gone in the blink of an eye."
Wang Juan wasn't the kind of person who didn't care about the lives of others for money. Her family had a lot of business and didn't lack the money for coal.
Zhang Xiaobao thought for a moment and said, "Even if the rain stops, they can't start work for a while. There's definitely a lot of water in the hole. Without a pump, we can only wait for the water to seep in slowly. It's too dangerous to let people draw the water bit by bit. The county and Elm Village will have to pay less."
Wang Juan nodded. She suddenly thought of something else. "Since we've stopped, why don't we do something else? I'll teach Huzi how to train military discipline first. Then I'll find some strong young men from Elm Village for Huzi to train. The last time I went there, the young men were all good."
"Do whatever you want. Remember to pay them. I don't know anything about this. What about our original Healthy Seedling Protection Team?" Zhang Xiaobao saw that Wang Juan couldn't wait to train, so he let her...
"There's nothing we can do. We'll continue to leave them at the farmstead. In the future, the seeds and land there should be better and better, better than the fields. If someone goes there with bad intentions, they can come in handy."
Wang Juan actually felt a little uncomfortable when she saw that her father always brought the guards of the Wang Mansion with him when he went out. What if some of the guards were bribed by someone else? Even Li Xun didn't know about them. It wouldn't be good for the family if they knew too much.
As the carriage moved with difficulty, the two couldn't sleep. They began to talk about various things. When they talked about Zhuangzi, they also analyzed the flood resistance ability there. The conclusion was that there was no problem. There were some small channels connecting it. As long as there was water, it would be sent to the river.
The lightning didn't stop and the thunder didn't stop. Usually, it would take them at least half a day to finish the journey. Because of the heavy rain, they didn't arrive at the yamen until four in the afternoon. They turned to the back door. As soon as they got off the carriage, they saw people rushing out and asking about the dangers on the road.
The two of them were busy replying. After everyone had asked, they started talking about Zhang Zhong.
"Ah? My father went to Yaowang Mountain? Then we have to go too. There's something important. " When Zhang Xiaobao heard that his father wasn't at the yamen, he pulled Wang Juan and walked outside. He changed the handle of the carriage and said to his mother, "Mother, you have to tell the yamen runners to spread out and look around the county. If there's a house that can't withstand the flood, immediately arrange for someone to repair it."
Zhang Wong Clan agreed. Looking at the backs of her son and daughter-in-law getting on the carriage, she wanted to say something. In the end, she sighed. When she turned and walked back, she said to Wang Juan's mother, "These two children have a busy life. They have to be busy when there's something."
"Sister, you're right. We'll wait until everything in the county is settled before we can have some free time." Wang Juan's mother also sighed.
*****
At Yaowang Mountain, the people working there were still working hard to pack the sacks. The river had risen a lot. If it continued to rise at this rate, then by tomorrow morning, the river would overflow the embankment.
At this time, Zhang Zhong didn't have the leisure to rest. He stood on the embankment and watched. He only wore a bamboo hat on his head and didn't wear a straw raincoat. He let the rain hit his body and stood motionless for half an hour.
"Master, there's nothing to do here. Why don't we go somewhere else? Master, you'll get sick if you stand like this. How can I explain it to the young master?"
The yamen runner followed Zhang Zhong step by step. He had also stood there for half an hour. Several times, he wanted to put an umbrella on the master's head, but the master refused. This was not the first time he tried to persuade him.
Zhang Zhong and Weiwei shook their heads. They even took off their clothes because they thought the straw raincoats and bamboo hats were a hindrance. They worked in the rain with bare arms and said, "It's okay. This rain won't make me sick. I usually eat the kind that strengthens the body. Do you think the water will rise?"
"I don't know. It doesn't look like it will rise. Master, you'd better go and dry the clothes. When this little one entered the yamen, the young master told this little one to take care of master's matters. Master, if you don't hide, this little one will help you carry them back even if I have to carry them. "
The yamen runner was really anxious. After persuading him again, he prepared to do it.
Zhang Zhong didn't wait for him to do it. He turned around and asked, "What do you think Xiao Bao will do if he is here?"
"Ah? Master, are you talking about the young master? If the Little Young Master was here, then this lowly one would not be in a hurry. The Little Young Master was very resourceful and capable. Even if the sky collapsed, with the Little Young Master around, this lowly one would not be worried. The Little Young Master would definitely be able to withstand it. The difference between an ordinary person and the Little Young Master was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Uh! Master, I'm not saying that you're not good enough. I'm saying that the Little Young Master is smart, but sometimes, when he does things, he's actually quite good. It's like this. The Little Young Master … he … is really not bad. Master, I'm not talking about you.
The yamen runner had a crazy trust in the young master. When he heard the master mention the young master, he felt that he had overdone it, so he quickly explained.
Zhang Zhong waved his hand and smiled. He turned his head to look at the river and said to the yamen runner, "If Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are here, I don't have to worry. I can find a place to take shelter from the rain, drink some hot soup, and chat with others. I won't be in such a hurry. Unfortunately, they are in Zhuangzi.
Even if I send a fast horse now, they will only come back tomorrow noon or later. The rain is heavy, so it's difficult to travel. "
"Master, can we send someone to ask the young master and young lady and pass the method back? We can't let the young master and young lady come back in the middle of the night. The river is so dark, and it's very dangerous with the wind and rain."
The yamen runner was also regretful, but he gave an idea. The young master couldn't go, but others could. He believed that the young master and young lady would be able to tell the method directly without needing to ask for the purpose.
The yamen runner was sure in his heart. The two young masters were like gods to him.
Zhang Zhong shook his head, thought about it, and nodded, "Fine, then send a few people to go by fast horse and go by land. Don't you think I'm too useless? I have to worry about the children. Xiao Bao and Cuckoo are also busy over there. "
"How can master be useless? Master is a kind person and loves the people as his own children. Master can rush to the front when there is a problem. Master is not greedy for a single copper coin. Master's most amazing thing is that he gave birth to the young master. This lowly one doesn't know much, but I understand that a person who knows when to advance and retreat is a powerful person.
Master has handed the matters of the family to madam and has never interfered. This lowly one thought about it and thought that master knows that he can't manage the family well. Master let the young master and young lady do the work of making money and giving ideas. This is true ability. To say something disrespectful, no matter how capable the Emperor is, he can't do something by himself.
Whoever should do it will do it. Young lady also said that each profession has its own specialization. Master doesn't need to think about other things. Master just needs to do his own thing well. That's ability. "
This time, the yamen runner was speaking the truth. If he were to talk about the people in the main house that he listened to the most, it was naturally the young master and young lady. If he were to talk about the person he was most afraid of, it was the madam of the main house. But if he were to talk about the person he respected the most, it was none other than the master.
Zhang Zhong was just asking out of boredom. In fact, that was what he was thinking as well. He didn't expect that the person who was always by his side doing chores would actually say such a thing. It seemed that there was a difference between learning and not learning. The people in the Inner Courtyard had studied for two years. Every one of them was able to do some reliable things when they were released.
Thinking of this, Zhang Zhong chuckled. He looked at the yamen runner and said, "What have you learned recently?"
"In reply to master, this lowly one is reading about the mean when I have free time. This lowly one's favorite phrase is, 'If a country has principles, it will not change. If a country has no principles, it will not change until it dies. If a country has no principles, it will not change until it dies.' This lowly one asked the madam of the main house. After knowing what it means, this lowly one pondered that if this is true for the country, it should also be true for the main house."
The yamen runner really didn't fall behind in learning. After hearing the master's question, he immediately followed and expressed his loyalty.
"Good, it's really good. In the future, read more and learn more. If you don't understand, ask me. If I also don't understand, then find someone to ask." Zhang Zhong was very happy in his heart. Which servant in the inner courtyard could casually say such words? Someone in the Zhang family could.
The yamen runner wiped the water on his face and said, "Master, how can you not know? Master, you are the top scorer. Any one of our Zhang family is better than others, especially the main house. They are all capable."
"Yes, they are capable. But the capable people are not here. Can they come up?" Zhang Zhong returned to reality. The rain was still heavy and the river had not stopped.
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