The old woman sighed, found a place to sit down, and began to recount the changes that had occurred in the city.
"My maiden name is Li, and my husband's surname is Sun. My son, Sun Yanzhi, was originally a clerk in the county government office of Shipo County. About half a month ago, he told me that the county magistrate, Zhu Dou, informed him that because the drought was getting worse, the higher authorities had sent people to inspect the area. He was to wait at the county government office with the county magistrate and the county magistrate, and he might not be able to go home for several days!"
She started crying as soon as she mentioned what had happened before.
"My daughter-in-law and I didn't think much of it at the time, assuming it was just routine official business. After all, government inspectors had occasionally come before, and they'd be gone for days at a time. But who knew this time they'd vanish without a trace!"
Gradually recalling the situation at that time
"On the fifth day after my son's disappearance, my daughter-in-law and I thought of going to the county government office to look for him, but we felt something was increasingly wrong in the city. All the people we knew at the county office were gone. When we went to inquire, we were told that the magistrate and his clerk were receiving dignitaries from the capital, and that no outsiders were allowed to approach!"
Ji He handed her a handkerchief so she could wipe the tears from her face.
"My daughter-in-law and I kept thinking about it, and something felt wrong. In a fit of anger, I fainted. When I woke up, I found myself back home. My daughter-in-law had left me a note saying she was worried about my grandson at school and was going to bring him home. I waited from noon until sunset, but they never came!"
What began as soft sobs turned into loud wailing.
"I went out to look for them, but the city was in chaos. People said bandits had broken into the city and looted everything. I ran to the school, but it was littered with corpses and completely ransacked. I searched high and low before finally finding my daughter-in-law and grandson. Then, I fainted again. When I woke up, I found people burning the bodies!"
She broke down in tears at this point.
Ji He took out a water pouch and handed it to her: "Big sister, have a sip of water first and then talk slowly!"
Old Mrs. Li wiped away her tears, took the water pouch, and drank a mouthful.
"Later, I secretly hid and overheard one of them saying that since the boss had taken control of the county government, what use were those officials? It would be better to kill them all. The other said that we couldn't kill them all at once; we had to do it one by one. This time we had to be careful and not let the city guards and patrols find us. We couldn't let it be like what happened twenty years ago!"
They kept saying, "This time we'll make them kill each other!" They started laughing again as they talked. I escaped through the dog hole while they were burning the bodies. After that, my house was smashed up, and all my belongings were stolen!
Ji He and the others felt sorry for her; such a beautiful courtyard had been destroyed just like that.
"I kept watch near the county government office every day. Just three nights ago, I saw people dressed as yamen runners pushing a cart out of the office. Seeing that cart made me incredibly anxious, so I followed them to the mass grave. Only after they threw torches at the cart and left did I dare to approach and investigate!"
Seeing that she was getting agitated again, crying uncontrollably, Qin Luo quickly fed her a pill: "Grandma, this medicine is good for you! It will benefit your health!"
After thanking her, Old Lady Li continued, "I saw a cart full of corpses, already burning. I quickly kicked the cart aside and saw my son roll out from the pile of bodies. By the firelight, I saw his neck was still slightly rising and falling, so I desperately dragged him out. I checked the people around him; they were all completely dead!"
She gripped Ji He's hand tightly, as if she were afraid.
"The magistrate's eyes were gouged out, and his body was covered in whip marks. I burned all their bodies before I could bring my son home. After that, I went to the city gate every day to see if the imperial court had discovered that the city was under control and if they had sent anyone to rescue it. That's when I ran into you!"
Ji He and the others felt a chill run down their spines, but Doctor You grasped the key point.
"Young lady, what do you mean by those thieves saying they couldn't act like they did twenty years ago? Does that mean they were in Shipo County twenty years ago?"
Old Mrs. Li was also completely baffled.
"No, that never happened. Twenty-odd years ago, there were no major cases in Shipo County; it was very peaceful. I don't understand what they mean by 'twenty-odd years ago'!"
Ji He then asked her, "Older sister, what happened when you told me that there were people on the city wall and among the disaster victims watching our carts, donkey carts, and grain?"
Old Mrs. Li, thinking of what they were carrying, felt a pang of regret: "Didn't you pay a five-copper-coin entrance fee when you entered the city?"
"Yes! Even in peaceful times, it wasn't this expensive. We had just entered the city gates when people outside shouted that there were bandits. The disaster victims who had previously been reluctant to pay suddenly started paying to enter the city, and the price went up to ten coins!"
Old Mrs. Li chuckled.
"Bandits? I think that thief is one of those bandits. These tricks happen every day, but if the refugees don't enter the city, the bandits really will kill them, then leave, and the next day will be the same as the first!"
"These bandits are utterly despicable!"
Old Mrs. Li sighed: "It's more than just despicable. Everyone's valuables inside the city are targeted. They rob us in the middle of the night when everyone is asleep. If you resist, you're killed on the spot. If you don't resist and want to leave the city, you have to pay an exit fee. Everyone's been robbed, where's the money to pay the exit fee?!"
She glanced again in the direction of the city exit: 'There are many human traffickers at the north gate. To leave the city, you have to sell your children or the women in your family. The money from selling one person is only enough to pay the exit fee. Those without wives and daughters can only wait to die in the city!'
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