When it was her turn, Jiang Chan rushed forward and, finding a gap, slanted the earthenware pot into the puddle. She deliberately chose a tricky angle so as not to stir up too much mud and sand, while maximizing the amount of water she could collect.
She watched intently as the earthenware pot slowly sank into the water, the foam and impurities on the surface were pushed aside, and the relatively clear middle layer of water gradually poured into the pot.
The earthenware jar was finally full. She carefully lifted the jar, and a few blades of grass were still floating on the murky water, but it was much cleaner than the "muddy soup" in other people's jars.
Jiang Chan quickened her pace without looking back; she needed to find a secluded spot to purify the water as soon as possible.
...
Jiang Chan, carrying a pottery jar filled with muddy water, quickly walked around to the back of a collapsed earthen wall. She cautiously looked around and, after confirming that no one was paying attention, immediately sent the pottery jar into her spatial storage.
The water purifier stood quietly in the corner of the room. Jiang Chan skillfully placed the ceramic pot on the inlet, pressed the start button, and the machine emitted a slight hum as the turbid, yellowish-brown liquid was slowly drawn in.
Through the viewing window, she could see the filtering process going through layers:
The first coarse filter screen blocks dead leaves and mud;
The second stage of activated carbon adsorbs odors and impurities;
The final nanomembrane filters out microorganisms and toxins!
As the indicator light changed from red to green, clear water began to drip from the spout, and Jiang Chan quickly took out another clean earthenware jar to catch it.
The original 10 jin of murky water was purified to produce nearly 9 jin of clean water—a result that was better than she had expected.
Jiang Chan unconsciously curled the corners of her mouth. This was the first time she had felt a sense of relief since fleeing the famine. With the water purifier, at least the drinking water problem was temporarily solved.
When Jiang Chan returned to the dilapidated house, Xiao Tao was still sitting on the haystack, taking small bites of the biscuit. The child ate very carefully, chewing each bite for a long time, afraid that eating too fast would make her hungry even faster.
Suddenly, Xiaotao started coughing violently, her whole face turning red. She frantically patted her chest, a hard, dry crumb stuck in her throat, unable to cough it up or swallow it down.
"Drink!" Jiang Chan rushed forward and handed over the freshly purified water.
Xiao Tao held the earthenware pot in both hands and gulped down several mouthfuls of water. The water washed away the crumbs stuck in her throat, and her breathing finally became smooth.
She looked at the water in the earthenware pot, which had clearly receded a bit, and her voice was choked with sobs, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry! I... I drank too much! I shouldn't have drunk so much... water... water is so precious..."
Her small body trembled with self-reproach, her fingers twisting helplessly at the hem of her tattered clothes, as if she had committed a heinous crime.
Looking at Xiao Tao's tearful face and listening to her incoherent apology, Jiang Chan frowned almost imperceptibly. "Don't cry." Her voice was still indifferent, but it seemed to have lost some of its usual icy edge. "You drank it, so you're not thirsty!"
Xiao Tao looked at her with teary eyes.
Jiang Chan turned around and packed her bags, her tone calm, "I promised your grandma that if I had food, you would have food too."
Xiao Tao was stunned at first, then her tears fell even faster.
Jiang Chan looked at her, her brows furrowing slightly. Cry? In this godforsaken place with no water? What a waste!
"Don't cry! The water you just drank will be gone if you cry."
This half-joking remark made Xiaotao stop crying and start laughing. She wiped her face haphazardly with the back of her hand, but ended up smearing dust everywhere, making her look like a little kitten.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Chan's lips unconsciously turned up, but the next second she tightened her face and forcibly suppressed her smile. This feeling was strange—she was used to being alone in the apocalypse, but now that she had a little burden by her side, it was actually... not too bad?
A commotion of voices came from outside. The fleeing group was beginning to assemble. Jiang Chan carefully tied the water jug to the cart and even put some straw at the bottom of the jug for shock absorption, just to avoid being noticed. In order to save energy, the water jug had already been replaced with an empty one.
Jiang Chan checked the sturdiness of the cart, then instructed Xiao Tao, "Stay close to me."
In the morning light, the two walked towards the meeting point, one after the other.
"Clang—clang—clang—" The village chief's gong resounded throughout the temporary camp.
When Jiang Chan and Xiao Tao pushed the cart out of the dilapidated house, a number of villagers had already gathered at the village entrance.
As the last few households finally arrived, the village chief cleared his throat. "Let's set off once everyone's here! Cheer up!"
The procession began to move slowly.
The village chief stood on one side of the procession, occasionally striking a gong to remind those behind to keep up.
Jiang Chan pushed the hard-won cart at the back of the group.
The wheel axle was probably lacking oil, as it made a dull, sluggish "creak-creak" sound when it turned, each sound like it was gnawing on a dry throat.
Just as we set off, a rough, questioning voice broke the silence of the group.
"Hey? Girl from the Jiang family, is this all there is on your cart? Let me use it, so it won't go to waste!"
Jiang Chan didn't respond, but instead pushed the car more steadily, her eyes scanning the direction from which the voice came from with a wary look.
What was the name of that burly man again?
He was supporting his elderly mother, who was walking unsteadily.
His shout drew a dozen tired, dazed gazes to the creaking cart.
“That’s right!” another voice immediately chimed in. “Such a big empty space! We’re from the same village, Jiang family girl, we see each other all the time, can’t you lend a hand? My son’s legs are about to break from walking so much!”
"Yes, yes! Please, have mercy and help us!"
It was like stirring up a hornet's nest; a barrage of pleas immediately poured in.
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