Father Luo and the other three hurriedly carried two bamboo tubes of water and walked over.
The protector said, "This is Housekeeper Zhou, speak with him."
Father Luo and the others thanked the protector, cupped their hands toward Housekeeper Zhou, and said, "Greetings, Housekeeper Zhou."
Housekeeper Zhou, who appeared to be in his early forties, was slightly short with a square face sporting a goatee. When he looked at people, his eyes gleamed with sharpness. He asked, "Who's in charge here?"
Father Luo stepped forward, "I, Luo, am responsible for this matter."
At that moment, Father Luo spoke in formal speech rather than the local dialect, earning him an impressed glance from Housekeeper Zhou.
"You want to trade water for food?" Housekeeper Zhou asked, pointing to the bamboo tubes in Father Luo's hands.
Understanding his meaning, Father Luo handed the bamboo tube to Housekeeper Zhou. "Yes, our village is out of food. Villagers pooled together some water in hopes of trading it for food from your masters."
Housekeeper Zhou took the bamboo tube, sipped some water, and remarked with a half-smile, "Pooled together, huh? This water has a strong earthy taste—it's freshly dug out, isn't it?"
Handing the bamboo tube back to Father Luo, Housekeeper Zhou spoke bluntly, "Brother Luo, I'll be straightforward. Our master has taken a fancy to your water. If you lead us to the water source, our master will grant you two sacks of food—both high-quality white rice and white flour."
Father Luo's heart sank. The Zhou family's master surely had a big appetite—this seemed like an attempt to seize their water source.
Shaking his head, Father Luo replied, "To be honest with you, Housekeeper Zhou, this water is a matter of life and death for our entire village. We can't casually agree to such terms. If Housekeeper Zhou is not interested, I'll seek out other masters to trade."
With that, he turned and prepared to leave.
Seeing the negotiation falling apart, Housekeeper Zhou didn't dare press too hard, fearing trouble from desperate disaster victims. He quickly stopped Father Luo, changing his tone, "Brother Luo, don't be hasty. I was just asking. There's no ulterior motive. Our master has said he's willing to trade food for your water."
Hearing this, Father Luo and the others paused, turned back to Housekeeper Zhou, and asked, "How exactly will this trade work? I'll say this upfront—if the food offered is too little, we won't trade."
Knowing Father Luo was a tough negotiator and not wanting to miss this opportunity, Housekeeper Zhou gritted his teeth, "One water jar, ten pounds of refined grains."
A water jar, while smaller than a water vat, was still significant, particularly with water being so precious right now. One jar of water could fetch ten pounds of fine grains.
Father Luo refused the refined grains. "One water jar for twenty pounds of coarse grains. Additionally, we'll need half a pound of salt and ten water urns. Our water supply is limited, and we can only trade up to four jars of water."
They didn't want refined grains; coarse grains lasted longer and were better for survival.
Hearing the mention of salt, Housekeeper Zhou frowned briefly. But remembering his master's instructions, he had little choice but to agree. "Fine, it's a deal."
Their master had emphasized bringing the water back, lest it be taken by other wealthy families from the prefecture.
With the deal finalized, and gaining both salt and water urns, Father Luo and the others were elated.
Housekeeper Zhou ordered his servants to bring four water jars, ten water urns, eighty pounds of coarse grains, and half a pound of salt. He personally led ten protectors to accompany Father Luo and the others into the pitch-black night.
Father Luo remained cautious. Upon reaching the mountain pass, he had Housekeeper Zhou and the protectors stop. Each of the four picked up a water jar and carried it deeper into the mountains. Along the way, they kept looking back to confirm no one was following before proceeding confidently.
When Father Luo and the others returned, they announced the success of the food-for-water trade. The villagers were overjoyed.
Third Grandpa immediately instructed everyone to fill the water jars with filtered clean water to prepare for the exchange.
They moved quickly. Within fifteen minutes, all four water jars were filled. Two people carried each jar, and a group of eight set out toward the mountain pass.
The round trip took a considerable amount of time, and by now, the sky was faintly bright. An anxious Housekeeper Zhou, seeing torchlight and silhouettes, hurried toward them with the protectors. "Brother Luo, you've finally arrived. I've been waiting anxiously."
Father Luo chuckled, "The journey was long and tiring. Housekeeper Zhou, take a look—four jars of water, all clean as can be."
Housekeeper Zhou had the protectors illuminate the water jars with torches. One by one, he inspected the water in each jar, drinking a few mouthfuls from each. Satisfied that there was only the usual earthy taste and nothing strange about the water, he cheerfully instructed the protectors to hand over the eighty pounds of coarse grains, half a pound of salt, and ten water urns to Father Luo.
Father Luo and his group accepted the goods and said, "Our deal is complete. Housekeeper Zhou, please take your leave."
Father Luo was concerned that Housekeeper Zhou might send protectors to trail them, so he insisted they leave first.
Having secured the water, Housekeeper Zhou, relishing his success, left with the protectors and the four water jars.
Once they were out of sight, Father Luo led his seven companions back to the mountains with the food and water urns.
By the time they returned, Gu Jinli and the others had filtered a significant amount of clean water. Everyone worked together to fill up the ten water urns, as well as all the available water containers, bamboo tubes, and water sacks.
Third Grandpa then instructed everyone to place all the water, food, and that precious package of salt into one pile. Facing the excited crowd, he declared, "Let's distribute the water and food!"
Distributing water was straightforward—each family got two water urns. Containers like water jars, bamboo tubes, and water sacks were family-specific, so each family filled their containers and took them home.
The salt was split into five portions, one for each family.
The eighty pounds of coarse grains were divided the old-fashioned way—one bowl at a time. Once distributed, each family packed their share into burlap sacks.
Fearing that their share of food and water might be taken, Gu Jinli suggested to Gu Dashan, "Dad, let's store our share of food, salt, and two urns of water with Third Grandpa's family. If we take it home, I'm worried Grandma might try to seize it."
Though Gu Dashan was hesitant at first, concerned about upsetting Elder Gu, Third Grandma scolded him, "You want to be filial to Lao Liu? No one's stopping you. But you can't starve your children and wife. Leave the goods at my place. This old woman will keep watch for you. If Ms. Pan has any complaints, she can come talk to me!"
Chastened, Gu Dashan thought of Xiao Yu's injuries and Mrs. Cui's beating, and he fell silent, no longer objecting.
Gu Jinli and Gu Jin'an quickly moved their food, salt, and water to Third Grandma's place.
Seeing the sky brightening, Third Grandpa said, "Dashan and Tie Zhu, come with me. We'll inform the village chief about the water source."
Having obtained enough water and traded for food, they could now allow the villagers to fetch water themselves.
No one objected. They packed up their things and followed Third Grandpa, wrapping their food and water in wild grass before returning to their respective resting places.
…
Bang, bang, bang!
Morning had fully broken, and various villages were beating gongs and drums to gather people.
Gu Family Village had already finished roll call. Seeing that Third Grandpa's family hadn't responded, Village Chief Gu's expression grew dark.
The Old Gu Family looked gleeful, certain that Gu Dashan's family would be punished for being late.
Ms. Zheng, still brooding over her loss to Gu Jinli the previous day, was further irritated after Brother Zhi cried all night about his hand. Seeing Gu Dashan's family late, she loudly complained, "Village Chief, the rules are clear—we don't wait for anyone. Let's move on. Who knows, maybe Gu Dashan's family got what they deserved and died in some mountain ravine."
In her arms, Gu Chengzhi cried out, "Kill that wretched girl's family! They all deserve to die! Waaah…" He clutched his hand, still in pain.
"Lao Liu, what kind of child are you raising?" Third Grandpa's scolding voice suddenly rang out as he confronted Elder Gu. "Brother Zhi is so young, yet he's already so venomous! Do you realize that Xiao Yu saved the lives of everyone in our village?"
The villagers of Gu Family Village looked at Third Grandpa in astonishment, unsure of what he meant.
Moving to Village Chief Gu, Third Grandpa whispered a few words, leaving the chief astounded. "Is it true? Did Xiao Yu really find a water source?"
To prove it, Third Grandpa had Gu Dashan present a water jar to the village chief.
"See for yourself, old brother. This is water we five families dug up last night. It's clean," Third Grandpa whispered cautiously, wary of nearby disaster victims overhearing.
With trembling hands, Village Chief Gu took the jar and drank a few mouthfuls of water. Though it had an earthy taste, it was clear. "We're saved," he exclaimed.
"But the pit doesn't hold much water," Third Grandpa reminded him. "You'd better have the villagers fetch it quickly, or it'll seep away."
"Right, right, you're absolutely right," Village Chief Gu muttered, his excitement mounting as he quietly informed everyone of Gu Xiaoyu's discovery. He urged them to gather their containers and fetch water.
That proclamation sent a shockwave through Gu Family Village.
The Old Gu Family was bewildered, while Ms. Zheng shrieked, "What? Xiao Yu, that wretched girl, found a water source?! How could she possibly have such fortune?!"