A kiss, and I'll live another day; they begged me not to go crazy.

After a discussion with Su Aige,

The next morning, Sun Shan decisively ordered everyone to speed up their pace.

......

As we got closer to Hezhou, the air became increasingly dry.

A severe drought raged through the summer, although a long-awaited autumn rain later fell.

However, this amount of rain is merely a drop in the ocean for the long-parched land and cannot provide any substantial relief.

The scenes in the farmland along the way were shocking.

The once fertile land is now cracked into countless fissures of varying depths.

Like gaping, terrifying mouths, they mercilessly devoured people's hopes for a bountiful harvest.

......

Looking around, there was hardly any crop in the fields.

Even if you occasionally see a few plants, they are all withered, yellow, and lifeless.

According to the information gathered by the soldiers who had gone to scout ahead,

Even if some fields were lucky enough to grow a few crops...

But those who were starving and could hardly bear the torment of hunger,

So hungry that they no longer cared about long-term plans, they uprooted the immature seedlings and used them as food.

......

They knew perfectly well that if they could endure until harvest time, they would surely get much more grain!

However, reality is so cruel that they can't wait for that day to come.

Because if they continue to wait, only death awaits them.

......

And so, as they traveled, everyone's mood grew increasingly heavy.

The group, which had been talking a little, became increasingly silent.

Despite their constant reminders,

With their own meager strength, they are undoubtedly insignificant in solving this enormous disaster.

But whenever I see those children, even younger than my own younger siblings...

When she carried an even younger child on her back, and toddled towards them, reaching out her dirty little hands to beg,

Their innate compassion was involuntarily touched.

......

Su Aige also fell into a deep silence.

She was not entirely ignorant about the drought.

However, what we knew in the past was only through those cold, hard textual records in history books.

Even when I heard it from the emperor before, it was nothing more than a string of cold, lifeless numbers.

However, when they witnessed all of this with their own eyes,

The powerful visual impact is something that no words or writing can match.

......

What comes into view are those yellowed and cracked faces, like tree bark, as if they have been ravaged by the ruthless passage of time.

And those emaciated, small-statured bodies with huge bellies, swaying precariously like candles in the wind.

And those faces filled with despair, as if all hope had been swallowed up by darkness.

These scenes deeply pierced Su Aige's heart, causing her to speak less and less until she finally fell silent.

......

Finally, after a long period of silence,

Su Aige broke the oppressive silence and asked softly:

"Where did the money the emperor used for disaster relief go?"

However, no one around could provide an answer to this question.

In fact, everyone present was well aware of the possible shady dealings involved.

But precisely because everyone is aware of this possibility

That's why the atmosphere at this moment seems even more heavy, even suffocating.

......

It should be noted that the severity of this drought is truly unprecedented.

Even the emperor issued decrees on several occasions, expressing his high regard for the matter and ordering officials at all levels to do their utmost to provide disaster relief.

Even under such intense pressure, some people still dared to extend their greedy hands and wantonly embezzle disaster relief funds.

This shows that the power behind this person must be extraordinary.

And it is precisely because they know this that everyone feels an unusual heaviness in their hearts.

It felt as if a huge rock was pressing on my chest, making it hard to breathe.

......

Even more unbelievable is that,

When they arrived at the outermost county town of Hezhou, they were surprised to find that a large number of refugees had gathered outside the town.

After making some inquiries, it was discovered that the people in the city had driven these refugees out of the city.

Seeing this, Wang Er couldn't help but ask:

"If that's the case, and it's so cold here, why don't you go back home?"

......

Su Aige, dressed in a tattered hemp garment, moved alongside Wang Er through the crowded refugee throng.

Trying to find out some useful information.

Looking around, one could see that the vast majority of people were lying haphazardly on the ground, not moving at all.

If it weren't for the glimpse of their slightly heaving chests,

One might mistakenly believe that this place is filled with lifeless corpses.

......

Just as Wang Er was filled with anxiety,

Finally, a sallow-faced, thin little boy timidly spoke up.

In response to his question:

"It's because..."

The kind-hearted gentlemen in town take turns coming here every three days to distribute rice porridge.

Upon hearing this, Wang Er swallowed hard, his face filled with astonishment.

"Only once every three days?"

The little boy nodded, a satisfied look on his face, and said:

"That's right, everyone gets a full bowl of porridge every time."

......

The child's simple yet content words,

But it was like a sharp blade, piercing straight into the hearts of everyone present.

In an instant, tears welled up in everyone's eyes.

Even the usually strong Su Aige could not suppress her grief at this moment, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Guo Si, disguised and not so conspicuous, now had red eyes and clenched his fists in resentment.

However, at this moment, no one cast a mocking glance their way.

......

At this moment, a slightly older boy noticed that the group of people in front of him was different from others.

Although they were both wearing tattered hemp clothes

However, his demeanor and speech were clearly different from those of the other refugees around him.

The boy rolled his yellowish eyes, and after a moment's thought,

He lowered his voice and continued:

"Actually, at the beginning, those kind people would come and give us porridge every day."

But then, for some reason, the county magistrate suddenly issued an order...

The adults in charge of distributing porridge were instructed to send all the rice to the county government office.

The county magistrate claimed he would make unified arrangements for distributing porridge, but…

At this point, the boy shook his head helplessly.

The implication was self-evident, and everyone present naturally understood it.

Upon hearing this, Sun Shan clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the excessive force.

......

"Later, the county government stopped distributing porridge, and the kind-hearted people only distributed it once every three days," the boy added.