Why Are You So Stingy

Mrs. Thompson was crying so pitifully that a crowd of villagers gathered to watch. Lily Evans had no intention of dealing with this shrew and tried to walk away, but Mrs. Thompson clung to her leg.

"Oh, you heartless thing! How can you have no sympathy at all? We're from the same village, and yet you just stand by and watch me starve and freeze. How can your heart be so cold?" Mrs. Thompson wailed, clutching Lily Evans's leg and refusing to let go.

Charlie Thompson shouted from behind, "That's right, ask her for food! She definitely has something to eat!"

"Auntie just speaks her mind a little too bluntly, but she means no harm! She's only hoping for the best for you! Lily, you can't just stand by and do nothing!" Mrs. Thompson sobbed, tears and snot streaming down her face. Lily Evans had to yank her leg hard several times before she finally got free.

Mrs. Thompson tried to lunge at her again, but was startled by a shout from Lucky.

Lucky stepped in front of Lily Evans, glaring at Mrs. Thompson. "If you dare touch my wife, I swear I'll throw you off the mountain!"

Mrs. Thompson swallowed nervously; she was genuinely afraid of this burly man. But her hunger pushed her to shamelessly sit on the ground, making a scene. "Oh Lily, are you really going to watch me die? I even held you when you were little! How can you be so stingy and not give me a bite to eat? Nobody should be as petty as you!"

Lily Evans had really had enough. If someone who didn’t know better saw this, they’d think she was bullying Mrs. Thompson.

"What are you wailing about! Your family obviously has food—why are you asking me for anything? That half sack of grain you’ve got could last you half a month if you ration it. So what are you crying for?" Lily Evans, sharp-eyed, had already spotted the food sack in Mrs. Thompson’s tent, more than half full.

Mrs. Thompson scrambled up from the ground and glared at Lily Evans. "That's all the grain we have! My husband and son don’t even have enough to eat! And who knows when the flood will recede—if it doesn’t for ten days or half a month, won’t we starve to death?"

"You have grain at home but won't eat it, and you expect mine to feed you? How thick is your skin!" Lily Evans glared at Mrs. Thompson. "If you're hungry, go ask your own husband. Why are you bothering me? Am I your mother or your father?"

Lily Evans couldn't be bothered to argue with Mrs. Thompson, that shrew, so she turned and walked away. Mrs. Thompson, afraid of Lucky, could only cry loudly behind her. When Lily was far enough off, she started tugging at the villagers nearby, complaining, "Why is Lily Evans so stingy? She won't even give her neighbors a bite to eat. It's not like she's going to hatch grain, so what's the harm in letting me have a couple of mouthfuls?"

The villagers weren't blind and weren't swayed by Mrs. Thompson. Instead, they mocked her: "Why are you spouting nonsense? If you're so generous, why don't you share your own grain with everyone?"

Mrs. Thompson immediately retorted anxiously, "How could I share my family's grain? You have grain, so why should mine be shared?"

The villagers burst out laughing, "So you can't bear to share your own grain, but you expect Lily Evans to share hers? Face is a good thing, you should try to get some!"

---

Lily Evans and Lucky walked all the way to the edge of the mountain. At the foot of the mountain, the floodwaters were raging, and every now and then, rooftops and the bodies of cattle and sheep floated by.

The Village Chief was also observing the flood nearby. When he saw Lily Evans and Lucky approach, he stroked his beard and said, "We couldn't escape this natural disaster, but fortunately our village got the warning early. Everyone moved their livestock and belongings up the mountain in time, so the losses aren't too bad. Once the flood recedes, we'll just rebuild our houses. Lily, we really owe you and your family. I can't even imagine what would've happened otherwise..."

Thinking back, the Village Chief felt a chill. If he'd stubbornly refused to listen to Mark Hunter and the others, the whole village would've probably been wiped out.

"It was Big Brother Mark who was quick-witted. We just helped run errands," Lily Evans said, not daring to take the credit. It really was thanks to Mark Hunter this time.

"Oh, Lily, don't be so modest! Thanks to your early warning, I even managed to bring my chickens up the mountain." Behind them, Mrs. Barker grinned and thanked the Village Chief and the others. "We didn't lose a thing, not even the water tank—my husband carried it up the mountain!"

The Village Chief smiled and stroked his beard. "Everyone's safe, and our belongings are intact. As Village Chief, that's all I could hope for."

Mrs. Barker suddenly gave a mysterious, mischievous smile and lowered her voice, sounding almost gleeful. "There's a wealthy family in our village who only grabbed a few valuables before running up the mountain. Their pigs, a dozen sheep, and a whole house full of new furniture were all swept away by the flood. The loss is terrible! Listen, you can hear their family crying over there."