Yunzhou.
The official road leading to the mountain god temple in the desolate mountains was crowded with people.
Meng Xuan was holding her eleven-year-old son, Meng An, in her arms as she walked forward step by step.
Her face was pale, and fine beads of sweat glistened on her forehead.
With each step, I felt as if my feet were filled with lead.
But then I think of the legendary, all-powerful mountain goddess.
The thought that as long as I entered the mountain god temple, I could receive free medical treatment from the doctor of the desolate mountains was very appealing.
She gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep moving forward.
"Mom, I'm so cold." The boy leaned against him, his face and neck turning red.
A moment later, he moved his neck uncomfortably again: "Mom, I feel so hot."
“Son, don’t be afraid. We’ll be at the mountain god’s temple soon. As long as we go there to pray, we can get treatment from the little doctor in the wilderness for free.”
"You'll definitely get better by then!"
She talked to her son while listening to the chatter of other disaster victims around her.
"Not long ago, the Mountain Goddess manifested! That wretched plague demon was dealt with by the Goddess's followers!"
"Yes, yes, I heard that as long as you go to the temple and light an incense stick, you can get a share of food, and if you're sick, you can even get a doctor to take a look at you, all for free!"
"And another thing, the barren mountain is going to build a factory in our Yunzhou! Just like in Qingzhou, they'll provide food and lodging, and even pay wages!"
These words, like sweet rain after a long drought, nourished Meng Xuan's heart and gave her hope to live on.
Since the outbreak of that terrible plague, when pustular monsters roamed outside the city, her scholar husband had taken all the remaining valuables in the house.
They abandoned the mother and child overnight and disappeared without a trace.
If she hadn't kept holding on, she probably would have been dead long ago.
However, her son, Meng An, caught a cold during their escape.
He had a persistent high fever and was on the verge of death.
Today, Yunzhou is filled with cries of despair.
Only the Mountain Goddess can save them.
This mountain temple was her last hope.
The line was extremely long, like a long snake with no beginning or end, winding and coiling along the mountain road.
The air was filled with a faint scent of herbs, mixed with the distinctive smell of sweat and dust from the disaster victims.
Meng An, held in his arms, began to breathe more and more rapidly.
Her face was burning red, and she occasionally let out a painful groan.
"An'er, just hang in there a little longer, we'll be there soon," Meng Xuan comforted softly, though her heart was burning with anxiety.
She reached out and gently brushed aside the stray hairs on her son's forehead that were damp with sweat, her eyes filled with heartache.
Just then, Meng Xuan's gaze inadvertently swept over a spot not far to her side, and her pupils suddenly contracted!
He was a man dressed in a faded scholar's robe, with a face that exuded a self-righteous, bookish air.
It was because she had taken all the valuables she had left in the house when the plague broke out.
Was it Zhou Wencai, the husband who abandoned them and their child to escape alone?
Meng Xuan felt a chill run from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head, and her blood seemed to freeze at that moment.
That beast! How could he be here?
Zhou Wencai naturally noticed Meng Xuan at this moment.
He walked with a woman, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes at first, but he straightened his back quickly.
Zhou Wencai showed no remorse whatsoever. Instead, relying on his strength, he stepped forward and rudely pushed aside the elderly, weak, women, and children blocking his way.
They went straight to the spot that Meng Xuan had finally managed to get in line.
This is a very good location, very close to the mountain god temple. Soon they will be able to enter the temple and light incense for the mountain god.
However, this guy who abandoned his wife stole the spot they had worked so hard to get!
Meng Xuan instinctively pulled her son closer to her, her anger rising to her head.
"Zhou Wencai! What are you doing?" The voice was filled with anger.
The surrounding disaster victims turned their heads and curiously observed the arguing couple.
Zhou Wencai seemed not to hear him and continued to push forward, almost pushing Meng Xuan out of the line.
"Our son is sick!" Meng Xuan shouted angrily, hoping that this guy still had a conscience.
"He will die if he doesn't receive treatment in the wilderness!"
Zhou Wencai then stopped what he was doing, turned his head, and looked a little impatient.
Then, he saw Meng An, whose face was flushed, in Meng Xuan's arms.
A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by harshness.
Zhou Wencai scoffed, glancing sideways at Meng An in Meng Xuan's arms, his tone utterly contemptuous: "Who knows where this bastard came from?"
Upon hearing this, Meng Xuan was struck dumb, her entire body frozen in shock.
She stared in disbelief at the man who had once shared a bed with her.
How could he say such vicious things?
Zhou Wencai, however, showed no sign of feeling he had said anything wrong. Instead, he continued with an air of self-righteousness, "So what if he is my child?"
"Now that I'm sick too, and I feel terrible all over! He has to give way to me!"
He pointed to his sallow complexion, looking as if he were the one who needed the most treatment.
"Otherwise, with this line so long, I'd be waiting for ages!" he said, spitting as he spoke, his face full of selfishness and cold-heartedness.
Meng Xuan was so angry at his shameless remarks that she trembled all over and almost couldn't stand up.
She staggered, clinging tightly to her son to prevent him from being pushed aside by Zhou Wencai.
"You, you're shameless!"
She never imagined that a person could be so cold-hearted.
They can treat even their own flesh and blood like this!
Meng An, who was in her arms, was originally delirious due to illness.
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