allonlinenovel Chapter 175 City Wall
Chapter 175 City Wall
Upon hearing this news, Hongye's expression tightened, and he quickly turned to look at Gu Jinyan.
Upon hearing this, Gu Jinyan struggled to sit up, a hint of anxiety flashing in her eyes. She propped herself up, her face pale, but her expression resolute: "Is there a problem with the city wall?"
What did Foreman Zhang say? Is the situation serious? Although her voice was weak, her tone still carried an undeniable sternness.
Hongye quickly helped her up and whispered, "Miss, you've only just recovered, it's not good for you to overexert yourself. Let the foremen handle it first, and they can inform you when they can't solve it."
Gu Jinyan shook his head, gently pushed away Hongye's hand, and struggled to sit up in bed.
He muttered to himself, "No, if the city walls are not stable, the people's situation will be even more difficult if the rainy season comes again."
She took a deep breath, struggled to get out of bed, shakily put on her coat, and walked towards the door.
Seeing this, Hongye was so anxious that she almost burst into tears. She quickly stopped her, saying, "Miss, you are weak right now. Going to the construction site will only make things harder for you. Let me go and take a look. I will report back to you immediately if there are any problems."
Gu Jinyan fell silent for a moment, looking at the loyal Hongye with a touch of emotion on her face.
She knew that Hongye was worried about her, and she also knew that her current physical condition was simply not good enough to support long hours of work.
However, thinking of the people in the city, Gu Jinyan felt a surge of responsibility, and finally she sighed softly.
He nodded and said, "Alright, Hongye, go check on the situation for me. Remember to ask clearly and make sure all the support points are secure."
Hongye replied firmly, "Miss, please rest assured, I will definitely report the situation in detail."
After saying that, she hurriedly put on her cloak, picked up her lantern, and quickly walked out of the room, braving the cold wind as she ran towards the construction site.
The night outside was still thick, the starlight twinkled faintly, and the houses on both sides of the street appeared particularly quiet in the dim light.
Holding a lantern in one hand and gripping her cloak tightly in the other, Hongye strode swiftly across the gravel-strewn streets toward the city walls.
She was anxious, constantly thinking about what to do if something really went wrong.
The cold wind made her cheeks slightly red, but she did not back down.
When they arrived at the construction site, Foreman Zhang and several workers were busy reinforcing a section of the city wall. When they saw Hongye running towards them, they immediately went to greet him.
He said respectfully, "Miss Hongye, I'm sorry to have troubled you to make this trip."
We initially thought we could handle it, but in some areas the foundation is severely loose, and we're afraid there will be hidden dangers if we don't reinforce it soon.
Hongye hurriedly asked, "Foreman Zhang, how exactly did the foundation become loose? The rainy season isn't completely over yet. If there's another heavy rain, we can't let the wall collapse again."
Foreman Zhang nodded and said, "That's right. A few days ago, when we were reinforcing the city wall, we used some sand and gravel mixed with soil to fill the foundation."
Although the foundation is stable in the short term, the heavy rain washed away some silt, causing instability in the ground.
He pointed to a corner of the construction site, where the wall was slightly tilted and several craftsmen were using thick timbers to support it, ensuring that the wall would not collapse.
Hongye frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "In that case, let's switch to pure sand and gravel, and then use wooden piles to support the bottom layer."
Then a stabilizing layer of bricks is added to ensure the foundation is no longer affected by waterlogging.
After saying that, she stepped forward and personally inspected the loose foundation. She touched the ground to check its moisture level and confirmed that what Foreman Zhang had said was true.
My worries about Gu Jinyan grew even stronger.
She explained the specific treatment method to the craftsmen, and then carefully instructed them: "Foreman Zhang, you must reinforce all the foundations again as Miss instructed, especially the areas that have been severely eroded by rainwater."
The young lady is in poor health, and upon hearing of the urgency of the situation, she sent me personally to investigate and ensure that there are no further oversights this time.
After listening, Foreman Zhang nodded and said, "Don't worry, Miss Hongye, we will definitely live up to our mission."
After confirming everything, Hongye finally put aside her worries and turned back to Gu Jinyan's residence.
Along the way, she pondered how to explain the situation at the construction site to the young lady in a way that would neither make her too worried nor too reassured her.
When Gu Jinyan returned to his room, he was still awake, leaning against the headboard with his eyes fixed intently on the door.
Seeing Hongye push the door open and enter, her expression tightened, and she immediately asked, "Hongye, how is the construction site? Are there any potential problems?"
Hongye smiled slightly, walked to her bedside, and said softly, "Miss, don't worry, Foreman Zhang has already made all the arrangements."
As you instructed, the foundation has been reinforced, filled with pure sand and gravel, and supported with wooden piles. For the time being, there should be no further loosening issues.
Upon hearing Hongye's report, Gu Jinyan's tense expression gradually eased, and he nodded gently: "That's good, thank you very much, Hongye."
If you hadn't gone to the trouble of doing this for me today, I'm afraid I would have been worried and uneasy all along.
Hongye said gently, "Miss, please rest assured, we will be patrolling frequently these days, and we will report to you immediately if there is any situation."
Your health is the most important thing right now. The people of Hersha City are all hoping for your speedy recovery so you can continue to lead them.
Gu Jinyan closed his eyes wearily, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
The people had high hopes for her and were aware of the care and support from people like Hongye.
She took a deep breath and said slowly, "Red Page, I always thought I could bear all the responsibilities, but now it seems that without you, I would not be able to get through this alone."
Hongye looked at her, her eyes full of tenderness and determination: "Miss, you have been kind to us, and it is our honor to accompany you through this difficult time."
Please rest assured, with us here, Hersha City will be safe.
Gu Jinyan nodded slowly, finally relaxing with Hongye by his side.
She lay in bed, feeling an unprecedented sense of ease, and gradually drifted into a deep sleep.
In the following days, Hongye took meticulous care of Gu Jinyan's daily life, and the foremen also consciously worked harder to handle the affairs of the construction site.
Whenever there was even a small progress, Foreman Zhang would send someone to relay a message, reporting in detail to reassure Gu Jinyan.
When the people learned that she had fallen ill, they prepared medicinal soup and brought her fresh food, praying for her speedy recovery.
During this period, a warm tacit understanding seemed to have formed throughout the entire city of Hersha.
Everyone tacitly shouldered their respective responsibilities and together they supported this homeland after its suffering.
Gu Jinyan gradually recovered, and his complexion became much rosier.
Although this illness forced her to temporarily leave the construction site, it also allowed her to witness the loyalty and enthusiasm of the people around her, further strengthening her resolve to continue leading everyone through the difficulties.
She decided to focus more on division of labor and collaboration after her recovery, so that everyone could find their own value in the reconstruction process, instead of carrying all the responsibility alone.
After recovering from her illness, Gu Jinyan stood on the construction site again, facing the rising sun. She gazed into the distance with deep eyes, as if she could already see the prosperous scene after the reconstruction of Hesha City.
When the people saw her return, they cheered and jumped for joy, and everyone's face was filled with renewed hope and confidence.
Gradually, the people's trust in Gujinyan grew day by day.
No matter what kind of work you do, as long as you put in the effort, you will receive the corresponding reward.
The atmosphere in the entire city of Hersha gradually became more positive and uplifting.
Every day, under the foreman's guidance, the villagers registered their attendance and were assigned tasks in an orderly manner.
The morning sun shone on the ruins of Hesha City. Under the command of Gu Jinyan, the people worked in the city, each one working diligently, moving, repairing, and cleaning. The city was bustling with activity.
Sweat dripped from their foreheads; in this era without fixed working hours, labor had become their common way of survival.
The distribution system established by Gu Jinyan gave the people a sense of security, and in the midst of their long days of labor, they also found a touch of warmth in the intervals.
A middle-aged man put down the stone he was holding and sat down on a rock nearby, panting heavily.
He looked up at his neighbors and friends who were also working not far away, and called out with a smile, "Brother Wang, come and take a rest! Working like this all day long, your body is going to break down."
The man called Brother Wang Er carried a thick wooden beam over, wiped the sweat from his forehead, put down the heavy object in his hand, and sat down next to him.
He sighed, laughing between breaths, "We've really become laborers these days; it's been years since we've done this."
Both of them laughed, and the woman next to them also came over and smiled, "You two have been doing a lot of work, but you always liked to shirk your duties in the past. Now you've become more conscientious."
This remark drew laughter from those around him, instantly lightening the atmosphere considerably.
During breaks from work, everyone would sit together in small groups, wipe away their sweat, and chat about everyday things.
The men talked about how naughty their sons were, while the women talked about the fruits and vegetables that had recently grown in the garden.
Some elderly people sat quietly to the side, wiping their sun-baked hands with their sleeves, and listened with smiles as the young people told them their interesting stories.
"Have you heard? Last night, Old Zhang dreamt that our Hesha City was restored to its former glory, bustling with activity as before, and you could even hear the vendors hawking their wares!"
A young man excitedly chimed in.
He gestured and described it vividly, as if he had seen it with his own eyes.
Everyone laughed and agreed, with one person joking, "That's because Old Zhang really wanted to eat fried cakes; he was so hungry at night that he dreamed about them."
Laughter echoed through the ruins, dispelling the scorching sun overhead.
Brother Wang also laughed and sighed, "I hope we can all see that day again. This ruin is destroyed, but people's hearts are still there. As long as we are united, we can overcome any hardship."
These words drew nods of agreement from everyone.
Just then, a boy next to them spoke up rather shyly: "My mother said the other day that once our city is built and the vegetable market opens, she insists on setting up a vegetable stall there."
She said her family's side dishes were the best, and that their business would definitely boom. His words, though naive, revealed his anticipation for the future.
“Great! I’ll be the first to support your mother’s stall!” an older woman immediately replied.
It felt as if I could really see that day coming.
The boy smiled shyly, his face showing a mixture of anticipation and pride.
Suddenly, a chattering sound came from afar.
Everyone turned around and saw several women carrying a bucket of clean water. They placed the water on the open ground and waved to everyone, saying, "Come, come, take a rest. Drink some water while it's hot to soothe your throats!"
Everyone gathered around, taking turns scooping water to drink, the cool well water entering their mouths.
Everyone exclaimed, "This water is so sweet and refreshing!" A woman smiled and said, "My son fetched this water from a well far away so that everyone could quench their thirst."
This child is usually the most mischievous, but today he's been surprisingly well-behaved.
Everyone praised the boy for being sensible, and several older men joked, "Once this city is built, we'll have to make a big red flower for this kid!"
The woman smiled shyly, then turned away and quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
In the afternoon, as the scorching sun subsided slightly, everyone returned to their work.
As time went on, heavy and moderate physical labor gradually decreased, and more people began to repair the city walls and pave the streets.
The elderly and children also began to help clear the lighter rubble and stones, trying their best to share some of the work.