Chapter 13: Xiong Kaiqiu Comes Calling

Chapter 13: Xiong Kai Comes Calling

"Fine, fine, fine. Xiong Kai, if you can truly resolve this matter reliably, I will agree to your marriage with Chunxiang," Mo Laotian said, gritting his teeth.

Previously, for fear of gossip, he hadn't dared to nod even though he knew his daughter's feelings. Now, however, he felt that marrying her off quickly was the only way to escape those troubles. The Xiong family’s circumstances were indeed inferior to the Mo family’s, but they were far better than the Shen family’s.

Xiong Kai suppressed his inner excitement and promised solemnly, "Uncle, don't you worry. I’ll head to Shenjia Village right now."

The journey from Ximen Village to Shenjia Village was further than to Dongmen Village. By the time Xiong Kai arrived, it was already past noon. He asked the villagers for Shen Yi’s residence, but upon arriving, he found that Shen Yi was not home, and the nearby villagers had no idea where he had gone.

Anxious, he had no choice but to squat outside Shen Yi’s door and wait until evening, when someone finally came by to speak with him.

"Who are you?" Aunt Xu asked, carrying a basket and looking at Xiong Kai with suspicion.

Xiong Kai stood up energetically, "I’m here to see Shen Yi. Does Auntie know where he went?"

"You’re looking for Shen Yi? Which village are you from? Are you here for well-digging too?" Aunt Xu immediately guessed Xiong Kai’s purpose.

Xiong Kai was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly, though he didn't dare to mention Ximen Village directly.

Aunt Xu didn't mind, simply saying, "You’re too late. Ever since our Shen Yi helped Dongmen Village and Zhongmen Village dig wells, even the township heads of other townships have been stirred up. Everyone is fighting to get our Shen Yi to dig wells for them. I don't even know which village he’s staying in right now; where am I supposed to find him?"

Xiong Kai’s expression darkened. "Are you his family?"

Aunt Xu nodded proudly. "I’m his second aunt. Why?"

Xiong Kai, lost in thought, handed Aunt Xu a small bag of wild vegetables. "Could I trouble you to ask around, Aunt? I really have an urgent matter to discuss with Shen Yi."

Aunt Xu looked troubled, but for the sake of the wild vegetables, she offered a suggestion: "I can't find Shen Yi, but the township head of Qingsha Township should know. After all, Shen Yi is working with the Su family from Dongmen Village this time, and the township head is also from Dongmen Village."

Upon hearing this, Xiong Kai didn't show any joy; instead, his face grew even uglier. "The Su family from Dongmen Village?"

Aunt Xu nodded repeatedly. "That’s right, Su Chunlin. Go ask around and you’ll find out. I’m not talking anymore, I have to go back and cook."

Xiong Kai was so struck by this news that he couldn't recover for a while. By the time he snapped out of it, Aunt Xu had already vanished.

Helpless, he had to return in frustration.

Gao Zhi came to ask for news the moment he heard Xiong Kai was back.

Xiong Kai had already prepared his words and said with feigned helplessness, "Village Chief, uncles, I went to his house personally, but I couldn't find him. Shen Yi’s second aunt said he is so famous now that even township heads from other areas are fighting over him to dig wells. Even his own aunt doesn't know where he is. I am truly powerless!"

"How could it be like this!" An old man sighed, collapsing to the ground in despair. "Is Heaven really not going to let us people of Ximen Village live?"

Gao Zhi’s expression changed, and he scolded irritably, "What kind of nonsense is that! If we can't find Shen Yi, we’ll dig it ourselves. I heard that Zhongmen Village dug it themselves at first. The whole village was riddled with holes, but you lot only talk about being anxious—I haven't seen a single person actually working!"

A younger man gave a dry laugh. "Isn't it because we're afraid of wasting our effort? What if we dig and find nothing? Everyone is working hard and drinking water; the water we have stored at home isn't enough to squander."

"Then just wait to die of thirst!" Gao Zhi was so angry he spoke without thinking.

While Ximen Village was in an uproar over the well-digging, Dongmen Village had managed to dig another well that produced water, thanks to the villagers' efforts.

Su Changxi looked at the well, the heavy stone on his chest instantly lifted. He laughed wildly at Su Changfu, "Big Brother, with these two wells in our village, we’re set!"

The previous well had a low water yield, and the water accumulated overnight was only enough for the villagers to distribute the next day, with nothing left over. Fortunately, it always produced water and never ran dry, but he had still been worried, fearing that one day the well would run dry and the villagers would fall into a water crisis. Now that there was another well, he could finally rest easy—perhaps they could even save the crops in the fields.

Seeing his younger brother so happy, Su Changfu couldn't bear to pour cold water on him. Once Su Changxi calmed down, he said in a low voice, "It’s a good thing we have two wells here, and Zhongmen Village has one to hold them over, so there won't be any trouble for now. But Ximen Village..."

At the mention of Ximen Village, Su Changxi’s face fell. "What do they want to stir up now?"

Su Changfu sighed and shook his head. "It’s not that they want to stir up trouble, but their village hasn't dug a well yet, and the water they saved by playing tricks is probably running out. If this continues, I’ll have to step in to resolve it. And with our village digging two wells at this time, do you think they won't cause a scene?"

He also disliked the people of Ximen Village, but he was the township head! He couldn't just watch the villagers in his township die because of a lack of water.

Su Changxi pouted unhappily. "Our village digging a well is the result of the villagers' hard work. Brother, even if you are the township head, you can't give this well away. The villagers definitely won't agree."

"I know that too!" Su Changfu looked distressed.

Just then, he saw Su Tai nearby and hurried over, asking gently, "Xiao Tai, where are your father and Shen Yi now? Uncle wants to find them for help."

Su Tai gave Su Changfu a sweet smile and replied crisply, "My father and Brother Shen went to Panlong Township. It’s not far, but the township head of Panlong said they can't come back until they dig a well for them. My father took two taels of silver from them; he can't come back if he doesn't dig up water!"

Su Changfu was immediately anxious. "How could they do that? That’s too unreasonable!"

Su Tai shook her head. "Uncle, to be honest, it’s my father’s fault. He made big promises to them and even took their money. It’s only right that they won't let him leave if the job isn't done."

Su Tai was speechless when it came to this. Ever since the well was dug in Zhongmen Village, Su Chunlin’s enthusiasm had soared, and he became blindly confident. He insisted on working with Shen Yi, claiming to be his assistant, but he couldn't help at all and always loved to show off by answering for Shen Yi.

At first, she had helped purchase the rights to use a spring, mostly because that village was truly at its wit's end.

She hadn't expected that after the second success, Su Chunlin would become even more excessive. To teach him a lesson, Su Tai decided not to intervene anymore and just let them struggle.

To her surprise, even without her help, the two of them actually managed to dig a well the third time, and the water yield wasn't small. The duo had become completely famous.

It just so happened that the drought in Panlong Township was severe, and the township head, having no other options, pinned all his hopes on Shen Yi and Su Chunlin. Su Chunlin had made big promises again, just like before. She watched from the sidelines, not intending to step in early; she wanted them to face some setbacks first.

"But Ximen Village... Sigh! What should we do?" Su Changfu’s brows were furrowed so tightly they could crush a fly.