Chapter 299

When Shuiqing was in Hua (China) country, being called by her name was the most normal thing.

Only after coming here did she realize how incredibly difficult it was for married women to have their own names—having a powerful natal family like a princess, or marrying into a noble family as a daughter of a thousand gold pieces.

But how many could there be in one dynasty? Most were just ordinary peasant women.

Upon hearing Qin Yilin’s words, she could actually detect a hint of envy in them, but she could also understand.

“From now on, the girls in our village will all have their own names.” A serious consideration of names.

Qin Yilin was taken aback, feeling deeply that her own perspective was too narrow!

While she was still concerned about her own name and lineage, Shuiqing had already thought about the entire village!

It wasn’t just herself, but hundreds of people in the village. She didn’t doubt at all whether Shuiqing could achieve it; she just felt that she would definitely succeed, and even do it very well.

“Good, let’s work together.”

·

Fan Jin, along with others, had already preliminarily determined the route from the spring to the medicinal herb workshop.

Li Wu went up the mountain and looked down at the foot of the mountain, saying, “First, let’s clear away the weeds, trees, and rocks along the way. Then we’ll dig a ditch and lay bamboo pipes inside. It should take about seven or eight days to dig it properly.”

If they don’t dig the ditch, the bamboo pipes could be shaken out of place by the wind or small animals, and the water wouldn’t flow down.

If the water stops, the herbs can’t be cleaned, and later processes like steaming and soaking would all require water. Without water, they would have to carry it back in buckets from afar, which would mean much more work, wasting time and energy.

The ditch doesn’t need to be very wide or deep, just enough to accommodate the bamboo pipes. With several people working on it, each responsible for a section of the road, seven or eight days should be more than enough.

After seven or eight days, the medicinal herb workshop should probably be almost finished.

“We can clear away the weeds easily, and cutting down the trees is straightforward. It’s just troublesome to dig up the tree roots, but with several of us working together, it shouldn’t be difficult. I’m just worried about the rocks—small rocks are manageable, but big boulders are concerning.” Feng Da looked towards the foot of the mountain with some concern.

Previously, at the Zhuangzi, the former owner also considered digging a separate ditch from the Maya Reservoir to irrigate the crops, so they wouldn’t have to compete with others on the Zhuangzi.

There were many people in their village, and quite a few men as well. Using the agricultural downtime to dig a ditch, even if it took a year to dig it properly, they had two, three, or four years; the former owner had plenty of time to wait. So under the leadership of the head of the village, they started digging the ditch. Initially, things went well, they kept digging, intermittently, it took a year or two, and they were almost at the foot of the mountain, and they were all very excited.

Thinking that they would never have to fight for water again.

As a result, they encountered a large stone, and they started thinking that it would be better to go around it, but as they dug, they found a huge stone that they couldn’t get around or move.

They had to abandon the ditch, and the efforts of one or two years were lost. The people in the village were extremely frustrated, mainly because their hopes were dashed.

Feng Da, Hong Da, and Daniu also remembered this incident, and they all felt disheartened.

There were many stones on the mountain. Although the former owner’s mountain was low, it was still a mountain. They had come a long way and found many large and small stones.

Stones that were visible and touchable on the surface could be moved and taken back down the mountain to serve as the foundation for houses, but it was frightening to think about what was buried underground.

“Dad, maybe there isn’t anything to worry about, after all,” Hong Mancang said softly.

“Let’s think positively, and our ditch isn’t very deep, so our luck can’t be that bad, can it?” Hong Manku also whispered, trying to console.

He simply didn’t believe that the people from their village had such bad luck!

Digging into a large stone in one ditch, and encountering a stone in two ditches!

What Feng Da and Feng Er thought about was that if they encountered a stone, they should just go around it. After all, they couldn’t get around it.

Their mountain is not high or big, after all, and it cannot be compared with the mountains on both sides of Maya Lake. Naturally, the stones on the mountain cannot be compared with the stones on Maya Lake!

The men from the village each prepared themselves mentally as they tightened their grip on shovels and hoes, their eyes gleaming with determination.

In contrast, Xu Laosan was much more cheerful, joking, “No worries. If we really encounter a big boulder, we can use it as the foundation for a house when we move it back.

Otherwise, we can put it at the village entrance as a prized possession since our village doesn’t have one yet.”

Li Wu ignored Xu Laosan’s antics, but also didn’t dismiss it. As for the stones, if they encountered one, they would simply dig it out. If it was too deep to dig, they would find a way around it.

After all, solutions outweighed difficulties. By the end of the first day, about half of the bricks and tiles had been brought in, making two trips a day. They estimated that another two or three days would suffice.

The medicinal herb workshop required the most bricks and tiles for over ten rooms, especially for the floors which needed sturdy bricks that were easy to clean. Dirt floors could withstand daily wear, but the difference became especially clear on rainy days!

Every step turned muddy, with each footfall leaving a mess. In a village like Shanshui, abundant rainwater meant early prevention was crucial.

The library only had three main rooms, plus a kitchen and a woodshed. The bricks and tiles brought back in one day were enough.

Over ten people were laying foundations, and today they had preliminarily dug drainage ditches. Tomorrow, half the team would bring stones down from the mountain while the other half laid foundations. The day after, they would switch roles, with everyone pitching in.

Using stones to fill foundations was sturdy and cost-effective. Moreover, it allowed them to gradually clear the stones from the mountain, so every house in the village used stones found on their respective mountains.

They were willing to endure the extra effort.

The workers at the medicinal herb workshop were in high spirits as they finished work, despite four hours of labor feeling like mere moments had passed.

They completed their tasks cheerfully.

What was particularly miraculous was that in the past, after farm work, they would have been famished, but today, after work, they didn’t feel hungry at all. Could it be that the work was more lucrative?

No, not entirely. Washing and cleaning were different from farm work, after all. It wasn’t physically exhausting, which explained why they didn’t feel too hungry.

Zhao Lan thought the medicinal herb workshop was really suitable for women.

She looked at the sisters around her and suggested, “Why don’t we grow medicinal herbs too? Even though the land isn’t enough, it can be cleared. After the men finish planting winter wheat, they can rest. It’s a perfect time to clear land and grow medicinal herbs!”

“I heard from Sister Shuiqing that both Polygonum multiflorum and ginseng can be grown in spring and autumn. If we plant this autumn, we can harvest next autumn. With more medicinal herbs, our workshop will thrive even more!” Xu Ting eagerly shared.

Mrs. Wu sighed, “Selling the harvested herbs to Shuiqing means our families have work, and we won’t have to worry about not selling them. It’s hard to come by such good fortune!”

Now, they only wanted to expand and strengthen the medicinal herb workshop!

As Shuiqing said, they aimed to make it bigger and stronger to create brilliance.

The group discussed enthusiastically, but suddenly, the person at the front saw someone approaching from the opposite direction, and their expression immediately changed.