"Auntie, why don't you eat it all?" He was a little curious.

"Hey, take this half home and give it to my daughter...... She's been hungry for days too......"

Heng Xinyuan took his baggage, and took out a few steamed buns from it, "Auntie, I still have a few here, take them back and give them to your daughter to eat, if there are other people in the village, you can share them with everyone......"

The woman is a little flattered, there is a famine right now, who still has the last bite of food hidden tightly, where is there any reason to take the initiative to give it to others. But she couldn't stand the temptation, so she took it tentatively, "Young man, it's getting dark, why don't you go to my house and sleep for one night, and tomorrow morning, you can go back where you came from, and don't come to this place again......"

Heng Xinyuan had this intention, seeing that she took the initiative to speak, he gladly accepted her invitation and followed her home, along the way, he roughly inquired about the current situation of the woman, her name is Ah Zhen, her husband went up the mountain to hunt a few years ago, accidentally fell off the cliff and died, and there was a seven-year-old daughter left in the family to depend on him.

Turning a narrow alley, you will arrive at Ah Zhen's house.

Pushing open the door, the little girl was stepping on a high stool to cook, the pot was steaming, but because she was so thin, she had to use both hands at the same time to barely wield the spoon.

"Miao Miao, my mother is back." Ah Zhen walked over with a smile, hugged her off the stove, and said with some relief and some worry, "Didn't my mother say that I will cook for you when my mother comes back?" How do you climb that high on your own? ”

The girl was a little aggrieved, holding her shriveled stomach and saying, "Mother, I'm hungry...... My stomach keeps barking and I want to eat......"

Heng Xinyuan glanced at the pot, but it was some clear water, with a few vegetable leaves floating on it, no oil and water at all, no wonder this little girl's face was sallow, and her legs were as thin as chopsticks.

Ah Zhen hurriedly took out a few steamed buns that Heng Xinyuan gave her and handed them to Miao Miao, "My mother brought you steamed buns back, it was given by this big brother, eat it." ”

"Steamed buns!" As soon as Miao Miao heard this, she took it and stuffed it into her mouth, and her little face suddenly bulged like a ball.

"Miao Miao, thank you for this brother......"

"Thank you...... Thank you...... Brother. Miao Miao's eyes are clear and bright, which makes people love it at a glance, although Heng Xinyuan has no children, but when he sees such a cute child, he can't help but hold it in his arms.

The winter night came quickly, and it was dark outside in the blink of an eye, and it was hunted by the wind, Heng Xinyuan helped Ah Zhen paste the window with paper, but the cold wind would still blow in through the gaps, Miao Miao had already gotten into the quilt and fell asleep sweetly with her eyes closed, Heng Xinyuan sat at the table with Ah Zhen, lit a candle, and whispered this.

Ah Zhen was holding a needle and thread in her hand, and she was sewing and mending last year's cotton clothes for Miao Miao to wear, otherwise on such a cold day, there would be no food to keep their stomachs warm, and they would freeze to death even if they didn't starve to death.

"How many people are left in the village?" Heng Xinyuan asked.

"Hey, plus our mother, there are only about 30 people in total, all of whom are old, weak, sick and disabled, otherwise it is a woman like me who has no man in the family and can only pull the children by herself, and she can't run and can't run, so she can only live here next to ......"

"I heard that the imperial court didn't distribute a lot of grain and silver taels to relieve the disaster? Why is life still so difficult? Heng Xin looked at the falling wall skin around him and the bowl of smelly pickles on the table, and couldn't help but wonder in his heart, where did the four princes ask the court for food and money every once in a while.

Ah Zhen rolled her eyes and snorted contemptuously, "What do you say, don't you know how hateful our corrupt officials and corrupt officials here are, the court has sent us a lot of money, but we can't stand the layers of exploitation, go to the mansion to deduct a layer, then to the county to deduct a layer, and finally to the people's hands, only half a bag of rice and a few copper plates, there are so many people in the family, where is there enough to eat?" ”

She sighed helplessly and continued, "Some time ago, there seemed to be a prince in the imperial court, and we all thought that we could finally eat now, but who knows, it didn't get better at all......

"Humph! These four princes are too much! Heng Xinyuan couldn't hold back for a while, slapped the table heavily, and was angry, eager to go back to the palace immediately to report these things to the emperor, but at the moment he had no evidence, thinking about it, he still had to go to Junnan Mansion in person.

The wind outside the house was getting stronger and stronger, like hundreds of barking beasts, and the charcoal fire in the house had gradually been extinguished, and the chill from the soles of his feet through his whole body made Heng Xinyuan have to stand up and walk back and forth in order to barely maintain a little body temperature.

"It's not early, go to sleep, I'll pad you with some hay, it shouldn't be too cold."

Heng Xinyuan was full of gratitude, and bowed with a smile, "Thank you, you can rest early." ”

However, after tossing and turning on the bed all night, Heng Xinyuan never closed his eyes, his skin and flesh ached from the hay thorns under his back, and his mind kept appearing with the old man's face and the desolate and dilapidated situation of this village, I didn't expect that in Jiang Country, there would be such a hell on earth.

Through a translucent window paper, the moonlight poured coldly into the room, and he tilted his head to listen to the wind and snow outside the window, thinking about his next plan.

Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps outside the silent courtyard, which sounded a little staggering, followed by another "plop", as if something had fallen to the ground.

He felt a little weird, wrapped his coat and walked out softly, pushing open the courtyard door, there was nothing wrong, just when he was about to turn around and go back to the house, there were three knocks outside the door, and he quickly opened the door.

A man with a bloody face and several stab wounds on his body crooked into his arms.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Heng Xinyuan hurriedly helped him up, and saw his face clearly by the moonlight, a young man in his early twenties at most, with a thin and angular face, chapped lips, and bruises on his forehead and eyes, as if he had been beaten by someone and escaped.

"Help me...... Help me......" The man grabbed his hand, "I managed to escape......

Seeing that he seemed to have just experienced a life-and-death battle, his physical strength was completely overdrawn, and his speech was a little trilling, Heng Xinyuan hurriedly helped him into the house, and at this time, Ah Zhen also heard the movement and lit the candle.

"Oh, who is this? Why did you get so badly injured? Ah Zhen was shocked.

"I just heard a movement outside the hospital, and when I opened the door, I saw him lying on the ground, Ah Zhen, you go and pour some hot water, and take half a steamed bun, I think he should be hungry." Heng Xinyuan said as he dragged him to his own bed in his room.

After drinking water and eating a little more, the man slowly eased up, opened his lips and said, "Thank you for the rescue...... There is no reward, but it will be ...... in the future."

"Okay, don't talk about that, you're still very weak." Heng Xinyuan said softly, "You tell us first, what have you been through, and why are you covered in scars?" ”

"I ...... I escaped from Gunanfu...... Those officers and soldiers, they blocked the city gates, and I escaped by climbing two mountains...... But I didn't expect to be discovered by them, they chased me all the way, and I had no choice but to jump into the cliff...... Thankfully, he was saved by a crooked-necked tree......" He gasped heavily, and he didn't speak very sharply.

"Why do you want to seal the city gates? Also, why are you escaping and where are you going? Heng Xinyuan asked a few questions in a row, because he vaguely felt that there must be a shocking secret hidden behind this.

"Go to Kyoto...... Complain! The man spit out these words fiercely, and his eyes suddenly dimmed, "I want to go to Kyoto to meet the emperor, and I want to ask him if the people of this county Nanfu are still his people!" ”

"Don't worry, you say slowly, it's a long way to Kyoto, and you won't be able to go like this now, and even if you arrive, you may not be able to see the emperor, and I'm afraid it won't work." Heng Xinyuan gently patted his chest to help him breathe.