"Have a drink, Mother. We'll be there soon, I reckon it's only about an incense stick's time. Even if you can't drink much, just wetting your lips would be good."
A Jiu refused. Her mother's face was sunburnt, the red tinged with black, and her sweat dried before it could even form.
The sweat stains on their clothes made them stiff.
"Alright, I'll just wet my lips then." Cai Lihua finally relented and took a sip. The moment her tongue felt the coolness of the water, she quickly held it in her mouth, unwilling to swallow.
The few of them took turns sipping, finally feeling a little more comfortable.
When it was Wang Shi's turn, before A Jiu could even reach out, the water skin was snatched away again.
"Don't worry, I'll only take half a sip. Look how stingy you are," Wang Shi sighed and shook her head, taking a gulp.
She lifted it high and peered into it. Hmm?
Wang Shi squinted her eyes and looked into the water skin. She shook it, held it upright, and then… a drop, two drops.
"That's it?"
Wang Shi's face turned dark. Her lips were so swollen that her words were slurred, and a bit of drool escaped.
Angrily, she shoved the water skin back to A Jiu and quickly walked ahead with her hands behind her back – out of sight, out of mind.
"A Jiu, sister, what's wrong with Grandma's mouth?" Little Yan Yan had wanted to ask on the road, but knowing her eccentric temper, she hadn't dared to speak.
"She ate wheat stalks," A Jiu replied truthfully, though inwardly she felt a mix of amusement and despair. Her grandmother probably wouldn't even let a faint puff of spiritual energy pass her by.
"Let's talk less and conserve our strength," Meng Shaode advised.
Meng Shaode had spent most of the previous night traveling back and forth, and now, they only reached Meng Shaode's designated spot as the sun was high in the sky, approaching mid-morning.
"Ford through this patch of weeds, and you'll see green grass not far ahead. That puddle is hidden quite well."
Meng Shaode's energy seemed to have returned.
The group, panting, distinctly quickened their pace, their minds already picturing the blissful feeling of diving in and drinking their fill.
Cai Lihua's first thought was to use the water source to showcase her cooking skills and make a good meal.
She also had their cured meat to eat. If her husband caught a pheasant, she definitely wouldn't miss the opportunity to make a beggar's chicken for her daughter to nourish herself.
"Eh, where is it?" Wang Shi parted the grass and looked. There was no water to be seen.
Meng Shaode quickly put down his basket, took just two steps forward, pushed aside the grass, and pointed at the puddle, which was about the size of a water vat opening. "Isn't it right here?"
A Jiu leaned closer. The bottom layer was mud, and only a shallow layer of clear water, less than two fingers deep, floated on top.
This probably wouldn't even fill three water skins.
Never mind, as long as there was water, it was a sign of hope. A Jiu quietly took out a water skin, carefully trying not to disturb the mud below, and guided the water into it.
"Old Meng, I thought it was a pond," Cai Lihua said with some disappointment.
"Hah! This water isn't as much as a single stream from my old self," Wang Shi said, turning around with her hands behind her back and sitting down cross-legged again.
"It's better than nothing. Back when there wasn't a severe drought, this was a lake. It's good that this much is left."
Meng Shaode felt content as long as he could keep his family safe.
"Do you want me to help you?" Little Yan Yan had realized that this sister was the calmest and knew how to seize the moment and accept what was given.
"No, no, don't touch it." A Jiu quickly pushed him aside.
Once this water skin was filled, the puddle would no longer be clear, and they would have to wait for it to settle before filling the second one.
What's more, there was even better news. Because there was water here, there were several rare trees with lush foliage nearby.
Everyone could drink water and cool off under them while they waited.
On the wet mud around the puddle, there were indeed claw marks of wild chickens, as well as some bird droppings.
Even if the water was scarce, waiting by the snare, with her father's skill, they might still catch a few wildfowl. It was a win-win situation no matter how you looked at it.
When A Jiu filled the second water skin, the family quickly shared and drank from the first one.
Just as she returned and was about to continue, she said, "Daddy, look, there are hoof prints. It looks like someone has been here."
Meng Shaode, who hadn't noticed, had just stood up.
The sound of galloping horses came from the east. The horses were moving at an extremely fast pace and soon arrived.
"Sir, I've already scouted it. This is the only place with a water source."
Instantly, the burly men on several tall horses all looked directly at A Jiu and her group.
A Jiu gasped. In her past life, she had lived a life worse than death in the Li family for so many years, and she recognized every single person here.