Brian Cooper looked at Jason Brooks with a look of pity and said, “Patrick Brooks, if I were you, I’d definitely go find a place to pee first at a time like this.”

“What do you mean?” Jason Brooks was stunned by Brian Cooper’s words, not understanding what peeing had to do with anything.

Brian Cooper said, “Once the well is dug, there’ll be 400 dan of water every hour, and you’ll have to drink 40 dan. If you don’t hurry up and pee now, will you be able to drink that much later?”

With a snort, Grace Parker, who had been following behind Brian Cooper, couldn’t help but burst out laughing. As a girl, it wasn’t proper for her to join in on a topic like peeing, or else she would have joined her brother in mocking Jason Brooks.

“Sir, what do you think…” The lead craftsman, Edward Harris, looked at William Carter, seeking his opinion.

“Scholar, you say water can be found in 700 steps. If you’re wrong, what will you do?” William Carter asked Brian Cooper.

Brian Cooper replied nonchalantly, “Then you can turn me in to the authorities. Punish me however you like.”

“Brother…” Grace Parker tugged desperately at Brian Cooper’s sleeve from behind. She knew her brother had never studied feng shui and had no idea how to find a well site. The officials had dug so many wells without finding water—could he really just point and find it?

Brian Cooper ignored Grace Parker’s warning and instead smiled at William Carter, asking, “Officer, if you follow my instructions and water is found, what will you say then?”

“I’ll report it to the county magistrate and have you commended,” William Carter said, patting his chest.

“All right, let’s get started then,” Brian Cooper said with a wave of his hand. He didn’t expect William Carter to promise him anything more. In Brian Cooper’s view, being commended was secondary—a cash reward would be more practical.

William Carter looked at Jason Brooks, then at Brian Cooper, hesitated for a long moment, then stomped his foot and said, “Fine, I’ll trust you, scholar, this once. If there’s no water, I’ll settle the score with you.”

This was what you’d call grasping at straws. Jason Brooks had pointed out so many well sites without finding water, so William Carter had no choice but to pin his hopes on this seemingly charlatan scholar.

Seeing William Carter nod, Edward Harris walked up to Brian Cooper and asked, “Sir, you just said 700 steps in this direction. I’m afraid I might not fully understand your meaning—could you please show me exactly where?”

This was Edward Harris’s caution at work. Digging a well was no small matter; if the site was chosen wrong, all the effort would be wasted. If Brian Cooper just pointed randomly and later denied responsibility, who would take the blame?

“Of course,” Brian Cooper replied. He had always been proud before superiors but respectful to ordinary workers. He walked in the direction he’d chosen, taking measured steps, counted out 700 steps, then stopped, picked up a piece of rubble, drew a circle on the ground, and said, “Here it is. Dig down 60 feet, and you’ll definitely find water.”

“These are 700 steps…” Edward Harris scratched his head, looking at Brian Cooper in surprise.

“Yes, didn’t you count along with me?” Brian Cooper asked.

“Uh… Sir, you’re truly talented. In the countryside, we count a step as one with each foot, but you counted every footstep as a step…” Edward Harris said awkwardly.

“Ahem, this is the method for surveying well sites. These steps are different from what we usually mean,” Brian Cooper quickly covered up his blunder. In the Ming dynasty, as Edward Harris said, a step meant one stride with each foot, while Brian Cooper was using the modern habit of one step being 70 centimeters. No wonder Edward Harris was confused. Luckily, Edward Harris hadn’t taken it upon himself to use his own understanding of 700 steps, or the well would have ended up at the edge of the formation again, which would have been a real joke.

Seeing that Brian Cooper had chosen the well site, Edward Harris called out, and several well-digging craftsmen and laborers came over, picked up their shovels and picks, and began digging. Once the surface soil was removed, they would set up the windlass and lower baskets to work in the well—these were all tasks they were very familiar with.

The village head, Mark Cooper, came over, looked at the craftsmen’s work, and then said to William Carter, “Sir, there’s no need for you to stand guard here. Whether water is found or not, someone will report to you. You’ve worked hard today—why not return to the village and rest?”

“All right,” William Carter nodded, gave a few instructions to Edward Harris, and then, with his attendants, followed Mark Cooper back to the village. No one knew whose turn it was to host the officials tonight, but one thing was certain: chickens would be slaughtered, meat bought, and there’d be a hefty expense.

“Master Xie, I’ll leave this to you. Once water is found, remember to let me know,” Brian Cooper instructed Edward Harris, then turned to Grace Parker and said, “Let’s go, Grace, let’s head home too.”

Chapter 004: Impoverished Home

The villagers had originally been summoned by William Carter to worship the Dragon King, but during the ceremony, the usually listless Brian Cooper suddenly sprang into action—not only did he beat up the officials, but he also drove away the feng shui master and chose the well site himself for the digging team. Everyone followed Brian Cooper and the others around the wild fields, witnessing quite a spectacle. Now that the show hadn’t ended and it was just an intermission, everyone simply went back to their own homes.