"Lord Mountain God, please open your eyes and take a look. We are almost at the end of our rope..."
In front of the dilapidated mountain temple, a haggard woman knelt and prayed to their gods at the top of her lungs, her voice full of despair.
The little girl in the woman's arms licked her lips that were turned white due to severe dehydration, gently tugged at the corner of the woman's clothes, and said in a voice like a mosquito: "Mom, I'm thirsty..."
The woman felt bitter in her heart, lowered her head and coaxed softly: "Nanny, be good, mother will go find you some water right now..."
After that, she picked up the little girl and walked outside the mountain temple.
"Mom, will the mountain god hear our prayers?"
The little girl put her head on the woman's shoulder, and her clear and bright eyes looked hopefully at the mountain statue that was getting further and further away.
The woman paused in her steps, looked back at the somewhat broken stone statue, and finally nodded firmly: "Yes!"
Walking out of the ruined temple, the hot sun above her head made her dizzy. The woman swayed to steady her body and looked around with trembling eyes. The fields were cracked, the seedlings were withered, the river had dried up, revealing a cracked riverbed, and everything she could see was devastated.
In just ten years, people everywhere were devastated.
But this place once had green mountains and green waters, good weather and good weather, and people lived and worked in peace and contentment. It was a holy land in the hearts of literati.
The woman withdrew her sad eyes and carried her daughter down the mountain. As she went further down, almost all the trees were stripped, the grass stems were dug up, and there were ragged people everywhere with sallow faces and thin skin.
The scorching sun burned the earth, and the sultry air made it difficult to breathe.
The woman was so dizzy from the sun that her body was shaky. Her vision turned black and she suddenly fell forward, "Mother!" The girl panicked, but the woman staggered and managed to steady herself.
She tugged at the corner of her mouth: "Nanny, be good. Mom is fine. I will definitely find you some water to drink."
Shaking his head vigorously, he struggled to carry his daughter on his back and continued walking towards the county seat.
The girl looked back worriedly at the beggar who was knocked down on the side of the road. Is he supposed to be okay? But my mother was also very tired... She pursed her lips and reached out to hug her tightly.
The scorching sun was in the sky, the earth was silent, the birds did not know where they had gone, and the weeds hung their heads.
The beggar moved his fingers, revealing an old and dirty face. His tattered clothes were not able to cover his body, and he had lost a straw sandal on his feet. He slowly got up and continued wandering aimlessly.
In the past, Yungui Mountain had beautiful scenery and unparalleled beauty, but now the mountains and rivers are broken and riddled with holes.
The beggar stepped on a straw sandal, with one foot deep and one shallow, staggering across the dry and hot fields, passing by dying people, crossing the barren mountains without any grass, and staggered to a slightly prosperous town.
The town is called Fulai Town. It was once a famous and wealthy town in eight villages and towns. The river surrounding the town was full of lotus.
When summer comes, 'the lotus leaves touching the sky are infinitely green, and the lotus flowers are uniquely red in the sun.' Appreciating lotus flowers and picking lotus pods are the favorites of ladies and gentlemen in every family. Lotus pickers can also use this to earn money to support their families. .
Now that the water has dried up, the dry pond is exposed, and the reflection of the skinny pedestrians on both sides is particularly shocking.
Beggars entered the city unimpeded, inn banners were fluttering on both sides of the streets, and pedestrians were wandering around like zombies with sallow complexions and listless spirits. It was impossible to tell who was the real beggar for a while.
"Lord Mountain God, please show me your spirit."
The ancient old man knelt on the ground: "Please save my poor grandson. He is only three years old and has never had a good day since he was born... Take the little old man's life and give it to him." A way to survive."
After saying this, the old man burst into tears and held the dying child beside him to his chest with trembling hands.
The beggar passed by with an expressionless face. Every time he took a step, there was a common man praying to the mountain god to appear on the roadside. All of them looked desperate.
The beggar staggered to the end of the street and collapsed. The people passing by saw it and said blankly: "Another one has died." He looked around for a shovel and said, "The pit outside the city is full. We need to dig another one." …”
The beggar fell to the ground and twitched his lips in a self-deprecating tone. Was he finally going to die?
But he knew this was just his delusion.
He closed his eyes tiredly, and the footsteps of pedestrians passing by and the voices praying to the gods gradually became blurred.
Suddenly, his sleeve was gently pulled, and the beggar raised his eyelids, and what he saw was a little boy covered in dirt. The little boy opened and closed his mouth and said something, but the beggar couldn't hear a word clearly, so he closed his eyes again.
At the end of his consciousness, he felt someone opening his mouth, and a stream of water mixed with sand flowed into his mouth.
How silly! he thinks……
"Miss, how can you waste water on a beggar!"
"Water is so expensive now. A bottle costs ten taels of silver! He is a stinky beggar and his life is ruined. Does he need such a huge amount of money? He might as well..."
"Alu."
The female voice is neither soft nor strong.
The maid's voice disappeared instantly, and she said uneasily, "Young lady."
The tea cup was gently placed on the table, and the woman's cold and indifferent voice sounded in the beggar's ears: "If you continue to be so arrogant, you can go back home by yourself when you pass by Fengxian City."
Upon hearing this, the maid hurriedly knelt down and said, "Miss, I was wrong. I don't dare to do it anymore..."
The beggar no longer wanted to hear what he was saying.
He opened his eyes, looked straight towards the source of the sound, and gritted his teeth: "Cheng Ge!"
In the spacious and bright carriage, Shi Shiran was sitting in front of the window, a gorgeous woman, dressed in white clothes that looked better than snow, with long eyebrows, eyes as bright as stars, lips that were not smudged and red, holding a scroll in her hands like a fairy concubine. posture.
But the beggar's eyes were scarlet, and he wished he could eat his flesh and blood: "How dare you appear in front of me!"
If this absolutely beautiful woman wasn't Cheng Ge who brought him to this point, then who was it? He felt a surge of anger in his chest: "Today I want you to sacrifice your life to pay for these many sins!"
He rushed over and grabbed the woman's neck, with hatred in his eyes.
The maid was stunned for a moment, then realized what she was doing and quickly rescued her young lady: "What are you doing? Let go of my young lady!"
Push hard,
The beggar banged against the wall of the car, feeling dizzy and sweating instantly.
Xihe frowned slightly, pushed away the maid's hand, and stepped forward to help him up: "You are not in good health now, so don't get angry. Please rest." The beggar struggled weakly and stared at her angrily.
"Get away! Don't touch me!"
Kill her! Kill her! Kill this vicious woman!
There was no concealment of murderous intent in the beggar's eyes. He tried his best to control his dizzy desire and tried to find the right opportunity to kill with one strike.
Xihe sighed: "Don't waste your strength. Now I am a knife and you are a fish, you can't resist me." If you want to blame, you can only blame him for trusting others, so that he ended up in such a helpless situation today.
She poured a glass of water, handed it to his lips, and said, "Fu Lu, drink the water and follow me."
