In addition to the big well in the village, many households also have small wells, but most of them are dry.
But Mao's family may have a spring well. Although the water level has dropped significantly, it is not inferior to the water from the big well, so the family has never gone to the village to fetch water.
Although it was autumn, the weather was getting hotter and hotter, and after the sun rose during the day, there was hardly anyone outside.
If you stay outside for even a short while, you will definitely get heatstroke or even pass out.
Now, not only are the crops dead due to lack of water, but even the once big rivers have dried up and cracked into lumps of earth.
The amount of water we got from the village well started with one bucket, then became half a bucket, and then we used a ladle to measure it.
Everyone began to panic. The order set by the village chief was completely ignored. The villagers were not of the same clan or surname, so how could they obey orders when disaster struck? So, several fights broke out.
I don't know who was so arrogant that he said that the well in Mao's yard was not dry and had more water than the big well.
Then a group of people rushed into Mao's yard with buckets of water.
The female members of the family were completely frightened. Xiangye saw people's target and wanted to go over to stop them, because she knew that without water, they could not survive.
But Mao stopped him:
"Let them be! Nothing is more important than life."
Just like that, I watched them draw away all the water from the well.
In fact, the gossipmongers were really exaggerating. The water in the Mao family's well wasn't much. It was just that the few people used it sparingly, so it didn't dry up that quickly.
Later, Wen Xi learned that it was Miao's daughter, Gu Wenyue, who had spread the gossip. He was surprised and angry to hear it was her, but by then things had changed, so it was better not to mention it.
After tasting the sweetness of the situation, the villagers returned several times, only to find that the Mao family's well was no longer producing water. They realized that the well had also dried up. Finally, they left cursing and swearing, without a single apology for their actions.
Facing the dry well, everyone was silent. Xiang Ye even lay on the well crying uncontrollably.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
Mao looked up sadly, thinking that the villagers who were trying to grab the water were still unwilling to give up, and asked blankly:
"Who is it?"
"It's my aunt, Qiangzi."
When Mao heard someone coming, she pretended to be strong and went to open the door. She saw Fang Qiang standing at the door, carrying a few pieces of wood and with a dry, cracked mouth.
Seeing the door open, he looked towards the crying sound, then said with red eyes:
"Xiangye, Auntie, I won't let anything happen to you. I got the news too late this time. I will protect you well in the future."
The two young people had fallen in love with each other, and Mao had planned to build a courtyard house for them this year to get married. However, a famine year ruined all their plans.
But Fang Qiang never gave in, either at home or outside. Except for not getting married, he took on almost all the hard work at home.
Fang Qiang helped Xiang Ye up with heartache.
Xiangye had a good cry and felt much better after letting out her feelings. Now she felt a little ashamed. She stood aside shyly and whispered:
"I'm fine, I just wanted to cry."
Mao looked at the wood on the ground and asked doubtfully:
"Qiangzi, what are you doing with the wood?"
"Oh, I think your gate is still a little weak. I'll reinforce it. Don't open the door for others if you have nothing to do in the future."
As he said this, he picked up the wood and started working.
Wen Xi returned to the kitchen in silence, looking at the little water in the vat, feeling a headache.
Unexpectedly, the well was the cause of both success and failure. This spring well eventually brought disaster to his family.
The Mao family also caught the last bus to get water. Every day, that little bucket of water kept the family alive.
Fortunately, the well at Ye Erniang's place still produced a little water, but it was only enough for her own use. Wen Xi would occasionally go to get some, but she couldn't go often because it was too chaotic outside. Her family wouldn't let her go out. As long as she didn't die of thirst, she would be fine. She'd just wait until the snow fell in winter.
So the family couldn’t even smell their own body odor, let alone taking a bath.
One ladle of water a day is indeed too little. If you use it to cook, it will waste even more water.
So Wen Xi came up with a plan: he cooked the flour in a dry pot, then brewed it with hot water and drank it. It was barely enough to eat and drink.
If they were extremely thirsty and there was no water, some people would take out radishes to quench their thirst.
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