Cao Ang was stunned, then reacted immediately, and asked strangely: "You mean that someone is stealing the water in Zhang Qiang's field?" ”

The visitor nodded affirmatively, looked at Cao Ang with blank eyes, and sneered: "Sir, I am Zhang Qiang's next-door neighbor, I have seen you before, my name is ......"

"Don't be noisy here, the water has been stolen, who cares what you call it." Li Hu felt very sorry for Cao Ang in his heart, and when he saw that person Luo Qiwu at this moment, he immediately scolded, and then said to Cao Ang: "This water is hard-won and very precious, let's go and see what happens." This is life-saving water, and if you want to get something that breaks your heart, it's just a human life. ”

Cao Ang nodded silently, thinking of Zhu Laosi in his heart, and said secretly: "Isn't this guy?" ”

At that moment, the three of them walked towards Zhang Qiang's field together. On the way, Li Hu asked Cao Ang with a smile: "Sir, where is your surname?" This guy didn't believe in Cao Ang originally, and when he introduced Cao Ang last time, he didn't take it to heart at all, and he was favored by Cao Ang, and felt that he didn't know the name of the benefactor, so he asked with a shy smile.

"Don't dare to be your surname, in Xia Cao." Cao Ang couldn't tell what he felt in his heart, so he replied hastily.

"Sir is a scholar?" Li Hu is purely speechless, and he is simply trying to get close.

"Well, I've been reading since I was a child." Cao Ang replied again.

Li Hu and the person who reported the news on the side immediately changed their expressions, and their faces showed reverence. Li Hu rubbed his hands and said: "Mr. didn't say it earlier, if he had known that Mr. was a scholar, the little one wouldn't have disbelieved Mr. a few days ago, and let Mr. suffer so many grievances." ”

Cao Ang chuckled lightly and said, "How do you say this?" ”

"Those of us who have added up to the eight generations of ancestors together, and we don't know a lot of words, so it's normal that we can't think of any good ways. But Mr. is a scholar, very knowledgeable, and extraordinary, and the way he thinks of is not something we can figure out, and we dare not question the idea of a scholar. Li Hu said with admiration, and there was a trace of imperceptible solemnity on his face.

Cao Ang was silent for a while, and after a while, he said slowly: "Scholars are not as noble and great as you think, I, like you, am just an ordinary person, I will make mistakes, and the ideas I put forward may not be right. ”

"Sir is right, this does not prove that Sir is right." The villagers who reported the news rushed to flatter Cao Ang in front of Li Hu's words.

Li Hu snorted softly, glanced at the villagers who reported the news, and said, "Of course Mr. is right, this is still up to you." I also know that Mr. is kind-hearted and is a great benefactor to all of us in Xiangyang Village. ”

Cao Ang didn't want to listen to these unnutritious sycophants, so he hurriedly interrupted them and said, "How far is it from Zhang Qiang's field?" Do you know who committed this despicable act? ”

The villager shook his head, pointed to the field to the west, and said: "Just over there, just now I went to my own field to spread bamboo, just passing by there, when I walked to the end of the field, I heard the sound of running water, and I looked for it out of curiosity, and found that there was an arm-thick water hole at the corner of the field, and the water in the field flowed from the hole to other places. ”

Cao Ang frowned slightly, and he couldn't figure out what was going on for a while, so he had to go to the scene to take a closer look before making a conclusion. Soon the three of them walked to their destination and reported that the villagers pulled the grass on the ridge twice with their feet, and sure enough, there was a clear sound of flowing water.

Cao Ang crouched down and looked at it carefully. The field of Zhang Qiang's house is on higher ground, with thick ridges on the west and north sides, a dry stream under the ridge in the north, and a ditch under the ridge in the west that recedes the water of the farmland, which has been completely covered by weeds and extends to the foot of Atou Mountain.

Upon closer inspection, it was found that the water in the field seemed to flow into some cavern from the edge of the ridge to the north, but it was never clear where it had flowed.

It is normal for a field to leak, but it is extremely rare for the flow to be so extreme that you cannot find where the water ends up. Li Hu was also full of doubts, and after Cao Ang stood up, he went to the entrance of the cave and smelled the smell, and then pinched a small handful of soil and rubbed it carefully on his hands, and then said not very surely: "This hole seems to be a long wormhole, and I can still smell a trace of fishy smell." ”

Cao Ang didn't know much about these things, and looked at Li Hu blankly. The villagers who reported the news also sniffed it, and after thinking for a while, they shook their heads and said: "No, the long wormholes are generally on the façade of the ridge, how can there be such a right at the foot of the ridge." Besides, even if this is a long wormhole, it should have been blocked as early as when plowing the field, how could it be possible to open up the water inflow? ”

Li Hu nodded approvingly. Seeing this, Cao Ang said: "No matter what kind of hole it is, let's plug it first, such a thick hole is about to catch up with the bamboo that carries water." ”

Li Hu and the villager were busy digging soil to fill the hole, and rammed it several times with their fists to ensure that there was no more leakage.

At this moment, a frightened cry suddenly came from outside the ridge in the west.

"Long worm, such a big long worm." The voice was very immature, and it seemed to be a teenager.

Cao Ang's expressions changed slightly, and they didn't know if this long insect was poisonous, so they hurriedly ran over.

But I saw a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy in a coarse cloth robe running and jumping towards Cao Ang and the others, the young man was six feet tall, with red lips and white teeth, and fair skin, but the color of panic on his face was very strong.

"Where's the worm?" Li Hu intended to show his skills in front of Cao Ang, and asked first.

The young man pointed to the retreating ditch in the west, and said with trepidation: "Swam along the ditch." ”

Li Hu hurriedly ran over, broke a branch, and carefully stirred the weeds covering the ditch.

Cao Ang looked at the frightened young man and said, "Why did you run into the field alone, whose family are you?" ”

The villagers who reported the news also looked at the young man, looked at it for a moment, suddenly showed surprise, sighed, and said, "You are not from our Xiangyang Village?" ”

The panic on the young man's face gradually disappeared, and he faintly showed a touch of pride, straightened his clothes, and said, "I live on Atou Mountain, not from your village. ”

"What are you doing in our village when you live in the mountains?" The messenger villager muttered quietly, "What's your name?" ”

"My name is Zhuge Jun, and this place is not exclusive to your family, why can't I come?" Zhuge Jun rolled his eyes as he spoke.

The villagers who sent the letter glared at Zhuge Jun, very dissatisfied with his tone, but seeing that he was only a half-grown boy, it was not easy to compare with him, so he said with a little mockery at the moment: "What Zhu Gejun, it's hard to hear." "He didn't have any knowledge, and he didn't know that Zhuge was a compound surname.

Cao Ang smiled and said, "It turned out to be Little Brother Zhuge , I don't know why you are here alone?" ”

"You know our last name?" Zhuge Jun showed a touch of surprise on his face, looked at Cao Ang and said: "None of the villagers here know the surname Zhuge , I didn't expect you to know, what is your name?" ”

Cao Ang listened to it funny, but he bowed his hands seriously, and said: "In the lower Cao Xuan trough Ang." ”

"Belly, long also; Ang, high also. Zhuge Jun suddenly shook his head, and said with words in his mouth: "Your name has a beautiful meaning, in my opinion, Brother Cao is not a person here, how can a country man express words." ”

Cao Ang saw that he seemed to despise the common people, so he couldn't help frowning lightly and nodded shallowly. On the ground, Li Hu shouted loudly in the ditch to the west: "Sir, come and see." ”

Cao Ang looked up, thinking that Li Hu was in trouble, so he hurriedly ran over.

"Look, sir," Li Hu said with a branch to clear the weeds, pointing to the ditch, "there is water here!" Now that the weather is dry and dry, how can the water in the fields reced, and this ditch should have dried up. ”

Cao Ang understood what Li Hu meant and said, "The water in the field leaked here. ”

"Yes." Li Hu became a little excited, ran to the first section of the ditch, brushed away the weeds around him, searched along the water stains, and finally found a hidden bamboo tube.

The bamboo tube is hidden in the grass, and it is impossible to find it if you don't pay attention. Li Hu kicked his hands, picked up the grass, and walked in the direction where the bamboo tube was placed. After walking a few steps, he came to the ridge to the west of Zhang Qiang's field.

Li Hu grabbed the bamboo, pulled it twice, pulled it up, and saw that one end of the bamboo was inserted into a hole on the outside of the ridge, and there was clear water flowing out of the hole.

"Sir, this doesn't quite look like the water leaking in the field," Li Hu checked the bamboo in his hand, but looked at Zhuge Jun strangely, and said, "This seems to have been done by someone on purpose." ”