We traveled for most of an hour.
Once they could no longer see Shanqing Village in the distance, Ye Wenxue and the children felt relieved and slowed down their pace.
Only then did Ye Wenxue have time to examine the few children who had been given away for free after transmigrating into the book.
The drought has lasted for several months, and there is very little drinking water, let alone other water use.
So all the children, including the original owner of the body, were filthy.
The tattered hemp clothes he was wearing hadn't been washed for months and emitted an indescribable odor.
Even so, the children all seemed to be in good spirits.
Her thin face had bright eyes, her hair was neatly styled, and her clothes were tidy, showing no signs of being disheveled or exhausted.
The four children walked for more than half an hour under the increasingly hot sun, sweat pouring down their faces and backs, but they did not complain of hardship or fatigue.
Even Siwang, who was only four and a half years old, did not cry or stop, but gritted his teeth and continued to move forward tremblingly.
Ye Wenxue couldn't bear to see this, so she asked the children to take turns resting on the cart. At first, the three children refused, afraid of adding unnecessary burden.
It's obvious at a glance that the original owner and her husband raised the child very well.
The little round baby on my back is even more worry-free. She doesn't cry or fuss, and falls into a deep sleep after just one diaper change.
Ye Wenxue's last remaining hesitation and doubt disappeared.
She borrowed the original owner's body, so she should help her take care of and raise several children who were not yet able to support themselves.
Ye Wenxue's gaze didn't avert, and she stared at him for a long time, until Dazhuang, who was walking with his head down, turned around in confusion:
"Mother, what's wrong?"
Ye Wenxue shook her head and looked ahead:
"Hold on a little longer, we'll find a stream to get something to eat."
Dazhuang nodded, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and continued pushing the cart without stopping.
Shuangshuang and Siwang cheered, instantly perking up and quickening their pace.
Sanyuan puffed out his cheeks and walked forward at a leisurely pace.
The different postures of the children brought a slight smile to Ye Wenxue's face.
Apart from Yuanyuan, who is still unable to walk, the four older children have distinct personalities.
Dazhuang is the eldest brother. He has already turned eight and has been studying under Scholar Cheng—who is also the original owner's prime minister—for two years. He has become more mature and steady.
The second and third children are twins, both six years old, but their personalities are completely different.
The older sister, Shuangshuang, is lively and active, while the younger brother, Sanyuan, is gentle and well-behaved.
The fourth child, Siwang, is four and a half years old. He has a large frame and looks quite sturdy. He's at the age where he's active and mischievous.
Before long, they arrived at the stream.
The stream had long since dried up, leaving only bare, cracked silt and stones at the bottom.
The wild vegetables and weeds that grew naturally on both sides were either completely plucked or withered and died.
Only a few large trees with well-developed root systems around the area had sprouted some tender buds on their treetops, faintly revealing a sense of vitality.
But the leaves, bark, and tender roots of the trees in the lower parts of the trees were dug up and eaten by passing refugees, and it was unknown whether they could survive this scorching heat.
Ye Wenxue stopped the cart, seeking refuge from the increasingly scorching sun under the shade of a tree, and watched as the children eagerly ran towards the stream ten steps away.
The children had already anticipated that there was no water in the stream.
But seeing this scene with my own eyes, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Da Zhuang suppressed the thirst in his throat, bent over and scanned the stream, trying to find a water source or wild vegetables.
Shuangshuang and Siwang, unwilling to give up, jumped to the bottom of the stream and kept feeling around on the rocks.
In the shade under the tree, Ye Wenxue loosened her grip on Xiao Yuanyuan's back, wiped the sweat from her face and body with a clean cloth, and then carried her around the trees twice.
Little Yuanyuan had been carried all the way, and even though Ye Wenxue carefully used a breathable cloth to shield her from the sun, she was still listless and lacked energy.
Ye Wenxue fed her a small sip of spiritual spring water taken from her space, then avoided Sanyuan who was staying behind, and changed Xiaoyuan's diaper.
She had never done this kind of work before, and her movements were not very skilled.
But with the original owner's memories intact, one can barely manage to imitate the original.
After her diaper was changed, Yuanyuan made a few sounds that were hard to understand but seemed quite happy.
It kept waving its little arms and legs.
Ye Wenxue tapped her little nose, and was about to call Dazhuang and the other two back to rest when she looked up and saw several people walking towards her.
They slowly approached, looked at the three children in the stream, and called out to Ye Wenxue, who was protecting two of the children:
"Don't waste your energy. This stream is dry upstream, let alone in this godforsaken place."
"Why don't you come with us to the neighboring county town? I heard the drought there isn't as bad, and if you're quick, you might be able to find some food."
Ye Wenxue smiled and politely declined their offer.
Upon hearing the noise, Da Zhuang and the other two immediately climbed up and rushed over to protect Ye Wenxue and the cart.
Seeing the wariness and defensiveness in the eyes of the one adult and four children, the group didn't care and continued on their way.
Once the figures of the group disappeared from sight, Dazhuang cautiously looked around. Finding no one else, he lifted the oil paper covering the wooden bucket, scooped out a small ladle of water, and brought it to Ye Wenxue's side.
"Mom, have some water first."
Shuangshuang, Sanyuan, and Siwang licked their dry lips, their eyes following the water ladle with eager anticipation.
The river water in the wooden bucket bounced constantly as the cart jolted, and it looked quite murky at first glance.
Ye Wenxue shook her head and pointed to the water bag hanging on the cart:
"This water isn't very clean; you can't drink it raw. You should drink the water from the water bag instead."
The water pouch contained the spiritual spring water she had just poured in while Sanyuan wasn't looking.
Although it's still tap water, it's much cleaner.
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