CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50: THE CRIME OF GENDER 50

Several people from neighboring villages were pushing two flatbed carts, each laden with several large empty wooden barrels. It was clear that these outsiders had come to draw water from the well at Qin Shuangshuang’s house since the wells in their village had completely dried up.

Qin Shuangshuang’s heart sank. Just a few days ago, she noticed that although her well still had water, the water level had dropped again. But she didn’t expect the wells in other villages to have already dried up!

Seeing outsiders entering the village, Qin Shuangshuang immediately decided not to venture into the mountains anymore. She would stay home to guard her mother, Mrs. Bai, and Qin Miao.

These outsiders had come to fetch water accompanied by the village chief and a few young villagers. Fortunately, the well was drilled deep enough that even though a lot of water was taken, the water level had not dropped significantly, indicating a relatively abundant aquifer below.

After these water-fetchers left, Qin Shuangshuang immediately deceived Fang Yaoyao to come to her home. Qin Shuangshuang didn’t know when Fang Yaoyao had been harmed by someone, but she was really uneasy about leaving Fang Yaoyao in Fang Family Village.

Qin Shuangshuang decided that during this time, no matter what method she needed to employ, she would keep a strict watch over Fang Yaoyao in their home, even as a villain separating a master and his daughter!

A few days later, Qin Shuangshuang heard that a group of refugees was roaming around, capturing isolated people to eat! This made Qin Shuangshuang very uneasy because such incidents had never happened in her previous life.

Although each household’s food supply was dwindling, they hadn’t run out completely, and it was still a long way from needing to eat people out of starvation. Besides, when people first resorted to eating human flesh, they didn’t dare eat the living; they started by eating those who had died of starvation.

It was only after eating dead people’s flesh many times, breaking their psychological bottom line repeatedly, and being driven by hunger, that humans would finally abandon all moral boundaries and hunt living people to eat.

Ever since those people from neighboring villages came to fetch water, more and more outsiders came to Qin Family Village for water. The people of Qin Family Village were getting a bit tense. The large number of outsiders combined with the rumors of refugees eating people made everyone nervous during this sensitive time.

Most importantly, the well at Qin Shuangshuang’s house couldn’t sustain so many villages. Recently, it had run dry a few times. The villagers were worried that the well might be exhausted by these outsiders drawing water.

The great bell in the ancestral hall rang once more. The village chief gathered all the villagers to discuss whether they should continue allowing outsiders to draw water from the village.

Food supplies were becoming increasingly scarce. Many families had begun to count grains of rice before cooking. Everyone was looking grim, and with hunger, they naturally lacked energy. Everyone leaned or sat crookedly, but there was consensus: the water in the well was running low, and they couldn’t allow outsiders to keep drawing water.

The village chief sighed, chewing on a grass stalk. His increasingly muddy eyes landed on Qin Shuangshuang. In recent years, everyone knew that although Mrs. Bai was the head of the household, it was Qin Shuangshuang who made the decisions.

In a hoarse voice, the village chief asked Qin Shuangshuang, "Shuangshuang, this well was drilled with your money. It’s your private property. What do you think we should do?"

Qin Shuangshuang’s brows knitted tightly. Naturally, she was reluctant to let outsiders draw water, but sometimes what one wishes and what one can do are two different things.

"Village chief, it’s not a question of whether to allow people from other villages to draw water; it’s a question of whether we can prevent them from doing so," Qin Shuangshuang said, rubbing her forehead as she felt a headache coming on. "In these nearby villages, there’s no water left. People may survive without food for seven or eight days, but without water, they can’t last three. If we cut off their water supply, we cut off their chance to live. Without a chance to live, they will certainly go mad. Can our village fend off such people?"

The village chief lowered his head, sighed long and hard, and said nothing. The surrounding villagers also remained silent. What could they say? If it were them, cut off from water while another village had it but was unwilling to share, they too might go mad. There’s no telling what someone might do when driven to the brink of madness.

After a long while, a young man couldn’t help but shout in anguished fury, "Are we just supposed to watch them dry up our well and then all die together?!"

A few older folks glanced at the young man and didn’t speak, but several sharp and energetic young villagers echoed the man’s sentiments, speaking with passionate anger, though ultimately useless. It’s clear that Qin Family Village couldn’t stand against people from over a dozen villages!

Qin Shuangshuang looked at those young men, filled with righteous yet helpless rage, and frowned. She turned to the village chief, "Village chief, our village’s well hasn’t dried up, indicating that the aquifer below is still in decent shape."

Her words sparked a glimmer of hope in many people’s eyes, including the village chief. They all looked at her expectantly.

Feeling a bit awkward, Qin Shuangshuang cleared her throat and continued, "I think if we restrict our water usage a bit, we might last through this drought. How about negotiating with outsiders to limit each village’s daily water withdrawal? After all, our village is the only one with a functioning well for miles around. If this well goes dry, they’ll perish from thirst too!"

The elders and the village chief discussed it quietly and concluded that this was the best option. Not allowing anyone to draw water was unrealistic, and unrestricted water drawing was not feasible either. Limiting the water quantity was indeed the best solution!

After some further discussion, they finally decided that each village could draw three large barrels of water per day. While that amount might not be much for a village, it would ensure that no one would die of thirst and there would still be enough for cooking.

As for water for washing, such a luxurious use was out of the question during these dire times.

Early the next morning, the people of Qin Family Village erected a wooden barricade at the village entrance. When the water-fetchers gathered, the village chief explained the newly agreed-upon rules. Surprisingly to the villagers of Qin Family Village, the outsiders did not object.

Only one man from a neighboring village frowned and said, "Three barrels of water per village really is too little."

The village chief patiently explained, "It’s very little, but it is enough for drinking and cooking. It’s not that our village is stingy or reluctant to share water. Our well has already run dry twice. We fear it will truly dry up, and then we all would face death. Even in our village, we’re conserving water as much as possible. Three barrels are little, but we must think long-term. Who knows how long it will be before it rains again? With only one well, we must save and not truly let it run dry!"

The village chief’s earnest words made sense, and considering the well belonged to their village, the fact that they were allowed to draw water at all was a life-saving grace. After some murmured discussions, everyone reluctantly agreed to adhere to the rule.

The water-fetching issue was finally resolved. Qin Shuangshuang, standing guard alongside Qin Miao near the village chief, tensed up, wary of these water-fetchers suddenly resorting to violence. She finally let out a sigh of relief.

However, that sigh of relief was short-lived. It caught in her throat again when she saw Mrs. Bai rushing over to tell Qin Shuangshuang that Fang Yaoyao had run back home while she and Qin Miaomiao were out!