018 A flash of inspiration

The motorcycle arrived at the field, jostling along the way as if inspecting the terrain in a pretentious manner.

The farmland lay exposed, solemn and majestic like a towering mountain, while the accompanying Pailing was shrouded in a scenic forest, revealing only a peak, hinting at a sense of mystery.

Amidst the depths of winter, it was an opportune time for pruning trees. Occasionally, there was movement in the forest, but no contact with us.

As we passed by Yongling, there was a stone tablet and a stone carving by the roadside.

The tablet read "Yongling of Emperor Wen of Western Wei, a nationally protected cultural heritage site, November 20th, 1996."

The stone carving looked ancient and weighty, resembling a sheep, but discerning eyes could tell it was actually the mythical beast, Xiezhi.

It was said that there were many stone carvings here initially, but many were damaged or lost. The Cultural Relics Bureau then removed all the stone carvings and placed them in the current Beilin Museum, leaving behind replicas here, although it had been several decades.

"Mr. Zhang, over there..."

"Gousheng, why can't you remember? Didn't I tell you to call me Third Uncle?"

"Oh, Third Uncle, someone's here."

In the distance on the dirt road, a Jianshe 60 motorcycle slowly approached, ridden by Wang Tiancai, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He waved to us, and a cardboard box was strapped to the back seat with elastic bands.

Zhang Wenjie chimed in, "Wang, has everything been settled?"

"When I, Wang Tiancai, step in, there's nothing I can't resolve, even if it's as tough as a bull's horn."

"That's good to hear."

"No problem. Come have some tea before you leave."

In the evening, walking along the rural path, the air was crisp, and everything was desolate. Lights flickered in the fields, and water flowed gently, occasionally someone shouting loudly about redirecting water.

"Third Uncle, you seem troubled. Is something bothering you?"

"Gousheng, today there was a call from home, asking about the situation here. We only have a month. After that, the second round of winter irrigation will start, followed immediately by the Spring Festival. Considering the current situation, time may be running out."

"We still have time. I've calculated it."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenjie looked at me in astonishment and asked, "Tell me, what's your plan?"

My plan was to first set up a large greenhouse and then, citing a shortage of manpower, recruit other members to help. Using the greenhouse as a base, we would carry out the support pot operation.

After some thought, Zhang Wenjie said the method was theoretically feasible, but the preparation work alone would take over half a month. Moreover, with winter irrigation just beginning, it was difficult to estimate completion time.

In fact, after riding around on the motorcycle today, I had a rough idea. Da Zhong Village was about five kilometers north to south and three kilometers east to west. Excluding housing, roads, and various occupied land, the actual arable land was not much, roughly equivalent to around 1,000 mu.

Calculating based on 80% water, irrigating one mu of land would take about thirty to forty minutes. Twenty-four hours non-stop would be about 45 mu a day, so 1,000 mu would take roughly 22 days.

Winter irrigation had already begun for four or five days. If we started building our base now, we could just catch the end of winter irrigation, leaving us with about half a month.

Zhang Wenjie patted my shoulder. "Impressive."

With that, he left me behind. His words sounded bittersweet to me no matter how I heard them.

Immediately, we began purchasing various necessary materials, and the preparatory work unfolded methodically.

During this time, Wang Tiancai volunteered and brought in several skilled hands to help with the construction of the greenhouse, which saved us a lot of time. However, he didn't miss the opportunity to profit from it, turning a blind eye to certain things.

Everything proceeded according to my previous speculation. On the second day after the greenhouse was built, winter irrigation came to an end.

It was truly a stroke of luck as a heavy snowfall arrived as scheduled, blanketing the area overnight. The villagers stayed indoors, and the roads were deserted, with only a few stray dogs frolicking in the snow, emitting strange cries.

With everyone gathered, a fierce debate ensued regarding the Chen brothers' inability to find a good way to open the main tomb chamber. Ultimately, they decided to resort to violence and planned to forcibly dismantle it. They bought a sufficient amount of powerful explosives from the black market to blast open the tomb door.

After much discussion, no consensus was reached. 

"Violence definitely won't work. When Yin Yangzi, our predecessor, was involved in the tomb robbery of the Qing Dynasty Eastern Tomb, it took dozens of crates of explosives to barely create an opening."

Surveying the group, Zhang Wenjie continued, "Relying on just a few of us would be wishful thinking. Moreover, we're very close to the village. The last time we made a move, it almost raised suspicions. We need to think of another way."

Old Ding used his hand as a comb, tidying his sparse hair. "How about continuing with the 'hawk flipping over' method, drilling directly from underground? What do you think?"

Chen Lao Da shook his head. "We've considered that method too. It won't work. At about three meters below, we'll reach the waterline. We won't be able to make the turn. If we accidentally bring up underground water, it will be all over."

With the greenhouse as our base, and with no cover around, the danger level was quite high. So Zhang Ling also came, disguised as a rural woman, to handle some matters smoothly.

Zhang Ling said, "Gousheng, you're resourceful. Do you have any ideas?"

I shook my head, feeling helpless too.

For the next three days, there was still no foolproof plan. Time was ticking away, and we were left with only 10 days.

"I think we should give up. My right eyelid has been twitching, and I have a bad feeling," Old Ding rubbed his eyelid and said.

Zhang Wenjie said, "Let's wait a little longer. If we really can't find a way, we'll have to blast the tomb and call it quits."

At a loss, the Chen brothers' actions gave me an idea.

During this time, to avoid suspicion, we continued to do farm work every day.

They were leveling the land when I saw Chen Duoyu squatting on a woven mat made of reeds, holding onto two ropes while Chen Lao Da and Chen Lao Er pulled the ropes in front, flattening the land.

Seeing this scene, I had a sudden inspiration and came up with a solution.

I immediately gathered everyone together and explained my idea. Everyone agreed, and we quickly had Duan Huairen purchase two truck tires and two steel wires overnight.

I found paper and pen and drew a sketch for Old Ding. He had experience with welding in his early years, so I asked him to make a turntable according to the drawing.

Old Ding looked at the drawing. "It's not difficult, but what do we need this thing for?"

I said, "A wise man has his ways. You'll know when the time comes."