Chapter 66: The Sixth Calamity of Parting (Two)
Shi Jin and Jīn Jiǎobǎn changed into casual clothes and came down from the city tower, walking along the bluestone-paved road. Jīn Jiǎobǎn slung his wooden sword diagonally over his shoulder and carried a lantern on one side to light the way for Shi Jin.
In the war-torn Huayin County, the bustling streets were now desolate and empty, with no sign of the original night market. Shi Jin still remembered that on the road he was currently walking on, there used to be a sea of people and horses. The small food stalls by the roadside always wafted out enticing aromas, and their tables were packed with customers. When he was young, whenever they came into town, his father would buy him a bowl of tangyuan from the Li's Mixed Yuan stall up ahead. In the small green ceramic bowl, there was a rich broth topped with plump and round tangyuan. The moment it entered his mouth, it was smooth and refreshing, and when he lightly bit down, the black sesame filling inside would flow out sweetly, leaving his mouth fragrant and his whole body warm.
But now the bluestone slab is covered with bloodstains left by the killings, and as soon as the sun sets, the street becomes desolate without a single shadow. On this wide street, there are only Shi Jin and his companions, their footsteps echoing, accompanied by the faint crying of each family, which makes Shi Jin's heart ache.
"Wah... wah..."
When Shi Jin and the other two walked to the next alley, they could hear the baby's cry more clearly. Shi Jin didn't know why he stood at the entrance of the alley, listening, and couldn't move his legs again. The sound was clearly coming from the house at the end of the alley, and it sounded particularly desolate in Shi Jin's heart.
"Let's go and take a look." Shi Jin raised his hand towards the direction of the alley, and then he and Jin Jue walked into the alley, coming to the door of that house.
The wall of this family's courtyard was not very high, with a large black lacquered gate that didn't look like it belonged to a particularly poor household. Shi Jin raised his hand and grasped the door ring, knocking three times with a clang clang clang.
The crying inside suddenly weakened, apparently someone had covered the baby's mouth and nose, so that his cry would bring disaster. Shi Jin knocked again with a clang, and only then did footsteps sound in the yard.
Shi Jin made a hand gesture to Jin Jiao Ban, who was very intuitive and quickly extinguished the lantern, hiding against the wall.
At this time, a hoarse voice came from behind the door in front of Shi Jin, asking, "Who is it?"
Shi Jin let out a breath and said, "A traveler on the road, encountering this cholera, with no place to settle down. I hope the master will be lenient."
With a creak, the horizontal bolt was pulled open, and the two large gates swung inward, revealing an old man with a low head. The old man held a torch and invited Shi Jin to enter the courtyard, then immediately closed the gate.
Shi Jin's eyes lit up, and as soon as he entered the door, he saw a coffin placed in the courtyard. Adding to that, the children were crying and covering their faces, Shi Jin's heart was turned upside down.
Shi Jin brought this up in order to understand the situation of the common people in the city, so as to grasp the problems and solve them. Therefore, after the old man led him into the house, the two exchanged pleasantries before Shi Jin began to ask questions in a seemingly careless manner. The old man sat beside him, separated by the candlelight, answering one by one. However, the baby's wailing grew louder and louder, frequently interrupting their conversation. Before long, amidst the baby's wails, there was also the sound of a woman sobbing quietly.
The old man sighed, his face filled with sorrow and despair: "Alas... since that bandit's invasion began, the world has changed, and life has become unbearable. I toiled my whole life, just when I had a grandson, I lost my son... what a miserable fate!" The old man choked back tears as he spoke.
The one lying in the coffin in the courtyard was actually Lord Lang.
But now there are thousands of corpses in the city, and it's probably not easy to lay them to rest like a funeral. As the weather gets hotter, it will cause an epidemic. To say something unpleasant, the deceased is gone, but the living must live well. Why not listen to Shao Huashan and cremate the bodies, so that the city can avoid the harm of the plague?
At this time, the baby in the room cried even louder. The old man sighed and said with tears in his eyes: "What's the use of avoiding the plague? Look at it now, no food or water, where is the way out? The officials took away the grain, what they said was good to hear, but didn't they burn it down last night? And didn't the soldiers break into the city and kill people? My son was one of them...
When the old man said this, Shi Jin's heart responded. Last night, the government soldiers were in chaos and killed each other, today they all knew about it through word of mouth.
"The government troops have all become murderers, and the bandits from Mount Shao Hua are now defending the city. What a ridiculous world we live in! I can only pity my poor little grandson, who lost his father as soon as he was born. Now he's suffering from hunger and thirst, and has to follow us to await death..." The old man said, choking with sobs, and not wanting to show weakness in front of Shi Jin, hastily wiped away his tears and nose with his sleeve.
Although the old man's incoherent crying, Shi Jin with a clever mind understood everything. The people in the city were unwilling to cremate the corpses, although there was also a reason for the custom, but no one would be foolish enough to follow the old rules and respect the dead, yet harm new lives like children. Now the biggest reason is that they can't see the hope of survival, if the food and water problem is solved, then the cremation of corpses will not be a problem. But for now, the food problem cannot be solved, what can be done is to solve the water problem.
Then Shi Jin asked, "Old man, although the official's water source has been cut off, I've heard that there are still several wells in the city. Isn't it that there's something wrong with the well water, so the common people can't drink it?"
The old man looked at Shi Jin with a stranger's gaze and shook his head slightly, saying helplessly, "It's not the water that has a problem, it's the well that has a problem."
"Is there something wrong with the well?" Shi Jin was taken aback: "What's wrong with the well?"
"You probably don't know that in Huayin County, apart from the county magistrate, there are two other major forces. One is the Huang family, who have been officials for three generations, and their current leader is called Huang Tianba. The other is the Kong family, a prominent clan in Huayin, whose current head is named Kong Ru."
"Your meaning is that these wells are all controlled by his two families?" Shi Jin seemed to have heard some clues.
"The Kong family's business was mainly dyeing workshops, so they had spent a lot of money to dig three wells in someone else's hands."
"Nowadays, everyone is in a hurry for water, and they all rush up together. Who cares whose well it is?" Shi Jin was somewhat perplexed.
"Originally, everyone was fighting over it and he couldn't stop them, but the Huang family also intervened. He's a local tyrant with a group of ruthless followers. The two families reached an agreement, with Huang Tianba sending someone to guard the well, and both families making a fortune... Alas, one bucket of water costs ten taels of silver. Where can I afford it? All I can do is sit here waiting for death..."
Shi Jin's heart was filled with rage upon hearing this. At such a critical moment, there were still people who had lost all sense of morality. Not only did they not help the villagers survive, but they also took advantage of the situation to make a fortune. Shi Jin understood the root of the problem and although he was angry, his mind was clear. No matter what, he had found a way to solve the problem.
