As the morning light gradually illuminated the village, Cheng Wanwan stepped out of her house and saw the village patrol team passing by.

There were a total of 200 villagers participating in the patrol, divided into 50 teams.

Each day, five teams would take turns patrolling, meaning each person only had to patrol once every ten days—just three times a month, for about two and a half hours each time. It wasn’t as time-consuming as one might imagine.

At the village entrance, barricades were set up.

Villagers could come and go freely, but outsiders had to answer a series of questions before being allowed in.

Cheng Wanwan had just reached the large pagoda tree when a group of women surrounded her.

“Sister-in-law Zhao, your idea was brilliant!”

“Did you hear? Those scoundrels from Guihua Village tried to sneak in last night.”

“Luckily, my husband was on duty. He let out a loud shout, and the ten patrollers on shift immediately rushed over and caught them!”

“Guihua Village only sent seven people, and they dared to come steal our food? Ridiculous!”

“What happened to those seven?”

“Since they didn’t succeed, and we didn’t catch them with stolen goods, we had no choice but to let them go.”

“Next time, don’t shout so soon! Catch them red-handed, then we can send them directly to the authorities!”

“There might not be a next time. I heard Guihua Village held a meeting and is now forbidding their people from causing trouble in Dahe Village. They say it’s too shameful.”

Cheng Wanwan smiled. “I just gave a suggestion. The real credit goes to everyone working together to protect our food supply.”

As she smiled, something seemed to sparkle in her eyes.

The women stared at her, momentarily stunned.

Why did Sister-in-law Zhao look so much fairer than before? Even her demeanor was different.

The woman who used to be loud and aggressive now carried a certain gentleness.

Feeling unsettled by their intense gazes, Cheng Wanwan coughed. “I’m heading to the Zhao family house.”

She turned and walked towards the Zhao family courtyard.

Behind her, the women started whispering again.

“Didn’t she cut ties with Old Madam Zhao? It’s been a whole year since she set foot there.”

“They’re still family. Blood is thicker than water—it’s impossible to stay estranged forever.”

“True…”

At the Zhao family’s courtyard, Cheng Wanwan called out, “Mother, are you home?”

Hearing her voice, Old Madam Zhao stepped over the threshold and was visibly startled.

Though their relationship had improved recently, her eldest daughter-in-law had never once visited after moving out.

Now that she had come over so suddenly, the old lady felt a little anxious.

After all these days of sending food, was she finally going to ask to move back?

No matter what excuses or tears this little vixen used, she couldn’t let her soften her heart!

Hiding her thoughts, Old Madam Zhao remained calm. “Dashan’s wife, what brings you here?”

Sun-shi, the wife of the Zhao family’s second son, also came out from the house. “Sister-in-law, come in and sit.”

Cheng Wanwan entered and sat on a low stool across from them. After gathering her thoughts, she spoke. “I came today to ask about someone.”

Sun-shi rolled her eyes discreetly.

Sister-in-law clearly wanted to move back. Why beat around the bush instead of saying it outright?

Old Madam Zhao remained patient. “Go ahead.”

“A girl with the surname Sun, nicknamed Shuiqin,” Cheng Wanwan said. “I heard she’s from Guihua Village. Mother, have you heard of her?”

Old Madam Zhao rarely stepped out of Dahe Village, so she naturally hadn’t heard of the girl.

Sun-shi, however, responded, “I know her. Her father and mine are cousins. When I got married, she was only three or four years old. Now she’s a lovely young woman. Why are you asking about her, sister-in-law?”

“I’m considering her as a match for Ergou.” Cheng Wanwan smiled. “I wanted to check on her character first. If she’s a good person, we can arrange a proposal.”

Hearing this, Old Madam Zhao was pleased.

She had been worrying about Ergou’s marriage, but before she even had to bring it up, her eldest daughter-in-law was already making plans.

If she could settle Ergou’s marriage, letting the eldest son’s family move back in wouldn’t be an issue.

Without realizing it, Old Madam Zhao had already made up her mind—even though Cheng Wanwan hadn’t mentioned anything about moving back.

Sun-shi nearly laughed.

Her cousin was a notorious scoundrel—he drank, gambled, and visited brothels, driving Shuiqin’s mother to an early grave.

Shuiqin had been supporting the entire family alone.

If her sister-in-law married Shuiqin into the Zhao family, she’d be bringing in a troublesome father-in-law. That would be a headache to deal with.

Feigning sincerity, Sun-shi said, “Shuiqin is a great girl. She’s not only beautiful but also hardworking. She does more farm work than many men. If you bring her into the family, you’ll live a life of ease.”

Seeing Sun-shi’s expression, Cheng Wanwan could tell she wasn’t being completely honest.

She wouldn’t get reliable information here, but one thing was certain—the Sun family was complicated.

She stood up. “I’ll think about when to arrange the proposal. I’ll be heading back now.”

Old Madam Zhao was taken aback. “Not staying a bit longer?”

She hadn’t even started talking about the real issue—was her daughter-in-law waiting for her to suggest moving back in first?

But Cheng Wanwan just nodded. “I have things to do at home. I’ll be going now.”

She turned and left, soon disappearing beyond the courtyard gate.

As she walked, she pondered whether she should visit Guihua Village personally to gather information.

She couldn’t just rely on hearsay—what if the girl was simply reserved rather than troubled?

However, that wasn’t the most pressing issue.

The real priority was water.

…

That afternoon, Cheng Wanwan carried a bundle of mugwort and took her four sons up the mountain.

Thanks to the village patrols, Osmanthus Village’s people no longer dared to appear in the area.

The lotus pond was deserted, making it easy for her to carry out her plan.

The dried-up pond had been exposed to the sun for just a day, but the soil was already cracked beyond recognition.

She walked to a slightly damp spot and instructed her sons to pile the mugwort on the ground and light it with a fire starter.

Mugwort produced thick smoke, and it tended to drift downward, seeking hidden escape routes. If there was underground water, the smoke would rise as it evaporated with the moisture.

Zhao Ergou was curious. “Mother, what happens after we burn the mugwort?”

Cheng Wanwan watched the smoke. “We follow it.”

The thick smoke drifted downward toward the valley.

The five of them followed the smoke through a dense forest and reached the edge of the valley. There, they found a small gap where two mountain ridges met.

The vegetation was especially lush, and insects buzzed in the air.

Suddenly, the smoke began rising.

“Mother, there’s water here!” Zhao Sanniu’s eyes widened. “Water is seeping from the cracks in the rock!”

In the midst of a drought, they had found a natural water source!

Zhao Dashan collected a few drops, tasted them, and exclaimed, “It’s sweet—mountain spring water!”

Cheng Wanwan smiled.

The method had worked—they had found the underground water source.

Since the water could seep through the rocks, it meant there was plenty of groundwater beneath.

Half of their drought problem was now solved.