Chapter 28: 725 Pounds Remain

Nong Yasi was just about to refuse. With survival already so difficult, there was no need to waste water on washing. She knew the Shi family had a small reserve of clean water, but that amount was intended for the two children to bathe. As adults, if they weren't suffering from thirst, they shouldn't be competing for those scarce water resources.

Come to think of it, the bathwater used by Shi Yaoyao and Shi Xiangrui was actually potable. Nong Yasi hadn't yet figured out where Shi Yuebai had taken the basin of water after Shi Yaoyao finished using it. Looking over, she saw Shi Yuebai dipping her two chubby, short hands into the basin. The water was clean and crystal clear. Shi Yuebai used it to scrub her hands and arms. While her hands didn't come out particularly clean, the water in the basin turned black. Seeing Nong Yasi watching, Shi Yuebai lifted the basin and poured the water over a patch of potato sprouts nearby.

Nong Yasi’s lips twitched; she felt that even water this black was drinkable—certainly better than the water that would kill you instantly upon taking a sip. However, as her gaze fell upon the small patch of potato sprouts, a light appeared in her eyes. Beside the bridge pier, there was a small plot of land that Shi Yuebai had specially cleared. It wasn't large, at most two square meters. Some sprouted potatoes were buried there. Shi Yuebai hadn't had time to tend to these sprouts recently; she simply poured all the used water into this small patch. Without realizing it, the sprouted potatoes had broken through the soil and were growing vigorously at an unnatural rate.

In this wasteland, ordinary people could not grow crops. It was said that some ability-users could, but the produce they grew was entirely supplied to the figures at the top of the pyramid, never reaching the hands of ordinary survivors like them. Being able to find a few green, lush potato sprouts under the Shi family’s tarp was worth it to Nong Yasi, even if it meant dying of thirst—not that she felt thirsty at all.

When the women of the Shi family slept, they huddled together. Nong Yasi had slept beside Mother Shi last night, and waking up this morning, she felt energetic and filled with strength. She felt neither thirsty nor hungry, had the energy to work, and no longer felt dizzy or lightheaded while walking.

Below the bridge pier, Shi Yuebai handed the small plastic basin to Nong Yasi. Looking down, Nong Yasi noticed that in the short moment she had been distracted, the basin was already filled with water again.

She didn't dare to accept it. "Yuebai, this is too wasteful for me..."

Before she could finish, Nong Yasi’s gaze fell to Shi Yuebai’s feet. There sat a very large water basin, filled to the brim with clear water as precious as gold.

Nong Yasi: "..." She had a wild theory: did the Shi family have an inexhaustible supply of clean water?

"Wash your hands and face, and help my mother bathe tonight." Shi Yuebai shoved the basin into Nong Yasi’s hands. She didn't have time for pleasantries. If the women of the Shi family stayed clean, she would sleep better when they all huddled together at night, sparing her from the feeling that she was sleeping with a group of stinky pigs.

Though it pained her heart, Nong Yasi obeyed and dipped a clean towel into the clear water. Bit by bit, she wiped her hands, face, and neck with the gold-like water. The sense of shameful waste made her want to cry.

"Yuebai, I feel like my body has been really strange these past two days," Nong Yasi said cautiously while wiping the sweat from her skin. "I don't feel hungry at all."

Shi Yuebai’s slightly cold voice replied, "As long as you can survive, why think so much about it? It’s better to remain blissfully ignorant about some things."

Nong Yasi actually found Shi Yuebai’s words quite reasonable. The life she was living now was something she wouldn't have dared to imagine before. For the women in the wasteland, Nong Yasi was currently living a life as good as heaven.

Seeing that Nong Yasi had quieted down, Shi Yuebai steered her flatbed cart over to the dizziness formation on the ground. For the past day or two, Shi Yuebai had been busy with many things. Every morning, before everyone woke up, she would inject fat-energy into each person's body. Today, due to the increased workload, the fat-energy in Nong Yasi and the Second Sister-in-law's bodies was being consumed quickly. So, Shi Yuebai had to tap their shoulders while they were resting, slipping the fat-energy into their bodies when they weren't looking.

Beyond that, Shi Yuebai had significantly modified the dizziness formation on the ground. She not only enhanced the vertigo effect but also added a layer of restriction. Outsiders could enter the formation, but they would immediately become dizzy and disoriented upon entry; if they pushed further in, they would pass out. Conversely, Nong Yasi could not leave; if she tried to step outside the formation, she would hit a transparent barrier.

Such an incredibly complex array required more of Shi Yuebai’s bodily fat-energy to maintain. Her weight fluctuated as a result, currently sitting at 725 pounds. Losing weight was truly too difficult.

As night fell, the activity of exchanging bread for supplies at the Shi family’s tarp had ended for the day. Shi Yaoyao finally finished the stack of homework Shi Yuebai had assigned her. She joined the Second Sister-in-law and Nong Yasi, and the three of them began moving the pile of rubble behind the Shi family’s tarp by hand.

Yi Zhe arrived with two mercenaries to check on the old, weak, sick, and disabled members of the Shi family. What they saw was the women of the Shi family working hard. To their surprise, they noticed that a line had been marked out around the Shi family’s tarp using broken stones.

"What are you doing?" Yi Zhe asked the Second Sister-in-law and Shi Yaoyao, though his eyes were searching for Shi Yuebai. Seeing Shi Yuebai pushing her flatbed cart out from under the tarp, Yi Zhe asked angrily, "Yuebai, did the people in the team force you to do this?"

He couldn't fathom why the old and weak weren't out scavenging but were instead doing manual labor here. Yi Zhe knew that because the Shi family lacked men, the rest of the team likely held grievances against them. But he hadn't expected that even with mercenaries backing the Shi family, the team would still push them out like this.

"Did they make you draw a line to isolate yourselves?" Yi Zhe continued, a hint of hostility appearing on his handsome face. "Don't worry, Yuebai, I'll go have a word with them."

Shi Yuebai gave Yi Zhe another "good person" card. "No, I’m the one who asked them to do it." She gestured toward Yi Zhe and the two mercenaries. "I plan to build a wall to separate the Shi family from the rest of the team. Since you’re here, and you’re strong, come help me move some large stones."