Chapter 27: What Accusation Are You Making?

The performance of the hand pump well—he had already tested it. While the water output wasn’t huge, its efficiency was impressive, making it a promising invention worth promoting. Now, he needed a more authoritative and professional evaluation to report it to higher authorities.

Just as Professor Chen was about to speak, the old village secretary of Zhoujiazhuang called out, “Yimin, come in quickly!”

Everyone turned to look outside, their gazes landing on the young man.

The young man standing beside Professor Chen felt a little envious. This kind of practical and innovative water pump—was actually invented by that guy? And he hadn’t even attended university?

“Old Secretary, Captain!” Zhou Yimin entered confidently, greeting everyone with equal composure.

The man leading the group inside, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, had a pen clipped to the pocket of his jacket, giving him an air of authority. He seemed to be someone important.

The old secretary’s face bloomed into a smile.

“Yimin, let me introduce you. This gentleman here is a high-ranking leader from the capital, and this is Professor Chen Yuliang…” The old secretary introduced several unfamiliar faces to Zhou Yimin.

Zhou Yimin shook hands with them, neither overly humble nor arrogant. “Nice to meet you…”

“I heard that Comrade Xiao Zhou works at a steel factory. Quite impressive for someone so young!” The high-ranking leader was the first to express his approval.

Professor Chen Yuliang also nodded with a smile. “Indeed! To invent such an effective water pump well—this has significant importance in alleviating drought conditions in rural areas.”

Zhou Yimin quickly waved his hand. “Leader, Professor Chen, you flatter me. I didn’t invent the hand pump well.”

The brigade captain and old secretary panicked.

The Zhongshan-suited man and Professor Chen both looked surprised.

You didn’t invent it?

Just now, both the brigade captain and the old secretary of Zhoujiazhuang had said that he invented it. If that turned out to be false, this could become a serious issue.

The young man beside Professor Chen felt a surge of satisfaction and looked at the old secretary with a stern expression. “Falsifying the identity of an inventor? That’s a serious ideological issue.”

The old secretary and brigade captain’s faces turned pale.

Zhou Yimin turned to look at the guy. From the moment he entered, he had sensed this person’s subtle hostility.

“What accusation are you making?” Zhou Yimin demanded bluntly.

Professor Chen’s face darkened, and he sternly addressed his student. “Xiao Jiang, watch your words.”

The leader in the Zhongshan suit chuckled. “Let’s hear what Comrade Xiao Zhou has to say first. No need to argue.”

The old secretary and brigade captain immediately breathed a sigh of relief and cast disapproving glances at the young man.

That guy’s face turned beet-red with embarrassment, and his resentment toward Zhou Yimin deepened.

Zhou Yimin glanced at him but didn’t bother to take him seriously. People like this—arrogant, all talk but no real ability—could only stew in jealousy over others’ talents. They were the most useless.

Turning back to the leader, Zhou Yimin explained, “Actually, hand pump wells have existed in China since the Song Dynasty. However, the ancient version differs from the one I built, although the underlying principle remains the same.

I happened to come across some historical records about them in a book, and since I found the concept interesting, I experimented with it and made improvements. That’s how the well you see now was developed.”

Now everything was clear.

Rather than diminishing his achievement, Professor Chen Yuliang found Zhou Yimin even more admirable.

Zhou Yimin had come prepared. He took out the blueprints he had drawn earlier. “Here, take a look—this is my redesigned version…”

His explanation included some technical details, such as standard atmospheric pressure, groundwater levels, and even supporting data, which he analyzed one by one.

“Comrade Xiao Zhou, you’re truly a genius! It’s a waste for you to be stuck in a steel factory. Why not come to our university for further studies?” Professor Chen immediately showed his appreciation for talent.

Zhou Yimin shook his head without hesitation. “I appreciate your kindness, Professor Chen, but I’m quite satisfied with my current work and life. University isn’t for me.”

Going to university would actually get in the way of his material trading and store upgrades.

Besides, he didn’t feel the need to pretend—he had never been a fan of studying or exams.

Professor Chen was a bit disappointed but didn’t push further. Everyone has their own aspirations.

Then, the “high-ranking leader” also spoke.

“While it’s true that the hand pump well existed in the Song Dynasty, Comrade Xiao Zhou, your contributions are undeniable! Discovering it in ancient records and improving upon it—that’s still your achievement.”

With those words, he officially affirmed Zhou Yimin’s credit.

His contributions were now undeniable.

After that, the leader discussed the large-scale drilling of hand pump wells and the utilization of groundwater. He listened to Zhou Yimin’s opinions and combined them with Professor Chen’s analysis, forming a clear plan in his mind.

He didn’t linger any longer—he needed to return to the city as soon as possible to report to the ministry.

The drought situation was severe, and there was no time to waste.

Professor Chen also left an address for Zhou Yimin, telling him to visit anytime if he ever changed his mind.

As for his student, Jiang? It was likely that Professor Chen would keep his distance from him in the future. He disliked that kind of person the most.

“Alright! Safe travels, Professor Chen.”

Watching Jiang’s departing figure, the brigade captain spat on the ground. “Damn it! He’d better not show his face in Zhoujiazhuang again. If I see him, I’ll give him a beating.”

The old secretary nodded.

That had been a close call.

“Old Secretary, I’ve already asked the master craftsmen at the factory to manufacture the hand pump well components. It should take about two days,” Zhou Yimin informed them.

“Good! I’ll have Dafu and the others go to the city to bring them back.”

There was no need to trouble Zhou Yimin with such heavy labor.

“Yimin, thank you!” the brigade captain added.

Without Zhou Yimin, their village might have been facing starvation. There was still a long time until the next harvest, and they had no idea how they would have survived.

Zhou Yimin pulled out a cigarette, handing one to each person present. “Captain, I’m also a Zhoujiazhuang villager.”

“Exactly!” The brigade captain and the others beamed.

Many people who moved to the city stopped associating with their rural hometowns, especially avoiding poor relatives. But Zhou Yimin hadn’t done that—he actively helped his fellow villagers however he could.

“Alright, I need to go. My house construction is keeping me busy!” Zhou Yimin prepared to leave.

“Got it! If you need help, just ask. No need to be polite with us.”

Watching Zhou Yimin walk away, the old secretary turned serious and addressed everyone present. “I don’t want to hear anyone in the village talking behind Yimin’s back. If I find out, there will be consequences!”

“Don’t worry, Secretary! Even if Yimin’s family were eating dragon meat, we wouldn’t be jealous.”

“Yeah! His uncle has shared plenty of good food with my boy.”

…

As soon as Zhou Yimin arrived home, he saw Zhou Dachun carrying wooden planks over.

The old man gave instructions, “Put them here, right here! Stack them properly.”

(End of chapter)