I survived the famine by scavenging and supported my family.

Holding up his water bag, Wang Xiufeng excitedly called out to the village head, "Father, Father!"

Seeing his expression, the village head knew without a doubt that his son had lived up to expectations and found a water source.

Wang Xiufeng and Li Si approached, and the two jumped off their horses. The village head asked, "Good boy, what's the situation over there?"

"It was a small pool, about two zhang wide and two zhang four chi long, with some depth in the middle and shallower water on the sides."

Listening to Wang Xiufeng's description, the village chief's beard stood on end with excitement.

This pond is enough to replenish the water supply for the families of Wangli Village!

After checking that no other groups were passing by, the village head went back and told everyone to hurry up and pack up, because they had found water!

Water found?!

The procession erupted in excitement. Without a word, the villagers stuffed the rolled-up straw mats they had laid out on the ground onto the cart and pulled the cart forward.

Where horses could go, carts could too. The long procession rolled through the dry grass, following the village head and his men to a mountainside.

The mountain wall faces north, with a large pit in the middle. The pit is full of sand and stones, but at the bottom of the pit, there is a shimmering spot, which is the water source!

In an instant, the villagers dropped what they were doing, grabbed their water containers, and ran toward Xiao Tan.

The village chief and the head of the neighborhood committee stopped them, with the head of the neighborhood committee saying sternly, "Don't make a scene!"

"Village head, don't stop us! We're in a hurry to get water! My mother hasn't had any water all day!"

"Yes, village head, we only have half a mouthful of water left in our house. I've been saving it these past few days, afraid to drink it. Now that we finally have water again, please let us go down and drink our fill!"

"Village head, please let us through! My grandson is crying from thirst! Oh... don't cry, Grandma will get you some water, we'll have some water soon..."

……

There were all sorts of comments, but the village head wouldn't let them pass, shouting, "Quiet down!"

Because of his usual authority in the village, the villagers gradually quieted down and stopped talking.

Zhao Ningning, carrying the bucket, could still hear the village head's voice even standing at the back:

"One person from each household! Line up! Take your time to collect water!"

The village headman maintained order, and after a brief commotion, the people in front of him quickly found their places and lined up in a queue.

The people standing to the side gazed longingly at the pool.

Following the queue order, villagers took turns collecting their share, one household at a time, under the supervision of the village chief.

When it was Zhao Ningning's turn, Ning's father took an empty bucket, went downstairs, scooped out two buckets, fed the mule half a bucket, and poured the rest into a covered wooden bucket. Ning's father then returned to the end of the line to queue up again.

After the water came, the people of Wangli Village, like seedlings that had absorbed plenty of water, stood tall and energetic, chatting and laughing. Those who had grain at home took advantage of the abundant water to set up stoves nearby and start cooking porridge.

After everyone filled everything they could with water, the village head checked the water level and found it had dropped by half.

There is still half a water.

They didn't know if they would be as lucky as they were today on the road ahead. Since there was still enough water left, the village headman announced that they would not travel today, but would rest here for the night and continue their journey tomorrow.

Upon hearing the news, Zhao Ningning's family tied the mule to a tree and parked the mule cart to the side.

Zhao Ningning disappeared back into the spatial dimension.

Zhao Ningning picked up the copper kettles on the shoe cabinet in the entryway, opened the front door and went to the kitchen. There were ice cubes in the freezer. She looked at them and saw that the ice cubes were frozen. She opened the lid of the copper kettles and put the ice cubes in one by one.

After placing all four ice cubes and wrapping them in the cotton cover of the copper kettle, Zhao Ningning carried them out of the space.

Ning's mother was setting up a table in the carriage to take out food. When she saw Ningning come back, she stuffed a piece of fried pork into her mouth.

"Eat quickly, and you can eat some more when your dad and the others come in to relieve you."

While resting by the roadside, the group ate in a hurry, fearing they would have to continue their journey later.

Zhao Ningning wrapped the copper kettle in her hand in a bundle and gave one to her father and one to Zhao Qi. Even through the bundle and cotton cover, a slight coolness could be felt. Her father said to his son, "It's good that your sister is here."

The copper kettle, wrapped in a cloth, appeared perfectly normal to outsiders. They would simply assume the two bundles in their arms were important, unaware that there was more to it than met the eye.

This idea was actually Zhao Ningning's.

Zhao Qi nodded in agreement, clutching the bundle in his arms tightly.

They traveled under the scorching sun for several days, their clothes soaked with sweat every day, only to be dried by the sun. This cycle repeated itself, and they were reluctant to wash with water, so many of them ended up smelling sour.

Now that it's near a water source, it can at least get a little cleaned up.

After dark, many people set up small tents along the edge of the procession. The tents were covered with sheets, making them airtight, and then covered with tarpaulins so that others could not see what was inside.

I brought in a basin of water, wiped myself with a cloth, and changed into some cleaner clothes. The sticky feeling on my body was finally gone.

Finally, wash your hair with this basin of water again. Although your hair is still a bit oily, it's much better than not washing it at all.

Zhao Ningning's family also followed suit and built a shed.

Before the journey, Ning's parents and the others would hide in the carriage and wipe themselves with towels, not daring to wash their hair for fear of being too conspicuous.

Thanks to the small pond, the villagers in the group were able to wash themselves, and Ningning's family was also able to tidy themselves up properly.

Since Zhao Ningning's family didn't need the water from the pond for washing, Ning's father secretly fetched two buckets and brought them back. Ning's mother took out a bucket of hot water that she had boiled in advance in the village from her spatial storage. After testing that the water temperature was suitable, she took out the soap that Zhao Ningning had given her from the basin.

This is a container for washing dishcloths placed under the sink. It's a three-pack I bought before; I've used one of them, and the remaining two are new.

The other areas of the house are still locked, so I can only make do with soap for now.

As she thought about it, Ning's mother lowered her head and immersed it in the water. After wetting her hair, she lathered it up and rubbed it onto her head.

She stored the dirty water she washed out in her spatial storage, so that when she came out of the shed, the ground only looked wet and didn't show that it had been flooded.

After Ning's mother finished washing, Ning's father and Zhao Qi took turns going in to wash. When it was Zhao Ningning's turn, she hid inside, flashed into her spatial dimension, filled a basin with water at the sink, and took a refreshing bath.

The family sat comfortably on the mule cart.

Zhao Ningning asked, "What would you like to eat?"

The open space was quite large, and when they chose where to stay, they made sure to avoid other people and stay at a distance so they could eat some flavorful food.

"I want to eat pig's trotters..." Zhao Ningning said, her mouth practically watering. She wiped her mouth, "We haven't had them since Dad cooked them that day!"

"Okay, pig's trotters, anything else?" Ning's mother wrote it down.

"I want to eat watermelon," Zhao Qi said.

"Okay, I'll eat the watermelon too. This doesn't count as a meal. Name another one."

"...I want to drink hot and sour soup," Zhao Qi said again. The hot and sour soup was made by Ning's mother, with shredded pork tripe in it. It was sour and spicy, and tasted especially refreshing.

She makes a small amount, but she rarely drinks this, so there should still be some left.

"Sure, some flatbread or steamed buns would be perfect," Ning's mother said with a smile to Ning's father.

Ning's dad: "I want to eat cold dishes!"

"Go away, stop making trouble!" Ning's mother gave him a light tap. "I forgot to make cold dishes when you were home. Where am I going to get you cold dishes now?"

Ning's father chuckled, and Zhao Ningning said, "I'll go blanch the vegetables and get the seasonings. You can season them in the carriage."

"That works too," Ning's mother suggested. "You two take down the shed, and we'll go prepare some food."

"Okay!" Ning's father and Zhao Qi went to dismantle the shed that had just been set up. Ning's father wrapped the bed sheets and sticks separately and tied them to the roof of the car.

There will probably be other opportunities to build sheds in the future, so if we put them together, we won't be in a rush when we need to build them next time.

On the other side, Zhao Ningning and her mother returned to the mule cart. Her mother guarded the door for Zhao Ningning, while Zhao Ningning went back into her spatial dimension, first boiling water, then taking out a watermelon from the dimension, placing it on the cutting board, and cutting it into pieces for later consumption.

After cutting the watermelon, she took out some vegetables that Ning's father liked from the refrigerator in the space, including spinach, which was Ning's father's favorite.

The vegetables were washed, and the water in the pot was almost boiling.

When Zhao Ningning makes cold dishes, she likes to add some glass noodles. She first puts in two pieces of thin glass noodles, cooks them until they are almost done, then takes them out and puts them in ice water. Then she adds green vegetables, blanchs them briefly, and then takes them out and puts them in ice water as well.

After freezing both items, Zhao Ningning used a strainer to scoop them out and drain them. Once drained, she took them out and handed them to Ning's mother.

Ning's mother had already taken the seasonings from Ning's space, so Ning didn't need to take them anymore.

Now it was Ning's mother's turn to enter the carriage, and Zhao Ningning waited at the carriage door.

After packing up the tent, Ning's father and Zhao Qi came over and asked, "How did it go?"

"Almost done, almost done!" Zhao Ningning patted her chest. "You guys eat first."

Ning's father nodded. Due to the tight schedule at noon, Zhao Ningning and the other two ate first before parking and resting, and Ning's father ate last. They could take turns eating at dinner time.

A short while later, Ning's mother opened the door latch of the carriage and let Ning's father and Zhao Qi go to eat.

Zhao Ningning was going back to her space to get a watermelon. When she entered the carriage, she smelled a strong aroma of meat. Upon closer inspection, she saw four pig trotters, two bowls of soup, and a large plate of cold dishes on the small table.

Tonight's dinner is really plentiful.

Zhao Ningning returned to her space, took out half of the sliced ​​watermelon, and placed it on the small table for her father and the others.

While eating the cold dishes, Ning's father stammered and couldn't speak. Zhao Ningning unlatched the door, came out, and then closed the carriage door again to prevent the smell from escaping.

"Are you hungry? If you are, go and eat first." When Ningning came out, Ning's mother asked her to sit down next to her.

Zhao Ningning shook her head.

When she arrived at the pond in the afternoon, her family had given her an extra meal, so she's not hungry yet.

The cold dish also included crushed ice that Zhao Ningning had specially left. When you picked it up with your chopsticks, the sour, spicy, and fragrant flavors all rushed into your mouth at the same time, along with a cool sensation. After eating it, you felt refreshed all over.

Then look at the pig's trotters. After two hours of braising, the gelatinous meat clings precariously to the bone. Pick one up, and with a gentle bite, the meat melts in your mouth, releasing a burst of meaty and spice flavors.

With a bite of meat, a bite of bread, and a sip of tangy and refreshing soup, Ning's father almost had to hold onto the door to get out of the car.

When it was Zhao Ningning's and her mother's turn to eat, Zhao Ningning brought out the other half of the watermelon, and her mother rearranged the food. The two of them were in no hurry to switch shifts and slowly picked at their food to eat.

Zhao Ningning was full after eating only one pig's trotter. She rubbed her stomach and wished she had a smaller stomach. She used to be able to eat three pig's trotters in one go!

After finishing half a bowl of soup to cleanse her palate, Zhao Ningning symbolically picked up a piece of cold dish with her chopsticks and then happily went to eat watermelon.

Summer is all about eating watermelon!

It's a pity I only bought half a watermelon because it wouldn't fit in the fridge. I wish I had a whole watermelon...

After finishing her meal, Zhao Ningning lay down, clutching her stomach. She had no desire to go back and clean up the leftover food and vegetables.

All she wants to do right now is sleep, feeling dizzy and lightheaded.

Seeing that Zhao Ningning and the others hadn't come out for a while, Ning's father gently knocked on the carriage door. Ning's mother, who was sitting, reached for the latch and opened the door.

Zhao Ningning is asleep; she is fanning the child.

Ning's father noticed it immediately and chuckled as he helped them open the carriage door a little wider and the windows open as well, so that the night breeze could dispel the stuffiness in the carriage.

Although it's not much cooler, the nights are at least much better than the days.

When it's time to sleep, according to the old custom, the child sleeps inside and the adults sleep outside.

Perhaps because he ate too much, Ning's father lay on the wooden planks under the shed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Looking up at his wife and children, then at the mule that was tied to the side and resting, Ning's father lowered his head, pulled the blanket over himself, and prepared to drift off to sleep.

Not long after he closed his eyes, Ning's father heard a rustling sound.

At first, he thought it was the sound of the wind, until a faint "click" sound came, and Ning's father's swaying sleepiness was instantly gone.

—Is there any movement?

He opened his eyes, listened intently, and heard not only the rustling of leaves on the hot summer night breeze, but also—the sound of horses' hooves!

—It's a horse's hoof!

Humans are careful to avoid falling branches when walking, but horses are not!

Ning's father quietly got up under the cover of the carriage and shook Ning's mother, who was sleeping at the far end of the carriage.

When Ning's mother woke up, Ning's father put his index finger to his lips to remind her not to speak, and whispered, "Someone's coming."

Ning's mother looked outside and nodded. She got up, took out a machete for self-defense from her spatial storage, and sat down at the door of the carriage.

Ning's father quietly slid down from the carriage and, using the cover, looked towards the inside.

The village head said during the day that he would have someone on duty, and now they are discussing Zhang Cheng.

After discussing the matter and as night deepened, he stoked the fire more vigorously, added two more pieces of firewood, and got up to go to sleep.

Beside the bonfire, two young men from the village head's family and the village chief's family remained.

Thinking about the commotion he had just heard, which didn't seem to be coming from the village head's direction, Ning's father, taking advantage of the darkness, quietly crept to the village head's carriage and whispered, "Village head, village head!"

The village head, who was about to lie down, heard a noise and became alert. Seeing it was Zhao Lao Er, he relaxed and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I was just getting ready to sleep when I suddenly heard footsteps outside," Ning's father said. "It didn't sound like one person."

—The outskirts? Footsteps?!

The village head was terrified. He didn't go to sleep and jumped up. Just as he was about to call a few more people to see what was going on, a scream came from outside.

"Oh no!" Ning's father slapped his thigh. An outsider had come over!