novelraw Chapter 155: Pool, Rock Salt
Chapter 155: Pool, Rock Salt
Evelyn Ford stared at the water seeping out. It was a small, murky trickle, but she had once again grasped the lifeline that would keep them alive.
The pit was dug seven meters deep and five meters wide. After shoveling out the excess dirt, everyone climbed out.
"When we get back, we need to find some wire to make a mesh cover for this pool. We can’t let animals fall in and drown," Officer Graham said, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he looked at the water.
Animals falling in and dirtying the water was one thing, but he was more afraid of another parasite crisis.
"Let’s go. We’re heading back. The water should clear up in a couple of days after the sediment settles. It’s a bit far, but it’ll be convenient enough to fetch water with the tricycle. We just need to fix up this stretch of the mountain path," Quincy said. As soon as he finished, Zion Lowell, who had come along, immediately chimed in.
"Tomorrow, everyone will come over to repair the road. We’ll get it smoothed out. This is great. We have water now. We have a way to live."
"Evelyn Ford is amazing, knowing how to find groundwater. As expected of Dr. Ford, a true heroine."
"Ronan Kendrick is the most amazing. He can hear the sound of water flowing underground. Those ears are better than a dog’s."
"Mr. Graham is the most incredible one! He can make explosives. One BANG, the earth shook, and he blasted a huge pit."
"I think Mr. Lowell is the most impressive. He’s so farsighted and thinks about the big picture."
...
News that they had found water spread through the safe zone, and everyone rushed to tell each other. Some couldn’t wait and went to fetch water with buckets, while others pushed rickety carts around, digging up soil everywhere, planning to plant vegetables again.
Evelyn Ford set up a vegetable garden directly on the empty lot behind the building. Others followed her example, marking out ten-square-meter plots for each family with strips of scrap cloth.
Every patch of open ground in the safe zone was turned into a vegetable plot. Some people even went into the mountains to dig up soil, carrying it back on their backs to plant wheat.
The most resilient life form in the world is humanity. As long as a single breath remains, so does an unyielding will.
「Three days later.」 The water in the pool had settled and cleared. One person from each family went to fetch a bucket of water.
After many people had left, some rooms became vacant. Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick moved into a hospital room on the top floor. Evelyn looked at the familiar VIP room and thought of Kevin Holloway, who had stayed here during the parasite outbreak. At the thought of the Holloway Family and the Hooper Family, a flash of disgust crossed her eyes.
Evelyn Ford scattered some bamboo and tree seeds next to the pool. Bamboo has a slow growth cycle; otherwise, it could have been used to channel water from the mountain back to the safe zone, saving everyone the trouble of carrying it.
With the water problem solved, the biggest difficulty now was the lack of salt.
If people go too long without salt, they don’t just lose their hair and teeth, their hair turns dull and yellow, their faces become sallow and gaunt, and they feel tired and weak. They could even die suddenly.
Zion Lowell had been spending all his time roaming the mountains recently, searching for rock salt or earth salt. He had "borrowed" Mina, saying he needed her to help him find it. Evelyn Ford didn’t know if he would succeed.
After the heavy rains, the plants seemed to be growing faster again. Evelyn Ford noticed that the seeds she had scattered in the vegetable patch sprouted green shoots in just a day or two, and within about four days, they grew to be seven or eight centimeters tall.
Evelyn Ford scattered a good number of tree and bamboo seeds in various corners of the safe zone.
"Miss Ford, Miss Ford! My dad and the others brought back two snakes! He said we’re having a special meal tonight and that you and Mr. Ronan should come over to eat."
Evelyn Ford was a little surprised. ’It’s only seventeen or eighteen degrees, are snakes already coming out?’
"They caught them by the pool. The snakes were trying to get in to drink and bathe, but my dad clubbed them to death with a stick."
"We know. We’ll be over in a bit."
"Then you’d better hurry! If you’re late, the meat will be all gone."
Evelyn Ford patted Wendy’s pigtails. "I know. I’ll be right over."
After Wendy left, Evelyn Ford began to worry. She couldn’t just show up empty-handed for dinner. ’What should I bring?’
"You could bring a smoked chicken. They all saw us making them before."
Ronan Kendrick’s reminder made Evelyn Ford remember she had many smoked chickens in her space. She took one out, and the two of them headed to the house where Officer Graham and the others were now living.
It was actually a surgery room downstairs. After the family who had lived there left, they moved in.
When the two arrived, Quincy was chopping the snake meat. A nearby iron basin held a good amount of snake blood. Animal blood contains salt, which made it a valuable resource.
"You guys still have goodies like this?" Quincy’s eyes went wide when he saw the smoked chicken in Evelyn Ford’s hands.
"I also have a dozen or so fertilized eggs. I’ll be hatching chicks soon, and I’ll give you each a pair once they’ve hatched."
Quincy looked deeply moved. "Evelyn Ford, there’s not much I can do for you, but I can at least carry a bucket of water for you to show my gratitude."
Evelyn Ford smiled. "I’ll take you up on that."
A large pot of snake meat was stewed, and the smoked chicken was stir-fried into a dish. This was the first time in over a year that everyone had gathered for a meal together.
Ronan Kendrick didn’t seem to like the snake meat much. He ate a small amount and then put down his chopsticks.
"You know, I’m starting to think this heavy rain might not have been a bad thing."
Everyone looked at Quincy. He gave a wry grin and continued, "I found a lot of little seedlings sprouting up by the pool. I bet everything’s about to come back to life soon. There are even some green shoots appearing in the corners of the safe zone."
Wendy got very excited. "I saw them too! I wanted to touch them, but Daddy wouldn’t let me. He said they’re little grasses or little flowers, and I can only pick them after they grow up."
Evelyn Ford felt a little guilty. She had only scattered a small packet of seeds. ’I hope they won’t be too disappointed.’
"Daddy, when they grow up, can we go home?"
For a moment, Officer Graham didn’t understand. "This is our home."
"No, it’s not. Our home is in Corinth. When they grow up, can we go back to Corinth? Daddy, I miss Mommy."
As she spoke, tears streamed down Wendy’s face, and she threw herself into Officer Graham’s arms, wailing.
"Daddy, when can we go home? I want to go home. I don’t like it here."
"When you’re all grown up, we can go home. When that time comes, you can take me back, okay?"
Wendy cried until she started hiccuping. "But I don’t know the way, Daddy. I can’t find the way home."
"It’s okay. Daddy remembers the way."
The others’ eyes were red as well. Who didn’t want to go home? ’But can we ever go back?’
After dinner, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick returned to their room. The aroma of food wafted from other rooms as well.
「The next day.」 Zion Lowell returned with Mina. He was also carrying several rocks on his back. He told everyone that he had found rock salt on a mountain ten kilometers away.
Rock salt is salt extracted from a type of mineral ore. Like other salts, it cannot be consumed directly and needs to be filtered first.
Evelyn Ford went to take a look. It was indeed rock salt, but the salt content wasn’t very high.
"Tomorrow, I’ll lead everyone to go carry back the rock salt. Once we have salt, everyone will get their strength back."