activa-t Chapter 22 Waterwheels and Paper
Chapter 22 Waterwheels and Paper
These past few days, there's been quite a commotion in front of Grandpa Cai's house.
Both adults and children were at Cai's house, especially the children, who were running around and having a great time.
Several people kept chopping wood and carving planks, with each plank having a protruding left end and a groove on the right side to facilitate later splicing.
Grandpa Cai's tools weren't very complete, so Yun Dan made a special trip to the blacksmith's shop in town to order several sets of tools.
Only then did construction officially begin.
"Girl, shouldn't this round log be thicker in the middle and thinner at both ends?"
"Grandpa Cai, that's right. We need to leave a protruding piece at both ends so that it can be inserted into the groove."
Although Grandpa Cai can't be considered an expert, he's quite professional compared to other villagers in Sujia Village.
Everyone was working hard, and Yun Dan had really racked her brains to come up with this waterwheel.
After several days of hard work, the basic framework of the waterwheel is finally complete.
Next, we took all the materials to the riverbank.
What Yun Dan hadn't considered was how to place the waterwheel's support frame in the water.
This was a difficult problem, and there was no other way, so Yundan went to her grandfather and the village chief to discuss it.
Whether in her past life or now, this is the first time Yun Dan has personally taken action and done everything herself. She has to figure things out on her own, and she certainly couldn't consider everything thoroughly.
When everyone worked together, they managed to lift the waterwheel support frame.
Yun Dan then began teaching the villagers how to install the rotating mechanism of the waterwheel.
"We need to install these wooden gears on the waterwheel so that it can turn smoothly," Yun Dan said, gesturing as she spoke.
In ancient times, blacksmith shops had a limited supply of iron, so Yun Dan had no choice but to make a simple rotating wheel.
The villagers nodded repeatedly, indicating that they understood.
Following Yundan's instructions, they carefully installed the gears onto the waterwheel.
Then all the parts were installed, and once the assembly was complete, everyone retreated to the shore to wait.
"Okay, let's give it a try!" Yun Dan exclaimed excitedly.
After someone pulled out the pin, the waterwheel slowly began to turn.
After waiting for a while, everyone saw the water in the bottom box rise to the top and then slowly flow out.
"Everyone, we succeeded!"
"We did it! We did it!" the villagers cheered with joy.
The children, in particular, were the loudest. They didn't understand anything; they just followed along and shouted.
Looking at the turning waterwheel, Yun Dan felt a great sense of accomplishment.
This waterwheel not only irrigates the land, but also brings more convenience to the village.
She hopes that in the future, the waterwheel will make life better and better for Sujia Village.
Now that the waterwheel is running smoothly, the next step is to build pipes to get the water to the fields.
"Grandpa Cai, now that the waterwheel is finished and can transport river water, we need to go and cut down more sturdy timber."
There are some large trees on the edge of this back mountain. Let's measure the distance and see how many trees we need.
Upon hearing Yun Dan's words, the village chief immediately ordered a group of adults to go and cut down trees.
Two days later, early in the morning, a group of villagers arrived at the riverbank. Now that they had all done it once, they all knew how to assemble the planks.
By the time Yun Dan's team arrived, the project was almost finished. Everyone set up the supports and pipes one by one.
Once the pipe head was placed at the water inlet, everyone saw the river water slowly flowing into the fields through the pipe.
"Alright, the waterwheel is now complete."
The village elders, seeing the water flowing from the pipes into the fields, smiled so broadly their wrinkles could fold up.
Seeing the villagers' smiles, Yun Dan also breathed a sigh of relief. She felt gratified that she had lived up to their expectations.
Two major events occurred in Sujia Village at the very beginning of the new year.
First, the land can be fertile; second, the waterwheel can deliver water.
The villagers surrounded her, some praising her.
Some people teased her, while others offered to introduce her to potential partners.
The older women were all introducing her to their own sons and grandsons.
Yun Dan was so frightened that she wanted to run away, but she couldn't resist the enthusiasm of the older women. In the end, the village chief pulled her away, allowing her to escape the women's encirclement.
"Those brats, I've been training them like disciples. And they actually dare to rebel against the Heavenly Gang, betraying their master and ancestors."
Yun Dan's next task is to make paper, which has been made using bamboo strips since she arrived here.
Especially the village outhouse, that was truly terrifying. When Yun Dan first arrived, she didn't notice it because it was dark and gloomy.
When I went there during the day, I almost threw up. I ended up digging a latrine in the valley myself.
For urination, there's a toilet to make do with, but for defecation, there's really no other option.
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Papermaking. Yun Dan didn't know how to make straw paper, but she had seen related videos in her previous life.
"I should be able to make simple toilet paper," Yun Dan thought to herself.
She then led a group of friends to a bamboo grove. Looking at the dense bamboo before her, Yun Dan suddenly realized that she had been too naive.
Having no other choice, she had to go back and call the adults to come and help.
"Uncles and elders, I need a lot of bamboo. Could you please help us?" Yun Dan said to the adults.
Then, she led several adults to cut down the small branches.
Everyone worked together, eagerly awaiting what new and interesting things Yun Dan would come up with this time.
In one afternoon, the adults collected a large pile and stacked it on the wide ground in the village.
Another day has come to an end. I'll leave the rest for tomorrow.
The next day, a group of people arrived early, all waiting for Yun Dan's arrival.
Seeing so many people, Yun Dan spoke up directly.
"Come on, everyone, let's help each other out."
First, break off these branches, then shave the bamboo into thin slices.
Yun Dan explained and demonstrated, while the children gathered around and watched attentively.
One of the children asked curiously, "Little girl, why do we need to make paper?"
"Because you, Sister Yundan, don't want to use bamboo strips to wipe your bottom anymore." Yundan's inner monologue was quite dramatic.
She patiently explained, "Because we can use it to write, draw, and do other useful things."
"With paper, we can read books and learn to recognize characters."
When the other children heard that they could read and write with paper, they all started making a fuss.
"Wow, Sister Xiaoya, can we really go to school? Grandpa said that if we learn to read, we can become officials, right?"
"No, studying isn't about becoming an official; it's about enlightening yourself. Do you know what enlightenment means?"
When the other adults heard Yun Dan say this, they all gathered around, none of them paying attention to the fact that Yun Dan was still a child.
"Enlightenment means enabling our minds to know more and understand more knowledge."
"Studying has nothing to do with becoming an official. As long as you can read and write and know more, it doesn't matter whether you become an official or not."
"Many of those officials are like us, children from poor families. They used all the money their parents earned to go to school, and then became local officials who oppressed us farmers."
"These principles are too far removed from our lives; I'm just giving you a simple explanation."
"I ask you, if one day you could read books, would you want to read them?"
When the group of children heard Yun Dan ask this question, they all jumped up and down and shouted, "Yes, we want to study!"
"Alright, if you want to study, you need to help make paper. If it's successful, we'll be able to read books."
Upon hearing this, the children excitedly picked up their tools and began making their own.
Seeing the children's enthusiasm, Yun Dan felt a great sense of accomplishment.
With everyone's joint efforts, some of the messy waste was soaked in shallow water by the river, while some was soaked in vats.
Half a month passed in the blink of an eye during the papermaking process.
Yun Dan didn't know how long it needed to soak or how many times it needed to be pounded.
The pile of materials was eventually transformed into sheets of rough but practical toilet paper.
Yun Dan picked up the bamboo curtain, put it in the water, swung it left and right, and then scooped it up. When the water had mostly drained away, she imprinted the bamboo curtain onto a larger wooden board.
Seeing that the toilet paper was actually a success
Yun Dan smiled and said to the children, "We succeeded. Everyone did a great job."
Although these sheets of paper are simple, they are the fruits of our labor.
In the future, we can continue to improve our methods and make even better paper.
The children's cheers echoed throughout the village.
Everyone was surprised to see a piece of paper that didn't look like paper pasted on the wooden board.
It's impossible to sell the paper and cinnabar here for money. In ancient times, one had to understand the principle that "a common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."