After a short break and some pancakes, we had to get on with our journey again.
They had been walking for a whole day. Because it was a mountain road with lush trees, the total distance was only about ten kilometers, which could barely be considered as crossing a mountain.
The forest was lush with trees, and once we entered the mountain, we could no longer see any trace of Linjia Village.
Women are nest-building creatures, and they are extremely reluctant to leave home. Lin Rui has seen his mother weeping towards Linjia Village more than once. Even shrewd aunts like Zhang Dacui and Yu Lanhua have sad faces.
Lin Rui's soles ached from walking; blisters must have formed. His brother-in-law, Zhao Qing, and San Liang were still pushing the wheelbarrow steadily. His eldest sister, carrying a bag and a bag on her back, had her face and neck tightly wrapped in a headscarf.
Mu Tou and San Liang got along very well together and were inseparable along the way.
My sister-in-law, Mrs. Lu, followed the ox cart carrying a basket. The basket was filled with pots and wooden basins that took up space but were not actually too heavy.
"Roar!" A tiger roar came from the dense jungle. A large group of pheasants flew past their team, and musk deer half as tall as a man also fled away.
Zhao Qing wiped the sweat from his forehead and laughed, "We won't starve to death in the mountains!"
Deep mountains and ancient forests are associated with danger, but they are also a place of treasure. In ancient times, there was no concept of wild animal protection. If you could hunt one, it was a feat. Of course, don't let tigers or cheetahs hunt you, as they would be eaten to pieces.
Lin Zizheng and Lin Ziyang looked at the wild birds flying past and were eager to try. If they could hunt one, they could have meat at home.
The chickens and ducks my parents raised had been salted on the way here, and they probably wouldn't take them out easily unless they were completely destitute. If I wanted some meat, I'd have to rely on my half-baked hunting skills.
All the people here combined are not half as good at hunting as Lin Rui's brother-in-law Zhao Qing, but it would be great if they could catch a pheasant or two by following him.
The idea is good, but the team will not stop advancing just because wild birds appear. Otherwise, they will have to leave the mountains sometime. They can only set some traps while everyone is resting and wait for the prey to fall into the trap.
The temperature difference in each area of the woods is different. Lin Rui estimated that the temperature in the previous area was only 26 or 27 degrees, which is the most suitable temperature range for the human body.
After leaving this area, the vegetation became noticeably less and the temperature suddenly rose again. In just a few minutes, everyone was once again in the woods with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.
Big drops of sweat rolled down his body. Lin Rui had watched wilderness survival programs before. At such a temperature, one would lose at least three liters of sweat every hour. If water is not replenished in time, there is a risk of dehydration.
The water they had replenished at the previous stream was running out, and in such high temperatures outside, the water consumption far exceeded the demand for food.
People can only survive for a few days in an environment without water, but can survive for more than 20 days if there is sufficient water. This shows the importance of water resources.
Zhao Qing was an experienced hunter, so Lin Rui asked him to take the lead this time, hoping to find a source of water before sunset. He was also extremely thirsty and missed the Coke, Fanta, milk, and iced tea in the refrigerator at home...
Stop, stop, he couldn't think about it anymore. The more he thought about it, the more thirsty he felt. He just wanted to find a deserted place to disappear for a while, fill his stomach, and then come out.
We walked until the sun set, but found no trace of water.
Everyone was a little panicked. The less they had of something, the more they felt they were lacking. Everyone felt extremely thirsty, and the vicious cycle of drinking water continued.
"Mom, is there any water in the jar?"
"There's still a little left. Hold on for a while. If you can't find anything else, drink more."
"Grandma, I'm thirsty!"
Although children don't have to walk, they will still feel thirsty due to the long-term high temperature and sweat loss. Adults are like this, they would rather suffer themselves than let their children suffer.
When fleeing famine, people thought food was the most important thing. If people don't eat, they will starve to death. No matter when, for ordinary people, the fear of dying of thirst is far less than that of starvation. But when they are really thirsty, they realize the importance of water.
Even though Lin Rui and his friends only brought plenty of food when they left home, and only filled their water bags and water tanks, this lesson made them realize the preciousness of water.
Fortunately, God was kind to them. When it was about to get dark, Zhao Qing finally found a deep puddle among the rocks.
The area of the puddle is only about seven or eight square meters, and the height is about one meter. However, it has not rained for a long time, and the high temperature has caused evaporation, so now it is only half as high, barely reaching the level of a person's calf.
There was no running water inside. There was a layer of dead leaves and many animal footprints around. It seemed that this was the only water source nearby.
"Water, water!" Lin Zijun was extremely thirsty, so he hurried forward and scooped up the water in his hands to drink.
"Don't drink it yet!" Lin Rui shouted hurriedly. This unsterilized stagnant water contains an entire chemical periodic table, and is also accompanied by animal feces, urine and hair. These are inevitable in the wild.
The most effective way to kill viruses now is to boil it: "Boil it before drinking, otherwise you will have diarrhea."
Lin Zijun felt that if he was a step later he would really die of thirst, so he quickly scooped up some water with his hands and drank two more sips. However, Lin Ziming, who was closest to him, pulled him away again: "Cousin, I've endured it all afternoon, so I don't mind this little while!"
Lin Zijun's thirst was temporarily quenched, and he didn't worry about it anymore. He took the gourd ladle from the ox cart and scooped water from the puddle. His mother Yu Lanhua and his wife Niu Qin had already started a fire to boil water.
The other three households also started to get busy. Lin Susu boiled the water, which was still mossy green. Lin Rui really wanted to go into the house and take out a box of mineral water, but they would probably think they saw a ghost if it suddenly disappeared.
There was still some water left in his water bag, which he shared with the pregnant Lin Zaozao and the three children. Pregnant women and children must be given priority at all times. Moreover, they were all blood relatives who had done favors for the original owner, so he had to fulfill his duty to take care of them.
Before the sweat had even dried, boiling, muddy water was poured into bamboo cups and shared among everyone. My parents had no problem with drinking this dirty water. In the past, when they'd finished their water bags working in the wasteland, they'd just scoop up the muddy water from the nearest puddle and drink it. Nothing had happened!
My sister-in-law, Mrs. Lu, and Lin Susu and Zhao Qing, also took small sips from their bamboo cups, looking like they were accepting the drink.
Lin Rui sighed inwardly, thinking that he was the only one who was out of place. Sometimes knowing too much would create psychological barriers for oneself. If he was really the original owner, he would have accepted the glass of water without blinking an eye.
Because I couldn't find a clean water source, I skipped cooking tonight. Dinner was still hard pancakes that were enough to choke you. I couldn't cook with green sewage. After drinking a glass, Lin Rui didn't know how much mental preparation he had to put in.
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