"Lin Yi, get up, it's time to pack up and go." It was already dawn, Ningxia returned to the bedroom and woke up Lin Yi who was still sleeping soundly.
Two bowls of solid porridge had been left on the table, not poured into the thermos. They were now at just the right temperature. Under Ningxia's intimidating gaze, Lin Yi gave up on cooking the potatoes and obediently drank from his bowl.
In the smooth and soft white porridge, you can also chew crispy cabbage stalks and chunks of lard. After finishing a bowl, Lin Yi's energy and spirit seemed to return.
"You should wear long sleeves inside and a coat outside. Don't wear thin clothes anymore. It's getting colder outside. Go wake up Sangsang. I have found her clothes and put them on the carpet. Just put them on her." After giving the instructions, Ningxia led Maomao from behind the house to the yard.
Ningxia loaded the already packed luggage, thinking about Maomao, who had suffered all summer. The luggage she packed wasn't much, just around 200 pounds, and with Sangsang weighing less than 300 pounds, Maomao could easily carry it. Ningxia reached out and stroked the long hair by Maomao's ear, her eyes full of hope. "I hope you can come home with us after this trip."
"Are you ready?" Ningxia turned around and saw that the brother and sister were already dressed. Sangsang's small body was wrapped in a coat, making him look even thinner.
Lin Yi nodded and held his sister's hand tightly. Sangsang drank less than half of the bowl of porridge on the table, and the remaining half went into Lin Yi's stomach.
The girl's lips had paled considerably, and she looked ill. Ningxia grabbed the raincoat from the entrance and put it on her. The drizzle outside hadn't stopped yet, having lasted all day and all night, silently nourishing the dry earth.
"Let's go." After confirming again and again that there were no problems with the two iron chain locks hanging on the gate of the yard, the three of them set off.
Sangsang sat sprawled on Maomao's back, her two slender legs swaying slightly as Maomao moved. A strip of cloth was tied around her waist, connecting her to Maomao's round belly, so she wouldn't roll off even when she slept. A thick mattress was placed beneath her, to prevent the long journey from rocking her. Maomao's scorching heat filtered through the mattress and reached Sangsang. She obediently closed her eyes and let Maomao carry her forward.
"Sister Xia Xia! The river water is coming out again!"
Following Lin Yi's surprised voice, Ningxia saw that the river, which had only a muddy bottom, had quickly returned to covering their feet. As expected, the mountain spring hadn't dried up. It was just the hot weather that had slowed the flow, and the outflow couldn't keep up with evaporation, causing the water level to drop. At this rate, by the time they returned, the water would be waist-high again.
"Well, this river shouldn't dry up."
Green shoots had sprouted up along the dry grassy roadside. Maomao couldn't resist the temptation to nibble on the occasional lush patch. Ningxia didn't push him, letting him do what he wanted. He'd been eating hay for months, and she felt bad for him.
The three of them followed the river eastward, passing by the bamboo forest where they had picked bamboo shoots. Many of the bamboos had withered and yellowed, nearing the end of their lives, but the majority were still emerald green, making the entire forest a much darker color. It seemed that the bamboo shoots they hadn't had time to pick had stubbornly taken root in the scorching sun and survived.
The path was easier than expected. Most of the vegetation hadn't recovered yet, and the dry weeds shattered with a stick. The noise they made caused the shadows of the grass not far away to sway slightly. Ningxia realized that the animals from the deep mountains had begun to emerge, and this was not good news.
Following the river, without needing to find a path, and passing through two relatively easy woods, the three of them easily reached their destination. After a short while, they could see three small houses lined up in a row in the woods ahead.
"Sister Xia Xia, is that it?"
Ningxia nodded: "That should be it, just like what your uncle Li Gang said."
Sangsang, who was lying on Maomao with boredom, stood up to look when she heard the conversation between the two. Ningxia touched her head and looked eagerly at the house opposite.
"Come on, let's go over there."
"Stop! Who?"
Before they got there, the three of them were stopped by a tall, dark-skinned man with a gun in his hand. From his clothes, it was easy to tell that he was a coalition soldier.
Ningxia quickly spoke up: "Hello, Sergeant! I am a scattered resident of the forest area. I came to the sentry post to ask for your help!"
The man's hand holding the gun relaxed slightly. "Are you... Ningxia?"
"Do you know me?"
The man silently looked at Ningxia and Lin Yi, and wondered in a low voice: "This doesn't make sense. There's also a girl?"
Sangsang, with his sharp ears, poked his little head out from behind Maomao's neck: "Uncle, are you talking about me? I'm here!"
The soft, babyish voice easily let the person on the other side let down his guard. The man's eyebrows were covered with a smile, "You are Ningxia!"
Ningxia understood, "Squad Leader...Squad Leader Li Gang and the others have been here?"
The man smiled brightly, "Yes, he has been here. He came to our place after patrolling the mountains there. He specifically asked us to take good care of you three siblings when we have the chance."
As he spoke, he looked at the standing brother and sister without saying a word. The girl was not short, with short hair that reached her neck and looked very neat. Her face was a little rough, but her facial features were very good. She had arched eyebrows and a high nose bridge, and she looked difficult to approach.
The boy, though thin, was energetic, with messy short hair and skin that matched his tan. His pupils, half covered by single eyelids, his lips pursed, and his hands tightly gripping the waistband of his pants, all betrayed his deep defensiveness. Of the three people in the group, only the mule and the girl on its back appeared harmless, exactly as Li Gang had described.
"Just call me Daping." Seeing Ningxia's hesitation, Daping stepped forward, took Sangsang from Maomao's body, and put the little girl on his back in a familiar manner.
Ningxia held back Lin Yi who wanted to go forward, and let him lead the way with Sangsang on his back.
"How did you find yourself here? The Sun Moon has just passed. What's going on?"
Ningxia smiled wryly at the right moment: "The child is sick, and I want to take him to the trading point to see a doctor."
Daping weighed the too light weight on his back and looked back at Ningxia: "Is it this little girl?" The brother and sister didn't look sick, only the little girl on his back looked listless, thin and frail.
Ningxia nodded and said, "Brother Ping, how many people are there at your sentry post? The scorching sun month is over, aren't you going back to the barracks to rotate?"
Da Ping smiled and said, "There are three of us on sentry duty, and our duty is calculated by year. This year we have to guard the Yanhanyue before we can go back to the camp and let other brothers take over!"
"Hirako!"
"Brother Ping!"
When I walked to the front of the house, I was greeted by two coalition soldiers.
One of them was a very burly man, a bit older, and asked, "Where did these people come from?"
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