The Peach Blossoms White by the Village Edge

Chapter 16: Cartography

Qu Qingjiang didn't know that Zhao Changxia had been feeling frustrated. She said, "You must be exhausted from these past few days. Do you need a couple of days to rest?"

Zhao Changxia shook her head, indicating that she wasn't tired. She remembered something she discovered while reclaiming the wasteland and asked, "Since the field is far from the water source, how is it usually irrigated?"

Qu Qingjiang thought about how Zhao Changxia, who knew nothing about farming, had noticed this detail and admired her meticulousness.

She replied, "The reason this land became wasteland is because no tenant was willing to farm it. The distance from the river made water retrieval inconvenient, leading to poor soil fertility and low yields. The tenants worked hard for half a year, but after paying their rent, they couldn't even afford enough food, so the land has been abandoned for over half a year."

"Why not dig a canal?"

"Because it's not something you can just dig when you want to." Qu Qingjiang picked up a tea cup and drew a rough map of Hushan Township on the table with a bit of water.

"There are two rivers flowing through Hushan Township: the Shangyang River in the north and the Dianxia River that runs through Pucun. To the south of Dianxia River is Hushan, and to the west are fields with few rivers, only some fish ponds. Our family's few acres of land have no river in front and no pond behind, so we can only dig a small reservoir to collect rainwater. But in winter, there's little rain and people often steal water from it, making the reservoir practically useless.

"To dig a canal from the Dianxia River would pass through Jing Village, but the people of Jing Village believe it would take up their fields, so they won't allow it. We tried to persuade them that they could also use the canal, but they thought their fields were closer to the Dianxia River and refused unless we bought their land.

"My father felt that our family's land there is only a few acres, and digging a canal would cost a lot. If we had to buy the land to dig the canal, it wouldn't be worth it. So the matter stalled and eventually came to nothing."

Zhao Changxia: "..."

She recalled a similar situation where road construction in her comrade's hometown was stalled due to disputes over land contributions. In the end, the road wasn't built, and the village remained impoverished and backward.

Such things have always been like this throughout history!

However, she felt there might be other ways to source water, so she took out the map she had drawn and said, "Actually, water sources don't have to come from rivers. We can use the water from Hushan, which is closer to Jing Village and would require a shorter project period. Families with fields also face water shortages, so they would likely be willing to let us dig a canal..."

"This is?!" Qu Qingjiang was very surprised to see Zhao Changxia produce a detailed map of Hushan. She could clearly see markings for springs, sources of streams, and water pools, "You drew this?"

Zhao Changxia wasn't aware of how shocked Qu Qingjiang was. She had hesitated about whether to reveal the map because it was her backup plan. However, Qu Qingjiang had shown her a lot of kindness in recent days, so she thought she might trust her.

She nodded, "Yes."

"You're amazing!" Qu Qingjiang exclaimed, "Even the court couldn't produce such a detailed map. How did you manage this?"

"I lived in Hushan for two months," Zhao Changxia reminded.

Qu Qingjiang said, "That's still impressive. Even scouts don't have such skills."