Lin Houshan of Shiqiaogou dies from severe injuries sustained while repairing an irrigation channel. Before his body has even grown cold, his elder brother produces fake debts to force his nephew, Lin Shouyue, to split from the family. The ancestral home and fertile farmland are seized, leaving only a dilapidated house, a dry well, and a barren, rocky slope for the mother and son. By chance, Lin Shouyue discovers irrigation blueprints left behind by his father, uncovers flowing groundwater at the bottom of the well, and improves the barren slope to grow vegetables. When greedy relatives see his livelihood improving, they conspire with merchants to spread rumors and seize the water, even forging land deeds. Lin Shouyue presents account books, eyewitness testimony, and evidence from the old irrigation dispute to clear his name publicly. The village committee establishes fair rules for water use and cultivation, and he leads hardworking villagers in reclaiming wasteland and finding a path to shared prosperity.