Chapter 6, Clan Meeting, Water Theft (Part 2)

Jiang Zhuliu also thought the same way. At home, Jiang Zhou had only one or two jin of flour and twenty to thirty jin of wheat bran left. Where could he possibly find five jin of grain or four jin of wheat?

This is only natural. Indeed, if we win, we should reward ourselves. Patriarch, please give your orders; we will follow your lead.

Jiang Tiancheng's wife is dark and plump, yet her temperament is quite gentle. When her husband mentioned fetching ten kilograms of wheat for the Jiang family, she immediately took a small sack to the back room to fill it with grain without a second thought

Old Fourth Jiang's expression immediately turned extremely unpleasant, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He averted his gaze, not daring to meet Jiang Jinhai's eyes, clearly terrified of this person

Everyone fell silent again, anxiously waiting for Jiang Jinchuan to state the conditions of Yanhe Village

Zhou, have you not figured it out yet? According to Jiang Jinchuan, every household in the village contributes the same amount of grain. However, the land area of each household is not the same. For instance, Jiang Jinchuan has over 500 mu of land, occupying more than half of the irrigated land in the village, yet he contributes the same amount of grain as a family that has only one or one and a half mu of irrigated land. Is this fair? How much more water does over 500 mu of land require?

The Jiang clan members looked at each other in confusion, unsure of what to say. Competing in literary skills for water? Who doesn't know that Yanhe Village is renowned far and wide as a village of talented scholars? If it comes to literary competition, can Jiang Village emerge victorious? If they cannot win, then how could the water gate of the Qin River be opened?

In this provincial examination held by the Henan government, although Yanghe Village had three candidates listed, they all ranked outside the top fifty. My two unworthy grandsons, Jiang Wu ranked thirty-sixth and Jiang Wen ranked forty-eighth, both placed ahead of the children from Yanghe Village

Boat, I apologize. Uncle's family also has little surplus grain, so I can only give you ten jin for now. If we can win the literary competition against Yanhe Village this time, and the fields can yield well, I will send some over to your family during the autumn harvest

Only then did everyone suddenly realize that the old clan leader was indeed fortunate. If brothers Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu were to succeed in the provincial examination, they would be considered part of an official family, and who would not show some respect to an official family

Everyone's eyes lit up, and hope was reignited in their hearts. Indeed, if the Jiang brothers, Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu, were to take action this time, it is quite possible that they would have the situation in Yanhe Village under control

"Good! Since everyone has spoken, I shall not be polite. " Jiang Jinchuan nodded and said, "I have discussed this with brothers Jin Hai and Jin Shan. For this literary competition and water contest, each household with irrigated land should contribute 10 jin of millet or 8 jin of wheat; for those with only dry land, the amount is halved, requiring only 5 jin of millet or 4 jin of wheat. These grains will be collected as rewards for this literary competition."

Everyone knows that this time the provincial examination is being held at Henan Prefecture on Jingxi Road. My two unworthy grandsons have unexpectedly struck it rich and actually made it onto the list. Next spring, they will be going to the Ministry of Rites to participate in the provincial examination. The villagers of Yanghe also know this news, so in front of them, I have gained a bit more face.

When Jiang Zhuliu first arrived at Jiang Village, he naturally did not understand the intricacies involved. At this moment, upon hearing Jiang Tiancheng's explanation, he finally comprehended. Indeed, Jiang Jinchuan was cunning; he superficially proposed a seemingly fair solution to the problem, but in reality, he sought to gain all the advantages for himself. It is truly perplexing how such a person could become the head of the Jiang clan. According to Jiang Zhuliu's impressions from books, candidates for the position of clan leader in ancient times were supposed to be virtuous and respected.

Wuwu! Jiang Laosi cradled his head and began to sob. This six and a half mu of dry land was his lifeline; after selling it, how would his entire family survive?

"Ah, regarding the books, since everyone has no objections to the literary competition for resources, let us settle on this. " Jiang Jinchuan stroked his beard and chuckled twice, "However, I still have something to say to everyone."

Jiang Zhuliu felt a pang of sorrow in his heart, yet he did not know what to say. There are too many tragic events in the world that leave one feeling helpless. If Jiang Zhuliu cannot even help himself, how can he possibly assist Jiang Laosi?

Old Jiang Si from the east of the village shouted: "Chief, my family only has 6.5 mu of dry land, and it can't be irrigated anyway. Whether the water gate of the Qin River is opened or not has nothing to do with me. Why should I pay 5 jin of grain?"

"Oh, what is there to thank for?" Jiang Tiancheng picked up another bag and said, "Let's go, Zhou'er, we will first go to the ancestral hall to deliver the grain."

Jiang Jinchuan's expression darkened, yet he remained silent

Uncle Tiancheng, how should this be said

"Uncle, please, please, I will pay, I will pay, isn't that enough!" Jiang Laosi cried, holding his head: "But, Uncle, there is not a single grain of food left at home. Where am I supposed to find these five jin of millet?"

"Uncle Jiang, how can I accept this?" Jiang Zhuliu rubbed his hands, unsure of what to say. He had intended to refuse, but when he thought of Yuan Dong'er’s hands, which were full of cracks, and Jiang's mother’s frail body, he found himself unable to voice his refusal. Moreover, this grain was given by Jiang Tiancheng out of consideration for Jiang Zhou; he was not Jiang Zhou, so what right did he have to refuse?

Everyone was filled with joy. How wonderful! Although twelve hours is a very short time, if we make the most of it, we can still manage to irrigate the fields in the village, ensuring that the grain seeds will germinate. Millet is drought-resistant; as long as it can sprout, even if there is no rain or watering later, it can still guarantee a yield of about 40 to 50 percent. With this yield, everyone can sustain themselves through the winter until spring arrives next year.

"Hehe, hetushu.com.com, everyone, do not lose heart. " Jiang Jinchuan chuckled, "If I had no confidence in the literary contest at all, how could I have gathered everyone here?"

Most members of the Jiang clan have irrigated land, with only two or three households relying entirely on dry land. For those with irrigated land, as long as they can water it, they can harvest around one hundred to one hundred and ten pounds in the autumn. Although parting with ten pounds of wheat is painful, it is still bearable

However, for those two or three households without irrigated land, these few pounds of millet or wheat are indeed a great injustice. No matter how much water is released from the Qin River, the dry land cannot be irrigated, and by autumn, it is very likely that there will be no harvest at all. In this situation, they may not even be able to secure food for themselves, let alone find a few pounds of wheat or millet to hand over.

"Cousin Lao Si, it is not impossible to forgo these five jin of millet," Jiang Jinhai said with a smile on his face, yet it sent chills down people's spines. "However, from now on, you are not allowed to set foot in the Jiang family ancestral hall. Your father's remains must also be removed from the Jiang family cemetery"

His complexion was already red, and at this moment, when he became angry, it turned an even more alarming shade of red

Jiang's wife came over from the back room, placing the heavy little burlap sack into Jiang Zhuliu's hands

Seeing the clan members discussing animatedly, Jiang Jinchuan felt even more pleased, and his voice became a few degrees louder. "The people of Yanhe Village have agreed to open the sluice gates. However, due to more than eight months of drought, the Xiaoqin River has also nearly dried up. Although Yanhe Village has built embankments along the river, the retained floodwaters are barely sufficient for their village's use. This time, considering the old man's face, they have decided to open the sluice gates for twelve hours..." This time, considering the old man's face, they have decided to open the sluice gates for twelve hours...

As the saying goes, the emperor does not lack hungry soldiers. This time, in the competition for water, whether it is Jiang Wen, Jiang Wu, or other clansmen from the village, if they win against the riverside village in the three matches, should everyone express their appreciation

Alright, let us not speak of such external matters any longer. Jiang Tiancheng waved his hand and said resentfully, "Here we are, pushing back and forth for a mere ten or so kilograms of wheat, while the clan leader Jiang Jinchuan has taken an unwarranted advantage."

After pausing for half a minute, Jiang Jinchuan built up the suspense before continuing, "Why do they give this old man such face? It's for no other reason than my two useless grandsons"

"Fellow clansmen, does anyone have anything to say?" Jiang Jinchuan slowly surveyed the crowd. Seeing that no one spoke, he continued, "Then it is decided. Before noon today, each household must deliver their grain to the ancestral hall. At the hour of the afternoon, each household should send one person to gather in front of the dam at the Lower Qin River to participate in the literary contest. Everyone may return home to prepare for this."

Hehe, this is not a problem at all. Jiang Jinhai laughed like a hen crowing, "Don't you still have six and a half mu of dry land? Since it’s dry, you won’t be able to grow much anyway, so why not sell it? According to the current market price, one mu of dry land can be exchanged for twenty jin of millet. Calculating this way, not only can you pay off five jin of millet, but the remaining millet, if you save it a bit, will be enough for your family of five to eat until next spring."

Jiang Tiancheng tugged at Jiang Zhuliu's sleeve and whispered in his ear: "Xiao Zhou, let's go to my house later. I'll have your aunt scoop out ten jin of wheat for you. Four jin will be given to the clan, and the rest you can take home."

Jiang Jinhai wanted to speak, but he was stopped by Jiang Jinshan: "Ah, Jinhai, my younger brother, take it slow. Let me have a word with my fourth nephew first"

Seeing the clan members in low spirits, Jiang Jinchuan felt somewhat gloomy himself. They truly are a group with even less insight than women. What is the matter with Douwen? Could it be that Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu would lose to the young men of Yanhe Village?

Jiang Jin continued, saying: "Therefore, I believe that in this literary contest for water, we have at least a seventy percent chance of winning. Even if we only win two rounds, it would be enough to open the sluice gate of the Lower Qin River for eight hours. Eight hours of water should be sufficient to irrigate most of our land, right?"

Oh dear, Uncle Tiancheng, aren't you making your little nephew feel utterly embarrassed by saying that?" Jiang Zhou felt even more awkward, saying, "Just squeezing out these ten kilograms of wheat from your teeth has already been a great help to my family. Otherwise, I truly wouldn't know where to go to gather this grain!

Everyone, please hold your excitement! Jiang Jinchuan shook his head and said: "I haven't finished my words yet. The riverside village has an additional condition for opening the water gate..."

Jiang Jinhai stepped forward and shouted, "Jiang Laosi, what madness are you exhibiting?"

The condition set by Yanhe Village is that we must hold a literary competition with Jiang Village. According to their statement, the literary competition consists of three events in total. If Jiang Village wins all three events, then Yanhe Village will open the water gates for a full twelve hours; if we win only two events, the water gates will be opened for eight hours; if we win just one event, the gates will be opened for four hours; and if we lose all three events, then Jiang Village should not even mention the matter of opening the gates for water.

Jiang Tiancheng held a coarse porcelain bowl and poured half a bowl of water for Jiang Zhuliu, explaining to him with a face full of guilt

The members of the Jiang clan responded in a cacophony of voices

All members of the Jiang clan nodded in agreement. It is best to compete in literary debates to secure water. If one resorts to violent conflict to seize water, not to mention whether Jiang Village can defeat the numerous and powerful Riverbank Village, even if they could win and obtain the water, it would come at the cost of countless casualties. Who would wish to see such a situation?

Thank you, Aunt.

Although Yanhe Village has more scholars than our Jiang Village, the measure of literary talent is based on ability, not on the number of individuals involved