The kang (heated brick bed) for left-behind women

Chapter 121 Cooling Down Like This

"Then I'll move away a bit, but even if I move away, the cave dwelling is only so big, I can't avoid it," Lin Dachun said awkwardly.

Li Ruoxue simply turned away and didn't say anything more.

then.

Li Ruoxue took it off.

"It's much cooler this way," Li Ruoxue said, blushing.

Lin Dachun's heart pounded as he looked at Li Ruoxue's body.

that's it.

Hot summer.

The two people, a man and a woman, sought refuge from the summer heat inside the cave.

This is the most primitive and also the most effective way to beat the heat.

I'm just a little embarrassed.

But we're family.

The sun, like a burnt-out charcoal brazier, hung obliquely over the western plateau, turning everything in the world into a dim yellow.

sunset.

Lin Dachun carried a shoulder pole and two empty buckets, heading towards the nearly dried-up ditch behind the village.

The corn leaves on both sides of the road were all curled up into tubes, drooping listlessly.

The dust was half an inch thick; when you stepped on it, a puff of yellow smoke rose up, making people cough.

Lin Dachun wiped away his sweat, and beads of sweat rolled into his eyes, stinging painfully.

The village's ditches have long been dry.

Lin Dachun had to go to a village several miles away to fetch water.

There were already seven or eight people lined up by the ditch.

It's mostly women and elderly people from the village; the able-bodied men are either working in the mines or have gone out to work.

Many of the women left behind are thieves.

Buckets were packed side by side, people were packed side by side, and the air was thick with the smell of sweat and anxiety.

The water in the ditch was reduced to a thin stream, yellowish and murky, with bits of grass and foam floating on it.

The person in front squatted by the ditch, carefully scooping water with a ladle. With each scoop, the mud at the bottom was stirred up, making the water even muddier.

Lin Dachun put down the bucket and joined the end of the line.

The old lady from the Zhang family in front turned around and saw him, sighing, "Da Chun is here too? This little bit of water probably won't be enough to share."

"We'll pick a little bit at a time," Lin Dachun said, his eyes fixed on the pitifully thin stream of water.

He waited in line for a full two hours before it was his turn.

Each bucket was scooped halfway, and the water was so murky that you could see the mud and sand at the bottom of the buckets.

He tested the weight; it was light as a feather—this little bit of water was only enough for eating and feeding the sheep.

As they carried the load back home, the carrying pole creaked and groaned, as if it too were complaining about the hardships of life.

The sky darkened further, the yellowish-brown turning iron gray. The wind picked up, swirling up yellow dust that stung our faces like fine needles.

As he passed the abandoned threshing ground west of the village, he heard someone call out, "Uncle Dachun."

Her voice was soft and timid.

Lin Dachun stopped and saw a person standing under the old locust tree by the field—it was Lin Yali, the widow from the west end of the village.

She was also carrying two buckets, which were old and had rusted holes in the tinplate, which were wrapped with strips of cloth.

He was as thin as a stick, wearing a faded blue cloth shirt that hung loosely on his body.

His hair was haphazardly tied up, his face was covered in dirt, only his eyes were still shining, like two burnt-out embers in the twilight.

"Yali," Lin Dachun put down his load, "you've come to fetch water too?"

Lin Yali shook her head, then nodded: "I've come three times already. Each time I can only pick a little bit, and I have to rest after walking a few steps."

She lifted her foot; the sole of her cloth shoe was worn through, revealing her reddened sole and cracked heel, oozing blood.

Lin Dachun looked at the foot, and felt a pang in his heart.

He remembered that when Lin Yali's husband was around, she was a talkative and cheerful young wife, wearing silver bracelets on her wrists and with her hair neatly combed.

It's only been a few years?

"There's no water left in the house?" Lin Dachun asked.

"There's barely any left at the bottom of the jar, not even enough for cooking tomorrow morning," Lin Yali said, glancing at his two buckets. "Dachun, could you spare some of those two buckets for me?"

She spoke the last sentence very softly, and her face turned red.

"This isn't even enough for the sheep to drink. How about this, let's pick some more water together and store up more?" Lin Dachun replied.

"Okay, I'll wait for you."

Before, when Lin Liang was around, he would carry water. Now that Lin Liang has run away, Lin Yali is all alone, and even heavy work like carrying water is a problem for her.

After carrying the two buckets of water back, Lin Dachun came out again immediately.

Together with Lin Yali, we picked out two more buckets before dark.

"Oh dear, it's so hot today, the crops are all drying out and there's no water to irrigate them, I don't know what to do."

On the road.

Lin Yali complained.

"Yes, did you dig a water cellar at your house?" Lin Dachun asked.

"You have a small water cellar that can't hold much water, but yours is huge!" Lin Yali said enviously.

"It's no use if it doesn't rain. It's still dry, and it's cost me a lot of money. I'm still in debt," Lin Dachun said with a wry smile.