Yao Qingshuang straightened up, wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead due to her busy work, turned her head and shouted to Su Wencheng, "Wencheng, hurry up and carry Minglan to the mule cart and put her here."
Upon hearing this, Su Wencheng hurriedly and gently picked up Su Minglan, walked carefully to the mule cart, and then slowly placed Su Minglan in the corner that he had squeezed out with great difficulty.
Yao Qingshuang looked at Su Minglan sitting on the mule cart and said lovingly, "Minglan, just sit on this mule cart and don't move around or try to show off. You've only just recovered, so you need to rest well. Okay?"
As she spoke, she reached out to help Su Minglan tuck her messy hair behind her ears, her eyes full of concern and tenderness.
Yao Qingshuang had just settled Su Minglan when she immediately turned around and glanced at the other children one by one.
She asked softly and with a hint of concern, "Mingyang, Mingfan, Xiaowen, Xiaowu, do you feel unwell? It's hot, and the journey is tiring. If you feel anything wrong, please tell an adult. Don't bear it. Got it?"
"Grandma/Grandma, we are fine." Several children shook their heads vigorously, their little heads shaking like rattles, and at the same time responded loudly, indicating that they were in good health and did not feel uncomfortable at all.
Yao Qingshuang looked at each of them carefully, looking at their rosy little faces, clear and bright eyes, and good spirits, without the slightest sign of fatigue or lethargy due to physical discomfort.
Seeing this, Yao Qingshuang finally breathed a sigh of relief. The heavy stone that had been hanging in her heart finally fell to the ground. She knew that these children should be fine for the time being.
Yao Qingshuang handed the water bag to Su Minglan, her eyes full of concern and love. She said gently, "Minglan, take this water bag. If you feel thirsty, drink some water immediately. Don't force yourself. You must replenish water now to keep your body healthy."
Li Zhaodi, who was standing by, saw her mother-in-law give the water bag to her daughter without hesitation, and a hint of dissatisfaction flashed in her eyes.
She turned her head and looked at her husband, wanting to say something but hesitant. However, to Li Zhaodi's disappointment, Su Wencheng did not say any words of opposition as she wished. Instead, he looked at his mother-in-law handing the water bag to Su Minglan with a look of approval. He nodded slightly, and it was clear from his expression that he thought his mother-in-law was right.
Li Zhaodi was furious when she saw this. She couldn't help but grumble, "Why is the girl so precious? She just got a heat stroke, and I have to give her the water bag just to drink some water. Humph!"
But the others ignored Li Zhaodi's muttering.
Everyone's eyes fell on Su Minglan, and their eyes were full of heartache.
Looking at Su Minglan's still pale face, everyone just hoped that this sensible child would get better soon.
Doctor Bai hurriedly chased the crowd and returned to the team. He didn't even bother to wipe the fine beads of sweat from his forehead and went to find the village chief.
Doctor Bai's face was filled with anxiety and worry. He said to the village chief, "Village chief, look at the weather! It's getting hotter and hotter. Several people in the village got heatstroke on the road today, and their conditions are quite serious. Do you think we should make some summer tea?"
Upon hearing this, the village chief frowned. He looked up at the scorching sun that seemed to be scorching the earth, sighed deeply, and said, "Doctor Bai, you are indeed right, but you know the situation now. The water we brought with us is getting less and less, and every drop of water is extremely precious. If we want to make summer tea, it will use up a lot of water, and I don't know if everyone is willing to use it."
The village chief paused, then continued, "However, what you're talking about is indeed important. I'll talk to everyone about it later and explain the interests involved. Those who are willing to make cooling tea to prevent heatstroke can come to you for medicine."
At this point, the village chief looked around at the exhausted villagers with concern and sighed deeply again, "Alas, this water problem is really a big problem. We must find a water source as soon as possible, otherwise we will really have no way to survive."
Doctor Bai listened at the side and nodded as well, his eyes also showing his eager anticipation for water. After all, this water source was related to everyone's life and death.
The village chief looked at the villagers' cracked lips and tired and anxious expressions, his heart filled with worry.
He frowned and searched the crowd with his eyes, finally landing on Zhou Shitou, Da Hu and a dozen others.
The village chief called them over and said to them solemnly, "Everyone is running low on water. This situation is really worrying. You are all experienced in exploring the path in our village. Now I would like to trouble you to work hard and quickly search around to see if you can find a water source.
But no matter whether you find water or not, everyone must remember to come back after dark. Our team will move slowly and will be waiting for you in front.
"I understand, village chief," Zhou Shitou, Dahu and others responded in unison.
Each of them had a determined look in their eyes. Although they knew that the task of finding water was difficult, for the survival of the entire village, they immediately dispersed without hesitation and walked in different directions in a hurry to find water.
The rest of the people in Sujia Village could only cheer themselves up and continue their arduous journey on this rugged mountain road.
"Dad, don't sell me!" A sharp and desperate voice suddenly rang out on the official road. The voice was like a sharp knife, instantly cutting through the dull and depressing air and drilling straight into the hearts of everyone present.
The people in Sujia Village also stopped and looked around with interest.
I saw a man with a weathered face. The knife of time had left deep grooves on his face. Each of those lines seemed to hide the suffering and hardships of life.
At this moment, his eyes were red, tears were rolling in his eyes, and kept sliding down his stubbled cheeks.
A thin little boy was hugging his thighs tightly, his little hands tightly grasping his worn trouser legs, as if he was holding on to the only support in the world. His little body was shaking with fear and despair.
The man gritted his teeth, the muscles on his face twitching slightly. He stretched out his rough and calloused hand, and using all his strength, slowly but decisively pushed away his son who was hugging his thigh.
Tears finally flowed uncontrollably, and he choked and said, "Son, go with them. At least... at least you can have something to eat! Dad is useless, Dad really has no other choice, Dad has to go find your mother first!"
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