Chapter 20: Drawing with a Silver Hairpin
Bean-sized beads of sweat rolled down from his brow. Just as Hua Ling saw Mu Yelei about to bend his knees, she suddenly shouted, “Wait.”
Mu Yelei pressed his lips tightly together. He had already prepared himself to kneel—what else did this woman want? If she made him do something even more excessive, he definitely would not let her off lightly. “What do you want now?”
Hua Ling decided to respect Xia Ziying’s wishes. Since it was something she was unwilling to do, Hua Ling naturally could not force it. With a sigh, she said, “I was only joking. You actually took it seriously?”
Mu Yelei had not expected Hua Ling to say that. Had she really been joking with him? Seeing his doubt, Hua Ling smiled and said, “I only wanted to test whether you truly loved the people as if they were your own children. Now it seems you really do.” After saying this, the pain in her heart suddenly vanished. Hua Ling was now genuinely beginning to suspect that perhaps a part of Xia Ziying’s soul still existed within her body.
Mu Yelei also let out a breath of relief. In his heart, he felt a trace of gratitude that Hua Ling had suddenly let him off. Still, he said, “What is that thing you mentioned just now called? Can you explain it in detail now?” Though his tone was still icy, Hua Ling could sense that the way Mu Yelei looked at her was no longer quite so cold.
“Of course. The thing I mentioned just now is called a tube waterwheel. It’s installed beside a river with flowing water. Since a ground channel is dug, the swift current led into the channel pushes a wooden paddle wheel to turn continuously, lifting the water in the channel through bamboo tubes to a higher place, then pouring it into an elevated trough so it can flow into the fields. This saves both manpower and time, and more importantly, it improves efficiency.” Hua Ling explained concisely. What she had described was only a rough outline. To truly build one, they would still need precise diagrams and construction methods. It would be extremely troublesome.
Mu Yelei said excitedly, “Why didn’t I think of this? This really is an excellent method. But can you draw the plans for the tube waterwheel? And what I need is a relatively detailed version, along with the specific construction method.”
“I’ll do my best. There are some parts I don’t remember very clearly either, but we can first build a model, then experiment step by step. What do you think?” Hua Ling said with a smile. Right now, she could not make him any guarantees. If there was some part she could not figure out, wouldn’t she lose face completely?
Mu Yelei nodded. The fact that she was willing to help him already made him very happy. He had not expected Xia Ziying to know so much. It seemed he truly did not understand her very well. Thinking again of how cold he had always been toward her, he rarely felt a bit guilty.
But he was not someone accustomed to explaining everything. Even if he felt guilty inside, he would not say it aloud; he would only slowly express it through his actions. “When can you give me the plans?” Mu Yelei asked.
“Are you in a hurry to use them?” Hua Ling asked with a frown. After walking around all day, she really was rather tired. She wanted so badly to return to her warm blankets and have a good sleep. But when she saw the expectant look in Mu Yelei’s eyes, her mouth still failed her and asked the question.
“There is a severe drought in the south, with countless disaster victims. Naturally, the sooner the better,” Mu Yelei said seriously, a trace of urgency in his eyes.
Sigh! Hua Ling let out a long sigh. Still, she admired his heart for loving the people as his own children. Damn it, this old lady was going all in! Resigned to her fate, she walked to the desk, took a sheet of white paper from the side and spread it out on the tabletop, then picked up a writing brush. But no matter how she held it, it felt uncomfortable.
After all, she had never used a writing brush before. With such a soft brush tip, she was afraid she would not be able to draw properly. But there were no pencils here, nor any drawing pens. What was she supposed to do?
Seeing Hua Ling like this, Mu Yelei asked with concern, “If you need anything, just say so.”
You don’t have what I need! Hua Ling muttered inwardly. Just then, inspiration suddenly struck. She reached up and pulled the silver hairpin from her hair. At the very least, this thing was much better than a writing brush. Ignoring Mu Yelei’s surprised gaze, she dipped the silver hairpin in ink and began drawing with quick, sweeping strokes.
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