Chapter 2: Finding Water. A formal survival mission is now issued: Find...
Wen Yu was startled and looked in the direction of the sound.
There, leaning against the door of the dilapidated thatched hut next door, was an old woman with gray, withered hair and a thin figure.
The old woman leaned against the doorframe, her eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at Wen Yu and the broken hoe in her hand.
This is Aunt Wang, the neighbor. In the original owner's memory, she was a taciturn and pitiful person.
But ever since the original owner's parents passed away, this lonely old woman seemed to pay special attention to this poor orphan girl, occasionally giving the original owner some dry food that was barely enough to fill her stomach, which was the only warmth the original owner had in this famine.
Aunt Wang, leaning on a wooden stick as a crutch, walked shakily to Wen Yu.
When she saw the small, shallow pit that Wen Yu had painstakingly carved at his feet, she couldn't help but sigh.
"Girl, this land has been dry for so long, nothing will grow here."
"Auntie..." Wen Yu didn't know how to explain her behavior for a moment.
If she doesn't plant it, she will surely die; if she does, there might be a glimmer of hope.
She forced herself to say, "Auntie, I have my reasons, I have to plant it..."
"You silly girl!" Aunt Wang sighed again, pointing to the hard ground with her finger. "This ground is as hard as iron. How can you dig it up like this? We need to find some water and soak it first!"
As she spoke, she unconsciously licked her dry, chapped lips.
Clearly, in those times of famine and drought, the word "water" was an extremely luxurious thought for her.
"Water?" Wen Yu's eyes lit up, then dimmed again.
In this godforsaken place, water is more precious than life itself; where is she supposed to find it?
As if remembering something, Aunt Wang pointed with a wooden stick to the small patch of ground next to where Wen Yu had just "scraped".
“Look, this piece is a little damp underneath, but we still have to be careful.”
Aunt Wang slowly squatted down and gestured to her where the hoe should land.
Wen Yu hesitated for a moment, wanting to hand the hoe to the old woman: "Auntie, you...?"
Aunt Wang waved her hand, indicating that she should do it herself, and gestured with her hands: "Grip your hand like this, don't use brute force. Raise the hoe lower, and sweep it downwards at an angle, carrying soil, not smashing stones... That's right."
Under Aunt Wang's guidance, Wen Yu clumsily adjusted her posture.
Although her movements were still clumsy, she was actually a little more efficient than before when she was just brute force. With each swing of the hoe, she kicked up more soil.
"And now?" Wen Yu asked tentatively, looking at the shallow pit under her feet.
Aunt Wang shook her head: "Dig it any deeper. This shallow pit won't even hold the roots."
The live stream chat seemed to disapprove of her behavior and began to collectively mock and ridicule her.
Oh, you even hired extras?
[Is Miss Wen, lacking in knowledge, finally unable to continue her act and resorting to the "simple and honest villager enthusiastically teaching" route?]
[Heh, even if someone taught her, with her useless appearance, she couldn't possibly grow anything!]
[But you know what, this villager's acting is pretty good. He portrays the poor people better than she does. Suddenly, I'm starting to crave a farming novel.]
[Any recommendations upstairs? I'm running out of reading material...]
I'm looking for a farming game, recommendations please +1
Wen Yu focused all her attention on Aunt Wang's guidance, and surprisingly, she automatically filtered out the gossip and rumors.
The small pit she had created began to deepen gradually with her efforts.
Under the scorching sun, sweat kept streaming into her eyes, stinging them so much she could barely open them. But she didn't have time to care; she just wiped the sweat away haphazardly with her sleeve and continued to focus on her work.
She swung her arms countless times until they were sore and numb she could barely feel them anymore, and finally the small crater was half a foot deep.
The soil at the bottom is slightly darker in color, and you can feel a slight dampness when you put your hand on it.
"Alright." Aunt Wang directed Wen Yu to sow the seeds. "Quickly put the seeds in, cover them with soil, and don't let the moisture escape."
"Be gentle when covering the soil, don't compact it, or it won't germinate well."
Wen Yu took a deep breath, took out the small cloth bag, and then realized that her arms were trembling because she had been digging for too long.
She gently poured out a handful of millet seeds, carefully placed them at the bottom of the pit, and then slowly pushed back the loose soil she had dug out, gently covering the seeds.
After the planting was completed, the system voice finally rang in her ears.
[Ding! The beginner quest "Successfully planted the first seed" is complete!]
[Rewards: +10 points to Physique, Stamina restored to full, one can of purified water, and three days' worth of dry rations.]
As the system notification sounded, Wen Yu's mind stirred.
The earthenware pot that had been empty in her arms suddenly gained weight.
She lifted the lid and found a whole jar full of water that had appeared out of nowhere!
At the same time, a faint warm current flowed through her aching body. Although it could not eliminate the hunger in her stomach, it lessened the feeling of weakness that was on the verge of death, and at least her arms were not shaking as much.
What relieved her even more was that there was now a whole grain pancake in her empty cloth bag. Although it looked incredibly hard, it would at least keep her going for a few more days.
At this point, she no longer had the strength to complain.
That's clean water!
Upon seeing the clean water, Wen Yu realized how parched her throat was and almost instinctively wanted to drink the life-saving water in one gulp.
But after glancing at Granny Wang, who was also thirsty beside her, she suddenly made a decision.
"Aunt Wang," Wen Yu handed her the earthenware pot, "please have some water!"
Looking at the jar of clear water, Aunt Wang subconsciously took a step back, waving her hands repeatedly: "No, girl, you drink it yourself, this is precious..."
She was refusing verbally, but her eyes couldn't leave the handful of water.
In this famine year, every household stored some water, otherwise they would have died of thirst long ago.
But water remains an extremely precious resource; every drop used is a drop less available.
The crops that everyone planted had almost all died due to the drought. Even so, they were reluctant to use the most precious water for irrigation. They could only eat the food that their families had stockpiled day after day, not knowing whether the rain or death would come to this land first.
The famine had lasted too long, and the village wells were almost dried up. The only well that still had water could only produce a little bit of water a day, and it was muddy and bitter.
No one dared to complain, and they took turns sending people there to fetch water to store at home.
If it happens to rain, the whole village will mobilize, with everyone bringing out their pots, pans, and dishes to collect the water.
Aunt Wang hadn't had clean water in who knows how long.
For three years, she had been barely surviving, sometimes hungry and sometimes full, living a life that was barely human.
However, Wen Yu brought out a jar of clear water and asked her to drink it first.
Seeing that Wen Yu insisted on giving her some, Granny Wang reluctantly took the earthenware pot, took a small sip as if holding a rare treasure, and then immediately pushed it back to Wen Yu, her face full of gratitude: "That's enough, girl, you drink it quickly..."
Wen Yu stopped refusing and took the jar, gulping down several large mouthfuls.
The cool liquid slid down her burning throat, and she almost burst into tears. Only then did she realize that she was truly a little further away from death.
This was the first taste of "being alive" she experienced after coming into this world.
She choked up a little and thanked them repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Auntie! I wouldn't have been able to plant them if it weren't for you."
Aunt Wang simply waved her hand, her eyes filled with mixed emotions as she looked at the small pit covered by a shallow mound of soil, still worried: "It's good that it can be planted. Whether it will survive or not depends on whether God will be merciful."
Leaning on her cane, she slowly made her way back to her dilapidated hut.
No one in the live stream was moved; instead, the usual mockery began.
[Pfft, you just planted a handful of seeds, and that's it? And now you're taking a break?]
[Hilarious! Can't you be a little more serious about this show? At least plant some crops on the surrounding land!]
[They pretend to offer her water, and the old lady is so grateful. Are we watching some short drama about global water scarcity decreasing by a hundredfold?]
[Has Wen Yu's team run out of tricks? They think they can whitewash themselves with so few seeds? Do they think we're blind?]
[That's enough, I'll watch it again when she comes up with something new. With the current plot, I'd rather watch a short drama!]
Despite the ridicule, the number of viewers still rose from two thousand to three thousand five.
Wen Yu looked at the still surging mockery on the screen, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
That world, rich in resources, never lacked water and food, yet it only offered her blame.
In this famine-stricken world, which was so close to death, she received her first genuine act of kindness.
Who knows when her reputation will be completely cleared up... Forget it, the right thing to do is to try to survive here first.
Before she could even express her thoughts, the system popped up and gave her an unexpected new task.
[Ding! The tutorial has ended. The official survival mission is now in effect: Find a water source.]
[Mission Description: The water sources in the host's current area have largely dried up. The host is required to find at least one remaining water source within 72 hours.]
[Task Rewards: Basic water purification device, basic tool upgrade.]
[Mission failure penalty: death from dehydration, time limit 72 hours.]
[Note: Based on environmental analysis, the nearest potential water source is located five miles to the northwest in the mountains behind the site. However, there are unknown dangers in this area. Please proceed with caution.]
72 hours, searching for water, five miles away, unknown danger.
The slight warmth that had just arisen from drinking the water vanished without a trace.
Wen Yu looked to the northwest, where there were rolling mountains, covered with forests and wild grass, stretching as far as the eye could see.
There might be dangerous wild animals up there, but she had to go to survive.
If she can't find a water source within three days, she will die.
It turns out that planting a seed is just the beginning.
Without water, whether it's her, Granny Wang, that seed, or all the barely surviving lives on this land, they will all die!
She slowly stood up and gripped the broken hoe tightly.
The system didn't give her any tools, so she took the hoe and went up the mountain.
The ten points of physique she gained from completing the mission have improved her stamina compared to before. Regardless, she has to go and try.
Now, the hoe is no longer just a farming tool.
It was the only weapon she could grasp in this strange world.
A note from the author:
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