Chapter 40: Dew

When Su Yin woke up in the morning, she overheard her mother and sister-in-law in conversation.

“There isn’t much water left,” Mother Su said.

“The mule needs a lot of water. Let’s drink less during the day,” Su Baozhu replied.

“Don’t let Yinyin know about this; we don’t want her to worry,” Mother Su added.

Su Yin stood up, startling the two of them, who jumped in surprise.

“Get up,” she said, confused.

“Didn’t I just buy a bucket of water earlier?” Su Yin felt something was off.

Su Baozhu’s expression fell. “Forget it; I accidentally kicked it over when I was tending to the mule.”

As she spoke, she shot a glare at the mule that was grazing not far away.

Mother Su said, “Don’t blame the mule; blame me. When I took it down, I placed it too close.”

Seeing Su Yin take a water ladle from the cart and head outside, Su Baozhu called out, “Yinyin, where are you going?”

“To get water,” Su Yin replied.

“Where?” Su Baozhu’s eyes lit up, and she immediately grabbed some tools, with Mother Su joining her.

Not wanting to explain their earlier misunderstanding, Su Yin simply pointed toward the bushes on the mountain and smiled. “There’s water everywhere here.”

“Where?” both Mother Su and Su Baozhu looked around, puzzled, seeing no water in sight.

“You girl, hurry up and tell me where there’s water,” Mother Su said, patting Su Yin’s shoulder with a dissatisfied expression, as if to say she would deal with her if she didn’t explain.

“Come with me,” Su Yin urged, leading them away.

Su Yin took the water ladle and walked over to a dense bush. In the morning light, the leaves were a tender green, their pointed tips adorned with crystal droplets of water.

She placed the ladle under the treetop and flicked her fingers, causing the crystal droplets to fall into the ladle, leaving behind only a long trail of water and no trace of their existence.

“Well, that’s it,” she said, smiling.

Mother Su and Su Baozhu were momentarily speechless, unsure how to express their feelings at that moment.

Mother Su moved her lips a few times but ultimately kept quiet.

Su Yin cheerfully said, “It’s nothing complicated. It’s still early, and there’s plenty of dew.

Let’s collect more. When you add it all up, it could give us an extra sip, which is a good thing.”

Her words resonated with both of them.

“You’re right; a little adds up to a lot. An extra sip of water is definitely helpful,” Su Baozhu agreed.

Collecting dew required no special skills just a bit of patience.

Cousin Peach Blossom saw Su Yin squatting in front of the bush and approached her. “Cousin Yinyin, why are you collecting dew?” she asked curiously.

“To drink!” Su Yin replied.

Cousin Peach Blossom was taken aback for a moment but quickly understood. She ran back to rummage through her belongings.

Aunt Li noticed and asked, “What are you looking for?”

“Mom, do you see my water hyacinth?” Cousin Peach Blossom responded eagerly.

“What do you want that for?” Aunt Li asked, intrigued.

“Get water,” Cousin Peach Blossom replied eagerly.

“Get water?” Aunt Li’s eyes widened in surprise. “Daughter, where is the water?”

Yang Taohua pointed in Su Yin’s direction. “There! There’s dew on the leaves. I’m going to collect the dew; that’s where the water is.”

Aunt Li was momentarily stunned, feeling both amused and exasperated. “What’s the big deal about dew? It’s troublesome to collect.”

Xiao Taohua shook her head in disapproval. “Mom, you’re wrong. Given that we’re short on water, this is a good opportunity.

Even if I can’t fill a gourd completely in one morning, I can still get half a gourd of water.”

Aunt Li paused, realizing her mistake. “You’re right; it was my oversight.”

Quickly, she began directing her family members to gather containers and ordered everyone to start collecting the dew.

Next door, the couple Yang Dachuan and Yang Dashan noticed the commotion and sent someone to inquire.

Upon hearing they were collecting dew, they were quite surprised. Recognizing that it was Su Yin’s idea, they immediately instructed their children to join in the effort.

Yang Dachuan’s eldest aunt, Wang, called out to her son, “Ah Rong, go tell your sister and brother-in-law about this and ask them to collect dew quickly. It doesn’t matter how much they can gather; any little bit will help.”

“Okay,” Yang Rong replied, heading towards the campsite of the two sisters and their brother-in-law.

With so many people collecting dew, it naturally drew the attention of others.

“Taohua, what are you doing?” Butcher Yang’s wife approached curiously. “Hey, why are you collecting all this dew?”

“Sister Yinyin said dew is also water,” Taohua explained.

Butcher Yang’s wife’s eyes lit up as realization dawned on her. She slapped her forehead and muttered, “Yeah! Why didn’t I think of that? Dew is still water!”

Without wasting another moment, she hurried back to her camp, urging her family members to grab pots and pans to collect the dew, instructing them to gather as much as they could.

Seeing her enthusiasm, other women began to join in as well, sending their children to collect dew.

“Big strong lady, why aren’t you joining in?” one of the women called out to the strong woman, who had been watching the scene unfold.

Aunt Wang, who lived next door to Dazhuang, asked casually, “What’s going on with the strong lady?”

The big strong woman sneered, “Just listen to her! The dew is only a little bit; no matter how much you collect, it will only amount to a tiny amount. It’s a waste of time.”

Aunt Wang hesitated but looked at the elderly and young people around her. Ultimately, she decided it was better to join the larger group. Following the consensus of the majority felt safer.

Da Ya glanced at her mother, then secretly picked up her broken bowl and joined the dew-collecting team. She hadn’t had water for a long time, and her lips were chapped from thirst.

Her mother had been reluctant to give her too much water, forcing her to endure the discomfort during their journey.

Now, collecting dew herself meant she wouldn’t have to ask her mother for water, which made her very happy.

Collecting dew in summer isn’t as effective as in spring because the high temperatures cause it to evaporate quickly. To gather enough dew, one must act before the sun rises a race against time.

As the sun began to rise, the temperature in the air gradually increased, causing the dew clinging to the branches and leaves to slowly evaporate.

Su Yin glanced at the dew in her ladle and noted that she had about half a bowl. Not bad at all. If she conserved it, she could still manage four or five sips to last her half a day.

Little Yang came running over, proudly handing the dew he collected to Su Yin as if it were a precious treasure. “Sister, look! I gathered so much dew!”

Su Yin glanced at it and saw that it was about one-third of what she had collected. It was impressive for a child of his age to gather so much.

“Our little treasure is really amazing,” she praised.

Xiao Yanggui blushed at the compliment. In the next moment, he poured the dew he had collected into her water gourd, beaming with pride.

“To sister,” Little Yanggui said, handing over the dew with a proud smile.

Su Yin felt a warm glow in her heart and gently ruffled the little guy’s hair. “Thank you, Xiaobao.”

With a red face, Little Yanggui turned and ran off, clearly pleased by her praise.

What a good kid, Su Yin thought, feeling a pang of frustration as she recalled her two younger siblings.

Su Xinyang and Su Xinguang were about the same age as Little Yanggui, yet they had been taught such poor virtues by their grandmother that just thinking about them made her angry.

If those two ever fell into her hands, they would surely face consequences for their behavior.

“Mom, beat that loser to death for drinking water secretly!” a loud, disdainful voice suddenly cut through her thoughts.

Su Yin turned toward the sound, and her expression shifted as she saw Dazhuang yanking Da Ya’s hair, pulling it hard without any regard for her well-being.