"Once this river is opened, it will be a major project that benefits the country and the people. First, it is for trade, second, it is for flood control, third, it is for irrigation of surrounding fields, and fourth, this river channel is also a business. Ponds can be dug by the river to raise fish and grow water chestnuts," Fu Zhiyu took King Xidan and sighed as they looked at the river. "It is not easy to dig to this extent in just a few years."
King Xidan was watching very seriously from the side, touching here and looking there from time to time. Apart from other things, the irrigation problem on the grassland was indeed a problem that had troubled him for a long time. If a canal could be built, it would naturally be a good thing.
The canal is very long, and it will take Fu Zhiyu and his group at least three or four days to make the journey. This is just a rough look along the way. If they look carefully, it will probably take even longer.
"Once the road is open, it will be very different," Fu Zhiyu said. "We can also plant willow trees by the river, which will be a beautiful sight to see."
Everything looked good in the past few days. King Xidan saw that the plan was almost finalized. He had a rough idea of where the canal would be built to and how many cities it would pass through along the way.
But at the end, they met someone they hadn't seen for a long time.
Four years ago, after Xie Ke was discovered by him, he never came to Jiangnan again. Anyway, Fu Zhiyu didn't encounter any strange things, so he just assumed that he had never been here.
This time, could it also be a coincidence
When Fu Zhiyu saw Xie Ke, he was standing by the side of the road. After all, the canal was not open yet, and the last section was still being dug. The canal workers were still sweating profusely. Fu Zhiyu also went to take a look at the meals for the canal workers. They had big steamed buns and stir-fried dishes. He also ordered some for himself. Although it was not exquisite, it had the flavor of farm cuisine. However, the food here was quite spicy. Fu Zhiyu couldn't eat after a few bites because it was too spicy, and even drank several sips of water.
"If you can't handle spicy food, don't eat it. How can you still have the leisure to experience this?" King Xidan glanced at him, then pointed to a place not far away and said, "There is another person who is just as strange as you. Take a look."
Upon hearing that, Fu Zhiyu looked in the direction he pointed, and that's when he saw Xie Ke.
There were also some soldiers digging the canal. They not only had to work but also had to maintain order. Xie Ke was sitting in the middle of the group of people, dressed very simply. Fu Zhiyu had never noticed him and didn't know he was there. It was only because King Xidan had sharp eyes and liked to watch other people's fun, otherwise no one would have seen him.
He was just like an ordinary soldier, eating and living with others, and he didn't feel any grievance even when he lowered his head and ate his steamed buns.
As if sensing Fu Zhiyu's gaze, Xie Ke quickly looked over here. He seemed to be stunned for a while, then stood up and walked towards Fu Zhiyu, jogging all the way.
King Xidan felt that he had finished his business and it was time to watch the show, so he quickly stood aside.
When Xie Ke came here, he took advantage of the time on the road to tidy up a bit, but he was busy working on the river channel and was covered in dust. He couldn't tidy up anything in such a short time.
Fu Zhiyu doesn't eat spicy food very much. The food for the river workers doesn't look spicy, and it's okay when you take a bite, but it has a strong aftertaste. The longer it lasts, the spicier it feels. His throat is burning, and he can't suppress it by drinking water. There is a lot of dust on the river bank, and he coughs from time to time, looking a little embarrassed.
It was indeed a bit awkward for these two people to meet under such circumstances. Xie Ke even ran in front of him, and he didn't know what to say.
"I..." Xie Ke was silent for a while. Because he missed her, he couldn't help looking at her, but he didn't dare to look at her. In the end, he could only say, "I didn't expect you to come here. I'm sorry, I haven't made any preparations."
Fu Zhiyu looked at him: "What preparations are you going to make?"
"Zhiyu, don't you want to see me?" Xie Ke said nervously, and couldn't help but explain, "I don't usually come here, but the construction period is approaching, and someone must be watching. I don't trust others, so I came here by myself, and I didn't expect you to come."
Fu Zhiyu: “…”
"I'm not that bad," he said, "You can go anywhere you want. I don't care. Today is just a coincidence. Why do you have to act like you've seen a monster?"
After Fu Zhiyu finished speaking, he was silent for a while, then said: "I know that most of the effort in repairing this was put in by you, so it's only right for you to keep an eye on it."
He also knew very well that it was Xie Ke who did all this.
After Xie Ke heard him say this, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He felt that all his hard work and efforts during this period of time had finally paid off.
"Once this river is open, you won't have to worry anymore," Xie Ke whispered to him, "The thing you're worried about will never happen again."
Fu Zhiyu glanced at him and happened to see the flattery and caution in his eyes.
He thought that Xie Ke probably knew what his original intention was in building the canal. After all, he was one of the few people who knew it.
"When the river is opened, can you come and see it?" Xie Ke summoned up the courage to ask him again, "... Then my work won't be in vain."
He waited anxiously for Fu Zhiyu's reply and stared at him.
Fu Zhiyu thought for a while, then nodded and said, "Okay."
He wanted to witness it all, and it didn't matter whether Xie Ke was there or not.
The two of them didn't talk any more and just walked past each other. King Xidan just smacked his lips, not being able to taste anything.
"Look at this," he looked at Xie Ke's back and said to Fu Zhiyu with emotion, "He is only like this in front of you."
Fu Zhiyu did not answer.
King Xidan saw that he obviously didn't want to talk, so he tactfully shut up.
But Fu Zhiyu clearly felt his probing gaze, which was getting stronger and stronger. After a while, he couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Don't look at me anymore. Just say whatever you want to say."
"I'm not even curious about what happened to you. I really want to ask, what exactly do you want by wasting time like this?" King Xidan asked him, "Look, Xie Ke doesn't want to get married, and neither do you. You two don't like others either. Just make do with each other. Why bother?"
"Who says a person must get married? I'm fine being alone," Fu Zhiyu retorted, "Besides, not everything is about seeking a result. Most of the time, we can't explain it to each other clearly, so let it be."
Take his own mother for example. In fact, he knew what Lin Yan was thinking after a long time.
Mother should also know that Lin Yan runs to the mansion every day for every little thing. When he occasionally meets mother, he doesn't know where to put his hands and feet, and he stutters when he speaks. Even a fool should be able to see it.
Fu Zhiyu didn't care. He just left it to his mother's choice. Although his mother had the title of Concubine Dowager, Emperor Qingyuan had been dead for many years. If his mother really wanted to, there were many ways to do it. The problem was that his mother didn't want to.
She was already very tired of this kind of relationship, and she only felt tired and troubled by Lin Yan's advances.
Yuan Wanyun's mood is very similar to Fu Zhiyu's. This feeling cannot be explained to others, and perhaps only he himself understands it.
On the day the river was opened, Fu Zhiyu went to see it as agreed, and also met Xie Ke.
But he always felt that Xie Ke looked much more haggard than before. He didn't notice it when he was covered in dust last time they met, but today, even though he was wearing formal clothes, the fatigue between his brows could not be concealed.
He also took the initiative to explain to Fu Zhiyu: "There were too many things to do when opening the river channel. I was so busy that I didn't sleep for several days."
But he didn't look like he hadn't had a good rest.
Fu Zhiyu glanced at him and found that he already had white hair on both temples. They were not standing close to each other, but he could still see clearly.
At Xie Ke's age, having white hair is nothing. Most of the important officials in the court have premature gray hair. They are under a lot of pressure and are busy, but Xie Ke is not an ordinary person.
He is not from this world, so logically speaking, this world will not let him grow old.
Fu Zhiyu's abnormal data has not changed at all in the past few years. Even his mother and those people in the Yuan family who took his pills have not changed, but Xie Ke has changed.
… and I don’t know what he did.
Fu Zhiyu lowered his eyes, then realized that all this had nothing to do with him.
It rained heavily that summer, but the repaired dams and canals played a big role, and the catastrophic flood did not occur. However, due to the heavy rain, several villages in low-lying areas were still affected, and some grain was also destroyed. However, the imperial court's disaster relief was effective, and relief funds and grain arrived quickly, and in the end nothing happened.
Fu Zhiyu's nightmare no longer happened. Since then, he felt as if his heart was opened up and he felt much more relaxed.
Five years later, the Deng family's boat was finally built.
Fu Zhiyu also went into the water. This time he saw Deng Jinghe again. He was much tanned and still stared at Fu Zhiyu for a long time, but this time, he came up and started a conversation.
"Thank you," he said, "I plan to take the caravan out to sea next year. This ship is really well made. I'm sorry for what happened before. Now that I think about it, I was really too narrow-minded at that time. I hurt others and myself. The things I got through conspiracy and trickery are actually meaningless."
Going to sea means leaving this continent to see the outside world, which is extremely risky. Even Fu Zhiyu doesn't know what is outside this continent. The original book only wrote a sentence at the end, saying that the fleet sent out has received news, there are other continents outside the continent, and the road ahead is even longer. This is a blank writing style. I didn't expect that there are actually people who will try it now.
"I used to like you. I looked at you and thought about you for so many years," Deng Jinghe said. He smiled, "But then Xie Ke showed up. I knew I couldn't win against him and there was no hope. But I didn't expect that he didn't succeed either. Thinking about it this way, I feel a lot more balanced."
Fu Zhiyu: “…”
Before he could answer, Deng Jinghe left as soon as he finished speaking, jumping onto the deck in a few steps. He always looked a little gloomy before, but now he seemed like a different person.
Fu Zhiyu stood on the dock for a while, not knowing what he was thinking about. After a long time, he left.
The four great merchants have all undergone some changes, and as a result, the status of merchants has also changed. In recent years, doing business is no longer so shameful outside, and various places have prospered like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
On this basis, many schools can be opened. After all, only when everyone has enough food will they have spare energy to do other things.
The school that Fu Zhiyu wanted to set up was a comprehensive one, where students could study or learn a skill, so there would be more options in the future.
He has already found a group of teachers, and he will try it in Jiangnan when the time comes. If it works, he will write a memorial to Fu Yanran.