Quickly wear the boss and don’t be cannon fodder

Chapter 2171 Fleeing from Famine 7

Su Yan went to check the well at the end of the village around four or five in the morning, but only a little water came out.

Su Yan simply diverted some water from a newly appeared river in the chaotic space after the thick fog dissipated into the well, filling it to about one-third of its full volume.

The main reason was that she didn't want to make too much noise, lest people mistakenly believe that the well had a large water output.

Su Yan filled three water pouches and two buckets from his spatial storage before returning to tell Widow Zhang that the well had produced water again.

"Fill the water tank quietly first, without alerting anyone."

"Okay, thank you, Su Yan," Widow Zhang said gratefully.

She was already worried about the lack of water, but to her surprise, the well actually produced some water again.

Widow Zhang took all the water bags and earthenware jars to fetch water, worried that there would be no water in the future. She wished she could even wet the cotton quilts, but she was worried that it would be too conspicuous, so she gave up the idea.

When Widow Zhang secretly filled the well with water, there happened to be several poor families who had lined up ahead of her the day before. They were also checking to see if the well had produced any water. They hadn't gotten much water the day before either; it was all muddy water, and after sitting overnight, it was barely enough for each family member to drink a small half-bowl.

They simply nodded to each other without much conversation. Widow Zhang didn't dare linger outside and hurriedly ran back to her residence.

Seeing Zhang the widow's heavy steps, the families looked at the earthenware pot she was holding and the water bag hanging on her body with surprise and suspicion. Then they looked at each other, wondering if the water had come out again.

When we went over to take a look, it was indeed true. Everyone was overjoyed and hurriedly brought out all the water bags in their homes to fill them with water.

These impoverished households filled their wells with water, and the water in the wells was almost gone.

They all kept their mouths shut and wouldn't tell anyone they had fetched water.

Back at their lodgings, everyone took turns drinking a few sips of water before they could even get a sip, worried that someone would snatch it away from them.

Although they also fetched water yesterday, the water they fetched was not as clean as the water they fetched today.

Even those ahead of them in line didn't necessarily clean as well as they did today. If they hadn't run out of containers to hold the water, they would have emptied the well of all the muddy water.

Su Yan brought a bucket of water and asked the three sisters, Daya and her sister, to come and wash their bodies. She didn't wash their faces, saying it was normal for their faces to be a little dirty.

If I don't wash myself soon, the smell will be unbearable.

The three sisters were so shocked when they saw the bucket of water that their jaws nearly dropped.

Su Yan said, "I'll go to the well to fetch water. Anyway, my daughter and I can't take all the water with us, so we might as well wash ourselves. It won't feel so bad."

The three sisters then obediently began to wash themselves, lamenting that they were wasting such clean water.

The water used to wash their bodies was already a bit murky, but the three sisters still reluctantly washed their outer clothes in the water and changed into another set of patched-up clothes.

The water wasn't poured out; instead, it was left to settle. Once the sediment reached the bottom, the clean water was poured out, and the wet clothes were washed again.

After repeating this process three times, their clothes were almost washed.

Mother is right. They don't have a cart, so they can't possibly carry these two buckets of water. They'll be lucky if they can fill a few water sacks.

While there was water, Su Yan cooked rice porridge for the three sisters.

Daya asked in surprise, "Mother, where did we get the rice?"

Su Yan lied without thinking, blurting out, "I found it on the men who tried to ambush me last night."

"Oh, I see."

They already knew that their mother had dealt with several bad guys who tried to ambush them in the middle of the night.

Those bad people deserved it; either they died, or they did...

The three sisters each drank a bowl of not-too-thin porridge and ate half a wild vegetable pancake, completely satisfied.

These wild vegetable pancakes are so much tastier than what they used to eat; they are truly fragrant, soft, and delicious.

The wild vegetable pancakes I used to eat were bitter, astringent, hard, and tasteless.

After daybreak, the others went to check the well and found that there was not much water, so they were somewhat disappointed.

It seems we have no choice but to keep going, or we'll die of thirst and hunger sooner or later.

After resting for a day, the team from Dahe Village set off again.

The families behind them drank water secretly, making sure the people in front couldn't see them.

If they weren't afraid that staying alone in the previous village would be even more dangerous, they wouldn't have wanted to set off, since the well might leak water again.

They only thought that if they encountered other refugees later, they would be too weak and vulnerable living there. If the other party wanted to harm them, they would have no ability to protect themselves. That's why they decided to continue with the villagers.

Although Su Yan and her three daughters looked dirty, they were relatively clean. Especially when they walked, Su Yan had them put their not-fully-dried clothes on their heads to prevent sunburn. This would prevent their bodies from losing moisture too quickly, protect them from the sun, and also dry their half-dry clothes.

They walked for another two days, and the people in front were a little surprised that the families behind them were also following.

I thought they were short of water and food and wouldn't last long, but they were surprisingly tenacious.

They all looked like they were about to collapse at any moment, but they still didn't fall.

During the day, Su Yan and her three daughters only ate wild vegetable pancakes, with each pancake being shared among the four of them.

When the other villagers saw this, they assumed that the cakes they were eating were made from the leaves and weeds she had picked earlier.

But in the evening, Su Yan would take out steamed buns and share them with them.

Da Ya and Er Ya secretly asked Su Yan where the steamed buns came from, and Su Yan said, "I found them on the men who attacked us."

Anyway, the extra items were either found in that dilapidated house or rummaged through the bodies of those men.

This excuse always works.

The Li family was hoping that Su Yan would give up and they could exchange the child for her, but instead of Su Yan giving up, their food supplies dwindled.

The Li family members all wore somber expressions. They told the woman to rest with the children on one side while the father and his three sons discussed the matter on the other.

Li Hai said in a low voice, "Father, we're out of food. We have to move out tonight."

Old Li said in a deep voice, "But Su Yan and her mother are in such good spirits. I heard that the men from the families who attacked her a few days ago all died, and their bodies were later dragged away."

Li Shan said with some reluctance, "Why don't we look at other families? That woman Su Yan is crazy. If we dare to touch those children, she'll fight us to the death."

Li Hu said, "Second brother, I know you're reluctant, but there's no other way. We can't afford to offend anyone else now, or we won't be able to stay in Dahe Village."

"I just feel that this isn't a safe approach..."

"Either tonight, or tomorrow night at the latest. The rest of the family can't wait any longer," Old Man Li said decisively.

The Li family members only dared to bully their own kind; they wouldn't dare to deal with outsiders, and they only bullied the weak within their own family.

Although Su Yan has been divorced, in their minds, Su Yan is still the Su Yan they can mold and manipulate.

The reason she let Daya and the others go with her was simply because she knew they wouldn't be able to survive without food and water, and in the end they would have to go back and beg the Li family for help.

Unexpectedly, Su Yan was lucky enough to find some food in the previous deserted village, and the mother and her three daughters managed to survive.

But they didn't want to wait any longer; if they waited any longer, they didn't know who would benefit.