Chapter 21
She Was Willing to Pay the Price
In a more relaxed atmosphere, they walked until dark.
Since there were no trees nearby and it was all yellow soil, everyone chose to spend the night in a valley. The terrain here was low, and it was slightly cooler. There were exposed rocks all around, making it look very desolate.
Eldest Brother Ning brought his two sons to find some withered branches to cook with.
The women began to take out food to distribute. The children found some flat rocks and climbed up to play when they felt cooler.
It was the same for the other families not far away, but many of them had run out of food and were just starving.
Ning Yue secretly fed the two children milk. After hiding behind a rock and changing their diapers, she wiped their bodies with a wet towel, afraid that they would feel uncomfortable.
Then, Madam He arrived and took the children from her. “I’ll carry them. Hurry up and rest.”
“Thank you, Mother!” Ning Yue smiled. It felt good to have her mother dote on her.
Madam He rebuked, “There’s no need to thank each other.”
As she spoke, she began to tease the children. Looking at the cute and innocent babies, she loved them from the bottom of her heart. Furthermore, Xiaobao and Xiaobei were very obedient children. They did not cry or make a fuss. Anyone who saw them would like them.
A couple of younger brothers were talking about the future as they sat on the rocks. They all had their own dreams.
There were those who wanted to do business and those who wanted to be officials. There were also those who wanted to be musicians. Their eyes lit up as they talked, laughed and joked.
With a smile on her lips, Ning Yue passed by her younger brothers and went to Old Master Ning’s side. He was discussing surplus food and water with Old Madam Ning and his two sons and daughter-in-law.
Ning Guang was not far away, accompanying Madam He to take care of the children.
“Father, there’s nothing to eat along the way, and we haven’t seen a single drop of water. If this continues, sigh…” Ning Dalang shook his head and sighed.
Madam Qu was sewing. The children’s clothes and shoes were torn. She mended them when she had time. She frowned when she heard her husband’s words.
Third Brother Ning glanced at the night sky. The stars flickered, and he could not help but feel uncomfortable. “Tomorrow will be another sunny day. Oh my god, do you still want us to live?”
The last time it rained, it was half a month ago. It was just a little drizzle, and the ground had dried before it was wet.
It was said that the Imperial Court had even hired a Grand Magus to do something for the rain, but it was useless.
Two-thirds of the entire Tianyun Kingdom had a drought, but it was not serious. Sadly, the Ning Family Village was in a serious area.
Ning Yue listened silently and was also anxious. She had a pile of supplies, but she could not think of any reason to take them out to save everyone. She could not be brainless and kind. She had to think about her own safety. If she exposed herself, she would attract trouble.
Third Aunt Qi, who was cooking porridge, brought it over. The porridge was as thin as water and only tasted a little like rice. She sighed. “There’s no more water for the porridge tomorrow morning.”
Logically speaking, water was the most precious thing. Cooking porridge consumed too much water and should be used to cook rice. However, if they cooked rice, many people could eat half of the rice and noodles in a day, and this meant it was easier for them to starve to death.
They could only exchange meals like this, and they could only eat until they were half-full each time.
Old Master Ning looked as if he had aged a few years. He sat on the ground and sighed.
Ning Yue walked to the cart without batting an eyelid. She took an empty water bag and secretly drank a little. It was not much, just enough to cook porridge for tomorrow morning.
“Yueyue, what are you doing?” Old Madam Ning noticed and walked over to ask Ning Yue.
“Grandma, this is some water I saved for myself. I poured it into a water bag. Everyone can have some porridge tomorrow morning.” Ning Yue found an excuse.
Not only would porridge fill their stomachs, but it would also quench his thirst.
Old Madam Ning picked up the water bag and shook it. There was indeed water again. Her heart ached as she grabbed Ning Yue’s hand. “Silly girl, why are you so selfless? You have to keep it for yourself. You still have two young children. You can’t let them starve.”
At this moment, Eldest Brother Ning and the others also heard it. They hurriedly came over and poured the water back into the small bamboo tube that Ning Yue carried with her.
Madam Qu and Madam Qi looked at each other and returned the favor to Ning Yue.
Ning Yue felt very warm in her heart. These family members were really good to her, and everyone was kind.
“Grandma, Uncle, let’s continue on our way. We’ll definitely find food and water. In the face of a calamity, we should unite and help each other in order to survive. I’m willing to take out the water. Everyone can eat together and face difficulties together!” Ning Yue replied seriously.