Whether inside or outside the village, everything looked barren.
When she reached the old well behind the village, she looked down and found that there was a thick layer of mud at the bottom, and the mud was moist.
This...
Gianna remembered that the well had been completely dry before. When there was water in the well, every household in the village would gather there, and the bottom of the well was clean. Later, when the well ran dry, the wind blew sand and mud into the well, but no one had cleaned it since.
Now, the bottom of the well was moist. Could it be that the well started to have water again? If that was the case, it would be great.
She easily climbed down into the well and used a hoe to dig out the wet soil.
She found that the soil was easy to dig through. Eventually, she managed to clear all the accumulated dirt from the well.
A small stream of mountain spring water began to trickle out from the side of the well. The flow was very slow, but at this rate, it would be enough to fill a bucket by morning.
Gianna really didn't want to drink the water from the mountain valley. Just thinking about how there were wild pigs' feces and urine all around made her feel uncomfortable.
Since the flow was so small, Gianna decided to add some water to the well herself.
When Floyd returned, she could return the water with a clear conscience.
But why did the well suddenly have water?
Gianna thought for a while but couldn't figure it out. She decided to just get to work. There was a lot of water in her space, so she poured several large buckets of water into the well. Then she sat by the well and waited.
The remaining people in the village must have gone out to find water before dawn.
So, she wasn't in a hurry.
She paid close attention to the water in the well and saw that it was rising steadily, which meant that the spring water kept flowing.
Finally, she wouldn't have to drink the water from the mountain valley.
When Floyd came back, it was nearly dark. He was pushing a cart to carry the water back home. When he asked the children, he found out that Gianna had gone to the old well behind the village.
Worried that something might have happened to her, Floyd dropped the water and ran straight to the well.
When he saw Gianna sitting safely by the well, he let out a deep sigh of relief.
Gianna, sitting there with nothing to do, didn't dare to go back home. She was afraid that if her luck was bad and she went home, the villagers might find out that there was water in the well.
She had to be cautious!
She saw the concern in Floyd's eyes, and her heart warmed. She quickly stood up and waved at him, saying, "Husband, come here. The well has water."
Floyd was stunned when he heard this.
After all, the well had been dry for so long.
At first, the villagers often came to check, but later they all gave up on the well.
How could there suddenly be water?
Floyd walked to the well and looked down. He was thrilled to see the clear water.
Gianna was very close to Floyd, and she could still smell his scent. A hint of panic flashed through her heart, and she quickly moved to the side.
"I just came over to have a look. I found the soil at the bottom of the well was wet, so I jumped down to clean it out. I've been guarding it all afternoon, and now there's this much water."
Floyd was so happy. He quickly said, "I'll go home and get the bucket. This must be a blessing from the heavens!"
Just as the villagers left, the well had water. Wasn't this a blessing from the heavens?
Soon, Floyd came back with a bucket. Because of the severe drought, every household had several large water jars to store water.
Old Man Liu's family had left in a hurry, and all three big jars were still there.
He poured the water they had brought from the mountain valley into one of the jars, then poured the water from the well into another.
He went back and forth three times, carrying three loads of water to empty the well.
Floyd found a stone slab and covered the well. Then, he took Gianna back home.
The well having water again made Floyd excited, and he asked Gianna to prepare some meat for a late-night meal.
The smell of wild boar meat wafted through the yard.
Just as Gianna was about to bring the cooked rice into the hall, there was a knock on the door.
This courtyard had three rooms; the small room at the east side of the wall was the kitchen, and the outhouse was behind the house.
Gianna put the bowl down and walked to the kitchen door. Floyd had already reached the courtyard gate and asked, "Who's there?"
"It's me, Erquan," came the voice of a middle-aged man from outside.
Floyd didn't open the door. His relationship with Erquan was already bad, and he didn't know if Erquan had bad intentions.
"What's the matter?" Floyd continued to ask from behind the door.
Outside, Erquan exchanged glances with four other young men.
They hadn't joined the migration because they had elders and children at home. Plus, they didn't have much food left and were worried that migrating wouldn't help them survive. They decided to stay behind, holding onto a slim hope.
They had also traded land for food.
But after thinking about it more in the afternoon, they felt it wasn't fair. Why was Floyd so lucky to get so much food?
Now that most people had left the village, the five of them gathered and made up their minds to go rob Floyd.
If Floyd's family was smart, they would let them live. If not, they would kill them and sell them to the next village.
So the group of five came.
Erquan said in a flattering tone, "Floyd, we grew up together. When the kids in the village used to bully you, I helped you! Now my family has no water, and I couldn't find any when I searched during the day. My family has both old and young. Do you think you could give me some water?"
Floyd's brows immediately furrowed.
Through the crack in the door, he saw Erquan standing alone outside.
Gianna had walked over to Floyd's side by now.
She also peeked through the crack in the door.
The moonlight was faint, and suddenly Gianna saw a shadow move beside Erquan.
There were more people outside!
Gianna immediately grabbed Floyd's arm.
Her left index finger went to her lips, signaling him to be quiet, then whispered in his ear, "There's more than just him outside!"
Floyd had no intention of opening the door to Erquan, but when he heard Gianna's words, his expression immediately turned cold.
He nodded slightly at Gianna and gave her a reassuring look.
Then he asked, "Is it just you outside?"
Erquan's heart tightened, and he nearly exposed himself.
It was Erquan's closest ally, Dahu, who shot him a warning look from the side.
Erquan quickly responded, "It's just me, Floyd! Please help my family. I'll make sure to remember your great kindness!"
Floyd's expression became even colder.
Erquan's lie made it clear that he had ulterior motives.
Everyone knew that Floyd's family still had plenty of food. The five families that stayed behind knew this well.
Before the great drought, Floyd was skilled at hunting and often helped the villagers, so his relationships with them were good.
After the drought, Floyd gave food to the villagers, but when they came to borrow food later, he didn't lend any. Gradually, the villagers began to resent him, and they cursed him behind his back. Naturally, they didn't want to associate with him anymore.