The peasant woman raised her head and looked at Zhou Xing.

Although Zhou Xing now looks covered in mud and is very embarrassed, in the eyes of the peasant woman, Zhou Xing does not look like a refugee like herself.

She was a little timid, remembering the scene just now, she was immediately very embarrassed, and was about to kneel, but Zhou Xing quickly pulled her and comforted her: "Don't, I'm not an official, don't kneel to me." Can you tell me why you crossed the river? ”

The peasant woman bowed again, and then said in a very weak tone: "We have heard that the flood in the county town over there has receded and is clean, so we plan to go over." ”

"Clean?" Zhou Xing couldn't help but look at the peasant woman. It's all this time, is it important to be clean?

Zhou Xing looked at the city wall in the distance and asked, "Then what's the situation over here?" ”

Isn't it still soaked in water in this Fugou City?

The peasant woman said: "The refugees are full of refugees, the crops are all soaked, and everyone has no food. The day before yesterday, a family bought a bag of rice from across the river and came back, but before they could enter the city, they were all robbed. It's messy, it's messy. Are you from out of town? But don't go in, or you'll have to be ripped off by someone with your beautiful clothes. ”

Zhou Xing asked curiously, "So messy?" Doesn't the government care? ”

"Official? Where does the government care about this? They hid in the yamen, eating and drinking, and were very free. The peasant woman gritted her teeth, as if she was very dissatisfied with the way these officials behaved.

Zhou Xing said: "Isn't there a bridge on this river?" ”

He knew that he should change the subject, and if he continued, it would become a criticism of the officials and the government.

The peasant woman said: "There is a bridge, but it is a few miles away from here, and I have no strength and can't walk......

If she hadn't been able to walk, she wouldn't have chosen such a dangerous way to cross the river.

Zhou Xing said: "Then you wait a minute, I still have a little dry food there, give it to you, you eat first, rest when you are full, and then cross the river." ”

Hearing that there was something to eat, the peasant woman's cloudy eyes let out a fine light. Zhou Xing said: "You wait here." ”

As soon as Zhou Xing turned around, the peasant woman knelt down with a puff and said, "The living bodhisattva who saves the suffering......

Zhou Xing shook his head helplessly, ran to the carriage, Zhu Gaoxu heard the movement, stretched out his head, and saw that Zhou Xing was so filthy, he immediately looked disgusted, and said, "What's wrong with you?" ”

"I just didn't get to my feet and fell into the river, hehe. Second young master, don't we still have dry food in the car? Give me two breads. Zhou Xing looked down, didn't mind, and said with a smile.

After all, when he goes out, dry food is always available, but Zhu Gaoxu doesn't like to eat dry food, so he has to cook everything freshly. The dry food in the carriage is just for a rainy day.

Zhu Gaoxu pursed his lips and said, "What are you doing?" He got into the carriage, grabbed two dough cakes in his hand, threw them to Zhou Xing, and said, "Oh, here you go." ”

Zhou Xing took the bread and walked to the bank of the river to find the poor peasant woman. As a result, he didn't go far when he found that more than a dozen people had gathered around the peasant woman, and he was suddenly a little surprised.

Zhou Xing was puzzled, when did this group of people come? What are you here for?

He looked out over the river, and there was no boat, so it was clear that these people were not here to take a boat.

Walking in front of the peasant woman, before she could speak, the refugees beside the peasant woman suddenly had a fierce light in their eyes, like a wild wolf running out of the woods, looking at Zhou Xing.

"?" Zhou Xing was stunned for a moment, and a trace of uneasiness flashed in his heart, this situation looked a little bad.

Suddenly, he realized that the refugees were not actually looking at themselves, but at the bread they were holding.

At this time, these refugees rushed towards Zhou Xing in a swarm, and instantly snatched the bread in Zhou Xing's hand.

A man grabbed the dough and stuffed it into his mouth impatiently, but before the dough could enter his mouth, a dirty hand stretched out and immediately tore off a large piece.

When the others saw it, they also grabbed it.

"Mine."

"It's mine."

"Give it to me."

In the blink of an eye, the two dough cakes were suddenly torn into more than a dozen pieces. It was mixed with dirty mud and sand, but no one disliked it, so they stuffed it all into their mouths and swallowed it as if someone would pull the bread out of their mouths when it was too late.

The dough cake was a very dry thing, and several people were choked and rolled their eyes, and they didn't care so much, so they just turned around and lay down on the river and drank the muddy river water.

There is no order, and there is no exquisiteness.

In fact, the most fundamental appeal of human beings is to live, and any rules are a pastime after food and clothing. I can't even eat and wear, so do I still have a pastime?

Zhou Xing went to get the dough, and the peasant woman was eager to wear it, but when the dough arrived, there was not even any dregs left in the blink of an eye. It's all men who snatch the bread, how can she grab it?

Looking at Zhou Xing, who was dumbfounded, the peasant woman cried sadly again. Zhou Xing was about to go over to comfort her, but the refugees who had eaten the bread turned their heads to look at him again, and their green eyes made Zhou Xing feel scared for no reason.

"Anything else?" A man rushed over and said with a stalk around his neck.

Zhou Xing shook his head and said; "Nope."

The man looked behind Zhou Xing and saw a carriage in the distance, so he widened his eyes and said, "You are bluffing me?" Go get it and eat it. ”

This tone of voice suddenly made Zhou Xing very indignant, and said: "You just snatched my bread to eat, I didn't care about you, you still dare to instruct me now?" ”

The other people also saw the carriage and ignored Zhou Xing at all, but rushed towards the carriage. Including the person who was talking to Zhou Xing, he left Zhou Xing and ran, afraid that he would be late.

Zhou Xing took a look, is this okay? These dozen hungry refugees gathered around, and they had to dismantle the carriage?

He hurried in the direction of the carriage, but to his surprise, he couldn't outrun the hungry refugees.

Seeing the refugees running towards him, Zhu Gaoxu was not stupid, and hurriedly instructed the master of Ouchi: "Let's go, let's go, don't let them come." ”

Qiao Mo controlled the carriage to turn around and leave, Zhou Xing saw it, and immediately shouted anxiously: "Wait for me, I haven't gone up yet......"

But the carriage had no intention of stopping, and after a while it ran away.

"Okay, Zhu Gaoxu, you have to wait for me." Zhou Xing simply stopped chasing, stood in place and cursed for a few words, then turned around and walked towards the place where the peasant woman was.

A able-bodied man can't keep up with a galloping carriage, let alone these frail refugees? Although their thirst for food motivates them to develop their potential, it is limited. In a few moments, the carriage was gone, and the refugees sat on the ground panting and cursing loudly.

It is estimated that the dough that I just ate was all digested this run.

Zhou Xing came to the peasant woman and said helplessly: "It's all robbed." Why don't I carry the baby for you and go over there together." Can you still walk? ”

Seeing that the bread in her hand was robbed, the peasant woman was very sad and angry, but there was no way, the refugees were like this. There are no rules in this group.

Zhou Xing carried the child on the ground on his back, and the peasant woman carried a stick and walked forward with difficulty.

Zhou Xing never knew that he had the potential to carry a child of dozens of pounds on his back for several miles.

The situation on the other side of the bridge is indeed much better. When crossing the bridge, Zhou Xing saw a boundary monument, and only then did he realize that the other end of the bridge and this end were not in the same county.

After crossing the bridge and finding a stone slab, Zhou Xing put the child down. He was surprised to find that the child had not woken up. The dozen or so refugees just now were arguing in front of the children.

The peasant woman's physical strength was already very poor, and even without carrying the child on her back, she walked out of breath. She didn't say a word along the way, only occasionally took a look at the child on Zhou Xing's back.

Zhou Xing said to the peasant woman: "You let him wake up, the ground is very cold, don't let him catch a cold." ”

Although deep sleep helps to reduce the exertion of physical strength, so as to be more resistant to hunger. But at this time, you must not catch a cold, once you catch a cold, it means that death is not far away.

The peasant woman said in a very calm voice, "He is dead." ”

Zhou Xing was taken aback, looked at the child again, and really found that his face was pale. Before, he thought that the child was like this because he was hungry, but he didn't expect it to be because he had already lost his blood and blood.

When facing the peasant woman again, Zhou Xing was in awe.

The peasant woman sat on a clean stone by the river, took the child into her arms, shook it gently, and began to sing what was perhaps the child's favorite nursery rhyme in her hoarse voice. Then he slowly closed his eyes.

When there was no sound, Zhou Xing quietly probed the peasant woman's snort and found that she was dead.

Zhou Xing felt very uncomfortable, he wanted to say something, but he couldn't say anything. He felt guilty, and he thought that if the peasant woman had eaten those two breads just now, maybe she would have been able to regain some life.

Zhu Gaoxu didn't know when he stood behind Zhou Xing, he patted Zhou Xing's shoulder, and said with a smile: "You finally came over, I've been waiting for you for a long time." ”

Although he was scared away by the refugees, he would not leave Zhou Xing alone after all, and when he saw that there was a bridge here, he hurried over, and after finding that there were no refugees behind, he stopped and waited for Zhou Xing.

Zhou Xing was still immersed in guilt and sadness and couldn't extricate himself, and his eyes were firmly fixed on the mother and daughter who were hugging each other. Zhu Gaoxu felt a little surprised, and when he saw the peasant woman, he asked, "What's wrong with them?" ”

"Dead." Zhou Xing said calmly.

"Second Young Master, help find a clean place."

Hearing that the two people died, the smile on Zhu Gaoxu's face also disappeared, although he didn't understand why Zhou Xing wanted to find a clean place, but he still responded: "Okay." ”

Zhu Gaoxu instructed Qiao Mo to find a clean place, and Zhou Xing couldn't bear to be separated from the peasant woman, mother and son, so he invited two masters to work together to carry the bodies of the two people to the selected place.

It was a meadow by the river, with two willow trees nearby, and the environment was nice. Zhou Xing, together with a few masters of the inner house, dug a deep pit and buried their mother and son together.