Chapter 105
"If Clerk Deng helps plan and organize the paddy field matter, it will save us a lot of trouble and effort."
Seeing the newcomer, Jiang Yuhou smiled and greeted him.
After Deng Chenheng nodded to Huo Shu in acknowledgment, he noticed Jiang Yuhou was older and bowed to him.
It wasn't surprising that the villagers knew him, as his family had moved here over two months ago.
They were relatives of the Ji family. Given the Ji family's prestige in Lin Village, the villagers would quickly become familiar with any relatives who came to seek refuge.
However, what surprised Deng Chenheng was that Jiang Yuhou actually knew he had once held the position of clerk.
"This junior has been impolite. May I ask who you are…"
Huo Shu then introduced Jiang Yuhou to Deng Chenheng.
Learning that he was an archivist in the household department of the prefectural yamen, Deng Chenheng became even more respectful: "I have truly been impolite. I did not realize it was Archivist Jiang."
Jiang Yuhou waved his hand and smiled: "That was all so long ago. It's only because Brother Huo is kind enough to still introduce me to people like that."
Deng Chenheng said: "This junior is in the same situation. Archivist Jiang flatters me."
The two chatted for a bit, feeling as if they should have met sooner.
Back when Jiang Yuhou served in the Household Department Office, he had a good relationship with the clerk from the Personnel Office, which handled personnel transfers. He had heard about an outstanding clerk named Deng Chenheng from the local Public Works Office.
That was how he had learned about this person back then.
Qianhe County, where the Deng family was from, used to suffer from frequent floods. The state government's annual ledgers urging local areas to pay taxes almost always had Qianhe County's name on them.
Every year during tax collection, the Revenue Office would get a headache as soon as they saw Qianhe County.
But Jiang Yuhou clearly remembered that one year after the autumn harvest, when local areas submitted their payments, Qianhe County surprisingly shot to the front of the list instead of lagging behind as usual.
Having managed these matters for many years, he was well aware of Qianhe County's situation, so he couldn't help but be astonished.
Upon inquiry, he learned that the county office had hired a new clerk for the Public Works Office. This clerk had led efforts to dredge ditches, remove silt, reinforce embankments, and repair irrigation channels, preventing the river from flooding and submerging crops that year.
After that, Qianhe County paid its taxes on time and in full for years running. Not only were the floods stopped, but the effective work of the Public Works Office in building waterwheels and expanding irrigation also repeatedly doubled grain yields.
Year after year, Qianhe County transformed from a poor county into a land of fish and rice.
[鱼米之乡 (yú mǐ zhī xiāng): lit. a land of fish and rice; fig. A richly fertile region, abundant in natural resources and ideal for agriculture, often used to describe prosperous and well-fed areas such as the Jiangnan region.]
The county magistrate of Qianhe County had an impressive performance record and was reportedly promoted to another prefecture.
Those at the top naturally only see the leading officials, but those in the lower ranks knew exactly who did the heavy lifting on the front lines.
The Personnel Office found out that the clerk from Qianhe County was Deng Chenheng. There were originally plans to promote him to work at the state level, and Jiang Yuhou had also strongly recommended him.
"Back then, the transfer order had already been drafted. But unexpectedly, Shao Gongde took up his new post. He was currying favor with local officials and purging those who weren't his allies. Both I and the Personnel Office clerk were stripped of our positions, so the matter wasn't accomplished."
Jiang Yuhou couldn't help but sigh: "It's a pity to lose a talented public works expert like you."
"But perhaps it's fate. Even though we never served together at the state level, we now become fellow villagers. Who's to say this wasn't heaven's deliberate arrangement?"
Deng Chenheng never imagined that his work at the local level was so well known even at the state office. Although he had thrown himself wholeheartedly into these tasks simply because he enjoyed them, learning now that his superiors had appreciated him filled him with a sense of accomplishment, even though he had already left his post.
"That you still remember this junior, Sir Jiang, truly moves me deeply."
Huo Shu listened to the two reminisce for a long while, arms crossed. He had heard from Ji Taoyu that Deng Chenheng worked in the Public Works Office. Becoming a clerk at such a young age meant he either had connections or genuine talent.
From their conversation today, he concluded it was the latter.
If that was the case, then it was even better.
Seeing these two scholars being polite and about to launch into another round of mutual admiration, he directly cut them off: "Have you surveyed the village's topography? Do you have any plans? I need to notify the villagers to come and follow the arrangements."
Hearing this, Deng Chenheng stopped his conversation with Jiang Yuhou and immediately began gesturing: "This area is close to the mountains and forests, making timber easy to obtain. Building a waterwheel won't be hampered by lack of materials. Furthermore, the stream isn't far from the farmland, making irrigation by drawing water feasible."
"Additionally, there are mountain streams at higher elevations. As long as we channel the water from there, we won't have to worry about being unable to irrigate the higher terraced fields. Having two water sources, one high and one low, ensures both the high and low fields can be covered."
Huo Shu's brow relaxed upon hearing this.
It was truly beneficial to have capable people. Since the matter was settled, there was no need to delay.
Huo Shu went back and discussed this with Ji Yangzong, who immediately gathered the villagers to follow Deng Chenheng's arrangements for developing the farmland.
Hearing that someone was helping build irrigation and water conservancy projects, the villagers were extremely willing.
Agriculture and silk production were matters of basic survival; no concerns weighed more heavily on farming families.
Following Deng Chenheng's plan, they first mapped out the waterwheel irrigation routes, selecting the land most convenient for irrigation before converting dry land into paddies.
The labor force was divided into two groups: one responsible for leveling the land and digging ponds according to the original plan, and the other for felling trees to build waterwheels and irrigation channels.
This way, both tasks could proceed simultaneously. By the time the dry land was converted into paddies, they could release water for unified irrigation, saving the villagers from having to carry water into the fields themselves, which would save a great deal of effort.
Following Deng Chenheng's plan, the villagers were very confident. Although it seemed troublesome at first, almost like adding more work to their hands.
But the waterwheel wouldn't be used just once. Every year during the dry, rainless summer, they could use the waterwheel for irrigation, conserving an immeasurable amount of labor.
Thank you for the update!!
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