Chapter 168: The Well Dug by Xiao Yi
Ye Jiamei’s words were not without reason.
After thinking it over and finding no perfect solution, Yu Luo instead comforted Yu Haojie, telling him not to overthink things for now.
“Clearing a thousand mu of land isn’t easy. By the time they finish, it’ll probably be harvest season. We don’t even know if wheat can survive the harsh winters in this wilderness. If it can’t, then it’s a problem for next year. And by then, our combat strength might have reached a new level. There’s no need to worry about things that haven’t happened yet.”
Hearing Yu Luo’s words, Yu Haojie immediately stopped dwelling on it.
In the afternoon, Yu Haojie and Ye Jiamei stayed home and planted the saplings that Yu Luo had previously purchased while gathering supplies. Apart from fruit trees, there were also many small trees Yu Luo had secretly dug up from the mountains when no one was watching.
She had heard that this area had very few tree species, so she had come up with the idea of bringing in more greenery for the spring and summer seasons.
Meanwhile, Yu Luo took Xiao Yi to the valley to open a waterway.
If it rained, that would be great. But even if it didn’t, digging out the waterway—even if only half a meter deep—would allow water to flow steadily. As long as it didn’t freeze, the stream could continue running.
Ye Jiamei, who was so exhausted from planting trees that she could barely straighten her back, really wanted to call it quits. She couldn’t understand why Yu Luo was putting in so much effort.
Setting aside whether these trees could even survive in this wilderness, even if they did, they were still so tiny. By the time they grew into big trees, their family of three might have already left.
“My dear, stop complaining. If you’re tired, take a break. I’ll handle the planting—this kind of work isn’t really suited for you anyway.”
“I’m just worried about you getting too exhausted. Fine, I’m not complaining; I just feel like you and our daughter are really treating this place like our permanent home.”
“That’s not the point. Look at this land—it’s ownerless and going to waste. Even if we leave in the future, if we still own this land, wouldn’t it be a free gain?”
Ye Jiamei’s mouth slightly opened as she looked at her husband in disbelief.
“I never noticed before, but Yu Haojie, you really have grand ambitions! This land is contested by multiple nations, and anyone who claims it gets attacked by the others. Yet you actually want to take it over? Your courage is unbelievable!”
She had always known her husband to be a seemingly honest and simple man but also quite capable.
But she never imagined that after coming to this ancient time, Yu Haojie’s ambitions would swell to such an extent!
Yu Haojie lifted his gaze, looking at the distant land.
After the snow melted, the wilderness felt as if it were right next door to their previous world.
Though crops here were underdeveloped, the land was rich in minerals. With his years of experience working at the agricultural research institute in his past life, self-sufficiency shouldn’t be a problem.
He had ambition, but he wasn’t arrogant enough to think that just because he was a transmigrator, he could claim this land as his own.
“Never mind. Let’s just plant the saplings that Xiao Luo worked so hard to gather. Later, we can ask her system if it has anything that helps crops grow. This land is too barren—without fertilization, we won’t be able to grow much.”
Seeing the large bundle of remaining saplings, Ye Jiamei didn’t want to waste her daughter’s effort. Gritting her teeth, she continued digging holes.
By the end of the afternoon, they had planted several hundred saplings near the vegetable garden.
Unfortunately, the household had run out of water. They had to wait for Yu Luo to return with stored water to irrigate the saplings before heading to the river to fetch more.
Their family was still better off, but other households had to travel quite far to fetch water.
When Yu Luo and Xiao Yi returned home, she initially thought Xiao Yi would rest after working hard all afternoon.
But while Xiao Yi was gnawing on cabbage, he overheard Ye Jiamei and Yu Luo’s conversation.
Without hesitation, he dropped the cabbage and ran to the vegetable garden—then started digging a hole!
The family of three rushed out after him, only to see that Xiao Yi had already dug a half-meter-deep hole in a flat area outside the cave.
Seeing Xiao Yi’s speed, Ye Jiamei’s mouth formed an “O” shape in astonishment.
“How is Xiao Yi digging so fast?”
“Probably because of the soil. But I didn’t expect Xiao Yi to be so hardworking—he dug over twenty li (10 km) of river channel this afternoon while I was with him. If nothing goes wrong, we should be able to connect the waterway to the valley by tomorrow afternoon.”
Hearing this, both Ye Jiamei and Yu Haojie were stunned.
“How wide is this waterway? It’s not just a small trench, is it?”
Ye Jiamei found it hard to believe. Walking twenty li was difficult enough for her, let alone digging the whole time.
“What are you saying? It’s more than half a meter wide and about two feet deep. Time is tight, so the priority is getting water flowing there first. Then we can store it here. If we find more rivers in the future, we can divert multiple streams.”
“I don’t understand any of this, but if Xiao Yi is this amazing, why bother hiring people to clear land? He alone is worth a hundred workers!”
For some reason, Yu Luo felt like she had heard this line before.
Before she could say anything, Yu Haojie patiently explained to his wife, “This is just a rule of survival. Xiao Yi can replace a lot of labor, but we can’t live without human companions. If people lose their source of income, they won’t be able to survive.”
“Fine, fine. You and your daughter can figure out these complicated matters—I’m going back to eat.”
Seeing how hardworking Xiao Yi was, Yu Luo felt distressed for him.
After he had been digging for a while, she tried to persuade him to rest, but Xiao Yi wouldn’t listen.
“Master, Xiao Yi is about to reach the underground water! Xiao Yi can sense water here! Xiao Yi isn’t tired!”
Despite Xiao Yi’s unusual appearance, his soft and adorable voice made Yu Luo feel even more protective of him.
“We still have water at home. Xiao Yi, one day won’t make a difference. Come up and rest—we can dig more tomorrow.”
“No, Xiao Yi likes digging! Master doesn’t need to worry—Xiao Yi isn’t tired at all!”
Seeing Xiao Yi so determined while her daughter was feeling sorry for him, Yu Haojie stepped forward.
Even though he couldn’t understand what Xiao Yi was saying, he could get the gist from Yu Luo’s replies.
“Xiao Yi, the water you dig up like this isn’t drinkable. Before it comes out, stop digging. Tomorrow, I’ll find people to line the well with stone—only then will the water be clean enough for humans to drink.”
Hearing Yu Haojie’s words, Xiao Yi immediately stopped moving.
He clung to the surrounding stones with all four limbs and started climbing up!
Seeing Xiao Yi emerge, Yu Luo finally let out a sigh of relief.
