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With a sigh, Qiao Mai dug a one-acre-sized pit in the barren land north of the town under the moonlight, filling it with water. She did the same with another pit to the south.

Although she had reached the sixth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm, she didn’t possess the power to control the weather. Without her space, she couldn’t take on the role of a rainmaker.

The two pits of water eased the situation for the people around the town. Qiao Mai visited every night to ensure they remained full.

Some said that the people of Tianshui Town often did good deeds, so the heavens blessed them with these mysterious water pits.

People from other towns came to collect water. As the water was enough, there was no sign of disputes.

Mayor Qian was concerned about the situation. He stationed two guards there to ensure fair access to water and to prevent any profiteering from the water pits.

Qiao’s Small Eatery also began charging for water. A cup of water now costs a single copper coin, a reasonable fee many people paid.

Qiao Mai wasn’t being stingy, but she didn’t want anyone to realize her water source was abundant.

She wanted everyone to conserve water together because if one family faced water scarcity, others would soon follow. Charging fees was a way to ensure everyone was aware of the water shortage.

She often sat in front of her shop, watching water carts traveling back and forth on the main road, filled with water from the pits. Having water meant no one fled due to the drought.

It was said that the drought in the jurisdiction of Wei City was the worst, and heading south would be slightly better. If the drought continued, there would be a famine next year.

Qiao Mai didn’t want to see large groups of refugees fleeing, especially children losing their homes. She also didn’t want an epidemic to spread with dead bodies everywhere.

She wanted a peaceful and ordinary life, so she worked hard to change the situation.

Otherwise, she would become part of the famine-stricken population. That was not what she wanted.

So, she went out every night to dig water pits in the territory of Wei City, helping to alleviate the drought.

With her covert assistance, the drought situation in Wei City’s jurisdiction had considerably improved. At this point, rumors began to circulate among the local populace.

They believed the magistrate was a virtuous and caring official, and they thought heaven blessed the land under his jurisdiction as they hadn’t experienced severe drought, and the crops were not suffering.

What bullshit! If the heavens were aware, they would have sent rain earlier.

Nevertheless, the situation benefited Magistrate Wang. He could expect promotion and favor from the emperor once he heard about this.

As time passed, the scorching summer came to an end, and it was time for the harvest season.

The Wang family started collecting sweet potatoes that everyone had planted this year. As a result, the prices were slightly lower but still acceptable for the townsfolk.

Selling sweet potatoes allowed them to pay the grain tax with relative ease.

The Qiao family’s tenant farmers had already asked her whether they should deliver sweet potatoes or sell them for silver to purchase grain.

Qiao Mai saved them the trouble and chose silver.

In Lihua Village, the Qiao family’s harvest wasn’t good. After paying taxes, they didn’t have much left. Without assistance this winter, the whole family would go hungry.

Qiao Shicheng and his wife had no choice but to sell their granddaughter to a wealthy family as a maidservant.

When they had sold Qiao Mai, her eldest and second brother hadn’t felt much.

But when it came to selling their own daughter, their hearts ached considerably despite the traditional preference for sons over daughters. This was still their flesh and blood.

Selling their daughters to support the family expenses weighed heavily on their hearts.

That family thought that if they had to sell another daughter in the future, it would be much preferable to sell her independently, keeping the money for themselves rather than contributing it to the collective fund.

As Qiao Shicheng sold a granddaughter, the families began discussing a split.

In a major dispute, the Qiao family also didn’t hold out for long. They eventually divided their household like the Yuan family. Qiao Shicheng and his wife were pushed aside by their children.

None of them wanted to live with each other. They took turns delivering food to their parents. When their parents could not move, each family took turns to take care of them, but nobody wanted to live together.

The old couple of these two families now had more time to gather, often sitting across Lucky Garden, eagerly looking at its imposing gates, longing for what they had lost.

The Tian family had placed their hopes on Ling’er, hoping for the swift return of Tian Sanzhuang.

If it was indeed Tian Sanzhuang’s daughter, they could negotiate terms with that woman.

This winter was colder and lasted longer than the previous year. It was only in mid-December that the first snowfall came, followed by a sudden drop in temperature.

Seeing the weather, Qiao Mai was worried. It seemed like she would have to work as a water carrier again next year.

This year didn’t bring much joy to her. The only consolation was that her space had upgraded again, showing improvements in various indicators.

Due to the upgrade, her water pond, which had already reached tens of thousands of acres, had doubled. It has enough water to last Wei City for another year.

If Wei City’s residents could endure, other towns and counties should be fine, as drought conditions weren’t as severe.

Winter was better than summer as the heat wasn’t scorching, and water didn’t evaporate quickly. One water pond could supply the people in the vicinity for a long time if they didn’t waste it.

As the New Year approached, Qiao Mai filled the pits with water every night, hoping everyone would have a good year.

While filling the pits, Qiao Mai discovered several had been seized. If it weren’t for the fires they had lit, the words they spoke, and the conspicuous signs they had placed, she wouldn’t have known they were charging for the water.

Qiao Mai was furious. She hadn’t even charged people for using the water from the pits, yet these opportunists wanted to capitalize on the situation by taking over and collecting fees from the people.

In one night, Qiao Mai disposed of seven pit locations, resulting in several dozens of deaths.

She didn’t bother hiding the bodies; she left them by the pits and left a message on their fee collection signs.

“Those who profit from the country’s crisis shall die!”

In a single night close to the New Year, many people lost their lives. This incident caused a sensation in Wei City.

People applauded and said, “Well done, they deserved to die for their greed.”

Wang Zongsheng went to investigate. All of them had been cleanly killed with their throats slit. There was no sign of struggle, and it was a swift and efficient execution.

There was no evidence at the scene, so he had the families take the bodies away and bury them. He would investigate the case once there were leads.

Who could it be? Who can do this on such a large scale?

The methods used are the same, and the timing of the actions is not too different. It seems like several schemes happened simultaneously.

Ultimately, he didn’t pay much attention to the matter because those who had died were local bullies and troublemakers. They had brought their fate upon themselves. These were common occurrences in the world.

He would pass the case on to the martial community.

Thanks to the example Qiao Mai set, no one dared to charge fees at the water pits anymore. People could now freely collect water, which was a relief for everyone.

This year, it was a year of struggle for all the town’s residents except the Qiao family.

Whether they were lacking money or lacking water, people were all struggling.

In any case, things weren’t going very well for anyone..