“Niannian is about to sleep. Don’t disturb her.”
Auntie Yang put down the grass rope and stepped in front of the donkey cart, her tone calm but firm. “Besides, this is the middle of nowhere. What’s there to play? Better go rest. If water is found later, you can fetch a few extra buckets.”
Lin Qingqing hit a soft wall but refused to give up. “Auntie Yang, I heard Sister Sisi picked some wild fruit yesterday. Could she share some with me and Little Stone?”
“Wild fruit? What wild fruit?” Auntie Yang’s face darkened. “Sisi has been running around nonstop. When would she have time to pick fruit? Don’t listen to nonsense.”
At that moment, Lin Niannian poked her head out of the cart, rubbing her eyes. “Auntie Yang, who is it?”
“Niannian, you’re awake.” Lin Qingqing instantly switched to a gentle smile. “Sister just came to see you—and to ask if your sister left you anything tasty.”
Niannian wrinkled her nose. She didn’t like Lin Qingqing. “No tasty food. My sister said we have to save our grain.”
“What a stingy child.”
Lin Qingqing clicked her tongue, then signaled A’Shi with her eyes. “Little Stone, let’s go. I’ll take you somewhere else to look.”
A’Shi followed her. After a few steps, he glanced back at the Lin family’s donkey cart—and then at the pile of grain not far away. A flicker of calculation flashed through his eyes.
Yaya watched them leave and whispered to Auntie Yang, “Auntie, I don’t like Sister Qingqing. She always seems like she wants to steal our things.”
“Silly girl, don’t say that.” Auntie Yang patted her head. “Just stay away from her and keep an eye on our belongings.”
The two villages gathered and followed Lin Sisi toward the hollow.
Along the way, Zhao Bao and some from Dahe Village still wore doubtful expressions, grumbling from time to time.
Following the trail of foxtail grass, they walked for about half an hour before reaching the entrance of the hollow.
Lin Sisi pointed ahead. “Look—over there.”
Everyone looked in the direction she indicated.
Sure enough, beneath the mountain wall grew a patch of lush green grass—denser than what they had seen from afar.
As they approached, they could even smell a faint trace of moisture in the air.
The mountain wall was steep, tangled with thorns and wild growth.
Lin Sisi gripped her sickle and began cutting through the thorns. “Look carefully. The spring must be seeping out from cracks in the rock. Find damp crevices, and we’ll find the water.”
“There are so many cracks—how are we supposed to search them all?” Zhao Bao kicked at a stone impatiently. “This is a waste of effort.”
“If you don’t want to look, go back. No one’s forcing you,” Lin Zheng said coldly.
Zhao Bao pursed his lips but said nothing more, reluctantly continuing the search.
After another half hour, Lin Sisi suddenly stopped and pointed at a hidden crevice.
“Look here. The grass is wet.”
Everyone rushed over.
Sure enough, droplets clung to the grass around the crack, and faint mist seeped from within.
“There’s hope!” Zhang Zhuang’s eyes lit up. “The water source must be here!”
Lin Zheng leaned closer. “Sisi, how do we draw the water out?”
“The crack is too narrow. We need to pry it open wider.” She thought for a moment, then gestured to the rock wall. “Find some thick wooden poles. We’ll lever it open together.”
The men quickly scattered and returned with several sturdy sticks.
Lin Zheng and Zhang Zhuang jammed two poles into the crevice.
“Everyone, come help! One—two—three—push!”
“Heave!”
With a united effort, the crack widened slightly—
And a cool stream of water burst forth from the stone.
“Water! It’s really water!”
Excited shouts erupted.
Lin Sisi crouched down, cupped a handful, and tasted it.
“It’s clean. We can drink it.”
“That’s great! We finally found water!” Even Old Zhao forgot his earlier complaints, shouting in delight.
Lin Zheng let out a breath of relief. “Don’t rush to drink yet. Find containers first. Fill them up, then we’ll go inform the village chiefs and everyone else.”
“Got it!”
The group sprang into action.
Lin Sisi watched the clear spring flow, the heavy stone in her chest finally lifting. She exhaled, smiling.
“Brother, we did it.”
Lin Zheng smiled too and patted her shoulder. “I know you just wanted to find another path to survival for everyone.”
She herself possessed such a miraculous treasure—she would never lack food or water.
All this effort was for the villagers.
He didn’t understand lofty principles.
He only knew she didn’t have to do any of this.
At first, he had only thought this mysterious girl protecting Niannian was good enough.
But now—
Having a sister like her seemed truly fortunate.
Unaware that her status in her brother’s heart had risen another level, Lin Sisi was already thinking about how to get the news back quickly.
They hurried back to where the villagers rested and told Village Chief Li.
The news spread like wildfire.
The entire caravan erupted in cheers. Faces shone with the ecstasy of survival.
“Heaven has eyes! We finally found water!”
Village Chief Li’s eyes glistened as he carefully took the flask Lin Sisi had brought back. He sipped it.
“It’s sweet! Clean spring water!”
“We’re saved!”
“Wait!” Lin Sisi quickly stopped them. “The spring isn’t strong. Storing water comes first. Take out your flasks and jars—fill them before the heat evaporates it.”
Village Chief Li nodded vigorously. “She’s right! Listen to her—store water first!”
Everyone immediately began rummaging through their belongings for anything that could hold water.
“I suggest,” Lin Sisi continued seriously, “the spring flow is limited. If too many people go at once, it’ll be crowded and chaotic.”
“Let’s go in small groups—five or six at a time. Rotate back and forth. It’ll be orderly and safer.”
But as soon as she finished, someone objected.
“No! That’s too slow! In this heat, who knows how long the spring will last? We should send more people at once and store as much as possible!”
“Yes! More people means more water in one trip. We can set off sooner!”
Another villager added anxiously, “The children at home are waiting to drink. We can’t take it slow!”