Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 561: Taking Money Back to the Village

The official from Kaifeng Prefecture had never seen such a water canal; it was simply like having dug a new river channel.

Nonetheless, whatever the method, as long as it allowed the common people access to water, it was a good method.

The official from Kaifeng Prefecture went a bit further in, and indeed the river had slowed down considerably, and if one didn’t look closely, they wouldn’t be able to tell that the water was flowing at all.

Because the river flowed slowly, a large amount of the Yellow River’s silt and soil had settled down to become the riverbed, making the water much clearer, and it grew clearer the further it went.

This was also why the slower river made it much more convenient for the villagers to fetch water.

And because of the nourishment from the river water, the nearby soil was no longer arid.

"No matter what method you used, the village has transformed in this way, and you have contributed greatly to this," said the official from Kaifeng Prefecture.

"However, there is no need for the canal to be so wide and deep, and it’s normal that you did not know this. If we applied the methods from the government, perhaps building the canal could have been faster, but by connecting two rivers like you did, although it’s less efficient, it’s much safer and more effective."

The words of the official from Kaifeng Prefecture were not flattery intended to please Tian Peng; he was speaking the truth.

Building a canal was merely to make it convenient for people to water their fields and drink, while nourishing the surrounding environment with a river was very labor-intensive and time-consuming, but it was also the best method.

In this case, Tian Peng had inadvertently achieved the best outcome.

"Is that so?" Tian Peng scratched his head, feeling somewhat shy from such sincere praise.

He felt the excitement of a younger person being praised by an elder.

"Well then, sir, I will first distribute the Silver Taels that His Majesty gave me to the able-bodied men; having so much silver on me makes me uneasy," said Tian Peng.

Although at present, being in charge of just a few hundred Silver Taels with so many elite guards was not a big deal, since Tian Peng mentioned it, they decided to proceed as he suggested.

Tian Peng walked to the front of his house and took out a list that was hidden in an inconspicuous place, and then he searched for each person on the list.

"Take this list, call all the people on it over here, and tell them I have returned from reporting to the authorities," Tian Peng said to the man.

This man was the fastest runner in the village and had been there during the canal construction. Tian Peng didn’t know the addresses of those men, so he could only rely on others to call them one by one.

While he was away calling them, Tian Peng invited the official from Kaifeng Prefecture to sit inside his house.

The official from Kaifeng Prefecture looked at the shabby little courtyard with some surprise.

The young man had always told him that his family was fairly well-off, so how come he lived in such a rundown house?

Noticing the official’s gaze, Tian Peng understood what he was thinking and explained, "Well, I don’t really care much for these external things. As long as I have a house that can shelter me from the wind and rain, it’s enough. As for money, I spend it on food; otherwise, I couldn’t grow to look like this, right, sir?"

His last sentence was said in jest, but the official from Kaifeng Prefecture took it seriously.

Mainly because the house was too dilapidated, and with that broken window, not just Tian Peng, but anyone standing in such a house claiming that their family was prosperous would not be believed by anyone.

Seeing the expression on the official’s face, Tian Peng knew that he had taken his words at face value, felt a bit embarrassed, and coughed twice before saying, "Please have a seat here, sir. I will pour you a cup of water."

After all, this was his home, and even if not offering tea to a guest was forgivable, one should at least offer a glass of water.

"There’s no need, just sit down," said the official from Kaifeng Prefecture.

Seeing the bare room, and the fact that Tian Peng had not lived here for a long time—the official had hesitated to sit until a guard wiped the table clean for him—he doubted if there was water available, let alone a container to hold it.

Tian Peng searched around the room but found nothing.

Suddenly, he remembered that the cup for drinking water was outside. He went to the water jar outside and prepared to scoop out some water when he realized that the jar was empty, and even the ladle to scoop water was nowhere to be found.

Tian Peng scratched his head. At first, he thought the official from Kaifeng Prefecture was a bit stubborn, making a big deal out of a casual joke.

Now, he completely believed. It was not that the official from Kaifeng Prefecture was stubborn, but in his eyes, this was the impression he had of Tian Peng.

After searching outside and not finding any water or a cup to hold it, just as he was about to borrow some water from a neighbor, Li Wu arrived with other men.

"Brother Zhu, have you returned?!"

While saying this, Li Wu glanced over the several dozen elite soldiers standing outside with stern expressions, who didn’t even blink an eye when they saw someone approaching.

Seeing these soldiers, Li Wu realized what it meant and asked excitedly, "Brother Zhu, have you really reported to the officials, and even brought soldiers with you?"

"What do you mean ’really’?" Tian Peng was somewhat dissatisfied with how the other regarded him, "I said I would report to the officials, so of course it’s true I did. Otherwise, what am I doing talking to you here?"

Li Wu also hadn’t expected Tian Peng to truly go to Bianjing to report to the officials and to return safely; they were all used to mentioning reporting to the officials in passing.

But the difference was, they just casually mentioned it, whereas Tian Peng was speaking the truth—and he really did it.

"I did more than just report to the officials, I also brought the Governor of Bianjing back with me. He’s currently inside the house, and the silver that is to be distributed to you is straight from His Majesty."