Recruitment notice

  Lu Xiu'er followed Hong Lian, looking back at every step as they left the Second Hall and headed towards the inner courtyard. She had wanted to stay by Su Hang's side all along, but since Magistrate Lord had spoken, she didn't dare disobey, besides, Su Hang hadn't shown any intention of speaking up for her either, so she could only be at others' mercy.

  Watching Lu Xiuer walk away, Su Hao smiled and said to Han Wen: "Sir, my sister has always been in the countryside, hasn't seen much of the world, and it's embarrassing for you and Master to see her like this."

  "It's nothing, it's nothing. My younger sister is so innocent and lovely, I liked her at first sight." Han Wen said with a smile, he also has a daughter, speaking like this wouldn't make Su Huan think of anything inappropriate.

  "Su Xiaoge, please sit down." Fang Mengjin called out from beside him.

  "Right, let's sit down and talk." Han Wen also said.

  Although Han Wen and Fang Mengjin showed a humble appearance, Su Huan was just a Xiucai after all, and he didn't have the qualifications to sit on an equal level with the county magistrate, so he could only sit in a lower position. Han Wen returned to his seat, Fang Mengjin called for the yamen runner to pour tea for everyone, then sat down opposite Su Huan and began the conversation.

  The conversation began, and naturally, they exchanged pleasantries first. Han Wen asked about Su Hao's age, family background, and showed concern for his studies, then sighed: "This is truly a talented person from a humble background! Su Hao lost his father at a young age, came from a poor family, yet became such a great talent, setting an example for scholars all over the world."

  "You're overpraising me," Su Hao said. "A student's humble talents like mine don't dare to receive such exaggerated praise from an adult."

  "Su Hao, I heard from Zheng Chun that you pointed out four well locations for him. Each of the wells produced water, and the amount of water was exactly as you estimated. Is this true?" Fang Mengjin finally got to the point.

  Su Hao nodded and said: "What Zheng Chun said is true. The students were worried about the drought, so they boldly selected a few well locations, and it just so happened that they all chose correctly."

  "This kind of thing can't be done just by luck." Fang Mengjin smiled slightly and said, "Su Hao, do you know how many abandoned wells are dug on average in this county before finding a good well?"

  "The student does not know." Su Hao replied.

  Fang Mengjin said: "It's almost every three abandoned wells, only one good well can be produced. In your Zhegui Township, the situation is even worse. Before you, Zheng Chun had drilled 15 wells, each of which was an abandoned well. And the several well locations you mentioned, each of which is a good well, the difference between them cannot be explained simply by luck."

  Su Hao also smiled and said he was lucky, of course, not expecting this excuse to fool anyone, it's just a humble statement. Since he agreed to meet Han Wen, he naturally intended to show off his talent in finding water, however, he had no intention of learning from Lei Feng to do good deeds for free, if he wanted him to help the county government find water without giving him some compensation, he would absolutely not do it.

  "Thanks to County Magistrate and Master Fang, I have indeed learned some superficial knowledge about well divination. Although I dare not say that I am absolutely sure, but compared to Chen Shengtian, I can be more accurate, I still have confidence in myself." Su Hao said.

  "Oh? Please tell me who Su Xiuzai learned the art of divining wells from?" Han Wen asked curiously.

  Su Hao said: "The well-drilling technique that students learn is not a Chinese academic pursuit, but rather the scientific method of a foreign country. I learned it from a French missionary."

  The term "ge wu" originated from the Book of Rites and was used to refer to Western physics by the end of the Qing dynasty. Su Huanzhen's geology is also based on physics, so it's not wrong for him to call himself a practitioner of the way of ge wu.

  In that era, Europeans had begun to arrive in China one after another. The Europeans who came to China were no more than two identities: one was businessmen and the other was missionaries. Among them, European businessmen only operated in some coastal ports, while missionaries were not restricted by regions and preached all over the country.

  Two years ago, a missionary from some European country passed through Fengcheng. Su Hang happened to be in the county town seeking advice on Confucian classics from the masters of the academy and also saw the missionary on the street. Of course, at that time, Su Hang would not have gone to ask the missionary for anything, even if he had wanted to teach him some physics or chemistry, he would have rejected it as "strange skills".

  At that time, the person who had glanced at him unintentionally was now being borrowed by Su Hua as a shield. He knew that if he wanted to help the government in the future, his knowledge of modern technology would definitely be exposed. This knowledge could not be attributed to any ancient relics or said to be given by a great immortal in a dream, and it was most appropriate to attribute it to Western missionaries. If you have the ability, go to Europe to verify it.

  "Su Xiaoge's knowledge was actually learned from the barbarians, which is really unbelievable." Fang Mengjin was shocked. "The method of divining wells used by these barbarians is different from that of our great Ming dynasty's feng shui masters. Can Su Xiaoge explain it to us?"

  Su Hao nodded and said, "This principle is actually quite simple. Westerners believe that the place we are in is a huge ball called the Earth. The Earth is wrapped in layers of rock. Over many years of evolution, these rocks have become folded, so high mountains and deep valleys appeared on the Earth."

  "The place we live in is a ball? How ridiculous." Fang Mengjin commented softly.

  "This theory of the earth is indeed strange. However, what Su Xiuzai said about the folding of rocks, this county has seen it before." Han Wenyi nodded and said.

  Su Hao didn't even bother to explain the issue of the earth to the two ancient men, this topic would take more than one or two days to clarify. In fact, Magellan's circumnavigation was completed 70 years ago, but at that time China refused to accept Western theories, so the concept of the earth was still considered a heresy in the minds of scholars like Han Wen and others.

  Su Hao wanted to talk about the problem of rock folds, because the distribution of shallow groundwater is related to this issue. He obtained Han Wen's consent, took over a piece of paper, and used a brush to draw a diagram on the paper to explain what kind of structure belongs to the water storage structure, and combined with his own practice in exploring the well location in Zhegui Township, he roughly explained the exploration method.

  "So it was."

  This question wasn't that complicated to begin with. Both Hanwen and Fang Mengzhu were well-read and intelligent, and Su Hao's explanation was also very clear, so the two of them understood it all at once.

  "It seems that the barbarian's method is quite ingenious. However, to discern the nuances of Su Xiuzai's words, such as 'towards the slant' and 'backwards slant', would be beyond the capabilities of ordinary people, wouldn't it? Su Xiuzai only studied with that barbarian for a few days and yet has gained such insight, truly his talent surpasses others." Fang Mengzhu praised.

  Han Wenda said: "Su Hao, are you willing to teach this method to the people in our county government? In this way, it can make the well-drilling work in our county twice as efficient, and this is also a major event related to the livelihood of all the people in the county."

  Su Hao nodded and said, "The county magistrate has given an order, how can I dare not follow? However, what I learned from that barbarian was only superficial. If I were to teach it to others, I'm afraid the learner would also have some discounts. Moreover, this method of surveying the terrain is about continuous enlightenment, and it's difficult for others to grasp this skill in a short time."

  "Sir, I think Su Hao is right. I just listened to Su Hao's explanation of the rock structure and understood the reasoning, but if I were to guess the direction of the rock layer based on just a few gullies, I'm afraid it would be impossible. The drilling work can't wait, so let's discuss Su Hao passing on his skills to others after the drought is over." Fang Mengzhen spoke up for Su Hao, saying what he thought Su Hao wanted to say. In his opinion, Su Hao had a skill that could be used to make a living, and it was unlikely that he would easily teach this skill to others.

  Hanwen also understood Fang Mengjin's meaning, and he smiled and said: "What the master said is extremely correct, I was too impatient. Su Hao, since you think others can't learn your skills for the time being, are you willing to be hired by this county and go to various towns to guide well-drilling?"

  "This... " Su Hao deliberately paused for a moment, then said: "The matter of digging wells concerns the entire county's elderly and children. As a student, I shouldn't decline. However, my family only has my widowed mother and younger sister, and we can't afford to neglect our farm work for even a day. If I'm not at home, I fear..."

  "Ah, it's just a small matter, would the county magistrate let you have a hard time?" Fang Mengjin took over Su Huan's words and said: "Since it is the county government that hired you to do things, the reward will naturally not be stingy with you. With these rewards, you can hire a tenant farmer to cultivate your family's land, how can we let the old lady and your sister work hard?"

  Han Wenda said: "Su Hao, you are a talented and learned person, going to do those rough jobs in the fields is really a waste. I want to hire you to work at the county government office, specializing in well-digging, although the salary is meager, it's enough for you to support your mother and sister, what do you think?"

  "This matter is too important, I'm afraid I don't dare agree immediately." Su Hao deliberately put on a difficult expression.