When Hu Xiaocao returned home, Wu Yuan was treating the woman.
"Grandpa Wu, how is my mother?"
The woman's eyes were slightly red, as if she had just cried. She wiped the corners of her eyes and said, "Grandpa Wu, you said that as long as I rest for a while, I will get better and better."
Hu Xiaocao's eyes lit up, "Really, that's great! I knew worshiping Grandpa Mountain God would be effective."
Wu Yuan on the side looked pitiful, looking at Hu Xiaocao who was in high spirits, pursed his lips, looked at the pleading look of the woman next to him, and finally said nothing.
Hu Xiaocao sensed something was wrong, "Mom, you are almost ready, why are you unhappy? Are you lying to me?"
The woman forced a smile, "I'm happy. Mom was so happy that she almost cried. Besides, if you don't believe me, ask your Grandpa Wu."
Looking at Hu Xiaocao's innocent and tender eyes, Wu Yuan nodded with difficulty.
"Great, then I'm going to cook."
Hu Xiaocao jumped outside to collect firewood.
After she walked away, Wu Yuan sighed, "You can't hide your illness. Xiaocao is a smart child. She will know it sooner or later."
The woman wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "Let her be happy for a few days. Xiaocao is really miserable. Hey, sometimes I think that if I die, maybe Xiaocao won't be so tired."
Wu Yuan's face changed after hearing this, "How can you have such an idea? Xiaocao no longer has a father, do you still want her to have a mother!"
The woman's cloudy pupils now burst out with a gleam of light, "Uncle Wu, don't worry, even if it's for Xiaocao, I will work hard to survive. I still have to wait to see her get married."
Wu Yuan left some herbs, gave a few instructions, and then left.
The woman's condition improved for a while after taking evening primrose-based herbal medicine, but then it became worse. She would break out into a heart-wrenching cough in the middle of the night, and she couldn't sleep well all night long.
His face was as pale as if he would fall down if the wind blew. At this time, Hu Xiaocao would hold the woman's hand tightly, fearing that she would disappear in the blink of an eye.
After the small temple was built, Hu Xiaocao ran even more frequently, reporting there every day, almost rain or shine.
Many villagers passing by would see Xiaocao kowtow and pray to wish their mother a speedy recovery, and they couldn't help but show sympathy and compassion.
"This little grass is pitiful. I heard that my mother is even more seriously ill, so she pins her hopes on the illusory mountain god."
"Where are the mountain gods? These are all feudal superstitions."
"Speak softly, don't let Xiaocao hear it. This little kid only has so much sustenance, but he still builds a small temple. If you expose it, wouldn't it hurt people's hearts?"
The villagers sighed and walked away. Looking at Hu Xiaocao, they just felt pity for him and would help him wherever he could.
On this day, the kind-hearted neighbor Aunt Zhang sent some eggs to replenish the health of the mother and daughter. Hu Xiaocao ran home as if he had found a treasure, and presented it to the woman like a treasure.
The woman shook her head and rubbed Hu Xiaocao's withered grass-like hair, "Mom doesn't like eggs, you can eat them yourself."
Eggs may be very common to some people, but to the mother and daughter, they are already an extremely precious food. All the eggs in the family have to be saved and sold.
Eating one feels like a crime
The mother and daughter couldn't bear to eat it. The last time they ate eggs, Hu Xiaocao felt like it was a lifetime ago. The daily meals were rice and pickles, and there was no smell of meat at all.
Ordinary eggs are already a rare delicacy to them.
Hu Xiaocao was resolute, holding up the egg and saying, "No, mom, eat the eggs quickly. If you eat eggs to replenish your body, you can recover faster."
Unable to defeat Hu Xiaocao, there was nothing she could do, so the woman ate two.
There was only one egg left, but Hu Xiaocao made no move.
The woman couldn't help but asked strangely: "Why don't you eat the grass?"
Hu Xiaocao couldn't help but swallowed his saliva, as if he thought of something, "I'll take it out and eat it!"
Seeing Hu Xiaocao running away, the woman smiled and shook her head, "This kid has to run out no matter how hard he eats an egg."
Unexpectedly, Hu Xiaocao ran to the mountain temple with the egg.
"Grandpa Mountain God, look what I have brought you."
Although she knew that this mountain god statue made of mud would not reply to her, Hu Xiaocao still talked to herself. Over the past few days, she had become accustomed to telling what she saw, heard, and what was on her mind.
It was as if the mountain god statue in front of me could really hear.
"Aunt Zhang gave me three eggs. In order to help mom get better quickly, she ate two. I brought another one to you."
Hu Xiaocao rambled while peeling the eggs. Looking at the round and plump egg whites in front of him, exuding a faint fragrance, Hu Xiaocao took a deep breath and licked his lips.
It took a lot of willpower to hold back and not take a bite of the egg.
"Grandpa Mountain God, if you eat my eggs, please help my mother get well soon."
When people begin to be powerless, superstition will become the last hope. Hu Xiaocao is young and does not understand the meaning of superstition. She is just too filial.
Just when Hu Xiaocao was about to put the egg down, the sound of "ta-da" footsteps came from behind him.
Originally thinking it was a few villagers passing by, Hu Xiaocao turned around and saw a strange man.
Hu Xiaocao knew all the uncles and uncles in the village, but he had never seen the man in front of him before.
She looked confused and was about to ask.
A rag covered her mouth and nose, and she instantly smelled a pungent smell. Then Hu Xiaocao lost consciousness, and the eggs in her hands rolled to the ground.
After the man finished all this, he saw that no one was around, hugged Hu Xiaocao, and went into the forest not far away.
Only the mountain god statue made of mud witnessed all this.
The eggs that were intended for worship fell to the ground, were stained with dust, and instantly became dirty, and were finally crushed by the man's footsteps.
…
Not long after the man got into the forest, he met several other people.
One of them looks relatively strong and has bulging muscles. He seems to be a practitioner. He has fierce eyes and does not look like a good person.
The other person was as thin as a bamboo pole, and he also had a sinister look, and his eyeballs were a little yellow. When he moved around, it always felt like he was calculating something, which made people feel a little uncomfortable.
All in all, this group of people doesn't look like a good person.
"Yang Chengxing, you are so fast."
"I didn't see her alone now, and there was no one else around. It happened to be a good opportunity to make a move, so I just brought her back. It can be considered a good start for us."
It turned out that the man's name was Yang Cheng, and a group of them were human traffickers, planning to abduct children and women in nearby towns and sell them to other places.
Yang Cheng happened to be visiting a nearby spot and met Hu Xiaocao who was worshiping next to the temple, so he brought it back to him.
In fact, in cities and towns, small places are easier to obtain. Not to mention there is no surveillance, and if you want to call the police, you have to go to the town, so you will miss the best opportunity.
In big cities, there are electronic eyes everywhere, and you may encounter traffic police patrols from time to time. If you are not careful, you may be exposed.
