Ningxia wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead. She had no other choice. The family needed water, and the river had been so severely sunburned that the water couldn't keep up with the drying. She had no choice but to bring the water home as soon as possible.

Ningxia wet a handkerchief and gently scrubbed Sangsang's hair. The weather had been sweltering for so long, with constant exposure to temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. Even after all these years, Sangsang still hadn't fully adapted to the heat. He looked much more limp. His face was flushed all day long, and the little flesh he'd managed to build up in his cheeks had receded. Ningxia had been extremely cautious recently, waking up several times during sleep, fearing the child was not well.

"Are you feeling uncomfortable?" Ningxia reached out and touched Sangsang's sweaty hair.

Sangsang sat on Maomao, with her entire upper body lying on his back, letting him carry her slowly towards home. She shook her head slightly, not even having the energy to speak back.

The sun had long since set, but the sky was still bright. The heat left in the ground by the scorching sun kept rising. The three people who had just come out of the slightly warm river water were sweating again before they had even walked ten steps away from the river.

Ever since the river water had cooled, Ningxia had stopped bringing them here every day, only every five or six days. Firstly, to let them get some fresh air, and secondly, to wash the clothes they had on and the piles of clothes they had at home. Sangsang hadn't been feeling well recently, so Ningxia hadn't planned to bring her along, but the little girl didn't want to be alone, so she had to bring Maomao out again to serve as her mount. Of the three and one Maomao, only Maomao was in relatively good condition.

As soon as Ningxia got home, she dug out her medicine bag again, desperately searching for it. She'd already done it yesterday. There was no medicine suitable for Sangsang. Besides the painkillers and antibiotics, there were no more oral medications. The only thing Sangsang could drink at home now was patchouli water.

Sangsang drank water all day long without getting angry. She drank it all obediently. She only ate half a bowl of the rice porridge Ningxia cooked for her despite her burning temper.

"Sister Xia Xia, I'll watch her eat. Go find the bucket for water. I'll help clean it later."

There were too many urgent things to do, so Ningxia pursed her lips, nodded, and left the house.

There were originally two metal gasoline barrels in the attic, brand new and unused, as high as Ningxia's shoulders, and each could hold a lot of water. Ningxia easily moved them to the first floor.

There was also the large ornamental water storage tank in the kitchen. Even in this awful weather, once filled, it would be enough for the three siblings to use for five or six days. Add to that the large wooden tub that Li Gang and his team had found in the village, large enough for an adult to bathe in, and the few large pots around the house, and accounting for evaporation, and they could easily store enough water for twenty days or so.

"Sister Xia Xia, let me wash it."

Ningxia shook her head. "No need to wash it. It's a waste of water. It has to boil before use anyway." Ningxia felt exhausted. She found a few water containers and tossed them aside. "How much porridge did Sangsang drink?"

Lin Yi pursed his lips and said, "It was just half of the bowl from before. She didn't drink much of what was scooped up later. She said she wanted to take a nap."

Ningxia wiped her face and said, "Let her sleep for a while. It's rare for her to fall asleep. Let's eat our meal."

In the kitchen, by the bright candlelight, the two of them each quickly drank a bowl of shredded pork and leeks rice and put their bowls down. Ningxia left all the few small bok choy leaves in the bathroom for Sangsang to eat. She and Lin Yi could only pick a few leek leaves if they wanted to eat some vegetables.

Ningxia hadn't had a good time these past few days, having to take care of Sangsang's health while worrying about the drying water source. She sat back on the bedroom floor, but the carpet was no longer cold at all and was only barely warm enough to sit on.

"Sang, I'm going out to get water tomorrow. Is it okay for you and your brother to stay home?"

Sangsang may have been feeling unwell these past few days, and she has been particularly clinging to Ningxia. She would get up early if she couldn't see her for a while.

"I want to be with Xia Xia."

"It's too hot outside, and Maomao has to carry a lot of water. With you on board, Maomao can't bear it." Ningxia reached out and smoothed the child's wet hair, and with the other hand, she held a cardboard and fanned her gently.

Everyone was sweating all the time, and no one looked down on anyone else. The three of them lay on the carpet.

"I can walk by myself..." Sangsang hesitated, obviously still unwilling to give up the idea of ​​going out with him.

"How about this, I'll fetch the water we need for the next few days. When I'm done, I'll take you out, okay?"

Sangsang thought for a moment before reluctantly agreeing. Lin Yi sat aside without saying anything. He just thought Sangsang was a really stupid kid. He would have to go out to wash clothes in a few days.

The three siblings collapsed side by side, helplessly letting the heat wash over them. After finishing one Ningxia mattress, they had to temporarily stop working. The stifling heat in the room made it difficult to calm down and deal with the pile of cotton with composure.

Ningxia took Maomao out for ten nights straight until she had filled all the containers at home. Several times, Ningxia felt like fainting from the heat. No matter how much water she drank, it was useless. After a few days, her steps became very weak. Fortunately, Maomao was fine, so she didn't worry any more.

By this time, the river was ankle-deep, and the banks on both sides had dried up and cracked, with no trace of the sparkling water they once had.

With her clothes no longer piling up, Ningxia would take her kettle to the river every night to wash clothes and fetch water, taking whatever she could take home. After a few days, the river water was barely enough to cover her ankles, and the water she fetched was mostly dust and murky. Only then did Ningxia give up her hustle.

The three siblings were no longer as extravagant with water as before. All their daily water went into the soil where vegetables were grown in the bathroom, making life even more difficult.

"Sister Xia Xia, Sangsang is not feeling well..." Lin Yi's face was full of solemnity, mixed with the sweat that kept pouring out of him, giving people an inexplicable feeling of suffocation.

Ningxia put down the shovel and walked quickly over to Sangsang. It was already late at night, and Sangsang suddenly wanted to eat sweet porridge. Ningxia hadn't made it yet, so she hurried over to check on Sangsang.

"What happened to her?"

"I said I wanted to sleep but I couldn't wake him up." Lin Yi's eyes were red. When he tried to call Sangsang but there was no response, Lin Yi fell into great panic.

The little girl was still full of energy just now, but now she has become listless again. She looks like she can't even keep her eyelids open.

"Sang? Sang? Didn't you say you wanted to drink sweet porridge? I made it for you. Get up and drink some before going to sleep, okay?" Ningxia didn't care about the heat. She carefully half-wrapped the person, held her in her arms, and gently rocked her body.

Sangsang's eyelids twitched, and she seemed to have no strength to speak. In the end, she could only nod slightly. Seeing that she was still responding, Ningxia put her back on the ground and said, "Go to the kitchen and bring me the porridge I left out."