Afterwards, the tribespeople who went to fetch water consciously lowered their voices and quietly followed behind Xia Shi to fetch water.
"Shushu, we're here." Xia Hua called out as she looked at An Shuyi waiting in front.
This place is some distance from where they just took a bath, and she intentionally led them away from it. That place was probably still damp because they had water on the ground, and she couldn't let them know that.
Their hair was wet, but at most they would wipe it with water to cool off when they found it. Otherwise, the tribespeople wouldn't think too much about it.
An Shuyi nodded, "The pond is just ahead," and then she and Xia Hua walked forward and led them there.
Before they even got close, the tribespeople saw the pond and rushed over, exclaiming, "My God, it really is water! Sister An, Sister Xia, you're amazing! You go out for a walk every day, not just to find water, are you!"
“That must be it. Otherwise, after traveling all day, why would you two sisters-in-law still come out to wander around? I think it’s to find water. You two sisters-in-law have really worked hard.” Another clansman chimed in.
"?"
An Shuyi and Xia Hua exchanged a glance. They hadn't expected that they would be given such a great credit for just sneaking out for a meal. Looking at the two people who were speaking, Lin Changkai and Lin Changhu, they were the same two who had said they could kill a lot of refugees last time.
"It's not hard work, hurry up and get some water, it's not safe in the dark." The two didn't explain, being misunderstood was fine, this way they would have a legitimate reason to go out in the future.
The villagers then took out their water containers and began to draw water. Village Chief Lin reminded them from the side, "Slow down, don't make the water dirty."
So many people came to fetch water. The pond wasn't very big; it only took three people to pull it around. However, it was quite deep, and there were small stones at the bottom, making the water look crystal clear. I must say, those two women are really good at swimming.
They can fight refugees and find water. How come he never noticed before that these two sisters-in-law were so capable? No, actually, the two sisters-in-law were capable before. Sister An was good at giving birth to sons, and Sister Xia was good at working. Sure enough, no matter what, they are not ordinary people.
The tribesmen who filled the water container first were responsible for carrying it back first. However, they were very careful. By the time they filled all the containers they had used to hold the water, there was only a little water left.
An Shuyi looked at Village Chief Lin and said, "Village Chief, let's go back first and let the water run overnight. When we get up tomorrow morning, let the older women and their wives bring their children to wash. It's hot, and a wash will make us feel more comfortable."
Village Chief Lin nodded, "Then I'll listen to my sister-in-law. But Sister-in-law An and Sister-in-law Xia, please just call me 'Wooden Head.' Let's go back first and come back tomorrow." He still preferred his two sisters-in-law to call him "Wooden Head," as calling him "Village Chief" made him feel uneasy.
"You guys, cut some branches to block the way, keep quiet and don't talk. We'll talk about it when we get back."
After the pond was cordoned off, the group quietly returned to their resting place and began to discuss the matter. They poured out all the things they hadn't said before.
Thanks to the water supply, the tribespeople no longer looked worried; even when they slept, they could hear people talking quietly.
Before dawn the next day, An Shuyi got up early to take the children to wash up. She also asked her eldest daughter-in-law to call the clansmen. However, it was mostly women with children, and the children were all young. She called her mother and her sister-in-law. Then, the whole group headed there in a grand procession.
Seeing that the small pond was already full, everyone began to prepare to take a bath and wash their hair. Worried that the water was too cold and might make the children catch a cold, the women also brought firewood and a large pot. They lit a fire and quickly heated the water, but everyone remembered to keep their voices down.
An Shuyi also set up a large pot, two pots, because Xia Hua and her mother-in-law, as well as An's mother and sister-in-law, were with them. Since it was for bathing, she bought two pieces of gray cloth for privacy, tore the cloth apart and wrapped it up so they could bathe inside.
She and Xia Hua didn't need to wash, but there were still children and An's mother. Soon the water was hot, so those who wanted to bathe went inside and those who wanted to wash their hair went outside. They worked separately until there wasn't much water left, and by then it was already dawn.
Because there was water, we set off a little later than usual today. When it was broad daylight, the men took their clothes and went to the pond. Xiao Wu was too weak, so An Shuyi told the eldest brother to heat some water for him to wash, so he wouldn't get sick.
After the men returned, Village Chief Lin counted the number of people and set off. The day was filled with joy and laughter. Everyone was eager to talk, and the group was full of chatter. Compared to the lifeless refugees, it was like heaven and earth.
Moreover, when they left the pond, Village Chief Lin instructed them not to block it with tree branches, as any refugees passing by would be able to see it unless they were blind.
When they stopped to rest in the evening, An Shuyi and Xia Hua did not go out to sneak a meal again today. They were tired of eating roast chicken and roast duck for the past few days. Although they ate rice from time to time, there were no side dishes, so the food was not flavorful enough.
So the two decided not to eat out tonight, but to have their daughter-in-law cook extra rice, which they would then save for themselves so that they could have rice to eat with the self-heating hot pot tomorrow.
An Shuyi looked at her eldest daughter-in-law, who was starting a fire, and said, "Zhao, cook more rice tonight. I have some oil here, so add some when you stir-fry the vegetables."
“Yes, Mother!” Zhao looked up and said respectfully, taking the small jar. “Mother, where did you get this oil? It’s really good, it looks so clear.”
"I just grabbed it randomly, I forgot. You hurry up and cook, I'll get more rice myself later." She left after saying that. She didn't want Zhao to get more rice, since she always put food on Zhao's plate. To be honest, Zhao's cooking skills were really bad, you could say they were terrible.
Maybe everyone here cooks the same way, so it has no flavor at all. It's just boiled, then a little oil is added, and then salt is added. It's not stir-frying at all, it's just boiling. The thing is, other people seem to enjoy it.
It's a pity they're fleeing famine now, otherwise she really wanted to teach her two daughters-in-law how to cook. Although she didn't know how, she had seen it done and teaching wouldn't be a problem.
Moreover, neither of the two daughters-in-law are particularly stupid; they will definitely learn after a period of instruction.
After the rice was cooked, An Shuyi went to get another bowl. "You all finish the rest. I'll go back to the carriage to eat."
"Mother, you haven't picked up any food yet?" Zhao called out hurriedly as her mother-in-law was about to leave.
"I want something light. You all can have the stir-fried dishes. Eat as much as you like, don't waste any." After saying that, she hurriedly got into the carriage, afraid that if she was a step too late, her eldest daughter-in-law would call her again.
I took out one of her bowls, poured the rice into it, and then put the rice in the storage room. Last time, she used an instant noodle box to hold the rice, which made Hua Hua complain a lot. After that, I bought her a few bowls, chopsticks, and other things.
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