Chapter 264

There is no need to worry about their children being cold and starving, but there is a big problem, if the embankment of Xuzhen is not repaired, will the more than 200 households and 1,000 people in Xuzhen have to stay in relatives' houses or inns all the time?

Of course not, but if you want to repair the Xuzhen Dam, then it will be a big problem. On the third day after the flood washed away the Xuzhen embankment, He Jinghui and Wu Meier stood on the outer edge of the Xuzhen embankment, looking at the turbid water on the river surface and the collapsed Xuzhen embankment in front of them.

The width of the crack of the Xuzhen embankment, which is nearly three zhang above the ground, is nearly 40 zhang, and the lower end of the crack is about nearly a zhang away from the bottom of the dam.

If you want to repair it, this is definitely a big project, and the stone, wood, labor and various expenses required can definitely make the richest man in Ruolan County bankrupt.

"It's terrible, Brother He, look over there, this large area of fertile land has now become Zeguo." Wu Meier looked around in surprise and couldn't help but sigh.

The large area of low-lying land behind the embankment of Xu Zhen is not only Xu Town, but more importantly, there are tens of thousands of acres of fertile land.

These tens of thousands of acres of fertile land are the foundation of the people of Xuzhen, but now they are all gone, and even after the flood recedes, before the embankment in Xuzhen is repaired, who dares to continue farming in such a dangerous place?

"How's that for good? Young master, doesn't that mean that Xu Yousan and their Xu clan can only stay in the city all the time? Ah Qiu smashed his mouth, and his face was very palpitating.

The earth-shattering power of the flood that day made Ah Qiu see the power of nature fiercely, and saw the huge gap in the destroyed Xuzhen embankment, and Ah Qiu didn't think that he could repair the Xuzhen embankment well in a short time.

"How much does it cost to repair such a long section of the embankment?" He Jinghui pursed his lips tightly, narrowed his eyes and stared at the gap, but his thoughts were not the same as Wu Mei'er and Ah Qiu, just repairing, not rebuilding the entire dam, so the cost must be much cheaper than tearing down and rebuilding.

What's more, it seems that the situation of the Xuzhen Dam seems to be very miserable, but as far as the entire dam is concerned, the destroyed place, that is, the inverted trapezoidal crack, as long as the crack is re-sealed and the dam body is re-reinforced, then as long as there is no such a once-in-a-century flood as today, it can completely protect tens of thousands of acres of fertile land here.

"Brother He, are you thinking about asking your uncle to rebuild the Xu Zhen Embankment with the power of a county?" Wu Mei'er turned her head to look at He Jinghui in some surprise.

Huang Li and Ah Qiu beside him also looked at He Jinghui with surprised expressions.

"It's not to rebuild, but just to repair the Xu Zhen Embankment, and this Xu Zhen Embankment is for the benefit of the people of Ruolan County, but I don't know if we can raise enough funds." He Jinghui touched his chin and thought deeply.

"Even if it's just repairing this piece, the cost of labor and materials alone will require at least 10,000 taels." After all, Wu Meier's main business in the family is business, and after hearing about it, she estimated it and couldn't help but be speechless.

"Ten thousand taels of giant ......" He Jinghui touched his chin, and couldn't help but feel a little dizzy, ten thousand taels of giant, even if he sold himself, he couldn't make up this amount.

Wu Mei'er saw He Jinghui's bewildered look, and persuaded her: "According to the little sister's words, it is better to choose another place first, first build some shelters for the people of Xuzhen, and then wait for the court to prepare money and grain to repair the embankment in Xuzhen." ”

"That's too slow, from the county to report to the city, and then the Huang Governor has to report to the governor of Jiangnan, and then the governor of Jiangnan will report to the court, and after the approval of the court, this will start to prepare money, food and materials, at that time, let alone next year's spring ploughing, I'm afraid that even next year's autumn harvest will be delayed." He Jinghui shook his head and sighed.

"However, without relying on the court, with the financial resources of Ruolan County, it is impossible to repair this Xu Zhen embankment." Wu Mei'er rubbed her eyebrows, why is Brother He so stubborn, and he is unwilling to turn back no matter how much others persuade him to do what he recognizes.

He Jinghui saw Wu Mei'er's helpless expression, and couldn't help but smile and said, "Mei'er, don't worry, tell me, how many households can a rich businessman like the Lan family have in my Ruolan County?" ”

Wu Mei'er couldn't help but be stunned, raised her pretty face to look at He Jingxuan's confident smiling face, and said after thinking about it seriously. "The Lan family is just a grain merchant, and its wealth is not the best in Ruolan County, if you want to talk about it, at most, it can only be ranked after twenty among the many rich merchants and gentry in Ruolan County."

He Jinghui nodded approvingly. "Do you know that Mei'er, Zhao Bantou just copied the gold and silver from the Lan Mansion, which is enough for seven thousand taels of silver, not counting the 1,500 stone grain that his family has stockpiled."

"How normal is this, Ruolan County is located in the boundary of the south of the Yangtze River, and it is not far from Yangzhou, the seat of Jiangnan governance, and the waterways are smooth, there are a lot of business travelers, and the officials in Jiangnan have always been Qingning, so although the local businessmen are not much, they will not be too little." Wu Meier said lightly.

For Wu Meier, who was born in Wu Mansion, those wealthy businessmen and tycoons in Ruolan County are really nothing.

"So, what do you think of asking these merchants and gentry to donate money to repair the Xu Zhen Embankment?" He Jinghui touched his chin and asked.

Wu Mei'er shook her head without thinking about it. "This is impossible, the reason why Xu Zhendi is named Xu Zhendi is because the people of Xu Zhen have benefited the most, and the tens of thousands of acres of fertile land here, the people of Xu Zhen alone account for nearly half, and how can the rich businessmen and gentry of Ruolan County donate money and grain to do things that have nothing to do with their interests?"

"If there is no benefit, they are not willing to do it, which is understandable, people live in things, and they are trapped in the word fame and fortune......" He Jinghui had an idea. What if you could make a name for yourself? ”

Wu Mei'er glanced at He Jinghui with some astonishment, and said with some hesitation. "This, it's really hard to guess the little sister, after all, everyone's thoughts are different, and the thirst for fame is afraid that there will be a difference between superior and inferior."

He Jinghui smiled, and already had an idea in his heart. "What Mei'er said is true, but if the benefits are big enough, if they think about it, they will definitely not be stingy with a few hundred taels of silver in exchange for fame......"

"Brother He, what are you going to do, you must know that those businessmen don't see rabbits and don't scatter eagles." Wu Meier is really a little curious, where did He Jinghui get so much confidence to say so confidently.

"Actually, it's very simple, just like I said just now, if the people of the world are not profitable, they will be famous, if they are not profitable, then they will be tempted by their fame......" He Jinghui lowered his voice and whispered to Wu Meier's ear, as if he was afraid of being overheard by others.

The spitting hot breath blew in Wu Meier's ears in bursts, making Wu Meier's ears and neck itchy and crispy, but she was embarrassed to dodge, and her pretty face gradually turned a magnificent red.

However, after hearing He Jinghui's idea, Wu Meier forgot her shame and looked at He Jinghui in surprise.

"What, is there something wrong with this idea?" He Jinghui saw Wu Mei'er looking at him with a shocked expression on her pretty face, and couldn't help but ask with some humility, could it be that there was any flaw in her plan.

"Brother He, how did you come up with this method?" Wu Meier shook her head again and again, and there were colorful ripples in her autumn eyes. "Little sister really can't think of a better way than this."

"So you mean it's going to work, right?" He Jinghui asked Wu Mei'er.

"Of course, it must be feasible, Xiaomei believes that even my father will be willing to donate some money in exchange for such a reputation......" Wu Meier winked mischievously and smiled.

The bright smile and the round teeth made Wu Mei'er multiply in the sun, and He Jinghui had the illusion that even the bottom of her heart was illuminated by her bright smile.

He Jinghui couldn't help but look at Wu Mei'er a little distracted, and after a long time, until Wu Mei'er's laughter gradually subsided, her pretty face turned red again, like dyeing the morning glow.

Ah Qiu and Huang Li still looked confused, not understanding what the hell this man and woman were doing.

He Jinghui first sent Wu Meier back to Wu's mansion, and then rushed back to the county government with Ah Qiu to meet his father He Zaixu.