Chapter 32

It was a strange and wonderful feeling.

Xie Tingyu’s young body began to boil and heat up. He inhaled the sweet scent from her body and felt an intense desire to get closer, even closer—to touch her.

Xie Tingyu gently placed his hand on the girl’s back and found that she didn’t even notice.

He lightly brushed off the dust that had fallen onto Ye Qingshui’s head and said calmly, “Your hat fell off.”

Ye Qingshui absentmindedly touched her hair. She had already known the shabby paper hat had fallen off while climbing up and down.

“It’s fine. If my hair gets dirty, it gets dirty. I can boil some water and wash it tonight.”

Xie Tingyu chuckled and said, “Shuiya has grown up. She can even dig a well now.”

Ye Qingshui set him down beside the latrine, letting him lean against the wall.

Xie Tingyu held onto a wooden post with both hands. This post had been chopped down by Ye Qingshui from a faraway mountain. The trees planted by the brigade were collective property and couldn’t be cut freely, so she had gone deep into the distant forests to bring one back. When Xie Tingyu could just barely stand on his own, he would lean on this wooden post to relieve himself or wipe himself clean during a bath.

This piece of wood had been carefully shaved smooth by her, not a single splinter on it.

Ye Qingshui gazed off into the distance toward the fields. The sun was harsh now. The commune members in the fields were still busy like worker ants, tirelessly continuing the work on the old well.

She chuckled bitterly to herself. This really is what it feels like not to be trusted.

…

In the afternoon, the two brigade leaders, Ye Xianjin and Ye Jinfu, paid a visit to the Ye family. They came looking for Ye Qingshui, who was feeding pigs in the pen. She wore a top made of dark blue floral fabric, gray trousers, and a pair of straw sandals. From the back, she looked no different from any other rural woman.

Ye Xianjin called out, “Comrade Ye, we heard you came up with a water-finding device?”

Ye Qingshui recognized these two production brigade leaders. In her previous life, she had only been an ordinary commune member and had never spoken with them.

Ye Qingshui nodded.

Ye Xianjin gave her a thumbs-up and praised her, clicking his tongue in admiration.

He said, “Mind if we take a look at this water-finding device? How exactly does it work?”

Ye Qingshui washed her hands and went back inside to fetch her treasure. It was crude and simple, assembled from old electronic parts collected from the recycling station, not much to look at. But this little gadget had been carefully wrapped in old clothes and was spotless from constant cleaning.

Ye Qingshui cleared her throat and began explaining its principle to them. Her voice was gentle and steady, neither hurried nor slow. Although the mask over her face muffled her voice and the technical jargon coming out of her mouth was incomprehensible to these two rough men, she still gave off the impression of someone truly knowledgeable and competent.

Ye Xianjin slapped his thigh and said, “No need for more words, Comrade Ye, just help us find some water! Let’s start digging today. Everyone in the second production brigade will dig. I don’t believe we can’t dig out a well within the next few days!”

Ye Qingshui had no objections to working with the other two production brigades. She nodded and went with Zhou Tingting to do measurements using the device. This time, the range was broader, and they identified five water points.

The two brigade leaders were quick to act. Ye Xianjin said, “If we can dig and find water, we’ll reward you with a chicken for every well!”

Though Ye Qingshui was poor, she didn’t actually lack chickens. She waved her hand repeatedly. “That’s not necessary—we’re all from the same village.”

Ye Jinfu could tell she was a bit embarrassed and said, “Then how about rice instead? If we hit water, we’ll give you ten jin of rice and flour per well.”

The mention of rice and flour made Ye Qingshui hesitate in temptation, and this time she said nothing. Zhou Tingting usually ate at the canteen and was often hungry, so she didn’t refuse either.

After finishing the measurements, Ye Qingshui and Zhou Tingting were both drenched in sweat but returned home with satisfied smiles, each cradling their measuring device for a well-earned rest.

Ye Jinfu puffed on his water pipe and muttered, “Old Sixth really misjudged this time—treated a treasure like weeds and weeds like treasure.”

Ye Xianjin smiled and said, “You can’t say that. If Sixth Uncle thinks it’s just luck, then let him keep trying his luck—who knows, he might end up doing even better than us.”

The brigade leaders who had obtained the five water points called out to the commune members to stop their current work and concentrate all efforts on digging those five wells. With several hundred strong laborers working on them, digging five wells was practically as easy as eating or drinking.

…

At the Educated Youth Point.

After finishing the measurements, Zhou Tingting, exhausted, washed her feet while leisurely munching on the snacks she had in her pocket. Her well-digging assignment was complete, but the others’ were not.

As the day came to an end, after the afternoon work shift, the Educated Youth Point exploded with excitement. People were lining up to fetch water, and those who had stayed in the dorms were chatting non-stop about the new well the brigade had dug—there was a fiery buzz in the air.

Zhou Tingting paid close attention to the expressions of Sun Lingyu and He Fang.

Their faces clearly did not show happiness. Amid the joyful atmosphere around them, the two of them seemed to be sitting on pins and needles, their faces ashen. Still, they tried to keep up appearances.

The other educated youths chattered:

“The well produced water! That means Ye Qingshui’s water-finding device really works?”

“If only we could get water after digging for seven days too!”

“Seems like she actually has some real skills.”

Sun Lingyu gritted her teeth and said, “Whether she has skills or not—we’ll see after she digs a few more wells. Maybe she just got lucky this time?”

Zhou Tingting didn’t like what she heard. She finally had a chance to jump in:

“Is luck really that easy to come by? If it were, why haven’t you gotten lucky after all this time?”

He Fang retorted angrily,

“If we haven’t gotten water, it just means we haven’t worked hard enough! You think that cobbled-together gadget of hers is better than the official equipment we borrowed from the government?”

“Actually, it is better!”

Zhou Tingting paused for a beat, then said mockingly,

“Fact is, we’re hitting water every time we dig now. You guys have dug ten wells and haven’t gotten a drop. Don’t blame me for being sarcastic, but here’s some honest advice—just stop with those ten wells. Even if you dig to the center of the Earth, you still won’t find any water.”

He Fang was in a foul mood. The brigade finally had water to drink—but unfortunately, it wasn’t their group who had found it. That joy didn’t reach her heart. Her thoughts were a complete mess, and she had to clench her fists tightly to stop them from trembling.

Stop? How could they stop? They had already dug fifteen meters. How much manpower and resources had been wasted? If they didn’t get water, the consequences would be dire—and He Fang didn’t even want to imagine them. Their measuring equipment supposedly represented the most advanced technology in the country. It should have been reliable.

She composed herself and said steadily,

“We just need to keep going. We’ll get water eventually.”

Sun Lingyu added,

“I believe in He Fang!”

Zhou Tingting, worn out after seven days of hard labor, was more than happy to sit back and watch the show. She had no interest in arguing with people who were so confident.

Ye Qingshui had already said none of those ten wells would yield water, but no one wanted to listen. Zhou Tingting, having done the measurements herself, wasn’t worried in the slightest.

Who would’ve thought these people were so capable—managing to perfectly avoid every single water source with their ten wells. Let them keep digging and see when they finally wake up.

Soon the other brigades would be drinking sweet spring water, and they’d still be exhausting themselves digging dry holes. Let’s see who ends up more embarrassed then.

Zhou Tingting said calmly,

“Whether or not you get water isn’t my concern. But I seem to remember you saying—if Shuiya actually managed to find water, you’d admit your mistake publicly at the criticism and struggle meeting. Am I wrong?”

Sun Lingyu’s face instantly went pale.

Three more days passed. The well He Fang’s team was digging had reached a depth of eighteen meters. In the process of digging these wells, not only had Granny Ye injured her head in a fall, but several other commune members had also slipped and gotten hurt. From this point on, it wasn’t just about physical labor anymore.

Eighteen meters deep—in other places, that was more than enough to strike water multiple times. They had dug up basket after basket of mud, but not a single drop of water. The members of the first production brigade kept digging with grit and frustration, determined to push through.

Meanwhile, joyful news came from the second and third production brigades: they had finally struck water!

The members of the second brigade were overjoyed and proud—after just three days of digging nine meters, water had gushed up from the well in a rush. The water was sweet and clear. They no longer had to line up at the first brigade’s well anymore!

It was all thanks to their leadership’s good judgment—and to Ye Qingshui of Grandma Ye’s household, who pointed exactly where to dig without a hint of hesitation!

The members of the first production brigade heard the news, and the frustration they’d been suppressing for days erupted like a volcano. They threw down their drilling tools and stared furiously at He Fang, Sun Lingyu, and the other educated youths—then turned their burning eyes to their once-respected brigade leader.

Those stares were filled with the kind of anger that could tear someone apart—icy cold and terrifying. Sixth Uncle, who had been blindly optimistic all along, suddenly shivered.

He shouted,

“What are you all doing, just standing there not working—planning to rebel or something?!”

Sansukini: Shuiya means water girl. The saying “if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again,” is good, but you should also know when to quit. The first production team’s leader is just prejudiced against Shuiya’s family. I hope you’re enjoying this novel. It’s a little slow because it’s a slice-of-life genre, but there would be a little more drama and romance on the latter part of the novel. I would also be starting 2 new novels in the coming weeks, a historical one and a light-hearted contemporary romance with a silly heroine and a pampering genre.

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