Chapter 4 – Gaining Hope

After Qin Ying finished feeding An’an and settled her down to the side, she said, “Auntie, you should take a break and keep an eye on the baby. I’ll go dig with Huzi.”

In less than half an hour, a pool about two zhang square in size had begun to take shape.

Aunt Zhao urged Qin Ying to rest, but she refused and instead told Zhao Hu to rest first. After a bit of back and forth, Zhao Hu suggested, “Let’s all take a break. We won’t feel at ease leaving An’an unattended anyway.”

An’an, waking up again, checked her energy level—0.03!

Oh, not bad! The long-term, steady approach really was the right path! Though each increase was small, the frequency made up for it. Replenishing her energy wouldn’t take too long.

All three of them were already starving and exhausted. If not for the koi blessing An’an had given them, they wouldn’t have lasted this long, let alone been this efficient.

Aunt Zhao instructed, “Shell some pine nuts and hazelnuts or whatever else we have. Let’s cook something to eat.

“I’ll go fetch a bucket of water to let it settle.”

Looking at the muddy water in the bucket, Zhao Hu frowned. “How long will it take for this to clear?”

Qin Ying thought for a moment, then took off her outer garment and covered the empty bucket with it, holding it in place with her hands. “Huzi, pour it slowly.”

“Big sis, you’re so smart!” Zhao Hu beamed and began pouring slowly, stopping after each bit to let the water seep through the cloth, filtering out the mud before continuing.

It took the siblings half an hour to filter just one bucket of muddy water. By the end, Qin Ying’s outer garment was a mess.

Zhao Hu grabbed the outer garment he’d taken off earlier. “Sis, let’s go another round!”

Feeling bored, An’an drifted off to sleep again. She discovered that sleeping also increased her energy—just a little, capped at 0.01 per day—but better than nothing.

After settling her daughter, Qin Ying said, “Wait here. I’ll go get Auntie to switch shifts.” Aunt Zhao had already returned to digging the pool.

When she learned they’d come up with a way to filter water, Aunt Zhao was overjoyed.

After filtering half a bucket of water three times, it had become much clearer. They added some plant ash and let it sit, then returned to digging the pool.

By sunset, the pool was three zhang square and over a zhang deep.

The muddy water from the well had almost reached the mouth, and it seemed less thick than before.

The three connected the well and the pool, then returned to An’an’s side, exhausted.

The water in the bucket was now clear. Without hesitation, they each drank a bowl.

Afterward, they smacked their lips in satisfaction—it was so sweet!

They had shelled a good number of chestnuts, hazelnuts, and pine nuts. Treating themselves, they crushed a bowlful, tossed them into a pot, filled it with water, and started cooking.

They threw all the burnt plant ash into the well and prepared some dead wood to burn into charcoal for the pool, which would help purify the water.

As soon as they relaxed, exhaustion overwhelmed them. They yawned nonstop.

They placed their shovels and picks within reach, leaned on each other, and slept half the night away.

Aunt Zhao woke up first, rubbing her sore arms and legs. “I’ll go fetch two buckets of water under the cover of night and let it settle slowly.

“We’re just orphans and widows—better to store as much as we can.”

They never intended to monopolize the water. How could just the three of them protect it?

The large pool wasn’t just to speed up the purification, but also to ensure they could still collect water even after others came.

Qin Ying quickly said, “Auntie, let me go instead.” All this time, the Zhao family had shouldered most of the labor so that she could care for An’an, and they were worn out.

“No way!” Aunt Zhao frowned. “Of the three of us, I’m the safest, then Huzi. I’ll take one trip first, then Huzi can go. You stay here!”

Qin Ying bit her lip, knowing Aunt Zhao was right, and gave up the argument. She just filled her waterskin full and said, “Now that we have water, Auntie, don’t hold back on drinking.”

Aunt Zhao smiled and agreed, then carried two buckets of water away. After half the night, the water was no longer so muddy.

Qin Ying forced Zhao Hu to continue resting while she kept an eye on the fire.

When Aunt Zhao returned, the porridge had thickened nicely. Each of them got half a bowl, and even the just-awakened An’an got some of the sweet, thick soup. Energy +0.03.

The koi blessing was still active, so An’an didn’t need to do anything else. With three blessings stacked, it was like a tenfold speed boost—absolutely outrageous!

When Zhao Hu returned carrying empty buckets, dawn had broken. This time, he also brought the Guo family’s two buckets.

Fortunately, there weren’t many people left in the village. Since they were starving anyway, most chose to sleep to stave off the hunger, so they hadn’t disturbed anyone.

The well water now had some clarity and flowed steadily into the pool, covering the bottom with a layer of water.

Zhao Hu said with concern, “If only it didn’t seep into the ground…”

“Silly child,” Aunt Zhao patted his head, “always saying silly things!”

The three of them took a short break, then carried two loads of water and one load of firewood home.

The two loads of water were already crystal clear.

Luckily, between the Zhao and Guo households, they had two large water jars. The previously collected muddy water had been allowed to settle, and they poured the clean water into the clean jars. The mud at the bottom was dumped into the yard, the jars were scrubbed clean, and new water was poured in.

They even turned a small patch of earth in the courtyard, mixed it with the mud, and scattered vegetable seeds.

Aunt Zhao took a big drink of water and wiped her mouth with her sleeve, instructing Qin Ying and Zhao Hu, “You two take turns sleeping. I’ll go fetch water with the other villagers.”

Qin Ying wanted to persuade her to sleep first, but Aunt Zhao said, “No way! What if someone else claims the credit while I’m sleeping?

“Even though the place is remote, you can’t take chances.”

Zhao Hu insisted on going, but Aunt Zhao held him back.

By now, it was nearly noon. The villagers were waking up. When Aunt Zhao said they’d found a water source, no one believed her—until she showed them half a bucket of clear water.

The entire village erupted. Everyone brought whatever containers they had and urged Aunt Zhao to lead them to the water.

Aunt Zhao made sure to explain, “Yingzi and Huzi went up the mountain looking for food and stumbled upon a patch of green grass. They tried digging and—who would’ve thought—they actually struck water!

“So I hurried back to inform everyone!”

When they arrived, the villagers saw the rippling water in the pool under the setting sun and couldn’t hold back. They rushed forward, fell to the edge, scooped water with their hands, or pressed their mouths straight to the surface—gulp, gulp, gulp.

Within moments, everyone drank their fill. Some lay on the ground weeping, others knelt and gave thanks to the heavens.

It took half an hour for emotions to settle, and then they quietly began collecting water.

Even after all the containers were filled, the pool’s water level hadn’t dropped. Their worried hearts were finally at ease, and no one was in a rush to carry the water home.

The original village head of Tongshu Village had left with his family at the beginning of the drought to seek refuge with relatives elsewhere.

Later, any villager who could leave had already gone.

The ones left were either without reliable relatives or too old and rooted in their homeland to leave.