The old cadre returned home to find his wife had already prepared dinner and was waiting for him.
The couple had no children; their only son had died in infancy due to malnutrition.
His wife's health was poor, preventing her from having more children.
Many people advised the old cadre to marry another woman, but he only loved his wife.
Were children that important? He didn't think so. He only needed to look at Old Woman Xu in the west wing; even with a child, she wasn't living as well as him.
He could grow vegetables, tend to the land, and live a simple, ordinary life.
If someone could bury him and his wife together when the time came, the old cadre felt he would be grateful even in heaven.
"Why are you so late today?" his wife asked curiously, bringing over the rice and chopsticks.
"A Daoist priest came, and I helped him find a place to stay," the old cadre said, taking the bowl.
"Is that the one who came today?" his wife asked, puzzled. "Why did he come to our village? There's no one here who needs a ritual performed."
"Alright, I'll go take a look later and bring some water to the kitchen," his wife agreed, nodding.
After finishing dinner and cleaning up the kitchen, the night passed without incident.
The next day, the old cadre went out to herd sheep.
His wife, carrying a bucket, headed towards the center of the village.
Before she had walked far, she could see the golden crown of the tree from a distance, like a golden cloud enveloping the village.
When she reached the well, she saw many elderly people sitting and chatting under the tree.
"Brother Chen, why are you out enjoying the breeze?"
"Sister Zhang, it's been a while since I've seen you."
After greeting the old folks, the wife hung her bucket on the rope and lowered it into the well.
She looked at the shimmering, silvery water and thought how beautiful it was, giving her the urge to take a big gulp.
When she pulled the bucket up, the water was crystal clear, much purer than the mountain stream.
It looked incredibly refreshing.
She picked up a ladle, scooped up some water, brought it to her lips, and smelled a faint fragrance.
She eagerly drank it, and a sweet, mellow flavor filled her mouth, invigorating her.
She had never tasted such delicious water.
She couldn't help but drink several more ladles until her stomach was content, then she stopped.
The old folks watched her and laughed at her eagerness.
The wife wasn't annoyed; she smiled and offered them a ladle of water, taking it back after they had all tasted it.
Seeing their astonished expressions, the wife felt a unique sense of joy.
"What kind of water is this? Why is it so delicious?"
"I've never tasted such sweet water. Is this really well water?"
The elders exclaimed, no longer content to sit under the tree. They hurried home to fetch containers, preparing to store some of the well water for themselves.
Jiang Wen came out and saw the lively scene of villagers drawing water from the well.
He was puzzled. Was there something wrong with the water?
After asking a few people, he understood that the well water was so delicious that everyone was rushing to get it.
"Is it really that good?" Jiang Wen asked, scooping up a bowl of water and frowning after drinking it.
It was too sweet; the well water tasted as if sugar had been added.
But after swallowing it, he felt a strange sensation. There seemed to be something wrong with the well water.
Seeing the villagers drawing water so enthusiastically, he decided not to say anything for the time being.
When it was time to eat, the villagers came to call for Jiang Wen.
Some asked if he had eaten, while others pulled him towards their homes, treating him like one of their own.
Jiang Wen refused several times, but in the end, he had no choice but to have dinner at the old cadre's house.
While eating, he told the old cadre that the villagers were too enthusiastic; four or five people had invited him to dinner.
Hearing this, the old cadre lit a cigarette and chuckled, "The villagers rarely see outsiders, so they are very welcoming."
"Now that you've come, everyone is happy. Even I want a grandson."
"Look at you, Grandpa Chen," Jiang Wen said, stroking Mo Xiang's head. "You can treat Mo Xiang and me as your own grandsons."
Hearing this, the old cadre's eyes were lost in his wrinkles.
He turned to look behind him, calling out to the room and wiping his eyes.
"Da Mei, look! This old man can have two grandsons!"
Then he turned to Jiang Wen and said, "Fifty years ago, our child died. We never had another, always feeling like we owed her something…"
The old cadre said, rubbing his eyes with his hand.
Hearing his choked voice, Jiang Wen knew he was also in pain.
After all, in those days, everyone lacked food; everyone was hungry.
Some things were choices made out of necessity.
If he could bring back his child, Jiang Wen felt that the old cadre would surely be willing to take the child's place.
"Alas, I'm getting old and saddened by these past events."
The old cadre composed himself and smiled at Jiang Wen.
"I know, Grandpa Chen. Things will get better," Jiang Wen comforted him.
They talked about the well water, and the old cadre said he would tell everyone to stop drinking it for now.
The next day, Jiang Wen saw many villagers standing outside his house.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Wen asked the villagers.
"Little Daoist priest, please come and see what's wrong with my chickens," an old man stepped forward anxiously. "When I woke up this morning, all their feathers were gone, leaving them bare."
"Yes! Little Daoist priest, please check on my sheep. They're also losing their fur; they're all bald."
"Is it because of the well water yesterday?"
The villagers looked at Jiang Wen eagerly, discussing whether the hair loss was caused by drinking the well water.
Jiang Wen's head ached from their clamor, and he raised his hand to calm them down.
"Grandpas and grandmas, don't be anxious. I believe it's not bad news. Let's go see the chickens first, and we'll know."
Jiang Wen followed the old man to his chicken coop and couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the bare, plucked chickens.
"Little Daoist priest, look, it's like this," the old man said, pointing at the plucked chickens. "You're from the city; you should know what's going on."
"Let me see," Jiang Wen nodded, hearing the old man's words. He picked up a plucked chicken and examined it carefully.
The chicken's feathers were gone, and even its skin was a little dark.
The problem must have occurred after drinking the well water yesterday. The chicken looked listless, as if its vitality had been drained.
The well water was indeed peculiar, with such an effect.
Then, he gathered the villagers in front of the Ginkgo tree in the village and explained the situation to them.
"For now, don't drink the water from the well; there might be some problems."
Jiang Wen said, then asked them about their condition after drinking the well water.
The villagers looked at each other, realizing that there had been some changes yesterday.
"My legs are a little sore."
"I've been having back pain at night."
"My appetite has improved a lot; I can eat now."
After listening to them, Jiang Wen told the villagers not to drink the well water for now. He planned to take Mo Xiang to the well to investigate.
After all, according to the villagers, the well was nearly five hundred years old and was the only water source in Phoenix Village. If they couldn't drink the water, they would have to transport it from the mountain, which was ten miles away.
It had been fine for so many years, but now something had happened. It was either poisoning or something had happened in the well.
Jiang Wen felt that this was unusual, fearing that something had changed at the bottom of the well.
