Have You Given Up on Living?

After these people left, Dean Zhu had just stepped into the room when his legs went weak and he almost knelt on the ground.

"Wanwan! Do you know how much money was bet today?"

Tens of millions of taels of silver! You... you're not going to live like this anymore?

You think salt and grain prices will drop? That's wishful thinking! Let me tell you, absolutely impossible!

Do you know why? Because we lack water, food, and especially salt here.

Dean Zhu looked at Zhou Wanwan anxiously. "How about this? You should run! Run as far as you can!"

Zhou Wanwan looked at him and said:

"Teacher, where do you think I can run to?"

Besides, if I really ran away, wouldn't you be laughed at by future generations for the rest of your life?

Dean Zhu was silent for a moment before saying, "Why would I be afraid of being laughed at by future generations? Life is something you make yourself; what matters most is that you live well."

Looking at him, Zhou Wanwan suddenly felt a lump in her throat. This old man was so sentimental; even someone as hard-hearted as her was melting.

Dean Zhu was really good to her.

He turned and went to the inner room to help her pack her things.

"Let me tell you, I'll arrange a carriage for you and take you to another country. Where do you want to go?"

The Snow Khanate? The Mobei Uyghur? Khotan in the Western Regions? Take your pick, I have students everywhere.

Wow, that's the benefit of having connections.

Zhou Wanwan shook her head and said, "Teacher, I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay here."

Dean Zhu sighed:

"Don't be ridiculous. All the agreements you signed with them are in black and white."

If we lose, we'll have to pay compensation, and the consequences could be unimaginable.

If you don't behave, I'll bring Zhao Muyuan here in a bit.

He had barely finished speaking when he saw Zhao Muyuan arrive.

Zhao Muyuan looked at Zhou Wanwan and said, "Your act of signing the contract today was far too impulsive."

Dean Zhu nodded and said:

"Zhao Muyuan, you should really try to persuade her!"

"Let's get out of here quickly. If those salt merchants cause trouble, we might not be able to protect her."

Zhao Muyuan and a dozen other ministers sat in chairs, saying nothing.

Zhou Wanwan looked at them and said, "Lord Zhao, tell me, do you think I did something wrong?"

Zhao Muyuan quickly replied, "I wouldn't dare, you're absolutely right. I was just saying that the bet was too small."

Zhou Wanwan laughed heartily:

"Lord Zhao is quite the smooth talker. Don't worry! Doesn't it say so here?"

I think it will most likely take less than ten days for the prices of grain and salt to drop. Don't worry!

Dean Zhu felt that this group of people had gone mad. He sat in his chair, staring blankly at Zhao Muyuan, and said, "Brother Zhao, do you really think so?"

Zhao Muyuan nodded and said, "Master's words are never wrong, don't worry!"

Dean Zhu's lips twitched; he was speechless.

As evening fell, following the Old Scholar Tree out of the city, he asked, "Has the river been dredged?"

The Old Scholar Tree nodded and said, "It's open. You see, the river will be flowing again in a day or two."

Zhou Wanwan looked at the tunnel she had bought earlier. "It's good that it's open. It will be much more convenient for us now. We'll have water in our fields and we can grow crops."

Zhou Wanwan walked along the riverbed, which they dug out every day by planting tens of thousands of trees.

In some places, where digging was simply impossible, explosives were used to cover the entire area.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible to complete it so quickly. Fortunately, they had a sufficient supply of explosives, and it only took them a month.

Sometimes they used explosives, and sometimes they dug up the trees until they finally cleared the riverbed.

The river channel that Zhou Wanwan and her team dredged and cleared belongs to a branch of the Yangtze River system.

After the river was completed, it broke through the barrier of the mountains and opened up the waterway that had been cut off between the two places.

She guided the Yangtze River waters into this area along the new channel.

This area has many mountains and uneven terrain.

By using the methods of repairing waterways and building dikes, the people of Shuren steadily controlled the river water within this area.

The diverted water can irrigate the surrounding fields and nourish crops and plants, and the water will not flow aimlessly to other places.

Zhou Wanwan could tell at a glance that the mountain in front of her was blocking the waterway, and the river water could not flow through smoothly at all.

She had the explosives placed, and with several loud bangs, the rocks blocking the way were instantly blasted apart.

The river water surged out like a dam bursting open, rushing towards the low-lying area that Zhou Wanwan had planned in advance.

The water flowed continuously downwards, and this originally low-lying open space was constantly accumulating river water.

Before long, the water accumulated and deepened, and its area expanded, eventually forming a lake.

Zhou Wanwan smiled faintly and said, "Mission accomplished! I knew it! Grain prices would drop in a few days, but they just wouldn't listen."

Without water, nothing else matters, but with water, crops can grow next year.

We're no longer afraid of drought. This water source was brought here by Zhou Wanwan and her team, but we can't just stop others from using it, can we?

Soon, the Dongshan Prefecture will know about this.

Sure enough, Lord Fang was woken up early the next morning.

"Master... Master, please wake up!"

Lord Fang trembled with fear upon seeing the steward's expression and said:

"What happened? Has my warehouse been robbed again?"

No way? I haven't offended that Little Ancestor recently!

The steward said with a smile, "It's not that. A major event has occurred in our Dongshan Prefecture. You should go and take a look!"

Lord Fang looked at him and said:

Is it a good thing or a bad thing? Can you explain it clearly?

"You gave me a fright this morning! Don't you know your husband was terrified?"

The steward said, "Our Dongshan Prefecture now has its own river, and it's a really, really big river."

Lord Fang glared at him and said:

"Are you out of your mind? Making jokes about your father first thing in the morning."

Do you think I don't know if Dongshan Prefecture has a river? The drought this year is terrible!

"Nonsense, are you trying to wake me up early? No, I need to sleep a little longer."

The person in charge quickly said, "Really, I've never talked nonsense. You'll see for yourself."

Lord Fang got out of bed, yawned, and said, "Alright, alright, I'll go take a look. If there's no river, I'll skin you alive."

He got into the carriage, eating breakfast while muttering to himself:

"It's like they're sick in the head. In just one month, I don't believe anyone can dig a river out of there?"

Absurd! Utterly absurd!

The carriage took him to Yunxi County. He frowned and said, "I remember that Little Ancestor bought a lot of land here, didn't he?"

The coachman nodded and said, "Sir, many people have come to see the spectacle! They say a large river has formed here; it's quite a sight."

Lord Fang frowned and said:

"You mean, this river might have been dug by that Little Ancestor? That can't be, can it?"

That Little Ancestor actually managed to dig such a large river; even thousands of people couldn't do that!