Chapter 210
“We’re here to inspect the dam,” Song Nianchu said.
“What can you possibly find out? Don’t get in our way. Leave at once.” The man’s tone was already impatient. He tossed out the words and turned to go.
“Then have you accurately calculated how much longer the dam can hold?” Song Nianchu was not intimidated. She stepped directly in front of him.
“Young comrade, I had no intention of arguing with you since you’re a woman. But if you continue delaying my work, I’ll have to report you to your supervisor.” The man’s expression darkened instantly.
“You only need to answer my question. Have you calculated how much longer this dam can hold? There are still many people below taking part in the rescue effort. If your calculations are wrong, a lot of people could die.” Song Nianchu enunciated every word.
The man’s expression changed, and he stared heavily at Song Nianchu.
“If you’re so worried about your own safety, why did you come to take part in the rescue?”
“That’s a ridiculous thing to say. What does rescuing people have to do with not caring about my own life? Do you mean that I have to disregard my own safety just because I’m saving others? What kind of logic is that?” Song Nianchu retorted.
The man was rendered speechless.
“You don’t need to worry. At least the dam won’t collapse within the next week. That should be enough time for you to complete the rescue.” Apparently annoyed by Song Nianchu, the man answered coldly.
“You said the dam can hold for another week?” A flicker passed through Song Nianchu’s eyes.
“That’s right.”
“May I ask your name? And what position do you hold among the professional surveyors?”
Song Nianchu fixed her eyes on the man.
“My surname is Tian. I’m the captain of the surveying team. I’m not making this up.” Thinking that Song Nianchu suspected him of talking nonsense, Tian Daqing revealed his identity.
“You said your surname is Tian?” Song Nianchu’s pupils suddenly contracted.
“Yes.” Tian Daqing nodded.
“Captain Tian, are you certain that your calculations are accurate?” Song Nianchu asked in a solemn voice.
“What is wrong with you, girl? I’ve been speaking politely because you came here to help with the rescue. But if you keep making trouble, I really will go find your supervisor!” Tian Daqing felt that his professional expertise had been insulted.
They had worked for two full days and nights without rest to arrive at this result.
“But we inspected the condition of the dam, and it simply can’t hold for a week.” Song Nianchu trusted Meng Yingying.
“You inspected it? What are your qualifications?” Tian Daqing’s gaze moved between Song Nianchu and Mu Shi'an.
Without making it obvious, Song Nianchu tugged lightly at Mu Shi'an beside her.
Mu Shi'an immediately understood what she meant and stepped forward.
“Captain Tian, my name is Mu Shi'an. I graduated from the physics department at Jing University.”
“You’re from Jing University’s physics department?” Hearing this, the impatience on Tian Daqing’s face eased considerably.
Anyone who graduated from Jing University was a favored son of heaven—a truly exceptional person.
“Yes.” Mu Shi'an nodded.
“But if you graduated from the physics department at Jing University, why are you here?” Tian Daqing stared at Mu Shi'an in confusion.
Mu Shi'an was just about to explain that he had been sent down here for reform when Song Nianchu cut in first.
“I’m from Qinghe County, and he’s my husband.”
Song Nianchu’s words were deliberately vague. Anyone listening would assume that Mu Shi'an had accompanied her back to Qinghe County to visit her family.
It wasn’t that she looked down on Mu Shi'an’s status. It was simply that, in this situation, revealing his true circumstances would make the other party even less likely to trust him.
Sure enough, Tian Daqing was misled by her words and nodded.
“I see.” However, the furrow between his brows did not disappear completely. “But you studied physics, which isn’t exactly the same as our field. Do you actually understand this kind of work?”
“My husband is very capable. He understands everything. You can let him recalculate it. We’re not asking for any wages, and it won’t delay anything.” Knowing that Mu Shi'an was too blunt and not good at dealing with such questions, Song Nianchu answered for him.
Tian Daqing’s brows drew together slightly, clearly still harboring some reservations.
“Captain Tian, there are many people down below taking part in the rescue, and the injured who’ve been pulled out are also being treated there. It’s not that we don’t trust your team. We just think that having one more person inspect the calculations will make things safer. If there’s an error, we’ll still have time to correct it. And if there isn’t, that would naturally be even better.”
Song Nianchu spoke with such sincerity that Tian Daqing felt refusing would make him seem petty.
He studied Mu Shi'an for a long while. “Are you certain you graduated from Jing University?”
“If you don’t believe me, you can contact Jing University and verify it,” Mu Shi'an replied calmly.
Seeing that he showed no trace of guilt or hesitation, Tian Daqing believed him almost completely.
“All right. Come with me.”
In the end, Tian Daqing relented. He turned and headed toward the foot of the mountain.
Song Nianchu was delighted and immediately pulled Mu Shi'an after him.
A temporary tent had been set up at the foot of the mountain. Tian Daqing and his assistants were working inside.
As soon as Song Nianchu and Mu Shi'an entered, they saw calculation diagrams spread across the entire table.
Five or six young men and women were bent over their work at the makeshift desks, carefully carrying out calculations.
“Captain.” When the group heard the commotion, they all looked up.
The moment they saw Tian Daqing, they immediately stood and greeted him.
“Mm.” Tian Daqing nodded and motioned for them to sit back down. Then he led Mu Shi'an to the desk, picked up a document, and handed it to him.
“These are all the calculations we’ve made so far. You can take a look.”
“All right.” Mu Shi'an nodded, took the document, and began reading it carefully.
He read extremely quickly, turning the pages one after another. Watching him, Tian Daqing couldn’t help frowning.
He began to wonder whether he had misjudged them earlier. Could these two really be frauds?
Who read documents that quickly?
Moreover, these were the details of the calculations. If he hadn’t personally taken part in the work, he would have needed to recalculate every result himself before he could determine whether it was correct.
Yet Mu Shi'an seemed to be merely skimming through the pages. He was reading faster than most people could read ordinary text.
The others in the tent also stared at Mu Shi'an in surprise, but the expressions in their eyes were filled with contempt and disdain.
Mu Shi'an seemed completely unaware of the gazes around him. He simply continued flipping through the documents in his hands.
Ten minutes later, he had finally finished reading everything.
“You’re done?” Tian Daqing asked. “Did you find anything wrong?”
His tone was even colder than it had been at the beginning.
He was also secretly annoyed with himself. Why had he believed them and brought them back here in the first place? They had done nothing but waste his time.