spoiled brat

Chapter 91, Section 90: The Lost Boat (Part 10)

Zhao Zhao clenched her fists and remained silent.

Wang Liuer opened her palm to her and said softly, "Give me my wish, I want a quick death."

Everyone says they should do everything they can to survive, but when dignity is trampled on, body is broken, and life is meaningless, who would still be willing to prolong their life?
Zhao Zhao took out a dagger from her bosom and handed it over very slowly.

A gust of wind came, and the cloth ribbon binding her hair was blown away, revealing her long black hair. Wang Liuer pressed down on the flower wreath on her head with one hand and gripped the hilt of a knife with the other, smiling like a little girl: "Thank you for accompanying me on my final journey."

The dagger was drawn from its sheath, its sharp blade gleaming with a pure, exquisite light.

Zhao Zhao closed her eyes, deliberately ignoring the sound of the blade piercing her chest. In her heart, she silently chanted: Amitabha, Vikranti, Kritakali, Svaha...

This is the Rebirth Mantra that Mother Yu often recites. People from all walks of life, regardless of their background, believe in it, hoping to be reborn into a better family in the next life and not suffer as much as they do in this one.

The sky cleared, and soft sunlight fell on Wang Liuer. She hadn't lied to Zhaozhao; the colorful wildflowers by the grave truly resembled stars, surrounding her and lulling her to sleep.

Zhao Zhao put the flower wreath on her head and bowed to the lush grave: "Auntie, Sister Liu'er is afraid of the dark. Please light a very bright lamp for her on your way home."

-

Perhaps because of the sadness in her heart, Zhao Zhao did not sleep peacefully on the way.

In the middle of the night, she woke up in the haystack and found that the two soldiers on the carriage seat were not asleep. They were driving at night without even lighting a torch, being extremely cautious.

Zhao Zhao asked softly, "Has this area been rather unsettled lately?"

The two soldiers were exhausted, puffing on their pipes to keep themselves awake, their two points of light flickering in the night: "Yunzhou has been plagued by bandits recently."

Zhao Zhao's heart skipped a beat: "What kind of trouble are you causing?"

"What else can they do? It's nothing more than murder, robbery, and stealing women and money," one soldier said.

Another soldier choked on the smoke and coughed, covering his mouth: "Several more cities have been lost in the north. People who have lost their land are fleeing south. As they flee, they become bandits... In these chaotic times, no one is having a good time except for officials."

It was pitch black all around, with crops half a person tall on both sides of the dirt road. Suddenly, a rustling sound came from somewhere, and the two soldiers who had been smoking their pipes immediately drew their swords and aimed them at the source of the sound.

The creature, oblivious to its own mortality, lunged straight at the oxcart, only to be pierced through mid-air by a knife. It let out two unwilling whimpers and died, hanging from the knife's edge like a tattered sack.

"It's a dog that's gone mad with hunger." A soldier shoved the dog away, sheathed his sword, and took out three scallion pancakes that were warm in his arms, giving one to each person in the car.

Zhao Zhao was very hungry, but couldn't eat. Another soldier thought she was frightened and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, little girl. Our skills are top-notch in the army. Apart from tough guys like Boss He who came from the Imperial Guard, everyone else is just chickens and dogs in front of us. You are someone our two masters have been close to, so we guarantee you'll be well taken care of."

Zhao Zhao thanked him, but her doubts grew stronger. Lao Wai was so straightforward; he was definitely not a person who would break his word. Could it be that he encountered bandits on the road and had an accident, which is why he didn't go to sweep Wang Liuer's mother's grave?

"Excuse me..." Zhao Zhao asked softly, "Which county has the worst banditry? Have any major cases occurred there?"

Yunzhou is a poor place, where officials cheat the people and chaos abounds.

"It's all a mess, how can you tell who's the most powerful?"

"Exactly, there are so many major cases involving dozens of lives that you can't count them on one hand... These days, human life is the cheapest thing."

"Doesn't the government care?" Since Zhao Zhao was old enough to understand, she had seen all sorts of trouble in the county, but she had never encountered any real bandits.

The two soldiers smiled innocently and adorably: "Of course we can manage, but how can we possibly manage everything? Our Dingbei Army has tried to suppress them, and those cowardly government troops have tried to quell them, but what good has it done?"

“These people are bandits when they raise their knives, and civilians when they put them down. When they are hungry, they want to kill and rob, and when they are full, they pretend to be honest. People’s hearts are corrupted, and the rules cannot control them. They can’t be killed off. They are contagious like a plague and there will never be an end.”

As they spoke, their expressions suddenly darkened: "This thief is even harder to guard against than the barbarians from the north."

The two men, seemingly melancholic, puffed on their cigarettes and chatted about the relentless defeats in the north. As they talked, dawn broke, and Qingyang County emerged from the thin mist.

The low city walls and stone archways lacked grandeur, with several sections weathered and crumbling, and wild grass and moss growing in the cracks, exuding a desolate atmosphere.

The two soldiers looked at the plaque above their heads to make sure they hadn't gone to the wrong place, and muttered, "We can't even see a tax collector at the gate."

As the three drove the oxcart inside, they discovered that not only were there no gatekeepers, but there wasn't a soul in sight on the street either. Broken bricks and tiles covered the road, and tattered lanterns rolled around in the wind.

Zhao Zhao stared at the street scene before her, a scene both familiar and completely unfamiliar. Her initial worry had turned to ice... Although she hadn't experienced turmoil herself, she could guess that wealthy families, shops, brothels, and gambling dens were the most vulnerable. Sure enough, she hadn't gone far when a disheveled woman ran madly from the other end of the street, singing as she ran. She had most likely been violated.

The surroundings were desolate and silent, with an eerie atmosphere. The two soldiers gripped their sword hilts tightly and said solemnly, "Little girl, something's not right in this county." Zhao Zhao looked around at the tightly closed doors. The steamed bun shop she used to frequent was not far away. She walked up and knocked on the door, and dust fell from the signboard.

The two soldiers peered through the crack in the door at the shop's interior, which was covered in cobwebs and dust: "It's been some time since we opened for business."

Suddenly, a suppressed cry came from the second floor of the shop. It was a child's cry. It was only heard once before it was covered up. Someone was probably holding the child and hiding up there, afraid of being discovered by the bandits.

Two soldiers rushed upstairs and shouted, "Is the master here? We are soldiers, not bandits! We want to ask you what's going on in this county!"

Their voices were loud, and their shouts echoed for a long time in the empty streets, carrying a somewhat intimidating aura.

Perhaps startled, the child's cries from the second floor resumed, sobbing and choking, as if they could no longer be contained.

Through the closed window, Zhao Zhao seemed to see a figure cowering and trembling in the corner. She looked up and said, "Uncle Tang, it's me, Zhao Zhao from Su Chunfeng. I used to come to you with Xiao Duo to buy steamed buns."

A figure timidly floated up. After a long hesitation, the sound of footsteps creaking on the stairs echoed from the steamed bun shop. Suddenly, the door, covered in cobwebs and dust, opened a crack, revealing a young, disheveled face. A soft voice said, "Come in quickly, don't stay outside."

Zhao Zhao and the two soldiers squeezed inside, their faces filled with dust and fumes. The steamed bun shop owner's son, only seven or eight years old, was already quite mature. He closed the door, led the three of them to the second floor, wiped the cups clean, poured three cups of tea, and then looked at Zhao Zhao, saying, "Sister, I remember you."

Zhao Zhao also remembered him; he was the young owner of the largest steamed bun shop in the county, with a round, chubby face like a steamed bun. She wondered what had happened to him, as he had become so thin and ashen. "We didn't see a single person along the way. Was it because there were bandits in the county, and everyone packed their things and left to avoid the disaster?"

Little Baozi's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. He wiped them away and said, "Very few managed to escape. Most of the neighbors... are dead."

Zhao Zhao's face suddenly turned deathly pale. She jumped up and was about to leave when two soldiers stopped her, saying, "Let's find out what's going on first."

A cry came from behind the cabinet. The little boy picked up his younger sister and looked at the three of them with pleading eyes: "...Sister, Uncle, do you have anything to eat? My sister has been hungry for days."

He could endure hunger, but his younger sister was still small. If it weren't for the need to get some food, he would never have risked letting the three of them in.

The two soldiers patted their pockets and handed the warm pancakes they had been holding to the brother and sister. The little boy's stomach was rumbling with hunger, but he wasn't in a hurry to eat. He tore the pancakes into small pieces and fed them to his toothless sister with water.

Looking at the baby girl in her swaddling clothes, Zhao Zhao thought of her younger sister, A Heng. Her body felt both cold and hot, and her voice trembled softly: "When did the bandits start?"

The little boy choked up as he answered, "About half a month ago."

“Ordinary bandits come into the city, rob a few times, and then leave. We’ve also visited other counties that are plagued by bandits, but none of them are as badly affected as your county.” The two soldiers said in a deep voice, “It looks like the city has been massacred.”

Remembering the sad things, the little boy started crying again: "Half a month ago, a group of people suddenly came to the county and stormed into the government office. They dragged out the newly appointed magistrate and questioned him, and then left. Everyone was watching the excitement and discussing who the group of people was, but that very night, bandits suddenly broke out in the county."

The two soldiers asked, "Is it the group that came during the day?"

"It wasn't just them. There were also bandits and beggars from who-knows-where, who swarmed into the county in droves." Little Baozi choked up. "Although our county is poor, its defenses are pretty good. My parents have been doing business in Qingyang County for decades and have never encountered any bandits... But that night, bandits and beggars flooded into every household like locusts, robbing money, stealing grain, killing, and setting fires. None of those soldiers who usually swagger around showed their faces!"

The two soldiers looked grave after hearing this.

One said, "The county magistrate was blinded by greed. He took money from the bandits and allowed them to burn, kill, and plunder. They split the money three-seven."

Another nodded: "They even kept the news under wraps, not letting anyone outside know. When they investigate later, the county magistrate will just say he was powerless to protect them. Those heartless bastards!"

After saying this, the two suddenly realized that Zhao Zhao was no longer there. They hurriedly went downstairs and saw her walking alone in the empty street, like a lost ghost.

Two soldiers quickly stepped forward to stop her, advising, "Little girl, there's no peace in your county! Come back to Yunzhou with us!"

Zhao Zhao looked up blankly, distraught. "My family and friends are still missing." She gently pushed away the hands blocking her way. "Thank you for bringing me back. Please go back. I'll walk the rest of the way myself."

The two soldiers watched her retreating figure, exchanged a glance, and sighed: "Let's go, follow her. Maybe we can run into one of the survivors and sort out this sordid affair."

Logically speaking, bandits should have headed to the wealthy western part of the county to rob money and grain, rather than spending too much energy on the eastern part, which was teeming with all sorts of people.

But the further east you go, the more desolate the scene becomes: fallen dead trees, half-collapsed and burned houses, and dead people lying by the roadside surrounded by flies. The devastation is even worse than in the west of the county.

Zhao Zhao reached into her sleeve and grasped the dagger she had used to kill. Her gaze turned cold as she cautiously surveyed her surroundings.

Even the two seasoned soldiers became wary: "There are more corpses in this area now."

Different corpses—men's, women's, children's—scattered sparsely across the street like withered branches and fallen leaves. Zhao Zhao walked numbly through the pile of corpses, recognizing almost every unseeing face at her feet: this was the grandfather who sold candied hawthorns, that was the aunt who sold cloth… Suddenly, a woman's corpse, her clothes tattered and ravaged beyond recognition, appeared before her. Zhao Zhao stared blankly at her profile, unable to move her feet.

This is Yun'er.