But what arrived faster than He Li had expected were groups of refugees.
I don’t know where they escaped from. They all looked gray and thin.
Withered and sparse hair, hands and feet shaped like chicken claws, and clothes covered in mud.
No, they can't be considered clothes. They are all pieced together from torn sackcloth bags, and can only barely cover their bodies.
From a distance, it looks like a walking skeleton, giving the impression of a group of zombies.
When these refugees saw the water, they were like crazy and dived into the river, scrambling to drink the water.
The women and children who were sitting under the banyan tree to cool off were scared to death.
When Su's mother saw this, she held the baby in one arm and ran home quickly.
"Sanya and Siya, run!"
San Ya and Si Ya were confused and just did whatever Su's mother said.
They didn't dare stop until they could no longer see the refugees.
Xiaowu and Xiaoliu were bumped all the way and thought that Su's mother was playing games with them. They clapped their hands and asked for another try.
"Go home first. I'll think about it when I get home."
Su's mother hadn't run so fast for a long time and was so tired that she was out of breath.
"Mom, what have you been doing? Why are you sweating so much?" Seeing that Su's mother looked a little embarrassed, Su Qing asked in confusion.
"Don't even mention it. A lot of refugees came into the village. I ran all the way back with my children and didn't dare to stop for a moment."
When Su's mother mentioned those refugees, she still felt a little scared.
"Refugees are coming? Let them come. We all have one head on one shoulder. How scary can it be?"
Su Qing's impression of refugees still remains from the TV dramas he watched before.
With a pitch-black face, tattered clothes, a stick and a broken bowl in hand, he began his day of begging.
"You're still too young. When people are desperate and hungry, they can do anything. I've been through hard times myself, so I understand better than you. Just listen to me."
Then she told the children, "Third and fourth daughters, you two must keep an eye on your little brother and don't let him run around. If he doesn't behave, you should act like older sisters and give him a lecture or a spanking.
Don't go to the village entrance to play by yourselves. If you see a stranger, run away quickly. Got it?"
"I understand, Grandma."
"Okay, go ahead, go play, don't run too far."
After taking a break, Su's mother fell into memories of the past.
Su's mother escaped the wilderness, and what she saw and heard along the way was something she would never forget in her lifetime.
She was only five or six years old at that time.
The persistent drought has brought unprecedented disaster to her hometown.
At the beginning, our parents would pray to God to open his eyes and send some rain so that they could survive.
But for a month, half a year, a year... not a drop of rain fell.
There was half a bucket of water in the house, and there were nine people in the family. Only one person dared to take a sip, and the rest was poured back into the jar and sealed.
Everything edible within a radius of ten miles was picked up.
She has eaten tree bark, grass roots, and... Guanyin soil.
Even the fleas on the body are treated as a daily snack.
Seeing people falling one after another, everyone finally couldn't bear it anymore, packed up their bags and embarked on a journey to escape the famine.
But escaping famine is not that easy. More people fall down on the road than those who are on the road.
They walked in groups of three or four, supporting each other, with unsteady steps, pale faces, and lifeless eyes.
Any family that had some surplus food would be looted the next day.
No one dared to resist.
Because the end of resistance is the destruction of the family and the death of the body.
She still remembered that time, she saw several people drooling over a dying child.
She asked her father what those people were doing and why they were so happy.
Her father covered her eyes and told her not to mind her own business.
It was not until she saw her own brother being eaten that she realized what the scene meant.
Her parents had seven children, but only two survived.
One is her, and the other is her sixth sister.
The rest either died of disease or starvation on the way.
They had clearly buried the bodies in the earth, but some unscrupulous people rushed after them and dug out the bodies before they were stiff.
Although she was still young at that time, she can still recall every detail.
There are many inhumane behaviors that are really hard to talk about.
Thinking of this, Su's mother shed two lines of tears.
I didn't expect that after following the trend and going through a wave of changes, I would have to face the pain buried in my heart again.
Xiaowu lifted up his little vest and wanted to wipe Su's mother's tears.
"Grandma, don't cry, don't play, wipe it."
"You are such a good grandson of mine. Don't cry, come on, I'll roast some sweet potatoes for you."
Now that you are here, make the best of it.
At worst, just ignore those refugees.
So what if they are pitiful? In this year of disaster, there are a lot of pitiful people.
Damn good deeds will be rewarded. Extending a helping hand at this time will only bring trouble to your own family.
…
But the one who was more worried than Su's mother was the village chief.
These refugees arrived so suddenly.
What's more, they themselves were suffering from a disaster, and it only rained once in half a year.
The stored water was consumed first by people and livestock, so the harvest in the fields was greatly reduced.
Two meals a day is just a way to keep everyone alive and prevent them from starving to death.
"Maodan, take a few young men to guard the village entrance. Lao Zhao, take a few people to patrol the village and tell them not to run around. I'll go to the town first to ask the higher-ups for their opinion."
Captain Zhao put down his enamel cup and said anxiously, "How can I let you go alone? I'll go with you. We don't know what's going on outside right now. If something happens, there won't be anyone to report it. So, Lao Liao, you lead the people to patrol the village."
Accountant Liao was hastily assigned a job without having a chance to say a word.
After harnessing the cart, the village chief and Captain Zhao drove the donkey towards the town.
The scenes along the way made them feel even colder.
The road, which was already narrow, was now filled with refugees lying in all directions.
Wherever the donkey passed, it could feel the hungry eyes, as if the donkey could become their meal in the next second.
The village chief tightened his grip on the whip and couldn't help but speed up.
And there are no fewer refugees in the town than in the village.
There were several police officers guarding the town gate, holding weapons in their hands, for fear that the refugees would rush in and rob houses.
In the office, the town leaders were also very anxious.
There are many places across the country that have been hit by disasters, and the higher authorities have issued orders early on, allowing them to make their own arrangements based on the actual situation.
How can we arrange this? Can we distribute food?
Everyone has to tighten their belts to make ends meet.
"Mayor, the heads of several villages are here. What should we do?" The secretary lowered his head and spoke hesitantly.
"What can I do? Just say I'm not here."
"No, they said they saw you enter the gate and they won't go back until they see you." The secretary gritted his teeth and repeated what those people said.
"Damn it, can you get a meal by looking for me?" The mayor kicked the table a few times while cursing and walked straight to the gate.
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