Everyone had worked all day and was not only hot and tired, but also extremely irritable.
Some people have been queuing here for over an hour, but haven't moved an inch.
Zhao Si's wife had a fiery temper, and after waiting for so long, she was getting impatient.
She threw down the carrying pole and kicked the water bucket. Then she walked to the front of the line, and, with a sudden burst of courage, pointed at Granny Zhao and Granny Yuan and yelled, "What's wrong with you two old women? The whole village is waiting for you two! You might as well just move the well home!"
Granny Yuan had just filled her own water bucket when she started helping Granny Zhao fetch water.
The two old women were stunned by Zhao Si's wife's scolding before they realized what was happening.
"What? This well isn't yours, what are you yelling about?" Granny Yuan said irritably.
"That's right, if you want to fetch water, you'd better line up properly at the back and wait for me to get my water first," Old Mrs. Zhao said fiercely. She had to hurry up and get to work, because her son and grandson would come over to help carry the water later.
When Zhao Si's wife saw the two of them criticizing her together, she was naturally unhappy.
"Hmph, two old hags who take advantage of their age. So many people in our village are lining up to wait. They may not say anything, but I can't stand it. Don't you even know who I, Zhang Yufang, am!" Zhao Si's wife put her hands on her hips and cursed in a vivid and expressive tone.
The young wives in the village naturally didn't want to get involved in such a fight and bickering, especially since they were no match for these old women.
Erhua's mother was never one to be trifled with, and she was already annoyed after waiting in line for so long after coming home from work.
“Zhang Yufang, you’re right to scold us, I support you! Why should we give way to these two old women? You fetch so much water, what if it’s not our turn in the end?”
“Yes, Erhua’s mother is right. If you two families take all the water, what will we eat?” Zhao Yan’s mother also stepped forward.
Later, some people dared to speak up, saying, "Grandma Yuan, we live next door to your family. You can't be so selfish."
With these people backing her up, Zhang Yufang felt even more confident.
She went straight up and snatched the bucket of water from Granny Yuan's hand, pushing Granny Yuan aside.
"Get out of the way, it's my turn to fetch water."
Granny Yuan staggered to the side after being pushed. "Hey, you damned bastard, you dare to touch this old woman?"
Old Mrs. Zhao also tried to pull Zhang Yufang, but Zhang Yufang was heavy and stable, and Old Mrs. Zhao couldn't budge her.
She dodged, and Old Lady Zhao missed her target, falling to the side before she could even regain her footing.
"Ouch! Zhang Yufang, how dare you push this old woman like me?" Old Mrs. Zhao cried out in pain as she fell.
Granny Yuan received a look from Granny Zhao and also collapsed.
"Oh no, I can't take it anymore either, Zhang Yufang, how dare you push me?"
The two old women lay on the ground, wailing in agony. The sound was so loud that the whole village could probably hear it.
Zhao Tingzhang and the men of the village had just returned from the fields. This time, the whole village worked together and dug up almost half of the land in just one day.
In two or three days, once the water from the river is diverted to the paddy fields, the crops will grow very well.
"Dad, Mom's fetching water over there. But it looks like something's happened, they're arguing." Zhao Xiaohe ran over and pointed in the direction of the well.
Everyone glanced towards the end of the village and exclaimed, "Wow, there are so many people lining up today!"
Looking at Granny Yuan and Granny Zhao lying on the ground, Zhang Yufang realized that they were clearly trying to extort money from her.
But Zhang Yufang was no pushover either. Not only did she ignore the two men, she also spat at the two old women.
Then, he calmly continued fetching water.
Old Mrs. Zhao and Old Mrs. Yuan let out two painful wails, exchanged a glance, and then stepped forward to grab Zhang Yufen's legs.
"Nobody's getting water today, or we won't eat at all!" Granny Yuan yelled.
"What? Granny Yuan, you can't be so heartless!"
"My family is waiting to cook dinner; my husband will be back soon."
The two old women blocked the well, arguing until Zhang Yufang had to pay them two taels of silver for medical expenses before they would stop.
Two taels of silver... that's really outrageous.
No one would want to be the victim of such a terrible injustice.
Zhao, the village head, walked over from a distance carrying a shovel. Even from a distance, he started shouting, "What's going on? What are you all arguing about here for?"
"The village head is here! The village head is here!" came a voice from the back of the crowd.
Upon seeing Zhao Tingzhang, Zhang Yufang slapped her thigh and cried out as if she had been wronged, "Oh, Tingzhang, you must stand up for me! These two old women are trying to cheat me and demand that I pay them money."
Their family is so poor, they can't afford to lose money, let alone anything else!
Old Mrs. Zhao and Old Mrs. Yuan were still lying on the ground, refusing to get up. When they saw the village head arrive, they looked like they were in great pain.
"Sigh, sigh... Village Chief, why are the young people in the village so uncivilized these days? They even attacked two old women like us."
"Ouch, my old back! Ouch, my arms and legs! Zhang Yufang, you have to pay my medical bills today!"
After a long day of work, Zhao Tingzhang finally had a chance to rest. But as soon as he entered the village, he was forced to start solving cases, which gave him a headache.
"Alright, alright, you three, don't say anything yet." He glanced into the crowd and then called out Zhao Erhua, "Erhua, come and tell Grandpa what just happened."
Children are the most objective and won't lie. Zhao Erhua vividly reenacted the situation of the three people.
Zhang Yufang, Granny Zhao, and Granny Yuan's eyes darted back and forth between Zhao Erhua and Zhao Tingzhang.
"Grandpa Pavilion Chief, that's how it is." After saying that, Zhao Erhua happily returned to the group and stood behind her mother.
See? Grandpa Tingzhang values her. Otherwise, why would he choose her out of so many children?
Zhao, the pavilion chief, pointed to his two sons, "Dahai, Xiaohe, you two come over here quickly and help him up. What kind of person is he lying on the ground like that!"
Old Mrs. Zhao and Old Mrs. Yuan quickly dodged, saying, "We won't get up! Zhang Yufang has to pay us back today. She kicked and broke our water buckets, she has to pay for that too!"
"Hmph, I'm not paying today. Let's see what you two old women can do to me!"
"I have a lot of family members, if a fight breaks out you won't be a match for me..."
"Then go ahead and hit me! I, Zhang Yufang, am putting this out there today. If you don't fight, you're not human!" With that, Zhang Yufang rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight.
"Alright! You two calm down! Old ladies, give the young people a break. Why are you arguing with them?" Zhao Tingzhang waved his hand, signaling Zhao Dahai and Zhao Xiaohe to come and force him.
The two men were young and strong, so it wasn't too difficult for them to forcibly pull the two old women up from the ground.
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