"If you dare to go against the grandfathers, this bald donkey will die."
In comparison, Cai Cai's fate was too tragic.
Some well-meaning residents were trying to persuade Li Mu to leave quickly, covertly or covertly.
How could the local government of the Western Qin Empire be so corrupt
Li Mu thanked them one by one, then turned and left.
But his look made Li Mu and the woman in white guess something.
However, his whereabouts were clearly seen by a few thugs hiding in the distance.
I'm afraid Cai Cai's mother won't come back. It doesn't take a year to collect herbs in the mountains.
Therefore, if Grandma Cai's son had joined the Jingbian Army, he would have probably died in the battle five years ago.
"Cai Cai, are you hungry? Grandma will cook you a bowl of noodles." Grandma Cai smiled and touched her granddaughter's head.
Five years ago, another three-party war broke out between the three empires. The Western Qin Empire suffered heavy losses and the situation was in a precarious situation. All the major states in the country urgently recruited troops. A new army was recruited from Chang'an Prefecture, named Jingbian Army. In the end, the empire turned the crisis around. In the process, the Jingbian Army made great contributions. It can be said that it was an exaggeration to say that the crisis was reversed with the power of one army.
The woman in white was silent, not knowing what to say.
"Hmph, since the bad guy mayor took office, grandma can no longer get money, and she still has to pay rent and taxes..." Cai Cai couldn't help but said.
"Follow us and see where this bald donkey settles. Master Ma said he must be killed."
In this world, is there any family planning policy? Generally speaking, a family should have many children.
This group of gangsters headed by Ma San were just ordinary gangsters in this town a few years ago, and they did not dare to be so arrogant. However, a year ago, after the new mayor took office, Ma San did not know what means he used to get the gangsters. The favor of the new mayor immediately swelled due to the mayor's overt and covert manipulation.
Li Mu nodded and said, "I want you to do something for me."
"Caicai, where are your parents? Where have they gone?" Li Mu teased the little girl with a smile.
"No, Cai Cai is not hungry. Cai Cai will be fine if she drinks some water. I have to save the money to sell the noodles. I can save the money to go to my father." The little girl was already so hungry that her stomach was growling, but she still held back her saliva. Very sensible, well-behaved and authentic.
Starting today, I'm afraid I won't be able to go to town to sell noodles anymore, and I'll have to hide out for a few days to avoid the limelight. I won't be able to go again until Ma San's group of people are over their anger. These guys are ruthless and ruthless.
At the same time, Li Mu's figure appeared in the inn.
"Ah, Second Young Master, you are back."
The river is gentle and the reeds are thick.
He didn't want to let Ma San and others go so easily before he came. After hearing these words, his thoughts became clearer.
How unfair fate is to such a family.
She heard that the voice was that of a rogue named Huang Yong who was following Ma San.
"Cai Cai's father is a soldier?" the woman in white asked.
At the end of the sentence, when Cai Cai looked at him with wide eyes, the old man with a ravaged face suddenly realized something and shut up, unable to speak any more.
Through the conversation, Li Mu learned the little girl's nickname, Cai Cai.
"Immortal old man, you run pretty fast. Grandpa, let's see where you can run... get out of there quickly." A vicious voice came.
Basically, they are the same age. At this age, they should be with their parents, enjoying the love of their parents like ordinary children. But now, at such a young age, they are hungry, forced by life, and go through wind and rain every day. , I went out to sell noodles with my grandma, living a precarious life, with a small face that was almost starving.
However, after they followed him for less than a while, they discovered that the little monk was as slippery as a fish and disappeared after passing around a corner.
She quietly put the ingot of gold into Granny Cai's noodle box with an extremely clever technique.
The woman in white, on the other hand, remained silent and said nothing more.
Li Mu was silent in his heart.
All of a sudden, Li Mu decided to help this pair of grandparents.
"Grandma..." Cai Cai ran out of breath: "Actually... Actually, it's still early tonight. We can sell a few more bowls of noodles today, so that we can save more money, go find mom, and bring dad back. .”
"Little monk, Ma San will definitely come to take revenge. You should quickly change your clothes and leave Pingan Town at night. The farther you go, the better. Don't stay."
Judging from Granny Cai's expression, she probably knew the result in her own heart, but she just didn't let Xiao Caicai know this cruel fact.
The look of the woman in white had obviously become much softer, and she said: "According to the laws of our Great Qin Empire, a military-affiliated family like my mother-in-law's family can be exempted from taxes, enjoy pensions, and be allocated fields. According to the increase in the price of rice, grain and oil in the town, you can receive a certain amount of monthly payment regularly. Why, mother-in-law, you..."
Li Mu was angry after hearing this.
Granny Cai wiped her tears and said, "Yes, at the end of the new year five years ago, the family was in debt and the fields were not harvested. Seeing that the last five cents of the land were about to be taken away to pay off the debt, the family would not be able to survive. The dish dad gritted his teeth, went out to collect a sum of money, and went on an expedition with the army that winter, and never came back again. Later, later... alas."
"Yes, Master Luanlai, those people can do anything."
As he was talking, there was a sudden banging on the door.
On both sides of the river bank, on the gentle river slope, there are shantytowns in slums that stretch for three to four miles. Most of the buildings are made of dry reed poles and dead wood. They are simple and low, barely able to provide shelter from the wind and rain. A large number of poor tenant farmers who had lost their land were chatting with each other and it was quite lively.
"Che Dan?" The woman in white subconsciously imagined that it is as clear as water and its quality is like Dan
Grandma Cai's face suddenly changed with fright.
Li Mu was also alone since he was a child. He had no parents. Like Cai Cai, he was raised by an old man. However, Li Mu was luckier. He still lived in a peaceful environment and could go to school. He could not be deceived by the old master, but After all, he had some skills, so Li Mu could still go to school and have enough food and clothing.
The woman in white didn't need to know what to say.
When he looked at the little girl Caicai, Li Mu's heart was full of sympathy and pity for this poor little girl.
Especially in the past six months, he has become extremely arrogant. He has become bold and dark-hearted, committing all kinds of evil and killing people without blinking an eye.
Several rogues were dumbfounded.
Zheng Cunjian was startled when he saw Li Mu coming back and quickly saluted flatteringly.
Li Mu stood there and watched Granny Cai and others leave.
Cai Cai's fate is very similar to Li Mu's.
A small mayor can make the living environment of an originally peaceful and peaceful town deteriorate to such an extent that the people are almost in trouble.
…
In the inn room, [Black-hearted Scholar] Zheng Cunjian was like an ant on a hot pot. After discovering that Li Mu was missing, he thought again and again, but still did not dare to escape.
She put away the plain noodle stall with great difficulty, picked up the burden, and left with the little girl.
Granny Cai sighed, as if she had exhausted all the sadness and despair in her heart, and said: "This old man was once a small officer. He died in battle sixteen years ago. He has three sons, but... alas, the eldest and the The second child was drafted into the army earlier than the third child. He died in the battle before he could get married and have children. The third child finally married a wife before joining the army, but Cai Cai was left alone... "
Granny Cai also repeatedly persuaded Li Mu and the others to leave.
But after that battle, the entire Jingbian Army was wiped out in the final battle. Almost no one survived, and all the commander-level generals died in the battle.
Grandma Cai was on the side, packing her things, wiping her tears, and said nothing.
The thugs gritted their teeth and took advantage of the familiar terrain to follow quietly.
…
He strengthened some of his thoughts.
"Amitabha, this little monk is causing trouble. Thank you for reminding me. I, the Buddha, bless you, and good people will have a safe life."
The woman in white glanced at Li Mu, and finally turned and left.
Grandma Cai was afraid and did not dare to do business anymore.
…
Li Mu, who had sworn not to be a Holy Mother, was really filled with the Holy Mother's heart at this moment.
Granny Cai wiped away her tears and nodded while cleaning up the stall: "It seems that it was called this name. At that time, the mayor was eager to recruit young men. I heard that even the mayor's three young men were recruited..."
Seeing Ma San and others leaving at this time, many well-meaning residents reminded Li Mu that these gangsters are capable of anything and are most vicious, so they must not be careless.
Granny Cai, her grandparents, and her grandson live here.
He couldn't help but think of Bai Juyi's "Charcoal Seller", which he had learned in the Chinese language class in junior high school, and Du Fu's "Shi Hao Li", another great poet. The fate that was not described in the poem was so tragic. Now It seems that no matter which world they are in, the life of the poor at the bottom is so miserable, which is in line with that poem-
"Little master, let's go quickly, you have caused a big trouble today..."
Both the man and his son died in the battle. What a deep sorrow this Granny Cai must bear in her heart.
They all had a good impression of Li Mu because he had just dealt with the rogue Ma San and his group, especially those two slaps, how loud they were. It made the residents who hated Ma San and the others so much that they felt that Unprecedented comfort.
At the east end of Pingan Town, a small river flows through.
The folk customs in Ping'an Town are still simple.
"Cai Cai, don't talk nonsense..." Grandma Cai quickly stopped her granddaughter from continuing.
She actually knew this history very well.
After returning home from her troubles, Granny Cai looked outside the door carefully and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that no one was following her.
Compared with the chaos, this Dharma name is finally much more reliable, and it fits the silly image of the little monk.
"Dad went out to fight and hasn't come back for five years. Mom went to the mountains to collect herbs. Grandma said that when mom comes back, she will take Cai Cai to a place far, far away to find dad and bring him back." Cai Cai. Cai lowered her head and said with a gloomy look on her face: "But when will mom come back? She hasn't been back for a year. Cai Cai really misses her."
Li Mu thought in his heart.
"When it prospers, the people suffer; when it dies, the people suffer."
"Big brother, big sister, you should leave quickly. Those bad guys will definitely come back again... They are very scary." The little girl urged anxiously.
Grandma Cai didn't know how to tell her granddaughter.
Li Mu was stunned for a moment.
"Mother-in-law, don't you have any other children?" Li Mu couldn't help but ask.
She paused, as if remembering something, and said, "Five years ago? Cai Cai's father participated. Could it be the Jingbian Army of Chang'an Prefecture?"
There are a lot of people talking on the street. If you say something bad about Lord Zhen Zhang here, it will be heard and spread to the ears of the mayor. Is that okay? Some time ago, someone had his tongue cut out for talking about the mayor behind his back.