PCJ – Chapter 650 Moving Hearts (Part 1)

When the people of Yingpan Village heard that a mountain spring had been found, they all rushed over.

Gu Zhuansheng choked with emotion as he said, “It’s been over ten years! I haven’t had a proper bath at home in all that time!”

To fetch a load of water meant walking six or seven li (2–3 kilometers) along rugged mountain paths. Water was so precious, no one dared to use it for a full bath. In the summer, men could go a bit farther out to bathe in the river, but for women, it was much more inconvenient. Bathing in the river during broad daylight was extremely embarrassing.

“Zhuansheng, tonight you can bathe however you like. Bring out the pig-scalding tub for your wife and fill it with hot water,” Gu Yongyi joked.

Gu Zhuansheng’s wife, Gu Huanlan, giggled and said, “Yongyi, maybe you should prepare the pig-scalding tub for your own wife instead.”

Gu Yongyi’s wife, Li Siye, burst into laughter. “Gu Huanlan, you shameless woman! I haven’t even provoked you, and now you’re throwing shade at me? If you want to scold someone, scold your man!”

Gu Huanlan quickly apologized, “Sister Siye, I’m sorry! Blame your husband for his loose mouth. Who told Yongyi to joke like that?”

Gu Yongyi laughed heartily. “Who’s like Zhuansheng, so useless he shames all the men of Yingpan Village!”

“You’re here joking with someone else’s wife, and don’t even know to fetch a bucket of water! There’s not a single drop left in our water tank at home!” Li Siye snapped in annoyance.

Gu Yongyi didn’t dare respond and slunk off toward home with his head down.

“Uncle Yongyi, why didn’t you just give Sister Siye a slap? I thought you’d stand up for us Yingpan Village men,” Gu Zhuansheng teased with a grin.

“Gu Zhuansheng! Others already know to go home and fetch water buckets. Do you not understand priorities? Do you want dinner or not?” Gu Huanlan scolded. She, too, wanted a nice bath—just looking at that flowing spring water made her body itch with longing.

Gu Yongyi and Gu Zhuansheng were notorious in the village for being afraid of their wives, yet they always acted macho in front of others. This time, both got a figurative slap across the face in front of the whole village.

Then Gu Baishui raised his voice and addressed everyone: “Don’t forget the one who found the spring. Everyone, we’re drinking spring water now—but don’t forget, it was Cadre Zhang who found it. Since arriving in our village, he’s helped with the salt-alkali remediation and now discovered the spring water. In the future, everyone must cooperate with Zhang Jiaohua’s work.

“I know some of you still resent him for reporting to the police about those women we bought as wives. Some families lost their entire life savings. But think about it: is it really fair to blame Cadre Zhang? He’s a government-appointed official. Can he just turn a blind eye to illegal acts? Honestly, trafficking women is immoral. Even if he hadn’t reported it, you think the truth could be hidden forever?”

The villagers began whispering. On the issue of salt-alkali treatment, they did admire Zhang Jiaohua. Their village had been without water for years, yet no one even thought of tackling the salt problem—until Zhang showed up and brought hope.

As for the spring—it was strange. If there really was one, how had no one found it earlier? After the water supply dried up, the villagers dug many wells. At best, they got salty, undrinkable water. Yet Zhang had found a clean spring up on the hillside?

“Come look! This spring outlet seems freshly dug!” Gu Runshu suddenly called from up on the slope.

Everyone ran up and indeed saw a pile of fresh dirt next to the gushing spring.

“Cadre Zhang, did you dig this spring?” asked Gu Taitian.

Zhang Jiaohua chuckled. “How could I? The hole’s so small, I couldn’t even fit in!”

“Then how did you find it?” Gu Runshu asked in confusion.

“I was climbing this hill to look for a spring when I noticed some animal had dug this hole. Not long after, a pangolin popped out—and then the water started gushing. Maybe it dug through to the spring,” Zhang said.

“Must’ve been the pangolin. Heaven must really be looking out for us—who’d have thought a pangolin would solve our water crisis!” Gu Runshu exclaimed.

“Since everyone’s here,” Zhang continued, “I’ve got an idea. Now that we have a spring, let’s build a water tower here and install pipes to bring water to every household. That way, no one has to carry water anymore, and the water source stays clean. What do you think?”

“Cadre Zhang, you don’t know our village’s financial situation. Installing a water system costs a lot. We can’t afford it,” said Gu Runshu.

“You won’t have to pay. We can apply for a national rural water supply improvement project. All we need is your cooperation,” Zhang said.

“No cost? Then we’re all in! Imagine having tap water right at home!” Gu Taitian said with a laugh.

Everyone began dreaming about the day Yingpan Village had tap water.

“But that’s not all,” Gu Runshu added. “This spring isn’t just for drinking. With this much flow, we can use it to irrigate the rice fields. It’s too late for rice now, but we can grow a season of winter wheat. Harvest it in early spring and just about bridge the gap to the early rice crop.”

“We could also grow some rapeseed. After so many years of barely any cooking oil, it’s time we added some richness to our meals,” Gu Taitian said.

“I fully support resuming agricultural production, But while we restore farming, I also hope everyone thinks seriously about my earlier suggestion. Even if salt-alkali treatment works, it’ll only solve basic subsistence. It won’t change Yingpan’s poverty, or help the bachelors here find wives. So I hope we start planning now—get ahead of the curve and build a modern agricultural estate. If we turn this place into a scenic tourist destination, everyone can benefit. You could run rural homestays, make and sell local specialties—everyone can find ways to earn. Young people won’t need to leave for distant cities. Our kids won’t have to grow up like orphans.” said Zhang Jiaohua.