"Clear Elixir?" The woman in white subconsciously thought of it. "As clear as water, with the quality of elixir?"
Compared with Luan Lai, this Buddhist name was much more reliable, and it also fit the silly image of the little monk.
"Big brother, big sister, you should leave now. Those bad guys will definitely come back … They are terrible." The little girl urged them anxiously.
Granny Cai also urged Li Mu and the woman to leave.
The group of ruffians headed by Ma San was just an ordinary ruffian in this town a few years ago, and they did not dare to be so arrogant. However, a year ago, after the new mayor took office, Ma San somehow won the favor of the new mayor. Under the mayor's explicit approval and covert connivance, they immediately became arrogant.
Especially in the past six months, they were extremely arrogant, bold and evil, and they did all kinds of evil things, killing people without blinking an eye.
Li Mu was angry when he heard that.
"How could the local government of the Western Qin Empire be so rotten?"
"A small mayor could make the living environment of a peaceful town deteriorate to such an extent, which almost makes people live in poverty."
He did not want to let go of Ma San and the others so easily before he came here. After hearing those words, the idea in his mind became more clear.
But the woman in white kept silent and did not say anything more.
Through the conversation, Li Mu learned the nickname of the little girl, which was Caicai.
"Caicai, where are your parents? Where did they go? "Li Mu teased the little girl with a smile.
"Dad went to war and hasn't come back for five years. Mom went to the deep mountains to collect herbs. Grandma said that when mom comes back, she will take Caicai to a faraway place to find dad and bring him back." Caicai lowered her head, and when she said that, she looked unhappy, "But, when will mom come back? She hasn't come back for a year. Caicai really misses her."
Granny Cai, who was cleaning up and wiping away her tears, did not say anything.
But seeing his reaction, Li Mu and the woman in white both guessed what was going on.
"Maybe Caicai's mom won't come back. It won't take her a year to collect herbs in the mountains."
"Caicai's father is a soldier?" the lady in white asked.
Wiping away her tears, Granny Cai said, "Yes. Five years ago, at the end of the year, our family was in debt and there was no harvest. Seeing that the last five plots of land were about to be taken away to pay off the debt, the whole family was on the brink of collapse, Caicai's father gritted his teeth and went out to collect a sum of money. In the winter of that year, he went out with the army and never came back. Later, later … Alas."
When he reached the end of his sentence, he saw Caicai staring at him with her eyes wide open. This old man, whose face was full of vicissitudes, suddenly realized something. He shut his mouth and couldn't say anything more.
Li Mu was silent.
He couldn't help but think of Bai Juyi's masterpiece "The Charcoal Seller", which he had learned in junior high school, and another great poet, Du Fu's "Stone Trench Officials". The fate that was not described in the poem was so tragic. Now it seemed that no matter which world, the life of the poor at the bottom was so miserable, just like the poem —
"When the people prosper, the people suffer. When the people die, the people suffer."
The white-robed woman fell silent, not knowing what to say.
She paused and seemed to think of something, then said, "Five years ago? Did Caicai's father join the Border Pacification Army of Chang 'an? "
Granny Cai wiped away her tears, nodded while cleaning up the stall, and said, "It seems to be the name. At that time, the mayor urgently needed able-bodied men. I heard that even the mayor's family of three able-bodied men also joined the army …"
The white-robed woman didn't know what to say.
In fact, she knew this history very well.
Five years ago, another three-way war broke out among the three empires. The Western Qin Empire suffered heavy losses and was in a precarious situation. Therefore, all the provinces and prefectures in the country urgently recruited soldiers, and a new army from Chang 'an was called the Border Pacification Army. Finally, the empire was safe. In the process, the Border Pacification Army made great contributions, and it could be said that it reversed the crisis with the power of an army.
But after that war, the Border Pacification Army was completely annihilated in the final battle. Almost no one survived, and all the commander-in-chief were killed in the battle.
Therefore, if Granny Cai's son joined the Border Pacification Army, he was likely to have died in the battle for five years.
Looking at Granny Cai's expression, she probably knew this result in her heart, but she didn't let little Caicai know this cruel fact.
"Granny, don't you have other children?" Li Mu couldn't help asking.
In this world, there was no such policy as family planning. Generally speaking, a family should have many children.
Granny Cai heaved a sigh, as if she was spitting out all the sadness and despair in her heart. Then, she said, "My husband used to be a minor officer. He died in the battle 16 years ago. I have three sons, but … Alas, the eldest and the second son were drafted into the army even earlier than the third son. They died in the battle before they could marry and have children. The third son finally got married before he joined the army, but he only had Caicai as his only child …"
Li Mu suddenly froze.
Her husband and sons all died in the battle. How much grief this Granny Cai had to bear!
How unfair fate was to such a family.
When looking at the little girl Caicai again, Li Mu's heart was full of sympathy and pity for this poor little girl.
They were basically the same age. At this age, they should be with their parents, enjoying the love of their parents like ordinary children. But now, at such a young age, hunger and hunger, forced to go through the wind and rain every day, and come out to sell noodles with their grandmother, living a precarious life. Their little face was about to be disfigured by hunger.
Li Mu, who swore that he would never be a saint, was really a saint at this moment.
Caicai's fate was so similar to Li Mu's.
Li Mu was also alone since childhood. He didn't have parents. Like Caicai, he was raised by an old man. But Li Mu was a little luckier. At least he lived in a peaceful environment and could go to school. Although the old faker was deceiving and deceiving, he was still capable, so Li Mu could go to school and didn't have to worry about food and clothing.
In contrast, Caicai's fate was much more miserable.
All at once, Li Mu decided to help this pair of grandmother and granddaughter.
He was more determined about some ideas in his heart.
On the other hand, the expression of the woman in white had obviously become much softer as she said, "According to the laws of my Grand Qin Empire, a family of soldiers like Granny's can be exempted from taxes, and you can even enjoy a pension and be allocated land. Moreover, according to the increase in the price of grain and oil in town, you can receive a fixed amount of monthly allowance. Why, Granny …"
"Humph, since the bad mayor took office, I can no longer get money, and I have to pay rent and taxes …" Caicai couldn't help saying.
"Caicai, don't talk nonsense …" Granny Cai hurriedly stopped her little granddaughter from continuing.
On the street, there were many people. If Caicai said bad things about the mayor here and was heard by the mayor, it would be terrible. Some time ago, someone's tongue was cut off because he talked about the mayor behind his back.
Granny Cai was so scared that she didn't dare to do business anymore.
She laboriously packed up the vegetarian noodle stall, carried the pole, and left with the little girl.
The woman in white took a look at Li Mu and finally turned to leave.
That ingot of gold was secretly put into Granny Cai's noodle box in a very clever way.
Li Mu stood where he was and watched Granny Cai and the others leave.
"Little master, go quickly. You made a big trouble today …"
"Little monk, Ma San will definitely come for revenge. You'd better change your clothes and leave Peace Town at night. The farther you go, the better. Don't stay here."
"That's right, Master Madcap. Those people are capable of anything."
Some kind-hearted residents were urging Li Mu to leave immediately, both overtly and covertly.
They all had a good impression of Li Mu because he had just dealt with Ma San and his gang of ruffians. In particular, those two slaps were so loud that those residents who hated Ma San and his gang felt unprecedentedly comfortable.
At this time, seeing Ma San and his gang leave, many kind-hearted residents were reminding Li Mu that those ruffians could do anything, and they were the most insidious, so he should not be careless.
The people of Peace Town were still simple and honest.
Li Mu thought in his heart.
"Amitabha. I'm Madcap. Thank you for your warning. Buddha bless you all. May good people live a peaceful life."
Li Mu thanked them one by one and then turned to leave.
However, his whereabouts were clearly seen by a few ruffians hiding in the distance.
"Follow him and see where the bald ass is staying. Master Ma said we must kill him."
"How dare he go against grandpas? This bald ass is dead."
Those ruffians gnashed their teeth and quietly followed him with the advantage of being familiar with the terrain.
However, after a short while, they found that the little monk was as slippery as a fish and disappeared after turning a corner.
Those ruffians were dumbfounded.
…
At the same time, Li Mu showed up in the inn.
In the room of the inn, Zheng Cunjian, the Heartless Scholar, was like an ant on a hot pot. After finding that Li Mu was gone, he thought it over and over again and still did not dare to escape.
"Ah, Second Young Master, you're back."
Seeing Li Mu come back, Zheng Cunjian was startled and hurriedly bowed to him.
Li Mu nodded and said, "I want you to do something for me."
…
…
In the east of Peace County, a small river flowed.
The water was smooth and the reeds were thick.
On both sides of the river bank and on the gentle river slope, there were shacks in the slum area that stretched for three or four miles. Most of the buildings were built with dry reeds and dead wood. They were simple and low, which could barely shelter them from the wind and rain. A large number of poor tenant farmers who had lost their land lived there. Chickens and dogs could be heard, and it was quite a lively place.
Granny Cai and her granddaughter lived here.
After returning home, Granny Cai cautiously looked out of the door and was relieved when she found no one was following them.
"Granny …" Caicai was out of breath after running. "In fact … in fact, it's still early tonight. We can sell a few more bowls of noodles today. In this way, we can save more money to find mom and bring dad back."
Granny Cai did not know what to say to her granddaughter.
From that day on, she might not go to the town to sell noodles anymore. She had to hide for a few days to avoid the limelight. She could only go there again after Ma San and his gang calmed down. Those ruffians were cruel and merciless.
"Caicai, are you hungry? Granny will cook a bowl of noodles for you." Granny Cai smiled and touched her granddaughter's head.
"No, Caicai is not hungry. Caicai will be fine after drinking some water. We need to save the noodles to sell and save money to find dad." The little girl was so hungry that her stomach was growling, but she still held back her saliva and said obediently.
While they were talking, the sound of the door being pounded suddenly came.
"Old fart, you run pretty fast. Grandpa wants to see where you can run to … Hurry up and get out here." An extremely vicious voice rang out.
Granny Cai was so scared that her face changed dramatically.
She recognized that the voice belonged to a ruffian named Huang Yong who followed Ma San all the time.
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