"What does it mean?" Meili looked at Xiaolan and Jasmine.
Jasmine shook her head solemnly, "Let's get Lu Qianqian onto the boat quickly and then leave."
The river also changed its direction. They took a boat and followed the current towards Moon Village. When they came to the bank of the river where the accident occurred, Xiaolan stood on tiptoes and saw the old man squatting behind the dense reeds.
As Meili yelled, "Auntie, there's a big spider on your shoulder," Xiaolan helped the old man onto the boat. The old man touched Lu Qianqian's cold body and seemed to understand something, so he said no more. The group of people continued their return journey quietly.
The closer to Moon Village, the lower the surrounding temperature became. Xiaolan once thought it was the cold air coming from Lu Qianqian's body.
"We're almost there." Jasmine opened her mouth, and a cloud of white air came up.
"It's so cold here," Xiaolan's coat was almost torn and she could only hug her shoulders, "It's just like winter."
As soon as he finished speaking, snowflakes actually started to fall in the sky.
"Isn't it still warm when we left?" Meili and Jasmine carried Lu Qianqian's body to the shore.
The old man silently protected the human-faced spider in the palm of his hand and came to the land of his hometown that he had been away from for a long time.
"Old lady, you are going home." Meili said softly.
The old man nodded, as if looking around with his blind eyes. She sniffed and sighed, "Disaster, disaster."
Jasmine and Meili dragged Lu Qianqian's body, while Xiaolan held the old man's arm and walked toward the village.
In the distance, I saw the continuous roofs covered with white snow.
There were no pedestrians on the road, and the snow on the ground was deeper than the knees. Everyone waded through the heavy snow and first arrived at the door of the stilted building of the Langhui clan leader. Xiaolan went up and knocked on the door. After a while, the door opened, dressed like a bear. Patriarch Langhui came out and invited them in enthusiastically.
"What's going on here?" Xiaolan asked after entering the door.
"Disaster, disaster is coming again," Chief Langhui said silently about the heroic words they left behind, "There will never be another disaster in Moon Village." "This year is freezing, and the crops are all dead, but... it's nothing but... It was much better in previous years.”
This last sentence did not alleviate their shame. Patriarch Langhui felt that he had no position to accuse them, so he lowered his head and poured hot tea for them. It was only when he served the tea that he noticed Lu Qianqian and the old man.
"This is..." He was stunned, and regret quickly climbed up, "This Lord Jin Xian... Oh, Lord Jin Xian, Moon Village can't help you..."
Jasmine quickly helped the bowing patriarch Lang Hui up, "Clan leader, we can't help you."
"Brother Langhui?" The old man standing at the back suddenly called tentatively.
Patriarch Langhui shook his shoulders and turned his gaze to the old man. He looked up and down at the old man's appearance and said, "Sister Xiaomeng?"
"Brother Langhui!"
Patriarch Langhui's eyes widened, "Sister Xiaomeng, you are still alive...how could you become like this?"
"It's hard to describe in words..." The old man was pulled to the stool by the Langhui clan leader and told his story with sighs.
After hearing this, Chief Langhui expressed joy at the return of the old man, but at the same time hesitantly asked what he wanted to ask.
"So, even if you go there, it doesn't necessarily mean..."
Xiaolan knew what he was thinking.
He was thinking about his other daughter.
If his sister Xiaomeng had a chance of surviving, then would the same be true for her daughter.
Xiaolan looked at Patriarch Langhui's ignited look of hope, bit her lower lip, and took out the ruby from her jacket pocket.
"Clan Chief Langhui, look at this."
Patriarch Langhui's eyes suddenly lit up, and he carefully took the gem into his hand, "Where did Mr. Jin Xian get it from?"
Xiaolan looked at the expectation in the man's eyes, hesitated, and said, "We picked it up on the river bank. Maybe a girl accidentally dropped it when she ran away."
Patriarch Langhui's hands began to tremble, "This is my eldest daughter's gem. She is Yuerong's sister, her name is Xuerong."
"That's great," Xiaolan forced out a forced smile, "Maybe she's still alive."
Jasmine and Meili glanced at Xiaolan but said nothing.
At this time, hurried footsteps sounded above everyone's heads, and Lang Yuerong's crisp voice appeared on the edge of the stairs on the second floor.
"Dad! Snow..."
"Snowmelt?!..."
Seeing the surprised expression on her father's face, Lang Yuerong was a little dazed for a moment, "No... no... Dad, the snow outside has melted and the cold has passed. We are saved!"
"Ah, the snow has melted, it's great," Chief Lang Hui's mouth trembled, "It's finally over."
Opening the door, they were greeted by the warm sunshine shining on them. This was the sunshine that Lu Qianqian had received.
The surviving villagers cheered and shouted outside. The melted frost and snow slid down the roofs, and the air was moist and refreshing, as if it had just fallen from a spring rain.
"Lord Jin Xian, why don't you stay and attend the bonfire gathering in the evening before setting off," Chief Langhui stood at the door and said to them, "Every year after the disaster passes, we will gather together to commemorate the sacrificed children, and Tonight...I have some big things to discuss with everyone."
Remember the fallen children.
Xiaolan nodded.
On the moist land where the heavy snow melted, a tall firewood was set up. The flames started to burn a little, and wow, the flames were about to burn into the sky.
People from the Mai clan and the Lang clan stood in circles around the bonfire. This was a time to pay homage to the deceased, and it was also a time when few people from the two clans united.
Chief Langhui and the chief of the Mai clan stood together. Chief Langhui cleared his throat and said, "After discussion between the two of us, we think it may be time to migrate."
Migrate?
Except for Xiaolan and the others, the other villagers didn't seem to show much surprise. Only a few women sobbed quietly.
The leader of the Mai clan also opened his mouth, "As you all know, we have been considering this matter since last year. You may not be able to accept it for a while, but now that the situation is over, migration is the best choice."
It turned out that they had already planned to escape.
The guilt in Xiaolan's heart was inexplicably lessened.
The two patriarchs continued talking, pausing from time to time to wait for the villagers' opinions, but the villagers just grieved silently and no one expressed any objection.
After all, it seemed like the only way.
After talking about the "big things", the memorial ceremony began. The two patriarchs each recited a eulogy. Xiaolan and others took out the relics of the deceased and threw the relics into the flames amidst the cries of the villagers.
"You guys are going home."
The flames flew into the sky, flashing with colorful brilliance under the moonlight. In the crackle of the flames, it seemed that they could hear distant laughter from the horizon. They smiled and said their last goodbyes to their loved ones.
Xiaolan stared at the flames and the sky that was blurred by the heat wave. Everything around her began to become blurry and soft.
Xiaolan looked at Jasmine and Meili. Except for the three of them, everyone else's figures were gradually fading away.
This level is finally over.
