Chapter 34: Receiving the Good Guy Card

Liu Heming drove back and forth along the river channel, carefully checking the water flow in the river. His heart grew heavier and heavier.

He secretly called out to the System a few times, but it was upgrading and didn’t respond to his calls at all. He had a worry: was it because his ranch inexplicably gained a lake that the groundwater level in this area dropped further?

Mainly, the System still had abilities he didn’t understand. At first, the System said it couldn’t change the outside world, but then, with a lucky draw, it gave him a hundred kilograms of Finger Sweet Potato. This made him very, very suspicious.

Having water on his land was a good thing, but if it meant making the whole area dry just so he could have water, turning his ranch into an oasis in the desert, that would be a big problem.

Anxiously, he returned to the Small Lake just as George also drove back with the water tanker.

“George, there’s something very important. I saw that the small river on my ranch is almost dried up,” Liu Heming quickly pulled George aside and said nervously.

“It’s drying up again? Ah!” George sighed when he heard Liu Heming’s words.

“Has it dried up before?” Liu Heming frowned and asked.

“About once every three years, but this time it seems a bit early. Normally, it would dry up next year,” George nodded and said.

“So, is this normal or not?” Liu Heming asked, feeling a bit guilty.

“Normal, I guess. It’s already the fourth time,” George replied.

“Luckily, there’s still water in your lake here. If there wasn’t, your investment this year would really be a total loss. Once the river here dries up, the summer rain will definitely be very little.”

“Well, George, let me ask, what do you all usually do when it dries up?” Liu Heming thought for a moment and asked.

“Just prepare to take the loss. There’s no point thinking about the harvest now; a reduction of about half is certain,” George shook his head, his tone full of helplessness.

“But now, my ranch has water. What should I do?” After hesitating, Liu Heming still voiced the worry in his heart.

Previous years were different, but this year’s situation was special. From what George said, the river dries up every three years, so surely many people planted Winter Wheat last year. Now that it’s happening early, wouldn’t these people lose everything?

Then the problem became serious—he had water here. Only George knew about it now, but with such a big lake, he couldn’t hide it. Sooner or later, others would find out. When that happened, would they come asking for water, asking for water, or asking for water? And all these people had guns at home. If they got desperate fighting over water and started shooting, what if he got hurt?

This wasn’t him worrying for no reason. Don’t think that just because the United States protects private property, people won’t do anything when pushed to the brink.

“Dexter, you really are sent by God to save Xiangshui Town. No, I can’t let you suffer like this. This lake appeared on your ranch, so it’s your private property. Let me think, let me think carefully,” George said, his eyes shining.

“Ah…” Liu Heming opened his mouth but found he didn’t know what to say.

His intention was to discuss selling water with George. Given the situation, he couldn’t hide the lake. Instead of waiting for everyone to come asking for water, it was better to just sell it to them.

But if he directly sold water, he felt a bit embarrassed, as it seemed like taking advantage of the situation. So he planned to guide the conversation gently.

But instead, George misunderstood completely. Now it seemed like George thought he would give the water away for free, just like he did for George. Wouldn’t that mean a huge loss for him? Even excluding George, there were ten other farming families in town. Who knew how much Land they had?

Now, not only did his heart ache, but his spleen, stomach, kidneys, and even his liver hurt together.

“Dexter, I think it’s necessary to hold a town meeting,” George said after thinking for a long time, looking at Liu Heming seriously.

“What, a town meeting? With just our fifteen households?” Liu Heming widened his eyes.

“Well… although the number is small, we can represent all the townspeople. Those who left still have some property here, but they aren’t considered people of Xiangshui Town anymore,” George said, slightly embarrassed.

He had been so focused on the water issue and got carried away, suggesting a town meeting. It did seem too formal, since there were so few people left in the whole town.

“Dexter, I know you have a kind heart, but this isn’t just about a little water—it’s going to require a lot of water. So I will definitely come up with a fair compensation plan, and you must accept it,” George said, looking at Liu Heming again.

“Um… you make the arrangements,” Liu Heming didn’t know what else to say.

If he told George to try to get more cash compensation for him, his score in George’s mind would definitely drop. He still needed to rely on this old friend; otherwise, he’d be completely lost here.

Now, whether he wanted to or not, George had given him the good guy card, so he had to tough it out. No matter how much compensation he got, he had to act satisfied.

“Dexter, let’s do it tonight. I’ll notify the others to gather at the town at 8 p.m. Our Xiangshui Town really needs some changes. And we also need to discuss what to do about those who have already moved away,” George continued.

“Okay, okay, it’ll be good to meet everyone,” Liu Heming could only nod.

He didn’t know what George had thought of, but it seemed like George had made a firm decision. Now he felt a bit trapped. Why did he have to go check the river? He should’ve just stayed home quietly.

Showing off, bragging—now look what happened. Once you get the good guy card, it’s always a money-losing deal. Poor him and his water—he thought it could help his finances, but now it seemed like it would just flow away.

George didn’t notice Liu Heming’s conflicted expression at all. Even if he had, he would’ve thought Liu Heming was just being a really good guy, wanting to help the remaining townspeople.

From his perspective, Liu Heming’s act wasn’t just a good deed—it was saving lives. Without this water, at least half of the remaining people would go bankrupt.