"No, you've got to tell the whole story." When the drought-stricken villagers learned that there was a way to irrigate the fields, Tao Hu swallowed half of his words, and another man on the side stretched out his hand and pulled Tao Hu's arm and asked, "What is it that can lead the river water to the fields?" ”

The crook of his arm was pulled by the man, and seeing that the villagers were all surrounding him again, Tao Hu glanced at Liu Wei not far away with a look of embarrassment, and then muttered: "It's a guest, he said that there is a way to help us make something that can lead the river water to the field." ”

Speaking of this, Tao Hu seemed to remember something, and hurriedly continued: "I have also seen the pictures drawn by the guests!" It's a big round thing, and there are a lot of sticks, but I don't know what they're used for. ”

As soon as Tao Hu's words fell, an old man with mostly white hair and a small silver-white beard floating on his chin walked out from behind the crowd.

The old man's hair was loosely tied in a bun, his face was wrinkled, and his skin was dull and dull.

Because he was too old, although he tried his best to open his eyes wider, he could only open a small gap, and his eyes were somewhat chaotic.

Walking out of the crowd, the old man put his hands behind his back, bowed slightly, and walked very slowly in front of Tao Hu.

Standing in front of Tao Hu, he first looked at Liu Wei who was standing not far away, then turned his face, bent his waist, and looked up at Tao Hu standing in front of him.

"Can you bring the river to the fields?" The old man squinted his eyes and looked at Tao Hu from head to toe, nodded slowly and said, "The guest is a noble person from afar, and he has seen more than me and other mountain villagers. When have you, a farmer, ever seen something that can lead the water of a river to a field a few miles away? ”

"Third uncle, I ......" The villagers respect the old people in the village very much on weekdays, and many big and small things are the old people who finally made up their minds, and were questioned by the old man, Tao Hu lowered his head and muttered a few words in his mouth, but he didn't say what he wanted to say later.

Seeing that Tao Hu didn't say anything more, the third uncle turned around and walked over to Liu Wei, who also bent his waist and looked him from head to toe, and then said: "The guest has tender skin and thin flesh, and ten slender fingers, and he is definitely not a person who eats in the field all year round. The village, old and young, two or three hundred people, pointed to them to go into the mountains to hunt some wild things, so that the whole village could fill their stomachs. It's not that the old man doesn't believe in the guests, it's just that spring has just begun, and there are not many things to eat. If they don't go into the mountains to hunt for a day, we old and useless women and children in the village will have to go hungry, and we really can't afford to toss. ”

When he entered the village, Liu Wei was dressed as a civilian, but he didn't expect to be seen through by the third uncle in front of him at a glance, and he had never worked in the fields, and these old people were indeed much more vicious than young people.

"The younger generation is not a nobleman, and he used to make a small living in Chang'an City, but he really didn't work in the fields." Knowing that the old man had seen through that he was not an ordinary farmer, Liu Wei didn't explain much, and bowed deeply to the third uncle with both hands and fists: "In the past, the younger generations liked to make friends with strangers, and this method of building a waterwheel was taught by a friend. ”

The third uncle didn't dwell on Liu Wei's identity, he bowed down and said slowly: "The grass people are abrupt, don't blame the nobles." ”

Without waiting for Liu Wei to say anything more, the third uncle had already turned around and walked towards the villagers not far away, waving his hands at the villagers as he walked, and shouted to them: "Go back, tomorrow morning, the men will go up the mountain to hunt, and the women and children will wash the pulp and sew the sewing, and if there is nothing to do, go to the river to get some water and water the ground." ”

After the third uncle said this, the villagers turned around one after another, intending to disperse and go home.

Seeing that the villagers were leaving, Liu Wei took a step forward and shouted to them: "Fellow villagers, I have a word, can you listen to it before leaving?" ”

Hearing his shout, the villagers, who had already begun to walk home, turned their heads and stopped to look at him.

"I also know that everyone is very busy." Everyone stopped, and Liu Wei raised his voice and shouted to them: "Every day, men have to go into the mountains to hunt, and women and children have to go to the river to fetch water, but have you ever thought about what you get after a day of hard work? ”

The villagers obviously didn't quite understand what Liu Wei meant, but his words resonated with many villagers.

Every day, from the moment I woke up, I was busy for food, and the strong men of the whole village were divided into several teams to go into the mountains, but not every team could bring back prey, if they were unlucky, the people who went out of the village would not have a good harvest, and the whole village would have to be hungry.

"The people take food as the sky, the court is not sympathetic to the people, and still levies heavy taxes in disaster years, and we have no choice but to pay." Facing the villagers, Liu Wei crossed his waist with one hand, and drew a semicircle in the void with the other hand, and shouted loudly: "It's impossible to pay taxes, but everyone can't always be angry with God like this, God doesn't give us the wind and rain, we really throw away the good land and don't plant, and change our careers to be hunters?" Live this kind of life when you eat the last meal and don't know where the next meal will end? ”

A rhetorical question stunned the villagers, and when the old people in the village looked at Liu Wei, their eyes showed a bit of vigilance. But those young villagers seemed to have been touched by Liu Wei's sensitive nerves, and they wrinkled their brows one by one, lowering their heads as if thinking about something.

"Ten people, we only need ten people." Seeing that the young villagers showed a hint of hesitation, Liu Wei put down his raised arm, and then shouted: "There are so many strong laborers in the village, ten people are just the number of people in a small group of hunting, and it will not have much impact on hunting, but if the waterwheel is built, the land in the village will no longer have to be idle in the future, as long as there is a harvest, even if the tax is paid at the end of the year, there will still be some surplus grain, and the watering of the fields will be handed over to the waterwheel to do, and the hunting will not be delayed, don't you want to live a few days with meat and food?" I can use this human head on my neck to assure everyone that as long as the waterwheel is built, all the farmland in the village will be irrigated. ”

"A certain person is not dragging his family with him." Liu Wei shouted these words, and Yuan Fu, who was standing behind the crowd, came out separately and said: "If what Your Excellency said is true, this matter is a great benefit, even if it can't be built, it's a big deal to dig some grass roots to eat in the next few days." ”

Yuanfu only lives alone, and there is really nothing worth stumbling on, but the other villagers are all dragging their families, although they are also a little excited, but they don't dare to make a decision easily.

"I'll go along." After Yuanfu stood up, a young man of about sixteen or seventeen years old also walked out, stood beside Yuanfu, and shouted to the crowd: "Big brother, it's annoying to worry brother when you prepare food for the whole family." ”

The young man shouted this voice, and another teenager immediately replied from the crowd: "Brother, don't be lazy when building that water supply, if it is done, it will be a blessing in our village, if it doesn't work, at most I will be tired of being a brother for a few days." ”

The reply of these two brothers reminded the other young men in the village that there was only one son in the family, and naturally they were unwilling to stand up and follow Liu Wei to mess around.

The opposition of the old people in the village made Liu Wei not have much hope for asking for too much labor, and thought that as long as there were ten people, it could be built, but the progress would be a little slower, but as soon as the young villagers moved, they stood in front of him with twenty or thirty people.

Looking at these young villagers who came out, the third uncle and other old people who had spoken out to obstruct Liu Wei's construction of the waterwheel all shook their heads and sighed, and turned helplessly towards their respective homes.

"Meat eater, how do you know the bitterness of our mountain and wild villagers!" With his hands behind his back, while walking towards his house, the third uncle shook his head and sighed softly: "It's a pity that these babies don't know anything, and they are also messing around behind them." ”

The other old people in the village also looked like him, sighing and slowly rubbing towards their own door.

"Brother Tao Hu." The manpower is roughly enough, Liu Wei turned to face Tao Hu, and said to him: "Although there are only two brothers and sisters in your family, after all, you are not like Brother Yuanfu, and there is only one person in the family, and the little sister still needs someone to take care of ......."

"The villagers won't watch Huanniang starve." Before Liu Wei finished speaking, Tao Hu took the conversation.

"But the insiders below are also at Brother Tao Hu's house." Smiling at Tao Hu, Liu Wei reached out and patted his arm gently: "Brother Tao Hu has been tired these days." ”

Liu Wei mentioned Tang Ji, Tao Hu was a little hesitant and stunned, from Liu Bian's attitude towards Tang Ji, the whole village could see that he attached great importance to this woman.

After a long while, he sighed lightly, nodded, and said to Liu Wei: "In this case, the matter of supplying water to the fields is up to the guests and the villagers. ”

"Tomorrow morning, we will go into the mountains to cut wood, everyone go back and rest, and we will gather here at sunrise." Convincing Tao Hu to follow the villagers who did not participate in the construction of the waterwheel into the mountains to hunt, Liu Wei clasped his hands into fists, arched at the other villagers around him, and gave an explanation.

When talking to these villagers, his gaze deliberately lingered on Yuanfu's face for a few more moments, and while looking at Yuanfu, Yuanfu was also looking at him, but when the two of them collided, Yuanfu deliberately turned his head to the side, avoiding Liu Wei's gaze.

Liu Wei didn't keep staring at Yuanfu, but also turned his gaze to the other villagers.

Twenty or thirty people returned home, looking at the backs of these men, a faint smile appeared on the corner of Liu Wei's mouth.