"Roar~"
While Xie Yushu and the others were still in shock, a deep roar came...
Xie Yushu instinctively looked towards the direction from which the sound came. Above the pool, by the cliff cave, two striped tigers were coiled up, glaring at them menacingly, while two tiger cubs looked at them curiously. Xie Yushu's heart skipped a beat, but this was not the worst of it.
"Black bear! Everyone be careful!"
"Ah! Wolves! Wolves! So many wolves!"
The shouts nearly scared everyone out of their wits, and chaos erupted immediately.
It turns out that the cave above was a cliff, which should have been a water source. However, it was occupied by tigers, black bears, and wolves, so these wild goats, deer, badgers, roe deer, chickens, ducks, geese, dogs, snakes, and other small creatures had to go to this underground pool of water!
It seems that everyone within a hundred miles who can still breathe is here!
"Shut up, all of you! Anyone who calls me again will be killed by me!"
Liu Qiang shouted a few times, and everyone shut up!
"Big brother, what do we do now?"
One of Liu's brothers asked
"Damn it! Let me think!"
Liu Qiang cursed in frustration.
Xie Baotian and the others also asked, trembling.
"What should we do? Should we take this water or not?"
Xie Yushu replied
"Take it, of course we'll take it! Otherwise we'll die of thirst!"
Xie Tianqi tugged at Xie Yushu's sleeve and stammered...
"Sister, how do we get across? A lot of these snakes are poisonous!"
"And tigers, black bears, and wolves."
Xie Tianming also swallowed hard and said...
"Let's see how it goes first!"
After Xie Yushu finished speaking, everyone held their breath, keeping their eyes and ears open!
No one moved or uttered a sound; time stood still for about fifteen minutes before Xie Yushu spoke.
"They won't attack us unless we approach them, but if we're offered meat, they won't be polite. This is clearly the law of survival at this time, and they treat each other the same way!"
Wolves will eat sheep and rabbits when they are hungry, but those being eaten will not leave just because wolves are eating them. Everyone is risking their lives to gather here for this saliva!
We really had to snatch food from the tiger's mouth this time!
"Hey Xie! Didn't you say you had snake repellent powder? Show it to me!"
A relative from the Liu family shouted
Liu Qiang and the others also looked at her.
"We have the medicine powder, but not much. There are more snakes here than I expected! I can't guarantee that we can drive them all away, and there are other big guys eyeing us. We can't just barge in like this!"
The third son of the Liu family stared wide-eyed and said
"What else can we do but charge in? Are we just going to watch ourselves die of thirst? We might as well risk getting bitten and at least have a good drink before we die!"
Liu Qiang turned around and asked Xie Yushu
What's your idea?
Xie Yushu let out a long sigh of relief.
"I'm thinking of splitting our two groups into four teams. We'll put the snake-repelling powder in the torches to maximize its effect. One team will use the torches to clear the way, another team will fetch water, one team will defend against the big guy above, and the third team will provide support and deal with any emergencies!"
However, for everyone involved, life and death are entirely in the hands of fate! Time is running out, and the darker it gets, the worse it will be for us. Let's decide who will clear the way and who will fetch water!
The only group in relatively low danger among the four is obviously the support group, while the most dangerous group is undoubtedly the path-clearing group.
The Liu brothers went to discuss it on their own.
Xie Yujiao turned around and asked Xie Baotian
"Father, what are your and Second Uncle's plans?"
Xie Baotian looked at Xie Baoshu and the children and said
"Your second uncle and I will go; you guys stay outside and provide backup!"
"That's what I meant too!" Xie Baoshu added.
"Yu Shu! Your second uncle sees that you're quite adventurous, even more so than your brothers. After you fetch the water, make sure you lead them out safely. Your second uncle thanks you!"
Xie Baotian also nodded and gave instructions.
"Tianlin, Tianming, Tianqi, you are brothers, blood is thicker than water. If something happens to your second uncle and me, you will be the pillars of the family. Take good care of your grandma and your mother, and keep an eye on your sisters, whether they are in their husband's family or their own family, and don't let them suffer!"
Xie Tianlin and the others became anxious.
"Dad, how can we let you go? We're young and quick, we'll go!"
"Yes, let's go! We're fast, and we can fill the water tank quickly too!" Xie Tianqi and Xie Tianming chimed in eagerly.
"Nonsense! What can you kids do? Take the water back properly and live a good life!"
"No, we're going! You and Second Uncle will provide backup."
"Alright, stop arguing!" Xie Yushu said, trying to stop the argument.
"Whether we stay or leave, it's for the other's good. No matter what happens, our hearts are together. Let's stop arguing and listen to my arrangements!"
Xie Baotian and the others nodded in agreement after hearing what Xie Yushu said.
"Okay, you've been leading the team all this way, so you can make the arrangements. No matter what happens, we won't blame you!"
The others also nodded in agreement.
"Big Brother has a head injury and is bleeding a lot. He's not in good spirits and shouldn't do strenuous exercise. He'll stay outside to provide support. Tianming will also stay outside to take care of Big Brother. Dad will light torches to clear the way. Tianqi and Second Uncle will go get water. I'll go in with everyone and join the defense team to make sure everyone is safe!"
After Xie Yushu finished speaking and saw that everyone nodded in agreement, she turned to ask Old Man Xiao and the others how they would arrange things.
Old Man Xiao hesitated for a long time before saying
"Let the eldest son's wife and the fourth son's wife clear the way, and the eldest son go fetch water. My old arms and legs can't run anymore, so I'll stay outside and provide support!"
Li and Xie Yujiao had just woken up when they heard that they were to clear the way, and they were so frightened that they backed away repeatedly.
No, no, I'm not going.
"Honey, I...I..."
Li's words were trembling and incomplete.
Seeing this, Xiao Dayong couldn't bear it any longer and said...
"Dad, let my wife fill the water tank. She gave me four children and suffered with me for so many years. She's done right by our family. I can't just stand by and watch her go to her death! Besides, filling the water tank isn't hard work. She can fill it faster than I can!"
Old Man Xiao waved his hand
"You two are in this together, so you decide! I don't care if you're willing to die for her!"
Upon hearing this, Boss Xiao patted Li's back.
"Don't be afraid, I'll clear the way, you go and fill the water tank!"
"But what about you, sir? I...I..."
"Alright, that's settled then!"
Seeing this, Xie Yujiao quickly ran to Old Man Xiao and tried to please him.
"Dad, let me go outside with you to provide backup! In case of danger, I can protect you! Right?"
“If you don’t go fetch water, what will you drink in your room? Your mother and our whole family are counting on your eldest brother and sister-in-law to fetch water! Do you think that if you don’t help, who among these people will share a drop of water with you? If you can’t even do this simple thing right, do you still want to be the wife of a scholar?”
"But, but, there are so many snakes, I'm too scared! Sister-in-law, why don't you help me fill the water hyacinth? I'll come get you!"
"I can barely keep up with my own thirst, I don't have time to care about you! You either come with me, or you die of thirst!"
"Sister-in-law, I'm only doing this to get water for Lao Si. If I take the water back, Lao Si will drink most of it anyway. If you help him now, you'll definitely benefit from it when he becomes successful in the future."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
