Chapter 174: 116 Drunkenness (First Watch)
Xiao Liulang hired the fastest carriage, and by the end of August, he arrived at Qingquan Town.
On their way past Tianxiang Academy, Fen Lin first moved his luggage back to the dormitory, and when he came out, he ran into the dean.
Seeing him, the dean was surprised, “Eh? Why are you back so soon? Weren’t you going to take the rural examination? Did you miss it or what? Where’s Liulang?”
“We made it! We came right back after the exam! Well… I’ll tell you more about it later, Liulang is waiting outside for me. Goodbye, Dean!” Fen Lin hurriedly replied with a dry laugh, running off!
Everyone knows that Xiao Liulang is the dean’s darling. If Fen Lin didn’t make a swift exit, the dean would probably keep him talking forever.
Fen Lin jumped onto the carriage in a flash.
“What happened?” Xiao Liulang asked.
“The Dean!” Fen Lin said, “Avoid him or else he’ll hold you up and you won’t be able to go home!”
Xiao Liulang nodded in agreement and prompted the coachman to hurry back to the village.
The carriage fare had already been paid in the provincial city, but having travelled with them the entire journey, working hard as a coachman and servant, Xiao Liulang tipped him a tael of silver.
The coachman was astonished and quickly bowed in gratitude.
“Take care on the road.” Xiao Liulang said.
“Thank you, Young Master Xiao!” The coachman got back on the carriage cheerfully.
Doing their line of work was hard-earned money. Even if they were away for more than one month, the real income was only two or three taels. With this additional tael, life would be much better next month!
Xiao Liulang and Fen Lin headed into the Village.
When they left the village at the end of June, the late rice had just been sown, and there were only sparse young seedlings. Now, they had fully grown into a vibrant green field.
“Wow! The wheat in your village is growing really well!”
The weather this year was unusual, with little rain and dry farmland, causing many crops to wilt in the field. They had seen it with their own eyes on the way back from the provincial city and were deeply moved.
However, the crops in Qingquan Village seemed unaffected by the drought and were growing robustly.
“It’s rice.” Xiao Liulang corrected him. But he also wondered why the crops in his village were growing so well.
“Oh.” Fen Lin responded, then suddenly pointed ahead, “Look! An irrigation canal! Great job, your village has dug an irrigation canal. A new Lizheng really makes a difference!”
After Elder Gu stepped down, the village elected a new Lizheng. It was Uncle Luo, a distant relative. And though he was barely within the fifth degree of kinship, their houses were close by and they visited each other often, the two families had a fairly close relationship.
Luo Lizheng may not have the culture of Elder Gu, but he was a doer. When villagers faced difficulties, he would lend a helping hand.
But digging an irrigation canal…
It wasn’t that Xiao Liulang looked down on Luo Lizheng, but he knew his capabilities and limitations since they had been neighbors and fellow villagers for so long.
He was a relatively conservative Lizheng, not prone to major construction projects, and the village also lacked the funds for such activities.
“Hey, Liulang!” Fen Lin exclaimed, “Look! A waterwheel! God! Am I seeing things? Your village actually has a waterwheel now!”
Fen Lin had only seen waterwheels a handful of times in his life.
A waterwheel was a great thing, it could draw water from the lower ground to the higher ground for irrigation. It was perfect for irrigating farmland.
However, waterwheels were not common in small towns , only relatively wealthy villages could afford a waterwheel. And on their way back from the provincial city, they had seen waterwheels several times. But due to the drought, the village ponds had run dry, so the waterwheels were idle.
Fen Lin wondered aloud, “Where does the water in your village come from?”
Xiao Liulang’s gaze followed the canal toward Back Mountain behind Uncle Luo’s house. He frowned and murmured, “They channeled water from the waterfall on the mountain?”
That wouldn’t be a common irrigation canal. It would cross half a mountain and require a huge amount of manpower and resources to dig. Moreover, it would also require extreme familiarity with the terrain of the mountain.
“Oh my! Liulang is back!”
Aunt Zhang just came out from Uncle Luo’s house, still holding a basket of wild fruits. She felt her luck was strong because every time Liulang came back from an exam, she was the first person he saw!
“Aunt Zhang.” Xiao Liulang greeted.
“Aunt Zhang!” Fen Lin also greeted happily.
Aunt Zhang recognized Fen Lin because he often visited the village. She laughed, “You finally came back! You were gone longer than the last time! The provincial city is really far away, right!”
Villagers did not understand the schedule of exams and announcement of results, and didn’t know that Xiao Liulang was actually the earliest homecomer among the external candidates for the rural examination. Compared to the last time they only knew he was away for an extra month.