9 This is Shanxiu Village (Bug Fix)

Due to the drought, Shanxiu Village announced the opening of irrigation channels for the fields on the second day. However, since every household needed to irrigate their land, they had to take turns in a queue.

Ye Xi’s family plot was near the end of the line, not due until the third day. Because their rice crop was vital to the family’s livelihood, every household treated the process with the utmost importance.

Ye’s father and his eldest son, Ye Shan, went to the edge of their field before dawn, hoping to see the river water flowing through the canal toward their land. To their dismay, they waited all morning without a drop of water in sight. The Ye family could no longer sit still.

Ye Shan threw down his plow. "Father, I’m going to follow the canal and find out what’s happening. Maybe some heartless person blocked the water!"

Ye’s father stood guard by the field and sighed. "If there’s no water by the afternoon, I’m going to go straight to the village chief’s house."

Ye Shan walked along the canal, winding his way for over a hundred meters, until he saw that someone had blocked the channel with mud, diverting the flow into a neighboring field.

Furious, he was ready to fight. The culprit was Liu Mazi’s family, notorious in the village for being greedy. They were known for taking advantage of others, even stealing fruit from neighbors' trees whenever they could. While those past grievances were one thing, irrigation was a matter of life and death for farmers, yet they had dared to sabotage the supply.

Ye Shan raised his iron rake, intending to clear the mud, but the Liu family, who had been watching from the shade of a nearby tree, rushed over.

"Hey! What do you think you’re doing, boy from the Ye family?" Liu Mazi shouted.

Ye Shan spat on the ground and snarled, "Today is my family’s turn for water, but you’ve blocked the channel and diverted it all to your own field! Have you no conscience?"

Liu Mazi’s wife yelled, "Our crops are dying of drought too! Besides, our field is upstream from yours, so it’s only right that we irrigate first!"

Ye Shan retorted, "You already had your water yesterday! Today is our turn. Why should your crops be the only ones that matter? There’s no such rule! Let’s go to the village chief and settle this!"

Liu Mazi’s two sons stepped forward, brandishing wooden plows. "We’re not wasting words with you. We’re keeping this water today!"

Ye Shan, a man of grit and spirit, tightened his belt and prepared to fight the two brothers, undeterred by being outnumbered.

Just as the brawl was about to start, the mound of mud in the channel was suddenly demolished by a heavy blow. With the obstacle gone, the river water rushed forward instantly. Everyone turned to look and saw Lin Jiangshan standing by the canal, holding a hoe, looking at the crowd with calm indifference.

An infuriated Liu Mazi lunged at him. "You outsider, what are you meddling in!"

Lin Jiangshan blocked him with one hand, and in the blink of an eye, he tossed Liu Mazi into his own muddy field, crushing a patch of rice. When the two sons saw their father get hit, they tried to surround him. Lin Jiangshan held his hoe firmly, pointed it at them, and said coldly, "Be reasonable. Don’t go looking for trouble."

Liu Mazi’s wife shrieked, "Don’t act like a hero here! Who knows if you were even a decent person before you came here? Stop spouting your pedantic nonsense—what business of yours is it if we take the water?"

Ye Shan spat at them and stood beside Lin Jiangshan. "Stop spewing filth! Brother Lin may be an outsider, but he is a legitimate, registered villager of Shanxiu Village with official paperwork. Stop slandering him!"

Lin Jiangshan was tall—half a head taller than Ye Shan—and the Liu brothers looked puny in comparison. Liu Mazi’s wife pursed her lips, feeling a flicker of fear.

Lin Jiangshan glanced at the Liu family and said in a deep voice, "The land I bought is further downstream. You blocking the water means blocking my water, too. I am naturally involved. I will stay right here today; let’s see who dares to block the canal or cause me trouble."

Once he said this, the Liu family dared not say another word. With Lin Jiangshan’s intimidating aura, no one dared to cross him; for all they knew, he might have been a bandit with lethal skills. Liu Mazi’s wife helped her husband up from the mud, and the family left in sullen defeat, taking their wooden plows with them.

Ye Shan said gratefully, "Thank you, Brother Lin. Without you, that Liu family would have been hard to deal with. There’s no telling how long the irrigation would have been delayed, and the rice in the fields won't wait!"

Lin Jiangshan sat down by the canal. "You go back. I’ll keep watch here to ensure your family gets their water today."

Ye Shan clasped his hands in thanks and hurried back to irrigate his fields. Upon returning, he told his father what had happened. Ye’s father remarked, "That lad has spirit and kindness! He helped us; he’s a good man."

Ye Shan replied, "Isn't it because his land is downstream from ours?"

Ye’s father shook his head. "He just bought that land. He hasn't planted anything yet, so what would he need to irrigate? He helped us simply because he couldn't stand the injustice!"

Ye Shan immediately decided to befriend Lin Jiangshan. "I once said he looked like a barbarian, and I shouldn't have badmouthed him. Father, I see now that he is someone worth knowing. I’ll cook a meal at home soon and invite him over."

Ye’s father nodded. "That’s the right thing to do."

That evening, when Ye Shan told Ye Xi and Liu Xiufeng about the incident, Liu Xiufeng immediately agreed to invite Lin Jiangshan for dinner.

Ye Xi, surprised that Lin had helped their family so significantly, volunteered, "I’ll go buy two pounds of good meat to prepare a feast, and I’ll get a jug of fine wine from the east side of the village."

Liu Xiufeng, whose cooking was not as good as Ye Xi’s, let him take charge and gave him fifty copper coins.

*

The next day, the pickled cucumbers Ye Xi had stored in the cupboard were perfectly seasoned. He filled a small jar to take as a gift to Lin Jiangshan.

Taking advantage of the quiet road, Ye Xi walked along the mountain path to Lin’s house. This time, the door was wide open, indicating he was home.

Ye Xi stood at the threshold and looked up to see Lin Jiangshan eating. He was squatting on the stone steps of the main room, holding a large earthenware bowl in his left hand, shoveling noodles into his mouth with chopsticks in a bold yet not uncouth manner.

Ye Xi stood in the doorway with a smile and called out softly, "Did I come at a bad time? Am I interrupting your meal?"

Lin Jiangshan stopped his chopsticks and looked up at the sound. He swallowed his food before answering, "Why are you here?"

Ye Xi smiled and held up the small jar. "I promised to bring you some pickled vegetables."

Lin Jiangshan stood up and brought a small, low stool out from the house. He could sit on the ground himself, but he wouldn't let a young man like Ye Xi do so.

Ye Xi didn't stand on ceremony and sat down next to Lin. Since there were no neighbors around to see, he didn't worry about appearances. "Hmm, what are you eating?" he asked, unable to stop himself from peeking.

Lin Jiangshan tilted the bowl toward him so he could see. The contents were a dark, shapeless lump. It was vaguely recognizable as noodles, but Ye Xi had never seen anything like it.

"What is this?"

Lin Jiangshan said matter-of-factly, "Can't you tell? Noodles."

Ye Xi was speechless. He awkwardly rubbed his nose. He really couldn't tell they were noodles. It seemed Lin’s cooking skills were truly abysmal—last time it was a bun as hard as a rock, and this time, a black, mushy lump of noodles.

"How did you cook these?" Ye Xi asked, blinking in curiosity.

Lin Jiangshan replied, "Boiled the water and put the noodles in."

Ye Xi asked, "That shouldn't make them turn out like this... what seasonings did you add?"

Lin Jiangshan replied, "By the time I fished them out, they were already a clump. I threw in some salt and poured in some soy sauce."

Ye Xi didn't believe for a second that he had only poured in "some" soy sauce; it looked like he had poured in half a jar. Yet, the man seemed to have no sense of taste, as he continued to eat the bowl of noodles without batting an eye.

Ye Xi couldn't bear to watch any longer. He reached out and took the bowl from Lin Jiangshan’s hands. "Stop eating. It’s incredibly salty. You’ll be thirsty all night."

Lin Jiangshan pursed his lips and finally said, "I’m not full."

His tone sounded quite aggrieved, and Ye Xi couldn't help but laugh. "Wait here, I’ll cook you something. It won't take long."

With that, Ye Xi ducked into the kitchen. Just like last time, the kitchen was cold and desolate. Aside from the half-pot of noodle broth left over from just now, the pots and pans were covered in a layer of dust, as if they hadn't been used in ages.

Lin Jiangshan was a man who kept himself clean and his house tidy, but he clearly lacked the knack for cooking. Ye Xi opened the cupboard to find only two stacks of earthenware bowls—not even an egg. The rice jar contained only a few scoops of rice. It was a case of "a clever housewife cannot cook without rice."

In the end, he scooped out two portions of rice, rinsed them, and set them to steam. He then took two of the pickled cucumbers he had brought, sliced them thinly, and stir-fried them in oil.

As he worked, Lin Jiangshan stood at the kitchen door, looking somewhat lost, not knowing how to help. He just stood there, a tall man looking quite helpless.

Thinking he was hungry, Ye Xi said, "It’ll be ready very soon."

Lin Jiangshan nodded and sat back on the stool outside. Listening to the clatter of pots and pans from the kitchen, he couldn't help but look inside. He saw that slender figure moving skillfully among the stoves, surrounded by the rising steam.

Since moving here, this was the first time he felt the house had a sense of life—like a normal home with a warm stove and a meal being prepared. He found himself momentarily lost in the sight.

After Ye Xi finished stir-frying a small plate of cucumbers, he went outside to the shade of the trees to pick a handful of bamboo greens. They were tender and green—the perfect time for them. Stir-fried simply with oil and garlic, they carried both the aroma of wild greens and a faint, pleasant scent of bamboo leaves.

"Dinner is ready," Ye Xi called out from the kitchen.

Lin Jiangshan entered the kitchen to find Ye Xi rinsing the pot. On the low table sat two simple vegetable dishes and a bowl of crystal-clear white rice.

"Aren't you eating?" Lin Jiangshan asked.

Ye Xi cleaned the pot efficiently and shook his head. "I already ate at home. Go ahead."

Only then did Lin Jiangshan sit down and begin to eat. With a mouthful of fluffy white rice and a bite of the flavorful, tender greens, he realized he hadn't eaten such a delicious meal in a long time. Although there was no meat or fish, the flavor warmed him to his very bones, leaving him feeling comfortable and at peace.

Ye Xi didn't disturb him, busying himself with wiping the stove clean while occasionally stealing glances at him. Even though Lin Jiangshan ate fast and forcefully like other men, his manners weren't sloppy; he ate cleanly and didn't drop a single grain of rice.

In just a short while, the food was wiped clean. Lin Jiangshan scraped up the last grain of rice and even poured the vegetable broth into the bowl to finish it.

Anyone who cooks loves to see their food enjoyed like that. Pleased, Ye Xi smiled and asked, "I only made something simple. Was it to your liking?"

Lin Jiangshan nodded and praised him sincerely, "I’ve never eaten such a delicious meal. It’s even better than the restaurants in town."

Ye Xi chuckled, "You’re good at flattering people. If I were really that good, I should be a cook in a restaurant."

Lin Jiangshan wasn't good with words and certainly didn't know how to sweet-talk, so he insisted urgently, "I’m not lying. I truly feel your cooking is excellent!"

Ye Xi stopped teasing him. Realizing he had been there for quite a while, he decided he should head home before people started gossiping. He smoothed his clothes and said, "I must be going. Besides bringing the pickles, there’s one more thing: I’d like to invite you to our house for dinner tomorrow."

Lin Jiangshan asked, "Why?"

Ye Xi smiled. "Because when we were irrigating our fields yesterday, you helped my elder brother. My family appreciates it and wants to invite you for a meal."

Lin Jiangshan then remembered helping a man out the day before, though he hadn't known it was Ye Xi’s brother. "It was just a small favor, no need to keep it in mind."

Ye Xi replied, "Farm folks value kindness; small favors should be repaid. Just remember to come to our house tomorrow night. Please accept our gratitude, otherwise, my family will keep fretting over it."

Lin Jiangshan nodded. "I’ll remember. I’ll be there tomorrow night."

Ye Xi smiled in satisfaction, said his goodbyes, and turned to head home.