The weather is gradually getting bad, the temperature in the air has dropped much in the last two days, and the wind is cutting people's skin like a knife.

Xu Jiao's bedroom was as warm as spring, and the best silver charcoal was burned early.

Xu Jiao was lazily lying on the cushion at this time, and asked the waiter: "Did Taishou say when he would come over to report the situation?" Now that the weather is cold, it is enough for him to send a message to him, and he does not have to run for it himself. ”

Lan Ruo was adding silver charcoal, and said with a smile: "The princess is really becoming more and more considerate, so I will send someone to the Taishou Mansion to say something." ”

Xu Jiao didn't make a sound, she also felt that she hadn't done anything for a long time recently, why hadn't the system moved?

The system replied sullenly: "The host is not like suddenly becoming another person, you are just too lazy to move when the weather is cold, what do I have to say about you." ”

The Taishou Mansion is not too far from the Princess's Mansion, and the person sent to it soon returned, bringing back the news given by the Taishou by the way.

"Taishou said that people have already moved in to Lingqu County, and our city and other counties and cities have also been completed, and the check-in is a matter of these two days." After the attendant reported the news, he exited the main hall.

Xu Jiao felt that she hadn't been out for a long time, and she had to listen to her master's lectures all day long, and her bones were rusty.

"Lan Ruo, you go and ask the master for leave, saying that I will go to the city to inspect the affairs of the Keats House the day after tomorrow, and I don't have time to go to class." Xu Jiao felt that this was a good opportunity to skip class, which was related to people's livelihood, and the master would not doubt it.

The Taishou Mansion is still counting the number of people at the moment, and this time the order is not to miss a single person, otherwise all of them will be punished, and they have to be careful.

"Lord Zhang, the residents of this alley say that they often see a pair of wandering young brothers and sisters appearing here, why don't you see people who match the characteristics in the list?" The documents in charge of verification are very careful, and if they find problems, they will immediately report them to the officials.

Zhang Sheng was the person in charge appointed by the Taishou, and when he heard this, he also paid attention to it, and ordered outside: "Let the patrol team carefully look around there, and don't miss a person." ”

In previous winters, Zhong Xiangcheng was not popular.

When winter comes, it means bitter cold, and the patrol soldiers have no shadow, without him, the salary and silver hair cannot come out, and the soldiers' clothes are all light and thin, and they will not stay outside for a long time.

This year, the princess came, and the so-called people in the court were easy to talk to, and the thick winter clothes were distributed from the national capital early, and the people in the household department did not dare to slack off, and the salary and silver were also sufficient, for fear that their princess would be angry.

Wang Da took his patrol team to investigate the vicinity, and he received an order two days ago, he came once, but that time he really didn't see anyone, they were just ordinary residents nearby.

"Brothers, be careful this time, I heard that we are looking for two young children, but don't kill the two children because of our negligence." Wang Da commanded the team.

Everyone went to patrol the alley first, and the residents of that alley had seen people before, and it was very likely that the brother and sister lived in the vicinity.

At this time, in an abandoned thatched hut some distance from the alley, a little girl was lying on a rag with dry straw underneath.

The little girl said in a hoarse voice, "Brother, I'm thirsty." ”

She looked about five years old, and her brother, who she had always relied on, was only ten years old at this time.

Zhao Qingming pulled out the kettle on his waist, and the water in this kettle was the water he had boiled for a family to ask for.

My sister is now sick and can't drink raw water.

"Liuli, drink slowly." Seeing that his sister was a little anxious, Zhao Qingming told him to speak out, afraid that she would choke.

"Brother, Liuli is so uncomfortable, her head hurts." The little girl seemed unable to bear the pain, and curled up in discomfort.

This morning was fine, but when he came back in the afternoon, he saw that his sister had a high fever.

In the past, he always went out with his sister, but today she was lazy and didn't want to get up, so he went with her.

But she didn't expect that after only one day of not looking at her, she made herself sick.

But if you don't go out, where will you get something to eat?

He was young, and he was not wanted in the place where he was recruited, but fortunately, others looked at him pitifully, and sometimes gave him some miscellaneous grains, so that the two brothers and sisters could survive.

If you have a fever and don't get treated, you can die.

But he had no money, and only half a hard nest of grains in his arms.

Spreading the hay and all the rags on his sister, Zhao Qingming took out a broken iron pot that he picked up a few days ago.

The bottom of the iron pot is not broken, but the upper part is broken, which he specially squatted at the back door of the rich man's house to pick up.

The servant was too lazy to take it for repair, and threw it out the back door, but it was cheaper for him.

Zhao Qingming lit a fire, added some water to the bottom of the iron pot, waited for the water to boil, and then tore up the miscellaneous grains and threw them in to cook.

"Liuli, eat a hot bite and go to bed again, it's good to wake up and sweat." He helped his sister sit up and fed her one bite at a time.

The patrol team didn't find anything near the alley, and was considering whether to go back to their lives like that.

Wang Da shook his head, touched his frozen face, and said: "No, we have to continue to look for it, it's such a cold day, it's okay for us to freeze more, the child is too young to hold on." ”

The soldiers patrolling behind him did not refute, no one cared about it in previous years, and there was no way to freeze so many people to death. This year, someone is finally in charge, and they don't want to see people frozen to death again.

A few years ago, when there was a heavy snowstorm, the officials were short of manpower, and they also went to help carry the corpse.

Where are the corpses, they have been frozen into ice sculptures.

No one wants to see such a human tragedy a second time.

"Boss, then we might as well expand the scope and search not only here."

"That's right, boss, let's search for those dilapidated houses and temples without a head of household, and see if we can find them."

The patrol team began to come up with ideas.

Wang Da nodded, agreed with their opinions, and left the alley to go to the dilapidated houses and temples.

"A few days ago, during the day, the other teams said that they had searched the broken temples and houses, I don't know if they missed them, otherwise where would the two children usually live?" A soldier said.

Another soldier immediately replied: "They all went during the day, maybe someone was not there during the day, and the things were well hidden, but they didn't find it." ”

Everyone walked for half an hour, and suddenly saw a little light in a dilapidated house in the corner in front of them.

"Let's go, let's see." Wang Da led people to speed up and strode forward.

At this time, in the house, Liuli ate something and immediately vomited, Zhao Qingming was so anxious that he didn't know what to do.

At this moment, he heard the footsteps of many people walking towards him.

It's so late, no one has ever come here at such a late hour, what are these people here for?

Could it be that the light of his own fire attracted some villain?

After thinking about it, Zhao Qingming picked up the wooden stick at hand and made a defensive gesture.

If it was a villain, he would resist desperately, shouting loudly, hoping that the movement would attract people nearby to come and inspect and save his sister's life.