Chapter 861

"Alright," Eloise finally responded after a long while. She had interpreted Ryan's words as a subtle hint that he wanted her to spend the night with him. This coincidentally confirmed what Nina had said to her. "By the way," Ryan said, changing the subject. His eyes were fixed on the river. "Have you noticed that the river's water level has dropped significantly due to the recent drought? This section used to be quite deep, but now you can see the riverbed stones! "I'm worried that this river will dry up one day. Then, the water supply will become a problem, threatening our survival. Do you have any ideas on how to combat the drought and minimize our losses?" Ryan stood with his hands on his hips, looking every bit like an official inspecting the labor force. He turned to look at Eloise, his gaze filled with trust and expectation. With the change in topic, Eloise no longer felt awkward and quickly slipped into her role as the technical expert. She listened attentively to Ryan's analysis of their predicament and nodded in agreement from time to time. When she thought about a problem seriously, she radiated with beauty and intelligence instead of her usual naïve cluelessness. "I once read some documents in the library about how our ancestors dealt with floods and droughts. Building reservoirs was the most effective method," she replied almost without hesitation. This meant that she had either been pondering this issue recently or that she was exceptionally knowledgeable and intelligent. Ryan was both pleased and puzzled as he asked, "What do you mean by reservoir?" Eloise explained, "On a large scale, it's called a reservoir. But on a smaller scale, we can say they're water storage lakes or ponds." Ryan immediately understood, and he no longer had a troubled look. "So, you're saying we need to dig another pond to prevent the river from running dry?" "Exactly!" Eloise turned and looked seriously at the fish pond Ryan had dug. "The water in this fish pond is already polluted and undrinkable, so we need to dig another pond and make it as large as possible. Once it's dug, we'll line it with lime around the edges to prevent water loss and keep the water clear." Overwhelmed with excitement, Ryan reached out to hug Eloise but hesitated. He was afraid that she might feel embarrassed. In the end, he couldn't resist and gave her a bear hug. "It is said that with age comes wisdom. You're young, Eloise, but that doesn't mean you're lacking in wisdom at all. We're so lucky to have you, Ms. Zimmer," Ryan praised. Eloise felt awkward, her hands hovering uncertainly at her sides. She said modestly, "You flatter me, Ryan." Ryan released her and started muttering. He seemed to be talking to himself but also to Eloise at the same time. "We shouldn't delay this. We'll start digging tomorrow. If the water level drops any further, getting water will be even harder." He walked toward the fish pond, then walked back and asked Eloise, "Where should we dig the pond?" Eloise found his overly humble behavior and his constant inquiring funny. "The closer to the river, the better," she replied with a laugh. Ryan chuckled and said, "You go ahead and mark the area for the pond, Ms. Zimmer." With that, Eloise marked out a pond that was 49 feet long, 16 feet wide, and 6.5 feet deep based on the number of people, the water they needed, and the possible duration of the drought. This wasn't very large compared to typical ponds. However, digging such a large pond would require a significant amount of labor for their group of six. With only one iron shovel, one iron hoe, and six wooden shovels between them, digging such a large pond would require much effort. Nevertheless, despite the difficulty, they had to do it because the pond was crucial for their survival. At dinner, Ryan explained their dire situation and the water storage plan he and Eloise had devised to the other women. Sherry, Camelia, and Freya had no objections, but Nina was very upset. She had irrigated three fields today, and her arms were so sore that she trembled when holding her cutlery. She felt furious when she heard that they had to start digging a pond tomorrow.