Chapter 72
The first village upstream of Wupai Village is called Qiugu Village.
The two villages are not far apart, and even if the villagers don't know each other's names, they are mostly familiar with each other's faces.
A group of people arrived at the village in a menacing manner along the dried-up stream, but they did not see any dam blocking the water.
Someone said, "Qiugu Village and our village have always had a good relationship, so it seems they weren't the ones who did it this time. Shall we take a shortcut and go check out Xipo Village further upstream?"
If you follow the stream, it will take a lot of time to pass through Qiugu Village. Taking the side path to the next village will save you half the time.
Pang Zhishan did not make a hasty decision, but insisted, "Let's go in and take a look."
A large group of people entered the village, immediately attracting the attention of the villagers of Qiugu Village.
Pang Zhishan had instructed everyone beforehand not to speak out of turn, even if they saw acquaintances, so the group was unusually quiet.
They brazenly barged into the middle of Qiugu Village, alarming more and more villagers. Even Qiu Shude, the village chief, heard the news.
"Brother Pang?"
"So, you've brought the villagers to our village to digest their food?"
He arrived from behind with a big smile, and with a single sentence, he stopped the relocation team from Wupai Village.
The people of Wupai Village looked ahead and realized that he was referring to Pang Zhishan.
Pang Zhishan, who had been leading everyone forward, had to stop and exchange pleasantries upon receiving this greeting.
"What are you saying, Village Chief Qiu? In this kind of drought, what farmer is in the mood to eat so much?"
"It was late at night when the village's water guardian discovered that the stream used for irrigation had been cut off."
Qiu Shude feigned surprise, "What?! The water flow has been cut off?!"
"How long ago did this happen? How come no one in our village noticed?!"
This surprised expression dispelled the suspicions of some of the less wary villagers in Wupai Village.
Many people looked towards Pang Zhishan.
"It just happened. It's not too late for you to know now. You can come with us upstream to find out which village did it."
After saying that, Pang Zhishan slammed the bottom of his hoe hard on the ground.
Qiu Shude turned around and exchanged a glance with the group of villagers behind him.
"Why don't you go first? We'll follow later?"
"I need to gather the villagers and get some tools."
That makes sense.
Qiu Shude pointed the way to them, "Take this mountain road, and you'll soon reach Xipo Village."
Although Shu Wanxiu remained silent throughout the entire procession, she found the people of Qiugu Village to be extremely strange.
Hearing that the water supply had been cut off, the surrounding villagers looked indifferent, as if it were none of their business.
Shu Wanxiu is not the only one with this suspicion.
At the front of the group, some people quietly broke away from the group after Qiu Shude gave them directions and went deeper into Qiugu Village.
Before long, everyone heard arguing.
"Let me through! Why are you stopping me?!"
"You barged into our village, who else should we stop if not you?"
Qiu Shude opened his mouth as if to say something, but Pang Zhishan had already gripped his hoe and run toward the direction of the voice.
The other villagers from Wupai Village naturally followed Pang Zhishan.
Qiu Shude was forgotten by everyone, and his expression changed instantly.
As the villagers of Wupai Village flocked to the scene of the argument, the people assigned to guard the road there were quickly overwhelmed.
A sharp-eyed person's gaze fell upon the stream, and they immediately widened their eyes and shouted, "I see the dam that's blocking the water!"
"It was their village that did this!"
Those who had previously dismissed their doubts about Qiugu Village were now filled with anger at being played for a fool.
"Go to hell with all the old men in your village!"
"Do you think we're a joke?!"
When Qiu Shude arrived, he adopted a more polite expression and a consultative tone, saying, "Village Chief Pang, our village's fields are severely dry, and we have no other choice but to borrow water from the village downstream for one night."
Borrow water?
It's amazing that he came up with the word 'borrow'!
They really know how to whitewash the truth!
Someone spat on the ground without any politeness.
"Pah! Which village isn't dry this year? This stream flows through more than a dozen villages. If the villages in front borrow water for one night today and I borrow water for one night tomorrow, and they keep borrowing from each other, what will happen to the villages behind us when we need to irrigate our fields?!"
"Besides, your Qiugu Village is utterly shameless! You built the dam without even a word, that's called stealing water! Not borrowing it!"
"Village Chief Pang! Let's not talk to him anymore, let's tear down their dike, tear it down!"
"Take it down! Take it down! Take it down!"
The villagers of Wupai Village, filled with righteous indignation, brandished all sorts of weapons and prepared to go down into the creek to push down the earthen embankment that was blocking the water.
Qiu Shude shouted at the villagers from the two villages closest to the dike, "Stop them! Don't let them fight!"
He had arranged for the guards to come here to protect the dike. They were all tall, young, strong, and obedient. They immediately began to block the way after receiving the order.
As Pang Zhili was swept along by the current towards the breached dam, he suddenly found himself being grabbed by the back of the neck, and then his entire body was violently thrown backward, flying half a meter away.
This blow nearly blew half of his soul and spirit away. A moment later, his soul returned, bringing with it his fierce nature.
He grabbed the hoe, his face flushed and neck bulging, and rushed out.
"You spineless bastard who can't even have a baby! How dare you touch me?!"
The scene quickly descended into chaos; in the blink of an eye, the confrontation between those destroying the dam and those preventing its destruction turned into a free-for-all.
You hit me with a punch, I'll hit you back with a stick.
Pang Zhishan was firmly protected behind his two sons. Looking at the out-of-control scene, he shouted to Qiu Shude through the crowd: "Quickly tell your villagers to stop, and you go down and destroy the embankment immediately!"
If Pang Zhishan was at the center of the chaos, then Qiu Shude was outside of it.
He listened to Pang Zhishan's words but did not respond for a long time.
From his vantage point, he could clearly see that Wupai Village, due to its numerical disadvantage, was gradually losing ground in the chaotic battle.
Wupai Village is a small village. Qiugu Village has twice the amount of farmland and population as Wupai Village.
Anger can indeed unleash a person's potential, but only temporarily.
Qiu Shude deliberately chose to intercept the water at dusk, precisely because it was the time for an evening meal.
The sooner the people of Wupai Village discover that the water flow has been blocked, the sooner they should seek justice.
The faster they go, the more it means they are hungry and haven't eaten.
Seeing Qiu Shude's indifferent expression, seemingly unconcerned about the possibility of someone getting killed, Pang Zhishan finally lost his temper.
Rather than hoping that others will realize their mistakes and change their ways, it's better for the whole village to unite and seek justice.
"Go!" he commanded his two sons, who were protecting him from the front and back. "Go and destroy the dike!"
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