"Children, come here! Quickly try your mother's new creation!" Jiang Ling, who had just returned home from the back mountain, hurriedly took out the mint water that had been placed in the shade.
Having learned their lesson from last time, Jiang Wenxi and Jiang Suihe quickly covered their mouths, shook their heads, and ran away.
Nianci followed closely behind, but Jiang Yaojie still looked at the mint water in the bowl with some curiosity.
Seeing this, Jiang Ling ladled a bowl and placed it in front of Jiang Yaojie, saying expectantly, "Yaojie! Try it! I guarantee it will be different from last time."
"Really...really?" Jiang Yaojie was still a little skeptical, but he took a small sip under Jiang Ling's expectant gaze.
"Hmm...hmm..." Jiang Yaojie's expression gradually changed. His brows, which had been furrowed with doubt, gradually relaxed, and his eyes closed slightly, showing a look of enjoyment.
He leaned back in his chair and drank the remaining half bowl of mint water, smacking his lips as he finished.
"Yaojie! How is it?" Jiang Ling had an answer in her heart as she looked at the changes in Jiang Yaojie's expression, but she still hoped that some things could be said by other people.
"It's very sweet! And very refreshing. Drinking it makes you feel cool all over! It's so comfortable!" Jiang Yaojie replied, placing the bowl on the table.
"What? Big brother, don't say things like that just to make Mom happy!" Jiang Suihe's eyes kept darting between the empty bowl and the mint water.
"How could that be, little sister? You should try it, it tastes really good, it's sweet!" Jiang Yaojie explained.
"What? Sweet?" Jiang Wenxi, who had been covering her mouth and shaking her head, went to the kitchen to get a bowl and ran to Jiang Ling's side, holding the bowl and saying, "Mom, I want one too! I want one too!"
Jiang Ling smiled and scooped two spoonfuls of mint water into Jiang Wenxi's bowl.
"Wow! This is delicious! It's so refreshingly cool! I don't even feel hot anymore!" Jiang Wenxi said, wiping her mouth after putting the empty bowl on the table.
"Really? Really?" Jiang Suihe looked at Jiang Wenxi and Jiang Yaojie, still hesitant.
"Suihe, give it a try! Your older brother and younger sister won't lie to you!" Before long, another bowl appeared beside Jiang Suihe.
"Hmm..." Jiang Suihe picked up the bowl, stuck out her tongue and licked it, her eyebrows twitched immediately, and she drank the mint water in the bowl clean in a few big gulps.
"See? I didn't lie to you, did I?" Jiang Ling asked with a smile.
While Jiang Ling was enjoying herself, the situation in Dahua Village was somewhat complicated.
He Dake sat in a chair, puffing on his pipe with an unusually serious expression on his face, while Lu Dongyuan, the village chief of Lujia Village, sat to the side with an impatient look on his face.
"Brother, is what you're saying true?" He Dake hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question that had been bothering him.
“Of course, would someone as old as me lie to you? Now that you have water here and are saved, the people in your village will naturally not poison our village’s water source. The back mountain is so big, there must be more than one water source we’ve found.” Lu Dongyuan recalled Jiang Ling’s previous words and spoke to He Dake in front of him in a serious manner.
He Dake's eyes darted around again, and he tentatively asked, "Then... what about the kickback?"
Lu Dongyuan immediately understood what He Dake meant, and he added, "Don't worry, I won't take any kickbacks from you!"
"Such a good thing? I don't believe it." After saying that, He Dake started puffing on his pipe again.
"You! He Dake, how could you take my kindness for granted? If I really wanted to argue with you, why didn't I just take those two people to Changning Town and let the county magistrate handle this matter!" Lu Dongyuan became more and more angry as he spoke, and finally stood up to leave.
Seeing that Lu Dongyuan was angry, He Da quickly put on a smile and apologized, "Brother, brother, don't be angry, don't be angry. I was just being petty and judging you! I... well, I had no choice."
He Dake picked up his pipe and started puffing away again. Amidst the swirling smoke, he poured out his troubles.
It turned out that some time ago, seeing that the fields were suffering from drought and the harvest was hopeless, He Da went to Pingxi County alone to apply to the county magistrate for relief grain.
Unexpectedly, the previous magistrate of Pingxi County had retired and returned to his hometown. The new magistrate had just taken over the area and was not familiar with many places. Although He Dake did not directly refuse him at the time, he felt that the matter of relief grain would probably not come to fruition.
Now that the village chief of Lujia Village has suddenly arrived and offered to find a water source for free, He Dake, who is always cautious, has become suspicious.
After hearing He Dake's thoughts, Lu Dongyuan smiled awkwardly and said, "Don't worry, I won't go back on my promise. Alright, we need to go back to work now. I'll bring people over tomorrow regarding the water source!"
After saying this, no matter how much He Dake tried to persuade him to stay, Lu Dongyuan shook his head and refused, and finally left Dahua Village with his group.
"Dad, are you really going to help them?" Lu Cheng asked with a puzzled look as soon as they left Dahua Village.
"Yes, what's wrong?"
"But...but they treated us like that, why should we help them?" Lu Cheng was even more confused. He couldn't understand what his father was up to.
"Stupid!" Lu Dongyuan frowned and scolded.
“Dahua Village and we have had some past conflicts. You don’t want the two villages to be so serious about everything, do you? Besides, you never know who you might need help from in your life. What should we do if we ever need Dahua Village’s help?”
Lu Chengcai scratched his head upon hearing Lu Dongyuan's words.
"Putting that aside for now, let's just talk about the water source. Which other village in these surrounding areas has water besides ours? Last night, our village's water source was almost poisoned. That's a warning. Are we supposed to send people to guard our water source 24/7 every day?"
"Besides, once our village's grain harvest is complete, will you lend it to the neighboring village if they come to borrow grain?"
Lu Dongyuan's words not only shocked his son, but also impressed the men who came with him. Of course, they didn't know that Lu Dongyuan's words came from Jiang Ling's mouth.
Jiang Ling has already begun preparations for the third peppermint water experiment.
This time, Jiang Ling secretly bought a large roll of ultra-fine gauze from the mall to use as a filter for the mint residue. The pale green water was slowly poured by Jiang Ling into the bowl where the gauze had already been placed.
"Mom, Mom, Grandpa Village Chief is here to see you!" Before Jiang Ling could even prepare to filter the mint, Jiang Suihe's voice came from outside into the house.
Jiang Ling responded, picked up the towel on the table to wipe her hands, tidied her slightly messy hair, and walked out unhurriedly.
"Village chief, is there anything I can help you with?" Jiang Ling asked as she approached the village chief.
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