Chapter 58: Collective Illness at Night

Chapter 58: Collective Illness at Night

The surrounding vagrants who had come to watch the spectacle began to discuss it amongst themselves, saying all sorts of strange and varied things.

These noisy sounds were like countless needles pricking Jiang Yutang's heart.

Looking at the old man's withered hands, thinking of her elderly grandfather in the hospital, and then of the hardships she had endured along the way, she suddenly felt a sense of suffocation.

She suddenly stood up, covered her mouth, and rushed out of the crowd. She ran all the way to the only tree with a few withered leaves not far away, and leaned against the tree trunk, retching.

My stomach was empty, and I couldn't vomit anything; only sour bile burned my throat.

Although she studied medicine in college, she refused a hospital internship because she needed money. After all, being a doctor is not only tiring but also poorly paid, and if you're unlucky, you might encounter hospitals that suppress your performance bonuses.

Jiang Yutang had to take care of her grandfather and find ways to earn money, so she had no chance to go to the hospital to witness the life and death of others. She never imagined that death would be so close to her own life.

If she had shared the watermelon with these people last night, wouldn't the old man have survived?

Jiang Songzhi had appeared behind her without saying a word, but silently handed her a clean cloth.

Jiang Yutang took the cloth, wiped her mouth, looked up at him, and gave a forced, bitter smile.

"Thank you, brother," she said softly, her voice trembling slightly.

Jiang Songzhi turned his gaze to the direction where the old man had passed away, and said firmly, "We will definitely reach Danzhou safely."

Jiang Yutang took a deep breath: "Yes."

The constables were already used to the old man's passing and didn't even glance at him, their only concern being their horses.

Those horses hauling goods probably haven't had water in a long time, and if they can't find a water source soon, they'll probably collapse first.

The fat constable impatiently urged the refugees who had just lost their loved ones: "Stop crying here! Get up and get on your way. If you delay the journey, no one will have an easy time!"

The refugees knelt on the ground, holding the old man's body and pleading, "Sir, please give us some time. We'll dig a hole so the old man can be laid to rest, even if it's just a shallow hole!"

The constables exchanged glances, knowing that pushing them any further might cause trouble, so they could only wave their hands and say, "Hurry up!"

Seeing this, Cheng Lanzhou silently stepped forward to help. He picked up a plank of wood without saying a word and took the initiative to clear away the surrounding rubble, his movements steady and efficient.

Jiang Yutang stood aside watching, and suddenly a guess formed in her mind.

Perhaps he was reminded of his comrades who had fallen on the battlefield, which is why he was so moved by this kind of separation of life and death.

It turns out that this seemingly cold person also has such a soft spot hidden deep inside.

After the old man's death, the migrants' enthusiasm for their journey inexplicably increased. Fear drove them like a whip, and everyone was afraid that they would be the next one to fall on the road.

A strong will to survive drove them to quicken their pace.

After walking about five kilometers, someone in the group suddenly pointed ahead and shouted, "Look! Isn't there a thatched hut over there?"

Everyone stopped and looked in the direction he was pointing.

Sure enough, a dilapidated thatched hut stood on the desolate loess slope. Although simple, it was quite unusual in this desolate place.

The constables exchanged glances, and the thin constable volunteered, "I'll go take a look!"

He ran quickly towards the thatched hut, and soon returned excitedly, his voice trembling: "There's a well! There's a well under the thatched hut! There's water in it!"

There's a well!

These two words exploded like thunder among the refugees, and everyone rushed towards the thatched huts like madmen.

There's always a way out! In this moment of despair, a water source was actually found!

The wooden buckets were being fought over and over. Some people were running so fast that they almost fell over, while others were scrambling around the well and nearly fell in. The scene was chaotic.

Jiang Yutang also secretly breathed a sigh of relief, her tense nerves finally relaxing a bit.

Looking at the crowded people, she said to her family, "Don't push, it's easy to get into trouble. Let's wait on the side and get water when there are fewer people."

Jiang Huaiyu looked at the group of people huddled by the well and nodded, pursing his lips: "They're even fiercer than when I was fighting for food in the army."

The refugees gathered around the well, drinking the water in large gulps, their faces filled with the ecstatic joy of being reborn.

After a long time, the number of people gathered around the well gradually decreased.

Jiang Huaiyu excitedly picked up the wooden bucket and walked quickly to the well. Just as he was about to throw the bucket into the well to draw water, he suddenly stopped.

He peered into the well, and the joy on his face instantly froze, his smile also freezing.

Seeing that something was wrong with him, Jiang Yu quickly stepped forward and asked, "Third Brother, what's wrong?"

She looked into the well, and her heart sank to the bottom.

The well was empty, with only the cracked walls and a thin layer of water at the bottom.

It turned out that the refugees had been scrambling to draw water and had already drunk up the last bit of water left in the well.

Jiang Huaiyu angrily threw the wooden bucket to the ground with a bang, gripped the edge of the well tightly with both hands, and the veins on her neck bulged with rage.

The refugees who hadn't yet found water also noticed something was wrong. They gathered around and let out a desperate wail: "Where's the water? There's no water?!"

The relaxed atmosphere was instantly overwhelmed by despair again.

Looking at the cracked well wall, Jiang Yutang felt a chill in her heart. The stronger her hope was just now, the heavier her disappointment was now.

Fortunately, she had two bottles of water, but what could two bottles of water do? There wasn't nearly enough for thirteen mouths to drink.

People around also stepped forward, glanced into the well, saw the cracked well walls, and could only sigh helplessly before turning away.

The constables had already drunk their fill of water and were now completely oblivious to the despair of the others, only concerned with finding the next water source as soon as possible.

The fat constable shouted impatiently, "Stop standing around! Get on the road! The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll find water!"

The refugees could only drag their heavy steps and embark on their journey again.

Only Cheng Lanzhou remained standing by the well, frowning as he gazed at the empty well opening, lingering there without leaving.

Jiang Yutang walked behind, thinking that the other person might be disappointed and unwilling, after all, the hope that had been found so hard was shattered so quickly, so he was particularly disappointed.

She scratched her cheek, lowered her head, and followed her family.

As evening approached and the sun began to set, the constables, seeing that it was getting late, found a flat spot for the group to rest and spend the night.

While everyone was distracted, Jiang Yutang quietly took out the last two bottles of mineral water from her bundle and carefully divided them into six bamboo tubes.

There are thirteen of them in total, and they have to share this water equally.

"Just enough for two people to share a drink" means that one person will always go without water.

Mu quickly spoke up, giving up her share: "Xiaoxiao is still young, I'll just have a drink with Songzhi and the child."

Jiang Yutang shook his head slightly: "Let's share it. If there's any left over, we can give it to those who don't have enough."

Everyone cherished this last source of water, daring to take only a small sip each time.

And so, with this little bit of water, everyone barely made it through the day. Everyone pinned their hopes on tomorrow, hoping that they could find a water source tomorrow.

In the dead of night, the camp fell into a deep sleep, with only the sound of the wind blowing.

Jiang Yutang felt as if someone was calling her name in her ear, along with the sound of light footsteps.

She opened her eyes groggily, rubbed them, and listened carefully before realizing it wasn't her imagination.

From the other side of the group of refugees, weak wails could be heard intermittently, occasionally mixed with the sound of vomiting, and the noise was getting louder and louder.