Chapter 18

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For the people of Li Family Town, water sources mean the harvest of the coming year, so they would fight for every bit of water with their lives.

This was only possible with Xu Junran. If anyone else had proposed a 40-60 split, they would have been beaten up by the old men with their canes long ago.

"Junran, you're not fooling grandpa, are you? A 40-60 split, does that mean we get 60%?"

Li Youde stood in front of Xu Junran and asked seriously.

In his mind, Xu Junran would never let Li Family Town down. With a 40-60 split, it was most likely that Li Family Town would get 60%.

Xu Junran waved his hand and said to Li Youde, "Grandpa, let the villagers go back first. We'll talk about it at the ancestral hall."

Li Youde looked at Xu Junran with some doubt and nodded, "Alright, let's go back and talk."

The Wang family had already left, and there was no point in staying for the Li Family Town side. The old men spoke, and the families naturally dispersed. The place that had been bustling just now was now left with only the staff of the county party committee office and the police officers of the county public security bureau.

"Xiao Xu, what you're doing is too risky," Yang Weitian said to Xu Junran in a low voice.

Xu Junran smiled, "County Chief, don't worry. I can handle this. Besides, if you don't trust me, do you not trust the policies of the Central Committee?"

Yang Weitian laughed bitterly and patted Xu Junran's shoulder, "Alright, I'll go with you to Li Family Town."

Hearing this, Xu Junran was somewhat surprised. He didn't expect Yang Weitian to be such a person. He had merely helped him out of a difficult situation, and now he was willing to accompany him to Li Family Town, clearly hoping to help if the emotions of the people in Li Family Town got out of control.

"County Chief Yang, what's going on?" Several county leaders gathered around and asked Yang Weitian.

Yang Weitian waved his hand, "You all go back. Xiao Xu and I will go to Li Family Town."

Since the county chief had spoken, the others couldn't say anything and left as instructed.

Xu Junran noticed that Tu Wen Yong mouthed a warning to be careful, while Yuan Xiaoyue looked at him with concern several times before being pulled away by Tu Wen Yong.

The ancestral hall of Li Family Town is located on an open space in the western part of the town. Originally, there was a school and a special sacrificial hall to the north of the ancestral hall, and a document pavilion to the south, but due to historical reasons, they no longer exist. Despite this, the ancestral hall still retains seven main parts: the screen wall, the gate tower, the courtyard, the corridors, the main hall, the inner courtyard, and the bedroom. The bedroom has been converted into a bungalow by the elders of Li Family Town, where the elderly who have no one to rely on can live and enjoy their twilight years.

As they entered the ancestral hall, the gate tower with its double-eaved hip roof, seven bays wide and two bays deep, came into view. The roof of the ancestral hall, with its wooden carvings and a pattern of a carp leaping over the dragon gate, was vibrant and lively. Below, the lintel was carved with a pattern of the three stars of happiness, wealth, and longevity. The shallow relief carvings of flowers and birds on the base of the gate tower were vivid and unique, making one feel as if they were in a world of flowers and birds. On both sides of the gate tower, stone drums stood facing each other, and above them hung the sign "Li Family Ancestral Hall." Behind the gate tower was a courtyard, with a path leading to the main hall, and the sides were paved with blue stone slabs. The corridors were five bays wide and one bay deep. The main hall was five bays wide and four bays deep, with a hard mountain-style roof, bracket sets supporting the eaves, and large and carefully crafted materials.

"This ancestral hall is quite impressive."

Yang Weitian couldn't help but praise as he walked with Xu Junran in the front hall of the Li Family ancestral hall.

Xu Junran smiled proudly, "Yes, this ancestral hall of Li Family Town has a history of hundreds of years and could be developed into a tourist attraction."

Yang Weitian frowned and looked at Xu Junran, not understanding where this confidence came from. Had his life in the capital made this young man's heart and courage equally large? What kind of reckless words did he dare to say? A few hundred years old ancestral hall, it would be good enough if it wasn't labeled as a remnant of feudal culture, and he was actually thinking of turning it into a scenic area? Truly a wild idea.

As they talked, they had already arrived at the main hall of the Li Family ancestral hall. Li Youde and other prominent figures of the Li family were already waiting in the hall.

"County Chief Yang's visit is a great honor for Li Family Town," Li Youde said politely to Yang Weitian.

Although Yang Weitian was somewhat unhappy inside, he didn't show it and politely chatted with Li Youde.

After a few words, Li Youde said to Li Qiankun, the party secretary of the Li Family Town commune, "Qiankun, take County Chief Yang for a tour of the town."

Yang Weitian smiled bitterly, realizing this was a polite way of asking him to leave.

Nodding to Xu Junran, Yang Weitian turned and walked out of the Li Family ancestral hall with Li Qiankun.

In the hall, only Xu Junran and the six clan elders of the Li family remained, along with Long Yin Yue who had just entered.

"Junran, tell us the truth, what's really going on?" Li Youde asked Xu Junran with a serious expression.

Having lived for so many years, how could he not see through things? Wang Qian was a person who wouldn't act without a good reason. Since the Wang family had retreated, it meant they had definitely received a satisfactory answer. Considering Xu Junran's words, it couldn't help but make the old man suspect something.

Xu Junran smiled, "Grandpa, elders, I ask you, why do we have to fight with Da Wang Village for that water source?"

"Do we even need to ask? Without water, what do we eat?" someone immediately answered.

"Yes, Junran, you don't know. The harvest has been poor in recent years, and the land is lacking water," another elder said to Xu Junran.

Xu Junran nodded, "I understand your concerns, elders. That's why I agreed with the Wang family. As long as they can guarantee us 40% of the water, we will give up the dispute over the water channel."

"Junran, what's really going on?"

This time, it was Long Yin Yue who spoke, "I don't believe you would do anything to harm Li Family Town. Tell us the truth, what's your plan?"

He knew his student's temperament; he never did anything without being sure. Although there might be some secrets behind his return to Wude County, Xu Junran would never betray the people of Li Family Town. Even more, Long Yin Yue vaguely guessed that perhaps the county leaders had pressured Xu Junran to take on this role as a scapegoat?

His gaze slowly swept over the faces of the elders. Xu Junran looked at them, feeling deeply grateful. Although they spoke sternly, they still treated him like family. If anyone else had dared to give 60% of the water channel, which the people of Li Family Town valued like their lives, to others, even the county chief or the party secretary would not have been able to stop the people of Li Family Town from reacting strongly.

In this life and the previous one, he owed these lovely villagers too much.

Thinking of this, Xu Junran slowly said, "Isn't it just about food? We can buy it with money!"