If you look down from the air, you can clearly see a rift valley dividing the ancient city into two, with lush greenery on one side and rolling yellow sand on the other.
This is all thanks to the Sun family.
The Sun family wasn't powerful, they were just rich. This little money might not be a big deal elsewhere, but in Suyan it was enough to shake the world and breed greed.
Suyan boasts a unique topography, high in the west and low in the east. The western side, high and flat, occupies the edge of the largest oasis in the Lingxi Gobi Desert. The oasis boasts numerous natural springs and is traversed by the Tianmu River, formed by melting snow from Mount Gongduo. This region is a treasure trove of abundant water and grass. The eastern side, in stark contrast, lies amidst saline and rocky terrain, on the southern side of the mountain range. Its climate is dry, the land is barren, and water is scarce, with only a small portion of the Tianmu River flowing through it.
Under the guise of repairing water conservancy projects, the Sun family deceived the city's garrison commander and built a high dam upstream of the Tianmu River. Since then, there has been no water in Sudong downstream, and the riverbed has been drying up.
But this was just the beginning. The Sun family diligently occupied the oasis and built high walls, while also co-opting the wealthy and powerful west of the city. They often colluded with the Southern Qiang people from the central lands of Bijiang, robbing and killing caravans passing through Suyan. This ancient city, which had existed for a thousand years, was finally split into two parts by the Sun family, east and west. Within the western city and a hundred miles outside, Sun family and Southern Qiang cavalrymen with scimitars were stationed and patrolled, and anyone not from their own city would be killed without mercy.
As for Dongcheng, even if someone sent eight sedan chairs to invite people, no one would be willing to go in.
When Xiao Nanhui walked through the crumbling city gate, he almost wondered if he was the only person who passed through this city gate that day.
The water in her leather bag had long been used up and needed to be refilled quickly. However, after a little inquiry, she found that the situation in Suyan East City was worse than she had expected.
The city once relied on deep wells for its water supply, but in recent years, even the deepest wells have failed to produce a single drop of water. Many residents of East City have given their wealth to the Sun family as "entry fees," hoping to move to West City with their families. As for the poor? They can only wait for death by the sand.
Four of the original five shared wells have dried up, leaving only one. Even if you squeeze your head, you can't get a sip of water to drink, let alone water for washing clothes and cooking. Everyone in the city looks dusty, as if the whole city is covered in dust.
Xiao Nanhui wasn't much better off. Ever since escaping the salt merchant, he'd been on the road, completely devoid of silver, save for a few copper coins. He'd slept in the open air, eating and drinking, and by the end, he'd run out of water. He finally made it to the city, only to find it was no different from the wilderness.
She had been wearing the same clothes for several days, and her hair and face were already disheveled. The dirt on her face could be rubbed into a ball.
This made her feel as if she had returned to the days before Xiao Zhun adopted her. When she was a child, she almost didn't know what she looked like. There was not even a blackened bronze mirror in her earthen house. Even when she occasionally went to the well to fetch water and saw her face, she could never see it clearly because of the thick dirt.
Now that I think about it, when Xiao Zhun took her away, he probably thought she was a boy.
This was not something she had guessed out of thin air. A long time ago, Uncle Chen had casually said: Her coming to the Marquis' Mansion was an unexpected surprise.
In the Battle of Sanmu Pass that year, Xiao Zhun was defeated. When returning to the capital, he had to take a detour back to Quecheng because the Tianmu River was flooded. When passing through the ancient city of Suyan, General Fei Lian was seriously injured and died, so the journey was delayed for several days.
It was just a coincidence that on that day, on the road outside Suyan City, she and Xiao Jun met.
Before that, she had been wandering alone in the city for six years. That day was the first day she decided to leave Suyan.
From that day on, Xiao Nanhui firmly believed that there is fate between people.
And her fate has always been exchanged for blessings.
She had spent six years living in despair to finally meet Xiao Zhun. What would she give now to ensure their future together?
Therefore, she always lived with the determination to endure hardships. Every time she experienced hardships, she told herself that this was accumulating blessings for her to be with Xiao Zhun.
Only in this way can she get up after falling again and again and continue to move forward without hesitation.
She had encountered situations like this countless times, and each time she had gone through it the same way.
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