The desert is lonely, and as far as the eye can see, it is all yellow sand!

A white-robed scholar wears a hat and leads a horse to stroll on the desert.

On the sand dunes in the distance, a series of rickety figures slowly approached him.

Among the dozens of people in this line, there are old people, women and children, and young people...... Their faces were covered with marks left by the wind and sand.

When Li Qingshan passed by them, a young man stopped him.

"Sir!"

"Can I ask you for a drink?"

Looking at the young man's chapped lips, Li Qingshan glanced at the water bladder in his hand and handed it over casually.

The man took the water bladder, hurriedly thanked him, and staggered back to the line, handing the water bladder to an elderly woman.

The old woman shook her head desperately: "I don't drink, I'm not thirsty, give it to the child first, give it to the child first." ”

Obviously, her lips were chapped and bleeding, but the old woman refused to drink anything.

The children in the team must be drunk first, and then she took the water bladder and took a sip gently.

Soon, the water full of water was divided among the people in the procession, and the old people and children drank more, followed by the women, and finally the young men in the group.

The young man who came to borrow water before saw that the water of a water bladder had been drunk, and he walked back to Li Qingshan with some embarrassment, took out two copper plates from the stitches of his belt, and handed them out with the water bladder: "Sir... Sorry...... We're so thirsty......"

Li Qingshan took the water bladder, and after accepting the copper plate, he took out two packets of dry food from the bag hanging on the back of the little red horse and handed them to the young man.

"I can't do it! I can't help it! Looking at the two packets of dry food, the young man swallowed his saliva, but shook his head and waved his hand again and again.

Li Qingshan smiled and said, "It's not for you, you have to tell me what happened?" ”

"Why are you dragging your family out?"

Hearing this, the young man was stunned for a moment, and then he told about what happened here.

It turned out that a few months ago, this desert north land suffered a natural disaster!

Great drought, scorching sun...... The disaster lasted for a month before it eased slightly.

The river dried up, and not a drop of water could be pumped out of the well.

All the crops in the field were dead, and the family was soon running out of food.

The price of food in the county has skyrocketed, and those who are usually wealthy in their families have gone to the streets to beg because they can't afford to eat.

The county government once opened a warehouse to release grain.

Not to mention that the gruel distributed is almost invisible, even the thin water is only given to a small half bowl!

The most important thing is that after only two days of distribution, the county lord said that there was no food in the granary, and let them find a way to eat by themselves!

If it's gone, people won't say anything.

But obviously some people saw that there were officers and soldiers from outside who brought food and water in, and there were quite a few of them!

Speaking of this, there was a hint of sarcasm in the young man's eyes!

But he only dared to say what he thought.

Even those who say that they are officials are greedy for money and food for disaster relief, and they don't dare to say it!

You must know that this place is already some distance away from the county seat, and there are no officials on the barren desert...... The dozens of people in this group are two families, and they know very well that if they go on like this, they will have to starve to death in the county.

That's why they packed their bags and planned to come out to see if they could find a place to live.

After listening, Li Qingshan gave the other party a water bladder again.

When you go out, you can help whoever you can, plus him...... The little red horse also carried a lot of water and dry food.

It doesn't hurt to give some out.

At the time of parting, the young man wiped the corners of his "dry" eyes and bowed to Li Qingshan three times.

......

The yellow sand in the sky turned the sky a dull yellow.

On the road, if you say a few more words, you will eat a mouthful of sand.

Li Qingshan walked all the way into Tongzhou County, the county seat belonging to Mobei County! Along the way, he met too many refugees who had fled.

Some of these people came from Tongzhou County, and some came from Guo County, which is affiliated with Mobei County......

Their form is surprisingly consistent...... The face is yellow and thin, and the wind and dust are servant! In this Tongzhou County, the twilight is gloomy, and there is no hawker merchant on the street.

After traveling a distance, I came to the center of the county, but I saw a human figure.

At the door of the county office, there were four sturdy officials with ruddy faces.

These officials looked around vigilantly, as if they were guarding against something.

When Li Qingshan appeared, these people yelled at him angrily, urging him to leave quickly and not stay at the yamen.

Seeing this, Li Qingshan didn't say anything, just silently led the horse to find a foothold.

After walking around the county, he saw two shops that were still open.

A green building, a shop selling grain.

The inns that looked quite good were all closed, and looking at the yellow sand accumulated in front of the door, you could tell that these inns had been closed for a long time.

Since there is no inn, it is better to find a shade to sleep in.

Anyway, for a monk like Li Qingshan, it is the same wherever he lives.

Even if it was the scorching sun, it didn't matter to him.

With his memory, Li Qingshan found the shady place he had just walked through.

But when he walked over, he saw a shocking scene!

Dozens of people, surrounding a tree that is still a little green, competing for the branches and leaves on the tree!

Among them, there are many old and weak women and children, as well as young and middle-aged people.

After snatching a branch and leaf, the old and weak women and children seemed to be afraid of being snatched away, so they hurriedly stuffed it into their mouths and chewed it.

Young and middle-aged people fight for a lush branch!

In an instant, someone had already fallen to the ground with a broken head and blood! However, for these, the people on the side don't care about them! In their eyes, there are only these branches and leaves!

No wonder it was the height of summer, but there was almost no greenery in the county, and it turned out that all the people who stayed in the county were scrambling to eat......

Looking at this scene, Li Qingshan did not take out the food he carried with him and distribute it to them as before.

After all, no matter how much he brings, it will be a drop in the bucket for the people of this county.

If it is divided, the person who receives it may thank him for a while, but those who don't receive it will probably hold a grudge against him......

"Please! My sister has a cold! Give me these leaves! A boy of about sixteen or seventeen years old, clutching a branch that was not too long, pleaded.

However, the prime man on the side completely ignored his meaning.

After a series of punches and kicks, he snatched the branches and leaves from his hands.

The boy curled up on the ground in despair, and only after all the scrambles had left did he slowly get up and walk towards the end of the street......