Chapter 11: Water Has Also Emerged in Zhongmen Village

The family stayed busy until well after noon. Fortunately, they were on the shaded side of the small hill; otherwise, Su Chunlin and his wife would never have been able to hold out.

"Lass, I think we should try digging somewhere else," Su Chunlin said, feeling less confident with every shovel. Han-shi had already wandered off to find a new spot.

To avoid giving herself away, Su Tai nodded in immediate agreement. "Dad, we can switch, but we have to wait for Mom to pick a suitable spot first. Anyway, since we’re just idling, why don't you keep digging? What if you hit water?"

"Heh! Your dad has never had any luck in his life, how could—" Su Chunlin had just finished mocking himself when he noticed the soil he had just shoveled up was damp. He widened his eyes in shock.

Su Zhan grabbed a handful of the soil in excitement and shouted, "Dad! There’s water!"

Su Chunlin snapped out of his daze and, without a word, grabbed his shovel and kept at it. "Dig! Dig with everything you've got! Xiao Tai! Quick, go tell your mother to call your uncle and the others to come help!"

"You got it!" Su Tai ran off, excited.

Before long, Han-shi arrived with a group of villagers from Zhongmen Village.

When the crowd caught sight of the pile of damp, moisture-rich soil on the ground, they all wept with joy. Without waiting for Su Chunlin to ask, two strong men climbed down to replace Su Chunlin and Su Zhan so they could rest.

As soon as Su Chunlin climbed out, his father-in-law gave him a bear hug. "Good, good! You’re my son-in-law for a reason—you’re truly capable!"

Han Yan nodded vigorously from the side. "Dad is right. If we get water out of this, brother-in-law will be the great benefactor of our entire village."

All the villagers nodded in agreement.

Su Chunlin was so flattered he almost lost his bearings. Catching a glimpse of Shen Yi nearby, he quickly pulled him over. "Actually, it was just a lucky guess. If Shen Yi hadn't said we could dig here, I wouldn't have even put the shovel in."

"You are both benefactors to our Zhongmen Village," Zeng Kuan said, affirming Shen Yi's contribution.

With so many people from Zhongmen Village scrambling to dig the pit, water began to seep into the well before the sun had even set.

The villagers of Zhongmen Village were immersed in joy and insisted that the Su family stay behind so they could properly treat them.

Unable to refuse their warm hospitality, Su Chunlin pulled Shen Yi along to stay.

Before they left the next day, they took one last look at the well. After a night of accumulation, the water in the well was clear to the bottom. It looked like the volume wasn't huge—much like the well in Dongmen Village—but if they weren't using it for irrigation, it should be enough to support the villagers' daily drinking needs.

At the village chief's house in Ximen Village.

When Gao Zhi learned that Zhongmen Village had struck water, he couldn't sit still. "Is the news true?"

Gao Zhi’s wife, Liu-shi, nodded gloomily. "My sister from my maiden home told me; it can't be fake. If only we had followed suit and dug a well back then. We went through all that trouble for nothing, and now we’ve lost everything."

Gao Zhi snapped impatiently, "Are you blaming me?"

Liu-shi snorted. "And what if I am? If it weren't for your lousy idea, our son wouldn't have been injured!"

Indeed, among the villagers who had been injured on that trip was Gao Zhi’s son, Gao Qiang. Liu-shi was already prone to taking her anger out on others, and now that she knew Zhongmen Village had found water, she completely exploded.

"You shrew! You're being unreasonable!" Gao Zhi cursed angrily.

Liu-shi was furious; she put her hands on her hips, ready to fight him.

Just then, Gao Qiang came out of the room, supported by his wife. "Dad, Mom, stop arguing. What we need to think about now is how to get water. Why don't we learn from Zhongmen Village and dig a well?"

The reason their village had held out this long was that every household had hidden away quite a bit of water during the previous scramble. But no matter how much they had stored, it would eventually run out. If things continued like this, the village wouldn't last a few more days.

Gao Zhi’s old face felt a bit hot.

Gao Qiang sighed. "Dad, I know you're afraid of losing face because of what happened before, but we're barely surviving now. Is face more important than our lives?"

"I think your father is just stubborn to the point of self-destruction!" Liu-shi scolded Gao Zhi before turning her back on him to sulk.

Gao Zhi was still hesitant.

Suddenly, a few villagers rushed in. "Village Chief! We heard Zhongmen Village struck water! Let’s dig one too!"

Gao Zhi looked at them with a sour expression and said indifferently, "If you want to dig, then dig."

Having received the go-ahead, the group was ready to start immediately, only to realize that no one in the village knew how to dig a well—they didn't even know where to begin.

Liu-shi went out to inquire and returned with a dark face.

Seeing her expression, Gao Zhi’s heart skipped a beat. "What’s wrong? Didn't I agree to dig the well? What happened now?"

Liu-shi sat down, fuming, and shouted, "It’s all the fault of the Xiong and Mo families! Do you know who dug the well for Zhongmen Village?"

"Who?" Gao Zhi suddenly had a bad premonition.

Liu-shi roared in anxiety, "It was Su Chunlin, the family whose engagement Xiong Kai broke off! And the other was Shen Yi, the one the Mo family jilted! Isn't that a coincidence?"

Gao Zhi was completely stunned. "Ho... how could it be such a coincidence!"

"I think it’s retribution! Even the heavens can't stand it anymore! You old fool, just keep on acting out! See if you don't drag the whole Ximen Village to its grave!" Liu-shi was so angry she didn't care what she said.

Gao Zhi’s eyes flickered, and he guiltily avoided Liu-shi’s gaze.

He had known about Xiong Kai making a big scene to break off the engagement in Dongmen Village. Liu-shi had even urged him to step in and stop it, saying it wasn't the right way to handle things and that it was unkind.

But because he had lost the upper hand in the water scramble, he had deliberately turned a blind eye. In the end, Xiong Kai got his wish, and he had vented his own frustration, but he had also completely fallen out with the village chief of Dongmen Village.

Later, after they went to Dongmen Village to cause a scene, the two villages became sworn enemies, beyond reconciliation.

As for the Mo family breaking off their engagement... the Mo family was different from the Xiong family. The Xiongs were outsiders with few kin in the village, but the Mos were native-born villagers with many relatives. Plus, Mo Chunxiang’s fiancé was from Shenjia Village, which wasn't even in Qingsha Township, so offending them had no impact on him. He was even less likely to stop that, but he never imagined his indulgence would cut off Ximen Village’s lifeline.

"Then what do we do now?" Gao Zhi was suddenly panicked.

Liu-shi rolled her eyes. "Now you're worried? It’s useless to worry! Fortunately, we haven't burned our bridges with Zhongmen Village. Hurry up and take gifts to Zeng Kuan, say some nice things, and ask him to mediate. Maybe there’s still a chance."

"Oh, oh... I'll go right now!" Gao Zhi had lost all sense of direction; he would do whatever Liu-shi told him to.

When Gao Zhi arrived at Zhongmen Village with a group of villagers, he saw a crowd of men guarding the well, while the women stood in line, taking turns to draw water.

The water pulled up from the well was so clear, without a trace of impurity.

The group from Ximen Village stared, their eyes wide.

When Zeng Kuan noticed them, he stepped forward to block the villagers of Ximen Village who were trying to get closer. "What are you doing in our village?"

Seeing Zeng Kuan’s unfriendly tone, Gao Zhi had to pull back his gaze, his voice dripping with envy. "Village Chief Zeng, congratulations! You really did strike water!"