The village chief of Qianmen Village was in a hurry to return. Yesterday, an elderly woman in his village had fainted, and he wanted to quickly collect the ice to bring back for her.
Hearing Nan Sheng call him, he immediately stepped forward. "Comrade, how much ice can our village get?"
"Qianmen Village has a large population, so for now, you can collect five pounds daily. Once ice production increases, we’ll allocate a bit more."
The Qianmen Village chief had no complaints. His face filled with gratitude, he said, "Then please help me pack it quickly. There’s an elderly person in urgent need, and I must hurry back."
Distributing ice was a good deed—he couldn’t understand why the other village chiefs were making such a fuss.
Nan Sheng packed the ice and placed it on the table. Old Huang, who had been left waiting, was displeased. He stepped forward and shoved the ice box to the ground. "Why does he get served first? Our Xiaoguan Village was ahead in line!"
The ice box hadn’t been sealed yet, and half the ice spilled out, much to the Qianmen Village chief’s dismay. Ignoring his anger, he quickly picked up the box and secured the lid.
"Old Huang, damn your ancestors!"
Old Huang had acted impulsively—he’d wanted to cause trouble for Nan Sheng, not start a fight.
He muttered a plea, "Old Cai, have you lost your mind? Stop hitting me! We’re in the government compound—aren’t you afraid the town head will strip you of your position?"
After throwing a couple of punches, Old Cai’s anger subsided somewhat. Still gripping Old Huang’s collar, he demanded, "Then tell me, what about the ice that spilled?"
"I’ll compensate you! I’ll make it up to you, alright?"
While this was happening, Nan Sheng finished distributing ice to the remaining two villages. Xiangyang Village received a slightly larger share, but not excessively—leaving exactly three pounds in the ice box.
Old Huang and Old Cai approached together. "Comrade, please top up my ice to five pounds. The Xiaoguan Village chief has agreed to compensate me."
Without wasting words, Nan Sheng weighed the ice as Old Cai placed his box on the scale. In the end, Old Huang brought an oversized container, placed it on the scale himself, and left with just one pound of ice.
The other village chiefs silently cursed him for deserving it. Feng Wuquan bid Nan Sheng farewell and prepared to leave—at least now they wouldn’t have to worry about heatstroke.
As Nan Sheng tidied up, she noticed Jia Bing watching her from the window. She ignored him and continued organizing the items before returning to the office.
Du Tang, who had also finished his work, looked surprised. "Why are you back so late? Did someone cause trouble?"
Nan Sheng exaggerated slightly, "Don’t even ask—two village chiefs got into a fight."
The office staff, who had been idle, immediately perked up. "Nan Sheng, what happened? We didn’t hear anything!"
Du Tang frowned. "They didn’t hurt you, did they?"
With only about seven or eight people in the office, Jia Bing was the only other witness. Nan Sheng sighed. "I’m fine. The Xiaoguan Village chief complained about the ice being insufficient and demanded more, so I served Qianmen Village first.
But then he got upset and threw the other chief’s ice box on the ground. They started fighting—he took several punches and didn’t dare make a sound."
Peng Clerk, who worked under the secretary, knew Old Huang all too well. "That man bullies the weak but fears the strong. Next time, don’t give him any leeway. He’s skimmed plenty as village chief and dreads losing his position if things escalate."
Nan Sheng exhaled deeply. "I held back from scolding him, worried he’d file a complaint against me. This job isn’t easy."
Her words resonated with everyone. Dealing with unreasonable villagers daily was exhausting.
They reassured her, "Don’t worry. Next time, just cut off Xiaoguan Village’s ice supply. The higher-ups won’t blame you. If government staff lack authority, how can we get work done?"
Nan Sheng had been courteous to everyone lately—even the two clerks from the Revolutionary Committee, whom most avoided, received a smile from her. They were taken aback—no one usually acknowledged them.
As for the town head, she carried out assigned tasks diligently and spent her free time reviewing files to better understand each village’s situation.
Du Tang had initially been wary of her, but after seeing her humility, efficiency, and kindness, he became more willing to mentor her.
Of course, during casual chats, Nan Sheng subtly hinted that she had two children at home and preferred working in town—any farther, and she wouldn’t be able to manage her family.
People strive for higher positions, water flows to lower ground.
She wouldn’t stand in Du Tang’s way. Even if the town head got promoted, she wouldn’t follow him to the county.
After the ice distribution, the town government’s reputation improved instantly. The public praised the leadership for their compassion and practical solutions.
Coupled with the ongoing drought, the issue of ruined farmland was finally put to rest in the villagers’ minds.
While other villages were content, Xiaoguan Village’s residents grumbled.
For three days, their ice supply had been insufficient. Two elderly villagers had already suffered heatstroke—were the authorities going to do nothing?
Frustrated, a group of twenty or thirty villagers gathered at the town government to demand answers.
"People are dying from the heat! Do the leaders care? We want ice—give us ice now!"
The elderly arrived on ox carts, the younger ones on foot. Their frail, sickly appearance at the government gates was unsettling.
Old Huang knew about this and hoped the protest would secure more ice for his village, so he didn’t intervene.
The secretary slammed his desk. "Find Yu Feng and resolve this immediately! If someone dies at our doorstep, he can forget about being town head!"
The secretary had been looking for a chance to reclaim authority, and Xiaoguan Village’s uprising played right into his hands.
His subordinates didn’t dare relay his exact words, but Yu Feng wasn’t foolish. He summoned Nan Sheng and Du Tang at once. "Go see what’s happening and fix this quickly!"
Leaders of his rank only stepped in when absolutely necessary—otherwise, they avoided facing public criticism.
Once outside, Du Tang warned Nan Sheng, "Xiaoguan Village’s people are tough. Stay behind me so they don’t hit you."
Nan Sheng didn’t argue. Seeing officials emerge, the villagers intensified their act. "We’re dying of heat! No ice, no leaving!"
Some of the older women were downright vulgar, even spitting phlegm toward the courtyard, nearly hitting Du Tang and Nan Sheng.
"The government won’t let us common folk live! We can’t afford food, and now they deny us ice—what’s the point of living?"
The saying "barren mountains and harsh waters breed unruly people" wasn’t entirely baseless.
Du Tang had experience dealing with them. He let them exhaust themselves before addressing the issue.
The scorching weather and prolonged exposure had left the protesters hoarse and dehydrated. Gradually, their shouts died down.
Seizing the moment, Du Tang stepped forward. "Fellow villagers of Xiaoguan, I understand your hardship. But think—why would the government withhold free ice if it weren’t necessary?"
"Yeah, why won’t the leaders give it to us?" The crowd echoed.
