Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 121 - 120: Ultra-Small Watermill
Qin Yao first took her four siblings to the village well, which was bustling with activity.
In the late afternoon, the county government’s officer came by, confirming the good news she had mentioned yesterday, that all the bandits had been eradicated.
The officer came and left in a hurry, but the villagers discussed the matter for a long time.
By dinnertime, each household had gathered together to talk about it.
Because the officer had specifically visited Qin Yao’s house and greeted her, the villagers felt honored.
Their village had produced a hero who defeated bandits, and even government officers would come to greet her.
Someone started the idea of whether they should present Qin Yao with a plaque.
Luckily, Qin Yao heard about this in advance when she sent the children to the village well and stopped it promptly, or else she would have been embarrassed.
Seeking fame should have its limits; a little praise and a polite nod should suffice.
A plaque?
Even the clan leader and the village head haven’t received a plaque yet.
This way is just right, and everyone praises her for being modest and not seeking fame and fortune.
Qin Yao doesn’t like to be a hidden figure behind the scenes; the fame and fortune she deserves, no one can take away.
Nor will she let it be attributed to others, just because she doesn’t want to be exposed to public criticism and feels proud of that.
To wear a crown, one must bear its weight, and her neck is strong enough to handle it!
Old Liu now felt that Qin Yao was really bringing honor to the Liu Family, and while having dinner, he remarked to Mrs. Zhang:
"Old Three really burned high incense in his past life to get such a treasured woman for the family!"
Mrs. Zhang repeatedly agreed, but her thoughts differed from Old Liu’s.
She felt that Qin Yao particularly brought honor to the women!
Look at the two daughters-in-law in the families of Old First and Old Second; they walk with their backs much straighter now.
As for Qin Yao, when she arrived at Liu the carpenter’s house, the family was having dinner, and they warmly invited her to join.
Qin Yao waved her hand, saying she’d already eaten and told them not to worry about her. Liu the carpenter picked up his bowl, ate, and led her to see the waterwheel to be delivered tomorrow.
It was slightly smaller than a small-sized waterwheel. This family didn’t live by the river, but there was a mountain spring behind their house, flowing down from the mountain all year round; they directed it into their house with a bamboo pipe.
Originally, they had given up hope of installing a waterwheel, but Qin Yao personally checked and found it possible.
They installed an ultra-small version, with less power than a regular water mill, grinding less grain, but sufficient for personal use.
Since it was the first ultra-small order, both Qin Yao and Liu the carpenter paid special attention.
If successful, it could open up more markets, bringing water mills to thousands of homes.
For instance, those villages with natural small waterfalls or mountain springs could install a water mill without needing a large river.
The introduction of the ultra-small version could potentially solve some geographical and hydrological limitations.
"Are we going to this house only tomorrow?" Qin Yao asked.
She hadn’t been around recently and wasn’t familiar with the order schedule.
Liu the carpenter nodded, "This ultra-small order is quite far, and we can only make it to this house tomorrow. The remaining two can be visited the day after tomorrow, as they’re both in the same village, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon."
Qin Yao said, "Then let’s ride a horse tomorrow; I’ll borrow a cart from the village head’s house, which would be more convenient."
Liu the carpenter nodded, and they reached an agreement. Qin Yao took the ledger home to reconcile the accounts, then went to bed early.
Due to the long journey, they set off at the fourth watch.
When Qin Yao left, the four children at home were still dreaming. She left a note on the dining table in the hall, informing them she’d be back in the evening.
The cattle cart frame used on the horse wasn’t quite suitable, much lower, but the horse’s speed was twice that of an ox.
Pulling two people and the heavy water mill, it still ran swiftly.
Hearing the wheels spinning noisily underneath, Qin Yao’s heart tightened, worried about dismantling the cart frame borrowed from the village head’s house.
So when they reached the less passable path, they slowed the horse cart down.
By doing so, they arrived at the customer’s house around ten in the morning.
If they had walked, they wouldn’t have arrived even by noon.
It was surprising to Qin Yao that such a distant place had heard of Liu Family Village’s water mill. She later learned that it was because a woman from Liu Family Village married here and brought the news back to her maiden home.
The families willing to spend money on a waterwheel were relatively affluent in the village. Today’s family had a large yard and a wide gate, allowing the horse cart to drive directly in when the threshold was removed.
They had diverted mountain spring water into their home and dug a big pond to plant lotus. By this time, the lotus had mostly bloomed, leaving only two or three late bloomers, standing gracefully among the lotus leaves.
At her first visit, Qin Yao especially envied this family’s large yard.
Unfortunately, their home had limited flat land, not enough to dig a pond, so they could only grow some vegetables.
The place to install the water mill was already cleared by the hosts, at the corner of the pond where the spring water fell.
The spring water was ample, and Qin Yao had tested it; there was no problem turning the waterwheel.
The installation steps were second nature to both her and Liu the carpenter, and they finished the installation in half an hour.
After asking the host for some grain for testing, they found the effect quite satisfactory.
A normal water mill grinds a load of grain in an hour, while the ultra-small version takes an hour and a half to grind a load.
Liu the carpenter had meticulously measured the host’s baskets, finding them similar in size to those commonly used by Liu Family Village residents, making Qin Yao’s assessment quite reliable.
Qin Yao then guided the host in trying it for themselves; the host was quite satisfied as the speed was faster than expected and, most importantly, it wasn’t labor-intensive.
With the autumn harvest just days away, they expressed satisfaction with bright smiles.
"If there are no issues, let’s settle the remaining balance," Qin Yao smiled and asked.
The host smiled and went inside to fetch the money.
The total was three taels of silver, with one-third prepaid as a deposit, leaving two taels of silver due.
Liu the carpenter had brought a small scale to weigh the silver, and Qin Yao gave the receipt to the host, completing the transaction with exchanged silver for goods.
As Qin Yao and Liu the carpenter left with the horse cart, villagers were flocking to that family’s house out of curiosity to see the water mill.
The two exchanged glances on the cart, knowing there would be new orders soon.
Indeed, after they installed the last two small water mills they had, it was only a day before a stranger appeared at the entrance of Liu Family Village.
The visitor looked around without finding his destination and ended up asking a Liu Family Village resident by the roadside, "Where is Madam Qin’s house, the one who makes water mills?"
With a keen ear, Jinhua rushed over before the villager could answer and shouted:
"I know, I can take you there!"
Unfortunately, the stranger didn’t trust the little girl, waving her off, "Little girl, go play elsewhere, don’t make trouble."
He waited for the Liu Family Village resident to speak.
Finally, the resident amusedly pointed to the little girl, "That’s Miss Qin’s niece; just follow her and you’ll know, but I have to check if the fields are dry enough, harvesting’s in a few days..."
The visitor was slightly embarrassed.
Fortunately, Jinhua didn’t mind and gestured for him to follow.
She eagerly thought about what delicious treat Third Aunt would give her this time.
