Chapter 26: Buying Water

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Buying Water

Two coins for a bowl of water. Although it was served in a large bowl, the murky water made everyone hesitate.

Looking at the brawny men who had formed two circles, each holding swords and blades, no one dared to haggle over the price.

The gang leader saw them just looking and not buying, but he didn’t seem to mind. "Don’t let the murky water put you off. It’s only like that because we’re near the bottom.

Take it back with you and let it sit for an hour. The impurities will settle at the bottom, and it’ll be perfectly safe to drink.

If you want some, hurry up. Once we’ve ladled all this out, you’ll have to wait another day or two."

Ancient Wen Heng stood on his tiptoes to get a look. Though he couldn’t see the bottom, this red, muddy water was the only chance of survival for many people.

The people from Kao Mountain Village were still hesitating, but Ancient Wen Heng didn’t want to waste any more time waiting with them. He grabbed his two bamboo tubes. "Could you please fill both of these for me? Just let me know how much it costs, and I’ll settle up."

The gang leader looked him up and down. "You’ve got a refined way of speaking. You’re a scholar, aren’t you?"

Ancient Wen Heng gave a cupped fist salute. "I studied under a teacher for a few years, but I wouldn’t dare call myself a scholar."

"You scholars and your false modesty. It’s the thing I dislike most about you lot. Why can’t you just say what you mean instead of playing these guessing games?" The gang leader’s face was full of disdain. "But you seem to know what’s what. Big Cat, fill his containers to the brim. We don’t want this scholar thinking he got short-changed and start whining about it."

The men standing around him roared with laughter, making the villagers who were still on the sidelines even more nervous.

Ancient Wen Heng paid them no mind. He calmly handed his bamboo tubes to Big Cat, the man who had been called upon earlier. "I’ll have to trouble you."

Big Cat glanced at him, then used the bowl to gently push aside the debris floating on the surface. He ladled out a heaping bowlful and carefully poured it into the bamboo tube.

One bowl, then two. The tube was full after only half of the third bowl was poured in. Ancient Wen Heng quickly swapped to the other bamboo tube. He didn’t stop until he had taken a total of four bowlfuls of water.

Ancient Wen Heng counted out twenty copper coins, placed them carefully on the nearby table, and said, "Thank you, brother."

"At least you’ve got some sense," the gang leader said, tapping the tabletop. "Big Cat, your hand was steady this time. Normally, for a small tube like this, it would’ve taken three whole bowls to fill."

Ancient Wen Heng cradled the bamboo tubes, thanked them again for their trouble, and walked back to his group to wait for everyone to return together.

With someone having taken the lead, the others also gritted their teeth and started buying water, some more, some less.

"Boss, the water’s almost gone. Are we packing it in for the day?" Seeing that everyone had left, the men’s minds began to stir.

The gang leader glared at them. "Pack it in? What are you dreaming of? For the next few days, every single one of you will guard this spot. This is our cash cow. If anyone dares to slack off, I’ll kick them out."

"Yes, yes, of course," his subordinates replied, their eyes glinting as they stared at the pile of copper coins on the table.

The gang leader saw right through them and didn’t make things difficult. "Alright, stop staring before your eyeballs fall out. Xiao Shan, count these copper coins and distribute today’s take."

Xiao Shan gave a cheerful "Yes, sir!" and his hands flew as he sorted the coins.

The gang leader, however, walked over to Big Cat and squatted beside him. "Big Cat, what did you think of that scholar today?"

"You’re thinking of recruiting him, Boss."

"There’s a reason they call you Big Cat. You figured it out," the gang leader said, gazing into the distance. "It takes Xiao Shan forever just to count a handful of copper coins. If we had someone who was literate and could do sums, life would be a lot easier for the men."

Big Cat shook his head. "We should keep looking. That man... he’s not someone we can control."

When the gang leader looked at him, Big Cat didn’t bother explaining. He just patted his boss’s shoulder and stood up. "I don’t think this business of ours can last much longer. We should start making other plans."

He left the gang leader completely baffled, grabbed his share of the copper coins, and headed toward the village behind them.

＆

Ancient Wen Heng was unaware of what transpired after he left. He was carefully pouring the water from the bamboo tubes into a clay pot.

"Are we going to be traveling at night like this from now on?" Jin Qianqian asked, adding a few dry twigs under the pot while stifling a yawn.

The thought was a headache for Ancient Wen Heng. It meant they would have to be even more careful whenever they did anything discreetly.

Seeing everyone else preparing their rations, they knew they had to at least put on a show and not appear too out of the ordinary.

"Probably," he said. "It’s too hot during the day, and traveling makes you dehydrated. It’s cooler at night, so we’ll sweat less. All things considered, it should save a significant amount of water."

Jin Qianqian wasn’t so optimistic. "But so many things are unpredictable at night. And we won’t have the energy during the day to search for water sources and wild vegetables."

Seeing the water boil, Ancient Wen Heng grabbed two handfuls of bran and tossed in a few stalks of wild greens. Neither of them had the courage to actually taste the concoction. "No matter which we choose, there are pros and cons."

What they considered unpalatable was a lifeline in the eyes of many of the elderly.

According to them, when things got truly desperate, many people would resort to eating dirt to fill their stomachs. It was the kind of thing they had only read about in history books, now playing out right before their eyes. It took Ancient Wen Heng and Jin Qianqian several days to come to terms with it.

Using Ancient Wen Heng as cover, Jin Qianqian quickly transferred the vile concoction from the clay pot into an empty basin in her pocket dimension. By the time the pot was in Ancient Wen Heng’s hands, it was filled with steaming hot white rice porridge.

It was the safest food to prepare under the circumstances. Still, there were some with sharp noses who began looking around, wondering which family was eating so well that the aroma of white rice was wafting from their direction.

However, no one suspected the young couple squatting in the corner. Among the entire group, their supplies were the most apparent to all—nothing more than the bran they had recently acquired and the wild roots they’d gathered from the roadside.

＆

Ancient Wen Heng had just drifted off to sleep when he was jolted awake by the sound of arguing. He groggily opened his eyes to see that Jin Qianqian was already sitting up. "What’s going on?"

’We’ve been traveling for a whole day and night. Isn’t everyone exhausted? How do they still have the energy to argue?’

Jin Qianqian gazed ahead with a worried expression. "I think I vaguely heard someone say there was a thief."

"Really?" It took Ancient Wen Heng a moment to process. ’Who would steal from a group of refugees?’

"You two, don’t sleep too deeply," Gu Yuantu, who happened to be on guard duty, came over to inform them. "A few families up ahead had their things stolen. They’re all crying and raising a ruckus now."

"You’re kidding! Isn’t someone supposed to be on watch?" Hong Daya voiced the question on everyone’s mind.

"We traveled all through the night yesterday. The guard must have been too exhausted and fell asleep. Now they’re making a scene, demanding that the person on watch be held responsible." Gu Yuantu felt a bit unsettled, which was why he had made a special trip to warn them.

As it stood, a few familiar families had been grouping together to take turns on watch. Now that this had happened, he wasn’t sure what changes would come next.

If every family had to rely on its own members to stand guard, it would take an incredible toll on everyone’s energy and stamina.