Chapter 760 Way Out

"It's you..." Zhou Sheng stared at the other party for a long time, "Why do you still come to me now?"

The visitor was the young master Chen, Chen Qiran, who had been with him before, reciting poems and writing couplets.

After he came back from Shangyuan, he naturally thought about helping his brothers. Later, when he went to Jingji to be an official, everyone could follow him. Unexpectedly, in just over two months, these partners all changed their temperaments. Not only did they reject his kindness, but they also advised him not to go against Jinxia, ​​especially the Minister of the Affairs Bureau.

After that, they simply chose to close the door and not even accept his invitations to visit. This almost breaking-up behavior surprised Zhou Sheng. You know, when he left Yancheng, they still saw him off for ten miles and flattered him that he would definitely pass the exam. The difference between the two attitudes was so great that Zhou the talented man often scolded the other party for being treacherous.

"I left a note on the door before, but never got a reply. This time I tried to push the door, and found that it was not locked..." Mr. Chen seemed to want to explain why he came in without notice.

Zhou Sheng interrupted him directly, "Just say it, why are you here?"

The other party smiled bitterly, "Mr. Zhou, don't you invite me to sit in the house?"

He was silent for a moment, and finally nodded, "There is no tea."

"Ordinary cold water will do."

The two returned to the house, and Zhou Sheng poured a glass of water for the other party - even if this group of people turned their faces against him, he still considered himself a gentleman, and he still had to do the proper etiquette.

"Now you can tell me."

Mr. Chen hesitated for a moment, "I saw your name on the house transaction register... Are you going to sell this mansion?"

Zhou Sheng couldn't help but stare, "How did you see it--" But the next moment he suddenly realized, "Are you working for the Affairs Bureau now?"

"Yes, I am a recorder in the Housing and Construction Department. Although I am not a serious official, it is also a stable job, which is much better than being idle in the past." Chen Qiran answered in detail.

Zhou Sheng felt the blue veins on his forehead throbbing faintly.

Could it be that this guy came to his house today to deliberately humiliate him?

We agreed to take the imperial examination together and bring honor to our ancestors, but now he has joined the rebels!

"Yes--so what?" Zhou Dacai gritted his teeth and said.

"If you really need money, I can help you a little, and Mr. Hu and Mr. Lin should be able to help a little--"

"That's not necessary!" He snorted coldly and interrupted the other party again. Yes, he was indeed short of money, so short of money that he had to register and sell the Zhou Mansion to solve the urgent problem, but this was also a proof of his loyalty to the court. The rebels could not win forever. When the righteous path was rebuilt and everything was clear, his efforts would be rewarded a hundredfold.

"Yes..." Mr. Chen sighed, "I don't think the great talent Zhou would want this little money. In fact, I have another way to help you get out of trouble. Recently, the construction department is forming a new team to repair a new water supply system, and the manpower is very tight. I think with your ability, as long as you are trained a little, you can take on an important position in the team, and you will definitely do better than me..."

Is he recruiting himself for the rebels?

It's ridiculous!

"I remember that guy Xia Fan said that the Bureau doesn't need people who have passed the imperial examination?"

"That was the case at the beginning, but now the standards have been relaxed." Chen Qiran explained, "As long as you have no criminal record, you can apply to the Bureau. But our assessment will be more stringent, and the road to promotion will not be as smooth as those graduates from the academy."

It's hard to understand... Zhou Sheng shook his head in disbelief. Although Mr. Chen's academic performance was a little poor, he was also a serious scholar. Now he has to compete with a bunch of mud legs for a position in the rebellious regime, and he seems to be proud of it. This is really too ironic!

But what is the water supply system?

Is there a risk of water shortage in Jinxia City?

After hearing his question, Chen Qiran took the initiative to explain, "Of course not. Yancheng is close to the sea, and Jiujiang passes through the northwest. There is definitely no shortage of water. But now there are more and more residential buildings, and the number of floors has increased from one to three. It has become quite inconvenient to fetch water. The Bureau intends to solve this problem so that residents can use clean water without leaving their homes."

Just... because of this reason?

Zhou Sheng was stunned. It was normal for several families to share a well and fill up the water tank every day. Yes, the building was built to three floors, but there were three-story buildings in the past! Some restaurants, inns, and brothels were built to four or five floors, but they still relied on people to carry water up bucket by bucket. Has anyone found this inconvenient for hundreds of years?

"Are you sure?" He frowned, "How can I get water without leaving the house? The Affairs Bureau will not deliver the water to the door in person, right?"

"No, it's even more magical than that!" Speaking of this, Mr. Chen suddenly became excited. He said with a beaming face, "Residents don't even need to prepare buckets and water tanks. Just turn on the switch, and water will gush out of the pipes and be delivered directly to the house! Moreover, a household can install several switches, so they can get water wherever they want. It's very convenient! I was wondering why these newly built residential buildings would reserve a well that runs through the entire building, which is neither for people to pass through nor like a place to dump sewage. Later I found out that this thing was actually premeditated!"

"Wait, is this a plan or did you see it with your own eyes?" Zhou Sheng was extremely surprised. According to the other party, this is definitely an extremely complicated and large project. The population of Jinxia City is now expanding, even more crowded than Shangyuan City. If you want to let everyone have running water in their homes, the masonry materials alone will probably cost hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. What's more, water has no fixed shape and is very easy to leak. He has only heard that some wealthy families will deliberately make running water underground channels so that people in the inner courtyard can also use water and discharge sewage conveniently. It is really a bit unrealistic for the Bureau of Affairs to let ordinary people use it.

"Of course I saw it with my own eyes!" Young Master Chen said, "If I hadn't seen it in person, I wouldn't have believed that the Bureau could do this. I heard that the things that keep water flowing in the pipes are the mechanical objects provided by the Machinery Bureau. These things can continuously inject water into the pipes, and the pipes are divided into main pipes and branch pipes. The latter are made of bamboo joints and bonded together with glue, so they are particularly quick to manufacture. In order to verify the feasibility, the Bureau also built a building by Jiujiang. Even at a height of five floors, water can climb up effortlessly."

"What about the cost?" Zhou Sheng questioned, "This thing should cost a lot of money, right?"

"Not a penny." Chen Qiran replied, "The Bureau will bear all expenses, and only when residents waste water will they be charged punitive fees."