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This time, it wasn't just the lower village that was short on water; the upper village was also running low. The main reason was the extreme heat; the river had evaporated significantly over the past ten days, concentrating the water supply several times over. After some discussion, the villagers decided to go to a larger river a bit farther from the village to fetch water. Although it was farther away, it was better than having none at all. Besides, the corn in the fields was almost ready, needing just another ten days or so.
There were three tractors and one medium-sized truck in the village, along with a SUV belonging to the Li Family. The other vehicles were mostly motorcycles and electric bikes. The three tractors belonged to several large farming households and were not available for public use. The owner of the medium-sized truck was Zhang Jianguo, who was known for being stingy; even borrowing a match from him would be remembered for months. This time, in order to get some food supplies, villagers had no choice but to pay a hefty price. Those who couldn't afford it mobilized their entire families, even riding bicycles as a means of transport.
Li Yan and his family had it easier. Ever since Zhang Liang's incident, they had not been as close with the villagers as before. When someone asked for help this time, he agreed to bring back two buckets of water but said he wouldn't get involved in how it would be distributed.
When the people from Zhangjia Village arrived at the well-known large river, they were stunned. The usually deserted riverbank was crowded with people, so tightly packed that there was no visible green space. The water level had dropped significantly, now only about half of what it usually was.
Li Ming tilted his head and stood obediently behind Li Yan with his small basin: "Brother, there are so many people." His statement was purely observational; everyone seemed crazed as they scrambled for water. In some areas, people were directly filling their containers amidst chaos, and he could see someone holding their forehead as if they were bleeding.
"Be good, Mingming; just stay in the car for now," Li Yan exclaimed, realizing how serious the situation was. Water was essential for life; without it... He recalled last year's events in the city when water prices soared to unbelievable levels. In rural areas, high-priced water wasn't a thing, but judging by today's situation, Zhangjia Village likely wouldn't fare any better.
Zhou Miao raised an eyebrow and pulled Yu Tian closer to him; his wife was delicate and shouldn't be scratched by any wild plants. With a mischievous smile, Zhou Miao said, "This isn't quite the end of the world yet; should we go down and experience it ourselves?"
Yu Tian couldn't help but roll her eyes at him; his words were truly infuriating.
The people from Zhangjia Village watched anxiously; they never expected that water would be this scarce. Without thinking twice, they grabbed their buckets and rushed toward the riverbank. However, upon arrival, they found themselves blocked.
Those who had arrived early had already staked out their territory along the riverbank and divided it into several sections where others from different villages were not allowed to approach. This explained why fights and bloodshed had occurred; what were they supposed to do? They needed water desperately; without it, their crops wouldn't survive.
Zhang Agou took on the pressure to negotiate. Seeing several children staring at Li Ming's lollipop nearby, Li Yan quickly pulled them into the car; last time's incident made him wary of children.
In just a short while, several groups approached Li Yan's car window, most of them asking about trade opportunities. As long as Li Yan agreed to exchange food supplies, they could offer a bucket of water or arrange for them to queue by the riverbank.
Listening to their explanations made Li Yan feel frustrated; this cattle-trading mentality had deeply rooted itself among farmers. Only Yu Tian and Li Ming showed genuine interest in what they were saying. After chatting for a while with one of them who seemed overly excited about trading cattle supplies, when Yu Tian finally said they didn't need anything, the trader's expression darkened dramatically—almost like a demon—realizing that if it weren't for Zhou Miao and Li Yan being formidable figures, it could have turned into an overwhelming conflict.
Everyone waited anxiously for Zhang Agou's return from negotiations. After quite some time, he came back with a face full of wrinkles that showed no signs of happiness. Zhang Zhong worriedly asked, "Village Chief, how did it go?"
"Ah! I just spoke with the neighboring village; they got here an hour earlier than us and still haven't managed to fill up," Zhang Agou grumbled angrily. "These people are unbelievable! This river has belonged to everyone for generations; how did it become theirs alone?"
"What does that mean?" someone shouted angrily while throwing their bucket on the ground. "What do you mean we can't fetch water?"
"Aren't you allowed?" A man in his thirties with a rather stern appearance followed behind Zhang Agou. He was accompanied by another man who also looked to be in his thirties. The first man coughed a couple of times and spoke with a hint of authority, "My name is Jiang Chao, from Jiangjia Village. You all arrived late, so I came to explain. This river was divided three days ago among several larger villages that arrived first, and each riverbank belongs to a different village. Don't worry, we can't just block others from getting water for ourselves. If you want to fetch water, you can, but you must wait until our villagers have finished fetching theirs, so you'll have to line up."
"What the hell do you mean?" A young man from the village couldn't stand Jiang Chao's condescending attitude and immediately shouted back. "This river belongs to the country; why should your village have the final say? Today, I'm getting water no matter what!"
"Damn it, don't push your luck," the man behind Jiang Chao was provoked and irritated. There were already many people trying to grab water today, and he was fed up after just a few exchanges of words.
As it looked like the two were about to fight, everyone rushed to intervene. Jiang Chao's expression darkened as he coldly snorted, "If you're not willing to wait in line, fine. Go negotiate with other villages. Don't say I didn't warn you; some villages have already started charging for water. Hmph."
After Jiang Chao and his companion left, the people from Zhangjia Village exchanged glances. Water fees? Is that even a thing? But Jiang Chao's expression didn't seem fake at all. Zhang Agou squatted down in frustration and lit a cigarette; it had been a tough year for him as village chief, and he was seriously considering retirement.
Zhang Liang took the opportunity to sneak away with his wife while no one was paying attention. What about the others? They could only wait. Some people were still unwilling to give up and tried to grab water, but the other village had more people and strength; after several failed attempts to charge forward, they gave up.
Originally, everyone came to fetch water without thinking of bringing food, but by noon they were all left hungry. The adults could manage, but the children couldn't withstand hunger; some adults couldn't help but take their kids home early. Yu Tian's vehicle had supplies loaded on it, so Li Yan and Li Ming went into their space to cook.
They casually boiled some noodles and prepared chicken and duck from their space. Zhou Miao and Li Yan set up a few small enclosures for organization; it felt quite homely.
As soon as Li Ming's little friend entered the enclosure, the chickens and ducks inside started flapping around wildly. Oh no, Hu Hanshan is back! This life is unbearable!
Li Yan bit into an apple before taking out five eggs and gathering some greens along with three cucumbers. The space had become quite spacious now; there were eight acres of farmland along with two ponds and sixteen fruit trees—definitely a luxurious version of rural living.
Li Yan also sliced some vacuum-packed smoked meat and sausages, stir-frying them with vegetables and eggs before making seaweed egg soup. Although the quantity was small, the portions were generous. Worried that outsiders might smell the food, Li Yan packed everything into four boxes while putting the soup in a plastic bowl.
The four of them were also hungry; they ate until they were full before patting their bellies. Yu Tian felt a bit embarrassed for always eating Li Yan's cooking, but every time he entered the space, he had to be accompanied by one of the Li brothers; even if he wanted to help out, he didn't know what he could do.
After eating, each person had an apple. Li Ming lay on Li Yan's lap with his round belly exposed like a little piglet. Li Yan indulgently fed him pieces of apple while Li Ming made smacking sounds as he chewed.
"Tian Tian, I want some too," Zhou Miao said with envy as he leaned his face close to Yu Tian's side. "Tian Tian, give me a smile."
"Go away," Yu Tian shyly pushed Zhou Miao away; ever since that night, he felt increasingly unable to face Zhou Miao's shamelessness.
Of course, given Zhou Miao's thick skin comparable to the Great Wall of China, Yu Tian ultimately had no choice but to angrily stuff an entire apple into Zhou Miao's mouth. Although he wished he could choke him with it, Zhou Miao's mouth wasn't big enough yet for that plan to succeed—Yu Tian couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions about it all.
It wasn't until after three in the afternoon that it was finally Zhangjia Village's turn, which was supposed to be a good thing. However, Jiangjia Village had other conditions; they insisted that next year's Civilized Village must be chosen from them. This caused another uproar. In the end, Zhang Agou gritted his teeth and agreed, allowing everyone to go fetch water.
Yu Tian curiously asked, "What is a Civilized Village?"
"A Civilized Village is the most influential village within a hundred miles. Once a village is designated as a Civilized Village, for that year, all other villages must follow their lead. The words of their village chief carry the most weight," Zhang Agou replied angrily while walking towards the river with a large water jug. "Ah, this world truly makes it hard for people to live."
"Brother, it's like being the leader of the martial arts world," Li Ming's Little Friend listened carefully and understood that a Civilized Village was akin to the leader of a martial arts faction, and the village chief was like the martial arts alliance leader. "Brother, does that mean we will become their little brothers in the future?"
"It’s clearly just me being your brother; the others..." A flash of sternness crossed Li Yan's eyes before he turned back into a gentleman. "Clearly, stay close to me and don’t wander off."
Even though it was almost four o'clock, people by the riverbank were still as numerous as ants. To maintain appearances, Li Yan brought over four large water jugs. After loading all the water onto the vehicle, everyone was exhausted. In their lives in Zhangjia Village, they had truly experienced many firsts.
However, even so, there still wasn't enough water to irrigate the fields. The nearby ponds were nearly dry, and Zhang Agou issued an order that this water was strictly for drinking; no irrigation of fields was allowed.
When Li Yan received this notice, he gained a new understanding of Zhang Agou. In times of crisis, Zhang Agou remained calm and became everyone's anchor. He also recognized the significance of life; if people died of thirst, what use would there be for fields and farms?
The Li Family had space and lived comfortably with fields and water. While everyone else suffered from dry lips due to thirst, the Li Family appeared quite different.
After a family meeting, Zhou Miao, this super special soldier, shone once again. Camouflage—this was not something to be underestimated. After a few simple modifications, the four of them immediately looked much more worn out.
The author has something to say: Mei Mei has started updating again. Previously, Mei Mei had been dealing with allergies and receiving IV treatment, and then her computer screen broke. There were many frustrating things happening that slowed down the update speed, but now updates will resume!
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