The sun began to set in the west.

Cheng Wanwan led her four sons home.

She had a fruitful day—just a casual walk in the mountains had yielded three to four pounds of boletus mushrooms.

Her wealth had been fluctuating around 120 taels.

On top of that, she had solved the major issue of the water supply, which put her in a particularly good mood.

However, after descending the mountain, she received news so devastating that it wiped the smile off her face.

“Old Madam Zhao from the village entrance starved herself to death,” Wu Huiniang said, her face pale. “She still had some grain at home. At the very least, she could have eaten tree bark or wild roots. How could someone truly starve to death? But in order to save food for her eldest grandson, she went three whole days without a single grain of rice. When she died, her stomach was completely flat…”

Zhao Dashan shook his head. “A few days ago, I saw Old Madam Zhao while I was working in the fields. She told me that Dahe Village had angered the gods, and this year would be filled with disasters. Even if people didn’t starve to death, they’d die from other causes. She was already old—perhaps she’d long since lost the will to live…”

Cheng Wanwan remained silent.

Even if she had lost the will to live, she would have at least wanted to die on a full stomach.

An elderly woman starving herself to death—wasn’t it just to leave behind food for her descendants?

This was the first time since coming to this era that Cheng Wanwan truly felt the pain of hunger. A shadow loomed over the entire Dahe Village.

Before nightfall, Old Madam Zhao came over and called Zhao Dashan outside. “When you were little, Old Madam Zhao held you in her arms. Later, go burn some incense for her.”

Zhao Dashan nodded in silent agreement.

Old Madam Zhao then noticed Cheng Wanwan picking vegetables in the courtyard.

She walked over and spoke in a low voice, “Last time, didn’t you ask about that girl from the Sun family in Guihua Village? I asked around in the village. Several women said that girl is about to get engaged to Zhao Yougui’s eldest son, Zhao Shagen. What’s going on here?”

Cheng Wanwan awkwardly replied, “That was a misunderstanding on my part. Er’gou’s marriage will have to wait.”

Old Madam Zhao nodded. “I’ll have the matchmaker ask around later…”

As she spoke, Zhao Sidan came out with a basket of chopped wild greens and scattered them in the yard.

Two chickens rushed out from the corner, flapping their wings as they pecked at the greens.

Old Madam Zhao was surprised. “Weren’t your chickens slaughtered long ago?”

Zhao Sidan grinned. “Grandma, you don’t know yet! We caught these two wild chickens in the mountains last time. They lay eggs—two a day!”

Old Madam Zhao looked at the two plump hens, skeptical.

She had lived for decades, but this was the first time she had seen wild chickens that looked exactly like domesticated ones.

But if anyone had lost such fat hens, the entire village would have been in an uproar.

Which meant these were likely real wild chickens.

“Grandma, will the eggs from wild chickens hatch into chicks?” Zhao Sidan blinked. “Right now, we only have two chickens. But if the big chickens lay eggs and hatch chicks, in a few months, we’ll have lots and lots of chickens! Then I can eat so many eggs every day!”

Old Madam Zhao chuckled helplessly. “You need a rooster to hatch chicks.”

Cheng Wanwan paused for a moment.

That’s right—why hadn’t she thought of raising more chickens?

The next time she went to the mountains, she could secretly buy a rooster from the marketplace.

Then she could hatch her own chicks.

A delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen.

Cheng Wanwan stood up. “Mother, stay and eat with us. There’s plenty of food.”

Old Madam Zhao turned and walked away immediately. “Don’t make it sound like I came just for a meal. I have things to do at home. I’m leaving.”

She disappeared out the courtyard gate in an instant.

Cheng Wanwan was speechless.

Was the old lady afraid she would make an unreasonable request at the dinner table?

Dinner was especially hearty—mushroom and egg soup, wild vegetable omelets, and a bowl of handmade noodles for each person. Everyone was content and satisfied.

After eating, the sky was not yet fully dark.

Cheng Wanwan stood up and said, “Ergou, come with me to the village chief’s house.”

Zhao Ergou immediately got up to follow, knowing what this was about.

This was the most leisurely time of day—women sat at their doorsteps chatting, men smoked dry tobacco and discussed life, and children ran around the village, laughing and playing.

The evening breeze carried away worries, making it seem as if everything was peaceful.

But as soon as they reached the village entrance and saw the coffin in Old Madam Zhao’s yard, all their worries returned.

As long as there was no rain, such tragedies could happen again.

Cheng Wanwan entered the village chief’s courtyard.

A few scrawny children were plucking wild greens, while the chief’s wife was sewing clothes.

She looked up, surprised to see Cheng Wanwan. “Dashan’s wife, what brings you here?”

Cheng Wanwan smiled. “I need to speak with the village chief. Is he home?”

“He’s inside.” The chief’s wife ran a needle through her hair. “Your village chief didn’t sleep at all last night. Later, he still has to check the skies…”

Checking the skies—to predict the weather.

On the way here, the sky had been completely clear.

Tomorrow, there was a 100% chance of no rain.

Cheng Wanwan stepped over the threshold.

The village chief sat at a table with a book in his hands—a book about weather patterns.

This was the first book she had seen in the half-month since arriving in this era, and it moved her deeply.

But that feeling didn’t last long.

The village chief frowned and called out, “Tiezhu, come here. What does this word say?”

Zhao Tiezhu confidently stepped forward. “That’s the word ‘high’. It means high.”

The village chief’s frown deepened. “If ‘the clouds rise high, it will rain’—what does ‘rise high’ mean?”

Cheng Wanwan couldn’t make sense of it either.

She leaned over for a look and immediately broke into a cold sweat.

That character was actually ‘thick’, not ‘high.’

If the clouds thicken, it might rain.

One wrong word had completely changed the meaning of the sentence.

The village chief chuckled. “Dashan’s wife, the few words I know, I learned from Tiezhu. This child is smart—he has a bright future ahead.”

Zhao Ergou looked envious. “Tiezhu is so smart.”

Zhao Tiezhu raised his chin proudly. “I can even write!”

He picked up a brush and wrote three characters on the paper. “This is my name. My grandpa gave it to me.”

His name was supposed to be Zhao Tiezhu, but he had written Zhao Shizhu—”Zhao Lost Owner.”

Cheng Wanwan struggled to hold back her urge to correct him.

Instead, she turned to the village chief. “Uncle, I have something very important to tell you.”

The village chief put down his book, his expression turning serious.

The last time Dashan’s wife came, she told him about jade bamboo shoots.

This time, it seemed even more critical.

“I found a water source in the mountains,” Cheng Wanwan explained in detail. “Between the two mountains, there’s a valley with untouched water. It must be abundant. If we channel it down into the rice fields, we won’t have to worry about food shortages this year.”

The village chief abruptly stood up. “Dashan’s wife, you can’t speak recklessly about this. I trust you, but…”

The Zhao family had lived here for generations and never found water in the mountains. His doubt was understandable.

Before Cheng Wanwan could say more, someone rushed in from outside.

“Village Chief! Bad news! The last well in the village has dried up!”