Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 151 Extra Yun Zhao (5)

Some people have passed away, but those who are alive must continue to live well. After five days of repairs, the dam still needs to be repaired, and the finishing work must continue.

Five days later, the villagers were arguing fiercely about who should take charge of the dam repair work. A group of people gathered under a big tree at the entrance of the village and sat in a circle, while a circle of villagers stood outside.

“Engineer Chen, only you can do this. We’re just roughnecks, how would we know how to read blueprints?” A burly middle-aged man paced back and forth, pointing at Engineer Chen as he spoke.

"Yes, yes," the crowd echoed.

Engineer Chen squatted on a large rock, puffing on his pipe, his brow furrowed with worry: "It's not that I don't want to take this job, it's that I really can't. These drawings were personally drawn by Master Meng. To be honest, we only discussed the first draft of many details. I didn't participate in the final draft. If there are any discrepancies, how can I bear the responsibility? Engineer Wang, why don't you take it? You're young and strong, and you're knowledgeable."

"I'm okay as an assistant..." Engineer Wang looked troubled, pulling out a handful of his hair, which he had already ruffled into a bird's nest.

“I recognize these blueprints!” A clear voice rang out from behind the crowd. The newcomer was a woman, her hair piled high like a married woman's, adorned with a white flower. She had a beautiful face, and a gleaming golden bell hung from her waist. Who else could it be but Yun Zhao?
When the crowd saw her arrive, they were somewhat surprised, but they still made way for her. Yun Zhao walked through the crowd and came to the big rock. She looked around at everyone and said with a firm look in her eyes, "This blueprint was the final draft that Brother Meng and I drew together. After it was finished, there were five copies. So, Lord Meng and I each drew several more copies. I know the details best."

"That's great!" cheers erupted from the crowd, and some people's tense faces relaxed completely.

“But she’s just a woman! Who knows if she’s just bragging?” Some people in the crowd questioned, their eyes filled with disdain and doubt.

It's normal to have different opinions. You can't win people's respect just by talking.

However, Ma Yuan was still so angry that he stood up and wanted to beat that person up, but was stopped by the others.

Yun Zhao didn't care and simply said, "Whether you're a man or a woman, the priority now is to repair this dam and benefit the people. It's normal that you don't trust me. I can discuss with the foremen and explain the details and core aspects of the blueprints. If they really don't want me to participate, that's fine too. The foremen can all take charge."

The foremen looked at each other, none of them daring to make a decision. Finally, the eldest foreman, Chen, made the decision: "Alright! Then I'll take the lead. Let's go to the council hall tomorrow to hear Miss Yun's opinion before making a decision!"

Everyone nodded. In truth, they had no other choice; the die was cast.

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As the sun set and darkness fell, Ma Yuan and several of his underlings waited anxiously at the entrance of the council hall. One of them spoke up, his voice filled with impatience: "We've been inside for almost a day now, why haven't we finished talking yet?"

"What's your rush? With Miss Yun's abilities, you don't trust her? Others may not know, but we do!" another henchman said. Although he said that, he was actually not sure himself. Who knew if those old stubborn guys would make things difficult for Miss Yun?

"Can you all shut up already!" Ma Yuan stood up, shook his sore legs, picked at his ear with his right pinky, and cursed, "It's so noisy!"

The underlings all fell silent.

After a while...

"Why aren't you all saying anything? Have you all become mute?" Ma Yuan yelled again. The henchmen exchanged glances, not daring to retort: ​​"..."

The door finally creaked open, and several old foremen bowed to Miss Yun before leaving.

Ma Yuan looked at Miss Yun with anticipation, but he didn't dare to ask. He rubbed his hands anxiously, wanting to laugh but not daring to.

Miss Yun looked around at everyone with a stern face and her brows furrowed.

Ma Yuan inwardly realized the situation was bad, but he tried to comfort her, saying, "Sister Yun Zhao, we can't rush this. When those old fogies really can't continue their cultivation, they'll naturally come looking for you. They're just blind to your worth..."

Yun Zhao chuckled and said, "It's done! Engineer Chen and the others said that once the dam construction starts, I'll go to the dam to supervise the work. However, I can't take on all the responsibility myself; I need to discuss everything with the foremen."

Everyone cheered!

"I said, there will be no problem!"

"I know it too!"

"You think you're so capable!"

The teenagers started chattering amongst themselves, but Ma Yuan, though smiling on the surface, felt uneasy inside.

From that day on, Yun Zhao became exceptionally busy, as if she didn't want to stop. From that day on, she stopped mentioning her Brother Meng, and naturally, no one dared to mention him in front of her. Life went on, seemingly unchanged, yet everything had changed. She still loved to laugh, but even when she laughed, there was a faint sadness in her eyes.

After the dam was completed, the people spontaneously erected a monument at one end of the dam, which was engraved with the names of the craftsmen who contributed to the dam. Their efforts will be remembered by the people for generations to come.

"Brother Meng, did you see it?" Yun Zhao's hand brushed over Meng Yong's name on the stone tablet, and she murmured softly. She smiled, but her eyes were wet.

No one answered; only the sound of flowing water did.

The babbling water flows through the dam and is distributed to the fields, turning the wasteland into fertile land, and giving the people of Taoyuan Town a place to settle down and make a living!
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Yun Zhao tidied herself up; her hair, already gray, was meticulously combed, and she smoothed out every wrinkle in her clothes. Then, Yun Zhao lay down on the bed, her hands resting on her lower abdomen. She knew in her heart that her time was near; so many years of hard work had severely depleted her body. She had persisted because she wanted to wait for someone to return; now, she knew he would never come back, never again…

He's been waiting far too long on the road to the underworld. He wonders if Brother Meng will still recognize him in this state, or if Brother Meng has already drunk the Meng Po soup…

Yun Zhao closed her eyes and dreamed that a man was waiting for her in front of a bridge. She ran forward quickly, and the two finally held hands, their fingers intertwined, and walked together, the sound of bells fading into the distance…

Suddenly, a fierce wind arose outside, and the sound of the wind chimes on the veranda, combined with the torrential rain, created a deafening noise. Inside, however, there was a deathly silence.

Meanwhile, the river water was churning and the torrential rain had washed away the stone tablet that stood beside the dam, revealing the words that had been covered by mud. Next to "Meng Yong" were two more words: "Yun Zhao".