Spring comes to the desperate place

Chapter 270

At this time, Song Chunming didn't know that his good second brother was planning how to tan himself into charcoal. He and Song Chunxiao were still doing their homework.

There was no imperial examination in the Dajing Dynasty, but Song Chunlin once required the whole family to learn literacy, from Grandpa Song and Grandma Song to Song Chunming and Song Chunxiao. Even if everyone could not be well-read, they had to pass the most basic cultural subjects. Therefore, Song Chunming and Song Chunxiao had fixed homework to do every month. Song Chunlin did not set the time and let them arrange it themselves, but they had to hand it in at the end of the month. If they failed to complete it, their pocket money and snacks for the next month would be halved. If they still could not hand it in the next time, it would be halved again.

In order to get the meager pocket money and snacks, the two children would start to study hard at the end of every month.

Li Gensheng also had to do his homework, but Song Dahe didn't ask much of him. Anyway, the family had so much land, so why worry about the child starving to death in the future? At most, he could just stay at home and be a rich man. It was no big deal. Song Chunlin couldn't ignore Li Gensheng in the future. As long as Song Chunlin and the Marquis' Mansion didn't fall, no one would dare to bully Li Gensheng.

After the Qiqiao Festival, the weather was still hot, seemingly even hotter than in previous years. The Song family placed electric fans in the bedroom and used solar energy to generate electricity, so that they could feel cooler in the mornings and evenings.

Zhou Ning and Chen Yuer were a little scared at first about this kind of thing that could rotate by itself, but after experiencing the convenience and coolness of the fan, they could no longer live without this strange thing.

But except for the Song family, no other family has this enjoyment. People in the village do not grow two crops of rice, but they are very curious about the rice in the Song family's fields. When they pass by, they always stand on the ridge of the field and look at it for a while.

Probably because of the hot weather, the water in the paddy fields dried up. Looking at the fields without a drop of water, Song Dazhuang was worried, but Song Chunlin comforted him: "Dad, we are not too far from the river. Can't we open a canal, build a waterwheel, and bring water over?"

"Build a waterwheel?" Song Dazhuang hesitated: "Will this work?"

"Yes, you must believe me."

So Song Chunlin drew up the blueprint of the waterwheel overnight, and Song Dazhuang took the blueprint to look for craftsmen. As for digging the canal, it was left to the young and middle-aged men.

Since these soldiers started eating meals made from the spiritual spring water, they have been so full of energy that they have nowhere to use it every day. They have dug the canal before the waterwheel is even built. Not yet satisfied with the result, they ask if the fields nearby need digging as well.

Song Chunlin covered his face and indicated that it was not necessary. That was not their land. If he really dug it, wouldn’t he be beaten?

The canal could not be used directly after it was dug. The place planned by Song Chunlin happened to pass through Song Dahao's fields. This was even better. Without any discussion, he bought large stones and blue bricks and repaired the canal. Not only could it be used this year, but it could also be used to directly irrigate farmland in the future, killing two birds with one stone.

However, because the waterwheel was complicated to manufacture and was large in size, the craftsmen could only build a small one first. The large one would take at least another month to build.

Song Chunlin looked at the younger one and hurried to transport water. The speed was a little slow, but it was better than nothing. Song Dazhuang went to the rice fields for several days in a row and finally irrigated all the rice fields.

When there was enough water in the paddy fields, Song Dazhuang blocked the gap in the canal. The water in the canal passed through a large field and flowed back into the river from another opening.

When the other villagers first heard the Song family say they wanted to dig canals to irrigate the fields, they thought it was a fantasy. But when they saw that the Song family not only actually dug the canals, but also filled the paddy fields with water as quickly as possible, the water even flowed back into the river when it was full.

Many people were amazed by this, and even more families followed suit. However, they did not install water trucks, but waited for the water to fill the canals by itself. Although this was a bit slow, it was cheap and only required a little effort.

Looking at the simple canals of his fellow villagers, Song Dazhuang felt that they would definitely regret it next year, because their so-called canals were nothing more than a shallow ditch dug on the ground. Not only were they shallow, but they were also reluctant to use bricks and stones to pave the bottom. There was no need to wait until next year, as the shallow ditch would probably be filled with dust in a month or two.

But Song Dazhuang did not remind them, because what they were planting in their fields were only some cabbages and radishes, which were to be eaten in the winter. It would be good for them to learn a lesson so that when spring comes, they will understand that some work cannot be saved.

I heard that the Song family hired someone to build a waterwheel. Gu Fengyue had never seen a waterwheel before, so he also came on the day the waterwheel was set up. He watched from afar as a group of people were busy erecting a huge wheel.

The waterwheel was twenty-four feet high, which is more than seven meters when converted into meters. This was before the base was added. With the base, it was almost thirty feet high, and it looked extremely huge standing on the river bank.

The craftsmen and laborers nearby were shouting slogans, and the people around just watched the big guy slowly stand up. After working for almost a whole day, finally in the afternoon, the giant waterwheel finally stood steadily by the river. As the waterwheel turned, the river water was transported to the repaired canal. The previous small waterwheel needed a whole day to fill the canal, but the large waterwheel only needed one hour, and the flow rate of the river water inside was obviously much faster than before.

The Song family stood by the river, looking at the big guy with great excitement, and there were many voices of congratulations nearby.

Gu Fengyue also sighed beside Song Chunlin: "How did you come up with such a big thing?"

Song Chunlin leaned close to his ear and whispered, "I read it in a book. I've seen bigger ones!"

The intimate actions of the two were seen by others, some were envious, and some were jealous.

Zhou Daya, who was hidden in the crowd, no longer looked as bright and beautiful as before. Her long hair was wrapped in a gray cloth, and her clothes were changed into the simplest coarse linen clothes. She had lost a lot of weight, her skin was sallow, her cheeks were sunken, and her dark circles were more obvious. Even if Zhou Ning was standing in front of her, he could not recognize that this was Zhou Daya.

Zhou Daya hated the Li family, but she hated the Song family even more for causing her to become like this.

She spent a lot of effort, even spending money to bribe the jailer, and successfully met the imprisoned Li Xu.

Li Xu had been locked up for more than half a year and had been tortured beyond recognition. He did not react much when he saw Zhou Daya coming in. Li Xu had only looked for this mistress because her cousin was the daughter-in-law of the Song family. He thought this woman could be of some use, but he did not expect her to be so stupid. Not only did she become enemies with Zhou Ning, she was even unwilling to reconcile with Zhou Ning for his sake. If she had not become pregnant later, he would have kicked this idiot out long ago.

Zhou Daya seemed not to notice Li Xu's coldness. She looked at the thin man, crying and cursing Zhou Ning and the Song family.

She cursed Zhou Ning for not helping the man in need and the Song family for being cruel and ruthless. As she cursed, an idea suddenly came to Li Xu's mind.

He suddenly got up from the ground, clung to the railing, and growled at Zhou Daya viciously:

"The Song family, they are all the Song family. I was originally planning to tell the head of the family and marry you as my second wife after I finished all these things. The Song family is so despicable. They just can't stand seeing you do well. Daya, my dear Daya, you can't let them go. Think about the happy days we had and our children. If the Song family hadn't interfered, you would be my wife now, and our children would be legitimate sons. Daya, I am wronged. Even if I become a ghost, I can't let the Song family go!"

Li Xu's weeping voice seemed to still echo in her ears, which amplified Zhou Daya's evil thoughts and made her often immerse herself in her own fantasies.

If the Song family had not reported it to the government, Li Xu would not have been caught. If he had not been caught, she would be Mrs. Li now. No matter how prominent her original wife's family was, it would not matter if they could not even capture a man's heart. Her son would have been the legitimate son of the Li family and would have been surrounded by servants, instead of being like herself, struggling in the mud pit of this farmhouse and becoming an ordinary farmer when he grew up.

The more Zhou Daya thought about it, the more hateful she became. She was completely trapped in her own paranoid fantasy. Her deep hatred was like substance, which made Song Chunlin and Gu Fengyue realize something. They observed their surroundings calmly, and Song Chunlin also released his mental power to search the surroundings.

But Zhou Daya was completely different now. When Gu Fengyue looked over here, she quickly restrained the expression on her face, lowered her eyebrows and looked submissive, just like the village woman beside her.

The two did not notice Zhou Daya at the first time, and there were too many people around, so Song Chunlin and Gu Fengyue did not take it seriously.

After the waterwheel was built, the Song family wanted to entertain the craftsmen, so the house became a little messy. Everyone in the family was busy with something, and Zhou Daya actually managed to sneak in. However, she could only get to the workshop. When she wanted to cross the door of the workshop and walk to the Song family next door, she was stopped by Aunt Zhang.

"The one over there, whose family are you from? You can't go next door. If you're here to eat, there's still some time. Please wait a little longer."

Aunt Wang looked at the figure and felt inexplicably familiar, but she couldn't tell who it was. Zhou Daya realized that she might have been exposed, so she said a few words quickly and vaguely, and then ran away when no one was paying attention.

Zhou Daya felt a little annoyed after returning empty-handed for the first time. She walked to the side of the road where no one was around, but she kept her eyes on the Song family, hoping to find another opportunity to sneak in.

She had no plan for revenge. She just wanted to sneak into the Song family and deal a fatal blow to the Song family. However, she couldn't even get into the Song family now, let alone deal a fatal blow.

Just as she was running around anxiously outside, several children suddenly ran out of the Song family's gate. One of the older ones kept shouting, "Song Chunxiao, slow down!"

Zhou Daya didn’t know who Song Chunxiao was, but since his surname was Song, he must be a member of the Song family. Watching the children gradually running away, Zhou Daya hurriedly followed them.

Song Chunxiao was locked up at home the whole day because he failed to finish his homework on time. He was so envious when he heard his friends excitedly talking about how big the waterwheel was, but he could not finish his homework. He finally finished it with the help of Song Chunming. He ran out of the house like a wild horse and ran towards the river.

Song Chunming and Li Gensheng were chasing after them breathlessly, and Zhou Daya was almost out of breath from running. She had injured herself during childbirth and refused to take good care of herself. She also secretly sold the medicinal herbs that the Song family had taken away to get money for her daily routine. Her physical condition was too weak, and she almost couldn't breathe after just a few steps.

When she saw that the children were running towards the river, she was overjoyed. This was truly a blessing from heaven.

The past two years have not been drought years. This year there has been enough rain, and the river is deep and fast. If a child falls into the river, he will definitely not be able to climb out.

Zhou Daya quickly thought of some vicious ideas. She walked quickly to the riverside, where several children were looking up at the huge waterwheel.

Looking at the tall waterwheel, the children forgot to look around and walked closer and closer to the river.

Zhou Daya was even happier seeing them like this.

There are three children in total, and Zhou Daya doesn't know which one is from the Song family. But since they all ran away from the Song family, it should be okay to kick them all out, right?

Zhou Daya raised a vicious smile on her face and slowly walked towards the children.

Song Chunming and Li Gensheng had seen enough during the day and did not find it as curious as Song Chunxiao, so they were the first to notice Zhou Daya.

Song Chunming asked curiously: "Sister-in-law, who are you?"

Zhou Daya was not afraid when she saw that she was exposed. The smile on her face became even wider. She kept walking forward, and she didn't forget to fool the children.

"I'm from another village. I heard that a big waterwheel was built here, so I came here to see the fun."

"Is that so?" Song Chunming had a good memory. He vaguely remembered that he seemed to have seen this person during the day, but why hadn't she left yet? Was it because he hadn't seen her enough during the day?

The three naive children would never have thought that the woman in front of them was actually a Yaksha who wanted to take their lives.

Just when they were caught off guard, Zhou Daya suddenly pushed them into the river. The three children screamed and paddled around in panic. As luck would have it, Song Chunming subconsciously reached out and grabbed Zhou Daya's sleeve.

When Zhou Daya was grabbed by him, she lost her balance. She was weak to begin with and couldn't stand at all. She was actually pulled by Song Chunming and fell into the river.

Zhou Daya never expected that she would be so unlucky. Instead of harming others, she was dragged into the river.

Song Chunlin had previously taught the three children how to swim and how to save themselves when drowning, so the three children were not as panicked as Zhou Daya. After recovering from the panic after falling, the three of them quickly adjusted their posture and paddled skillfully in the river.

But Zhou Daya was in a miserable situation. She couldn't swim at all and could only splash around in the water but couldn't get her head out of the water for a long time.