At the beginning, I was a rich female prisoner

Yu Yunxin heard the clapping of the three people and immediately jumped up and landed on the bed of the three people and asked, "It's so late, why aren't you three sleeping yet?"

"Miss, we just came here and couldn't sleep so we wanted to see the moonlight. I didn't expect you to dance so well. I have never seen you dance so beautifully before." Qiu Shuang praised.

"That's right. Our young lady not only plays the piano, but also dances very well." Chunyu said quickly.

"Okay, I'm tired too. I won't listen to your flattery anymore." After saying that, he jumped into his room, fell on the bed and fell asleep.

The next day, at dawn, Yu Tinghai found a messenger from Wangshan County and asked him to lead him around the entire Wangshan County.

Of course he was willing. He had been a messenger in Wangshan Yamen for twenty years and knew Wangshan County very well. This time the driver was the messenger. His name was Li Wang. He had a son and a daughter. Now he was married and lived in the county town. With his job, his family was considered a well-off family.

He started by talking about his own family, and when he left the county town, he began to talk about things in every village here.

There are ten villages in Wangshan County, and the one closest to the county seat is Shangheba. There is a river here that connects to the county seat, but now the riverbed is dry and only a little water is left flowing at the bottom of the river. It is very difficult to get water from the bottom of the river. If you are not careful, you will sink. No villagers dare to touch the water at the bottom of the river. Next is Xing Village and Chenjia Village. These two villages are very close. Behind the villages are a big mountain. The top of the mountain is shrouded in clouds and mist, and the grass and trees are lush. Beyond this mountain is Huashan Village and Lijia Village.

Yu Yunxin was also dragged along, but this time he only brought Lianqiao and Qiu Shuang. He listened to Li Wang carefully introducing every village in Wangshan County.

"What is the name of that mountain, Uncle Li?" Yun Xin asked, looking at the mountain in the distance.

"That mountain has no name. It belongs to four villages, so the villagers of the four villages named it Sifu Mountain." Li Wang replied.

"It's still early, let's find a few local hunters to go into the mountains and take a look." Yu Yunxin said.

"My lord, you all are going to climb the mountain! This mountain is very dangerous. There are not only wild wolves but also big beasts. Usually, the villagers only go hunting halfway up the mountain and dare not go up any further. The mountain road is steep and difficult to walk on." Li Wang continued.

"It's okay. I fought pirates when I was young. Let's find someone to lead the way!" Yu Tinghai said.

Li Wang immediately admired the county magistrate. He thought the county magistrate was a weak scholar, but he didn't expect that he had some martial arts skills. He immediately drove into Xing Village, stopped in front of a farmer's house, knocked on the door and asked, "Is Old Zhang here?"

The courtyard door creaked open and a young woman appeared. Li Wang immediately said respectfully, "It's Miss Zhang! Is Old Zhang here?"

"Messenger Li! What's the matter that brings you to see my father-in-law so early in the morning?" the woman asked.

"I will take the county magistrate up the mountain to take a look. Please ask him to lead the way." Li Wang said.

"It's the county magistrate! Please come in quickly. It is a blessing for our Zhang family to have the county magistrate come to our humble home!" The woman looked at Yu Tinghai and Yu Yunxin who were following behind Li Wang, and immediately and enthusiastically invited them in.

This is a farmer's adobe house with five rooms. There is a large wooden table in the yard. At the invitation of Mrs. Zhang, Yu Tinghai and Li Wang both sat directly at the wooden table in the yard.

Soon, an old man in his fifties came out from the inner room. When Li Wang saw him, he said, "Old Zhang, come over here and meet the county magistrate."

When Old Zhang heard this, he immediately came over and knelt down with trembling legs. When Mrs. Zhang saw this, she was so scared that she knelt down as well.

"I am here to visit Xing Village. You don't have to kneel. Get up quickly." Yu Tinghai said.

"Sir, we didn't beat the people from Chenjia Village, so please don't take us back to punish us!" Old Zhang knelt down and didn't get up.

"Old Zhang, the county magistrate asked you to lead the way up the mountain. The matter of Chenjia Village was resolved yesterday. You should get up quickly! Sister Zhang, you should also get up quickly." Li Wang walked over and helped Old Zhang up.

When Old Zhang heard this, he said, "Okay, I'll take my three sons with me. Our Zhang family is the only hunter in Xing Village." After saying hello to Yu Tinghai, he immediately went back to the house.

Mrs. Zhang also asked her sister-in-law He to serve tea and water to Yu Tinghai and his group.

"Auntie, there's no need to be so troublesome." Yu Yunxin looked at several aunties who kept looking at her. It was the first time for her to be looked at with such strange eyes, and she said embarrassedly.

"Is this the son of the county magistrate? He is so handsome. How old is he this year?" asked Mrs. Zhang.

"Sister Zhang, this is the county magistrate's son, how can you be so rude? How can you just ask someone's age?" Li Wang immediately jumped in and said, "Go aside and prepare for your family."

When Mrs. Zhang heard this, she was so scared that she took several steps back and went back to her room. But after a while, Yu Yunxin saw several heads sticking out of the windows. There were a dozen girls around fifteen or sixteen years old, leaning on the windows and looking at Yu Yunxin.

"I didn't expect that the county magistrate's son is so handsome. He is even prettier than us women." said the girl who stretched her head farthest.

"Sir, look at these village girls. They seem to have never seen a man before. They are all looking at you." Qiu Shuang teased.

At this time, a rough voice sounded, "Why are you girls lying by the window slacking off so early in the morning instead of washing clothes?"

The girls immediately pulled their heads back when they heard this. A bearded man in his thirties came over and said, "These are my little girls. Please excuse me, sir."

Yu Yunxin shook her head and said, "It's okay. It's still early, let's get ready to go up the mountain!"

"Yes! Yes! Brothers 2 and 3, hurry up and take your bows and arrows and sickles, let's go up the mountain." said the bearded man.

Yu Yunxin felt very uncomfortable sitting in the yard, because there were always malicious eyes looking at her. Although she could be at ease in front of tens of thousands of employees, these eyes really made her uncomfortable.

Lian Qiao joked, "Our young master is a man of both literary and martial talents, outstanding in both appearance and talent. Look how those inexperienced village girls have been so fascinated by him that they don't know what to do. They are all secretly gazing at you."

"Why don't you prepare some more snake, insect, rat and ant repellent?" After saying this, Yu Yunxin stood up and walked out of the yard with Lian Qiao and Qiu Shuang.

I sat in the carriage and prepared some necessary things for going up the mountain. After a while, Yu Tinghai came out, took out the sword and said, "Xin'er, hurry up and get ready to go up the mountain."

Qiu Shuang carried a bow and a water bag on her back, while Lian Qiao carried a medicine box and a bundle. No one came empty-handed. Four hunters came out of the Zhang family, led by an old man in his fifties.

The one with a beard is Zhang Lao Da, and he is holding a sickle in his hand. Zhang Lao Er has no beard but has the muscular body of a hunter and carries a big bow on his back.

"County Magistrate Yu, our second brother is very good at archery. He can hit the prey nine times out of ten. Over the years, the three of us brothers have been supporting the family and I have been responsible for chopping wood. The second brother hunts and the third brother is smart. He knows the roads up and down the mountain very well. Many traps in the deep areas were dug by the third brother." said Boss Zhang.

"Does your family have any land?" Yu Tinghai asked.

"Mr. County Magistrate, we are hunters and have no land. However, we bought 60 acres of mountain land here and raise some pheasants, rabbits, and wild boars. The income is no less than that from farming." Old Man Zhang pointed to a few low earthen houses at the foot of the mountain and said, "That's our breeding farm. It's just enough to cover the daily expenses of our three families. It's dry now, but fortunately there is morning dew in the mountains. I collect dew to feed the pigs." said Zhang Laoer.

It seems that the ancients were not as bad as they are in novels. In some farming stories, many female protagonists bought hills to engage in farming and breeding, and then made a fortune. It turns out that people in ancient times had already thought of this.

"By the way, can I visit your farm after we go down the mountain?" Yu Yunxin asked.

"You are welcome to visit," replied Old Zhang.

"What's so good about this farm? It's because we caught too much prey and couldn't sell it all, so we raised them all. Since we're raising them, we also raised some poultry as well." said the bearded boss Zhang.

"My son-in-law is a butcher in town, and most of these are sent to him for slaughter. We have three children to send to town for school, and the annual tuition is quite a lot. The farm is not big, and it is managed by the women in the family and us." Old man Zhang said, "Now that I am old, I rely on my sons to hunt."

"Thank you for your hard work, old man. Please let your family lead the way for me." Yu Tinghai said.

"Mr. County Magistrate, please don't say that. It is our family's honor to have you lead the way for us," said Old Zhang.

"By the way, County Magistrate, what are you doing up the mountain?" asked Zhang Laosan.

"Find a water source." Yu Tinghai replied.

"I've lived in the mountains for so many years, how come there is a water source in this deep mountain?" said Old Zhang.

"Old man, you said the mountain below is so dry, so why are the trees on this mountain top so lush and covered with morning dew?" Yu Yunxin asked.

"I don't know about that either." replied Old Zhang.

Yu Yunxin smiled and continued, "Everything needs water to grow. The lush trees here indicate that there is hidden water in the mountains. We will find out if we go to the place with the thickest fog."

"What the county magistrate said makes sense!" said Boss Zhang, rubbing his beard.

"Sir, we are almost halfway up the mountain. Shall we go to the high ground over there and rest for a while?" said Li Wang, who was the most tired.

Yu Tinghai nodded and said, "Old Li, you and Old Zhang are too old to accompany us anymore. Rest here for a while and wait for us."

Zhang Laosan said, "I'll set some traps for you two, you just need to watch here." After that, Zhang Laosan sat on a rock, took out the dagger on his back and began to set his traps. He secretly hid a trap in the bushes, made a mark on the tree and buried the trap in the leaves. Then he laid a big net.

Looking at the scenery below the mountain, Yu Yunxin discovered a big problem in Wangshan County and asked, "Why are there no canals here?"

"The whole Nanjun is like this!" said Li Wang.

"Now I understand why there was a flood last year and a drought this year. It's because there is no water conservancy." Yu Yunxin said, looking at the farmlands at the foot of the mountain.

"Water conservancy?" Yu Tinghai asked curiously, "There are mountains and rivers here. Li Wang, do you have a map of Wangshan County?"

"I brought it, sir. I was afraid you didn't know it, so I brought the map with me." Then he handed it to Yu Tinghai.

Yu Yunxin also looked at the map and said, "Dad, do you think the river is too small? There are no lakes and not many waterways. Is this the reason for the disaster?"

As he spoke, he took out a map of the entire Nanjun and continued, "You see, there is only one place in Nanjun that is close to the long river. If we clear the river in Wangshan County and then lead it to other places, even if there is a heavy rain, the rainwater will flow along the river, so there will be no floods. Similarly, if we find the water source in the mountains and clear these rivers, the drought in Nanjun will be solved."

"That makes sense. Although I have never worked in the Ministry of Revenue, I have come into contact with its officials. The former Minister of Revenue also taught me. I have seen his map of water conservancy in Yuezhou. He said that Yuezhou has always had good weather and good harvests because of water conservancy." Yu Tinghai said happily as if his Ren and Du meridians had been opened.

"Let's go and look for a water source. Come back and write a letter to Governor Yang with me." Yu Tinghai said, scratching Yu Yunxin's nose and said, "Xin'er, you are really my lucky star. If you find another water source, you will be the lucky star of the entire Nanjun."

"Dad, stop praising me. Let's go find some water." Yu Yunxin said, touching her scratched nose.

The others were also confused but knew they had to set out to find water. Boss Zhang took a sip of water and continued to lead the way, saying, "It's deep in the forest ahead. It's very dangerous there. There are big insects and wolves there."

"These things won't come out in broad daylight. They usually hide in caves. Besides, there are so many of us. Don't be afraid, we will find water soon." Yu Yunxin said.

The group walked along the dense mountain road until noon when the sun was too strong, and found a mountain stream to avoid the scorching sun. Once they hid in it, they found a clean and clear pool of water.

"Xin'er, you are really a lucky star. Look, isn't this a source of water?" After saying that, Yu Tinghai strode forward, took a sip and started drinking.

Everyone was very thirsty and came to the pond. The pond was not big, but there was a mountain spring coming out from the depths, flowing out of the pond and directly into the woods.

"Sir, we have found it, but how do we lead the water downwards?" Lian Qiao asked.

Yu Yunxin looked at the three hunters and asked, "How many men are there in your village?"

"Sir, we have more than a hundred adult men in Xing Village," Zhang Laosan replied, "but even if we have this, it will take at least a year or two to bring water down the mountain!"

"Xin'er, yes. It's a long way from here to Xing Village to dig the canal. Besides, it's all rocks here, so it's not easy to start." Yu Tinghai looked at the water source and then looked in the direction of Xing Village.

"I have a way to divert the water first." Yu Yunxin smiled, looked at Zhang the hunter and the other two and asked, "Is there a bamboo forest in your village or nearby?"

"There are thousands of acres of bamboo forest in the back mountain of Chenjia Village, and the bamboos there are very thick?" Zhang Laoer replied.

"Call all the men and stonemasons in your village, and go cut a hundred bamboos. Make sure they are all the same size and have the stonemasons break through the middle of them," said Yu Yunxin.

"Okay, I'll do it right away." Zhang Laoda said excitedly, "Old Third, you've been making traps for years so you know some carpentry skills. Let's go and call some people to go to Chenjia Village to cut some bamboo and bring it up."

After seeing the source of water, Yu Yunxin took out some dry food and started to eat. Qiu Shuang came over and patted Yu Yunxin's shoulders and said, "Miss, you are really amazing. You found the source of water by looking for the fog."

Yu Yunxin smiled and said, "The most difficult thing now is to divert water."

Yu Tinghai sat in the shade of the mountain stream and ate dry food with Zhang Laoer.

"Mr. County Magistrate, you and Young Master Ling are truly amazing. Young Master Ling will definitely become a high-ranking official in the future." Zhang Laoer said.

Yu Tinghai smiled and asked, "Your family is a hunter and you go into the mountains all year round. How come you didn't find this place?"