In the sky, clouds drifted over, casting a shadow above their heads.
Water bubbled up from the spring, and the clouds overhead gathered thicker and thicker.
Everyone looked at the scene before them, completely stunned!
Rumble!
The sound of thunder rolled in from the distance.
"Oh no! It's going to rain!" Yunxiao blurted out.
"Wait, no! It's going to rain! That's wonderful!" Yunxiao quickly corrected himself.
"Let's go, hurry and find a place to take shelter!" Xiao Yi ordered, and everyone immediately ran toward the carriages.
Li Jin pushed Xiao Yi's wheelchair back, urging Duoduo, "Princess, hurry!"
Duoduo reluctantly patted the fish's head.
"I have to go now! You should hide quickly too, don't let anyone eat you!"
The fish stopped swimming in circles, raised its head, and looked at Duoduo.
Duoduo waved at the fish, turned around, and ran toward the carriage.
Lüdou looked at the fish in the pond in confusion. Why was the Princess talking to a fish?
Lüdou saw the fish looking in the direction Duoduo had left, and then it leaped up.
Splash! The fish fell back into the pond.
Lüdou hurried away, looking back as she ran.
Fortunately, the fish did not jump up again.
Duoduo got into one of the rear carriages, and Yingniang ran over to join her.
"Duoduo, where is that fish from just now? Why didn't you catch it? We could have had fish to eat!"
Duoduo shook her head.
"The teacher said that all living things in the world have a spirit."
"What if that fish is a fish spirit? Would you still dare to eat it?"
Yingniang covered her mouth, shaking her head in horror. "I wouldn't dare!"
Duoduo smiled and patted Yingniang's arm. "Sister, don't be afraid! As long as you don't eat it, you'll be fine!"
Yingniang finally relaxed and leaned in close to Duoduo.
"Duoduo, is that fish really a spirit?"
Duoduo tilted her head and thought about it. "I don't know."
Saying this, Duoduo smiled. "But I do know that it's going to rain! I can already smell the rain!"
Duoduo reached her hand out the window, feeling the moisture in the air.
Because Xiao Yi had ordered them to quickly find a place to take shelter, the carriages were speeding along.
Duoduo's hand bobbed up and down in the wind.
Crack! A flash of lightning streaked across the sky.
"There's a village ahead! I can hear sounds!" Shitou suddenly shouted.
After such a long drought, it was finally going to rain, and the commoners had all run out of their homes to cheer.
Everyone was beating gongs and drums in celebration, which was how Shitou was able to hear the commotion.
"How much further?" Yunxiao quickly asked.
The dark clouds in the sky were growing thicker and thicker; it looked like this was going to be a massive downpour.
This rain wasn't going to stop anytime soon.
It would definitely be best if they could find a village.
That way, even if it rained for days and nights on end, their large group wouldn't have to worry about sleeping out in the wilderness.
Shitou tilted his head and listened closely.
"Not far, we should be there in about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea."
Hearing this, Yunxiao didn't bother to question whether Shitou's estimate was accurate.
He simply turned his head and shouted, "Everyone, run for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea! Let's try to reach the village before the heavy rain hits!"
"Yes!" the guards roared in unison, all quickening their pace.
Right now, whether it was because they had drunk the spring water or because it was about to rain, everyone felt as light as a swallow and full of energy.
Pitter-patter!
Raindrops the size of soybeans began to fall.
"Hurry, just around this bend and we're there!" Shitou directed from the front.
Sure enough, as the mountain road curved, a village appeared before them.
The village wasn't large, with only a scattered dozen or so households.
The villagers, who had been beating gongs and drums while standing at the village entrance to enjoy the rain, suddenly froze when they saw a convoy rushing toward them.
Yunxiao rode his horse forward first.
"Fellow villagers, we are passing through and would like to take shelter from the rain. Would that be convenient?"
The villagers looked at each other, but no one answered.
Someone hurriedly ran off to fetch someone else.
Xiao Yi's carriages followed behind Yunxiao and arrived at the village entrance.
Li Jin lifted the carriage curtain, stepped out, and cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd.
"Hello everyone, we are passing through. Just as this heavy rain is about to fall, we would like to take shelter in your esteemed village. We ask for your accommodation!"
The rain was gradually growing heavier. In just the time it took Li Jin to speak, his shoulders were already soaked.
At this moment, a man who looked like the village head hurried over with some people.
"The village head is here." The villagers gathered around him.
Li Jin repeated his request.
The village head noticed a fair-skinned little boy poking his head out from a carriage in the back.
The village head looked at Li Jin. "Visitors are guests. Please, follow me."
The village head led the group into the village. Li Jin got back into the carriage, and Xiao Yi tossed him a cloth towel.
"Thank you!" Li Jin took the cloth and wiped the rainwater from his face.
Yunxiao waved his hand, and the convoy started moving again.
Just as everyone had taken shelter under the eaves, a flash of lightning cracked down from the sky.
Following the lightning, it was as if a hole had opened in the sky, and the heavy rain poured down in torrents.
The village head observed Xiao Yi sitting in his wheelchair, instinctively feeling quite constrained and cautious.
Earlier, Xiao Yi had explained to the village head that they were merchants from Xianyang, traveling with their families to the capital for business.
Passing through this area, they happened to encounter the heavy rain and had no choice but to come over for shelter.
The village head turned his head again to look at the little boy in the crowd.
The little boy was standing by the edge of the eaves, reaching his hands out to catch the rainwater.
Whenever he caught the rain, he would giggle happily.
"This rain is wonderful. It relieves the drought and saves the common people!"
Li Jin struck up a conversation with the village head.
The village head withdrew his gaze and looked at the dense curtain of rain in the sky, the wrinkles on his face blooming into a smile.
"With the rain, the crops are saved."
"The water in the river had all dried up. If it didn't rain soon, people would have died of thirst!"
"However, this rain today is also quite unusual. It was perfectly clear and sunny just a moment ago, so how did it suddenly start raining?"
The village head couldn't figure it out.
He had lived for decades, but this was the first time he had ever seen such a thing!
"That's right, old sir. Just a moment ago, we also saw that the river over there was completely dried up."
"But then, for some unknown reason, a spring suddenly gushed out from underground!"
"We were still marveling at it when the weather suddenly changed."
"Good thing we ran fast, otherwise we would have been drenched like drowned rats today!"
Li Jin looked at the heavy rain, also sighing in amazement.
Just a few days ago, they were still enduring a drought, and in the blink of an eye, it was pouring rain.
"A spring? Where?" The village head asked curiously.
"Just about a cup of tea's journey past that intersection. Isn't there a river there?"
"Look, that kind-hearted child saved a fish, and as a result, a spring suddenly appeared!"
Li Jin pointed half-jokingly at Duoduo, who was playing with the water.
The village head revealed a look of astonishment. Suddenly, with a thud, he dropped to his knees before Duoduo.
