Flowers in full bloom

Chapter 690 Hualei's Bad Intentions

Because Hualei had told them not to use their names to buy farms and shops, the two sisters had no power to draw on, so they could only go to the pawnshop to ask for information themselves.

Because they were both girls and outsiders, and because both of them were dressed simply and low-key, the progress between the two was not smooth.

Even though Xichang Prefecture was very poor, there were still people who were snobbish and looked down on the two sisters. So the two sisters wandered around Xichang Prefecture for more than two months before they bought a small, cramped shop not far from the government office.

He put some items he brought from the capital into the shop and started selling them in a low-key manner. His younger sister Qingqiu managed the shop. However, because there were many wastelands in Xichang Prefecture, Qingxia was able to buy 500 acres of wasteland easily.

As for the superior quality farmland and paddy fields, forget about it. Apart from the official fields and private lands, the rest are basically in the hands of the local wealthy gentry.

The only medium-sized farmland that the common people could own was the land that they slowly transformed by themselves, which was already considered very good. After buying 500 acres of wasteland, Qingxia began to cultivate it.

I hired people to help plant the sweet potatoes that Hualei brought. However, I couldn't take advantage of Hualei's momentum, so the progress was just as slow. So far, I have only planted more than 100 acres of land. In addition, I also planted some vegetables sporadically.

It’s a pity that the location is not good and the water supply is not sufficient, so the vegetables are growing wilted and are far inferior to those grown in Yuanying Village.

Normally, even the food for the people brought by Hualei was a bit bad. This time when they came to Xichang, except for the two young masters being equipped with more complete staff, everything else was relatively streamlined.

There are only about 30 or 40 people in Xichang Prefecture who can work in farms and shops. They rent houses in several courtyards. They usually have little contact with the backyard of the government office, so they are quite inconspicuous.

After Hualei finished writing the letter and asked Qingqi to deliver it, she stopped caring about these matters. When the goods arrived, only the sisters Qingxia and Qingqiu took over the arrangements.

What is more urgent now is that, according to Hao Shijie, the waterwheel irrigation effect in the field is not good, and the temperature will be high next, so the waterwheel must be used.

Therefore, only by finding the cause of the low efficiency of the waterwheel can we improve it. Originally, Hua Lei wanted to go to the field to see for herself. However, Rong Jin persuaded her.

He personally took Hao Shijie and several of his men from the workshop to check the water wheels in various places to find out the cause. Since Rong Jin had stepped in, Hua Lei no longer insisted.

Although the idea of ​​the waterwheel was his own, the first waterwheel was made by Rong Jin and Uncle Zhao. So, Uncle Zhao also went with them.

Compared with the craftsmen in the Ministry of Industry in the capital, Uncle Zhao could only help out. However, when she arrived in Xichang, Hua Lei discovered that Uncle Zhao's craftsmanship was no worse than those in the workshop.

In addition, he had always been following Hua Lei, and many of the farm tools were made by him. Therefore, during this period of time, Hua Lei had kept him in the workshop to help make plows, harrows and other things.

Of course, the monthly salary is paid by Hualei herself. It’s only a few taels of silver a month, and Hualei doesn’t want anyone to have any hold over her.

Rong Jin, Hao Shijie, and Uncle Zhao walked in the fields for many days in a row. After coming back and carefully thinking about it, they roughly understood the reason for the waterwheel.

A large part of the reason is that the craftsmanship of waterwheel makers causes the cart to be tilted insufficiently, with the degree of difference varying greatly, thus causing the instability of the waterwheel efficiency.

Another part of the reason is that the river water level is low and the water flow is not fast enough. The water wheels in Xichang Prefecture are basically ordinary human-powered water wheels without windmills.

When people step on the pedal, the river water, which originally has a relatively small flow, is pumped by waterwheels along the way, and the waterwheel buckets downstream can basically no longer carry water.

If the inclination is not enough, wouldn't the efficiency be very low? The inclination of the water truck bucket is not enough, but it can be improved.

However, the riverbed does not have enough water capacity, so no matter how useful the waterwheel is, it cannot play its role.

Hualei originally wanted to make a keel waterwheel, but after investigation, he found that it was also not applicable in Xichang. After all, there was still a lack of water! Irrigation can only be achieved with water!

The reason for the low efficiency of the waterwheel has been found, and the problem has emerged, but how to solve it is more difficult. A good cook cannot cook without rice, and the flower buds are a little bald.

At night, Hualei flipped through her notes and looked at the drawing of the waterwheel, and fell into deep thought. In places with abundant water sources, the waterwheel she made was indeed very useful.

However, it is not suitable for Xijiang. To meet the irrigation needs of Xijiang, it is most important to find sufficient water sources. Hualei sighed softly.

The next day, Hualei called together the officials of the government office to discuss how to solve the irrigation problem in Xichang Prefecture. At the meeting, after everyone discussed it, Wan Tongpan carefully proposed the idea of ​​digging a well.

This opinion was mentioned by the previous two prefects. During the tenure of Prefect Fei last year, all officials discussed the issue of digging a well and made some preliminary preparations.

However, because digging a well involves a wide range of areas and requires a lot of professional knowledge, the most critical issue is manpower and money. Therefore, the project was aborted halfway through last year.

This year, Pan Pan Wan saw that Hua Lei had mobilized all the Anbang soldiers to dig a reservoir to store water, and perhaps they could also dig wells.

After all, last year, Prefect Fei even asked people to find a suitable place to dig a well. Although it was later abandoned, the data is still there.

When Hualei heard this, she was moved. Although digging a well can only solve the problem of a small area, it is also a solution for Xichang, which is extremely short of water. So, she took Wan Tongpan and Rong Jin and went to the "Tao Li Pavilion" of the government office. This is where the government office stores various materials and books.

Here, there is a very complete collection of information about Xichang Prefecture, including all the information about the preliminary preparations for digging a well by Prefect Fei last year.

After spending three days in Taoli Pavilion and bringing back a lot of books and regional chronicles, he and everyone else carefully read them many times and then, by secret ballot, they decided to dig a well.

Therefore, Hualei took over the work that Governor Fei had done halfway. A special well-digging team was set up, and all the people who participated last year joined.

Then, he revisited the locations where wells were to be dug last year and confirmed them. Hualei also visited several well digging sites in person.

But seeing how they were looking for groundwater made Hualei a little dumbfounded. He saw a man holding a "Y"-shaped branch parallel to the ground, walking back and forth on the ground, looking for groundwater sources.

When the branches suddenly bend down toward the ground, it means that we have found a source of underground water and can dig a well at that location. Is it that simple? Is there really a source of underground water? Huabud is skeptical.

690--Next

However, after asking around, everyone told Hualei that this method had been used here for hundreds of years. They all believed that the branches could sense the water flow underground, which might be related to some kind of power.

Neighboring countries also have this "water-finding technique". This method is widely used in places where water is particularly scarce.

However, Hualei feels that it is not known whether this method can find groundwater, but such a method is more like a matter of tradition and belief.

In her previous life, Hua Lei often traveled abroad as a tour guide. She once saw similar things in a country full of black people.

However, the locals call this branch a "divination rod". There are also images and written records of this branch on some local rock paintings, and it is said to have a history of thousands of years.

When I saw it, I found it incredible. Because I was really curious, I also searched for relevant information online after returning home.

I found that there are similar records in the history of my country. However, this branch is called "Dragon Seeking Ruler", which was created by Fuxi and Nuwa, the ancestors of mankind. It was also used by Dayu when he controlled the flood.

In the past, Hua Lei would never have believed it. However, since she traveled here, Hua Lei had to believe in many things. There might really be metaphysics in this world.

When I was leading a tour group, I heard a tourist say that he dug a well in his hometown, and he could find water at night with just a basin of water. So, maybe this method really works.

Anyway, I really lack knowledge in this area, and there are no large-scale testing equipment here. Even if I want to refute it, I have no basis, so I should respect history and respect others.

Therefore, Hua Lei stopped caring about this matter. However, she pulled out those hangers-on and joined the team in digging the well.

Now the people are busy cleaning the river and digging ditches, so there is no manpower available. The Anbang soldiers are all digging ponds in Changhuizhou to store water, so they are also not available.

However, out of the nearly two thousand hangers-on, only one or two hundred were removed because of the toilet incident, so some manpower can still be transferred.

Hua Lei dug around for a while, then quietly called several hundred people to start digging a well. However, digging a well is a professional job. Therefore, Hua Lei posted a notice in the capital city in advance to recruit well diggers with high salaries.

Half a month later, a lot of well diggers from various states and prefectures were recruited. Then, they were asked to provide technical guidance and lead their helpers to start digging wells.

Changhui Prefecture had already dug ponds to store water because of its uneven terrain. However, Changhuai Prefecture in the west was generally higher than other prefectures and had a flat terrain, so digging wells was the most urgent.

So, let's start digging the well from Changhuai Prefecture. A group of people were driven to Changhuai Prefecture. When Gao Zhizhou of Changhuai Prefecture received Hualei's letter, he was overjoyed, just like Ding Zhizhou.

It seems that the new prefect, although a woman, is a practical person. A few days ago, news came from Changhui Prefecture in the south.

I was envious when I heard that the prefect had mobilized the Anbang soldiers to help dig ponds to store water. Unexpectedly, only half a month later, the prefect also sent me good news.

We should be able to survive this year's drought, right? We definitely can. Gao Zhizhou suddenly became full of enthusiasm. As for what Governor Liu said to him before, that women can't do much and don't expect too much, he had long forgotten it.

Hualei didn't know Gao Zhizhou's joy. Now she was sitting in the back hall of Mingzheng Hall, writing and drawing. Hualei had already told Hao Shijie about the renovation of the waterwheel.

In addition to paying attention to the inclination of the truck bed, the height of the bottom foot should also be taken into consideration. After the pond in Changhuizhou is dug, a new batch of water trucks will be sent there to be used in conjunction with the pond so that the fields can be irrigated.

Of course, Hua Lei also took care of Zhizhou Ding and asked them to collect labor service, dig ditches according to the location of the pond, and make sure to make reasonable plans.

Moreover, the workshops in the prefecture capital should also actively make water wheels, plows and other agricultural tools. Otherwise, it would be too late to rely on the workshops in the government office. After all, the hot weather does not wait for anyone.

Hualei herself drew a "vertical waterwheel" and asked Rong Jin and Uncle Zhao to try it out. The vertical waterwheel is also called the "vertical well waterwheel".

The cart was replaced with a series of wooden barrels, which were used to extract well water, so it was also called a well cart. In the Great Sheng Dynasty, many aristocratic families had a well in their courtyards.

In order to facilitate the lifting of water, there is a device called a windlass, but usually only one bucket of water can be raised and lowered. It is still okay to use it at home.

If it is used for agricultural irrigation, the efficiency will be too low, just like a drop in the bucket. Therefore, Hualei thought of the vertical well waterwheel she saw in the Agricultural Museum in her previous life.

If a vertical well water wheel is made and used in conjunction with the wells currently being dug, it will be able to meet the needs of agricultural irrigation.

Because I have made an ordinary waterwheel before, Hualei has now drawn a vertical well waterwheel. The principle is actually similar. The only difference is that the bucket is replaced with a wooden barrel. The other water tanks and pedals can be slightly modified according to the body of the waterwheel.

Therefore, Rong Jin quickly calculated the data, and Uncle Zhao, who was skillful, began to cut and forge various woods in the backyard every day.

Ten days later, a miniature vertical well was placed next to the well in the back garden of the government office. Hua Lei stood beside it and conducted the experiment herself.

The vertical well waterwheel has buckets connected together, like a conveyor belt, and it goes up and down in the well. When drawing water, you step on the pedal, like pushing a mill, and circle around the wellhead to apply force.

The flat wheel drives the main wheel, and the main wheel drives the bucket into the well, fills the well with water, lifts it up, and takes it out of the well, pouring the water into the water trough next to it and then entering the well again.

The water keeps flowing back and forth. Its efficiency is undoubtedly much higher than that of a windlass. Hualei smiled as she watched the water flowing continuously from the well.

Because the well at the government office is small, the waterwheel made by Uncle Zhao is also relatively small. When the time comes to irrigate the farmland, the size can be adjusted to match the size of the well.

It seems that the vertical waterwheel is feasible. Hualei decided to ask the workshop to make one for trial. However, looking at the busy workshop, if only one is made, it may be feasible, but it seems impossible to make many.

Moreover, the craftsmanship of the workshops in these places is indeed much worse than that of Shangjing City. I don’t know if they can make the waterwheel I need. Hualei misses the Ministry of Industry in Shangjing City infinitely. The carpenters there are really good.

So, Hualei started to have some bad thoughts again.