The poor little girl who traveled through the book, her father was lazy, her mother was stingy, and

County Magistrate Zhen, who was far away in the Jialin County government, submitted a memorial to the imperial court and also wrote a letter to his family.

The court had no result, so Lord Zhen sent an encrypted letter at full speed from the capital, with news that droughts had occurred in Shu and the north.

The meaning is very clear: the imperial court does not have the energy to deal with Lin'an Prefecture which has just suffered a disaster.

The northern region, where a disaster occurred last year, was where the imperial court provided disaster relief and grain. As for Lin'an Prefecture and Shu, local officials dealt with the aftermath on their own.

"Sir, the drought in Chiayi County is even more severe, and the water in the wells is slow. Our Chialin County has a wide mountain range, and almost all villages and towns are next to the mountains. In addition to the wells, the mountain spring water has not dried up yet."

County Magistrate Zhen hesitated for a moment and asked, "What's the situation in Lin'an Prefecture?"

The subordinate shook his head in silence.

-

The ice-cold and frozen business has stopped.

The breakfast shop only had juicy steamed dumplings left.

The elderly people in Shanglin Village walked on the ridges of the fields with their hands behind their backs, looking at the dried-up paddy fields with heartache on their faces.

"Oh my God, if it doesn't rain, we're going to die of thirst."

"Oh God, please be kind and send some rain quickly, otherwise the rice in the field will die!"

"Even if we don't die, we will still be dead by the end of the year if we don't harvest any crops..."

......

Later, the fireball was high in the sky and only half of the water in the villagers' homes was left.

The Lin family’s breakfast shop was closed, and Ruyi Restaurant, seeing that it had no business, closed its door.

In early July, a large number of refugees from the north attempted to break into Lin'an City and were executed on the spot by the prefect.

There was a drought in the north, and the victims headed south, thinking they could settle down in Lin'an Prefecture. However, they didn't expect that Lin'an Prefecture was also hit by a drought.

However, they had to sleep in the open air, fight with other victims from the north, steal mountain springs, chew tree bark, and go through many dangers before they reached Lin'an Prefecture. Their hopes were dashed, and the victims who managed to reach Lin'an Prefecture no longer had the strength to move on to the next city.

Lin'an Prefecture, known as the "land of fish and rice", was severely affected by the disaster, and other prefectures might have been in chaos long ago.

So the victims stayed outside Lin'an City, but the city gates were not opened, and the government did not send relief food. The thirsty and hungry victims rioted in despair...

Lin Dajiang stayed at home. Going out was useless. He was sweating all over. There was no water to wash in such a hot day. He felt sour and smelly.

I just went for a walk around the chicken coop and came back drenched in sweat.

As it was getting dark, Lin Xiaoman came to the well as usual.

When they dug the well, his family's well was deeper and produced more water than ordinary wells. It could produce water two days earlier, and at least a bucket of water could be drawn up every two or three days. But now, Lin Xiaoman looked at the well, which was only shallow. When the wooden barrel was put down, it could only wet the bottom of the barrel and no water could be drawn up.

Lin Xiaoman took the bucket and pretended to put it into the well.

In reality, he used his mind to pour the water that had been placed in the space in advance into the wooden barrel, filling more than half of the barrel.

Lin Xiaoman lifted the bucket and walked into the kitchen. "Mom, the water in the well is getting less and less. I only got half a bucket today."

When Li Taohua saw this, she was so focused on the fact that there was no water in the well that she didn't notice that the water in the bucket was crystal clear.

Lin Xiaoman poured water into the jar and said, "Dad went to the fields today and saw that they were cracked and dry. The rice seedlings have already withered and turned yellow. Even if it rains now, the rice won't survive this year."

"Xiaoman, please don't worry about those magnolia fruit trees in the backyard." Li Taohua said tactfully.

Those few mangosteen trees that have grown to a height of one person are the result of my daughter's hard work. It is not easy to grow so tall. I can see that they will grow taller and denser and will bear fruit next year. Who knows...

People can't bear it any longer and can't care about anything else.

"Mom, I understand."

"It's a good thing you had a quick mind and asked your father to dig a pond, otherwise all the chickens and ducks in the house would have died."

Lin Xiaoman smiled bitterly. If she hadn't used the golden finger to cheat, the water in the pond would have dried up long ago.

The river has dried up, let alone the small pond.

Now even if she releases water every day, there is only a shallow layer of water in the pond.

Zhou Quan and his sister calculated their water usage every day, but their lives became more and more difficult.

Rich families have large amounts of ice stored in their cellars, which were originally used to cool off. Now when there is a water shortage, they can melt the ice and use it for water.

A few days ago, Gu Changsheng had someone transport a truckload of ice in the dark and gave it to the Lin and Xie families.

The common people have nothing. If they run out of food, they can still buy some, but if they run out of water, there is nothing they can do.

The spring in the area behind the mountain of Shadi Village is guarded by the upright and strong men of Shadi Village in turns. Every day, villagers fetch water according to the number of people in their family, and each person is given one bowl of water, no more.

If you want to help your relatives, you can only tighten your belt and drink less.

Li Shan delivered water to Lin Dajiang once, but later, when he saw that the Lin family's well was still producing water, he stopped delivering water there.

The reason is simple: the spring has less water. Originally, each person was given one bowl of water, but now each person gets one bowl of water.

Even though there were two people sharing a bowl, they did not dare to finish it all. When they were thirsty, they would take a small sip, hold it in their mouths, and swallow it bit by bit.

Under the double pressure of water shortage and lack of food during the autumn harvest, the people of Jialin County and even Lin'an Prefecture will be in chaos before long.

Hope is gone, and life is unhappy now. If this continues, burning, killing and looting will become the norm.

The government is busy taking care of itself, so how can it care about the lives of ordinary people?

I can’t survive and am dying of thirst, so why should I be afraid of committing a crime?

Zhou Mei returned from town with her two children.

I heard that the water in the well in the backyard of the Zhou family’s grocery store had run out, and the two children were crying loudly, so they had no choice but to let Zhou Mei return to the village.

Mrs. Lin was so angry that her teeth were itching, but she didn't have the energy to argue with Zhou Mei.

After all, the two granddaughters are the third son’s children, so it’s impossible to just ignore them.

Lin Dahe had just recovered some of his strength but then he experienced drought and water shortage again. His face was wrinkled and lifeless, and he looked a dozen years older.

"Give the child some water to drink." Lin Dahe took a bowl. There was not much water in the bowl, just enough for each person to drink.

Zhou Mei was afraid that the two children would snatch the water, so she let the younger one drink first. After taking a small sip, she gave the water to Lixia.

The beginning of summer will cry again when she sees there is not enough water.

Mrs. Lin glared at him and said, "If you keep crying, get out of here and save yourself from wasting water."

Lixia was so scared that she closed her mouth, held back her sobs in grievance, and looked at her parents timidly.

"When Dahe came to town, how did you treat him? Now that you are in trouble, you think of Dahe? Zhou Mei, you have no conscience, you deserve the water supply to be cut off in the town."

Zhou Mei thought of her parents and didn't know how they would survive. She felt heartbroken.

"Mom, please stop talking and do some good deeds."

Mrs. Lin was so angry that she was about to raise her hand to swing at Zhou Mei, but halfway through, her head felt dizzy and she stumbled and fell to the ground.

"Old woman."

"Mom, what's wrong with you?"

Lin Gui and Lin Dahe hurried forward to help up Old Mrs. Lin who had fallen to the ground.

Old Mrs. Lin glared at Zhou Mei fiercely, rubbing the back of her head with her right hand, crying out in pain, and she didn't even have the energy to curse.

Lin Gui said weakly, "Old woman, please stop talking and save your energy. In this situation, we should live one more day."

After Lin Gui finished speaking, he sat on the chair and stopped talking.

Talking also requires saliva.

After saying this, I already felt my mouth dry.

No more talking, let it be like this. Lin Gui got up and went to lie down in the room. No matter how noisy or noisy it was outside, he just let them be.

Different from Lin Gui's quietness, at this moment the yard of the village head's house was full of people kneeling.

"Village head, the child at home can't survive, please be kind and give him some water!"

"Village head, we all heard that your eldest grandson Yaowu brought back a vat of water from outside."

"Uncle Li Zheng, Xiao Bao has a fever. Please be kind and give him some water to drink. The child is dying of fever. Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Uncle Li Zheng, I kowtow to you."

"Uncle Lizheng, my father has a fever and can't get up. I'll give you all the money we have. Please ask Yaowu to bring back another truckload of water. I beg you!"

......

Looking at the villagers crying in grief, the village head was helpless.

The tank of water that Yaowu brought back was not much to begin with, and the two daughters-in-law cried and begged for two buckets each to support their parents' home, so there was not much water left.

He gave one, and the villagers behind him watched. As long as he let go, the kneeling villagers would rush to let him fetch water.

If this hole is not opened, my family can still survive for a few more days. If it is opened, I will be like the kneeling villagers tomorrow.

He can die, but his grandchildren cannot die, as they are the roots of the Lin family.

The head of the village felt as if his body was split into two halves, one half consisting of reason and the other half consisting of morality, and they were killing each other.

His reason was a little better, and he said in a rough voice, "No more water, no more water..."

"Woooooooo..."

Everyone was crying at the scene.

The village head was powerless.

The man holding the two or three-year-old boy wiped his sweat, kowtowed to the head of the village, put the child at the head of the village, and left without looking back.

"Donkey's father, you, you come back here!"

"Donkey's father!"

Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man ran faster and faster, exerting all his strength.

Others wanted to follow suit, but unfortunately they all came alone.

The headman sighed helplessly, picked up the donkey eggs on the ground, and went to find the village elders.

The oldest elder in the clan lay in bed unable to get up. He waved his hands and said, "Dazhu, let's not take care of this matter. We don't have the ability to take care of it. Look at my old bones, what else can I do?"

The village head had no choice but to visit the next elder.

Same result.

The elders are very old, and as if they had an agreement, they would not drink the water brought by their family members.

At this moment, he was exhaling more than inhaling, and was completely supported by his own flesh and blood.

Lin Dazhu looked at the donkey's eggs that were flushed red and wanted to cry, but he couldn't cry out due to lack of water. Only the hoarse sound proved that he was heartbroken.

July was the hottest month of the year and there had been no rain for two months. Half of the trees around Shanglin Village had died.

It was hot, there was not a breath of wind, and the whole place was dead silent.

Lin Dazhui carried the donkey eggs and walked towards Lin Dajiang's house.

He knew that the Lin family had water.

Even if the Lin family has no water, the Gu family has it. Lin Dazhu, who knows the whole story, knows that the Gu family will not let anything happen to Lin Xiaoman.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Who!"

"Dajiang, it's me."

"Li Zheng? Boss, what does Li Zheng want from us? Are you here to borrow some water?"

"I don't know. I'll go open the door first." Lin Dajiang put on his shoes and went to open the door. He saw Donkey Egg in the village head's arms. "What's wrong with Donkey Egg? Why is his face so red?"

The head of the village touched Donkey's face and said, "You have a fever."

Lin Xiaoman walked closer and took a look. At this moment, Donkey Egg in the chief's arms had his eyes closed, his cheeks were rough and red, and his lips were pale and chapped. It was obvious that he was extremely dehydrated and his metabolic heat could not be discharged in time, causing fever and coma.

Lin Xiaoman scooped up half a bowl of water, dipped some of it with gauze and fed it to the donkey egg.

Perhaps it was the instinct for survival, a little kid opened his mouth little by little when he encountered water...

Even after feeding him half a bowl of water, Donkey still didn't wake up.

The body's reaction will not ease so quickly. Ultimately, it's all caused by drought and lack of water.

When you are hungry you can eat tree bark, but when you are short of water there is nothing you can do.

The head of the village watched Lin Xiaoman feed water without saying a word the whole time.

He was too embarrassed to open his mouth. Once he opened his mouth, what was the difference between him and the person who had just knelt in front of him and begged him?

Oh no, the villagers really have no water. He still has half a tank of water at home.

After all, he was incompetent as the head of the village and had selfish motives. In order to keep his grandchildren alive, he did not dare to distribute the water to the villagers.

He was afraid that his four grandsons and one granddaughter would not be able to survive. He had to leave the water for his grandchildren, as they were the roots and hope of the Lin family.

Just like what the elders said, half of his body is already buried in the soil. If he dies, he's dead. It can also save some water for future generations.

Lin Dazhu's face turned red with shame when facing Lin Dajiang, who was younger than him. He felt that he was in the wrong and lowered his head, not daring to say what he meant.

Lin Xiaoman probably guessed it.

In fact, even a fool can guess that at this critical moment, what else can the village headman do when he comes here with a little kid who has fainted from dehydration and heat?

It must be life-saving.

And what does it take to save lives? Isn't it just water?

The village head was afraid that he saw the Gu family delivering water to them.

At the beginning, Li Zheng knew the whole story and why the Gu family wanted to recognize the Lin couple as their adoptive parents. It was all because of Gu Changsheng's fate.

As long as the Gu family is there, Lin Xiaoman will be fine.

Perhaps the Gu family would be merciful enough to send some more water for Lin Xiaoman's sake.

"Uncle Lizheng, I know what you are going to say." Seeing that the other party did not speak, Lin Dajiang took the initiative, "But you can see that we only have one well, there are many people in the family, and we have chickens and ducks. Those are the savings of my whole family, Lin Dajiang, and all the money has been invested. If I give the water to the villagers, what will happen to my chickens and ducks?"

"Da Jiang, I am so ashamed! Seeing them kneeling at my feet, I dare not take out water even though I have it at home. The whole family depends on that small half tank of water to survive. I come to you today to ask you to buy some water from Master Gu. As long as there is water, any amount of money will be enough to get through this difficult time first."

"Uncle, people's minds are hard to predict. This kind of thankless task is not easy to do!"

Lin Dajiang shook his head, a little scared. "Now there is a water shortage. The villagers are willing to spend money. What if it rains a few days after we spend all our money to buy water? Uncle, what should I do? This is really difficult to do."

"Da Jiang, I know this is not an easy thing to do, but I can't just watch my fellow villagers die of thirst. I came to you today, even if it means risking my reputation. As long as I can please Master Gu, I will do anything for you."

Lin Dajiang and Lin Dazhu were at a stalemate.

Lin Dajiang gritted his teeth helplessly, "Uncle, aren't you making things difficult for me?"