Chapter 66: Summoned by Elder Ye, Heading to the County Town Again

The wind and rain were as dark and gloomy as a gathering dusk.

Because the downpour was excessively heavy, the masters of the academy had all returned to their homes to guard against potential flooding, which unexpectedly granted the students a rare moment of leisure.

Ye Chongwen incited He Qingxuan, grabbed Chen Ping by the arm, and bolted straight out into the yard.

The rain poured down in sheets. Before Chen Ping could even react, his garments were already soaked through to the skin.

Ye Chongwen scooped up a handful of rainwater and dashed it across Chen Ping’s face, a sly and mischievous smile playing on his lips.

"Are you for real? Even the fish in the pond have to come up for air every now and then; why do you always hole yourself up in your room?"

He Qingxuan nodded earnestly beside them.

Chen Ping wiped the rainwater from his face. Since his clothes were already drenched, he figured he might as well enjoy the moment to his heart's content.

The three of them raised their arms and charged directly into the rain, as if competing to see who was the most fearless against the tempest. They stood shoulder to shoulder in the courtyard and let out a simultaneous roar.

"Whoo!"

Their cries sounded like the wails of ghosts and howling wolves.

Had the sound of the rain not been so deafening, they probably would have summoned the academy’s bursar.

After that long, resounding shout, they felt a profound sense of relief and deep relaxation wash over them.

Ye Chongwen glanced at the rapidly accumulating puddles in the courtyard, and a wave of poetic inspiration suddenly struck him.

In high spirits, he proposed, "Since we have nothing better to do, why don't we take the rain as our theme and each compose a poem? What do you say?"

As soon as these words left his mouth, Chen Ping and He Qingxuan replied in unison:

"Get lost!"

He Qingxuan refused because poetry was not his forte.

Chen Ping refused because he had no desire to become a literary plagiarist just yet.

The artistic conceptions of those poems from his past life were not something a child of his age could genuinely comprehend.

Showing off in front of his sworn brothers was entirely meaningless.

Besides, if the poems he copied were to spread, it would be difficult for his current self to offer any reasonable explanation.

Once he grew older, at specific places and on appropriate occasions, it would certainly be worthwhile to borrow a line or two.

Ye Chongwen merely lifted his chin slightly, the corners of his mouth curling upward as a trace of smugness flashed in his eyes.

He wore the expression of someone who knew they simply didn't dare to compete.

Yet in the eyes of Chen Ping and He Qingxuan, this look was utterly begging for a beating.

Chen Ping suddenly raised an eyebrow and said, "I notice there is a great deal of accumulated water in the yard, and the rain continues to fall relentlessly. The drainage outlet is quite narrow, so I imagine it will take goodness knows how many hours for the water to drain away completely."

"Why don't we use this as our theme, and calculate—"

Before Chen Ping could finish his sentence, Ye Chongwen roared in protest.

"Stop! Calculate what?! Why must such a fine and picturesque scene be tainted by mathematics? How can there be such utterly joy-killing people in this world as the two of you?"

"Besides, I had already figured out the better half of a poem, and you completely disrupted my train of thought, ruining my inspiration! You owe me!"

How could they possibly compensate him?

Chen Ping and He Qingxuan exchanged glances, and the three of them once again plunged into a chaotic, splashing frolic in the rain.

Ever since arriving in this world, Chen Ping had never played so unrestrainedly as he did today.

His wet garments clung tightly to his skin inside and out, and muddy water had already seeped through the soles of his shoes.

From goodness knows where, a splash of mud had adhered to Ye Chongwen’s face and hair. The once lively and spirited young scholar had now transformed into an absolute mud monkey.

Chen Ping could not help suppressing a laugh, just about to fling a few teasing remarks, when he caught sight of He Qingxuan beside him—who was likewise covered in mud spatters and looking utterly disheveled.

The other two also gazed back at him with half-smiles.

Without even needing to look in a mirror, Chen Ping could roughly guess what he looked like at this very moment.

The small courtyard echoed with the unrestrained, buoyant laughter of three youths.

After playing for a good long while, to avoid catching a cold, the three of them returned to their respective rooms to change into dry clothes.

Once he had changed, Chen Ping stood by the window, watching the curtain of falling rain, the smile on his face fading slightly.

In an agricultural era:

To the common people, the man-made disaster with the most destructive force was war, while the fiercest natural calamity was undoubtedly floods.

Without the support of modern technology, the slightest anomaly in the climate often brought about catastrophic and horrifying consequences.

One could only pray that the rainy season would pass as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, the subject He Qingxuan had been most concerned with lately was cement, which Chen Ping had mentioned previously.

Although their earlier experiments had failed, He Qingxuan’s acute instincts had allowed him to perceive the immense value hidden within this substance.

He Qingxuan had never given up.

He came over to Chen Ping’s room to discuss how his multiple attempts at firing it had gone over recent days.

According to He Qingxuan, he had attempted the firing process a dozen times back and forth, trying different materials and proportions every single time.

Although it had not succeeded thus far, the numerous instances of trial and error had still benefited him immensely.

He believed that successfully firing cement was merely a matter of time.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ping shook his head slightly, feeling that He Qingxuan was being overly optimistic.

He knew that industry was an extremely complex and complete system, and the combination of data and experimentation would still produce numerous variables; it was not something that could succeed so easily.

Every product required indispensable raw materials and auxiliary components.

For He Qingxuan to attempt to manufacture a specific item entirely on his own within a purely agricultural era was bound to be fraught with countless difficulties.

Yet, since it was his own momentary whim that had captivated He Qingxuan and drawn him into this obsession, Chen Ping certainly had no intention of dampening his enthusiasm.

If someone could genuinely lead Dayu in taking the first step toward industrialization, Chen Ping would undoubtedly welcome it with open hands.

It was just that this person certainly wouldn't be himself.

Chen Ping had racked his brains, dumping everything he knew about the process directly onto He Qingxuan.

He hoped that this seed might one day sprout and grow.

At sunset, Constable Zhao Jin arrived at Huating Academy.

He took out Old Ye's letter and solemnly handed it to Chen Ping.

Seeing that Constable Zhao was stern and unsmiling, Chen Ping’s expression darkened as he hurriedly took the letter.

Opening it, he found it was just as he had expected.

The flood situation in Yongshun County had long since reached a perilous stage.

The downpour was fierce and showed no signs of stopping, while the rampaging river waters surged with terrifying momentum, leaving the decade-old earthen dikes hanging by a thread.

Even though Old Ye had already devised a countermeasure, digging a correct drainage channel as quickly as possible was by no means an easy task.

It was clearly impossible for Old Ye alone to complete the planning within a matter of days.

Moreover, the subsequent excavation and construction of the flood-relief channel would also require time.

Once time was delayed and the crest of the flood arrived to batter the dikes, it would be too late for everything.

Reflecting on this, Chen Ping dared not delay. He immediately said to He Qingxuan, "Qingxuan, Teacher urgently needs us to go and assist. Pack your luggage right away; we're heading to the county yamen with Constable Zhao right now!"

Although Old Ye’s letter did not explicitly mention He Qingxuan, having one more person to calculate at this juncture might just shave off a fraction of precious time.

He Qingxuan did not bother asking what had happened; he immediately turned and hurried back to his room.

Hearing the commotion, Ye Chongwen rushed out of his quarters, his face flushed with dissatisfaction as he declared, "I'm going too!"

"Leaving me behind last time was one thing, but this time, even if it's just to pour tea and serve water, I'm going with you!"

Chen Ping looked toward Zhao Jin, who nodded in assent.

Upon learning that he could accompany them, Ye Chongwen jumped up with delight.

The wind and rain continued, pouring down like upturned water jugs.

Lightning dragged a massive, ferocious phantom across the sky.

A carriage sped along the newly paved official road like a water dragon breaking free of the depths.

Fortunately, the official road was sufficiently smooth, and Zhao Jin’s carriage-driving skills were well-honed, allowing them to rush back to the county yamen in the shortest possible time.

Several carriages were parked outside the gates of the county yamen, and Old Ye was walking out in hurried strides.

The three youths stepped down from their carriage, preparing to step forward and pay their respects.

A yamen runner dressed in a coir raincoat and pressing down his bamboo hat shouted through the rain, "Master Ye, the carriage is prepared; we can depart now!"

Chen Ping looked back and caught a fleeting glimpse of Magistrate Wang sitting inside another carriage, his expression grave and stern.

The yamen runners had quickly assembled, all of them attired in rain gear—clearly, this was a journey for a long distance.

Chen Ping was filled with astonishment. Traveling by carriage at night—where could they possibly be headed?

Before Chen Ping could voice his question, Old Ye instructed the three youths with a solemn expression to simply wait at the county yamen.

Without the mind to ponder why Ye Chongwen and He Qingxuan had followed along as well, Old Ye rapidly climbed into his carriage.

In front of the county yamen, the neighing of horses and the roaring of thunder resonated through the air.

This caused the heart that Chen Ping had only managed to relax during the daytime to tighten once more.

The contingent of horses and men paused not a single moment, quickly vanishing into the murky distance.