After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 14 Selling Water in Dongmen Village

At the critical moment, Su Tai gave him an idea, "Uncle, if you're really in a hurry, you can give two taels of silver to the village chief of Panlong Village, and send some gifts to explain to them how to rescue my father and Brother Shen. However, the money should be paid by Ximen Village, since they are the ones in a hurry, right?"

Su Changfu was stunned.

Su Changxi, standing to the side, laughed loudly, "Not bad, not bad! This is a good idea. As long as Ximen Village is willing to pay, there's no problem that can't be solved."

Su Changfu snapped out of his daze and glared at Su Changxi. "Easy for you to say. Digging a well doesn't cost money. How could we possibly ask them to pay an extra two taels of silver?"

Su Changxi shrugged. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it. Anyway, they're not allowed to mess with our village's well."

"Yes, yes, this is our village's well, no one is allowed to touch it!"

Other villagers also expressed their opinions.

Having no other choice, Su Changfu had to go to Ximen Village in person to tell the villagers about the situation.

As expected, the people of Ximen Village started making a fuss.

Ding reacted the most strongly, "Why should we have to pay an extra two taels of silver? They took the money themselves, so they should pay it back themselves!"

Because Xiong Dao was seriously injured and needed long-term rest and treatment, Ding's family was so poor that they could hardly afford to eat. Asking her to spend money would be like taking her life.

Su Changfu raised his eyelids expressionlessly, glanced at Ding Shi, and sneered, "Why would they need to pay this money? Are you in a hurry or are they?"

"We're definitely not going to let them squander this money!" Ding said angrily, making her stance clear on the spot.

Many women agreed with her.

Su Changfu sighed, looked at Gao Zhi who was silent, and shook his head. "If you hadn't caused so much trouble in the beginning, and had instead worked together with the other villages, there wouldn't be so much trouble now. I know you've consulted a master yourself. Since the water can't be pumped out, the only person you can rely on is in this situation. Either you spend two more taels of silver to find him, or you spend money to buy water from Dongmen Village. Two buckets for one coin, no more."

This is the second method Su Changfu thought of on his way here, and it is also the most practical and feasible at present.

Gao Zhi grumbled reluctantly, "Everyone's so poor they're barely able to afford food, where are we going to get the money?"

Su Changfu laughed angrily, not tolerating them any longer. "Anyway, I've already given you the plan. You can figure out how to do it yourselves! Don't bring up money with me. Nobody's well comes from thin air. People dug it with great effort, and you didn't contribute a single bit. You think you can just reap the benefits? Dream on!"

Gao Zhi, at his advanced age, was so angry that he almost fainted from being pointed at and insulted.

After Su Changfu left, everyone in Ximen Village gathered at Gao Zhi's house.

"Village chief, if all else fails, let's buy water!" Xiong Kai said first with a stern face.

He had already calculated it in his mind. Every household had to contribute money to dig a well. Although there were only two people in his family, they would still have to pay twenty or thirty coins. And that was just for digging one well. If they dug for several days and still found nothing, the money they would spend would be much more. Buying water was a different story. One coin for two buckets would be enough for him and his mother for two or three days. Ten coins a month would be about right. He would grit his teeth and persevere until winter. When the snow melted, they wouldn't have to worry about not having water.

Many villagers agreed.

Gao Zhi was unwilling to spend the money, but the previous decisions had not yielded good results. If he disagreed this time, and something else happened, he might really be replaced as the village chief. So he had no choice but to reluctantly agree.

When the villagers of Dongmen Village learned that the villagers of Ximen Village were willing to pay for water, they didn't say anything more. Su Changfu even assured everyone that the money would be distributed to them during the Spring Festival, which made the villagers even more happy. A small number of them insisted on using well water to irrigate their fields.

Su Tai went to join the fun, only to find that almost all the crops in the field had died from drought, and the few that were still standing probably wouldn't produce any grain.

Immediately, more than half of the villagers burst into tears.

Standing to the side, Mrs. Han looked sorrowful and muttered to herself, "How can we live? How will we get through the winter!"

"Mother, do we have no food left?" Su Tai asked cautiously.

Han paused for a moment, then pulled her home before saying, "We still have some food at home, but it won't last through the winter. You were sick before, so you probably don't remember. Here, it starts snowing heavily at the end of October, and we can only start planting when the snow melts in March of the following year. Food is expensive in disaster years, and after winter, a pound of coarse flour will cost tens of coins. Who can afford that?"

Su Tai was shocked. "Isn't the town official in charge? Even if the town official isn't in charge, isn't there still the county magistrate?"

Looking at her innocent expression, Han smiled bitterly and said, "What can we do? This is the poorest part of Lizhou, and it's Zhaohua County, the most remote part of Lizhou. Even if the county magistrate has grain, he can't provide enough relief. Our family is a little better off. If we really can't make ends meet, we can go to the county to ask your uncle for help. But it's much harder for the other villagers."

As she spoke, Han showed Su Tai the family's stored grain, which was half a jar, enough to last until next spring.

This small amount of grain is now the most precious thing in their family. Han Shi doesn't even allow Su Tai to touch it. After looking at it, she kicks Su Tai out of the house and locks the door.

Su Tai was speechless.

After Han went to do her work, she took the opportunity to enter the Time-Space Gate transfer station. Because she had purchased the right to use the spring four times, her virtual currency balance was less than three hundred. She hadn't thought of any new ways to make money yet, but the food crisis was urgent. After thinking for a while, she gritted her teeth and spent fifty coins to unlock the Earth Time-Space and try her luck.

When she entered the Earth Dimension, the scene before her eyes transformed into a field. It didn't look very big, and she couldn't quite make out the exact size. The soil was moderately moist and dark, clearly fertile. Excitedly, she returned to the transfer station and checked the information on the screen.

As the name suggests, the Earth Dimension is entirely made of earth. Initially, only one acre of land is unlocked, but it expands as you upgrade. You can plant any kind of plant in the field, and half of the harvest is collected by the Earth Dimension as a reward for using the land. Su Tai can dispose of the remaining half of the harvest herself; she can sell it to the automated trading cabinet or take it out.

This rule is reasonable.

The most urgent task now is to obtain food. Their place is deep inland, close to the Frost Kingdom full of icebergs. The terrain is high, and all three villages in Qingsha Township grow wheat.

She could only grow wheat, but Han valued grain so much that she never had the chance to get involved with it. Her own family was already struggling, let alone other families.

Just as Su Tai was getting anxious, Su Chunlin and Shen Yi returned, each carrying a bag of grain.

Su Tai's eyes lit up when she saw the grain in the bag.

"Father, Brother Shen, have you dug a well for Panlong Township?"

"Of course!" Su Chunlin said smugly, glancing at Shen Yi before adding with a smirk, "It's all thanks to Shen Yi. I was just helping out, hehe."

Han rolled her eyes at him, "How can someone so old be so reckless! You caused trouble yourself, and you almost dragged Shen Yi into it!"

(End of this chapter)