All afternoon, Song Ning and Liu Yuelan were busy making cold noodles, while Song Dahai worked in the yard.

When I went to check on the two chickens again, one of them had already collapsed.

Song Ning quickly picked up the chick and felt that it was still breathing. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, she quickly took out some water from her space and fed it some.

At this time of year, even chickens are struggling to survive, let alone people.

After the chick drank the water, Song Ning carefully put it back, sprinkled some chopped wild vegetables into it, and scooped out more water.

"You all need to grow up well, I'm counting on you to eat eggs."

The sun was about to set, and the western sky was filled with evening glow, illuminating the entire Nanshan Village.

Such a beautiful view made Song Ning stop and linger.

But the villagers were used to it.

They would much rather see lightning and thunder in the sky, followed by a torrential downpour, than this scene.

As the sun gradually set, the villagers who had gone to town to find work entered the village. They were all covered in dust and dirt, but they had smiles on their faces.

Ever since Song Erhai did that last time, the villagers stopped calling him when they went out, fearing that he would cause trouble again.

The family ate vegetable pancakes and stir-fried meat for dinner. There wasn't much meat in the pan today, so Song Ning asked Liu Yuelan to stir-fry it all.

We still had to make the broth for the cold noodles tonight, so the whole family couldn't go to bed early again.

I had just lain down when I heard banging on a pot and shouting from outside.

The family quickly got up again, and Song Dahai hurriedly went out to check the situation, only to hear shouts outside that another thief had broken into the village.

Liu Yuelan quickly ran into the house to hide her things, while Song Dahai grabbed his things and ran towards the source of the noise.

The villagers were alarmed and rushed to the east end of the village. Before they even got there, they saw that someone had already lit torches and a crowd was gathered around the well.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that they weren't thieves at all, but rather Li Guixiang and Song Erhai from the Song family.

Two people were sneaking around to fetch water in the middle of the night instead of sleeping. They were discovered by someone who got up in the middle of the night and mistook them for thieves, which caused such a commotion.

Li Guixiang and Song Erhai were so frightened by the villagers that their legs went weak.

However, Li Guixiang was no pushover and immediately realized, "We just came to get some water. There's no rule that says we can't get water at night, is there?"

Hearing Li Guixiang say this, Song Erhai also stood up straight: "We just couldn't sleep at night and came out to fetch some water, and they arrested us like thieves? Is there no justice in this world?"

While there's no rule against going out to fetch water at night, going out to fetch water in the middle of the night seems rather abnormal.

However, it's not fair to say that what they're doing is wrong.

Just as everyone was about to leave, a voice came from not far away: "There are two people here!"

The two men were thrown to the ground, yelling, "What are you doing? We didn't steal anything, why are you arresting us?"

When Li Guixiang and Song Erhai saw the two of them, their expressions changed instantly.

The firelight illuminated their faces, and someone exclaimed, "Isn't that Chen Ergou from Xishu Village?"

Upon closer inspection, everyone realized it was indeed true.

Chen Ergou and Song Erhai's wife, Zhang, are cousins. They used to come to Nanshan Village often, and many people in the village have seen them.

"Chen Ergou, what are you doing in our village in the middle of the night?"

Chen Ergou, with his neck stiff, said matter-of-factly, "We just came back late and took the wrong road, is that any of your business?"

It's true that some people do come home late at night, but having lived in the village for so many years, it's actually very rare for someone to get lost, but it's not impossible either.

Nothing was stolen from the village tonight, and the two men were found far from any other people's homes.

When people heard that it wasn't a thief, they felt relieved, and many women came out to watch the excitement.

When they reached the east end of the village, people lit torches and gathered in a circle. Song Ning, having heard what had just happened, glanced into the crowd and saw Li Guixiang and Song Dahai standing, while two people from another village were slumped over.

Suddenly someone in the crowd said, "Song Erhai just finished fetching water this afternoon, why is he here in the middle of the night?"

Ever since the village chief said that the water in the well was flowing out slowly, each household has limited the number of times they draw water each day. The villagers are afraid that the well will suddenly run out of water one day, so they use the water sparingly every day. Their execution is absolutely top-notch.

Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed.

Song Ning glanced at the group and suddenly understood what Li Guixiang and Song Erhai were doing.

Several nearby villages are also experiencing water shortages. Nanshan Village is considered relatively better off; some villages have already lost all their water supply.

Nowadays, many villages borrow or exchange drinking water with neighboring villages.

"You're not here to change the water, are you?"

Someone whispered something, and everyone instantly understood.

The village chief immediately sent people to search the place where the two had been hiding. Sure enough, they found two cloth bags, one containing coarse flour and the other containing wild vegetables.

At this, the villagers' faces immediately turned fierce.

Now, a bucket of water can be exchanged for two kilograms of millet and a basket of wild vegetables. Who wouldn't be tempted?

Song Erhai had never done any work before and couldn't stand hardship. Now that his family had nothing, he couldn't find any wild vegetables, and when he went out to find work, he ended up losing all his savings.

Song Rui no longer acknowledges him, and the whole family needs to make a living, so Li Guixiang came up with this solution.

"I was wondering how the second branch of the Song family could have food every day. It turns out they were secretly exchanging water for food."

"Song Erhai is good for nothing. There's no food at home, so he has to think of other ways, right?"

The village chief had a cold face. Although this was not a fair thing to do, it was not explicitly forbidden, so there was nothing he could do about the Song family's behavior.

People from almost the entire village came in the middle of the night, and after all that trouble, it all came to nothing in the end.

The people were dissatisfied with the result, but were there any other options?

Song Ning wasn't surprised.

The method proposed by the village chief has both advantages and disadvantages. The Song family is just the first one. Once they learn about this method, more and more people will follow suit.

I heard that Xishu Village has been without water for some time and has been relying on exchanging water with other villages to get by.

In this sweltering heat, you can skip a meal or two, or even a whole day, and not starve, but you can't go a day without water.

I heard that many villages are trying to find a water source, and even the county magistrate is worried sick.

In some villages, people have already starved to death.

To save food for his family, he didn't eat for several days. Eventually, he became so weak that he didn't even have the strength to speak, let alone get up. He starved to death.

Some people say that they must have angered the gods, which is why God is not sending them rain.

Previously, Song Ning had seen villagers burning incense and paper money at the foot of the back mountain, offering sacrifices while chanting prayers for blessings and kowtowing several times.

Even if they were starving to death, no one dared to go up.

Song Ning had mixed feelings and needed to find some time to go up the mountain again.