He Changgui angrily throws away the ancestral stone carp that protects the pond. Poor young Jiang He finds it in a snowy ditch and unexpectedly uses it to save his mother's life and revive the dried-up pond, earning three taels of silver-scaled fish each day. Jealous, He Changgui takes it back and greedily chips off its scales to divide the pond for profit, draining the water veins until the fish die, the wells dry up, and the entire village loses its water supply. In the end, the villagers dismantle the sluice gate and restore the old carp channel. He Changgui accepts responsibility for the losses and returns the stone carp. Everyone finally understands that flowing water sustains people, greed exhausts water, and only honest stewardship can ensure lasting prosperity.