After a long while without hearing Ye Wenxue's response, Dazhuang, carrying a torch, entered the cave.
"Mom, dinner's ready. I cooked it; I used the pork bones I'd saved especially for this dish to stew with lichen, wood ear mushrooms, and other mushrooms. It smells amazing! But..."
“We just haven’t found a new water source,” his voice gradually lowered, but he quickly cheered up. “But don’t worry, Mother, we’ll keep looking, we’ll definitely find one.”
Ye Wenxue smiled and beckoned him over, pointing to the small hole:
"Come and see, what is this?"
Dazhuang shoved the torch into Siwang's hand, then cautiously leaned closer to take a look, and his eyes widened in surprise.
He looked away from Ye Wenxue as if he couldn't believe it.
Ye Wenxue nodded: "You're not mistaken, it's a lake right outside the cave. We won't have to worry about droughts and water shortages anymore."
Dazhuang lay back down and looked around the cave entrance again and again.
After a long pause, he choked up.
Before the drought, water was not a precious thing; it was readily available everywhere, from the well at the entrance of Shanqing Village to the river that flowed around the fields in front of the village, and from the rain that fell every day.
In years of severe drought, many people die from lack of water, and many others sell their children to beg for water and food.
Even Father was beaten to death while fighting for water, and Mother was also killed because of it...
Dazhuang raised his hand to cover his eyes, and couldn't help but wonder: If he had taken the whole family into the mountains beforehand, would his parents have been... safe and sound?
He knew it was all wishful thinking.
Without Ye Wenxue, they would not have been able to safely leave Shanqing Village and come to the mountains, nor would they have been able to find such a suitable valley to settle in in the vast mountains, let alone find the lake that was right under their noses.
But... he hated it!
Ye Wenxue understood his thoughts.
After learning the cause of her parents' death, Ye Wenxue felt guilty more than once:
If she didn't have superpowers, her parents wouldn't have died; if her powers were stronger, perhaps she could have protected everyone; if...
But in this world, how many "maybes" are there?
Siwang noticed his elder brother's unusual behavior, took two steps forward helplessly, and then stopped.
Ye Wenxue patted Dazhuang on the shoulder to comfort him.
This child is only eight years old.
If you can't figure it out now, you might...
The ruthless and merciless methods of the main villain in the original book flashed through her mind.
After he wiped away his tears and looked up, Ye Wenxue smiled gently:
"We can't change the past, but we have to work hard for a better future. You have to set a good example for your younger siblings."
Dazhuang quickly calmed himself down, his eyes dimming slightly: "Mother, let's go eat."
Ye Wenxue stood up and pulled Dazhuang up with her hand: "Hmm, come on, Mom is starving, it smells so good."
"Of course! I found a patch of ginger, and my brother used it for seasoning. It's much tastier than eating meat on its own!" Siwang said proudly, shaking his head.
Ye Wenxue and Dazhuang did not refute his words. Each of them rubbed Siwang's head, and the three of them happily went out of the cave to eat.
Da Zhuang was somewhat distracted during the meal.
Sanyuan, being more perceptive, quickly noticed his elder brother's unusual behavior. He leaned closer to Dazhuang and whispered:
"Big brother, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Dazhuang said, coming back to his senses. "It's just that...we spent the whole afternoon looking for a new water source, and Mom just found it."
"Huh?" Four voices rang out in succession.
The goose couldn't help but trot over, honking its feet, and called out several times to Ye Wenxue, who was feeding Yuanyuan after she had finished eating.
Ye Wenxue ignored it and first explained to Shuangshuang and the other two who were staring at her expectantly:
"I discovered it by accident. Right outside the cave where we live, there is a large lake with plenty of water in the center, so we don't have to worry about water during the dry season."
Shuangshuang and Siwang were delighted and quickened their eating, planning to finish quickly so they could go take a look.
Sanyuan scratched his head: "But the valley is quite high up from the lake, so it's not very convenient to go down and fetch water."
He really wanted to ask if there was a shortcut.
It's impossible to jump off the cliff along the path leading into the valley, is it?
He... is a little afraid of heights.
Ye Wenxue and Dazhuang were both taken aback.
They were both lost in their memories and their emotions were unstable, so they didn't notice this for a moment.
Noticing that neither of them had said anything, they tentatively suggested, "How about I go scout ahead? I'm really good at climbing trees."
Siwang disagreed: "I want to go too. There must be small fish and shrimp in the lake. I need to change the food for the geese."
The goose honked twice at Ye Wenxue with satisfaction, as if complaining that she only made empty promises and didn't improve its food.
"...I'll go. The cave is about fifty meters above the ground, it's really high. Let me go first to scout out a shortcut, and then we'll take you down to play in turn."
"good!"
The next day, Ye Wenxue woke up early in the morning and saw several children crowding around the small hole, looking out over their heads.
Little Yuanyuan, who was left unattended, was the first to notice that she was awake. She quickly climbed into Ye Wenxue's arms and babbled, accusing her older brothers and sisters of being unreliable.
Ye Wenxue tapped her little nose, changed Xiao Yuanyuan's diaper, shifted her to a more comfortable position, and looked up to ask:
"Are you hungry? Mom will go cook. What would you like to eat today?"
Sanyuan recalled last night's meal: "I want to eat meat!"
Ye Wenxue thought to herself, "It really is something Sanyuan would say."
"Mom, we're not hungry, anything will do." Shuangshuang turned and snuggled against Ye Wenxue, pleading, "Why don't you take me with you to scout the way today? I'll be a good girl!"
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