In an ordinary village on the North China Plain in the 1990s, Auntie Zhao discovers that her electricity bill has inexplicably increased by three yuan this month. Convinced that village accountant Liu Jianguo has made a mistake, she gets into a heated argument with him at the village entrance, attracting a crowd of curious villagers. Wang Fugui, who has always fancied himself the village's resident know-it-all, steps forward to settle the dispute. After checking the calculations, he insists that the bill is wrong and even pays the difference out of his own pocket. Later, Liu Jianguo inspects the electric meter and discovers that a mouse has chewed through the wiring, causing the meter to run too fast. Once the truth comes to light, the misunderstanding is cleared up, the three make peace, and relations among the neighbors become even friendlier.