The water truck was parked beside the government supermarket. The lights outside the supermarket were on, and two police officers had been stationed inside to maintain order.
One person sat on a table beside the water truck, registering ID information, while another dispensed water according to the number of people.
By the time Jiang Ci and Si Beichen arrived, the queue already stretched around two streets.
After they joined the queue, they heard someone ahead complaining quietly, "Will there even be any water left when it's our turn? There are so many people."
"If they run out, they can haul more over. The government can't just abandon us."
"It's so hot, so damn hot. Can everyone spread out a little? Aren't you hot?"
"Still shoving and crowding! Have you got any manners?"
"If you keep making noise, get the hell out! You're driving everyone crazy. It's already hot, and you're still yelling. So damn annoying!"
Jiang Ci gently tugged Si Beichen's shirt hem with her small hand, pulling him two steps back.
Although it was nighttime, the temperature was still high enough to make people feel panicky.
With so many people packed together, Jiang Ci could smell the sweat, stinking feet, and sour reek of clothes and bodies that hadn't been washed in who knew how many days, even through her mask.
Si Beichen could tell Jiang Ci couldn't stand the smell in the queue, so he lowered his head and said, "I'll wait here. Go browse the supermarket next door."
Jiang Ci dodged Si Beichen's hand as he reached for her bucket and shook her head gently. "I'm not going. It's fine. I can put up with it."
Seeing that Jiang Ci really didn't want to go, Si Beichen didn't insist. He didn't want her too far from him either. There were too many people around, and he worried someone might be watching the crowd from the shadows, ready to follow and rob someone at any moment.
Human nature simply couldn't stand being put to the test.
They waited for ages before the queue moved forward two steps. Literally just two steps.
Jiang Ci silently repeated to herself, I'm not annoyed. I'm not annoyed. A calm mind keeps you cool. A calm mind keeps you cool.
While Jiang Ci was silently brainwashing herself, someone suddenly ran up beside her, patted her shoulder, and called excitedly, "Xiao Ci!"
She turned to find Wu Ya.
Jiang Ci was delighted to see her good friend too. Although they lived in the same residential complex, their buildings weren't close together, so they hadn't run into each other all this time.
"Where's Jiang Chengrong?"
Wu Ya raised her hand and pointed farther back in the queue. "Waiting back there. I spotted you when we first joined the queue, but it was too dark to be sure. I stared at you for ages before I was certain it was you."
Jiang Ci craned her neck and peered toward the back for a while before finally spotting Jiang Chengrong waving at them from amid the dense crowd.
She waved back to let him know she'd seen him, then turned to Wu Ya and asked softly with concern, "How have you and Jiang Chengrong been doing?"
There were too many people around, too many prying eyes, so Wu Ya didn't dare say much for fear of attracting attention. She replied quietly too, "All right."
The two whispered back and forth.
After getting a basic idea of their situation and learning that Wu Ya and Jiang Chengrong were doing reasonably well, Jiang Ci finally felt reassured.
She only whispered, "Come find me if you run into any trouble."
Wu Ya nodded.
She glanced at the tall, straight-backed man ahead of them, whose face was hidden behind a mask.
Poking Jiang Ci's arm, she asked nosily, "Who's this guy? You seem pretty close. Your boyfriend?"
Jiang Ci smiled helplessly. "He's my older brother."
"You have an older brother? You've never mentioned him before."
"We're not related..."
"Oh, okay."
When Wu Ya saw the man ahead turn to look at her, she immediately greeted him with a cheeky grin. "Hi, big brother."
Si Beichen had excellent hearing and knew she was Jiang Ci's friend. He didn't say much, merely nodding before turning back to continue waiting.
"All right, Xiao Ci, I'd better get back to Jiang Chengrong. I'll come hang out with you in Building 8 when I have time."
"Sure, go ahead."
Jiang Ci didn't try to keep her. Wu Ya had been to her place before and could naturally come over whenever she wanted to see her.
"If anything comes up, come find me and Jiang Chengrong."
With that, Wu Ya hugged Jiang Ci and ran off.
Not long after Wu Ya left, a noisy barrage of curses came from farther up the queue.
Jiang Ci rose onto her tiptoes to look and immediately brightened. Oh, there was more drama to enjoy.
A woman in a tight red bodycon dress was bent over, struggling to carry a bucket of water back.
Under the dim lights, the woman's curvaceous figure was on full display, and the hazy night lent her shapely body a few more degrees of unspoken allure.
Quite a few lechers in the queue had already set their sights on her, with wolf whistles and appreciative clucking rising one after another.
One young man was anxiously trying to go over and help her carry the bucket.
But the middle-aged woman beside him clung tightly to his arm, refusing to let him leave the queue.
The young man was none other than Zhou Junming, who lived on the ninth floor of their Building 8, played guitar, and had a lovely singing voice.
The middle-aged woman beside him was his difficult mother.
Jiang Ci shifted her gaze back to the woman struggling with the water bucket.
If she wasn't mistaken, this had to be the sultry widow from the thirteenth floor of their Building 8.
Tsk, tsk. What a show.
Zhou Junming desperately pried at his mother's fingers and shouted angrily, "Mom, let go!"
His mother tightened her grip. The young man was strong, and in her panic, she plopped down on the ground and began making a scene.
"Zhou Junming, you ungrateful son! Just you try going over there! Don't you want me as your mother anymore?"
He was her precious son, after all, and she couldn't bear to scold him too harshly, so she vented all her anger on Zhao Yunqiu instead.
"You shameless vixen! How dare you seduce my son! I won't let you get away with it!"
"Just you wait, you little bitch! Why don't you look in a mirror and see what you're like? You're a filthy widow! What makes you think you're good enough for my son?"
"Look at those hips and those breasts! One glance tells you she's no decent woman! What decent woman comes out dressed like that? You can tell she's a practiced man-seducer!"
"Everyone, keep an eye on your men! Don't let this shameless vixen lure them away!"
The woman had plenty of fight in her. After her barrage, everyone in the queue was whispering.
Zhao Yunqiu didn't say a word despite the abuse. Looking pitiful, wronged, and forbearing, she continued struggling with her bucket.
The men immediately felt sorry for her.
One man let lust go to his head and, ignoring his wife's attempts to stop him, went over to help Zhao Yunqiu.
Seeing another man approach Zhao Yunqiu with ill intentions, Zhou Junming immediately grew anxious.
He wrenched his arm free from his mother's grip with a powerful tug, pushing her off balance and sending her toppling backward.
His mother let out a howling "Ow!" but ultimately failed to hold her precious son back.
Zhou Junming ran angrily to Zhao Yunqiu's side and shoved the ill-intentioned man away.
The man was no pushover either, and he immediately began grappling with Zhou Junming.
Seeing her son fighting another man over a slutty widow, his mother immediately sat on the ground and began wailing at the top of her lungs.
The queue was so long that neither end was visible, but not a single person was willing to step forward and break up the fight. Everyone was simply watching the show.
If it didn't concern them, they stayed out of it. Nobody wanted to bring trouble on themselves.