After everything was settled, Old Man Ye led people to select the site.
Once the well-digging point was confirmed, Old Man Ye had two young men lift the butterfly auger off the vehicle and begin digging through the sand and soil.
To prevent sand from burying the wellhead, Old Man Ye had the area surrounded with stones, leaving only the digging zone open.
The well digging officially commenced.
Feng Pingyuan's house construction also continued without pause.
With two major projects underway simultaneously, the entire Red Mangrove Slope was bustling with activity.
A few days later, more people from Hongliu Village and Caomiao Village arrived to offer their labor for water, namely:
From Hongliu Village: Xiao Goudan, Xiao Chibao, Deng Sanwa, Qian Chengchuo, Qian Zhaodi
From Cao Mao Village: Wang Xiaoma, Wang Zhugan, Wang Guierz, Sun Gamei
Except for Xiao Chibao, who was eight years old, the rest were all twelve or thirteen years old, half-grown children.
It was likely that their parents didn't have much faith in Bai Sheng and the others digging up water and feared wasting primary labor. However, they also feared regretting it if water was indeed found, so they sent half-grown children to fill the numbers.
Bai Sheng looked at their names and burst into laughter. "Goudan" and "Chibao" were acceptable, but what was with "Guierz"? Was this father afraid people wouldn't know he was a turtle's son?
Since they had come, regardless of age, Bai Sheng accepted them all. Although they couldn't do heavy tasks, they should be fine for moving small stones and carrying sand.
Fortunately, these children were honest workers.
Seeing their emaciated frames, tanned dark by the sun, Bai Sheng also distributed a small bowl of water to each of them when they brought water to the well-digging masters.
Before long, they all became friends with Lu Yun. During their breaks, a large group of children would surround the family's animals and chatter excitedly.
Now, with many hands in the household, Bai Sheng released all the other four animals from the space, except for the large, plump pig "Hengheng" which seemed out of place amidst the famine, to guard the premises.
Lightning and Downpour, as ferocious beasts, attracted the most attention and were treated like stars.
Snowflake came next, and then Cloud.
However, Cloud was not at all dejected. It knew its vital role in the household and was not swayed by the current superficial admiration. Snowflake, with its naturally serene disposition, spent its days sleeping on Cloud's back, occasionally waking to squint around and see if any thieves were trying to steal from their master's home.
The two herbivores enjoyed their peaceful years together.
The loneliest and most forlorn was Hengheng, which asked Bai Sheng with a mournful expression, "Master, when can I occasionally go out of the space to see the outside world?"
Bai Sheng replied with an expression as calm as water, "Only when people outside, even seeing your plump body, don't covet you."
How long would that take? Oh heavens, oh earth.
To Bai Sheng's surprise, people from Huangsha Village also arrived – Zhou Donggua, the wife of Li Guaizi.
Zhou Donggua contributed 500 wen.
Bai Sheng had not intended to accept people from Huangsha Village, but she remembered that on the day they were driven out of the village, only Zhou Donggua did not kick them while they were down. She didn't seem as disagreeable.
Although her husband, Li Guaizi, was not a good man, Zhou Donggua's arrival indicated that she did not harbor the same malicious thoughts towards Lu Ye as others.
Bai Sheng made an exception and accepted her contribution.
Before leaving, Zhou Donggua smiled at Bai Sheng and said, "Your mother-in-law is clever, Lu Ye is clever, and you are also clever. Your family will surely prosper. Therefore, I, Zhou Donggua, believe in you."
Originally, Zhou Donggua was unaware of this matter. The villagers were all discussing how Lu Ye's family was fundraising for a well in Red Mangrove Slope, and they had only posted notices in Hongliu Village and Caomiao Village, not in their Huangsha Village.
Some people cursed Lu Ye's family as heartless, trying to swindle money from the poor, and that the people of Huangsha Village knew their true colors, which was why they dared not post notices in Huangsha Village.
More people were deeply confused about why Lu Ye's family had become rich overnight, even hiring a well-digging team. How much silver did that cost?
Of course, everyone was mocking Lu Ye as foolish and stupid. After such a long drought, he actually fantasized about digging a well in the desert, which was simply the biggest joke in the world!
They were all waiting to witness the downfall of Lu Ye's family's well-digging endeavor.
Upon hearing about this, Zhou Donggua unhesitatingly took out her personal savings of 500 wen, which she had accumulated over many years.
When Li Guaizi learned she was coming, he had a huge argument with her, calling her a spendthrift and a stupid wife for even believing the Lu Ye family, and throwing away 500 wen for nothing.
Zhou Donggua sneered, "Lu Ye said that if water is not found, all the fundraising expenses will be refunded. We'll see if these 500 wen are wasted. Don't you dare try to mooch off the benefits of my 500 wen later!"
Li Guaizi said dismissively, "A woman with long hair and short sight. If I, Old Li, were to mooch off your 500 wen, I wouldn't be a man!"
"Fine, we'll see!" Zhou Donggua couldn't be bothered to argue with her husband any further. After so many years, she wasn't blind and had seen clearly how everyone in the village behaved. If anyone in the entire village was most trustworthy, it was only Lu Ye's family.
Zhang Jiawang heard that Lu Ye had already hired the well-digging team to Red Mangrove Slope and officially started digging, and he couldn't help but feel anxious. Although the people of Huangsha Village didn't believe they could find water, what if they did?
If they found water, this desert would truly become Lu Ye's domain, and their Zhang family's status in Huangsha Village would be jeopardized.
He now desperately wanted to figure out how Lu Ye's family became rich overnight.
He had initially asked Patriarch Lu and Chen Pozi to send some people to investigate secretly, but they had all had their arms and legs broken by Lu Ye's snakes. Apart from knowing he had a very formidable silver snake, they hadn't gathered any other information.
However, where did that big venomous snake come from? How did it recognize Lu Ye as its master? The previous recognition of the wild camel as its master was already strange enough, and now another snake.
This was truly bizarre.
Alas, no matter what, he would have to send people to keep an eye on Red Mangrove Slope from now on. He absolutely could not let that wolf cub Lu Ye trample all over their Zhang family!
Zhang Youliang, who had been sent to the town to gather information, returned.
Zhang Youliang first gulped down the water awarded to him by Zhang Jiawang, then took a deep breath and said, "It's incredible, Brother Jiawang. My trip was quite fruitful."
Zhang Jiawang glared at him, "Oh, don't keep me in suspense, speak quickly!"
Seeing how anxious Zhang Jiawang was to hear the news from him, Zhang Youliang felt a bit smug. "Lu Ye did go to the pawnshop and pawned a purple jade pendant. The pawnshop owner said the jade pendant was indeed quite valuable, but Lu Ye found the pawn price too low and didn't pawn it."
A glint of shrewdness flashed in Zhang Jiawang's eyes, "Did you inquire about what the jade pendant looked like?"
Zhang Youliang frowned and recalled, "The pawnshop owner said it was pale purple jade, crystal clear, with excellent luster, and a lotus flower carved on the front. If sold, it would be worth about six to seven hundred taels of silver."
"Pale purple jade, carved with a lotus, worth six to seven hundred taels of silver…" Zhang Jiawang murmured to himself, trying to digest this information properly in his mind.
How could Madam An, who was merely a female slave, possess such a precious jade pendant, and hide it in her thigh flesh?
Zhang Jiawang vaguely felt that this jade pendant was no simple matter. If he had the chance, he would definitely investigate Madam An and that jade pendant thoroughly.
"Is there anything else?" Zhang Jiawang asked with a furrowed brow.