By now, the sun was already high in the sky. The temperature was gradually rising. The sunlight on her body felt like a fire, burning intensely. Yun Yiyi wore the small straw hat Zhang had made for her. Sweat was trapped in her hair, and soon it flowed down her face and neck.
Yun Yiyi wiped the sweat off her face with her clothes and looked back at Brother Yun. Brother Yun was also sweating profusely from the heat. Yun Yiyi took off her hat and fanned herself with it, but the wind she blew out was hot.
Fortunately, the road was downhill the entire way, so everyone didn't have to exert too much effort. The pace was also much faster than usual on flat ground. The group was very quiet; everyone was busy and no one spoke.
Yun Yiyi walked quickly to the donkey cart. She placed her stick on the cart, braced herself with both hands, and leaped onto it. She found Zhang's jar of boiled water and a few clean bowls. She poured a bowl of boiled water and handed it to Yun Erge.
"Second brother, bring some boiled water to Dad."
"Okay. I'll go now." Yun Erge took the bowl and carefully walked back a few steps to Yun the Butcher. Yun the Butcher stopped the car, took the bowl, and drank the boiled water in one breath.
"Dad, do you want another bowl?" asked Brother Yun.
"Another bowl please." said Yun the butcher.
Second Brother Yun went back and brought another bowl of boiled water to Yun the Butcher.
Yun Yiyi poured water from the donkey cart, while Second Brother Yun brought it to everyone. In a short while, everyone in the Yun family had finished their water. The water had been stored on the donkey cart the previous night, and now, it was icy cold and refreshing, a perfect way to cool down. Yun Yiyi finished her own water, put away the jars and bowls, and then jumped off the cart and continued walking.
When the people in the team saw the Yun family drinking water, they also slowed down and took turns drinking. After everyone had drunk the water, the team's speed of progress increased again.
"Everyone, cheer up. Once we get down the slope and reach the flat ground at the foot of the mountain, we will prepare to rest and cook. Now we only need to walk for more than half an hour to reach the foot of the mountain. The distance is very close." The village chief shouted loudly while standing in front of the team.
"Okay, village chief."
"Understood, Village Chief."
A few scattered responses rang out. The village chief, upon hearing them, continued on his way. Everyone hadn't rushed yesterday afternoon, so today they were all in good spirits. Even though the village chief was deliberately speeding up, no one in the group fell behind.
Yun Yiyi stretched her head and looked forward. The road ahead also ran along the mountain, but it was at the foot of the mountain. Yun Yiyi looked around and didn't find any villages nearby. Fortunately, there were trees at the foot of the mountain, so it was easy to find a place to rest.
Everyone followed the village chief and his family and soon arrived at the foot of the mountain. Just as everyone was about to take a breath and rest, the village chief's gong sounded again.
"Let's go a little further and then rest. This section of the road is downhill, and if a horse-drawn carriage passes by at high speed, it could easily hit someone," the village chief shouted. After saying this, he continued to drive the carriage forward.
Yun Yiyi surveyed both sides of the official road. To the right was a small forest. The trees were shorter and bare. The ground beneath them was spotless, without even a weed. If she wanted firewood for cooking, she would have to go up the hill behind the forest.
To the left of the official road lay bare land, cracks and fissures etched across the ground. Yun Yiyi suspected the drought was severe. She looked around but couldn't find any rivers nearby, not even dry ones.
Yun Yiyi was relieved that she had found water in the mountains. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult to find water in the severe drought at the foot of the mountain.
The village chief led everyone forward for about two miles before stopping.
"Okay, that's all for this morning. Now everyone find a place to rest. We can rest for a total of three hours at noon today. This is thanks to our fast walk in the morning. So, have a good rest at noon, and speed up our journey in the afternoon so that we can have a good rest at night." The village chief's hoarse voice came out.
"Understood, Village Chief."
"Great, I can finally rest."
"I really want to lie down for a while. My legs don't feel like my legs anymore. I'm so tired."
After hearing what the village chief said, the villagers all started talking loudly. The team, which had been very quiet just now, suddenly became noisy.
Butcher Yun and his family followed the village chief's advice and stopped. Butcher Yun then looked around the woods beside the official road and found a patch with more trees. He told everyone to drive their carts and donkey carts to that patch.
Yun Yiyi entered the woods and found the spot Yun the Butcher had found to be a perfect spot. The trees, though short, were densely packed together, blocking out the sunlight. While there were a few small stones on the ground beneath the trees, there were no weeds or thorns, making it easy to clean.
Everyone parked their cars, and Zhang picked up the large broom from the car and began sweeping the ground under the tree. Butcher Yun took his eldest brother to the back of the woods to look for stones for the stove. Second and third brothers Yun picked up the stones Zhang had swept together and threw them outside the woods. Yun Yiyi, holding a stick, wandered around the woods.
Yun Yiyi wandered behind the woods and soon saw Yun the Butcher and Brother Yun.
"Dad, do you have a suitable stone?" Yun Yiyi asked.
"Yiyi, why are you here? It's so hot, you should take a rest in the woods." Yun the Butcher said a little anxiously.
"Dad, I'm not tired. Let me help you find one. The sooner we can set up the stove, the sooner Mom can cook." Yun Yiyi said this, then looked back at the rocks. The place Yun the Butcher had chosen had few trees but plenty of rocks. However, finding the right rocks was difficult. They were either too small or too large.
Yun Yiyi spotted a stone, leaning against the pile. From the front, it looked like a long strip, but from the side, it was a triangle. Only one side of it rested on the ground. Yun Yiyi estimated it weighed over 100 kilograms.
Yun Yiyi took the stick and hit it several times, but she felt something was wrong. She pushed the stone to the ground and hit the middle of the longest side of the stone with the stick. Yun Yiyi was worried that she would use too much force and break the stone again, so she deliberately used less force.
When Yun Yiyi hit it with her stick, the stone broke into two pieces. Fortunately, it wasn't rubble, so it could still be used. Yun Yiyi thought thankfully.
"Dad, I have two stones suitable for building a stove." Yun Yiyi shouted loudly.
"I'm coming to take a look." Butcher Yun came over holding a big stone.
"Yiyi, I just came here and looked around, but I didn't find these two stones. Where did you find them?" Yun the Butcher asked in confusion.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
