86 Chapter 86. Touching The Scene
Madam Li’s nose flapped as she tried to control her emotions. She was afraid that Su Qing and the others would see through her, so she lowered her head and took small bites of the soft cake. However, she couldn’t swallow the soft cake in her mouth no matter how hard she tried. Her tears flowed uncontrollably, and she hurriedly wiped them away with her sleeves.
“Juan Zi, what’s wrong?”
Ji Xiaoying hurriedly asked when she saw Madam Li crying.
“I’ve never been so excited after eating such good food.”
Su Qing raised her eyebrows. Madam Li replied while wiping her tears. The sorrow in her eyes was not the same as excitement. It seemed that she had eaten this pastry before. It reminded her of the past and made her sad.
However, Su Qing did not mention it again.
The system’s voice rang in his ears,
[ Congratulations, host. Your weaving skill has reached Level 3. Your Constitution, mental power, and god of war abilities have reached level 21. ]
Su Qing was overjoyed. She took out the cotton cloth she had bought and started to make triangular shorts and bras. As expected, embroidery improved quickly. She didn’t want to waste more time, so she stopped studying Madam Li.
Ji Xiaoying had been accompanying Madam Li all this time and had forgotten about the matter of embroidery. She did not know what had happened. Xiaoying liked Madam Li very much. She had a hot feeling, and she could not help but want to get closer to her.
Madam Li had only eaten half of the cake and held the other half in her hand. Ji Xiaoying saw it and urged her,
“Why aren’t you eating, godmother?”
” Yong ‘er has never eaten such delicious pastries in his life. I’ll let him have a taste.”
Madam Li answered embarrassedly, her eyes a little apprehensive. After all, this pastry was given to her by Xiaoying, and it was impolite to present it to Buddha with borrowed flowers.
“Zhong Yong is so blessed to have a mother who dotes on him so much.”
Ji Xiaoying said enviously. Her eyes were filled with yearning. She wanted to see what her mother looked like. How could there not even be a portrait of her after she passed away? A child with a mother was a treasure.
Ji Xiaoying had once dreamed of a woman. She had cried for her mother as she chased after the woman, but she had been unable to catch up to her. She had watched as the woman hurried away.
The feeling of being abandoned made her cry until dawn.
“In the future, godmother will dote on you.”
Hearing Ji Xiaoying’s sad voice, Madam Li’s motherly nature overflowed. She raised her hand in the air, wanting to stroke Ji Xiaoying’s hair, but she did not manage to touch it because she could not see.
When Xiaoying saw this, she lowered her head and placed it under Madam Li’s hand. Madam Li stroked Xiaoying’s soft hair and comforted her gently. Xiaoying leaned on her side with a face full of happiness and smiled incredibly sweetly.
When Su Qing saw this scene, she suddenly remembered a kitten she had seen before. She had just returned to the base after killing someone. That stray cat had walked to her side and rubbed its head against her trousers, begging her to stop. The feeling Xiaoying gave her was that of a stray cat that lacked love.
Ji Shuisheng turned around and saw this scene as well. He frowned sadly and didn’t want to see his sister’s longing for motherly love, so he asked Madam Li.
“Godmother, did you bring your household registration?”
“Yes, I did.”
When Madam Li heard Ji Shuisheng’s question, she hurriedly answered and awkwardly retracted her hand. She couldn’t see it but could feel Xiaoying’s reliance on her. She also liked this girl very much but was a little overbearing and afraid that Ji Shuisheng would be angry.
“That’s good. You can’t bear to leave your home to escape, right? ”
Ji Shuisheng continued to talk to Madam Li. Madam Li smiled and shook her head.
“There’s nothing to be sad about. Yong’er can’t be stuck on this mountain for the rest of his life. Yong’er’s father also doesn’t want to see his son live a life of mediocrity.
“Godmother, how did my Godfather die?”
Ji Shuisheng asked tentatively. He no longer looked at the road ahead and looked at Madam Li with a torch-like gaze.
“He … He abandoned us for the sake of loyalty.”
Madam Li’s tears fell, and her voice was sad. She cried until she was blind but still couldn’t forget the man who doted on her to the bone.
“May I ask what is the surname of his good brother?”
Ji Shuisheng’s adam’s apple bobbed, and his voice was a little slow. He looked at Madam Li with eager eyes.
“It’s all in the past. Let’s not talk about it. I don’t blame him. Brothers should live and die together when a great disaster comes. This is a man’s loyalty and morality.”
Madam Li paused. She could feel that Ji Shuisheng and the others were good people, but she still couldn’t tell them the secret. She smiled bitterly and refused to go into detail, only brushing it off.
“Godmother, Zhong Yong and I will also become such good brothers. I promise you that as long as I’m alive, I’ll protect him for the rest of his life.”
Ji Shuisheng took a deep look at Madame Li and assured her. However, now was not the time to say it. His godmother could not say anything so that he could confirm his guess. He could not reveal his identity either. He woke up after he knew what was going on.
“I believe you.”
Madam Li smiled with relief. After leaving the mountain, she was no longer so depressed. She faintly felt that she would have a different life in the future, and she could comfort Yong’er.
Su Qing had been listening to Ji shuisheng probing of Madame Li. Her calm eyes were unmoved as if she had not heard anything. Under Ji Shuisheng’s gaze, it was inappropriate for her to sew women’s clothing, so she went over to lower the curtain.
A curtain blocked Ji Shuisheng’s line of sight. He retracted his gaze and focused on driving the carriage. He felt that his shoulders were heavy.
By noon, they had yet to leave the Tiegang mountains. As it was much cooler to walk in the mountains than on the official road, everyone’s water consumption was much smaller than before.
However, the water in the bamboo tube would be used up eventually. He had to find a water source as soon as possible.
Zhong Yong was from Tiegang mountain, so Ji Shuisheng called him over to ask about the water source.
“There’s no water source in the mountains. It’s all dry.”
Zhong Yong licked his chapped lips as he spoke to Ji Shuisheng.
“Then what kind of water do you drink?”
Ji Shuisheng gave him a strange look. There was no water in the mountains, and it did not rain. People would not die of thirst.
” Our village dug a deep well, and other villages did the same. They dig more than a hundred feet deep before they see water. It’s only enough for drinking, not enough for watering the land. Many people have starved to death without food! The crops have all died from the drought this year, and the government even wants us to pay taxes.”
Although Zhong Yong was looking at him, his words were clear and organized. Ji Shuisheng’s brows furrowed even more tightly after hearing this.
There was no shortage of food now, and there was no way to cook without water. They could only go to a village to ask for water if there was no other way.
“How far is the nearest village from here?”
...
Ji Shuisheng asked Zhong Yong again, and Zhong Yong stared at Ji Shuisheng with his eyes wide open,
“What do you want to do?”
“I’m going to ask for water.”
Ji Shuisheng poured the last drop of water in the bamboo tube into his mouth. He shook it, and it was empty.
“I advise you not to go. Water is your life during the drought because water has killed so many people. Every village’s water source is heavily protected, and no one will give it to them. You can’t even buy it with money, let alone ask for water. If outsiders enter the village, they will fight, and the entire village will attack. It’s terrifying.”
Zhong Yong’s head shook like a rattle. Ji Shuisheng heard that it was so severe, then what was the point of asking for water?
“Do you know where there is water outside of Tiegang mountain?”
Ji Shuisheng asked Zhong Yong again. From the looks of it, they should be able to walk out of this mountain range at night, and it would also be fine if there were water outside Tiegang mountain.
