Village Chief Gu's face turned dark instantly, "That foolish woman! Can't she lower her voice? If the refugees nearby overheard, could we even protect the water source?"
Ms. Zheng's husband, Gu Youlu, was quick to react. He covered Ms. Zheng's mouth with one hand and said to Village Chief Gu, "Chief, don't waste your time with this unruly woman. I'll make sure she doesn't speak out of turn anymore."
Village Chief Gu let out a cold snort, lowering his voice to warn the villagers, "If anyone jeopardizes the village's livelihood, I'll drive them out. Don't accuse me of being heartless when the time comes."
The villagers of Gu Family Village nodded in agreement, pulling out everything they could gather to store water as they prepared to fetch it.
However, because of Ms. Zheng's outburst, the disaster-stricken refugees nearby had already noticed their activity and started looking toward the gathering spot of Gu Family Village.
Village Chief Gu shot Ms. Zheng a sharp glare, refraining from sending the villagers out to fetch water immediately. Instead, he pretended to continue lecturing them.
Ms. Zheng grew fearful under Village Chief Gu's gaze but felt deep resentment internally. She cursed Gu Jinli—the shameless little girl—for her luck in discovering the water source.
It wasn't just Ms. Zheng; everyone in the Old Gu Family was of the same mind, especially Qian Li'er and Granny Gu.
Qian Li'er said worriedly to Granny Gu, "Grandma, why didn't Xiao Yu tell our family she found the water source and instead informed Third Master's family? Does Xiao Yu hate our family?"
Granny Gu's face turned pale with anger. She didn't respond to Qian Li'er but internally seethed, vowing to make Gu Dashan's family regret withholding the water source from her.
Village Chief Gu began loudly berating Gu Dashan and Luo Tiezhu so that the nearby refugees could hear his scolding. He wanted them to believe the village was stalled simply because certain people were late.
Once most of the nearby refugees had dispersed, Village Chief Gu finally instructed the villagers to grab their tools and follow Third Grandpa into the mountain.
When they arrived at the water source, they found Gu Jinli, Gu Jin'an, Luo Huiniang, Luo Wu, and Uncle Tian busy fetching and filtering water, with four pots of clean water already stacked near the water pit.
The villagers were ecstatic at the sight of the clean water. Families suffering from severe water shortages even burst into joyful tears.
Granny Gu, ever shrewd, immediately commanded her three sons, "Youwen, Youfu, Youlu, what are you standing there for? Hurry and help everyone fetch water," adopting an air of authority.
Second Uncle Gu, Third Uncle Gu, and Fourth Uncle Gu shot into action, while Qian Guangzong, Gu Dafu's husband, snatched the rope from Uncle Tian's hands and started lowering the water pots into the pit to collect water.
Meanwhile, Fourth Uncle Gu and Ms. Zheng grabbed two pots and rushed home to pour them into their family's water vat, acting like bandits.
Gu Jinli quickly picked up a pot of water near her and carried it to Village Chief Gu, smiling, "Grandpa Village Chief, everyone must be thirsty. Have some water first."
The stark contrast in behavior quickly made Fourth Uncle Gu and Ms. Zheng's actions stand out awkwardly.
Village Chief Gu accepted the water pot Gu Jinli handed him and beamed, "Good child, you've done a great service for the village. We'll never forget what you've done."
Other villagers chimed in, "Xiao Yu has cheated death and brought us blessings, finding the water source for our village."
Gu Jinli smiled warmly, "Grandpa Village Chief, uncles, aunties, this wasn't a solo effort. It was Third Grandpa and my father who worked through the night to dig the water out. They didn't sleep a wink and put in the hardest work."
Village Chief Gu's old face turned slightly red and quickly added, "Their contributions will also be remembered by the village."
With those words, Granny Gu's sneaky plans fell apart. Regardless of who was currently helping the villagers fetch water, everyone knew it was Third Grandpa and Gu Dashan's families who gave them water to drink.
Granny Gu fumed, clutching her stomach in frustration as her gaze darted to Gu Dagu.
Gu Dagu immediately yelled at Gu Jinli, "Xiao Yu, hurry over! Your grandma is so thirsty she's about to faint!" accusing Gu Jinli of withholding water deliberately to kill Granny Gu out of spite.
Gu Jinli smirked coldly and turned to Fourth Uncle Gu and Ms. Zheng, "Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt, if grandma is about to faint from thirst, where's the water you took earlier? Hurry and let grandma have a few sips."
Gu Dagu choked on her words, while Granny Gu cast a venomous glare at Ms. Zheng, blaming her for ruining everything by stealing water. Now it felt like they'd shot themselves in the foot.
Ms. Zheng, who had just been relishing her stolen water moments earlier, shrank back when she noticed Granny Gu's angry stare. Hastily, she scooped up a bowl of water and handed it to Granny Gu.
Gu Jinli ignored Granny Gu's family and focused on teaching the villagers how to filter water properly.
While the villagers of Gu Family Village were busy fetching water, several refugees lay hidden in the distant brush, watching them with predatory eyes.
These refugees were none other than the Niu Family brothers from Niutou Gully.
Earlier that morning, during the assembly, they had noticed something odd about the Gu Family Village people, suspecting they had found something valuable. Instead of continuing their journey, they informed their family and quietly followed the villagers into the mountain. Sure enough, they discovered the Gu Family Village people fetching water.
"Big Brother, it really is water! We're going to make a fortune this time," Niu Xiaozhuang said, clutching a sharp stone and staring greedily at the pots of water, swallowing hard from thirst.
Niu Erzhuang, the more cunning of the group, whispered to Niu Dazhuang, "Big Brother, there are too many Gu Family Villagers here. We can't snatch the water with just us brothers. Let Sizhuang run back and notify the clan to bring everyone here for the raid."
Niu Sizhuang was fast and, if he sprinted, could exit the mountain and alert the clan within thirty minutes.
Niu Dazhuang chewed on a few grass roots to moisten his throat and nodded. "Sizhuang, head back and summon all the Niu family clan members. We are taking their water today!"
Niu Sizhuang acknowledged him, crawling through the grass to retreat quietly, aiming to get far enough away before standing up to run back and rally the clan.
Gu Jinli, having experienced countless survival missions in the wild during her past life, was always alert to her surroundings. She noticed unusual movement in the nearby grass and quickly said to Luo Wu, "Brother Luo Wu, the brush to the left seems suspicious. I think someone might be tailing us."
Luo Wu glanced at the grass to the left and saw the conspicuous swaying. He said, "You go tell the village chief and my father. I'll go intercept them."
Gu Jinli nodded, instructing Luo Huiniang to find Father Luo while she informed Village Chief Gu about the suspicious activity in the grass. "Grandpa Village Chief, this is our life-saving water. We absolutely can't let anyone steal it. The people in the grass must all be caught."
She also informed Village Chief Gu that Luo Wu was already moving to intercept the trespassers.
Village Chief Gu, who had been conversing with Third Grandpa, was startled by Gu Jinli's words. Both elders froze, realizing their worst fears had come true—the refugees had indeed targeted them.
"Niu Sizhuang, stop!" Luo Wu's shout suddenly rang out. It turned out Niu Sizhuang had bolted upon spotting Luo Wu, and Luo Wu was now shouting as he chased him.
The rest of the Niu brothers, seeing they had been discovered, immediately scrambled out of the brush and fled in different directions.
Village Chief Gu saw what was happening and shouted, "Catch them! We can't let them escape. If even one gets away, we won't be able to protect our water! This water is our lifeline!"
The villagers of Gu Family Village sprang into action, grabbing carrying poles and sticks to give chase.
Gu Jinli picked up her own wooden stick and joined the chase, thinking bitterly to herself—the Niu brothers were truly asking for death. She hadn't even sought revenge against them yet, and now they showed up uninvited.
Daring to try to steal the water, this time they wouldn't need her to strike. The villagers of Gu Family Village, determined to protect their water, would undoubtedly leave the Niu brothers broken and beaten.