Chapter 288: Can’t Wait Until We Get Too Hungry

Zhiyi kept the bottle upright between her knees, watching rain strike its narrow opening while the men worked around the hatch.

Most of the drops hit her hands instead, and after several minutes, there was barely enough inside to cover the bottom.

She looked toward the tool case wedged beneath the seat and reached for it, remembering how much more they had caught in it earlier.

Jingwei caught her elbow when the boat rolled, keeping her from striking the windshield. He had been watching the darkness behind them, but his attention dropped to the case as she pulled it free.

"Let me get that out for you," Jingwei said, holding her steady while she moved her foot. "I don’t want you catching your fingers under the seat."

He placed the case across her lap before returning to his watch.

Zhiyi opened it and let the rain wash through the shallow compartments, tipping the first little pool over the side.

The water that remained from earlier had mixed with dirt during their escape, and a loose strand of rope clung to one corner. She picked it out, then held the case where it could catch the rain without collecting runoff from the windshield.

Beside the hatch, Hanchuan had taken Shichen’s place against the board.

His wet shirt pulled tight across his shoulders as he leaned down, leaving Shichen room to examine the rope where it ran around the seat support.

Zeyu knelt opposite them, searching by touch while Qinghe emptied another bucket.

"The mounting’s lifting on this side," Shichen said, guiding Zeyu’s hand toward it. "If I tighten the rope again, I’ll just pull it farther out. We need to take the strain off the seat."

Zhiyi watched Zeyu reach deeper beneath the deck. His sleeve disappeared into the water, and he turned his face aside when Qinghe brought the bucket past him.

There was so little room that each of them had to wait for someone else to move before he could do anything.

She knew how tiring that became.

During the first Flood, she had spent a night pressing a folded shirt into a hole while Hanchuan tried to move a heavy chest across the floor without the use of his legs.

By morning, both of them had been shaking too badly to lift the drinking cup.

The case began to fill, drawing her attention back.

She poured from one corner into the bottle, losing some when the boat shifted, then caught the rest before it could spill. Jingwei glanced down at the sound, and she held the bottle where he could see it.

"I need something wider to catch the rain," Zhiyi told him. "This will work, but I can’t hold enough while I’m pouring, and we don’t know how long it will last."

Jingwei looked around their feet before crouching beside her. He lifted the loose cushion from behind the windshield and turned it over, finding the zipper along its underside.

The cover stuck to the wet padding when he pulled at it, and Zhiyi put the case down long enough to help him work the corners free.

The padding beneath it was dirty and soaked. He pushed it under the seat while she examined the cover, stretching it between her hands.

Water gathered in the middle when she held the edges up, though some escaped through the stitching.

"We can use this if you hold the other side," Zhiyi said. She looked toward the rail, then at the darkness beyond it. "Keep it inside the boat. We’ll lose what we catch if a wave comes over."

Jingwei moved beside her, still glancing behind them while they held the cover between their knees.

Rain gathered faster across its broad surface, and Zhiyi waited until the pool was deep enough before asking him to lower his side.

She guided the water toward the bottle, her fingers so cold that he took its neck from her before she dropped it.

At the hatch, Zeyu had found something beneath the deck that he wanted Shichen to examine. Zhiyi couldn’t see it, but she heard the relief in his voice when Shichen reached in beside him.

"This crosspiece feels solid," Zeyu said. "We might be able to run the rope underneath it. Give me the loose end, and I’ll see if I can get it through."

Shichen unwound the wet rope while Hanchuan kept his weight against the board. Without the line helping him, his arms began to tremble.

Zhiyi watched his head lower between his shoulders, and she nearly set the cushion cover aside before Qinghe moved closer.

"I can take the board while you move your hands," Qinghe told him, putting down the bucket. "You’re going to lose your grip if you keep holding it like that."

Hanchuan shifted only after Qinghe had both palms in place. He flexed one hand, then the other, before taking up the bucket himself.

When he glanced toward Zhiyi, she raised the bottle a little. His mouth softened as he saw the water inside.

"Put the cap on before you do anything else, sweetheart," Hanchuan reminded her. "We’ve had enough things sliding away from us tonight."

Zhiyi screwed it on and returned it to the line tied inside the rail. Jingwei helped her lift the cover again, and this time she managed to keep most of the water when they poured it into the case.

They were still collecting rain when Zeyu finally drew the rope through.

Shichen had to change its angle twice before it pressed the board where he wanted it, and each time Qinghe shifted his hands, water flowed around the folded cover beneath it. Hanchuan kept bailing until Shichen began easing back.

Nobody moved away at first. Zhiyi watched the board settle under the tightened rope, expecting it to slip as it had before.

Water continued seeping beneath one edge, but the cover stayed in place when the boat rose and fell.

Shichen remained on his knees, rubbing his wrist while Zeyu checked the new fastening.

"I’m leaving the seat alone," Shichen said. "Don’t use it to brace yourselves until I’ve had a proper look in daylight."

Hanchuan passed the bucket to Zeyu and came to Zhiyi.

He crouched in front of her, taking her hands between his while Jingwei held the cover.

She had stopped noticing how cold her fingers were until Hanchuan rubbed them, making the skin sting.

"You’ve caught enough for a drink," Hanchuan said, reaching for the bottle. He opened it and held it while she drank, lowering it before her shaking hands could knock it against her teeth.

The water was cold, and she wanted far more than the mouthfuls she took. She made herself stop, resting her forehead against his while he waited.

"Have some too," Zhiyi murmured, keeping hold of his sleeve. "Then pass it around before we put it away."

Hanchuan kissed her damp forehead before drinking. She stayed close while the bottle went from him to Jingwei, then to the men beside the hatch.

Zeyu sat back on his heels to swallow, closing his eyes for a moment before handing it to Shichen.

By the time the bottle returned, the rain had weakened. Zhiyi and Jingwei emptied the last of the cushion cover into it, leaving them with less than half a bottle to tie safely beneath the seat.

As Hanchuan helped her settle against him, Zhiyi looked at the loose coil beside the hatch.

They had water now, and the board was holding without someone kneeling on it. Her stomach cramped as she reached for a length of the salvaged fishing line, drawing Hanchuan’s attention to her hands.

"When it gets light, I need to see what we can use for a hook," Zhiyi told him. "We can’t wait until we’re too hungry to do anything about it."