MTLNOVEL Chapter 409: Unease
The even more pressing issue is the water supply. Even though we chose mountain areas close to water sources to escape the heat, every day soldiers would die from a lack of water. More often, it was those who couldn't endure the hunger and thirst, who took a risky chance to go out during the day to search for water and food, only to collapse along the way.
The result was the rapid depletion of body water, and a few weeks later, bodies of various shapes and forms were left as dried corpses by the roadside.
As for the animals in the deep mountains, they instinctively searched for a chance at survival before the extreme heat arrived, either hiding deep in the mountains and forests or migrating to the snow-capped peaks in the north, all struggling to stay alive.
During the first month of the extreme heat, aside from the few who thought they could take a chance and ended up being the first to be eliminated, the majority of the people survived.
By the second month of extreme heat, all illusions of luck were gone. Except for the one or two hours at night people ventured out for livelihood, most hid in cooler underground areas or mountain caves, minimizing their activities.
Even with cracked lips from thirst, they would only take a small sip, and those who survived this month mostly persisted. Especially the people of Lingyun, who with a season's grain rationed with wild vegetables and grass roots, could manage for a year or two, provided they had water.
In the third month of extreme heat, some people started to become restless. Not everyone had enough water storage containers, and some had stored some water but after three months, even saving to the extreme, their water was gradually decreasing. Coupled with high temperatures evaporating much of the water, there wasn't much left.
Many people began to become restless again. Having experienced a year and a half of darkness, they especially understood this kind of despair; most homes were barely leaving anyone unattended, and even activities were done in turns in their courtyards.
After three months of extreme heat, even the Yun River, which had not dried up in a century in Lingyun State, had only some left at the bottom of the riverbed. And it wouldn't be long before even that dried up. Except for those living along the Yun River who still had a chance to get some water daily, those living far from it had basically given up on fetching water because it was impossible to reach the water sources. Nearby streams and riverbeds had long dried up, and the wells in the towns or villages had dried thoroughly in just a few days.
Plants, except for a few green patches occasionally seen in the deep forests, had mostly withered soon after the extreme heat arrived.
Even so, as time passed, the desire for water ultimately outweighed the remnants of humanity, leading to chaos.
Even though the time spent outside each day was limited, more and more people took risks for survival and for life.
At night, though it was deep into the night, the moonlight overhead was as bright as a mirror, like a waterfall cascading down the mountains, scattering its light over the entire land and casting a mysterious fine sand over the pitch-black night, flickering and indistinct.
Occasionally, shadows moved, followed by the sounds of fighting and cries of despair, while more people shut their doors tightly, covered their ears, and hid in cellars or pits under their houses.
Wang Village.
This is a large village with the surname Wang, where almost everyone is related except for the married-in daughters-in-law. It's precisely because of this deep connection that they survived the year and a half of darkness. Apart from the elderly and weak who sacrificed themselves to protect the village, most managed to survive.
It's because of their unity, mutual trust, and their faith in the village chief, Wang Dashu, that whenever something happened, the entire village stood together, even in the face of death, thus guarding Wang Village.
"Village chief uncle..." A gentle knocking accompanied by a low voice.
No response, just the sound of footsteps quickly approaching from within.
"Datian..."
"It's me, village chief uncle. I'm here to ask if our village should start taking turns to stand guard. I can't help but feel uneasy."
Thanks to the village chief, although it's currently extremely hot and the wells in the village have long dried up, our village really isn't short of water.
This goes back to a few months ago when, after receiving the grain seeds and meeting with village chief Hua from Hua Village, our chief kept pondering over what he had said after sowing the seeds, feeling that there was some hidden meaning in his words.
If we were reminded to store more water, does it not suggest that there might be a water shortage issue coming? Given the blazing summer and remembering the year of extreme cold, Wang Dashu couldn't shake off an ominous feeling.
So, he encouraged the entire village to store water, stock water containers, and if they couldn't be bought, make them themselves. Everywhere lay fallen trees, and bamboo poles as thick as buckets could also be used as ready water storage tools.
Yet Wang Dashu felt it wasn't enough, so he led the villagers to dig through nearby abandoned villages, unearthing many water jars and ceramic pots.
Was that it? Not in the least. He then led the whole village to continue digging cellars in their courtyards, creating water storage cellars, using bricks and stones collected from elsewhere to reinforce the walls. To prevent water seepage, they laid the walls cross-layered three times.
Between the layers, they covered with oilcloth barriers. Every household had plenty of oilcloths, though it was painful to waste them like this. But thinking how they only survived the year and a half of darkness with minimal casualties under the wise leadership of the village chief.
As soon as they thought about this, even if some believed the village chief was too cautious, or even worrying unnecessarily, the village chief's reasoning wasn't entirely baseless.
Since the extreme cold passed and the floodwaters receded, it has been hot for several months now, and naturally, the seasons should have changed long ago. By the calendar, the beginning of autumn had arrived, and temperatures should have dropped. However, the scorching sun in the sky remained intense, not yet burning but not much less than the usual peak summer heat, maybe even slightly hotter.
When the village chief didn't mention it, they didn't find it overly strange. But when he did, everyone noticed something different, recalling that flooding and drought often come together, combined with the present weather, made them uneasy.
Regardless if the village chief was right or wrong, or if it was all in vain, wasting labor was better than being unprepared.
Furthermore, their trust in the village chief left them unable to say no; after all, the chief was working hard for their sake.
Thus, almost every household dug a large water storage cellar in their backyard, laid with double oilcloth linings, taking many days to fill with water. This was on top of the original water stored in cellars; aside from grains, it was all water, the same even for the houses.
So despite the three-month extreme heat, Wang Village faced no water shortages, but they dared not waste it randomly as no one knew when the extreme heat would end. Aside from the water needed for cooking, each family drank no more than a ladle daily, which was still much more than others who could only drink a few sips per person each day.
The night temperature was ten degrees lower than during the day. Now that water was scarce, healthy and robust men could still handle staying outside for about an hour and a half; as long as they were fast, accomplishing some tasks wasn't impossible.
Thinking of these, the people of Wang Village couldn't help but feel anxious and restless, hence wanting to make early plans.