Chapter 16: Thirst
4 days ago
First, from the smaller path, walking about a mile, they reached the main road.
Calling it a main road was an exaggeration; it was just a dirt path compacted by a roller and covered with some sand. In these parts, cement roads hadn’t reached yet.
As they walked, Su He took out a straw hat and placed it on Xiao Nanhua's head. "Wear this, so you don't turn into a dark-skinned kid by the time we get back!" he said.
Xiao Nanhua happily put on the hat, but her head was too small, and the hat was too big. There was no helping it, though. The hat was homemade, and in these times, no one would make a special small straw hat just for a child.
The hat was made by an uncle in the village, who had good craftsmanship. Straw hats are usually woven from materials like bulrush, mat grass, wheat straw, bamboo strips, or palm rope. In Nanzhu Village, there’s no wheat grown, so this hat was made from mat grass, bamboo strips, and palm rope. The process is very complex—certainly beyond Su He’s skill.
After walking for a while, Xiao Nanhua said, "Dodo, you should come up too!" She patted the back of Heixing, feeling sorry for Su He as sweat trickled down his forehead.
By now, it was around six o'clock, and the sun had risen, making the weather a bit hot. Su He took out the snacks he had brought earlier and handed them to Xiao Nanhua. "Eat these. If it's not enough, let me know."
Heixing stopped, as if he wanted Su He to go up.
Heixing was not even a year old, so he was still a calf, but he was quite strong.
Su He didn't want Heixing to be too tired, so he refused Heixing.
Seeing that Su He wouldn't ride, Xiao Nanhua had no choice but to take the snack and start eating. "It's so good, Dodo!"
This snack was given by Gu Dong yesterday, and it should be from the supply and marketing cooperative.
Su He only took out a few pieces, and he left the rest at home.
Since the family can still be changed, there is no need for him to be so petty.
Earlier, when Su He was home, he had eaten and drunk a little, so he wasn’t hungry or thirsty now. But Xiao Nanhua, perhaps because of the snacks combined with the hot weather and sweating, started to feel thirsty. "Dodo, I want to drink water!"
In these times, water bottles weren't common. Their family had only one, reserved for busy farming seasons. Normally, they would just carry a kettle of boiled water.
Su He was at a loss. He had bottled water in his storage, but how could he take it out in broad daylight? Bottled water didn’t exist in the country in these times. It was a tricky situation for Su He, who had traveled from the future. Despite his experience, he couldn't conjure water out of thin air in the middle of nowhere.
The river water was drinkable, but it was best avoided. Farmers often washed their pesticide sprayers directly in the river. Even if the river diluted the chemicals, it might still contain toxins. Besides, the river was far away from where they were now.
"Hey kid, little girl, I have a jug of water here. If you don't mind, let your sister have some to drink!"
Su He turned around and saw an older lady carrying a bamboo basket on her back, its contents unknown.
Su He wasn't worried. In these times, there weren't many scammers around. Besides, it was only a bit of water for Xiao Nanhua to drink, not for him, so nothing could go wrong.
"Thank you, Auntie!" Su He said sweetly. He made Heixing stop, and the lady took out a jug, pouring some water into the lid for Xiao Nanhua to drink. She drank one lidful and asked for two more before she was satisfied.
"Thank you, Auntie!" Xiao Nanhua politely thanked her without needing Su He to remind her.
The lady smiled and pinched Xiao Nanhua's cheek. "Oh my, this little girl is so adorable!"
Putting away her jug, the lady walked alongside Su He.
Feeling a bit embarrassed that Xiao Nanhua had drunk her water, Su He suggested, "Auntie, why don't you put your basket on my Water buffalo's back?"
He had noticed that the basket was filled with eggs, likely accumulated by the aunt or collected from the village, possibly to sell on behalf of others. The basket contained over a hundred eggs and some vegetables, indicating she was heading to the city to sell them.
The lady smiled and didn't refuse. "Alright then. I'll put the basket on your Water buffalo's back."
Su He said, "Heixing, stop. Let me put the basket on your back, and don't move!"
Heixing stood still as Su He placed the basket on its back.
The lady laughed, "Your Water buffalo is quite intelligent and obedient!"
Before Su He could respond, Xiao Nanhua giggled, "Heixing is the best!"
There were quite a few travelers on the road. As the saying goes, people need to move to survive and thrive. There were always those who would think of taking their agricultural products to make some money.
A middle-aged man carrying a shoulder pole saw how helpful Su He was and asked, "Kid, can you also help me put my load on your Water buffalo's back?"
Su He looked over and saw that the man was carrying a load of river sand. In Nanzhu Village and Bishui City, river sand was plentiful. With some effort, one could collect and sift a lot of it. City dwellers wouldn't collect river sand themselves, so some people would gather it and sell it in the city.
However, Su He wasn't willing to put the heavy sand on Heixing's back.
"Uncle, my calf is less than a year old. It's already carrying a lot and can't bear the weight of your sand. Besides, there's no room left," Su He politely declined.
The middle-aged man pouted, wanting to offer to carry the basket himself, but he didn't say anything and moved on.
Su He didn't mind. He wanted to help others but not at his own expense.
Chatting with the lady along the way, Xiao Nanhua's innocent words made the lady laugh constantly.
She understood that Su He was heading to the city to exchange goods.
The lady whispered, "When you get to a residential area, ask the older folks if they need anything. Don't peddle on the streets; it could attract unwanted attention."
Su He nodded, feeling warm inside. This advice came from experience. Though he had been reborn, he hadn't done such things before.
After walking for two hours, they reached the city.
The lady parted ways with Su He to avoid drawing attention.
Su He wasn't concerned and said goodbye to the lady.
Xiao Nanhua waved, "Goodbye, Auntie!"
After parting, Su He wandered around with the Water buffalo.
He wasn't familiar with Bishui City. In his previous life, he wasn't from this area, and even if he had been, the city in 1979 would have been unfamiliar.
He planned to explore the area first, get a sense of the surroundings, and then find a residential area to sell to the housewives buying vegetables.
Chapter 16: Thirst
4 days ago
First, from the smaller path, walking about a mile, they reached the main road.
Calling it a main road was an exaggeration; it was just a dirt path compacted by a roller and covered with some sand. In these parts, cement roads hadn’t reached yet.
As they walked, Su He took out a straw hat and placed it on Xiao Nanhua's head. "Wear this, so you don't turn into a dark-skinned kid by the time we get back!" he said.
Xiao Nanhua happily put on the hat, but her head was too small, and the hat was too big. There was no helping it, though. The hat was homemade, and in these times, no one would make a special small straw hat just for a child.
The hat was made by an uncle in the village, who had good craftsmanship. Straw hats are usually woven from materials like bulrush, mat grass, wheat straw, bamboo strips, or palm rope. In Nanzhu Village, there’s no wheat grown, so this hat was made from mat grass, bamboo strips, and palm rope. The process is very complex—certainly beyond Su He’s skill.
After walking for a while, Xiao Nanhua said, "Dodo, you should come up too!" She patted the back of Heixing, feeling sorry for Su He as sweat trickled down his forehead.
By now, it was around six o'clock, and the sun had risen, making the weather a bit hot. Su He took out the snacks he had brought earlier and handed them to Xiao Nanhua. "Eat these. If it's not enough, let me know."
Heixing stopped, as if he wanted Su He to go up.
Heixing was not even a year old, so he was still a calf, but he was quite strong.
Su He didn't want Heixing to be too tired, so he refused Heixing.
Seeing that Su He wouldn't ride, Xiao Nanhua had no choice but to take the snack and start eating. "It's so good, Dodo!"
This snack was given by Gu Dong yesterday, and it should be from the supply and marketing cooperative.
Su He only took out a few pieces, and he left the rest at home.
Since the family can still be changed, there is no need for him to be so petty.
Earlier, when Su He was home, he had eaten and drunk a little, so he wasn’t hungry or thirsty now. But Xiao Nanhua, perhaps because of the snacks combined with the hot weather and sweating, started to feel thirsty. "Dodo, I want to drink water!"
In these times, water bottles weren't common. Their family had only one, reserved for busy farming seasons. Normally, they would just carry a kettle of boiled water.
Su He was at a loss. He had bottled water in his storage, but how could he take it out in broad daylight? Bottled water didn’t exist in the country in these times. It was a tricky situation for Su He, who had traveled from the future. Despite his experience, he couldn't conjure water out of thin air in the middle of nowhere.
The river water was drinkable, but it was best avoided. Farmers often washed their pesticide sprayers directly in the river. Even if the river diluted the chemicals, it might still contain toxins. Besides, the river was far away from where they were now.
"Hey kid, little girl, I have a jug of water here. If you don't mind, let your sister have some to drink!"
Su He turned around and saw an older lady carrying a bamboo basket on her back, its contents unknown.
Su He wasn't worried. In these times, there weren't many scammers around. Besides, it was only a bit of water for Xiao Nanhua to drink, not for him, so nothing could go wrong.
"Thank you, Auntie!" Su He said sweetly. He made Heixing stop, and the lady took out a jug, pouring some water into the lid for Xiao Nanhua to drink. She drank one lidful and asked for two more before she was satisfied.
"Thank you, Auntie!" Xiao Nanhua politely thanked her without needing Su He to remind her.
The lady smiled and pinched Xiao Nanhua's cheek. "Oh my, this little girl is so adorable!"
Putting away her jug, the lady walked alongside Su He.
Feeling a bit embarrassed that Xiao Nanhua had drunk her water, Su He suggested, "Auntie, why don't you put your basket on my Water buffalo's back?"
He had noticed that the basket was filled with eggs, likely accumulated by the aunt or collected from the village, possibly to sell on behalf of others. The basket contained over a hundred eggs and some vegetables, indicating she was heading to the city to sell them.
The lady smiled and didn't refuse. "Alright then. I'll put the basket on your Water buffalo's back."
Su He said, "Heixing, stop. Let me put the basket on your back, and don't move!"
Heixing stood still as Su He placed the basket on its back.
The lady laughed, "Your Water buffalo is quite intelligent and obedient!"
Before Su He could respond, Xiao Nanhua giggled, "Heixing is the best!"
There were quite a few travelers on the road. As the saying goes, people need to move to survive and thrive. There were always those who would think of taking their agricultural products to make some money.
A middle-aged man carrying a shoulder pole saw how helpful Su He was and asked, "Kid, can you also help me put my load on your Water buffalo's back?"
Su He looked over and saw that the man was carrying a load of river sand. In Nanzhu Village and Bishui City, river sand was plentiful. With some effort, one could collect and sift a lot of it. City dwellers wouldn't collect river sand themselves, so some people would gather it and sell it in the city.
However, Su He wasn't willing to put the heavy sand on Heixing's back.
"Uncle, my calf is less than a year old. It's already carrying a lot and can't bear the weight of your sand. Besides, there's no room left," Su He politely declined.
The middle-aged man pouted, wanting to offer to carry the basket himself, but he didn't say anything and moved on.
Su He didn't mind. He wanted to help others but not at his own expense.
Chatting with the lady along the way, Xiao Nanhua's innocent words made the lady laugh constantly.
She understood that Su He was heading to the city to exchange goods.
The lady whispered, "When you get to a residential area, ask the older folks if they need anything. Don't peddle on the streets; it could attract unwanted attention."
Su He nodded, feeling warm inside. This advice came from experience. Though he had been reborn, he hadn't done such things before.
After walking for two hours, they reached the city.
The lady parted ways with Su He to avoid drawing attention.
Su He wasn't concerned and said goodbye to the lady.
Xiao Nanhua waved, "Goodbye, Auntie!"
After parting, Su He wandered around with the Water buffalo.
He wasn't familiar with Bishui City. In his previous life, he wasn't from this area, and even if he had been, the city in 1979 would have been unfamiliar.
He planned to explore the area first, get a sense of the surroundings, and then find a residential area to sell to the housewives buying vegetables.
