At the foot of the mountain, Hu Xiaocao's mother and daughter were performing worship services in the past, and the woman was wiping the shrine.
At this time, she was so skinny that she seemed to be blown away by the wind, and her face was extremely pale.
A year's time has not made the woman's condition improve, but has become worse. Even so, she still supports the sick body.
Hu Xiaocao's family was poor, and the kind-hearted villagers also helped her. They even chipped in money to send the woman to the town for medical treatment. However, the result was that the disease had been delayed for too long and had worsened.
If they want to be cured, they have to go to a big city. The cost of treatment is simply an astronomical figure for them, not to mention the follow-up treatment.
The villagers helped out of love, so they couldn't take advantage of it. What's more, the money they had collected for medical treatment might not be able to be exchanged in this lifetime.
If it continues to be treated, it will become a bottomless pit.
The woman made a quick decision and said that she could not be cured, so she just took some medicine back. Although it could not make her completely better, it could at least contain it.
"Cough cough cough——"
A gust of wind came out, and a heartbreaking cough burst out of the woman's throat.
Hu Xiaocao stood up quickly and said nervously: "Mom, are you okay? I told you to stay at home and not come. I can do it alone."
A year has passed. Hu Xiaocao has not changed much, he still looks thin and has not grown much, but there is a little more flesh on his cheeks, and he is not as thin and scary as before.
The woman covered her mouth and waved her hand, "No, it's so insincere. Besides, I'm bored at home all the time. I want to go out for a walk."
The once sensational human traffickers incident gradually subsided over time.
People are forgetful, and no matter how bizarre or supernatural things happen, they cannot withstand the scrutiny of time.
And since the last incident, the mountain god has never appeared again, and the rumors about the mountain god have faded away.
Although there are villagers who come to worship, they are much less. Only one or two appear occasionally. Only the mother and daughter insist on worshiping and making offerings every day, regardless of wind or rain.
"Xiaocao, if one day, mother is gone, you must remember to worship and worship the mountain god at all times, especially during the holidays. We cannot be ungrateful people."
The woman warned carefully.
Hu Xiaocao's face changed slightly, and he cried anxiously: "Bah, bah, bah! What are you talking about? Mom will live a long life, and the mountain god will bless you."
The woman could only nod, "Okay, okay, the mountain god will bless our little grass to live a long life."
As the woman spoke, she felt the fishy smell rolling in her throat, and with a loud sound, a large mouthful of blood sprayed on the shrine.
Her vision went dark and she fainted.
When Hu Xiaocao saw this scene, he was so frightened that he cried out, "Mom, don't scare me, are you okay?"
She pushed the woman's body, but the woman didn't respond.
Hu Xiaocao quickly went to other villagers for help, "Uncle Zhang, Uncle Li is not good, my mother has fainted."
The afterglow of the setting sun reflected the woman's body and also covered the shrine. The darkness gradually began to swallow it up, and even the blood on it became darker and seemed a little ominous.
With the help of the villagers, the woman was carried back home. Wu Yuan received the news and rushed over as soon as possible to check on the woman's condition.
Hu Xiaocao was nervous next to her, "Grandpa Wu, my mother, is she okay?"
Wu Yuan looked at Hu Xiaocao, feeling a little unbearable, "It's nothing, just take a rest and you'll be fine."
After the woman drank the medicine, she woke up leisurely and looked at Wu Yuan's expression, as if she knew what he was going to say, and said to Hu Xiaocao:
"Xiaocao, Mom wants to eat red fruits. Can you go pick some for me?"
Red fruit is a very common wild fruit, and there is a bush nearby.
Hu Xiaocao nodded quickly, let alone red fruits, even if a woman wanted to eat meat now, she would find a way to get it.
After Hu Xiaocao was taken out, the woman said, "Uncle Wu, am I going to die?"
When she said this, her face was calm, her tone did not change, and her expression showed no trace of the panic of a dying person.
Wu Yuan's eyes were a little red and he comforted him, "Don't be too discouraged. How about we raise some money for you and send you to the hospital. If it doesn't work in a town, go to a big city."
The woman sighed faintly, shook her head and refused: "It's not that simple. Treatment is too expensive. We owe the village so much that we will never be able to repay it in this lifetime. I can't bear it in my conscience."
"I know very well that my body is just a bottomless pit. I'm afraid this disease can't be cured. Instead of wasting your money, it's better to forget it."
"Now I just hope that I can spend more time with Xiaocao. Don't tell her about Uncle Wu."
Looking at the woman's haggard look, Wu Yuan's nose felt sour, "Xiaocao is smart, I'm afraid I won't be able to hide it from her, and your condition won't be hidden for long."
The woman's voice was choked with sobs, "I just hope that I can spend my last days with Xiaocao. This child is really suffering."
By the time Hu Xiaocao walked in with the red fruit, their expressions had returned to normal, but the woman's eyes were still slightly red.
"Mom, have you cried?"
The woman wiped her eyes and smiled, "I'm not crying, I just accidentally got blinded by the sand."
As if offering a treasure, Hu Xiaocao took out the red fruit and said, "Have a try. It's sour and sweet. It's delicious."
In fact, women have lost their taste buds, and the red fruit has no taste whatsoever.
But the woman still ate one and nodded with a smile, "It's indeed very sweet."
Children are the most sensitive. Although the adults hid it from Hu Xiaocao, she vaguely noticed something, took care of women more wholeheartedly, and went to the shrine more frequently.
But even so, it can't stop a woman's body from getting worse day by day.
Hu Xiaocao burned incense devoutly, kowtowed again, and said with red eyes:
"Grandpa Mountain God, can you show mercy and help my mother get better? Xiaocao is not greedy. I am willing to use my own life in exchange for my mother's life."
At this moment, Hu Xiaocao didn't know that the mountain god grandpa she talked about was about to face the problem of aging and dying.
One winter finally passed, and Ye Qin still didn't feel it during the second Spring Festival after his rebirth, because this year he was on his deathbed.
…
Spring has returned to the earth, and everything in the mountains is full of life, with lush and prosperous plants growing everywhere.
The trees stretched their branches as hard as they could, and even the grass on the roadside sprouted new shoots, which were lush and green and looked very pleasant.
In this vibrant place, there is one place that is extraordinarily different.
Outside the cave, there are green plants everywhere, the chirping of insects and birds is endless, and unknown wild flowers bloom quietly, bringing a faint fragrance.
But deep in the cave, a snake more than three meters long could be vaguely seen, lying motionless on the ground, almost blending in with the dim surrounding environment.
Next to it, there was a pale human skeleton, leaning on the wall, silent and lifeless.
Ye Qin has been lying here for a few days. He has less and less time to go out. It's not that he doesn't want to, but that he can't.
As time passed bit by bit, the vitality of the snake body was also taken away, and all functions of the snake body were reduced.
A creature can affect its surroundings, and the feeling inside the cave is lifeless.
(End of chapter)
