Returning to the pondside, everyone first filled their bellies, then came the most anticipated moment for all.
There were eight pheasants, six young rabbits, one roe deer, and one wild goat in total.
Just one morning had yielded such abundant harvest—the people of Dawang Village could hardly believe it themselves.
Unfortunately, all were dead. With the hot weather and insufficient salt for preservation, they would spoil in at most two days.
But with over twenty people here, large and small, they could finish eating them within two days.
It had been agreed earlier that all the animal hides would go to the Xu family. Wang Shi first directed everyone to separate the skins and meat for later distribution.
No one objected; this was indeed fairer, avoiding concerns about one family getting more bones while another received less fatty meat.
However, due to the severe drought below the mountains and lack of rain in the hills, the animals were also short on food, so these catches weren’t particularly plump.
Especially the wild goat—its ribs were clearly visible. It had survived this long solely by hiding well, but Wang Shi’s sharp eyes had still found it.
Wang Shi took charge of skinning the rabbits and the roe deer herself. Unlike others’ rough methods, she specifically borrowed Wang Dahai’s treasured butcher knife.
Instead of gutting the rabbits and roe deer, she chopped off their heads, severed the limbs, and peeled the entire hide starting from the head.
“You Niang, bring the rope,” Wang Shi called toward their grass shelter.
Hearing her mother’s call, Xu Yue quickly pressed Xu Dalan—who was trying to get up again—back down, then hurried over with the woven bark strips.
Xu Erniang also followed curiously.
“Mother, what are you planning to make?” Xu Yue handed over the rope and squatted beside Wang Shi to watch her work.
Wang Shi took the rope, tested its strength, and without looking up replied:
“Making a waterskin.”
With that, she picked up the roe deer hide, turned it inside out, removed the membrane, then restored it to its original shape. Finally, she tied the limb openings tightly with rope, leaving only the larger neck opening—and a waterskin was complete.
After filling it with water and securing the opening, placing it in the backpack prevented any leakage.
The hide hadn’t undergone special treatment, so it wasn’t very hygienic.
But given current conditions, they couldn’t afford to be picky—having water to drink was already fortunate enough.
“Go test it,” Wang Shi handed the roe deer waterskin to the Xu sisters.
Xu Yue asked Xu Erniang: “Sister, will this work?”
Xu Erniang held the hide bag—almost as large as their backpack—and said uncertainly, “Let me test it first. You continue, I’ll try over there.”
The old man’s waterskin was made from oxhide, which had excellent magic conductivity, but they didn’t know about this roe deer hide.
Still, both were hides, so it should work.
Xu Erniang took the roe deer waterskin behind their grass shelter, had Xu Da keep watch for outsiders, and attempted to enchant the waterskin.
It succeeded on the first try!
Not daring to celebrate too soon, Xu Erniang first went to the water’s edge to fill it. Only after confirming the roe deer hide could withstand the magic without quickly disintegrating like bamboo did she vigorously nod toward Xu Yue.
Xu Yue and Wang Shi exchanged glances. Mother and daughter shared a moment of joy—one roe deer waterskin equaled five or six small oxhide ones. With just this, their water storage goal was achieved.
Wang Shi also roughly prepared the remaining rabbit skins and brought them back to the shed to dry. If there was a chance, they could be sold for some grain.
By evening, all the meat had been cleaned and processed. Since the hunting team had contributed equally, each person received a large portion of meat.
For a moment, the air was filled with the tantalizing aroma of meat.
Just as everyone seemed to have found a way to survive, more and more refugees, driven by extreme thirst, began heading up the mountain…
Early in the morning, Wang Shi spotted several figures lurking on the opposite side of the pond, stealthily fetching water before running off.
But this was only because their numbers were small.
At noon, while Xu Yue’s family was preparing lunch, a group of over twenty people suddenly burst out of the forest and rushed recklessly toward the pond.
They looked as if they had been thirsty for days. Upon seeing the water, they plunged their heads in, drinking until their stomachs felt ready to burst before finally rising.
This sudden disturbance startled Xu Yue’s family and the villagers of Dawang Village, who immediately gathered together and raised their weapons.
However, the other group was also sizable and showed no fear, settling down on the other side of the clearing.
A few, driven mad by hunger, boldly ignored the gleaming kitchen knives in the hands of the Dawang villagers and lunged for the pots boiling over the fire.
With a sizzle, the earthen pots scalded their hands, but they paid no heed. They poured the boiling food into their mouths, howling in pain, then grabbed the pots and rushed to the pond, alternating gulps of cold water with mouthfuls of scorching broth.
Their near-frenzied state left Qiu Shi frozen in fear.
It was her family’s pot, filled to the brim with pheasant meat. She had been hoping to simmer it until tender for the children, never expecting it would end up benefiting others.
Qiu Shi felt a pang of regret.
Fortunately, no violent clashes broke out. Each family guarded their own pots, with no time to worry about others.
The small sense of unity Wang Shi had painstakingly built the day before instantly crumbled.
Wang Shi glanced in the direction the group had come from and exchanged a look with Xu Da. Both sensed a strong feeling of crisis.
Wang Shi herded the three children behind her into the grass shelter and whispered, “Pack up all our belongings.”
Though a bit confused, Xu Yue nodded and complied, folding all the unfolded bedding and using a rope to tie it into a marching pack, just as Wang Shi had taught her.
Xu Da silently extinguished the fire, poured out the broth from the pot, and everyone quickly drank a bowl each.
The remaining meat was separately wrapped in leaves and placed in a basket along with taro stored in a goatskin pouch, with the deerhide waterskin pressed on top.
Just as Wang Shi was about to take the scalding earthen pot to the water’s edge to cool it before packing it, a scream echoed from nearby.
She looked up and saw a blood-soaked man tumbling down the hillside.
Behind him was a vagrant army soldier, a red turban tied around his head, brandishing a large blade like a death-dealing demon!
The entire region of Changyi was suffering from water shortages. While ordinary villagers might not know about the mountain pond, hunters who frequented the area were well aware of it.
Seeing that his comrades, who had just seized the city, were on the verge of dying of thirst without enjoying any benefits, the leader immediately ordered a county-wide search for water sources, leaving no potential spot unchecked!
A large group of Red Turban Army soldiers surged out of the forest. Upon spotting the pond, shimmering like a pearl, they were overjoyed. They hadn’t expected that following these refugees up the mountain would lead them to such a treasure.
“Xu Da, Er Niang, You Niang—run!”
Wang Shi let out a low cry, immediately dropped the earthen pot in her hands, rushed behind Xu Da in two steps, helped him lift the heavy backpack, then dashed into the shed. In one swift motion, she scooped up Xu Erniang with one hand and slung the marching pack over her shoulder with the other.
She turned and sprinted toward the opposite bank of the pond!
Seeing this, Xu Dalan grabbed Xu Yue, who was gathering bedding and the marching pack, tucked her into his arms, and quickly followed.
Xu Da, carrying a sickle and a kitchen knife, brought up the rear. Unfortunately, a vagrant army soldier charged at him from the side with a raised blade. Cursing his luck, Xu Da hurled the kitchen knife first, striking the man in the face and knocking him down. After narrowly dodging the attack, he broke into a frantic run.
While running, he yelled, “Wang Shi, you damned woman, wait for me!”
By then, most people in the clearing hadn’t even registered what was happening before a cold blade met their necks—they died under the swift swords of the vagrant army, without even time to feel terror.