“Hehe, that’s good.” Brian Cooper felt relieved. In geological exploration, all kinds of variables can occur, especially since he didn’t have any instruments on hand and could only rely on his own experience and visual judgment, which actually carried some risk. Now, hearing Edward Harris say that they had already seen wet mud, he felt reassured. If there was no water at this spot, then the geology textbooks would need to be rewritten.

“Master Xie, may I borrow a few tools from you?” Brian Cooper asked.

“Scholar, whatever you need, just take it.” Edward Harris replied. He had always admired capable people, and what Brian Cooper demonstrated yesterday was truly impressive. As a well-digging craftsman, he might need to rely on Brian Cooper’s skills someday, so lending a few tools was a small matter—how could he refuse?

“Scholar, are you planning to do some masonry work? Do you want me to call a few workers to help you?” Edward Harris asked.

“No need, but thank you very much, Master.” Brian Cooper replied.

Brian Cooper borrowed tools like a chisel and a trowel from Edward Harris, as well as a soil basket, then walked to a small dirt slope at the edge of the village to collect some earth. He had passed by this slope yesterday and remembered that there was some very good clay there, perfect for modifying the stove.

“Scholar, what are you doing?”

A passing villager noticed Brian Cooper digging and greeted him with a smile. When the villagers got up to work in the morning, they all took a turn around the well site first, so everyone already knew about the discovery of wet soil in the well. Once the news spread, everyone’s impression of Brian Cooper changed dramatically.

“Uncle Four, I’m digging some earth to repair the stove.” Brian Cooper addressed the man, relying on his past memories.

“Oh, the scholar knows how to address people now?” The villager called Uncle Four whispered happily to his companion. You see, Brian Cooper had read so many classics over the years that he rarely greeted the villagers, and even when he did, he almost never addressed them as uncle or aunt.

“Scholar, I heard the well site you picked yesterday already has water. You really are quite knowledgeable.” Another villager said.

Brian Cooper smiled slightly, “Brother Charles, you’re teasing me. I can’t carry loads on my shoulder or lift things with my hands. If I couldn’t even pick a well site, I’d be useless.”

“Haha, scholar, you’re joking. With your knowledge, you’ll be working for the government in the future. How could you do manual labor like us?” The other villager was delighted to be called Brother Charles and quickly flattered Brian Cooper.

Brian Cooper dug half a basket of clay and carried it home with both hands. After only a few steps, he had to stop and rest. Thinking back to his healthy body in his previous life, Brian Cooper felt like crying. There was no helping it—he’d have to start exercising soon. Without a good body, nothing would work.

Finally making it home, Brian Cooper carried the clay into the kitchen, rolled up his sleeves, and began modifying the stove. He enlarged the firebox, redesigned the opening of the flue, thickened the stove walls, and made the stove mouth smaller. After finishing the work inside, he went out to the yard, found a rickety old wooden ladder, and, risking a fall and broken bones, climbed onto the roof to raise the chimney by a section.

After all this, Brian Cooper was so exhausted that he saw stars. He caught his breath for a moment, then forced himself to fetch water to wash rice, clean vegetables, and cook. Seeing four or five eggs stored in the clay pot, he had an idea. He took out two, cracked them into a bowl, added water, beat them well, and put them in the pot with the vegetable porridge to steam an egg custard.

By the time Emily Scott and Grace Parker returned from the fields, exhausted, a table full of food was already ready. The two women’s mouths dropped open in surprise, not knowing what to say.

“Hao’er, did your aunt come over?” Emily Scott’s first reaction was not to think that Brian Cooper had cooked all this, but that her sister-in-law from the neighboring village had come to help.

“No, I made it.” Brian Cooper said proudly.

Anyone who works outdoors for years and can’t cook is just torturing themselves. In his previous life, Brian Cooper was actually a pretty good cook. If there were more ingredients in this house, he was confident he could make a feast for his mother and sister.

“When did my son learn to cook?” Emily Scott exclaimed.

Grace Parker didn’t even bother to wash her hands. She rushed to the table, picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a bite of greens, chewed, and said in surprise, “Mom, my brother’s cooking is actually pretty good.”

“Tch, how dare you doubt my skills!” Brian Cooper scoffed at Grace Parker’s behavior. “Go wash your hands. I know you two worked hard, so I specially steamed tofu egg for you. Eat it while it’s hot.”

Emily Scott and Grace Parker washed their hands and sat at the table. Brian Cooper knew that, given Emily Scott’s usual ways, she would never touch the egg custard he had specially steamed, always saving it for him. So he acted first, just like yesterday, scooping a third of the custard each into Emily Scott and Grace Parker’s bowls, leaving the rest for himself.