I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 24 Water Mill

The next morning, Luc and Ryan got up early, took the shovels and saws they had bought, and prepared to build the mill.

In fact, the wooden house should be the one that should be expanded immediately. This temporary house was originally planned and built according to Luc alone, and it was enough to accommodate little Charlie. Now with Ryan added, it immediately became overcrowded.

Last night, Ryan's bed was just a thick layer of thatch on the ground, and then he covered himself with deerskin and slept with little Charlie in his arms. This kind of environment was nothing to Ryan, as he had never had deerskin as bedding at John's house before.

But it was still too uncomfortable for Luc.

But after thinking about it, I decided to build the mill first - the mill and grain complement each other. Without grain, we cannot survive, and without the mill, grain is useless. They are like a tranquilizer, and the sooner they are built, the sooner we feel at ease.

Luke split his team into two groups. He continued to work at his old job of cutting wood, while Ryan took a shovel and went to the selected location to lay the foundation.

This time we are really laying the foundation.

Luke made two "pooh" sounds, enchanted his palms, swung his arms and chopped down the wood rhythmically. There are many types of mills. Nowadays, most of them are human or animal-powered mills. This type of mill is the easiest to build but also the most labor-intensive. The second most common type is the water mill.

Except for the monasteries in the Low Countries north of the Frankish Kingdom, which were wind mills, the monasteries of other churches were mostly water mills.

The water mill built by the water has a more labor-saving and advanced working principle, which makes it very popular among monks who are eager to make a pilgrimage to God and have little time to work.

After chopping down the tree trunks one by one, Luc took out a saw and started the scene. The iron saw was more convenient to use than the armed axe. The tree trunks that usually took a long time to cut were all cut in a short time.

Dragging the wood towards Ryan, Luc thought about the plan: He was quite clear about the working principle of the water mill, but theory is only theory after all, and there would be all kinds of troubles in actual operation.

For example, the millstone in a mill must first be flat, and then one of the pieces must have a concave stone trough.

Ryan is not a stonemason, but fortunately it is not a very complicated craft and can be completed if he finds the right stone.

Rushing from the forest to the river, Ryan had just dug out a piece of flat ground. Seeing Luke, he wiped the sweat from his head and smiled sheepishly:

"Master, are you here? I'm so sorry, you'll have to wait a while. I don't think I'll be able to finish digging the soil until noon."

"It's okay, it's pretty fast already. Well, at least faster than when I used a wooden shovel."

Iron and wood are different. The deep pit that Luc took two full days to dig out took Ryan only half a day.

Seeing that Luke did not blame him, Ryan turned and looked at the river, hesitated for a moment, and said:

"Are you sure you want to build a mill by the river, sir? I've never been inside a mill before. As you know, millers are usually cunning liars. They never let outsiders in to embezzle flour, with the exception of the lord. They usually build mills on the hills or far away from the edge of the village. I've never seen a mill built by the river before."

Fearing that Luc would be unhappy, Ryan quickly added: "Of course, I'm not questioning your decision, I'm just curious."

Looking at Ryan scratching his head, Luke did not blame him.

Because from memory, Luc knew that water mills had not yet been widely promoted.
Perhaps those monks were so naive that even the mill at Cooper Castle still used livestock to grind the mill. It was normal for Ryan to be suspicious. "Listen to me first, build it first. As for whether it's useful, we'll know when the time comes."

Ryan nodded. Since Master Luke could grow such lush wheat seedlings, the water mill must be effective.

Ryan said no more and concentrated on laying the foundation, while Luke started burning wood and mud beside him.

After lunch, the foundation was built, and Luc once again felt how much faster working with multiple people was than working alone. The previously heavy workload was immediately relieved because Ryan was added to the team. For example, as soon as he had finished grinding a wooden stake on one side, Ryan immediately handed him a new one on the other side, saving Luc the time of running back and forth. Luc was strong, and Ryan was not lazy either. The two worked together and completed the exterior of the mill in just one day.

The mill actually looks like a simple wooden shed, far from the unique and rough beauty that people imagined. This is also Luc's usual routine - use it first and then worry about it.

In the evening, the two of them ate rabbit meat stewed in vegetable soup in the wild. The boiling hot soup was steaming. Ryan was at the age where he could eat a lot, so he swallowed three big bowls in a row, wiped the corner of his mouth and burped with satisfaction.

"Master, do you know what is the happiest thing for me?"

After working hard for a whole day, Ryan didn't look tired at all. Instead, he was full of energy, completely different from the listless look he had shown at John's house not long ago.

“It means being able to have enough to eat!”

"To be honest, sir, although I have worked all day today, I haven't been this happy in a long time. And until now, I didn't know there was such a thing as breakfast. Usually we only eat two meals, lunch when the sun is overhead and dinner at dusk."

Ryan's expression was filled with joy. Luc had kept his promise, and he was satisfied with having multiple full meals for two consecutive days. If a pampered nobleman did a day of heavy labor and was only fed without any other reward, he would only get his anger. But if it was a slave who was constantly exploited and enslaved, or even starved, he would be grateful in return.

Besides, people will die if they are compared with others, and goods will be thrown away if they are compared with others. Compared with John, Luc left a much better impression in Ryan's mind.

With this mentality, Ryan diligently cleaned up the utensils. When food was not abundant, having food was a right in itself, so it was always Luke who did the cooking.

Silent all night.

The next day, Luc used the graphics in his memory to direct Ryan to build a water wheel - or rather, a simple wheel.

It was very small, far smaller than the modern monasteries, but it was large enough to be located by the river.

There is a stream passing by Luc's wooden house, but the water mill is located further ahead, downhill from the Agate River - this is the name Luc gave to this green river.

The Agate River had plenty of water but the current was not fast, so Luc and Ryan dug a waterway to lead it to the mill.

After arranging all this, the two men spent several more days finding two sufficiently smooth and large stones, separated them with a bracket, and finally built a mill shaft to connect the water wheel and the millstone. Thus, a basic water mill was born.

Luc found some hard broken fruits and turned on the switch of a wooden board that served as a valve. In an instant, the river water quickly passed through the water wheel, which drove the mill shaft. The upper and lower mill fans began to rub against each other, and soon the nuts were ground into powder.

Ryan looked at the scene in amazement, "Master, this is really a feat!"

(End of this chapter)