The next day, before dawn, Wen Xi got up and put on a hat and sun protection gear.
Mao went to the main room, brought a bowl and a knife, and put the knife on it. Wen Xi was so scared that she grabbed her mother's knife hand:
"Mom, what are you doing?"
"It's such a long way, I'm afraid you can't walk. You need water and enough physical strength."
"But, that's not necessary..."
Mao smiled and stroked Wen Xi's hair with her other hand:
"Just this once. Once your spirit is safely brought back, I won't do this again."
She shook Wen Xi's hand off and slashed her arm with the knife. Blood immediately flowed out. Almost half a bowl of blood flowed. Mao wanted to continue, but Wen Xi refused to let her. With tears streaming down her face, she picked up the cloth and bandaged her.
Mao finally felt better and she tremblingly picked up the half bowl of blood and handed it to Wen Xi's mouth.
Looking at the bright red blood in the bowl, Wen Xi suddenly felt that she was not thirsty at all. She was about to refuse.
Mao came to her mouth and urged:
"Drink it quickly, or don't go. We'll die of thirst together."
Wen Xi closed her eyes and forced herself to take two gulps. The bloody taste in her mouth almost made her vomit. Mao quickly patted her on the back.
"Hold it in, hold it in, don't vomit, don't vomit."
Wen Xi was quiet for a while before she recovered from the nausea and tried her best to ignore what she had drunk.
Mao smiled and handed the bowl over again. Wen Xi pushed it away and said:
"Mom, I'm done drinking. Don't worry, I'll definitely come back safely. You know I've been able to escape danger since I was a child. Give the rest to my little brother! He needs it more than anyone else right now. You must wait for me to come back with the water."
After saying this, he left without looking back, lowering his head and letting his tears drip into the dry earth.
Arriving at the gathering place in the village, including Wen Xi, there were only seven people going. The leader was the village chief's eldest son, Fu Qiang. He frowned and said:
"Forget it, I guess he won't come, let's go!"
The journey there was relatively smooth because the sun was not out and the temperature was not that high.
Arriving in the county, Wen Xi first lined up to get water before going to the embroidery shop.
I knocked on the door for a long time before it opened.
"Master, what's wrong with you?"
Ye Erniang had her arm hanging in front of her chest and her head was wrapped in gauze.
Ye Erniang pulled Wen Xi in, looked around, and then closed the door:
"Why are you coming here at this hour? It's so dangerous. Your mother, too, why did she let you come here alone?"
"There's no water in the village anymore, and Brother Qiangzi got injured while trying to get water, so... By the way, Master, what happened to your injury?"
"Hey, I found some water a couple of days ago and wanted to bring it to you, but two bandits suddenly broke into my house. So we had a fight and got a few injuries. Luckily they looked down on me, otherwise I wouldn't have been so injured."
"Is your arm okay?"
"It's okay, it's okay, just a little bit dislocated. It's basically healed. I was planning to get some water tonight and visit you tomorrow! By the way, I will bring you water from time to time in the future. Don't come out again. The people circulating outside now are not just refugees. They are a group of desperate bandits."
Wen Xi asked curiously:
"Master, your well has been dry for a long time. Where do you get water?"
Ye Erniang smiled mysteriously:
"Keep it a secret for now. I'll take you there tonight and you'll know. You must be thirsty! Come over and have a drink. I still have plenty here."
As he spoke, he held up a small earthenware jar and handed it to her. Although it was a lot, it was actually only half a jar.
Wen Xi picked it up and took two sips with great care.
Then they both went to sleep to recuperate. When the night was still, Ye Erniang removed the bandage and shook her still aching arm. She pushed Wen Xi awake:
"It's almost time, let's go!"
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