Dressed as a farmer's widow, she brought her daughter to stock up on food and reached the top

"The hard work of more than a hundred people resulted in this result."

He looked into the distance, as if he had seen Master Chen's angry expression and the impending punishment. Zhuangtou closed his eyes in pain, his heart filled with despair and helplessness.

Chenjiazhuang was bustling with activity. Men, women, young and old gathered at the village entrance, their faces etched with anxiety and worry. Everyone was talking, each worried about the drought-stricken land.

"It's not that we don't want to fetch water, the land is so dry that there's not even a drop of water left!" A burly man shouted at the top of his voice, waving his strong arms with a look of helplessness on his face.

"What should we do? The whole family is counting on this year's harvest to make a living!" A white-haired old man squatted on the ground, puffing on his pipe, his turbid eyes full of despair.

"How blind God is! Is he going to push us into a dead end?" A woman cried, holding a young child in her arms. The child was also frightened by the depressing atmosphere and burst into tears.

Everyone sighed and groaned. The entire Chenjiazhuang was shrouded in a cloud of gloom. The hot wind blew, raising clouds of dust, but it could not blow away the haze in people's hearts.

The most worrying thing was how to explain this to the master. Everyone gathered together, whispering to each other, with a look of panic on their faces.

"Our harvest is gone, will the master let us off easily?" A tall and thin man said in a trembling voice, his eyes full of fear, and his hands kept rubbing the corners of his clothes.

"With the master's temper, he might really sell us out in a fit of rage!" A middle-aged woman's face was pale, her voice was filled with tears, and she tightly held the hand of the child beside her.

"Oh, what should we do? If we are sold, how will our family survive?" An old man sighed, shook his head, his face full of sorrow.

The more they talked, the more frightened they became. It felt like a huge rock was pressing down on their hearts, weighing them down so heavily that they couldn't breathe. The sun beat down mercilessly, and beads of sweat covered everyone's forehead, but no one bothered to wipe them away, their hearts filled with fear.

Chen Fu quickly spoke to comfort everyone: "Don't panic, don't scare yourself! Although the master has a bad temper, he is not an unreasonable person." As he spoke, he opened his arms, trying to calm everyone down.

"Let's first think of a way to minimize the losses. Maybe the master will see our efforts and show some leniency."

Chen Fu's eyes were firm, his voice was loud and powerful, and his face had an encouraging expression, hoping to bring a little confidence to everyone.

"Everyone cheer up. There's no point in just standing here afraid. Let's discuss a strategy together." Chen Fu continued, his eyes revealing determination and courage.

The crowd gradually quieted down, and everyone turned their eyes to Chen Fu, as if they saw a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

But faced with the dry land and dried-up well water, everyone was helpless and everyone was like eggplants hit by frost - wilted.

At this moment, someone said, "Why don't we run away?"

This sound was like a bombshell, exploding in the crowd. Everyone looked at each other, their faces showing both fear of the unknown and a subtle excitement.

"Escape? Where can you escape to?" an old man said tremblingly, his eyes full of confusion and anxiety.

"Yes, it's chaotic outside, maybe even worse than here!" A woman hugged her child tightly, worried.

"But if we don't escape and wait to be punished by the master, that's not a good idea!" said the person who suggested escaping anxiously.

Everyone fell silent again, their hearts a tangled mess, unable to make sense of it. The hot wind whistled, stirring up dust that made everyone feel even more depressed.

Just as everyone was in confusion and bewilderment, the sound of horse hooves and loud shouts suddenly came from afar. Everyone looked up, their faces showing panic.

A magnificent carriage, flanked by a group of servants, rolled in, raising a cloud of dust. The carriage stopped, the doors opened, and Chen Yonggui emerged. He was dressed in a brocade robe, a jade belt around his waist, and his face was filled with majesty and anger.

Chen Yonggui glanced at everyone fiercely, his gaze seemingly piercing through people's hearts. He snorted coldly, clasped his hands behind his back, and strode forward.

"You useless bunch! What's your punishment for ruining this year's harvest?" Chen Yonggui's voice was like a resounding bell, shaking everyone's heart. His brows were furrowed, and the corners of his mouth were turned down, revealing an expression of uncontrollable rage.

Chen Fu, the village head, hurried forward, bent over, and said flatteringly, "Master, please calm down, calm down! This year is really not what we want. We have encountered this severe drought. The people in our village have thought of everything we can think of and done everything we can, but God is blind!"

As Chen Fu spoke, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, his eyes full of fear and anxiety.

"Hmph! Don't try to fool me with these excuses!" Chen Yonggui glared at him, "I handed this farm over to you to manage, and this is how you do things for me?" Chen Yonggui raised his hand, pointed at Chen Fu's nose and shouted.

Chen Fu hurriedly took a few steps closer and said in a trembling voice, "Master, I dare not! We go to fetch water for irrigation every day, but the land is still very dry and the wells are dry. There is really nothing we can do!"

Chen Fu's head drooped even lower, and his body began to tremble involuntarily.

Chen Yonggui pulled out a stack of indentures from his sleeve, shook them vigorously, and said with a cold snort, "If you want to leave, I'll let you go now and return these indentures to you.

But from now on, don't let me see you again! If you want to stay, work for me honestly and make up for this year's losses!"

His eyes were sharp as he swept over everyone present, his expression serious and cold.

Everyone looked at the indenture in Chen Yonggui's hand and began to whisper to each other.

Some people looked surprised, as if they saw hope of escape; some people looked hesitant, not knowing how to make a decision; and some people looked determined, intending to stay and continue working.

Chen Yonggui shouted impatiently: "Hurry up and make a decision! Stop wasting time!"

His voice echoed across the empty fields, making people tremble with fear.

A decision was made quickly.

Several strong young men stepped forward first. They puffed out their chests, looked determined, and said, "Master, let's go. We can't live like this anymore."

Then, some people with their families hesitated for a long time and slowly walked forward, with helplessness and determination on their faces, indicating that they wanted to leave.

Most people, especially the elderly, women, and children who had lived in the village for many years, chose to stay. They lowered their heads, their expressions gloomy, as if they had already accepted their fate.