When he arrived at the work site, he first went to find the village chief, Qiao Xin.
This Qiao Xin was Qiao Yuanzhong's uncle. He was squatting on a rock, drinking some water. After Qiao Xin heard what my dad had to say, he didn't even raise his eyelids. He said slowly, "Wenxin, this isn't entirely Yuanzhong's fault. Your son took an extra load of water. That's taking advantage of the collective. Yuanzhong was just upholding fairness. I'll have a word with him later."
My dad was shaking with anger. The man was the village chief, so he could only swallow his anger and say, "That water was for Grandpa Wang's household, the one on welfare. It wasn't for me."
Qiao Xin waved his hand impatiently. "All right, all right, get back to work. Don't slow down our progress."
My dad knew that old fox was just protecting his own, so he had to swallow his anger and go move stones.
As for me, I went straight to Grandpa Wang's house on the east side of the village. Grandpa Wang is our village's only veteran. He lost a leg fighting the invaders back in the day. The government gives him a subsidy every month, so his word carries more weight in the village than even the village chief's.
The moment I walked in, I knelt before Grandpa Wang, pointed at the wound on my head, and cried, "Grandpa Wang! Qiao Yuanzhong not only stole your water, but he also called you a cursed man with no heir. When I tried to deliver the water for you, he picked up a club as thick as a bowl and nearly beat me to death on the spot. Look at this wound."
Grandpa Wang has a fiery temper. As soon as he heard this, he got so angry he slammed his cane on the ground, making it echo. "That bastard. How dare he?"
I seized the opportunity and borrowed a wheelbarrow. I carried Grandpa Wang in it to two different places.
Wang San is Grandpa Wang's distant nephew. When I saw him, I called out, "Company Commander Wang! It's terrible. Qiao Yuanzhong is trying to kill me. He's committing sabotage, ruining the reputation of our commune."
When Wang San saw the murderous look on Grandpa Wang's face, he was so scared he immediately declared, "Something like this actually happened? If it's true, I'll arrest him and send him to the township right away."
Next, I took Grandpa Wang straight to the township government office. The township has special respect for veterans. When they heard a war hero had been robbed, they immediately sent two officials back with me to the village to investigate.
When Qiao Xin saw the people from the township, he was completely stunned. All his bluster as the village chief vanished in an instant. He was bowing and scraping, leading the way.
Qiao Yuanzhong was still on the dam, swaggering around, when militia company commander Wang San slammed him to the ground and slapped him twice across the face.
"Luo, you set me up!" Qiao Yuanzhong screamed at the top of his lungs. He struggled like a wild donkey. I just sneered and ignored him.
The official from the township had a stern face and a very firm tone. He ordered the militia to take him away, saying they would deal with him after a thorough investigation. In that moment, Qiao Yuanzhong knew he was finished — defeated by me, the one he had always looked down on.
Qiao Yuanzhong's younger brother, Qiao Yuanjia, happened to arrive just then. Seeing his brother being arrested, with fire in his eyes, he charged at me. "Luo Zhenshan, you just wait. I'm going to finish you today."
I stepped behind Grandpa Wang and said coldly, "What? You want to go to the township and keep your brother company? You two can be a pair of murderers together."
Qiao Yuanjia's face turned livid with rage. But seeing so many people around, he didn't dare to make a move. He could only watch as I walked away.
When I got home that night, I told my parents what happened. My dad, Luo Wenxin, was grinning from ear to ear. He kept praising me for being capable. To celebrate, my mom did something she'd never done before. She sprinkled a handful of precious rice into the pumpkin soup. The aroma filled the whole house.
After dinner, I had my little sister, Luo Hongmei, stand watch outside. Then I took my parents and crawled back into the cellar under the bed.
On the night of the third day, my dad dug his shovel in, and suddenly there was a cracking sound. A piece of the earth floor beneath our feet collapsed, and a blast of cool air rushed out from there. The wind carried a long-lost hint of moisture that was incredibly refreshing to smell.
"Dad, it's open. Quick, bring the torches," I whispered excitedly.
My dad's hands were trembling. We lit two torches and climbed down the ladder. Beneath us was a huge natural cavern, and the ceiling was covered with all sorts of strange stalactites. They were sparkling.
We had barely taken two steps when we heard the rushing sound of flowing water. After we went around a rock wall, the sight before us left my whole family stunned. It was an underground river, five or six meters wide. The water was so clear you could see the pebbles at the bottom. Under the light of the torches, the surface of the river was teeming with splashing.
"Dad, look at those catfish!" I shouted, pointing to the shallows by the riverbank. "Those catfish are so dark and fat. The biggest one must weigh over ten pounds."
They were crowded by the bank, fighting for nutrients in the mud.
My dad, Luo Wenxin, dropped right to his knees by the river, cupped some water in his hands, and gulped it down. As he drank, tears streamed down his face. "It's fresh water. It's sweet. The heavens have blessed us. Our family is saved."
Li Shufang was even more emotional, wiping away her tears. Staring at the countless fish, she kept murmuring, "Buddha, bless us."
I knew this wasn't just life-saving water. It was the most valuable resource in these times.
The cavern was very spacious. We wandered around inside for most of the night. It was cool like an ice cellar, and the air was filled with the smell of moisture. It was a completely different world from the parched, dry land outside.
It wasn't until the torches were about to go out that we reluctantly climbed back to the surface and closed the cellar lid properly.