Chapter 741: New Spring Eyes

Under Che's direction, the group quickly began to act. They used iron shovels to dig away the mud on the mudflat bit by bit, then tossed it onto the small slopes on either side. The layer of mud was not very thick, but in order to finish it once and for all, they decided to dig it out thoroughly in one go.

With so many people, the work proceeded quickly. Moreover, that stretch of mudflat was not very large, and they did not need to dig up the entire area; they only needed to clear the path where the water flow had to pass, digging until the ground beneath their feet became relatively hard, which would mark the completion.

By the time they slowly dug near the spring, there was already a murmuring flow of water in the areas they had excavated. Because of the accumulation of silt, the water at the spring mouth could only flow out once it had submerged the spring's edge.

Thus, Che personally took the first shovel, opening a large mouth for the spring. This spring, which could not be considered too large, saw its water begin to flow out rapidly.

By this time, everyone had long since stopped caring whether the water would soak them; their legs were already covered in mud anyway. So, the group also joined in, digging away all the silt around the entire spring edge. This was equivalent to a spring with a tiny dam, and the water level was dropping rapidly.

This spring was truly tiny, not even as large as a Fish Pond in Huaxia. They worked without any pressure. Once all the silt at the edge of the dam was cleared, the accumulated water in the spring had basically drained away. They could see that the spring eye was still continuously gushing water, and the flow was clear.

As for the water just flowing out from the spring eye, there was no need to worry about hygiene issues; some impurities and insects could not get in, and there was no chance of any dead animal carcasses polluting the water source inside.

However, since they were still some distance from the spring eye, they first had to dig away all the silt here, clear out all the water Grass and such, as well as the tadpoles that would die from dryness because the water was gone.

What surprised Che was that it seemed there were always tadpoles in the water here. Although there would be more in the Spring, they existed now as well. It was as if the toads here were breeding regardless of the season. He did not understand why this was, and he was not a person who studied such things.

As for whether the tadpoles buried in the mud would die, he did not care at all. They had already bred so many; what did it matter if some died? Toads were everywhere here, and there was no shortage of them.

When the silt was half-cleared, what made everyone feel somewhat excited was that there was more than one spring eye. Although these waters surely came from the same water vein, an extra spring eye meant a greater water output. Judging by the terrain here, this spring had surely been flowing for who knows how many years. Perhaps when the rainy season arrived, rainwater would also mix in here, flowing down along that small valley, and over the years, it had carved out such an increasingly deep valley.

Of course, Che did not care how the valley was formed. He only knew that this spring here would inevitably be a relatively stable water source, the kind that would not dry up even if it flowed for another few decades. Moreover, since this spring was at such a high location and could still have such a large volume of water, then the location they chose for Xiao Town, which was at a lower elevation, should be even easier to dig water from.

However, if he looked at the dried-up salt lake nearby, he naturally would not hold high hopes for the water quality at their location. There was a high probability that they would dig up salt water. It might be drinkable, but the taste certainly would not be good. The well water in Huaxia City was like that; the salinity of well water in different locations varied slightly. Some were barely drinkable, while others were directly bitter. Unless one used heavy oil or other seasonings to mask the bitterness, the food made with it was barely edible.

The well water in Huaxia City could only be used to feed livestock. However, livestock were very fond of water containing various minerals and salts, so there was no need for them to add extra salt.

The well water in Lema City was much better. They did not need to dig water cellars; in the Summer, they naturally had water from the Dahe to use, and in the Winter, they drank well water. Their well water could not be called sweet, but the salty taste was very faint, making it excellent drinking water.

They had already drunk the water from this spring; it was slightly salty, and as drinking water, it was perfectly fine. As for comparing it to the spring water that bubbled out from the crevices of mountain rocks, it was still incomparable.

In order not to affect the construction, they could only first block the excavated spring eyes with mud, then continue digging inward until they reached the deepest part, the location of the largest spring eye.

All the silt within sight had been dug away. Beneath their feet was a layer of sandy soil. The upper layer of that silt was brown, and the lower layer was pitch black, carrying a foul odor. Fortunately, it was not very strong. This silt was excellent fertile soil, but unfortunately, it was of no use in this place and could only benefit those weeds.

Both spring eyes were opened. If one stood at the outlet, the spring water could submerge their feet. The water volume was still quite considerable, but Che was still not satisfied. So, he asked the group to put down their tools and go find some stones. He wanted to pave a layer of stones under this spring, and after expanding the two spring eyes, he wanted to enclose them with stones so that they would not be blocked by silt.

The land here was a mixture of soil and stone, so finding stones was not a difficult task. Thus, everyone hurriedly put down the tools in their hands and searched around. Before long, they all came back carrying piles of stones, but it was still far from enough, so they continued to search.

Che selected some stones of moderate size, then used a shovel to dig down at the spring eye. Soon, he had expanded the spring eye, and the water volume indeed increased significantly, just as he had expected.

They were all standing barefoot in the water now. If leather boots were soaked in water for too long, they might deform and start to stink. The value of a pair of leather boots was higher than a full set of clothes even in Huaxia.

The Laborers did not care. Most of them were barefoot, and the soles of their feet were covered in thick, dead calluses. They did not feel much when stepping on stones, and it was very difficult for small thorns to pierce through their foot skin and into the flesh.

Once upon a time, Che's soles were like that too. But slowly, the calluses on his soles gradually disappeared, transforming into something as smooth and tender as a child's. Even a tiny pebble would make him feel pain.

Because everyone's feet were soaking in the water, Che did not have many thoughts about his own feet. However, he felt somewhat disgusted by the water that had been soaked by the cracked, old soles of these people from the Xuanyuan Tribe. Fortunately, by the time they returned, the water flowing through the Battalion should be fresh water, without these people's foot-washing water.

As for whether the people still in the Battalion would drink it, he did not know. The people of the Xuanyuan Tribe probably would not mind. He only hoped that his own people would not drink it after seeing the water turn murky.