Reborn in a small village in the 1990s

Chapter 119

When Zhao Tingliang saw Zhao Dage arrive, he chuckled and said cheerfully, "Going to the market? What are you planning to buy this time? It's so cold. Wear more layers when you go out. Don't look down on us country folk for being unsophisticated. We all wear thick cotton-padded coats and trousers, don't we? You're only wearing one pair of trousers and a whole coat. Aren't you cold? What if you get frostbite? Let me tell you, if your ears and hands and feet get frostbite, it won't heal for years. You need to wear more layers, thick ones, to keep warm."

"Yeah, I'll put on my thick cotton pants when I get home. I'm not going out, so I wear skinny clothes, they look good. Actually, I don't have much to do, I'll just wander around. I'm thinking of buying some plastic and some nails to nail up the windows, otherwise it'll be cold at night. After that, I'm wondering if they sell water pumps, I want to buy one," Zhao Da'e said.

Zhao Tingliang brought out the carriage, and Zhao Da'e and Zhou Chunwen got into it.

“No need to buy a water pump. Why don’t you just build a hand pump well? Water pumps use a lot of oil. In winter, the pipes will freeze in a few days, and you’ll have to use a pulley to pump water.” Zhao Tingliang was quite experienced in this matter. He analyzed, “Besides, if you use a water pump, the pumping speed is too fast, and you’ll have to buy several more water tanks. That would be even more expensive. You can’t put the water in a pool either, or it will get stale. Just build a hand pump well; it’ll save you money and trouble.”

Zhao Da'e pursed his lips. Zhao Tingliang has such old-fashioned ideas. The water pump Zhao Tingliang is thinking of is probably an old-fashioned diesel engine-powered device. There are some in the village, but they freeze in winter and become unusable.

"I'll buy an electric one. Electric ones are so convenient."

"An electric water pump?" Zhao Tingliang was clearly taken aback. "When did such a thing come out? What does an electric water pump look like? The wires are placed in the water? Doesn't that conduct electricity? If there's a leak, wouldn't someone die?"

“How could there be a leak? We use electric lights and they work just fine.” Zhao Da’e explained.

"How can that be the same? Water conducts electricity. What if the water pump leaks electricity?"

"Um..." Zhao Da'e didn't know the answer to this question either. If there really was an electrical leak, the person might be dead. In her later life, Zhao Da'e also used a water pump to pump water, and there was no electrical leak; the seals were usually very good. However, she wasn't very knowledgeable about this and didn't understand the principle behind it, so she couldn't refute Zhao Tingliang. If someone were selling it, she'd ask the salesperson about the possibility of electrical leaks.

Because in this era, although the reform and opening up had long been implemented, electrical appliances in the village were actually scarce. The only means of sensing social dynamics was a radio, the very small kind, and it could receive very few stations.

Zhao Da'e's major wasn't related to this, so she genuinely didn't know the answer. It seems she needs to read more books, explore more, and learn more in the future; it's so embarrassing to be left speechless by someone's question.

The three of them rode in a carriage and soon arrived in the street.

"Fourth Grandfather, let me treat you to a meal at a restaurant. I haven't had breakfast yet."

"Save your breath, Da'e. You're not a tycoon, nor are you a millionaire. Why would you treat me to a meal after just a ride?" Zhao Tingliang didn't want to go: "Besides, things in town are expensive, ridiculously expensive. I'm not eating there."

"Then you'll eat with me, okay? I want to have a bowl of mutton soup to warm myself up. I've been craving it lately, and I've been wanting to have a bowl of mutton offal soup for ages." Zhao Da'e chuckled and pulled Zhao Tingliang to drink the mutton offal soup.

“I don’t eat mutton,” Zhou Chunwen quickly added. “And I don’t drink that stuff; I can’t stand the taste.”

"Hehehe, cousin, let's go to the mutton soup restaurant and I'll order you a bowl of seaweed and egg drop soup. Is that alright?" Zhao Da'e shrugged and said, "Try it, it's delicious."

"You ate the mutton dumplings with such gusto, but you didn't drink the mutton soup. Who are you trying to fool?!"