Chapter 145: The Waterwheel

By the time Wen San returned, their mother had already moved the belongings of the other two boys over to the new house.

"From now on, you two will live with your eldest brother. If there is anything you don't understand in your studies, just ask your eldest brother or your eldest uncle directly. But let me make this clear: if you two hinder your eldest brother from learning medicine, just wait and see how I deal with you." Madam Luo dumped her two grandsons at the new house, gave them those few instructions, and left them to their own devices.

Wen Jin and Wen Fa were left in a daze, wondering how they had gone to school for a single day only to return home to a relocation. Still, living in a new house—that was really quite nice.

Since both brothers had moved over, they simply sent Wen Ying and Wen Di as well. After all, one does not worry about debt when it is already piling up, and the people at the old family estate had long since learned to just let things slide.

Once the land deeds were in hand, Wen Xiuyi and Old Man Wen began leading the workers to dig the pond. While the pond itself was easy enough to excavate, the terrain here was at a higher elevation, while the tributary of the Ping River sat lower. How to divert the water proved to be a problem. They couldn't just dig deep canals; not only would that waste labor and resources, but if the canals weren't properly covered, it would be disastrous should a child fall in.

A sudden inspiration struck Wen Xiuyi. He went home, locked himself in his room to sketch and calculate, and then took his blueprints to find Carpenter Zhang.

"Brother Wen, what is this?" Carpenter Zhang looked at the diagrams. He had grown accustomed to the strange things Wen Xiuyi drew—after all, the curved-shaft plow had earned him a tidy sum. Even though others had tried to imitate it, his business remained the best, with no shortage of orders.

"A waterwheel. This is more complex than the curved-shaft plow, and it has to be built and adjusted on-site at my place. Can you handle it?" This was Wen Xiuyi’s main concern; after all, Carpenter Zhang needed to make a living. Of course, if the job was done well, he wouldn't treat the carpenter unfairly.

Carpenter Zhang would never say he couldn't do it. He agreed immediately, deciding that once he finished the few plows currently in his hands, he would stop taking new orders and dedicate himself entirely to building the waterwheel for the Wen family.

Wen Xiuyi frowned, "Won't that hinder your business?"

Carpenter Zhang put away the blueprints and chuckled, "Brother Wen, you're being too formal with me. Nothing is more important than your family's affairs. Don't worry, I'll finish the work on hand in a couple of days and head over to your place."

"Alright, no rush. We still have several days of digging left on the pond. I'll be heading back now." After exchanging pleasantries, Wen Xiuyi drove the ox cart home.

Upon his return, he told Old Man Wen that the water diversion issue was resolved.

"How did you solve it?" Old Man Wen asked curiously.

Wen Xiuyi looked out over the land that now bore his family name. He felt a wave of emotion; in his previous life, such a massive expanse of land would never have belonged to an individual. Every era truly had its own unique conveniences. Collecting his thoughts, he replied, "We just need to build a few waterwheels."

"Waterwheels? What are those?" Old Man Wen looked puzzled.

Wen Xiuyi didn't quite know how to explain it. What surprised him was that there were no waterwheels here at all. How did they irrigate fields far from the river? However, so far, Wen Xiuyi hadn't seen anyone in this area growing wet paddy fields; most of the land was dry, used for wheat. There were some paddy fields, but very few. In the end, it all came down to the lack of convenient irrigation.

"I can't explain it clearly to you right now, but you'll understand once Carpenter Zhang comes to build them." Although full of curiosity, Old Man Wen did not press further.

In the following days, Old Man Wen would head out early every morning, his tobacco pipe in hand. He would either wander the fields to check on the crops or stand by the planned pond to watch the excavation. It had to be said that these workers were diligent; in just ten days, they had finished more than half the work. It was nearing completion, and as it held no water yet, it looked like a massive pit from afar. The excavated soil didn't go to waste; it was all moved to the barren hills nearby.

"Uncle Wen, here to supervise us again?" someone called out from a distance upon seeing him.

Old Man Wen smiled with his hands behind his back, "Supervise? Not at all. I trust you all to get the work done." He said this, but the smile at the corners of his mouth couldn't be suppressed. He had never imagined he would see a day like this.

After circling the large pit, he strolled through the fields. Seeing that the wheat was growing even better than in previous years, he couldn't help but squat down to inspect it carefully. He was filled with deep emotion—this vast expanse was all his family's property. It was something he hadn't dared to dream of before.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting there when a voice suddenly came from behind. "Dad, what are you looking at?"

Wen Xiuyi’s sudden appearance startled the old man. "What are you doing? Trying to scare your father to death?" Old Man Wen glared at him indignantly.

Wen Xiuyi sat down beside him, looking out at the lush, green landscape, and smiled, "Dad, how is it? Are you satisfied?"

Old Man Wen’s lips curved upward, his mood excellent. "Satisfied, very satisfied."

He turned to look at Wen Xiuyi and asked, "Eldest, how do you know so much? You never mentioned any of this in previous years. If you had, our harvests would have multiplied several times over by now."

Wen Xiuyi’s mouth twitched. In previous years, he hadn't even been here. "I was just muddled before and didn't put my mind to these things," he said, using an excuse to deflect.

Old Man Wen seemed to recall the past as well, his brow furrowing slightly. "Enough, what's in the past is in the past. You must not be so muddled from now on."

"Yes, yes, I certainly won't be again," Wen Xiuyi replied quickly, breathing a sigh of relief.

After the father and son sat for a while, Wen Xiuyi pulled the old man up and led him toward the river. "Carpenter Zhang is almost finished with the first waterwheel. Shall I take you to have a look?"

Old Man Wen nodded and followed him. A temporary shed had been erected not far from the riverbank. Carpenter Zhang and his younger brother were working inside, with a half-assembled waterwheel lying on its side. A few parts still needed to be fitted.

"Brother Wen, Uncle Wen, you're here!" Seeing them, Carpenter Zhang quickly set down his tools and came to greet them.

"You're busy, I see," Old Man Wen said, looking on with his hands behind his back. Carpenter Zhang chuckled.

After exchanging greetings, Old Man Wen went to inspect the waterwheel, circling it a few times without seeing anything particularly special. However, since his son had said this device could divert water to irrigate the pond and fields, he believed him.

"Master Carpenter, how much longer until it's done?" Old Man Wen asked, eager to see the device in action.

Carpenter Zhang offered him a stool to sit on before saying, "Soon, very soon. There are just a few more parts that need adjusting. Brother Wen said this waterwheel will be in use for a long time to come, so it has to be built sturdy."