Chapter 40 The Rice Can Be Saved

After a day and a night, and another half day, the laborers descended from the mountaintop to the foot of the mountain.

A half-meter-wide ditch runs from the mountains to the fields, extending in all directions to the rice paddies of every household.

The village head led his men up the mountain. The initial part of the ditch was still a hand's breadth away from the water source. The most crucial hoe stroke was naturally handed over to the village head of Dahe Village, creating a solemn and dignified sense of ritual.

The village head raised his hoe and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, dug down hard.

The soil here is very soft, and it didn't take much effort to open the breach. The torrent rushed out from underground and flowed rapidly down the mountain along the ditch.

The children cheered and rushed down the mountain with the current. No one can outrun the water, and in no time the water reached the foot of the mountain.

Countless farmers eagerly awaited their return.

The spring water shimmered and sparkled under the blazing sun.

Like a silver dragon.

Like hope bursting forth, rolling in.

What was clearly just a half-meter-wide ditch was inexplicably magnified, looking like a churning ocean with giant waves surging in.

The village elders' eyes reddened, and tears trembled as they fell.

"There really is water!"

"The water's here!"

"The rice crop can be saved!"

No one will starve to death!

The water flowed into the rice paddies beside the ditches, and the cracked yellow earth opened its mouths and swallowed all the water. The parched fields frantically absorbed the water source. The water flowed into the rice paddies, instantly sinking into the cracks, and then a continuous stream of water flowed in.

The withered rice ears seemed to be infused with hope, swaying in the blazing sun and summer breeze.

The farmers standing on the edge of the field wept with joy.

Taking advantage of everyone's inattention, Zhang Wulai dug a gap in the ridge of his own paddy field, and water instantly flowed into his rice paddy.

Some people saw this scene, but in such an exciting moment, no one wanted to be the first to confront Zhang Wulai, this scoundrel. Besides, Zhang Dagang from the Zhang family had also contributed, although he wasn't as strong as the able-bodied men from other families, but the boy had done his best... They were from the same village, and no one wanted to make things too ugly.

Just as everyone was rejoicing, a discordant voice rang out.

"Damn! Water is actually flowing down!"

The villagers turned around and saw that several people from Guihua Village had somehow blended into the crowd, and one of the men even spat into the ditch.

This has certainly incurred public wrath.

Old Mrs. Zhu was in her sixties or seventies and usually walked with a shaky gait. But now she jumped up and slapped the man who spat on the back of the head, angrily shouting, "You dare to spit again and see what happens!"

The man was furious: "You old hag, how dare you hit me! I'll beat you to death..."

Before he could finish speaking, he felt countless cold gazes piercing him. When he looked up, he saw a large number of people surrounding him.

These people were all strong-bodied laborers who dug ditches. They were muscular, and dozens of them piled together looked like a majestic mountain.

The man swallowed back what he was about to say, turned and ran, and the few people from Guihua Village quickly followed. They disappeared at the village entrance in no time.

The village head finally walked down with his hands behind his back, and said with a serious expression, "We must be wary of those bastards from Guihua Village. They are definitely capable of poisoning people!"

Cheng Wanwan said, "I think the patrol team must continue to protect the water in the mountains, the rice in the fields, and the food for every household."

Previously, some people thought that forming a patrol team was just looking for trouble, but today, people from Guihua Village openly broke into Dahe Village and even spat into the ditch, which angered many people. The idea of ​​forming a patrol team again has been approved by everyone.

At this time, almost everyone in the village was present, including able-bodied men, so it didn't take much effort to select the people for the daily patrol.

And the water in the rice paddies gradually increased.

A shallow layer of water reflected the green and yellow rice ears, the blue sky and the blazing sun, and the people standing on the ridges of the fields. The water, like a wisp of wind, dispelled the gloom that had hung over the hearts of thousands of people in Dahe Village for the past two months, and the atmosphere was wonderful for a moment.

Old Mrs. Zhu grabbed Cheng Wanwan's hand: "Big Mountain Mother, it's all thanks to you. Without you, this old woman would have starved to death this year!"

The village head's wife wiped her red eyes: "Auntie Dashan, I misunderstood you before. Now I know you're a good person... You told everyone about the jade bamboo shoots, and you didn't hide the discovery of the water. How could such a good person like you be living a life of widowhood..."

Aunt Wang chimed in, "Auntie Dashan, I have an older brother on my mother's side whose wife died. He's thirty-four this year and a very skilled farmer. If you have time tomorrow, I..."

Standing in the crowd, Old Mrs. Zhao had a complicated expression.

The eldest son died last year, and this year someone is already arranging a marriage for his wife. Although she's not exactly a great wife, she's still a member of the Zhao family. If she really remarries, she'll have nothing to do with the Zhao family anymore...

“Your mother-in-law is a reasonable person and will definitely not stop you from remarrying. Your four sons certainly won’t dare to say anything either.” An enthusiastic woman patted her chest and said, “Without Sister-in-law Zhao, there would be no bamboo shoots and ditches in our Dahe Village. Leave the task of finding a man for Sister-in-law Zhao to me.”

Cheng Wanwan: "..."

Thank you, that's fine, but please don't act as a pimp, okay?

Her face was plastered with a fake smile: "I'm doing fine on my own... Well, now that we have water for irrigation, we can tidy up the land in front of and behind the house and plant some vegetables. Does anyone have any vegetable seeds they could lend us?"

Aunt Wang chimed in, "I have some cabbage seeds at home; I'll share some with you later."

The village head's wife said, "Do you like celery? If you do, come to our house and take some."

The topic was successfully diverted, and Cheng Wanwan breathed a sigh of relief.

She also successfully borrowed cabbage seeds, celery seeds, water spinach seeds, winter melon seeds, leek seeds, bean seeds... all of which are vegetables suitable for planting in the high temperatures of summer. Because of the drought and water shortage this year, not many people in the village grow vegetables. Now that Cheng Wanwan mentioned it, everyone is planning to go back and plant them as soon as possible so that they can have some fresh vegetables in the fall and winter.

She smiled and thanked everyone, but in her heart she was thinking that there were no chili peppers, tomatoes, cauliflower, onions, potatoes... so many delicious foods were missing from the table, which was such a pity.

As she was pondering, a shadow suddenly loomed over her.

She looked up and saw Zhao Fugui from the village had walked up to her at some point, looking at her with a fawning smile: "Sister-in-law Zhao, my family has all kinds of seeds. Do you want to come to my house and take a look? Take whatever you like..."

He spoke as he leaned forward.

The ridges between the fields were packed with people, so crowded that he squeezed through without attracting anyone's attention.

Cheng Wanwan cautiously took a step back, but missed her footing and almost fell into the rice paddy that had just been flooded... Zhao Fugui, who was nearby, quickly came to help her...