章節 34: Water Source
Alexander suggested, "Let's go, find another place." They left the industrial city, and the people who had been following them lurked in the shadows but quickly caught up when they saw the trio leaving.
"Today, we might return empty-handed. But since we're here, let's check if there's still water in this well," Alice said. She got out of the car and took three water buckets from the trunk.
The siblings walked up the mountain, leaving the people following them puzzled. One of them mumbled, "Are they hunting in the mountains? Why didn't we think of that?"
"At this hour, the prey should be asleep. The forest is pitch dark; we can't see anything. Maybe we should wait for daylight," one man suggested.
Suddenly, another man, with a fierce look in his eyes, pulled out a knife and stabbed it towards the car tire, expecting to see it quickly deflate. To his surprise, the tire remained intact.
The man tried a few more times but eventually gave up. Frustrated, he muttered, "Damn."
"The order outside has already fallen apart. All we can do is pin our hopes on the safe house. Before that, let's cherish our lives."
After being persuaded by his companion, the man abandoned the idea of damaging the car. He whispered, "I just can't stand their high and mighty attitude, looking down on people. They think having knives and guns makes them superior. They're no different from ruthless bandits. Whoever tries to reason with them gets hurt. They're as heartless as those crazy bandits."
The trio reached the well and found that there was still water inside, although the water level had dropped by half.
"Let's come back here tomorrow to fetch water," Alexander happily suggested.
After taking a sip of the cool spring water, Alexander sighed in comfort, "If things get tough, we can just stay here. Set up a tent, and it'll be convenient for bathing and washing."
Observing the surroundings, Arnold humorously reminded him, "It's damp and full of mosquitoes around here. If you accidentally get bitten and contract some disease, there's no medicine to treat you. I read in the news about someone who went deep into the mountains, got bitten by mosquitoes, and eventually, their whole body rotted, leading to death."
Nowadays, hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies are all closed, and there's no one outside to seek medical help.
Shivering at the thought, Alexander exclaimed, "I was just casually mentioning it, why are you scaring me, big brother?"
Arnold shrugged, his voice gentle, "I'm not scaring you, just stating a factual case."
Each of them carried a bucket of water downhill and then drove away.
The people hiding in the shadows were dumbfounded. "They came here for water?"
"Should we go back?" The group of people looked at each other.
"Maybe there's really prey in the mountains. Let's check it out." The leader suggested, looking annoyed.
After following the Allen family on their trip, their car had consumed a considerable amount of fuel. If they returned empty-handed, it would indeed be an unrewarding journey.
Alice and her brothers returned home around 9 AM, sweating profusely.
After showering, Arnold and Alexander went back to their rooms for some rest. The morning for the family was quiet and leisurely.
At noon, Atticus cooked braised spare ribs, mapo tofu, and vegetable soup. Their house had air conditioning, so drinking hot soup wasn't uncomfortable. In fact, to nourish them, Blanche frequently brewed spare rib soup for the family.
In the blink of an eye, it was time to fetch water again. Today, residents were holding water buckets and lining up early. They waited for five long hours before seeing a water truck arrive.
The person in charge of dispensing water coldly looked at them with a water hose in hand, "Don't you know the current weather? Even without people using it, the water is decreasing day by day. Not to mention so many of you. If you have complaints, I won't come next time. Solve your water problems yourselves."
In less than an hour, the water truck drove away, and among the Allen family, only Alice's bucket was full. Arnold split the water in half, carrying half a bucket with Alexander back home.
Once the water truck was out of sight, the residents finally vented their anger, cursing loudly. It continued until someone reminded, "Stop cursing; we still need to drink water."
This statement successfully silenced everyone. Water was as precious as oil. If they didn't cook, the water in this bucket would barely be enough to drink for three days. They had to relieve themselves outdoors, and for bathing and laundry, they had to go to the river.
With reduced water supply, many people had to venture out to find water sources. The places they could go included mountain springs and countryside wells.
Some entrepreneurial individuals seized the opportunity and started selling water. Those with vehicles brought water back and exchanged it for goods. Some complained that the exchange was too little.
When Alice and her group revisited the forest park where they had fetched water before, they found a long queue. Arnold remarked, "No need to wait; by the time it's our turn, there probably won't be any water left."
Alice agreed, "Let's check other places."
As they descended from the mountain, they saw many people rushing over, eagerly trying to get water. Even those who successfully got water handled it cautiously, cherishing every drop.
At this moment, a person suddenly collapsed by the roadside. Some people walked past without even looking, while others stopped and took a few glances but, finding no one else caring, decided to ignore it. In the end, it was a man who moved the person to the shade of a tree.
Since the extreme heat arrived, the number of people collapsing from heatstroke every day has been countless. After seeing it so many times, people have become numb to it.
For those who couldn't find water, they had to make an effort to search for supplies to buy water. Later, the sellers raised the price of water. Food is equally important as water, but one cannot endure being without water for a long time and had to tolerate others' extortionate behavior.
One day, the water supply truck arrived. The person in charge of supplying water said indifferently, "One bucket of water per household, once every ten days." They no longer minded the scarcity of water; as long as someone continued to deliver water, it was acceptable.
The person responsible for releasing water glanced at the others and casually said, "It should come, barring any accidents."
Alice checked the water tank at home and found that they had already used five tons of water, leaving only half. While her family was taking a nap, she replaced an empty water tank with a full one. After half an hour of bustling about, all the supplies at home seemed to have "increased a bit."
She didn't dare to take out too much, fearing that they would notice the subtle changes.
In the evening, Blanche prepared to cook dinner. After rinsing rice from the rice bin and about to leave, her footsteps suddenly paused. She went back to take another look, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.
Then, Blanche took out the pork and prepared to stir-fry it with green peppers. She stared at the meat in the refrigerator, lost in thought. Was it her imagination?
Seeing Blanche's puzzled expression, Alice, who was playing with her phone, smiled and asked, "Mom, what are you looking at?"
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