An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

Perhaps worried that grandpa wouldn't take the steamed bun, Si'er used the side of the bun that had a notch bitten in it to gently touch grandpa's fingers and palm, letting him know that he had eaten half of it.

He thought he was telling his grandfather in this way: "I have eaten, you can eat too." He looked at his grandfather with a hint of expectation in his eyes, hoping that his grandfather would accept his kindness.

The old man took the bun and felt it with both hands, obviously knowing what Si'er was up to. Perhaps because the grandfather and grandson had seen each other politely countless times before, he guessed it without even touching it.

This time, he did not refuse the steamed bun, nor did he put it into his mouth immediately. Instead, he continued to grope with his hands. He moved slowly, gently pinching the steamed bun with his fingers, trying his best to make the two halves of the bun the same size, and then he broke the bun in half from the middle.

After breaking it apart, he held one half to Si'er, gestured to Si'er with trembling hands, and said in a stern voice: "Eat!" Although the old man's tone was tough, his eyes revealed endless tenderness and care.

Si'er took it with tears in his eyes and began to chew the small piece he had already bitten. His tears welled up in his eyes, but he didn't let them fall. He understood his grandfather's good intentions.

This scene made Ah Qi feel very sad. He regretted that he didn't take enough steamed buns. He looked at the grandfather and grandson, his heart was full of sorrow, but he was powerless to do anything.

Only then did Si'er whisper to Ah Qi, "Thank you, uncle!" His voice was very soft, as he was still worried about disturbing the people around him.

Si'er was clearly grateful to Ah Qi and suddenly wanted to show his affection to him. While chewing the steamed bun in his mouth, he gestured for Ah Qi to come closer and even leaned his head against Ah Qi's shoulder.

The child's movements were natural, as if he had already considered Ah Qi a trustworthy person. He whispered, "Uncle, anyone with healthy limbs and a sound mind doesn't even have the right to be a beggar, and children are no exception. Look at the beggars around you."

Ah Qi glanced around. Among the beggars, Si'er and Grandpa were relatively well off. Some elderly or sick beggars lay motionless on the straw, their bodies ravaged by illness and hunger. They probably wouldn't know until their death whether they died of illness or starvation.

The younger and stronger ones were either missing arms or legs, or they were idiots with snot hanging down their noses and didn't know how to wipe them, or they had crooked eyes and mouths. No one knew how they survived.

The strange thing is that after looking around, there are almost no little beggars like Si'er.

After Si'er finished chewing the steamed bun in his mouth, he didn't dare to put the one in his hand into his mouth. He was afraid that after he finished eating it, there would be no more.

But I couldn't bear the hunger in my stomach, so I could only slowly peel off the little bit of black skin on the steamed bun, cherishing this hard-earned food, and continue to put it in my mouth and chew it slowly.

The grandfather next to Si'er's had the same movements as Si'er, eating so slowly that it would take him at least half an hour to finish half a steamed bun.

Grandpa was very quiet now and did not stop Si'er from continuing to talk to Ah Qi.

Si'er continued slowly, "To avoid being captured, Grandpa strangled my arm with a thin thread seven or eight times for five days straight. That arm is no longer viable. Someone cut it off, but the Japanese wouldn't want it." Tears welled in his eyes as he spoke, but there was no trace of pain, as if he were speaking of an unrelated person or event. His voice was calm, a sign of complete acceptance of this harsh reality.

Obviously, in order to be with his family, the old man is willing to do anything.

The old man listened to his grandson's words without a trace of expression on his face. He looked very calm and clearly had no regrets. He almost said, "This is our fate. We can only accept it."

Si'er shook his empty sleeves vigorously. The sleeves were tied into a knot in the middle. The lower part of his arm was gone, but the upper part seemed to be able to move.

When Ah Qi said this, he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down.

Then, he continued to tell Jing Chunxi, "The people have been forced to the point where they don't even have food to eat. If they want to become beggars, they have to mutilate themselves. They say that all male children who are not still breastfeeding will be captured. And all girls over the age of four, whether they are pretty or not, will be captured."

His voice was choked, but he tried to remain calm. He told Jing Chunxi everything he had seen, hoping she could understand the cruelty here.

Unable to bear seeing their miserable state, Ah Qi left the ten taels of silver he had received yesterday to Si'er, but he did not tell the young lady about this.

At that time, he put the silver in Si'er's palm, then patted his shoulder gently, signaling him to live well. He saw the light that flashed in Si'er's eyes after he received the silver.

Jing Chunxi gasped when he heard this. This was too tragic. They were lucky that they didn't encounter such a thing last night.

Her heart was filled with anger and helplessness. How could someone be so cruel as to force the people to this point? She would definitely take care of this matter.

Ah Qi added, "It's more rampant outside the city than inside. The families in the city who have not been abducted are either government officials or have bribed the government officials." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice, as if to say that the world has become so dark that even the government has become an accomplice.

Jing Chunxi frowned and asked, "Is there nothing you can do about it?"

Ah Qi shook his head and said coldly, "How can we control a nest of snakes and rats?" There was resentment and unwillingness in his eyes. He realized that the situation here was even more serious than that in Jiujiang County. He didn't know what to do.