Late Ming Dynasty: The Counterattack Begins with Sea Pirates

Shen Er did not understand.

"Sir, what do you wish to do?"

"Hollow out this bamboo, connect it to the pond on the mountain, and irrigate the fields. This will make it much easier for the villagers to carry water."

"Master, isn't this...isn't this a bit too much work?" the carpenter asked.

"Then why don't you go and farm this land, and carry these buckets of water up and down the mountain?"

The carpenter was speechless after being rebuked by Chi Honghai's words.

Whether or not they know how to farm, they certainly do.

But whether they want to farm or not, most people probably don't. After all, who would want to go up and down the mountain in the sun and rain when they can work in this house?

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant, sir."

Chi Honghai did not press the carpenter further.

"Alright, Shen Er, send twenty men into the mountains to cut some bamboo. Remember! Pick the biggest ones!"

"Yes, sir, I'll go right away!"

After Shen Er turned and ran away, Chi Honghai raised his head slightly and saw the carpenters' expressions.

"What are you all so nervous about?"

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous, sir."

"Remember, split it in half and hollow it out."

The carpenters nodded, repeatedly assuring each other that they would complete the task assigned to them by their master.

Ai Si, standing next to Chi Honghai, didn't pay much attention to the comical expressions of the people opposite them.

"Sir, didn't you say you wanted to leave about a hundred men here? You just called twenty away. What are your plans for the rest?"

"First, send fifty people to dig up the pond on the mountain, and fill in all the nearby pits and hollows to expand the area for water storage."

After saying that, Master Chi lightly stomped his foot on the ground twice before pressing it down firmly.

"The rest, road construction!"

Before the craftsmen could even catch their breath, Chi Honghai led Ai Si to the shore.

"Sir, weren't we on our way to repair the road? What are you doing here on the riverbank?"

Chi Honghai looked up and hummed twice.

"What do you think is needed to build this road?"

"Road construction...isn't road construction all done with mud? There's so much dirt on the mountain, shouldn't we go up there?"

"Look at your shoes."

Ai Si looked down at his shoes, which were covered in mud from going up and down the mountain.

"Sir, what do you wish to do?"

Chi Honghai squatted down, and Ai Si, seeing this, didn't stand beside him either. He quickly followed his movements and squatted down on the beach as well.

Chi Honghai stretched out his hand and plunged it into the sand on the shore. He spread it out to both sides and saw many small and medium-sized pebbles.

He picked up the pebbles and played with them in his hands for a while, then slightly raised his head to look at them.

"Use these pebbles to repair it."

"Let the brothers do it. Don't let them do the work. Load the gravel and sand together, and have the carpenter make two more flour sieves. Use the sieves to separate the gravel and sand later. First, lay the steps on the mountain path with gravel, then fill in the sand and compact it."

As he spoke, Chi Honghai clenched the pebbles in his hand tightly.

It's a bit rough to the touch.

"These slightly larger pebbles can be chipped into smaller pieces. They're very sharp, so we can straighten that end, whether by grinding or hammering. We have those tools for chipping stones, so if we don't have enough, we can get the blacksmith to do the work."

"Understood, sir."

"Good, get some people here, bring shovels and a cart, and start digging now."

"Yes, sir, I'll go right away."

As soon as he gave the instructions, Chi Honghai realized that he didn't have enough manpower.

Mudslides are prone to occur on this mountain during heavy rains, and the soil on the walls of some terraced fields may also loosen.

Although the latter won't cause much harm, if the field above collapses, both fields will suffer, so there will still be some losses.

But we don't have that many people now, and it's not realistic to draw people from the construction in the north.

After all, if farmland is damaged, it can simply be repaired and replanted.

If this land in the north is lost, it will take considerable effort to regain it.

There are still not enough people.

There's no point in worrying about this now; the real work is to get things done.

Chi Honghai stood up, clapped his hands, shook his body, and wiped the sand off his hands and clothes.

Then he stood on one foot and swung it back and forth violently.

After making the final arrangements, he left the beach and headed towards his house.

Back inside, Wu Wanruo was sitting at the table flipping through a book.

Hearing the door open, she knew her husband had finished his work and returned.

"What are you looking at?"

Wu Wanruo did not put away the books on the table, leaving them there. After looking at the mud covering half of Chi Honghai's body, she first got up, picked up the teapot, and poured herself a cup of tea.

"I'm reading some medical books. I encountered quite a few problems while treating their injuries not long ago, so I'm taking a good look at them now that I have some time."

"You just went up the mountain? It rained heavily a couple of days ago, so it's a bit chilly up there. Have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."

As he spoke, he placed the teacup he had poured in front of Chi Honghai with both hands.

She noticed that Chi Honghai was looking at her, his gaze not falling on the teacup.

"Don't worry, I've always tested the temperature of this tea; it's neither too hot nor too cold, just right."

After saying that, she gently handed the teacup in her hand to Chi Honghai.

Seeing Wu Wanruo's thoughtfulness, Chi Honghai didn't offer tea like Shen Er and Ai Si usually did; he simply extended his right hand.

He raised both hands and accepted the teacup.

For a moment, the teacup in Chi Honghai's hand wobbled slightly, and although it was not full of tea, it was about to spill.

Wu Wanruo noticed the swaying and, just as she was about to withdraw her hand, she reached up again to support Chi Honghai. She held his hands and slowly brought them to his lips until the tea in the cup was slowly drunk up.

After finishing his tea, Chi Honghai handed the teacup back to Wu Wanruo without saying a word for a moment.

"How was it? The tea I poured was alright, wasn't it? Back at the Wu residence, I practiced my tea-making, brewing, and pouring skills quite a bit. Not only that, I also read some books on tea cultivation back then."

She paused for a moment, turned her head slightly to the side, and continued speaking.

"Unfortunately, this tea requires a fine Yixing teapot to absorb the aroma and make it taste better. We don't have one right now, so we can only use this porcelain teapot as a substitute."

After listening to her casual remarks, Chi Honghai slowly replied with three words.

"Is there anything else?"

Wu Wanru smiled slightly, turned around and placed the teacup on the table first, then pulled Chi Honghai's arm to the stool, put her hands on his shoulders and gently pressed him down, indicating that he should sit down.

After Chi Honghai sat down, they began to pour tea for him again.

"If my husband wants some, how could we not have it? Next time, if you want any particular type of tea, just tell me in advance. I'll keep the tea at the right temperature so you can have some when you get back."

The sound of pouring tea and water was a rare moment of intimacy for Chi Honghai these past few days since his return.

The woman before him was someone he hadn't felt a unique sense of warmth in over twenty years.

"It's alright, I'm used to drinking plain water. Shen Er has always taken care of these things."

Wu Wanru handed him the teacup.

"Before, it was because I wasn't home, but things are different now. What man comes home and doesn't even have a sip of hot water?"

Chi Honghai drank the tea again, and through the rising steam from the teacup, he looked at Wu Wanruo's gentle face.

"Madam, why are you so kind to me?"