The sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn when a loud rooster crowed, waking Jiang Ling.

Jiang Ling stretched lazily on the bed, glanced at her two sleeping daughters, and carefully got out of bed and went outside.

At this moment, Jiang Yaojie gently pushed open the door and came out.

After Jiang Ling and Jiang Yaojie washed up briefly, Jiang Ling changed Jiang Yaojie into a set of clothes that looked relatively clean, and then led Jiang Yaojie to the village chief's house.

It was obvious that the village chief had gotten up earlier than Jiang Ling and her son. From a distance, Jiang Ling could see the village chief standing at the door, looking around. He was clearly waiting for her.

Upon seeing Jiang Ling and Jiang Yaojie appear, the village chief hurriedly ran towards them.

Looking at the village chief's tired yet excited eyes, Jiang Ling sensed that he had probably spent the night without sleep because of the water issue.

"How is it?" the village chief asked Jiang Ling with anticipation.

"Hmm... the White-Haired Goddess didn't give any guidance..." Before Jiang Ling could finish speaking, the village chief's face darkened, and his previous spirited demeanor vanished.

Jiang Ling was somewhat speechless. She continued, "Although the White-Haired Goddess didn't give any guidance, my son has come up with a brilliant plan!"

After Jiang Ling finished speaking, the village chief regained his previous excitement. He blinked his somewhat cloudy eyes and looked at Jiang Yaojie, saying, "Kid, tell Grandpa Village Chief what brilliant plan you have!"

Jiang Yaojie looked up at Jiang Ling, who nodded slightly and then quietly gave him a thumbs up. Jiang Ling's encouragement seemed to have an effect, and Jiang Yaojie looked at the village chief and began to tell him everything that had happened the night before.

The village chief was shocked upon hearing this. He looked at Jiang Yaojie in disbelief and stammered, "Kid... this... this is all your idea?"

"No……"

“Of course, my eldest son is amazing! Village chief, do you think this plan is feasible?” Jiang Ling interrupted Jiang Yaojie and patted him on the shoulder with a proud expression.

"Hmm...this method does sound feasible! You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come and have breakfast together!" the village chief said, his face beaming.

Jiang Ling shook her head and said to the village chief, "Thank you for your kindness, village chief, but everyone is short of food right now, so Yaojie and I won't go over for a meal!"

"Alright, then I won't keep you any longer. I'll have Gousheng ring the bell later, and Yaojie will explain the plan to everyone then!" the village chief instructed.

Jiang Ling nodded and led Jiang Yaojie toward her family's old house.

On the way back, Jiang Yaojie felt uneasy. He hesitated for a long time before asking Jiang Ling, "Mother, do you really think this method will definitely work?"

Jiang Ling comforted him, "Yaojie, be confident! Even Grandpa Village Chief thinks your idea is good! Just speak up boldly later! Don't be afraid with your mother here!"

As the sun gradually rose above the horizon, the village bell at the entrance rang throughout the entire village.

Jiang Ling briefly explained a few words to Jiang Suihe, then led Jiang Yaojie toward the village entrance.

More and more people gathered at the village entrance, and the murmurs among them grew louder.

Jiang Ling could clearly sense that Jiang Yaojie was a little nervous. She gently patted Jiang Yaojie's shoulder and whispered, "I believe in you! You can definitely do it!"

"Cough...cough..." The village chief coughed a few times and slowly squeezed through the crowd. His face, which had been somewhat uneasy, visibly relaxed when he saw Jiang Ling.

"I've gathered everyone here today to announce something important!" the village chief said slowly, standing in the crowd.

"A water source was discovered in the Cave of the White-haired Goddess..."

The village chief's words were like a bombshell, immediately sparking a flurry of discussion among the crowd.

"Quiet! Quiet! Everyone be quiet!" The village chief frowned and tried to maintain order.

"This water source is a blessing from the White-Haired Goddess..."

"Village chief, where is the water source? Let's hurry and fetch some water!" Lu Wangde, an impatient man, interrupted the village chief loudly.

"Lu Wangde, can't you just listen to me finish what I have to say quietly?" The village chief gave him a cold look, and Lu Wangde awkwardly covered his mouth and smiled.

“Although the water source has been found, there are still two problems that we need to solve. Jiang, why don’t you tell us?” The village chief turned his gaze to Jiang Ling.

The crowd erupted in uproar, especially Old Lady Lu, who was hiding in the crowd. She looked at Jiang Ling, who was in excellent spirits, and wished she could rush up and slap her a few times.

Jiang Ling calmly walked to the village chief's side and said unhurriedly, "A few days ago, I had a dream about the White-Haired Goddess. She showed me the location of the water source in my dream. Yesterday, the village chief and I went to investigate the White-Haired Goddess's cave, and there is indeed a water source inside!"

"The water source is currently blocked by a huge rock, and the water flow is very small. The village chief and I came up with a plan: we'll cut down more bamboo from the back mountain, stuff the bamboo with stones and clods of earth, and then burn the bamboo. When it burns to a certain point, the bamboo will explode, and we'll use this method to blast the boulder open..."

As soon as Jiang Ling finished speaking, the crowd burst into laughter, and many people shook their heads, finding Jiang Ling's method quite ridiculous.

The village chief, however, coughed hard with a cold face and said to everyone, "You don't need to laugh. Jiang and I have already tested this method, and the boulder did indeed have some small cracks blasted out!"

The crowd erupted in uproar upon hearing this, and their gazes toward Jiang Ling became more respectful.

"Once the rocks are blasted open, the drought problem will be solved."

"Yes, that's right. Then we can go up the mountain to fetch water to irrigate the land!" Everyone showed excited expressions after hearing Jiang Ling's words.

“However, we still have a problem…” Jiang Ling paused, then looked at Jiang Yaojie. She waved her hand and said, “Yaojie, you come here! You can solve the rest of the problem. This method is your idea!”

This was Jiang Yaojie's first time speaking in front of everyone. He nervously rubbed the hem of his clothes and walked to Jiang Ling's side with trembling legs.

He looked up at the crowd with their varied expressions, opened his mouth and said, "After the boulder is destroyed, the water flow will be much greater, but our method of going up the mountain to collect water and then bringing it down to irrigate the area will not work."

"Won't work? What else? Do you have a better idea?" Wang Laizi rolled his eyes and started making a fuss.

When Jiang Yaojie heard someone object, he stopped talking and looked at Jiang Ling with unease. Jiang Ling nodded gently, signaling him to continue.

Jiang Yaojie swallowed hard and continued, "We can dig a ditch..."

"Hahaha! As expected, a hairless leg is unreliable! How could you, a mere brat, so casually mention 'digging a ditch'? Let alone how long this ditch needs to be dug, with such a dry land, how can water possibly stay?" Old Mrs. Lu suddenly jumped out and mocked.

"Hahaha……"

After what Old Lady Lu said, everyone started laughing unrestrainedly. Jiang Yaojie's face turned red and white in turns. He kept rubbing the hem of his clothes with his hands and looked at Jiang Ling with unease.