Chapter 83

Chapter 83

After walking for a while, Shen Juanjuan complained again that sand had gotten into his shoes. Chu Ya squatted down to take off his shoes and pour out the sand. Wang Chengcai came up from behind, standing silently beside them. Chu Ya glanced up at him and then continued to help Shen Juanjuan put on his shoes.

"I don't want to wear my shoes, okay? We'll have to take them off in a bit anyway."

"No." Chu Ya replied.

Shen Juanjuan was about to say more when he saw Wang Chengcai suddenly squat down in front of him, his lips moving, his face turning slightly red.

This made Shen Juanjuan nervous, and he immediately grabbed Chu Ya's arm, his eyes becoming wary.

Wang Chengcai looked at Chu Ya, then at Lin Duozhi standing not far away, and finally managed to say with difficulty, "Shen Juanjuan, I'm sorry."

"Huh?" Shen Juanjuan looked puzzled.

"I'm sorry." Wang Chengcai's voice grew louder.

Chu Ya seemed not to hear, only lowering his head to tie Shen Juanjuan's shoelaces.

Shen Juanjuan opened his mouth, "The sand got into my shoes on its own—"

"No, I, I'm apologizing for what happened before," Wang Chengcai stammered, "I shouldn't have scared you, I shouldn't have taken your things, I shouldn't have bullied you. I'm, I'm sorry, I did wrong, I, I'm really sorry."

After saying this, he quickly stood up, walked over to pick up Lin Duozhi, and followed the group forward without looking back. Shen Juanjuan watched his retreating figure, then turned to Chu Ya in surprise after a moment, "He, he's so strange."

"What's strange about him?" Chu Ya asked.

"He said sorry, he's so strange, he's so funny, why is he so funny?" Shen Juanjuan laughed a couple of times, "Ha ha, why is he so strange?"

Chu Ya looked up at him, "Don't you want him to apologize to you?"

Shen Juanjuan didn't respond, just stared at Wang Chengcai's back. Then Chu Ya picked him up, "Let's go, we don't want to fall behind."

As they continued walking, Shen Juanjuan acted as if nothing had happened, chattering away. He took out a bundle of reeds he had collected in the forest from his backpack and asked Chu Ya to make him a rabbit.

Chu Ya made three rabbits for him, but because there wasn't enough reed, the third rabbit was missing two ears. Shen Juanjuan held the three rabbits happily, then ran ahead to call Lin Duozhi, handing him a complete grass rabbit, "Here."

"Wow, it's so pretty." Lin Duozhi took it, gently touching the rabbit's long ears.

Shen Juanjuan said proudly, "My brother made it for me."

"The rabbits Chu Ya made are really pretty."

Shen Juanjuan glanced at Wang Chengcai walking beside Lin Duozhi and handed him the rabbit missing its ears, "Here."

Wang Chengcai was startled, instinctively taking it, then immediately turned to look at Chu Ya.

He saw Chu Ya walking calmly, his eyes slightly lowered, unsure if he had noticed the scene.

Lin Duozhi tugged at Wang Chengcai's sleeve, and Wang Chengcai withdrew his gaze, mumbling to Shen Juanjuan, "Thank you."

"Hmph." Shen Juanjuan lifted his chin, seeing Lin Duozhi's bright eyes, he leaned closer and said, "Your brother said thank you too."

Lin Duozhi also whispered, "He's so funny."

The two children stared at each other and laughed foolishly for a while, then Shen Juanjuan returned to Chu Ya's side, holding his hand.

"This little rabbit looks like the wire one, but that one is still at home," Shen Juanjuan gently played with the rabbit in his palm, then added, "I gave the ugliest one to Lin Duozhi's brother."

"Um, I saw that." Chu Ya smiled and ruffled his hair.

Shen Juanjuan touched his head unhappily, "You just fixed my hair this morning, don't mess it up."

An hour later, the originally noisy group had fallen silent, everyone walking silently through the desert.

"Chu Ya, I just checked the coordinates, but I'm a bit confused. Can you take a look and tell us how far we are from the lake?"

Rong Chen, holding a positioning device used for mining surveys, walked over to Chu Ya.

Chu Ya took the device, brushing the sand off with his fingers, and licked his dry lips, "We should be about an hour away."

"Another hour, we need to push harder."

Chu Ya glanced at the children who were walking unsteadily, "Let everyone rest for a bit, no rush."

The group rested on the spot, and the children immediately lay down on the sand or opened their water bottles to drink greedily.

"I have no water left, manager, I have no water left."

"Me neither."

"I want to drink, I'm so thirsty, is there any river here?"

"It's all sand here, where would there be water?"

The managers took off their water bottles, poured a capful, and took turns feeding the children who had already drunk all their water.

"One capful isn't enough, I want more."

"Be patient, we need to save some for others, we'll reach the lake soon."

"Manager, give me a bit more, I want more..."

"Others need to drink too, you can't drink too much."

"Manager, I want more."

"We said one capful per person, be patient, anyone who keeps asking for more will get a ruler."

Chu Ya sat on the ground, also feeding water to Shen Juanjuan in his arms.

Shen Juanjuan drank two capfuls in a row, watching Chu Ya tighten the lid of the water bottle and put it back into the small backpack on his back. He asked, "Aren't you going to drink?"

"I'm not thirsty," said Chu Ya.

Shen Juanjuan looked at him with confusion, reaching out to touch his lips, but Chu Ya caught that little hand.

"Your lips are cracking; you need to drink water, or you'll get a fever," said Shen Juanjuan.

He remembered when he first found Chu Ya, lying in a cart with a fever, his lips were just as dry and cracked.

Chu Ya: "I won't get a fever, I don't want to drink water right now."

"No, you have to drink, or you'll get a fever." Shen Juanjuan reached for the water bottle hanging from Chu Ya's chest, exclaiming in surprise, then shook it left and right, "It's empty."

When the sandstorm came, Chu Ya used the water to clean the mouth and nose of the young student, leaving only a little in the bottle, which was soon gone after a few sips.

"It's fine that the bottle is empty, I'm not thirsty right now," said Chu Ya.

Shen Juanjuan frowned, pursing his lips without speaking, but began to awkwardly twist his shoulders to take off his backpack.

"What's wrong? What do you want to take out?" asked Chu Ya.

"Drink my water." Shen Juanjuan continued twisting.

"I'm not thirsty—"

"Drink my water!" Shen Juanjuan suddenly roared angrily, slapping the sand with both hands, "Why aren't you drinking? Why? I'm asking you, why aren't you drinking? Why are you so disobedient? Do you want to get a fever? Do you want me to hit you with a ruler?"

People around them looked over, and Tang Yuanyuan and the other children sitting nearby immediately tried to persuade him, "Don't hit Brother Chu Ya, if he's disobedient, just scold him, don't hit him."

"Put him in the punishment room, there's no punishment room here, so put him in the sandworm tunnel," suggested Chen Hongliang.

Wang Xiaoxi: "Why would you hit him? How is he being disobedient?"

"He's very disobedient." Shen Juanjuan pointed at Chu Ya and told the children, "He's learning to be thick-skinned, he wants to make me angry."

Chu Ya sighed helplessly, took the water bottle from Shen Juanjuan's backpack, and poured a capful for himself under his glare, then tilted his head back and drank it down.

"More!" Shen Juanjuan continued to roar.

Chu Ya then drank another capful.

"Alright, I'm full now." Chu Ya showed him the empty cap.

Shen Juanjuan reluctantly nodded, "Remember, don't do this again, I don't want you to make me angry like this."

"Understood."

After resting for a moment, the administrator urged everyone to set off. The students lay on the sand, unmoving, until the threat of the ruler made them slowly get up.

Rong Chen walked ahead, shouting into a megaphone, "Don't you want to eat fish? A bit further ahead, there's a large lake."

"I don't want to eat fish now, I want to drink water," a student shook his empty water bottle.

"Me too."

Rong Chen continued to shout hoarsely, "Want to drink water? Easy, follow Chief Administrator Chen. That lake is full of water, sweet and sugary, oh, it's so good, each of you can drink a whole bottle."

"I want to drink two bottles!"

"I want to drink three bottles."

Shen Juanjuan, lying on Chu Ya's back, shouted, "I want to drink a hundred bottles! A hundred big bottles!"

Rong Chen said, "Alright, alright, we'll drink the whole lake dry. Let's go, let's go, one-two-one, one-two-one, one-two-one..."

Chu Ya walked while looking into the distance, Wang Chengcai, carrying Lin Duozhi, caught up, "Brother Chu Ya."

Shen Juanjuan turned his head and saw Lin Duozhi, immediately grinning and making a shooting gesture at him.

Lin Duozhi clutched his chest and fell onto Wang Chengcai's shoulder with an "Ah!"

Wang Chengcai, walking beside Chu Ya, whispered, "Will that lake disappear? I heard Liu Zhen muttering that she overheard the administrator saying the lake might be gone."

"Bang!"

"Ahh!"

Shen Juanjuan fell onto Chu Ya's shoulder again, his hands dangling limply.

Chu Ya glanced at the GPS device and replied, "Actually, I don't know."

"What?!" Wang Chengcai paused in his steps, then quickly caught up.

"Mental attack, pretend attack, pretend attack Lin Duozhi."

"Mental defense, first wave defense, second wave defense..."

Amidst the children's sparring, Chu Ya said, "I think the lake won't disappear, but nothing is absolute. But even if it does, it's not a problem. You can wait there, and I'll continue forward with the silver wolf to find water and bring it back to you."

Wang Chengcai said, "I can go with you to look for water."

"No need, if it comes to that, I can manage alone, riding the silver wolf will be quick."

Liu Zhen, carrying Liu Sijin, also caught up. The three of them walked and whispered while each carried a child. After walking for a while, they put Shen Juanjuan and the others down, letting the children hold onto the rope tied around Rong Chen's waist and follow, then went back to carry another young student who was struggling to keep up.

Lin Duozhi and Liu Sijin were very obedient, frequently turning their heads to look at Wang Chengcai and Liu Zhen, but Shen Juanjuan slipped to the middle of the group, holding onto the hem of Chu Ya's clothes and walking beside him.

"I didn’t say you couldn’t carry other students; I just wanted to walk beside you." He tilted his head to look at the young student on Chu Ya’s back and spoke to him in a gentle tone.

When everyone's water bottles could no longer produce a single drop of water, the survey instrument indicated they had finally reached the location of the lake. Rong Chen looked at the tall sand dune ahead, licked his cracked lips, and said to the others, "Wait here, I’ll climb up and take a look."

Rong Chen climbed the dune using all fours, and the children looked up at him, not a word spoken. These children were almost driven mad by thirst, and Shen Juanjuan lay on the sand at Chu Ya’s feet, groaning continuously. Although Chu Ya had prepared to search for water alone, that was only as a last resort. He was very reluctant to make them wait for hours before they could drink.

The moment Rong Chen reached the top of the dune, everyone held their breath, and Shen Juanjuan lifted his head, Chu Ya’s heart pounding.

Rong Chen stood straight but remained motionless, staring ahead. Chu Ya, looking at his back, felt the lake must be gone, and his heart sank. Just as he was about to put Shen Juanjuan down and call Black Wolf, Rong Chen suddenly turned around and shouted hoarsely, "Come up... drink water..."

"Wow!!!!"

"Drink water!!!!!"

All the children erupted in ecstatic cheers and rushed toward the dune. The smaller ones slipped uncontrollably after a few steps, while the older ones supported them from behind.

"Hurry up, climb faster!"

"There’s water over there, hurry up and climb to drink!"

Shen Juanjuan also got up and rushed toward the dune, with Chu Ya following behind, carrying a child who couldn’t climb and occasionally using his knee to push Shen Juanjuan upward.

"Hey! Keep going! Hey!" Shen Juanjuan was cheering himself on with a hoarse voice when he suddenly felt his body lift off the ground, the sand beneath him moving rapidly.

Black Wolf carried three children on its back and had Shen Juanjuan in its mouth, rushing toward the top of the dune like the wind.

The moment everyone reached the top of the dune, they were stunned by the scene before them, momentarily forgetting their thirst, standing still in amazement.

A clear pool of water lay quietly in the yellow sand, like a drop of pure blue falling into thick yellow paint, creating a strong visual impact that hit everyone.

"Charge!"

After a moment of silence, someone let out a hoarse shout, bringing everyone back to their senses.

"Charge! Drink water! Drink water!"

"Drink water! Drink water!"

The children sat on the sand and slid down, some rolling down the slope, all rushing down the dune and toward the lake without a second thought.

Rong Chen and the supervisors quickly stopped those rushing to the front: "Be careful, don’t fall into the lake, go slowly, all of you, no squatting to drink, only use your water bottles to scoop water or lie down to drink..."

One supervisor even shouted that they should boil the water first, but as Chu Ya passed by him, he said, "It’s fine, this lake water is very clean, let everyone drink first."

Another supervisor scooping water at the lakeside laughed, "If we wait for the water to boil, we’ll die of thirst. Why don’t we drink first, and you can start the fire to boil it?"

The supervisor, seeing a row of heads gulping water at the lakeside, said nothing more, only took off the water bottle hanging around his neck and started scooping water.

Shen Juanjuan hugged his water bottle, drinking all the water Chu Ya had just scooped for him, then handed the empty bottle back, "I want more."

Chu Ya wiped the water stains on his chest, "Don’t drink too fast, wait a bit and then drink boiled water."

"I’m in a hurry, I’m very, very in a hurry."

"Then have a little more, but not too much."

It was already six in the evening, the light gradually fading. On the sandy beach by the lake, children who had drunk their fill lay sprawled out, their bellies swollen like bloated pufferfish.

The supervisors began setting up tents, and gas lamps were lit on the open ground, with large pots boiling water above them. Chu Ya stood up and walked toward the lake, and Shen Juanjuan, who had been lying on the ground, immediately sat up, "Where are you going?"

"Rest a bit more, I’ll go catch some fish in the lake," Chu Ya said.

Although the lake was clear to the bottom, it was very deep, and the supervisors repeatedly warned against anyone entering the water to catch fish. So although Chu Ya’s words were not loud, all the children immediately lifted their heads and looked at him.

Ten minutes later, Chu Ya walked along the lakeshore, followed by a large group of middle and young students. The older students also wanted to follow but felt embarrassed, so they only sat where they were, craning their necks to watch.

"Brother Chu Ya, look, there’s a fish there, there."

"There are more here, a whole school of them swimming."

Chu Ya released his mental energy, spreading it over the surface of the lake and forming several spears that pierced the water. Soon, large fish over a foot long floated to the surface.

Amid the children’s exclamations, Black Wolf leaped into the water, picked up the fish, and threw them onto the shore, where the children scrambled to pick them up.

"This one is so big, mine is the biggest."

"Mine is bigger, okay?"

Shen Juanjuan was also picking up fish, but he and the other young students were not as nimble as the middle students, running back and forth in vain without catching any.

Seeing Shen Juanjuan run until he was drenched in sweat without catching a single fish, Chu Ya gave Black Wolf a nod. Black Wolf picked up a large fish and shook its head, sending the fish flying through the air directly toward Shen Juanjuan.

Shen Juanjuan watched the fish with wide eyes, reaching out his hands, his small feet moving rapidly. When the large fish landed in his arms, he fell backward onto the sand but continued to hold onto the fish, rolling over and getting up, excitedly smiling at Chu Ya.

"Brother, look, my fish, my fish."

The young students gathered around, "Shen Juanjuan, your fish is so big."

"Yeah, bigger than the ones the middle students picked up."

Shen Juanjuan’s eyes were squinted shut from laughing, "Hahahaha, my fish is so big."

After Black Wolf fished out all the fish floating on the lake, there were dozens of them. The middle and young students happily carried the fish to the older students, who cleaned and processed them before handing them over to the supervisors.

By nightfall, several large pots on the gas lamps were steaming, the fish soup boiling to a creamy white, the aroma of the fish spreading in the air. The students took out their lunch boxes from their backpacks, forming a long queue in front of the pots, swallowing saliva continuously.

Rong Chen picked up a piece of fish and took a bite under the children’s watchful eyes.

"Is it cooked yet?"

"Is it good? Is it really good?"

"Can we eat now?"

The children asked eagerly, Rong Chen, scalded, grimaced and swallowed the fish meat in one gulp, then picked up the big spoon and tapped the edge of the pot: "It's ready! You can serve yourselves! It's incredibly delicious!"

Chu Ya sat by the lakeside with Shen Juanjuan, picking out the bones from the fish meat with his chopsticks. Shen Juanjuan had already opened his mouth, waiting, his eyes following the movement of Chu Ya’s chopsticks.

The Black Wolf lay on the sandy ground nearby, rolling happily, wriggling like a worm.

Chu Ya fed a piece of boneless fish to Shen Juanjuan, who swallowed it in two or three gulps and leaned towards the bowl again, his eyes fixed on Chu Ya’s chopsticks over the rim of the bowl.

"This fish is so delicious, I'll let you have this bite, we’ll take turns," Shen Juanjuan said.

Chu Ya sighed, "Can you slow down? At your speed, I feel bad about serving myself."

"Just eat, we’re taking turns."

"Open your mouth." Chu Ya moved the bowl away and offered the fish to Shen Juanjuan’s mouth.

"Go ahead, eat."

"I’ll eat after you finish, just relax and enjoy it, slowly and steadily."

"Alright then." Shen Juanjuan bit into the fish, chewed, and gulped it down with a swallow.

"Slow down, don’t choke. At your speed, ten people picking bones couldn’t keep up."

"I understand, I’ll eat slower, I’ll chew more, okay?"

Chu Ya glanced at him, "Five times."

"Mm, alright."

Everyone was sitting on the sand eating fish, but Rong Chen called aside the dozen students who were in the differentiation phase, showing them Chu Ya’s illustrated guide and lifting a barely alive fish.

"This is the most handsome fish among them. Look closely, all of you."

The fish was over a foot long, silver-white all over, slender in shape, with intact fins, lying in Rong Chen’s hand, gasping for breath with its mouth wide open.

"Do you think it’s handsome? Close your eyes and recall its appearance carefully."

Earlier on the road, Rong Chen had meticulously asked Chu Ya about the precautions for the sentinel guide. Although Chu Ya had provided the illustrated guide, which featured properly shaped animals, he was still not at ease. Now, he used the fish to reinforce the students' memory. After all, encountering a quantum beast in the form of a fish was better than a Mutant or something like a rat or cockroach.

"Have you recalled its appearance? Isn’t it very beautiful?" Rong Chen guided them gently.

"Slurp..."

"Don’t drink the soup now! Look carefully, think carefully! Tell me, do you find it very beautiful?"

The students closed their eyes, holding their bowls, and responded, "Beautiful, the meat is very white, and the soup is especially fragrant."

"The only thing is, there are quite a few bones. It would be better without them."

"I think the belly part looks the best, it’s the tenderest when you eat it."

"I like the head, it looks the best, and you can suck out the juices."

Rong Chen: "..."