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Li Yishu felt delighted after hearing Wen Zixia's words. She squatted down and poked the iron lump with her finger, asking, "Brother Wen, what is this thing called Hand Pump Well used for?"
Wen Zixia replied, "Since it's called a well, it must be used for drawing water."
Li Yishu laughed lightly, "This is a well? Aren't wells usually round pits dug into the ground? This iron lump should function similarly to the wheel on a well, right?"
Wen Zixia praised her, "Li Yishu, you're quite clever. However, the Hand Pump Well does more than just what a wheel does; its uses are extensive."
He handed over the information about the Hand Pump Well to Li Yishu and the others. After reading it, they were exceptionally excited. The Hand Pump Well perfectly solved the problem of not being able to draw water from deep wells. Indeed, it was a product of divine origin, extraordinary in nature. Wen Ziyu no longer found the Hand Pump Well ugly.
Wen Zixia chuckled softly, "It seems our ancestors are about to show their spirit once again."
After two incidents of the ancestors showing their spirit at the Aoyama Village shrine, the incense offerings surged. People from nearby villages would come to Aoyama Village to pray. Although they were not from Aoyama Village, they benefited from it and felt gratitude. On another note, they believed that the ancestors of Aoyama Village were so powerful that they might have become deities, akin to Land Gods and City Gods. By offering more incense, perhaps the responsibilities of Aoyama Village's ancestors could extend beyond their village and encompass theirs as well. This way, they too would be under the protection of Aoyama Village's ancestors.
Since the drought began, the incense offerings at Aoyama Village's shrine had never ceased. Even the Magistrate and Steward had set specific days to come and pray for blessings from Aoyama Village's ancestors for both Aoyama Village and Jingyang County as a whole.
A few days later, the Magistrate and Steward arrived at Aoyama Village with several Yamen Runners. They kept a low profile since questioning spirits rather than addressing worldly matters was often criticized by scholars; if someone took advantage of this situation, it could lead to trouble.
The village chief and elders received the Magistrate but remained silent. Ultimately, the responsibility of accompanying the Magistrate and Steward fell to Guan Rulin and Wen Zixia. Although Guan Rulin was focused on his studies, opportunities to showcase oneself in front of important figures still arose.
Wen Zixia followed behind Guan Rulin with a warm smile, not trying to stand out too much. However, the Magistrate was impressed by him and remembered his poem written during Duanwu.
"That day when Wen wrote his Duanwu poem, it astonished everyone and left us all in awe. I wonder if you have composed anything new recently; would you recite it for us to appreciate?" The Magistrate said with a smile.
Wen Zixia thought to himself: "..."
Σ(°△°|||)︴I really am not cut out for writing poetry!
"Sir, I am but a humble student with limited knowledge. The poem I composed on the day of the Duanwu Festival was merely a stroke of luck, and I have no new works to present these days," Wen Zixia quickly replied with a bow.
"Is that so?" The Magistrate sounded somewhat disappointed.
Guan Rulin chuckled lightly, "There is no need for disappointment, Sir. Although Brother Zixia has no new works, he does have some old ones that are truly impressive."
Wen Zixia shot a confused glance at Guan Rulin. When did I have any old works? I wasn't aware of that!
Guan Rulin continued, "A couple of days ago, I went to your home to borrow some books, but you weren't there. Zi Jue took me into your room to fetch them, and I saw the poetry drafts you had left on the table."
Wen Zixia felt like crying: Wen Zixue, you traitor! Those drafts aren't mine; they were copied from Sister Han's manuscript!
The Magistrate perked up with interest and said, "Shiya, what kind of brilliant work is it? Quickly recite it for me and Old Liu to hear."
Master Liu chimed in, "Shiya, don't keep us in suspense. Recite it right away."
Shiya was Guan Rulin's courtesy name, meaning "scholar with elegance." Hearing the Magistrate and Steward's urging, he dared not delay and immediately recited: "Do not laugh at the farmer's crude wine; in a bountiful year, guests are plentiful with enough chickens and pigs. Mountain heavy, water deep, doubts of no path; a new village beyond the dark willows and bright flowers. Flutes and drums follow closely as spring festivals approach; simple attire and ancient customs remain. From now on, if allowed to leisurely ride under the moon, I shall lean on my staff and knock on doors at night."
Wen Zixia felt awkward standing by; this was not his work! According to Sister Han, it was written by a great literary figure named Su Shi.
"Good, good, good," the Magistrate praised three times after listening. "What a wonderful depiction of the joy in a farmer's bountiful harvest! It vividly illustrates the scene. You must have written this poem with hopes for a fruitful harvest in mind?"
What could Wen Zixia say? He could only nod awkwardly and sighed, "Unfortunately, instead of a bountiful harvest ahead, we are facing drought."
The Magistrate sighed as well, "Disasters are indeed the most unpredictable."
Master Liu, sensing the heavy atmosphere, quickly said, "One of my favorite lines is 'Mountain Heavy, Water Deep, Doubts of No Path; A New Village Beyond the Dark Willows and Bright Flowers.' It beautifully describes the feeling of getting lost in the mountains and waters while also conveying the joy of discovering new sights with each step. More importantly, it imparts a life philosophy: no matter how difficult the road ahead may be, as long as we hold firm to our beliefs and bravely forge ahead, we can find hope and light in seemingly hopeless situations."
"Indeed," the Magistrate nodded in agreement. "I also cherish this line. Even when faced with drought, we must not lose hope; we should work together to overcome this disaster."
Everyone nodded in agreement. The group arrived at the entrance of the ancestral hall. The village chief had already opened the hall and prepared incense and candles. The Magistrate and the Steward each took a stick of incense, and even the Yamen Runners held incense sticks, all standing respectfully behind the Magistrate and the Steward. They believed these two scholars were more devoted to the spirits.
As the smoke curled upward into the air, suddenly a beam of light shot out, scattering the incense smoke. Everyone was dumbfounded. Although it was bright daylight, making the light appear weaker under the sun's rays, it was still clearly visible.
"Ancestors! The Ancestors have manifested again!" The village chief and the Elders were overjoyed to tears; they could ascertain that this manifestation was surely to address the drought.
The Magistrate and the Steward exchanged glances, momentarily unsure how to react. They had heard detailed accounts of how the Ancestors had manifested in Aoyama Village but had never witnessed it themselves, leaving them with lingering doubts. Now that they had seen this phenomenon firsthand, they realized that such a beam of light could not have been created by human means.
"Truly, the Ancestors of Aoyama Village have manifested," the Magistrate murmured.
Master Liu quickly reacted and bowed respectfully to the County Magistrate, saying, "Congratulations, sir! The Ancestors of Aoyama Village have responded to your request and come to assist you."
Wen Zixia hurriedly added, "Our village has previously sought help from the Ancestors but received no response. It seems that your presence has brought their attention to Aoyama Village."
Guan Rulin chimed in as well, "You are indeed blessed, sir; it is only fitting that you receive a response from the Ancestors."
The Magistrate felt pleased by their flattery but replied modestly, "This is not solely my achievement; it is a result of everyone's united prayers. It is also due to the Ancestors' kindness; they do not wish to see their people suffer and have sent this message to me. Now, let us see what message they are conveying!"
Hearing this, everyone inside the ancestral hall looked up at the beam of light in the sky. After a moment, Master Liu discerned something: "Sir, it seems that the beam is pointing toward a certain direction. Perhaps there lies a solution to our drought."
The Magistrate said, "Then why are we still hesitating? Let’s hurry over and take a look!"
The Magistrate led a group of people towards the direction of the beam of light, where they discovered two strange metal objects and a stack of white papers filled with writing behind the ancestral hall. Upon seeing the papers, everyone realized that these were signs of the Ancestors awakening; such pure white paper simply did not exist in this world.
Master Liu glanced at the Magistrate, then stepped forward to pick up the stack of white papers and handed it to the Magistrate. The Magistrate took it and quickly began to skim through it. "Waterwheel... Hand Pump Well..."
The smile on the Magistrate's face grew wider with each word he read aloud.
"Good, very good. With these two, the losses from the drought can be reduced by at least half."
Although the others did not understand the contents of the papers, they couldn't help but smile at the Magistrate's words. They believed in the Ancestors, and the heavy burden on their hearts was lifted.
The Magistrate was quite fair-minded; since both the Hand Pump Well and the information were provided by Aoyama Village's Ancestors, he couldn't take everything for himself—what if the Ancestors from Aoyama Village held a grudge and refused to help him in the future? He had Guan Rulin and Wen Zixia each copy down the information about the waterwheel and Hand Pump Well, leaving one Hand Pump Well behind before returning to the county town with another Hand Pump Well and the materials.
After sending off the Magistrate and his group, the village chief and Elders gathered around the Hand Pump Well, smiling as they touched its cold metal surface, cherishing it as if they were caressing their bride's smooth skin on their wedding night.
Wen Zixia observed the lewd expressions on the faces of the elderly men and felt a headache coming on. "Village Chief, shouldn't we arrange for digging wells and channels for installing waterwheels immediately?"
Reminded, the village chief nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes! The sooner we dig wells, the sooner we can solve this drought."
The village chief and Elders quickly called a meeting with the villagers—though they didn't need to call them; villagers had already gathered outside the ancestral hall. The arrival of the Magistrate was a significant event for Aoyama Village, and everyone wanted to see their official in person. The appearance of the beam of light had drawn even more villagers out of their homes, all waiting for the village chief to announce how their Ancestors would resolve the drought.
Both the village chief and villagers were action-oriented. Upon hearing that waterwheels and Hand Pump Wells were solutions to their drought problem, everyone sprang into action. The entire village split into four groups: one group continued fetching water to irrigate fields—not just their own but also those belonging to others; another group dug irrigation channels; a third group constructed waterwheels; while a fourth group dug wells to install Hand Pump Wells. Guan Rulin and Wen Zixia, who understood the blueprints, guided everyone along. With everyone working together—including women—the efficiency was remarkable; within half a month, all tasks were completed.
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