Jiaohua

Chapter 130
Peifeng is located in the northwest of Shoushi, at the branch of the main stream of Bishan River and Dongjiang River.

A major flood broke out 500 years ago, killing and injuring hundreds of thousands of people. The river flooded wildly and engulfed three counties along the river, forming Dongqing Lake.

Peifeng survived by virtue of its high terrain, and the fleeing people built a city here. Due to the fertile soil and the vast plains in the north of the Yangtze River, Peifeng gradually became prosperous.

This catastrophe of Peifeng was not caused by natural disasters, but by man-made disasters.

The cities of six states in the northwest were destroyed, Pingyang Road could not be defended, and millions of people fled south. Some of them gradually gathered together and formed several bandits in the name of rebels.

Peifeng has the largest ferry and the most abundant food, and has accommodated countless disaster victims. It is also the fat that the rogues want to eat.

However, the imperial court was dragged by the Northwest, and they were in such a state of desperation that they never paid attention to this place. After they realized it, Pei Feng had already become the current situation.

Xia Zhaoyi, Lao Tong and Zhi Changle walked for four days before reaching Peifeng.

There is still water and mountains, but the surrounding fields are desolate.

In the short four days before coming here, he had seen more than 100 corpses, and after entering Peifeng territory, Zhi Changle couldn't help throwing up several times due to the swarms of mosquitoes and flies and the stench that hit his face.

The road Xia Zhaoyi chose was very sideways, trying to avoid avenues and take mountain roads and wild trails.

But there are hungry and crazy people everywhere, and they also choose to come to the ancient forests of the mountains, dig grass roots, and peel bark.Those fruit-bearing trees were cut down in pieces and lost their appearance, and they stood there in dilapidated condition.There are also many people who don't know what they ate, and were poisoned to death by the roadside, and their whole body was purple.

When it was about to rain, Xia Zhaoyi took Lao Tong and Zhi Changle to live temporarily in a dilapidated thatched hut in a mountain depression.

A fire was raised in the pitted ground, Xia Zhaoyi set up a wooden stand, hung a pot that they had been carrying for the past few days on it, and put the bowls and lacquered chopsticks for drinking water in it cook.

Lao Tong and Zhi Changle went outside to cut down trees and grass branches, climbed up to the thatched hut, and paved the roof to prevent rain leakage.

After finishing it, Xia Zhaoyi pointed to the outside again and said, "The threshold is not enough, we should make it higher, and dig a few earth holes in the southeast corner to dredge the accumulated water."

Old Tong and Zhi Changle readily agreed, and after wiping off their sweat, they turned around and went back to work.

When they came back after more than half an hour, there was a strong aroma in the room. They were so hungry, they washed their hands and wiped their faces and then sat down on both sides, obediently waiting for the meal.

Inside the pot was boiled vegetable soup, and on the other side were grilled fish and big birds. The spices and herbs sprinkled on top sizzled with the golden oil, making their saliva salivate.

Xia Zhaoyi asked Old Tong to serve the soup. She took the grilled fish off the wooden branch and divided it into three portions neatly. The smallest portion was kept for herself, and the other two portions were given to the two big men.

"I'm so fragrant, it's so fragrant!" Zhi Changle hurriedly took the fish that was handed over.

Old Tong carefully placed the boiling vegetable soup next to Xia Zhaoyi. There was a very small and beautiful font on the outside of the bowl, which read the word "Xia".

Lao Tong's bowl has "Tong" on it, and Zhi Changle has "Zhi" on it. Like the bowl, their chopsticks are also marked.

Not long after, it began to rain outside, sputtering and pouring down.

Holding the hot soup in his hand, Xia Zhaoyi raised his eyes to look outside, his eyes fell on the splashing rainwater, and he was stunned.

"Ali?" Old Tong looked at her and called softly.

Xia Zhaoyi withdrew his gaze: "Huh?"

"What are you thinking about?" Old Tong said again, "Why have you been distracted while eating these few days?"

Xia Zhaoyi smiled, shook his head, and said nothing.

When Old Tong saw her like this, he didn't want to ask any more questions. He just felt that the little girl's eyes were clear and clean, but they were complicated and difficult to understand, as if they were hiding too many secrets and thoughts.

As for what she knows and understands, he and Zhi Changle have gradually become accustomed to it from being unbelievable and surprised at the beginning.

When she said it would rain, it would rain.

She said that there would be a lot of wild vegetables whichever way she went, and it really appeared in front of her.

They can catch fish, catch birds, make fire pots, and bake delicious food that they have never eaten in their lives.

In short, from heart to stomach, they have completely convinced her, and they have long stopped treating her as a girl.

Whatever she asked them to do, they would do it right away, because what she asked them to do was right, and they just had to follow her advice.

After eating for a while, Qingyun snorted next to him.

Zhi Changle put down the bowl and said, "I'll go feed Qingyun grass."

"Have you finished eating?" Old Tong asked.

"It's over, I won't eat."

"Well, I've finished eating too." Old Tong said, and began to pack his things and prepare to wash the dishes.

Xia Zhaoyi's bowl was also taken away. She twisted the veil with the boiling water on the side, wiped her mouth, paused, looked back at the door, then put away the veil, got up and walked, standing by the door frame , Looking at the rain scene in the distant mountains.

The sound of rain hitting the ground filled the sky and the ground, sputtering, and a huge tidal fog was set off, covering the rivers and swamps and covering the fields.

Xia Zhaoyi's brows were solemn, and he kept looking at it. Before he knew it, the clothes on his stomach were already wet.

"A Li, you catch a cold carefully!" Lao Tong shouted.

"It's going to rain for a long time," Xia Zhaoyi said.

"How long?" Old Tong was curious.

"Ten days or so."

"Ten days?!" Old Tong was dumbfounded, "Where did it get so much rain?"

"Of course it's intermittent," Xia Zhaoyi said in a deep voice, "These days won't be sunny."

Old Tong knew that Xia Zhaoyi had always wanted to go to the capital, and he could see that she was in a hurry, so he comforted him, "It's okay, as long as it doesn't affect our journey."

"It will affect it," Xia Zhaoyi said as he lightly pinched his fingers on the door frame, "The water level in the Dongjiang River is about to rise, which will not only affect our journey, but may also cause floods."

Old Tong was taken aback, and also looked into the distance.

Zhi Changle, who was feeding the horse grass over there, was also stunned, and turned to look at them.

The sky gradually dimmed, and the mountains and rivers in the distance disappeared one by one, turning into very faint silhouettes.

Xia Zhaoyi withdrew his gaze, turned around and said, "Let's rest, I'm afraid it will be difficult to travel in the next few days."

Old Tong nodded and sighed softly, "Yes."

The sleeping place was divided into inside and outside, and Xia Zhaoyi slept inside, with a blanket on the floor, a small quilt covering his body, and weeds as a pillow.

Lao Tong and Zhi Changle took turns guarding the outside, and there were also blankets and quilts spread on the floor.

But these faded blankets and quilts were all Xia Zhaoyi's coats that had been taken off from a clean corpse.

She boiled these clothes in a pot with herbs, hung them behind the blue clouds to dry in the June sun, and finally sewed them up stitch by stitch.

The "quilt" and "blanket" had a very light scent of vanilla and sunlight. Similarly, the clothes on Old Tong and Zhi Changle were also taken off from the dead.

In troubled times, there is a way to live in troubled times, so what else should we care about?

(End of this chapter)