In this grain distribution, the Lu family received fifty catties of grain.

According to Village Chief Li's distribution plan, the Lu family should have only received thirty jin of grain. However, Jiang Qinyu discovered that the largest batch of grain was given to the Lu family, and the village chief gave them an extra twenty jin. No one in the village objected.

Adding the 300 jin of grain that was stolen from the Lu family, and the remaining grain in the house, the Lu family now has nearly 600 jin of grain, enough to last for two and a half months if they eat it normally, and if they are frugal, it can last for three months without any problem.

Old Lu stayed at the village chief's place to distribute the grain, while Chen took Jiang Qinyu to the ancestral hall to get the things Meng had brought back the night before.

Chen was not one to be greedy for small gains. Last night, she only picked up what she could use at home from the bandits' den, which she wrapped in a tattered bed sheet.

"Let me take it, Mother," Jiang Qinyu said.

Mrs. Chen smiled and shook her head, "There's no need for you. I can carry it myself. Just make sure you get the water. Come on, let's hurry home. We'll have a good meal at home tonight!"

Today, not only was grain distributed, but the village chief also specially distributed the limited water from the village's wells to everyone.

What's remarkable is that today we received about half a bucket more water than before, which is enough to cook quite a lot of things.

Jiang Qinyu stiffened upon hearing this. In fact, she did not want to eat anything made from that murky water. Although the Lu family was the first to receive water thanks to Village Chief Li's help, the water quality looked relatively clear.

No, she'll have to figure out how to change the water in the house later.

There are plenty of bottled water and several 10-liter bottles of Moufu Spring water at the cashier, enough to cover the amount needed for cooking tonight.

Back home, while Chen was putting out the grain, Jiang Qinyu quickly ran into the kitchen, rinsed the water tank with the water she had just been allocated, and then poured in twenty-five liters of mineral water.

Just as she was considering whether to pour some more in, she heard Ma's irritating voice from behind her.

"Tianbao, quick, there's water! Go and drink a couple of bowls..."

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Qinyu felt her waist being bumped, and then she saw Lu Tianbao's dirty little hands holding a chipped bowl, about to put it into the water vat.

Jiang Qinyu's eyes twitched violently a few times, and she quickly grabbed Lu Tianbao's hand, "You can only drink after you wash your hands!"

If that brat really puts his hand in, the water in this tank will be ruined.

"Mom, look at Auntie, she won't let me drink water!" Knowing that Jiang Qinyu was not someone to be trifled with now, Lu Tianbao gave up struggling and turned to Madam Ma for help.

Ma still remembered how badly Jiang Qinyu had beaten her yesterday, so she didn't dare to get close to Jiang Qinyu. She just stuck out her neck and shouted, "Sister-in-law, you even stop the child from drinking water. Isn't that going too far?"

"Can't you see how filthy his hands are?" Jiang Qinyu said sternly. "If he puts his hands in, the whole family won't be able to drink this water!"

Ma immediately retorted sarcastically, "What time is it? Why are you still pretending to be a clean person? Who in the village has clean hands these days? You're so precious, but your hands aren't clean either..."

She had intended to say that Jiang Qinyu's hands were also dirty, but upon closer inspection, she found that Jiang Qinyu's hands were clean and there wasn't a trace of dirt in them.

"aunt!"

At this moment, Shufan and Pan'er also arrived. They were a little timid when they saw Lu Tianbao, but when they saw Jiang Qinyu, they mustered up their courage and ran to her side, grabbing the hem of her clothes.

Jiang Shufan mustered her courage and glared at Lu Tianbao, "Don't you dare bully my aunt!"

Lu Tianbao's wrist was being gripped tightly by Jiang Qinyu, and it was starting to hurt. When he heard Jiang Shufan's words, tears immediately welled up in his eyes. "Who bullied her? Are you all blind? It's clearly my aunt who's bullying me!"

"You're talking nonsense! My aunt would never bully anyone!" Jiang Pan'er immediately raised her little face and retorted.

Mrs. Ma was also indignant. She had tried to criticize Jiang Qinyu earlier but failed, and now that she saw the two children, she immediately changed her tune, "Your two little brats' hands are just as..."

Before she could even utter the word "dirty," she saw Shufan and Pan'er's clean little hands and immediately fell silent.

"How...how could you wash your hands with the water we drink at home?" Ma was stunned for a moment, then slapped her thigh and ran outside. "My God! Father, Mother, Lu Lao Er, we can't live like this anymore! Jiang Shi brought the water from home to wash her hands, what are we supposed to drink now?"

Her shout brought Chen over, but neither Old Man Lu nor Lu Yancai were home.

When Chen heard what Ma said, her heart skipped a beat. After all, water was just as important as food, and her family of seven was counting on the small bucket of water they had just brought back to last for three days!

Soon, Madam Chen and Madam Ma arrived at the kitchen. Madam Ma pointed to Jiang Qinyu and Shufan Pan'er's hands and said, "Mother, look, their hands are all clean! They must have used the water we drink to wash their hands!"

If you look closely, you can see a gloating glint in Ma's eyes.

Lu Tianbao stopped crying, broke free from Jiang Qinyu's hand, and ran to Chen Shi. "Grandma, although my parents made a mistake, you can't completely side with my aunt and uncle! How can our family survive without water?"

Jiang Qinyu remained silent with a cold face, standing straight in front of the water vat.

Madam Chen glanced at Lu Tianbao, then at Madam Ma, and finally looked up at Jiang Qinyu, her face full of heartache. "Eldest daughter-in-law, the water's used, it's alright. Your father and I will just drink less these next few days. But... you should be more careful with your water usage in the future, so as not to..."

Seeing that Madam Chen wasn't blaming her unnecessarily, Jiang Qinyu's expression softened. She pointed to the water vat and said, "Mother, the water isn't less. We didn't use the water from home to wash our hands."

As for how I washed it, I naturally couldn't tell them.

Upon hearing this, Chen hurried forward, peered inside, and exclaimed, "Oh dear, is there really this much water today?"

Moreover, the water in the tank looked very clear, cleaner than the water we'd been allotted these past few days, and it was ready to use without needing to settle.

"The village chief gave our family a larger share to thank me for my help," Jiang Qinyu said calmly, glancing at Ma Shi and Lu Tianbao.

Chen's gaze shifted, and she noticed that there was still some water in the bucket next to the water vat. She quickly took the chipped rough porcelain bowl from Lu Tianbao's hand and poured the water from the bucket into it.

"Tianbao, this is enough for you."

She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she always felt that the water in the water tank was cleaner than the water in the bucket.

But they are short of water now, so they will accept any kind of water as long as it is drinkable.

"Mother, I'm so thirsty too, I..." Madam Ma approached with a fawning tone.

Chen shoved the bucket into her hands, her face cold, and said, "The rest of the bucket is yours! If you keep making a scene like that, I'll teach you a lesson!"

If it weren't for her second son and Tianbao, she would have divorced Ma Shi, that troublemaker, long ago!

After saying this, Madam Chen said kindly to Shufan and Pan'er, "You two help Grandma guard the water vat and don't let them waste such good water. Grandma will cook something delicious for you later, okay?"

"Mmm!" Shufan and Pan'er nodded in unison, unconsciously licking their lips.

Jiang Qinyu smiled and took Chen's arm, saying, "Mother, let me help you cook?"

It seems she has to find water while she's looking for food, otherwise she might still not be able to convince the villagers to give up their idea of ​​fleeing the famine!