The able-bodied men in Dahe Village numbered around four hundred. This group slowly carried hoes, shovels, and various tools up the mountain.
Construction began three zhang from the water source, following a pre-planned route. First, fifty men were assigned to fell trees and level the ground. All large trees were to be cut down, and large rocks were to be moved by any means necessary. The planning process was clearly communicated.
The remaining three hundred men were divided into two teams, taking turns digging ditches. Two men would work together to dig one zhang.
They would rotate shifts every two hours to prevent the ditch-diggers from becoming overly exhausted and complaining.
Meanwhile, the women and elderly women of the village carried buckets up the mountain to fetch water. Each trip, they brought back two buckets. If used sparingly, this amount could last a day without issue.
Zhao Dashan and Zhao Ergou worked alongside everyone. As the women passed by Ergou, they couldn't help but stop and tease him.
"I watched this child Ergou grow up. He used to be so messy, with snot running down his face. But he's grown up to be so clever! He's definitely going to have a bright future."
Zhao Ergou: "..."
Could they please stop bringing up those embarrassing old stories? Didn't he have any dignity?
"Ergou, you're fifteen or sixteen this year. What about a wife? Do you want Auntie to find a match for you?"
Zhao Ergou: "...No, no need."
"Ergou, my niece on my mother's side is fifteen this year. She's very pretty. Tomorrow, I'll bring her here for you to meet."
"Your niece isn't good; she's lazy. My daughter, however, is very diligent. Ergou, my daughter knows you. Her name is Cuihua. I'll call her over now..."
The women's enthusiasm made Zhao Ergou feel alarmed. Hadn't he just said a few words in front of everyone in the village? Was that all it took to be so popular?
He said dryly, "My family is poor. If I marry a wife, she'll only be able to sleep on the ground. I'm afraid I'd make her suffer. For now, I'm not considering marriage. Thank you, Aunties, for thinking of me..."
As soon as he finished speaking, a few people felt a sudden clarity. That Auntie finally remembered: no matter how clever or promising Zhao Ergou was, it wouldn't work. Who could blame his mother, Zhao Chengshi? Although Zhao Chengshi was different now compared to before, she was still very strict. Everyone in the village knew how harsh she was with her daughters-in-law. It was better not to let their own nieces, who weren't good at housework, go there to suffer...
A few aunties carried water buckets up the mountain to fetch water. After only a few steps, they suddenly saw several people lurking in the woods ahead.
"It looks like some people from Guihua Village over there."
"The people from Guihua Village are here again. What do they want? Do they want to steal our Dahe Village's water?"
"Someone, quickly run back and inform the village chief!"
At the foot of the mountain, the village chief was talking with Cheng Loanloan under a locust tree in the village. On the ground were winding, intricate drawings – indeed, a diagram for digging ditches, with symbols all around.
Cheng Loanloan drew a line on the diagram with a branch: "We'll make a sluice gate here. After enough water has been taken for the rice paddies, we'll block the ditch with a large stone. We'll move the stone when needed."
Li Zheng nodded repeatedly, "I wonder how many years this ditch will be usable after it's dug?"
Cheng Juanjuan tried to recall her knowledge from her previous life and slowly began, "After soil gets soaked with water, it becomes softer. Over time, the ditch will get filled with mud, and then it naturally won't be usable anymore. Can we line the ditch with stones? If we do, the surrounding mud won't be able to fill it in."