Chapter 157: Yu Haojie’s Innate Dream of City-Building
With this realization, Yu Luo decided that getting Xiao Yi to dig a well was now a top priority.
Fortunately, while hiding in the tree, she had managed to avoid being noticed by the massive herd of wild buffalo.
Perhaps it was because of the distance or their overwhelming thirst, but the buffalo remained oblivious to her presence.
Yu Luo waited, and waited—so long that she nearly fell asleep. Eventually, after drinking their fill, the buffalo began to retreat, stampeding away just as swiftly as they had arrived.
She couldn’t understand why they traveled so far just for a drink of water, only to leave immediately afterward. If they settled near the river, wouldn’t that be easier? What was making them travel such long distances?
There was no time to dwell on it. As the last three buffalo lagged behind the herd, Yu Luo took her chance. With her crossbow raised, she leaped from the tree and fired multiple shots, striking them squarely in the rump.
She knew that their thick hides would likely prevent the arrows from causing any fatal wounds.
But she had underestimated their survival instincts.
The moment the arrows struck, the three buffalo collapsed onto the ground, bellowing loudly in distress.
Their cries were so piercing that the entire herd—some of whom had already run a kilometer ahead—immediately halted and turned back.
Yu Luo’s heart sank. She did not want to get caught in the middle of a stampede.
Without hesitation, she used her light-footed technique to leap back into a tree, hoping the buffalo wouldn’t think to look up.
Spring had just begun, and though the tree had sprouted fresh buds, its foliage wasn’t dense enough to fully conceal her. She could only hope that the buffalo were too single-minded to notice.
To her relief, they seemed unaware of her presence. The ones at the rear gathered around their injured companions, bellowing anxiously. Their cries summoned the rest of the herd back.
Yu Luo was astonished by what she saw next.
Rather than abandoning their wounded, the buffalo formed a protective circle around them.
What’s more, after their leader let out a commanding roar, the entire herd began moving again—but at a slower pace.
To Yu Luo’s further shock, the three injured buffalo were being escorted by their fellow herd members as they limped away.
And then, something even more unbelievable happened.
Somehow, the arrows had been pulled from their wounds and left discarded on the ground.
Yu Luo was dumbfounded.
“These are just animals, right? How do they have such a strong sense of teamwork? Did I just waste over an hour for nothing?”
[That’s why I didn’t assign you a mission to hunt them. These buffalo have intelligence roughly equivalent to that of an 8- or 9-year-old child. If you provoke them, they might come back to seek revenge later.]
Yu Luo was speechless.
“Okay, fine. But if you knew this would happen, why didn’t you warn me earlier? Why let me waste my time?”
[Seeing is believing. If I had simply told you, it wouldn’t have left such a lasting impression. Experiencing it firsthand deepens your understanding of the natural world.]
With a sigh, Yu Luo gave up on the buffalo hunt and used her light-footed technique to return home.
The river had to be redirected—there was no other option. But drawing the water closer to their settlement would undoubtedly attract wild animals.
Still, they couldn’t let their farmland go to waste just because of the potential dangers.
After returning, Yu Luo relayed everything she had learned about the water source to her parents.
Yu Haojie and Ye Jiamei listened carefully, their expressions serious.
“Maybe we should just forget about planting rice,” Ye Jiamei suggested. “If we need white rice, you and your father can go to the city once he learns light-footed techniques. We could buy a few thousand pounds each year, and with our own crops supplementing it, we’d have more than enough to eat.
“Besides, if we don’t have rice to sell, others will have to make the trip to Fengcheng themselves. We don’t have to take that risk for them.”
Her reasoning was sound. There was no need to endanger themselves unnecessarily.
But her words clearly dampened the enthusiasm of both Yu Luo and Yu Haojie.
“Instead of opening a large river, why don’t we just create a reservoir?” Yu Haojie suggested. “We can build it up with stone, have Xiao Yi dig an underground channel to divert some water, and block the outlet once it fills up. That way, it won’t flood the fields.”
He wasn’t ready to give up on the wasteland yet.
For him, growing rice wasn’t just about feeding 100 people—it was about something deeper. Perhaps, like many men, he had an innate desire to build something grand.
Back in his previous life, Yu Haojie had never been the type to sit around idly.
Now, having been reborn into this world, he felt as though fate had handed him an opportunity—a chance to live out the city-building dreams he had only ever experienced in games.
His suggestion intrigued Yu Luo, but it also sparked an even better idea.
“While searching for water these past few days, I realized that not all of this wasteland is barren. About a hundred miles away, I found a large forest, but it’s already occupied by a pack of wild beasts.
“It’s not a place we can move to—there are simply too many predators. And if we’re worried about drawing animals here, why don’t we divert the river into a natural basin I found about fifty miles from here?
“The basin is enormous—at least 100 acres. If we create a lake there, the wild animals will prefer drinking from it rather than our small reservoir. Even if a few wander our way, we won’t have to worry about a massive herd like the one I saw today.”
Yu Haojie’s eyes lit up.
“This girl’s brain is really something!” he exclaimed. “It’ll be tough on Xiao Yi at first, but once both the reservoir and lake are in place, we’ll have a permanent water solution. The animals will stick to the lake, and we won’t have to deal with their migration patterns anymore!”
Father and daughter exchanged glances, their excitement reignited.
They didn’t hesitate. The next morning, Yu Haojie gathered all 100-plus people together.
