Song Dynasty Dreams: Marrying Zhao Pan’er at the beginning

Chapter 41 Seeking Praise

“Blueprints!”

Gao You asked Zhao Pan’er for the blueprints.

Zhao Pan’er handed him the rough sketch that Gao You had drawn yesterday.

“Effects!”

Gao You slapped the blueprints down in front of the scholars. The scholars examined the blueprints and were instantly stunned. They had seen waterwheels before. But using a waterwheel to transport river water to the rooftop and then creating a rainfall effect? This idea seemed utterly whimsical!

At the very least, these scholars, well-versed in history, had never seen such a concept before. The leading scholar looked at the others.

“With so many people working on the reconstruction, we should be able to finish today!”

“Why don’t we wait until we see the final result before we start writing?”

The others nodded, putting away their brushes, ink, and paper, and started discussing poetry instead.

“Why did you all stop writing?”

The noble young lady frowned as she stared at the scholars.

The lead scholar smiled and explained, “Apologies, we need to verify the facts before we can compile the local chronicles!”

“This matter has not yet been settled!”

“We cannot write recklessly!”

The noble young lady stomped her foot angrily.

Before long, news of Gao You’s rain curtain invention spread.

“What do you think? Will Gao You succeed?”

“I think he will. Gao You once crushed a top scholar in a duel of couplets!”

“Even if he’s great at couplets, making a rain curtain is completely different!”

“If he fails, will the local chronicles really record that he tore down his own rooftop?”

“Probably. Those scholars never think outside the box!”

“Then Gao You would truly become a fool recorded in history!”

Xiao Lingdang listened to the discussions with confusion.

She whispered to Zhao Pan’er, “Pan’er-jie, isn’t jiefu already a fool?”

“Gao-lang is not a fool!”

Zhao Pan’er shot Xiao Lingdang a glare.

Xiao Lingdang quickly corrected herself, “Not a fool! But what do they mean?”

Zhao Pan’er furrowed her brows and explained, “Right now, when people call Gao-lang a fool, it’s just rumors!”

“They won’t last long!”

“But his paintings will be passed down for generations!”

“In the future, when people read about Gao-lang in history, they’ll say he was a master of painting but lacked social tact.”

“No one will really think he was a fool!”

“But if this rooftop demolition is recorded as proof of his foolishness, then he will truly be remembered as a fool for centuries to come!”

Xiao Lingdang immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.

“That’s so messed up!”

“Can’t we stop them from writing it down?”

Local chronicles record history. It’s not something that can be changed just because someone objects.

“Gao-lang!”

Zhao Pan’er looked at Gao You worriedly.

Gao You smiled, unfazed.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this!”

_____

In the evening, several construction teams worked together. The rooftop of the tea house was quickly waterproofed. Another group completed the installation of the waterwheel at the Qiantang River.

“The moment of truth has arrived!”

The crowd watching couldn’t help but feel excited. Zhao Pan’er looked at Gao You anxiously.

“Gao-lang!”

“It’s fine!”

Gao You playfully flicked Zhao Pan’er’s nose and walked towards the final connection point. Under countless expectant gazes, Gao You forcefully clamped the bamboo pipes together.

“Where’s the water?”

The same thought popped into everyone’s minds. Gao You walked over to another wooden box—this was the control valve. It could regulate the size of the rain curtain.

“Click!”

Gao You turned the valve.

A gushing sound came from the pipes.

“Drip… Drip…”

Water began to fall from the eaves!

It actually worked!

The onlookers could hardly believe their eyes. Once again, Gao You had shattered their understanding of the world!

“How is this possible?”

The noble young lady stared in disbelief at the falling raindrops.

Gao You, seeing the stunned expressions around him, smiled slightly and opened the valve wider. The light drizzle turned into moderate rain, then heavy rain!

“There’s a rainbow!”

Someone suddenly shouted, drawing everyone’s attention. As the water cascaded from the eaves, a rainbow appeared over the Zhao family’s tea house. In the distance, the sun was setting. The golden hues of the sunset intertwined with the vibrant colors of the rainbow, turning the riverside pavilion into an ethereal paradise.

“This is incredible!”

“A stroke of genius!”

“He’s practically turning the impossible into reality!”

“No wonder he crushed that top scholar—Gao You is a true visionary!”

Praise poured in from all directions. Gao You simply smiled and walked into the pavilion.

“Record it!”

The scholars, completely mesmerized by the breathtaking scene, were already scrambling to document it.

“We must record this!”

The lead scholar pounded his chest in assurance.

“We will document this event in its entirety!”

Gao You noticed the troublemaking noble lady stomping away in frustration.

Returning to Zhao Pan’er’s side, he grinned, “Impressive, right?”

Zhao Pan’er finally breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Gao You, who was eagerly seeking praise.

“Very impressive!”

Gao You fixed his gaze on Zhao Pan’er.

“Stay with me tonight?”

“Uh…”

Zhao Pan’er wanted to refuse, but then she realized she hadn’t spent time with him in days.

As his wife, it wouldn’t be right to turn him down again.

She hesitated but eventually nodded.

“Wife, I feel like painting!”

Suddenly, he wanted to paint?

Zhao Pan’er was surprised but quickly brought over brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone. Gao You stepped to the desk and began to paint. The crowd, having always heard of Gao You’s legendary painting skills but rarely seeing them firsthand, immediately gathered around.