Facing the current situation, Lu Jinnian still felt that she needed to endure.
Wait a little longer; at the very least, they needed to find a water source, and preferably a place where they could dig a well or where there was a large river.
Otherwise, even if they settled down, they wouldn't have an easy life.
Although she had her Space...
Thinking of the Space, her heart finally felt a bit more at ease.
"Alright, everyone find a place to rest for a bit. Men, follow me to find water!"
The village chief leading the group at the front gave the order. This area was a small grove, providing more than enough shade for everyone to hide from the sun for a while.
Seeing the men leave, Lu Jinnian also prepared to take the three children to look for water.
"Xiao Nian, where are you going?" An older woman resting not far away looked toward her.
Lu Jinnian remembered her from the original memories; she was a nearby neighbor, Auntie Wang.
"Auntie Wang, I'm taking them to find some tree roots and wild vegetables," she replied.
They still had a little dry food on them, but not much; they had to save it whenever possible.
Hearing this, Auntie Wang sighed. She didn't have much food herself, so she said nothing. If she wanted to help others, she had to look at her own family's situation first.
Lu Jinnian left the camp and took the children into the small grove.
Her clothes were loose, making it easy to hide things.
She checked to ensure no one was around and scanned the area with her mental power before feeling relieved.
Fortunately, although her strength ability had disappeared, her mental power could still be used. With her as the center, there was no one within a two-meter radius.
She fished out the only gourd containing water from her clothes; she had secretly filled it with pure water herself.
There wasn't much, but it would be enough for the four of them to drink and at least last until tomorrow.
"Big Sister," Lu Jingcheng said hesitantly, "there isn't much water left..."
He had been very thirsty along the way, but he had never opened his mouth to say so. Now that water was scarce, he knew his younger siblings were still thirsty.
Lu Jingxin and Lu Jingqiu were both staring at the gourd. They could hardly hold on any longer, especially the younger ones who lacked self-control.
This long journey of trekking through mountains and rivers had long since made them feel despair.
Lu Jinnian smiled and said, "It's okay, everyone take a little. We have to survive."
Indeed, even if they kept enduring without drinking, what if they died of dehydration in the end? It was better to take it one step at a time; moreover, she wouldn't let these three children die.
Having inherited the original host's body, she also had to inherit her mission.
The original host's only hope was for her younger siblings to live and enjoy a life without worrying about food or clothing.
To her, these things were not difficult to achieve.
Hearing this, Lu Jingcheng said no more. Seeing that his big sister had already drunk some, he took the gourd. Feeling its heavy weight, he couldn't help but be a bit surprised.
"Big Sister..." He looked at her, not knowing how to speak.
Lu Jinnian made a shushing gesture. "Drink quickly, we need to head back as soon as possible."
Hearing her say this, Lu Jingcheng didn't say anything else. He took a large gulp of water, but didn't drink more, turning to give it to Lu Jingxin.
After all, this was their only means of survival; if he drank too much, what would happen to his younger siblings!
Lu Jingxin also found it strange. Clearly, there wasn't much left, so how had the water increased?
She also obediently remained silent, lacking the strength to ask. She drank the water honestly and then passed it to her brother.
The youngest brother didn't want to think about these things at all. When they were full in the past, he might have considered it, but now he could barely keep up with the walking; he had no mood to care about how much food or water there was.
After finishing the water, no one ate anything.
Because the only remaining items were two grain cakes in their bags that were as hard as stones.
To call them "grain" was an exaggeration; they were made by mixing some grain scraps and husks with corn.
Eating them was similar to eating sand, but they couldn't even manage that much. Without grain, they didn't know how much longer they could live.
Basically, they ate once every two days, and only a small piece each time—about half a cake.
At this rate, they could maintain themselves for eight more days.
Lu Jinnian noticed that while at the gathering point or on the road, there were faint, intermittent gazes watching them.
While this posed no threat to her, the situation was different.
It seemed that separating from the group was something that needed to be done.
By the time they returned to the gathering point, the men had also returned. They hadn't found a water source; after all, returning after walking too far was troublesome and a waste of physical strength, so it was best to look while walking.
After resting for a moment again, the main group set off once more.
Lu Jinnian observed the others. Everyone was listless and mostly silent along the way. If they had the strength to speak, they could use it to walk a few more steps; speaking would only make them thirstier and more tired.
By noon, the sun was far too intense, so they rested again. They set off once more around the hour of Shen, which was roughly three in the afternoon.
It wouldn't be too hot then; otherwise, the accelerated loss of body fluids would make them die even faster.
Along the way, people continuously fell behind, and basically, no one cared.
How could they care? Should they use their own water to save others?
Everyone had already reached this point; how could they look after others?
Lu Jinnian silently watched the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled who couldn't keep up with the group, and then continued her journey.
She had ample supplies, but she hadn't eaten herself, and her younger siblings were so hungry they were staggering.
Therefore, it was impossible for her to save others, because she had people she needed to protect.
In three years of the apocalypse, Lu Jinnian had seen many people eliminated because they lacked the ability to survive, and she had similarly not cared for others.
It was the same now; she wouldn't intervene.
In her view, it was survival of the fittest. Although cold-blooded, her own safety was more important.
Sometimes, being a "Holy Mother" might satisfy one's vanity, but it would also jeopardize personal safety.
She wouldn't do that; surviving by laying low was what she had always done.
Before setting off in the afternoon, Lu Jinnian took out the cakes, broke off some pieces, and shared a bit with her siblings, without eating a single bite herself.
To be honest, she was so hungry her stomach was aching.
She hadn't even snuck any food from the Space; she was purely starving herself.
There were still over a hundred people in the main group, so she couldn't easily let others discover her actions.
Because her mental power kept alerting her that someone was observing them.
It wasn't one person watching constantly, but rather that someone would observe them from time to time.
"Big Sister, why aren't you eating?" After finishing the cake in her hand, Lu Jingxin finally realized that her big sister hadn't eaten anything.
Lu Jinnian replied, "I'm not hungry. Hurry up and get up, everyone is leaving."
It was impossible that she wasn't hungry!
Everyone knew in their hearts that since Lu Jinnian hadn't eaten anything, how could she not be hungry?
Their feelings were very complex; even though they were young, they wanted these things too.
However, because the topic had changed, they didn't mention it again and hurried to catch up with the people in front.
During this time, everyone walked listlessly. Although most people could no longer walk, they were still persevering.
Because this place was not suitable for survival at all. Even if they ate tree roots, how much longer could they hold on?
Currently, the wild grass had all dried up. It was the beginning of autumn, so they couldn't even find grass to eat.
Now they could only keep walking like this, following the crowd; perhaps there would still be a chance to live...
(Author's Note: The author has five completed works, all of which are period dramas. A new book is starting, please support! Please vote. Completed works: "Rebirth in the Era: I Counterattacked to Become a Rich and Beautiful Woman" (Career-oriented live streaming/e-commerce, can contact modern society); "After Rebirth, I Became a Villainous Boss" (Gender swap, career-oriented male lead, no CP); "Reborn with Pinduoduo" (Reborn in the famine era, building the Great Northern Wilderness); "Reborn with a Warehouse" (Period career-oriented female lead, career first!); "Happy Life in the Sixties" (Period short stories).)
(End of Chapter)