Chapter 52 The water has dried up, and a search for water is underway.

Chapter 52 The water has dried up, and a search for water is underway.

Anyone with ears could hear the sarcasm in her words, but Cheng Lanzhou merely glanced at her indifferently, seemingly unconcerned.

Back at the camp, Yun saw that the brother and sister had brought back another large bag of things and asked curiously, "Tang'er, what is it this time?"

Jiang Yutang smiled as she opened the package and took out a straw baseball cap and a light-colored sun protection mask, handing them to several family members: "These are for sun protection. The sun has been too strong lately, so wearing these will help block out the sun and prevent sunburn."

Mu and Zhu took the hats and masks, their eyes lighting up instantly.

"These past few days of traveling have left my cheeks red from the sun and even my scalp aches. These things came just in time!"

Zhu couldn't help but praise, "Little sister, you're so clever! You even thought of buying this! Now you won't have to suffer in the sun."

Jiang Yutang smiled until her eyes crinkled into crescents as she patiently taught them how to wear sunscreen masks. She then took out several bottles of sunscreen, unscrewed the caps, and first applied it to Yun Shi's hands. She then applied it to her two sisters-in-law and brothers one by one. She didn't even forget Jiang Sheng'an, who was sitting in a wheelchair, and carefully helped him apply sunscreen to the back of his exposed hands.

Looking at the strange hats and masks, Jiang Shengan was somewhat worried: "Won't we annoy the yamen runners by constantly bringing out new things like this?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yutang gave a cold snort with a forced smile: "Father, don't worry, bribing the yamen runners is very easy. As long as they get something in return, they don't care what we use."

After saying that, she rummaged through her bag and pulled out several pairs of sunglasses that she had bought for five yuan. The black lenses and plastic frames looked particularly novel in ancient times.

Holding her sunglasses, she turned and walked towards the area where the constables were resting.

Four constables were sitting together, discussing something in hushed tones.

Seeing Jiang Yutang gracefully walking towards them with a small cloth bag, the group immediately stopped talking, their faces showing ambiguous smiles. They all stood up, their attitude much warmer than before.

"Miss Jiang, is there something you need from us?"

Jiang Yutang scoffed inwardly, thinking that these people were all greedy and would change their tune as soon as they were given a little benefit.

With a sweet smile still on her face, she stepped forward and said, "Brothers, the sun has been scorching these past few days. You'll be leading the way, and your eyes will be exposed to the sun for a long time. It would be troublesome if they got hurt. I have some good things here that I brought especially for you to use."

As she spoke, she took out four pairs of sunglasses from her cloth bag and handed them to the constables one by one.

"This is called a protective face mask. Wearing it can block the sun and prevent your eyes from getting sunburned, while still allowing you to see the road ahead clearly without affecting your vision at all. Most importantly, wearing it makes you look particularly handsome and gives the older brothers even more imposing presence!"

The constables took the sunglasses and examined them from all angles, finding the black lenses particularly novel.

The portly constable was the first to put it on, squinted at the distance, and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey! It really is! How amazing!"

The others quickly put them on as well, looked each other over, and became more and more satisfied, praising them repeatedly: "This thing is really good!"

While praising them, the fat constable asked insincerely, "Young lady, you've given us such good things, what about your family? We can't expect you to travel under the scorching sun, can we?"

Jiang Yutang immediately put on a troubled and helpless expression and sighed: "We can just wear a straw hat, how can we compare with you guys? You have to worry about the team, and your eyes can't be damaged. Of course, you should be the first to use the good stuff."

These words made the constables beam with joy, completely losing their bearings and forgetting even their previous slight dissatisfaction with the Jiang family. They patted their chests and made guarantees.

"Don't worry, Miss Jiang! If you encounter any problems on the road, just let us know, and we'll definitely take care of you!"

Jiang Yutang still squinted and wore a fake smile: "With those words, my daughter is relieved."

As the group set off, Cheng Dai'er immediately noticed the Jiang family's equipment.

Everyone was wearing straw baseball caps and sun-protective masks, covering their faces completely, much better than the simple square scarf she used at home.

She'd never seen that thing before, and curiously glanced at it a couple more times: "When did they get those things?"

Cheng Lanzhou followed her gaze and saw Jiang Yutang adjusting the straps of Yun Shi's mask with meticulous and gentle movements. She said softly, "I went with her to get it this morning."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Daier's eyes, the only part of them visible, turned serious as she asked in a low voice, "Did you find anything?"

To everyone's surprise, Cheng Lanzhou simply shook his head.

She was shocked, her eyes filled with disbelief: "Even you couldn't detect the other person's footprints?"

What kind of extraordinary person could achieve such a high level?

Cheng Lanzhou frowned slightly, his dark eyes revealing a hint of seriousness: "The opponent is quite skilled; we should be careful."

The pirated books that were in charge of the airdropped supplies also inexplicably became so-called "experts".

The exile caravan traveled along the dusty path, and after a morning's journey, the outline of a village came into view.

But this village was completely different from the ones they had passed through before. There was no smoke rising from chimneys, no crowing of roosters or barking of dogs, and even the thatched roofs were withered and yellow, exuding a lifeless and oppressive atmosphere from the inside out.

On the dirt road at the village entrance, several villagers wandered around expressionlessly. They wore tattered clothes, were so thin that they were just skin and bones, and had sunken cheeks.

Not far away, two children, about seven or eight years old, were struggling to dig up tree roots in the ground with small shovels, their fingernails filled with dirt.

Seeing the large group of exiles approaching, the children trembled with fear, dropped their shovels, and ran back into the village, their small figures quickly disappearing behind the dilapidated houses.

Looking at the scene before him, Jiang Yutang felt a heavy weight in his heart. This area was vastly different from the villages he had passed through before; it clearly looked like it had suffered a major disaster.

Just as they were pondering this, the constable in front blew his whistle: "Lunch break! Everyone stay here and rest. No wandering around!"

Everyone put down their luggage and found a shady spot to rest.

Jiang Yutang walked to the cart, wanting to find some water. When she lifted the bamboo tube that held water, she found it was already empty.

In fact, they haven't found a new water source since yesterday afternoon, and they've been saving the water in the bamboo tubes to get to where they are now.

"The water is gone."

Jiang Yutang frowned and said to her family, "I'll go to the village and ask the villagers for some water. There must be a well wherever there is a village."

Xiaoxiao was crying from thirst, her little face flushed red. Mu quickly stood up, holding the child, and said, "I'll go with you, so I can help out."

As soon as the two reached the village entrance, they saw two constables walking out of the village, cursing and swearing. The thin constable kicked a stone at his feet and shouted irritably, "Damn it! This wretched village is suffering from a drought! The well is almost empty, and we can't even get a clean drink of water!"

The constable Gao sighed as well: "No wonder it's so lifeless. All the crops in the fields have withered and died. The villagers are probably starving to death. Where would we get water?"