Transmigrated into a seven-year-old child, my fate is in my own hands, not in the heavens.

After searching for a while, Zhao Lian finally met up with Liu Jinzhu and the others, who were in a crevice in a mountain hollow.

This crevice is located in the valley, with water dripping from a crack in the rock. The flow of water is not very strong, and there is a small pool of water at the bottom, which is crystal clear.

Everyone was extremely excited. They hadn't seen water in a long time, and they eagerly gathered around the waterhole, scooping up water with their hands to drink.

Because everyone's hands were so dirty, the clear water immediately turned murky.

The moment that sweet and refreshing water flowed into their throats, everyone couldn't help but shed tears.

Looking at the murky water, Zhao Lian couldn't drink it. She could only use the water gourd to collect the water. After collecting it for a while, she drank a few mouthfuls of water and immediately felt her throat clear and much more comfortable.

After drinking their fill of water, everyone started using the water hyacinths they carried to fill their containers. The water pit wasn't very big, but fortunately, everyone managed to fill almost all of their water hyacinths.

"Great! There's water now, we're saved!" Everyone was overjoyed to see the water hyacinths filled with water.

Everyone started searching around the ravine, and soon they found some edible wild vegetables nearby.

Everyone was extremely excited. Now they had water and wild vegetables, and they could finally survive, because this was their hope for survival.

Yan Guihua was clever and always carried an earthenware pot with her. Although the pot wasn't particularly big, it was big enough for one person to eat half a bowl of the food cooked in it.

For dinner, I cooked wild vegetable porridge. After the water boiled, I put in the chopped wild vegetables, then poured in the flour paste, added some oil and salt, and a bowl of fragrant porridge was ready.

These oils and salts were brought from home when we fled the famine. Everyone also carried a bowl in their bundle, which was their means of eating. They thought that if they went there and there was no food, they could at least have a bowl to beg for.

Yan Guihua served everyone a small bowl of wild vegetable porridge, and everyone ate it with relish.

Li Gang didn't bring a pot, so he put the wild vegetables he had picked together with the Liu family's, and everyone ate together.

The Zhong family members, who hadn't gone out to find food in the afternoon, were filled with longing when they smelled the delicious aroma.

"Mom, I'm hungry!" Zhong Le started to cry.

Jin Feng said angrily, "Bear with it. It's your father and the others' fault for not finding anything to eat."

Old Mrs. Huang shamelessly walked over, smiling obsequiously, and said, "Sister-in-law, please have mercy and give the children some food. If the adults don't eat, the children still need to eat."

Yan Guihua rolled her eyes: "You're right, if the adults don't eat, the kids still have to. Why didn't you go find something to eat yourselves this afternoon?"

He silenced Old Lady Huang with a single sentence.

In the afternoon, she asked her sons to go out and find something to eat, but they were too lazy.

"Brother Liu, we were sorry for what happened this afternoon. Please give us some water!" Old Zhong also came over, looking very sincere.

"Boss, pour them some water." Liu Laogen was ultimately soft-hearted.

Liu Jinzhu complained, "Dad, we just found water, and you're already asking us to share it? You're being too generous."

Liu Laogen said with a stern face, "Alright, everyone has their difficulties. Besides, these kids are quite pitiful."

"Thank you so much, thank you so much!" Old Zhong expressed his deepest gratitude.

Although Liu Jinzhu was unwilling, he did not disobey his father and poured them some water. Although it was not much, it was enough to moisten their throats and temporarily relieve their thirst.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone found a comfortable spot to sit down and take a nap.

Before going to bed, Zhao Lian discussed with Liu Jinzhu and the others: "Uncle, Second Uncle, let's set off early tomorrow morning and go up the mountain to fetch some more water!"

"Yes! That's what I think too!"

Before going to bed at night, to prevent other animals from attacking them, Zhao Lian and Liu Jinzhu cut some tree branches and surrounded them to form an encirclement.

This way, even if some animals come right up to you, they won't be able to get close all at once, and everyone feels safe sitting inside.

Once surrounded, everyone felt relaxed and slept soundly that night.

The discovery of water gave everyone hope.

We are now less than a thousand miles from Hengnan Prefecture. Right now, there is water in this place, which means that we will definitely not lack water ahead.

As long as there is no shortage of water, there is hope for survival.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Zhao Lian and the others got up. The Zhong family hadn't slept well the night before.

Old Zhong told his two sons that they had to go with the Liu family to find water today.

Seeing the Liu family members get up, Old Zhong called his two sons to their feet as well: "Eldest son, second son, you two get up quickly, hurry up."

The elderly couple approached Liu Laogen and Yang Guihua with sincere expressions: "Brother Liu, you are a very generous man. Please let our eldest and second eldest sons go with you so we can all go find something to eat."

"Please have pity on us, since we're from the same hometown. It was all our fault yesterday, it was all my wife's fault!"

Old Mrs. Huang slapped herself repeatedly, tears streaming down her face, saying, "Yes! It's all because of my foul mouth. I apologize to you all."

Sun Shangxiang sneered: "Old hag, I don't think so. You're only doing this because of the food. Otherwise, why would you bow your head? You're probably cursing us in your heart right now."

Unexpectedly, the other party hit her so hard that Old Lady Huang's face turned red and then white.

Indeed, that was what she truly thought. If it weren't for the food, she wouldn't have lowered herself to do it.

She thought this in her heart, but didn't show it on her face. Old Mrs. Huang raised her hand and said solemnly, "I'm serious. You should believe me. If you don't believe me, I can swear to God."

"Fine! Then swear to God!" Sun Shangxiang said with a forced smile.

Old Mrs. Huang was probably taken aback by Sun Shangxiang's words.

"What's wrong? You're scared?" Sun Shangxiang raised an eyebrow.

She could tell that the old woman wasn't genuinely apologizing; she was only being kind because of the food. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so easy to talk to.

Since things have come to this point, it wouldn't be right for me not to swear an oath.

"Fine, since you don't believe me, then I'll swear to God."

Old Mrs. Huang gritted her teeth, seething with hatred, and reluctantly raised her hand: "I, Huang, swear that everything I said is true, or I will be punished by not being able to find food."

Old Mrs. Huang's oath was meaningless, since it wasn't her who went to find food in the first place.

Sun Shangxiang added, "No, you have to say it like this: if you're lying, may God punish your whole family so that they can't find anything to eat and will starve to death."

What a bully!

Old Mrs. Huang's face changed drastically. She was so angry that she wanted to curse, but thinking that her son still needed to rely on the other party to find water, she could only repeat what Sun Shangxiang had said.

Liu Laogen spoke up: "Alright, boss, you can take them with you."

Since the other party has put it this way, it would seem petty of me not to agree.

"Alright! It's getting late, let's go up the mountain together." Liu Jinzhu began to organize everyone to go up the mountain.