Chapter 230: Suggestion
Editor: Atlas Studios
Liu Ting looked at the iron plow and then at his aunt. Finally, he said, “Aunt, it’s better if you don’t go. Go back and call my wife over and let her help. Since Ah Lang is already old enough to plow, call him over too. Let the mother and son take turns helping Ah Ling with the plow. You can stay at home and watch the door.”
“Uncle, aren’t you growing winter wheat?” Mu Yangling asked.
Liu Ting sighed and said, “We do want to plant it, but the higher-ups have sent word that the weather might not be good next year. Therefore, they want everyone to leave the land to plant corn.”
At the side, Liu Yuan said worriedly, “But we don’t know how to plant corn. Although they will send someone down to teach us, we don’t have confidence in things that we have never planted. Moreover, I heard that corn isn’t exactly delicious, so I still want to plant some wheat.”
“I think the weather next year might really be bad.” Mu Yangling said, “In the past, it would rain once or twice every month, but it’s been so long since the last two rains. There’s not even a sign of the dark clouds since.” Mu Yangling said, “There’s only one layer of mud at the bottom of the river left now. The rest of the river is dry and cracked. I just want to plant some winter wheat. If it’s a drought in spring, at least we’ve planted some winter wheat. With the snow water from winter as the foundation, the winter wheat will definitely grow. Even if there’s a drought in spring, it should rain at least once in spring. With that rain, the wheat will be able to enter the tiller and filler stage. Even if the harvest is slightly worse, it’s still better than spring wheat.”
Liu Ting squatted on the ground and thought for a moment before saying, “But what about the warmth? Our Xingzhou Prefecture is very cold in winter, and the ground is as hard as a brick. If you fall headfirst, you’ll break your head. Will wheat sprout in spring?”
Smiling, Mu Yangling said, “It’s also cold in winter. Don’t underestimate these crops—they can even burst through rocks. However, what you said makes sense. I plan to cover the ground with all the wheatgrass and straws at home after I plant them. This way, they can keep the ground warm. There will also be a buffer when the snow comes in winter. The most important thing is to preserve water to the greatest extent. After spring, if the sun doesn’t directly shine on the ground, the evaporation of water can be reduced by quite a lot. Don’t forget that we still have water conservancy facilities, three canals, and three large reservoirs here.”
Liu Yuan said, “Those reservoirs and canals belong to your 5th Division. Last time, Little General was benevolent. If there’s really a drought next year, I’m afraid your 5th Division won’t be willing to open the reservoir again.”
“Isn’t there another winter? You guys can also build water conservancy facilities.” Mu Yangling said, “I heard from Little General that he wants to make the opening of the Jialing Lake to our river bigger. You can tell your assistant commander to build a large canal from the river and construct a reservoir.”
Liu Ting and Liu Yuan smiled bitterly. “Do you think everyone is like Little General? Ignoring the fact that we don’t get to see the assistant commander at all, even if we do, he won’t waste his manpower on building the water conservancy facilities. Your Uncle Xuan and the others aren’t in Xingzhou Prefecture and have all been transferred to Hanzhong Prefecture. They’re guarding the city there now. They won’t be able to return home on break. We haven’t seen them for more than three months. If they hadn’t sent someone back to report that they’re still alive…”
Liu Ting looked worried. “This can only work if we repair the water conservancy facilities ourselves. However we have manpower but no tools. In addition, we can’t make the decision on this matter, so we can’t organize it…”
Liu Ting and Liu Yuan felt that it was a pity that they had not been assigned to the Little General back then. Although Qi Haoran was young, he listened to advice and valued agriculture. Unlike the other assistant commanders, who mainly focused on training their troops. Regarding agriculture, they only looked at the results and not the process.
They clearly did not have any advantages, yet they set such a high goal. Liu Ting felt that he seemed to have aged ten years in just a year.
This time, Mu Yangling was at her wit’s end. She couldn’t ask Little General to step forward, right? That would be crossing the line, and it would make him very annoying.
Mu Yangling could only suggest, “Uncle Ting, why don’t you try to organize people to dig a canal and reservoir? Our Liu clan has a lot of people, as long as we can convince the clan, we can convince others. It doesn’t have to be just people from your camp. You can gather the people from two or three nearby villages. Since your lands are in the same area, the canal and reservoir can be used by everyone. You can set the restriction that only those who send out manpower to help construct will have access to it in the future.”
Liu Yuan looked at his eldest cousin with shining eyes.
Liu Ting’s scalp went numb as he said, “I’ve never done this before.”
“There’s a first for everything. Do you lack an arm or a leg, or do you lack a head compared to others? Can’t you figure it out yourself?” Great-aunt said, “Don’t worry. You’ve never done this, but the others haven’t either. As long as you show off your aura, they’ll listen to you.”
Mu Yangling nodded repeatedly and said, “Uncle, give it a try. If it doesn’t work, it’s none of your business. You can just shrug and say too bad. At least you would’ve tried, right?”
Liu Yuan nodded repeatedly. “Big Brother, if you suggest it, I’ll be the first to respond.”
Liu Ting rolled his eyes at him. “We’re brothers. How dare you not respond?”
Liu Yuan scratched his head and smiled.
Liu Ting sat cross-legged on the ground and did some calculations as he drew on the ground with a stick. Frowning, he said, “We don’t have enough manpower. There are a few families in our village that can’t produce able-bodied men. Those families consist of either aged mothers or little kids. It’s not as if we can drag them over to help.”
Shelving her plans to go to the fields, Mu Yangling sat down and gave him an idea. “Then you can get them to pay for the water conservancy facilities. You need some tools anyway. Those who can’t help out physically should support this project monetarily. This way, others won’t have any objections when they use the water conservancy in the future. If they can’t afford this, you can arrange some easy jobs for them.”
Mu Yangling listed out the tasks that needed to be done to build the water conservancy one by one. “Digging the canal and digging the reservoir will definitely require adult men to do it, but carrying the mud and foundation stones is something that even half-grown children and young women can do. If you start building now, you should be able to complete it before spring.” Then, she said, “Uncle, you also have to find someone who knows about water conservancy to choose a good site for you. You can’t just randomly find a plot of land. If you choose a good location, you can get twice the results with half the effort.”
Liu Ting lost even more confidence. “Where can I find such a capable person?”
Indeed, Liu Ting could not come into contact with such a person. Mu Yangling thought for a moment and said, “Why don’t I help you ask Little General and see if he can help you find such a person?”
Liu Ting heaved a sigh of relief. “If we fail in the end, won’t we be letting Little General owe others a favor for nothing?”
“It’s fine. Uncle, don’t worry and just do it. Little General will speak to that person. There’s no such thing as guaranteed success in this world. They won’t blame us.”
Liu Ting pondered and said, “Since Great-uncle He is capable and is from the older generation, it might be better for him to step in.”
“No.” Mu Yangling and Great-aunt objected at the same time.
Great-aunt glanced at Mu Yangling and said, “He’s old and a little muddle-headed. You young people can make the decision on this matter. Don’t trouble him with everything.”
Liu Ting, Liu Yuan, and Mu Yangling felt a little awkward. Mu Yangling gave a dry laugh before saying with a serious expression, “Uncle Ting, Great-uncle He only has prestige in the clan. Your village and the nearby villages might not listen to him. There are also elders in other families. If they start arguing, nothing will get done. I think we really need the younger generation to handle this. It will appeal to more people, and the elders won’t object too much.”
Mu Yangling coughed lightly and said in Liu Daqian’s tone, “You’re all grown up. It’s time for you to accumulate some life experiences. Won’t these things depend on you in the future? While we’re still alive, I can help give you some advice from the side. Just go ahead and do whatever you want.”
