Chapter 310: Discovering an Underground River

Early one morning, as Zhou Yimin lifted his quilt, a gust of cold wind swept in, causing him to shiver involuntarily. Winter was coming. He quickly took out thicker clothes and put them on.

Suddenly, he thought of something and immediately entered a virtual store to browse the selection for 1 yuan items. Today’s offerings included 100 pounds of millet, 100 pounds of snow clam oil, 100 squabs, and 100 pounds of cotton.

Millet was familiar, as Zhou Yimin had eaten it before. Snow clam oil was a great product! Snow clams, also known as forest frogs, are a unique primitive species found in China’s Changbai Mountain region. The harsh winter environment endows snow clams with extraordinary vitality, earning them the nickname “champion of vitality” in nature. Moreover, the snow clam’s entire body is valuable, with high medicinal properties. Snow clam oil is its essence, a pure, natural green product that serves as food, medicine, and supplement.

Squabs, or young pigeons, are also excellent. Not many people know that pigeons are altricial birds, whose hatchlings can’t open their eyes, walk, or feed independently, relying entirely on parent pigeons for survival. Their ability to regulate body temperature and resist disease is poor, making this the most perilous time in a pigeon’s life. On the bright side, squab meat is thick, tender, and nourishing; rich in protein and trace inorganic salts, it’s a rare culinary delicacy.

As for cotton, with this addition, Zhou Yimin had accumulated 500 pounds. With the weather getting colder, it was time to make some warm quilts for his grandparents.

“Yimin, your grandma boiled hot water for you to brush your teeth and wash your face with,” Grandma was busy in the kitchen. The elderly always wake up early; every time, Grandpa and Grandma had already risen before Zhou Yimin.

“Okay!” Zhou Yimin responded.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, Zhou Yimin began having breakfast, which included eggs and large steamed buns.

“Grandma, does anyone in our village still fluff cotton? I’m planning to get some cotton to make quilts and winter clothes for you,” Zhou Yimin asked while eating.

Fluffing cotton is a traditional Chinese craft aimed at making cotton softer and easier to use. This craft has existed since at least the Yuan Dynasty, and there are still people practicing it. In the past, many poor farmers and craftsmen lived a precarious life, earning a living through the laborious process of fluffing cotton, commonly known as “cotton fluffing workmen.”

After seeds are removed from cotton, it’s fluffed using strings and bows, progressing to quilting and making cotton clothes. The tools for fluffing include a large wooden bow with cow tendon strings, wooden combs, shovels, and grinding stones.

During fluffing, the string is repeatedly struck with wooden mallets, loosening and softening the cotton until two people can stretch it, weaving fibers into a net to stabilize the cotton. After finishing the gauze netting, it is pressed and ground flat with wooden disks, making it firm and durable.

“Your fifth uncle used to fluff cotton, you can go to him. But it’s hard to get good cotton now!” Grandma placed peeled eggs into her grandson’s bowl.

In her eyes, Zhou Yimin was still a child.

Fifth uncle? Zhou Yimin was stunned and then recalled an old man he knew. Speechless.

“If you manage to get cotton, make quilts for your city relatives first. We can warm the bed here; we won’t be cold,” Grandpa suggested.

These days, bed warming and stoves were the primary heating methods in northern China, and anyone must know how to warm a bed, lest they suffer from the cold.

When they previously renovated the house, the bed was reinforced; the surface was smooth and solid, and the seams tightly joined. Quality beds were well-designed, durable, easy to fuel, exhaust smoothly, and offered high safety, with clean walls and low maintenance costs.

“Grandpa, don’t worry! It’s comfortable in the city. You’ll see when you and Grandma visit for a few days,” Zhou Yimin reassured them.

“That’s good, that’s good!”

Unless it was absolutely necessary, they preferred not to bother their grandson by visiting the city.

After breakfast, Zhou Yimin headed to the reservoir construction site.

By this point, the reservoir was nearly complete, with a dam standing at the mouth of the valley. Another month’s work might see it finished. It should be completed before the earth froze.

Beside the dam was a small hydropower station. They simply awaited rain and snow to fill the reservoir.

Suddenly, a loud “boom” rumbled in the distance, signaling that explosives had been detonated on that side. Such sounds had been familiar in Zhou Family Village nearly every day recently.

The stones dislodged by the explosion were shaped into rectangular blocks.

Those were the primary materials for constructing the dam body.

Construction during these times rarely used steel reinforcement, yet was incredibly solid and reliable. Any shoddy work could lead to serious consequences.

Next, there was a commotion from that side. Zhou Yimin’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurried over, silently praying: please, don’t let anyone be hurt.

“What happened?” the old secretary walked over to inquire.

“Yimin’s here, make way for him!” shouted those who saw the old secretary and Zhou Yimin approaching.

Old Secretary: “…”

Are you all blinded by Yimin?

“What happened?” Zhou Yimin asked the same question as the old secretary.

“Water burst forth,” someone replied.

Hmm?

As the old secretary and Zhou Yimin approached, they saw water gushing from the opening. Everyone was delighted to see water emerging.

At present, many parts of the country faced varying degrees of drought, especially the northern regions, making them acutely aware of the preciousness of water resources. Striking a spring was cause for celebration, even if it wasn’t a large one.

“Just a little, if only …” the person hadn’t finished speaking when suddenly water gushed dramatically from the spring opening, forming a fountain several meters high, startling everyone present.

They were dumbfounded.

“Did we hit an underground river?” Zhou Yimin speculated.

He believed this was the most likely scenario.

This wasn’t just simple groundwater; it was most likely an underground river.

An underground river is characterized by water flow that exhibits the main traits of a river, and is formed by karst processes in large areas of limestone, having specific geological formations and fissures. They can differ in shape, including dendritic, zigzagging, linear, and network forms.

Each underground river has its own supply and drainage channels. Multiple separate rivers can develop within the same aquifer. Large underground rivers can form extensive systems, with watershed areas exceeding 1000 km.

“An underground river? Can it be expanded? It’d be perfect for filling the reservoir,” someone asked.

If possible, Zhou Family Village would never face a water shortage again.

Residents of Shuangtian Village, nearby, were envious. A reliable water source right at completion? It was like sending a pillow along with a nap!

(End of the Chapter)