A woman stood in the shade of the large pagoda tree, holding her child, while the others gathered in the open space, surrounding the village head.

The village head Li Zheng pushed through the crowd and stepped onto a large rock.

The moment he raised his hand, the place fell silent.

The heat was unbearable, and there was no water to drink—everyone was eager to finish the meeting quickly so they could fetch water.

“This morning, Madam Dashan took me up the mountain and found a water source there.”

The village head didn’t beat around the bush.

He got straight to the point, delivering the news that everyone had been hoping for.

The villagers were ecstatic, though they held back their excitement, waiting for him to continue.

“A while ago, Madam Dashan discovered jade bamboo shoots on the mountain. Last night, she found water and immediately reported it to me,” the village head said seriously. “I know many of you have had complaints about Madam Dashan, but from now on, she is a great benefactor to our entire village.”

Standing in the crowd, Cheng Wanwan froze.

She hadn’t expected the village head to clear her name in front of everyone before even addressing the main issue.

Her predecessor had a terrible reputation in the village—estranged from her husband’s family, unfriendly with the neighbors, and despised by many.

People would spit on the ground at the mention of her name.

Since she had taken over this body, things had improved, but those who didn’t interact with her much would still whisper behind her back.

As a modern woman, she didn’t really care about gossip.

Let them talk—it wasn’t like she’d lose a chunk of flesh over it.

“Madam Dashan could have kept this to herself, but she chose to share it. She truly sees the people of Dahe Village as her own family,” the village head said, sweeping his gaze over the crowd. “If anyone still thinks she doesn’t deserve a thank you, they are free to leave this village meeting now.”

His tone was firm. No one dared to object, so they all offered their thanks.

“Madam Zhao, thank you so much!”

“Madam Dashan, I misjudged you before.”

“Aunt Zhao, I have a sharp tongue—please don’t hold it against me.”

Whether they were sincere or not, at least they were putting on a show of gratitude.

Cheng Wanwan smiled. “I didn’t do much; there’s no need to be so polite.”

She wasn’t acting purely out of selflessness.

Her family of six couldn’t possibly harvest all the jade bamboo shoots alone—better to use this to gain favor with the village head.

As for the water source, she definitely couldn’t manage it alone.

If they wanted to bring the water down from the mountain, the entire village had to work together.

“The water source is abundant. As soon as we dig, fresh spring water gushes out. It’s drinkable and very sweet,” the village head said with a smile. “We no longer need to exchange grain for water with Chengjia Village and Guihua Village. Dahe Village is blessed—heaven will not abandon us!”

“There’s really water?!”

“That’s amazing—we finally have water!”

The villagers cheered, dancing with excitement.

“Having water for people to drink isn’t enough,” the village head suddenly raised his voice. “We need to make sure the rice fields have water too!”

The crowd fell silent, confused.

Make sure the rice fields have water?

What did that even mean?

“Ergou, come up and explain!”

The village head stepped aside.

Zhao Ergou had changed into a cleaner set of patched clothes after coming down from the mountain.

He stepped up nervously—this was his first time speaking in front of so many people.

“The water supply from the mountain is plentiful. It’s enough for irrigation. If we can direct the water into the rice fields, we’ll have a great harvest this year!” He started off a bit shaky but soon steadied himself. “I did the math—it’s about 3,000 zhang from the mountain to the fields. If all 400-500 of us work together to dig a trench, we can finish it in two and a half days.”

“Ergou, what nonsense are you spouting?”

“Digging a trench from the mountain? That’s ridiculous!”

“If the whole village is digging, who will take care of the fields? Are you joking?”

The villagers didn’t believe him.

They had cleared land before—it took an entire family days to dig just one mu of land. Digging a trench from the mountain sounded even harder.

Ergou’s estimate of just two and a half days?

That was laughable.

Mocking voices erupted from the crowd.

Zhao Ergou stood frozen.

At just sixteen, he was no more than a high school student by modern standards. Handling this kind of situation smoothly was beyond him.

Cheng Wanwan stepped forward and stood beside him.

The crowd gradually quieted down—not out of fear, but surprise.

To them, Madam Zhao had always been a rough village woman. But today, she looked much younger, cleaner, and her skin even seemed fairer…

Back in modern times, she was a business owner used to giving speeches. Having so many eyes on her didn’t faze her at all.

She spoke calmly. “Tie Zhu’s father, could I trouble you for something?”

Zhao Anjiang immediately nodded. “Madam Zhao, just say the word.”

“Bring a shovel over and dig a trench right here in front of everyone. Let’s see how long it takes you.”

Zhao Anjiang, a man in his prime, drove the shovel into the ground with force.

In just a quarter of an hour, he had dug a trench a zhang long.

The villagers were stunned.

Digging a trench was this easy?

“The soil on the mountain is harder and has rocks, so let’s assume it takes two hours instead,” Cheng Wanwan said, stepping back. “Ergou, this was your idea—explain it to everyone.”

She left the stage, letting Zhao Ergou take over.

He had done the calculations countless times at night. Now, with Zhao Anjiang’s demonstration, he spoke fluently, breaking down the numbers.

The villagers, now convinced, started nodding.

The village head stepped forward. “This concerns all of Dahe Village. Every able-bodied person aged sixteen and above must participate. Go home, grab your tools, and we’ll head up the mountain in half an hour!”

Some were still hesitant.

“What if there isn’t that much water on the mountain?”

“What if the water stops halfway? My field is far—what if the water doesn’t reach it?”

“I’m not helping!” Zhang Wulai sneered. “Madam Zhao, a mere woman, is just making a fool of us! And you all actually believe her?”

A few others nodded in agreement.

Fu Gui’s wife, for one—her husband had been eyeing the widow Zhao Cheng, so she’d never liked Cheng Wanwan.

Sun Shi, too—she was the second-ranked wife in the Zhao family, but if the village head supported Cheng Wanwan, she’d drop to the bottom.

No way was she happy about that!

“Shut up!” The village head glared at Zhang Wulai. “If you refuse to work, your rice fields won’t get a single drop of water! If anyone else has objections, leave now!”

“If you’re an outsider, I won’t stop you. But if you’re from the Zhao family and you quit, I will expel you from the family records!”

The village head rarely lost his temper, but his stern words left no room for argument.

Everyone, except Zhang Wulai, hurried off to grab their tools.