The Dao dies but I live on, the spiritual energy dries up but I remain evergreen

The new year is approaching.

The Hemu Temples in the north and west of the city have also been completed.

Incense is burned every day.

Because the tax grain would increase a lot next year, the people were under great pressure in life, so they could not stop to rest even on this cold winter day.

The men were doing business outside, while the women were weaving at home. They would often invite a few neighbors to go to the Hemu Temple together to pray for their husbands who were working hard outside.

It's another early morning.

It's still dark.

Occasionally there is snow.

Several women passed by Long Laixiang's door, carrying small baskets filled with fruits, date cakes and other offerings.

They looked anxious as they rushed towards the Hemu Temple. When they passed by Li Changxiao, they glanced at him and then hurried away.

Li Changxiao looked at their backs without saying anything. He picked up the broom and started clearing the snow in front of the door.

"Wang!"

"Wang!"

Hu Laixiang's vicious dog bared its teeth and barked wildly at Li Changxiao.

It was pretending to pounce, and if it hadn't been tied with a chain, it would have pounced and bit me.

This dog seems to particularly hate Li Changxiao.

Whenever he saw Li Changxiao, he would scream extremely fiercely.

How could Li Changxiao care? He just swept the snow in front of the door and occasionally had a sip of wine.

The broom hit a foreign object.

Li Changxiao pushed away the snow and found a woman who had frozen to death on the roadside.

He called out to the proprietress, and Yang Xiuhua did not dare to delay and immediately ran to the nearby government office to invite two coroners.

The coroner just glanced at the corpse and told Yang Xiuhua that the man had frozen to death and would not implicate the two of them.

Wait until daybreak.

Long Lai Xiang officially opened.

Business remains slow.

Recently, there are always frozen corpses in front of Longlaixiang’s door.

Everyone thought it was unlucky, so they all went to Hu Lai Xiang.

Speaking of frozen corpses, several are found almost every year. They are all people who fell drunk on the roadside in the middle of the night and were frozen to death by being covered by ice and snow.

It’s just that there are so many this year.

Because more and more refugees are pouring into Longcheng.

The sea is raging.

What was supposed to be an annual tidal spectacle has turned into a deadly ghost.

The tide rose and turned into waves, engulfing several fishing villages on the coast.

Rumor has it, the tide is still rising.

More and more refugees, with nowhere to go, had no choice but to flock to Longcheng, so... the number of frozen corpses increased day by day.

Some time ago.

I also heard that a famous poet ignored all advice and insisted on going to watch the tide, but was swept into the sea by the tide and was never heard from again.

evening.

It's freezing cold.

After Longlaixiang closed, Yang Xiuhua thought about it, bought some incense, and took Li Changxiao to the nearby Hemu Temple.

She prayed devoutly.

It's not for herself, she runs a canteen and doesn't have to run around outside.

She knelt in front of the golden statue of the River Mother, muttering to herself, asking Lady River Mother to be flexible and talk to Lord Sea God to stop letting the tides cause chaos, as there are more and more refugees in Dragon City recently.

Li Changxiao kindly reminded her that the mother river had no say and she could only control the river.

Yang Xiuhua didn't believe it. There was water in the river and there was water in the sea. Why couldn't Lady Mother of the River have a say?

After worshipping for half an hour, the two returned to Longlaixiang dining hall.

The night watchman held a fire lamp and a gong, reminding people to close the doors and windows and not to get cold.

The days passed like this day by day.

In Li Changxiao's room, there is a small wooden board with seventeen horizontal bars on it.

One horizontal bar represented a day. If he could collect thirty, his debt for free dining would be paid off.

And he.

I will also leave Dragon City at that time.

He calculated the days and realized that he could spend the Spring Festival in Longcheng and stay for a few more days.

A few more days passed.

A suona suddenly started playing in a house near Long Laixiang.

Inside the house, the woman's crying was heartbreaking.

Upon further investigation, it turned out that it was her husband who unfortunately fell into the water and died while doing business.

The tide was rising, so the canal connected to it naturally could not be calm.

The woman cursed the injustice of God and the inaction of the Mother River. She hugged her three-year-old child and cried, wondering what would happen to the mother and child in the future.

The world is impermanent.

the next day.

Yang Xiuhua cooked two bowls of hot noodles early and asked Li Changxiao to bring them to the mother and son.

Li Changxiao held the noodles and knocked on the door for a long time. When there was no response, he pushed open the half-open door.

I saw the woman, holding her child, sleeping against the coffin.

Perhaps they had a good dream last night. When Li Changxiao woke them up and offered them a bowl of hot noodles, they felt a little better.

……

The Spring Festival is getting closer.

There are more and more refugees in Longcheng.

The tide is still rising.

even……

It may affect Longcheng!

Huang Tingsheng, the prefect of Longcheng, called on young men to dig channels outside Longcheng to divert water, so that if the tide really rises to Longcheng, they can deal with it.

This day.

When I opened the door to sweep the snow, I encountered another frozen corpse.

It's a child.

Curled up in a ball, with a smile still on his lips.

Yang Xiuhua stared blankly for a long time, clenched her fists, and seemed to have made a decision.

She told Li Changxiao that she wanted to open a porridge shop.

Every morning, a certain amount of hot porridge would be cooked to help these refugees.

Li Changxiao naturally had no objection. Long Laixiang belonged to Yang Xiuhua, so she could do whatever she wanted with her. Li Changxiao was just an employee.

However, he still kindly reminded Yang Xiuhua.

With Long Lai Xiang’s background, it won’t last long.

Moreover, now that the world is in turmoil, everyone is trying to protect themselves, and it is not wise to help others.

Yang Xiuhua said that she knew it too, but Long Laixiang has never been just a canteen that makes money.

then.

the next day.

A large number of refugees lined up in a long queue in front of Longlaixiang Porridge Shop.

Just for that mouthful of hot porridge.

Hu Laixiang, who was standing opposite, saw this scene and sneered, scolding Yang Xiuhua for being too soft-hearted and seeking her own death.

Li Changxiao was so busy that he didn't even have time to drink.

Another bad news.

The tide rose suddenly.

The momentum surpassed all that had come before.

This time.

It didn't just flood the villages.

Instead, it flooded a county or city under Longcheng!

It happened suddenly.

At least eighty percent of the people in the entire county died!

Life is charcoal.

After Huang Tingsheng learned about this, his face became extremely solemn. He sent more people to dig the channel. In addition, he sent two monks to investigate the cause of the rising tide.

A few more days.

It was hailstorming in Longcheng.

Amid the crackling sounds, the people's houses were smashed.

Plus the weather is cold.

For a time, there were external and internal troubles.

More and more people go to the temple to pray.

People prayed that the Mother River would appear and calm the sea level so that they could have a good Spring Festival.

someday.

evening.

Long Lai Xiang just closed.

Then there was a knock on the door.

Yang Xiuhua shouted that the shop was closed and no longer accepting customers.

There was a pause in the knocking, and then a few more gentle knocks.

Li Changxiao sat on a wooden chair, watching the scene expressionlessly.

Yang Xiuhua thought that it might be a hungry refugee, so she looked towards the kitchen and saw half a hot steamed bun left, so she took it in two or three steps and opened the door.

The cold wind blew in.

The people coming here are not refugees.

She is a very beautiful woman.

Yang Xiuhua was secretly shocked, and then she felt that she looked familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere.

The woman smiled, her eyes fell on Li Changxiao behind her, and said, "Can I come in and sit down?"

"Oh, sure." Yang Xiuhua nodded.