Seeing this, the village chief was extremely anxious. He quickly stepped forward and held Su Wenjun tightly, fearing that he would say something extreme again.
Then the village chief raised his head and shouted to the headman of Huaihua Village, "Village Chief Zhao, twenty wen a barrel is far too expensive. We've fled all the way here, sleeping in the open air, and encountering robbers. We've lost very little of our belongings. Village Chief Zhao, please be kind and let's talk about it again."
The village chief's voice was filled with pleading and helplessness, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
Hearing the village chief's plea to stay, the Huaihua village chief slowly turned around, his face still showing a bit of hesitation. He sighed softly and said, "Actually, our village doesn't have much water left. If it weren't for your sincerity, we wouldn't be willing to take the risk of selling it to you. After all, this water is our lifeblood right now."
The head of Sujia Village nodded repeatedly and said hurriedly, "Yes, yes, we understand your difficulties and are grateful for your understanding of our predicament. How about five cents a barrel? This is really the highest price we can offer. We really can't afford it above this price."
The village chief's eyes were full of earnestness and expectation. He clasped his hands together slightly and bowed to the head of Huaihua Village to make a request.
The Huaihua Village chief narrowed his eyes slightly, thought for a moment, and then slowly said, "Alright, since you're really struggling, I'll give you five cents a bucket. But first, you have to tell me exactly how much water you need. Our village's water reserves are extremely limited, so we need a plan."
The village chief frowned, thought carefully, and then said, "We need 100 buckets of water. After all, there are hundreds of people in our village. This little water can only barely quench our thirst and keep us going for a while."
Upon hearing this, the Huaihua Village chief became nervous and quickly waved his hands, raising his voice and saying, "No, absolutely not! We don't have much water left in our village. We rely entirely on the two deepest ancient wells in the village.
On weekdays, villagers have to be very careful with their water use, not wanting to waste even a single drop. If I sell you 100 buckets of water, it will affect the lives and survival of the entire village. Therefore, I really can't sell you too much."
The village chief looked embarrassed, sighed helplessly, and asked again tentatively: "Then sixty barrels?"
After hearing this, the head of Huaihua Village bowed his head and pondered for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. Finally, he nodded in agreement and said, "Okay, then I'll sell you sixty buckets of water."
As everyone was discussing buying water, Da Hu suddenly glared and asked in a muffled voice, "I wonder how big your water buckets are? We need to clarify this in advance, otherwise it'll be bad if there's a dispute later."
His thick chest rose and fell slightly, his expression was serious and earnest, and his eyes were staring straight at the head of Huaihua Village.
The village chief nodded subconsciously upon hearing this, and then added, "Yes, the capacity of this bucket must be clearly stated. We are all doing business in good faith, and you can't use a small bucket like that to fool us and make everyone unhappy."
There was a hint of worry and caution in the village chief's eyes.
Upon seeing this, the Huaihua Village chief quickly waved his hand and said calmly, "Don't worry, this is a normal bucket. We in Huaihua Village are always fair in our dealings and would never tamper with this. Just wait, I'll have someone pump out the water for you. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
"Then fill it with water!" Su Wenjun said loudly, not to be outdone. He crossed his arms over his chest, frowned slightly, and there was a hint of distrust in his eyes.
"Don't worry." The village chief of Huaihua Village promised again, then turned around and waved, signaling the young and strong men in the village to fetch water for them.
Soon, the men from Huaihua Village came out one after another, carrying buckets of water steadily in their hands. The buckets gleamed slightly in the sunlight.
The men walked hurriedly but steadily, and soon brought the water to the village entrance.
The people of Sujia Village had been waiting anxiously at the entrance of the village. When they saw the water coming, they hurriedly gathered around and poured the water into the buckets they brought with them.
The clear well water makes a crisp sound during the pouring process, like a beautiful piece of music.
Everyone looked at the clear well water with their eyes full of desire and joy, and their originally dry eyes were instantly brightened.
Some villagers were so excited that their eyes were red and their faces were full of joy. They murmured to themselves: "That's great! We can find a water source before the water runs out. This is really a blessing in disguise."
The children also gathered around the water bucket, looking at the rippling water curiously, with innocent excitement flashing in their eyes, as if they had forgotten the fatigue and hardships along the way.
The village chief followed closely as bucket after bucket of water was brought out. Seeing the clear well water sparkling in the sunlight, the stone in his heart finally fell to the ground, and he couldn't help but nod frequently with satisfaction.
Then he turned and said to the Huaihua Village chief with gratitude, "Village Chief Zhao, thank you so much. Your village is so lucky! We still have drinking water. Unlike us, we've been suffering from a terrible drought for a long time. We had no choice but to flee the famine south with our families, hoping to find a place to stay."
The Huaihua Village chief raised his head slightly, his eyes filled with gratitude and respect for his ancestors. He spoke slowly, "We're all grateful to our ancestors for choosing a good place to settle down and for leaving behind these two ancient wells. Thanks to these two wells, our village has barely survived this drought. Otherwise, we would have struggled. Village Chief Su, where in the south are you all planning to go? The journey is long and arduous, with many mountains and rivers ahead. It's definitely not an easy one."
The village chief raised his head slightly, a glint of hope and longing in his eyes, and said slowly, "We are going to Jeju. I heard that King An of Jeju is kind-hearted and a rare good prince. He is also willing to accept refugees like us and provide us with a place to live. So we decided to go to Jeju."
Upon hearing this, the Huaihua Village chief frowned slightly, his face showing worry. He said, "I've heard of Jeju. It seems to be in the southernmost part, over a thousand miles away from here. The road is full of mountains and rivers, and it's difficult to walk. With so many of you, how long will it take to get there?"
The village chief raised his lips slightly, revealing a determined and hopeful smile. He said, "It's okay. Although the road is long, we will reach our destination if we keep walking. As long as we keep going step by step, we will get there one day."
There was a bright and fiery light in his eyes, which was the desire for survival and the yearning for a better life.
With everyone working together, all sixty buckets of water were finally lifted out one by one.
The chief of Sujia Village carefully counted out the corresponding copper coins and solemnly handed the money to the chief of Huaihua Village with both hands.
The Huaihua Village chief took the coins and carefully counted them. After a moment, he confirmed that they were correct and nodded slightly.
At this time, the village chief looked up at the sun gradually setting in the west. The blood-like setting sun dyed the sky a fiery red. It was already late.
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