Xu Shu opened the paper bag given to him by Qin Junyao and dipped a tiny bit with his little finger to taste.
A bitter taste shot straight to the crown of his head, instantly refreshing him.
"Miss, what is this?"
Qin Junyao smiled and replied, "Uncle Xu, it's powder ground from a medicinal herb. It helps clear heat when mixed with water. Thank you for your help today."
"Thank you for what? With so little grain these days, you still provided us with lunch, and we took plenty of vegetables from your garden to take home."
"When the water was being pumped up, I told your third uncle that we should get a cover for the well and put a lock on it. But before you all even got to drink the water, someone came to draw water without permission."
"This village of yours has no rules."
Perhaps it was because the work was finished today and they could go home to rest, or perhaps it was because they could still have a meal at the Qin family's house in the evening.
Uncle Xu started to talk.
He told Qin Junyao about the ancestral hall, the clan, the rules, and the punishments in his village.
In families with the same surname, a single piece of firewood taken by someone of a different surname could escalate into a major war between two clans.
Some people would steal your things and then blame you for having poor quality items; this was a common occurrence.
For instance, if someone took well water from another family and got a stomachache after drinking it, they would carry the person over to cause trouble.
In Uncle Xu's village, the ownership of land and wells was clearly demarcated. The road was built by the Zhang family, and others could not use it without permission.
After hearing this, Qin Junyao felt like she had done something foolish again today.
For dinner, Qin's mother and Qin's second aunt made noodles.
They poured meat broth over them, added two slices of pork hock, and for those who liked spicy food, a spoonful of chili oil was added. They ate with gusto.
After dinner, they paid the bill and saw off the well-digging team. Grandma Qin called Qin Junyao and her three sons into her room.
"What's the deal with that well?" Grandma Qin asked Qin Sen and Qin Junyao, tapping the edge of the heated brick bed.
Qin Junyao recounted everything, from hearing the villagers' talk about attracting fortune to her subsequent actions.
"Grandma, did I make it too complicated? I could have just stopped them from drawing water," Qin Junyao said to Grandma Qin.
Grandma Qin smacked her lips. "This is good. As long as this rumor about attracting fortune persists, people will find ways to drink that well water. It's not that I'm afraid of them drinking it, but I'm afraid of gamblers drinking it, losing money, and then coming here to cause trouble."
"From now on, you should still go to the village to fetch water. Going once every two or three days is enough. We'll draw the well water back to water the garden."
"Mother, I'm sure Village Chief Hao caused this incident," Qin Sen said with certainty.
"Hmph, who else could it be? Xiao Chui's family has already left the village. If they aren't causing trouble for us now, when will they?"
"He spent a lot of money fixing up his courtyard again, and his wife threw a huge tantrum when she returned."
The village chief's wife not only threw a tantrum upon her return but also made the village chief kneel.
However, she was also afraid of Zhao Liangcai and had not caused trouble for the Qin family.
Now that there was such an opportunity to torment the Qin family, how could Village Chief Hao and his wife let it pass?
Second Uncle Qin Lin touched his mask. "Mother, should I go scare them tonight?"
In their old village, Qin Lin had disguised himself as a ghost and scared many people at night.
Grandma Qin shook her head. "Scaring them once would just be for a moment of release, it wouldn't be effective. The family in front of his house raises a yard full of small dogs; it would be too easy to be discovered."
"Hmm?" Grandma Qin looked at Father Qin and a thought suddenly struck her. "What do you think about Eldest Brother becoming the village chief?"
"Village Chief Hao has backing, and so do we. We are even closer to ours."
Qin Sen looked at his elder brother, then turned to Grandma Qin and said, "Mother, for this to happen, Village Chief Hao must be disliked by the villagers so he can be replaced."
Grandma Qin clapped her hands. "Don't we have the bitter well? What is a bitter well? It's when the well turns bitter because someone appears who makes the people suffer."
"He spreads false rumors, doesn't he? This time, we'll use his own tactic against him," Grandma Qin said, her eyes seeming to sparkle.
She already had a plan in mind.
Just as Grandma Qin was about to reveal her plan, Father Qin suddenly stood up, saying excitedly, "Mother, I can't be the village chief."
"Why can't you? Haven't you always wanted to stand on your own and support your sons and daughters?"
"You're always gesturing with your hands and reciting the Thousand Character Classic or the Hundred Family Surnames. You want to take the imperial examinations for the Tong Sheng level, don't you?"
Grandma Qin's words shocked Father Qin even more than the suggestion of him becoming village chief. How did his mother know?