Chapter Thirteen Mu Bai

  It hasn't rained since the beginning of spring, and the other day it only rained a little, but not as much as children splashing water. The land has been dry for a long time, and even after several months of drought, the wheat fields were full of cracks that could fit a child's mouth, and the wheat and sorghum crops were completely lost.

  It's already this time of year and there are still households in the countryside that have stored grain, but if things continue like this, it seems that many people will starve to death again this year. In recent days, everywhere in the city is selling cattle and dismantling houses to sell beams, who can even afford food for humans, let alone cattle? The prices of cattle and beams have dropped by 20% these days.

  The newspaper says that in other places, it's also the same, no rain since spring, and the cracks in the ground are so big that a child can fit in. Alas! What kind of world is this? Ever since the emperor passed away, there has been no peace.

  "Hey old man! Come on, give me something to eat!"

  "Alright, alright! Grandpa!"

  ……

  A group of tattered beggars sat weakly by the roadside, pleading with passersby in mournful tones. Even if there were kind-hearted people around, they would be powerless to help. Although the grain store still sold food, it was not something that ordinary households could afford.

  Since the end of the Qing dynasty, this kind of small-scale drought has occurred almost every year in northern China, and a large number of disaster victims were finally forced to become beggars and drift away from their hometowns due to their inability to buy food for survival. By the mid-to-late period of the warlord government's rule in northern China, which was plagued by war and banditry,

  Fleeing their homes due to disaster, for many people it may be a permanent farewell. Many of them ultimately became beggars and died on the road from starvation and exhaustion.

  "When... Bang! Recruitment outside the mouth, monthly salary three big ocean plus a bag of foreign noodles."

  On the streets of Yamashita, people were holding cymbals and banging them loudly while shouting, with similar scenes unfolding in several other towns.

  According to what Sima He and Gao Chuan had previously discussed, a worker would get three silver dollars and a bag of flour per month, and two meals a day for those who worked overtime.

  Gao Chuanliang asked some tooth people to recruit in some places inside the mouth, those tooth people who have been living in and out of the mouth for many years making a living by recruiting civilians to open up wasteland got Gao Chuanliang's business, so they took the train to Guannei specifically to choose those counties that were suffering from disasters to recruit people

  After all, in a Chinese society with such strong local ideas, unless they are desperate and forced to, these people will mostly stay at home and rely on their own land to make a living. Only those refugees who are desperate and see no way to survive will venture out to reclaim wasteland and make a living.

  "Father! Give me a name! I'll give you all my salary for the first month as filial piety!"

  Wearing tattered clothes, his whole body was thin and almost skeletal. He stood in front of the recruiter with a pale face.

  Mubai is a beggar in Yimaling, as an outsider, he has been bullied for many years in Yimaling. Mubai still remembers that when he came to Yimaling with his mother to beg for food, his mother fell ill and then only left a young Mubai alone to beg for a living in Yimaling.

  Soon forgot what place is the hometown of Mu Bai, although in Yi Ma Ridge haven't suffered less. But still in heart regard this Yi Ma Ridge that oneself begged for over ten years as one's own hometown.

  If it weren't for the fact that food is getting harder to come by, even the villagers of Yamahata would soon starve to death. Who would still give you food and let you stay in this place? In the end, there's only one way out - starvation.

  Mù Bái of course knew that he was the kind of beggar that these outsiders who came to recruit workers disliked the most, but if he stayed in this place, he would probably really starve to death.

  He steeled himself and took a bath in the river, then swiped a tattered garment from someone's house before arriving at the town inn where the gambler lived, trying his luck.

  "You've lost so much weight, you're just skin and bones now. If a strong gust of wind blows, you'll be blown away. Besides, life is tough outside, it's a matter of life and death, wealth and honor are in the hands of heaven."

  The old man, puffing on his dry tobacco pipe, pinched the wrist of Mu Bai's bony hand and said, "This young fellow seems quite sensible, three silver dollars for the first month."

  In addition to the 1.5 yuan running errand money given by Old Boss Kong of Kong Family Village, although I lost some weight, hiding in the crowd, I believe Old Boss Kong won't mind.

  "What's going on?! Is there anyone to guarantee for him?!"

  As usual, the tooth man asked a question. At this time, in order to prevent the person from running halfway, the recruiter would usually find someone in the town where the recruitment is taking place to act as a guarantor.

  And if the person who was invited runs away, the guarantor will be held responsible. Of course, the guarantor doesn't do it for free, usually those who go to work will give the guarantor a red envelope with some money, more or less depending on the guarantor.

  "Father! I am innocent and have no one to guarantee for me. I hope you will show mercy."

  Mu Bai's heart skipped a beat when he heard that, in this town, who would be willing to bail out such a beggar like himself, and even if someone was willing, he didn't have the money for bail anyway.

  "That's when Grandpa won't be able to help you, it's not that Grandpa doesn't want to help you, but he can't break the rules."

  Although he said so with his mouth, in his heart, he regretted the loss of those few dollars.

  "Father! I, your humble son, am willing to give you all my salary for the past six months as a filial gesture. Please give me another chance, and in this life, I will work hard like an ox or a horse to repay your great kindness!"

  Everything is ready, but can't find a guarantor for myself. Mu Bai spent all his savings from the past six months, anyway, he's alone and has no one to spend money on even if he goes abroad.

  It's better to spend that half-year's salary on a new path than to stay stuck in this dead-end job at Yima Ridge.

  "Hey! You've lost weight, huh? Looking at your appearance, you're quite a character. If I don't help you, it would seem that I'm not a decent person either."

  As soon as he heard that this kid was willing to give half a year's salary, he didn't care about what was proper or improper anymore.

  In half a year, it will be almost twenty big oceans. No one guaranteed for him, he did it himself, what's the big deal? When he reached the outside, he could run wherever he wanted to go.

  "What's your name, kid?"

  The tooth man took out a recruitment contract and asked before signing.

  "Wood white!" Wood white saw the tooth person nodded in his heart, this is considered settled, anyway it's better than starving to death here.

  "Oh! Mu Bai!"

  The toothed person casually wrote two characters "Mu Bai" on the recruitment contract, and from then on, Mu Bai became the nickname of Wood White.

  But as for the name "Mù Bái", Mù Bái himself can't even remember it, anyway Mù Bái is illiterate, so he doesn't know what "Mù Bái" or "Mù Bái" is.

  Mu Bai came out of the inn where Zhang Sanfeng was staying, rubbing his hungry and aching stomach. Seeing the water trough for cattle and horses across the road, he hastily ran over to take a couple of sips to fill his hunger. Running over to take a look, there wasn't even a single drop of water left in the trough. He could only endure his hunger and head towards the outskirts of the village.

  Seeing that there were still some leaves on a tree outside the village, Mu Bai quickly climbed up the tree and pulled down the remaining leaves to eat.

  Although the leaves are bitter, Mu Bai has been relying on eating some leaves and wild grass to fill his hunger for several days without having a proper meal.

  After eating a few handfuls of leaves, I felt that my stomach was no longer as hungry and sour as before. Mu Bai closed his eyes and recalled the delicious taste of roasting and eating the field mouse he caught in the fields two days ago.

  The mice in the field, although they are now all starving and have hardly any flesh on their bodies, but in Mu Bai's mouth, which has forgotten what meat tastes like, that little bit of mouse meat is the most delicious thing. Thinking about it, Mu Bai's mouth began to water.

  When people are hungry, they can think of anything but good food. Mu Bai had just eaten a few handfuls of leaves and was thinking to himself that his stomach was growling again. He wiped the corners of his mouth with his sleeve and swallowed some saliva, looking at the remaining leaves on the tree to see if he could still stimulate his appetite.

  "It's a field mouse!"

  Mu Bai, who was starving, clearly saw from the tree that a palm-sized field mouse emerged from a small hole in the wild land next to the tree. Thinking of the delicious taste a few days ago, Mu Bai couldn't care about anything else anymore.

  "Whoosh!" With a sudden movement, it jumped from the tree to the ground, and the field mouse that had just poked its head out of its hole scurried back in.

  "Haha! Heaven knows I'm about to become rich and you're specially sent to me!"

  Mu Bai was overjoyed when he saw the mouse scurry back into its hole. If the mouse had run around in the fields, Mu Bai might not have been able to catch it. But this mouse, as soon as it felt the wind blowing through the grass, immediately darted back into its hole.

  The mouse hole has only one exit, and it's easy to catch the mouse that enters the hole. Either use a stick to slowly dig it out, or in winter, you might even find some grain stored in the mouse nest.

  In the past decade or so, Mu Bai had never failed to dig up mouse holes in winter. But now, he knew that even if he dug up all the mouse holes, he wouldn't be able to get half a handful of grain. This year, not even wild grass grew in the fields, let alone crops for the mice to gather.

  He fetched some dry grass from around, used small twigs to insert a bar in front of the mouse hole, and then ignited the dry grass at the entrance. Mu Bai's mouth faced the burning dry grass and blew smoke into the mouse hole. In no time, only "squeak, squeak, squeak" sounds came out from inside, apparently the mouse couldn't stand the smoke.

  "You finally came out."

  Mu Bai saw that the mouse, which was only about half a catty in weight, came out of its hole and stretched out its paws. With one grab, he caught it and held it in his hand, exerting force to slam it against the ground, killing it instantly.

  Mu Bai skillfully used a branch to open up the field mouse's skin and flesh, slightly gathered it together, then stuck it on the branch to roast. Speaking of catching field mice, Mu Bai had almost practiced for over ten years. Field mice were also the only meat that Mu Bai, as a beggar, could obtain.

  Even the villagers are so hungry that they have to dig up field mice, where can Mu Bai find so many field mice to dig up? After eating this time, I don't know when I can eat again. Fortunately, Mu Bai doesn't need to worry about these things for now. Anyway, after a few more days, he will be able to go out to work, and going out to work is better than being a beggar here.

  The mouse on the branch was just roasted, and Mu Bai's mouth was already watering, his stomach growling with hunger. He didn't care if it was hot or not, he took two bites as one, and swallowed a whole mouse, bones and all, into his belly.

  After eating, Mu Bai added a bit to his mouth and only then did he forget that he had been so focused on eating that he forgot to savor the flavor of the meat. To be honest, although he was almost 18 years old, Mu Bai still didn't know what the taste of meat was like.

  Even if it's this kind of field mouse meat, every time it's two mouthfuls at a time, swallowing the bones whole, there's no way to be hungry again and what's the rush to taste something.

  After eating the field mouse, Mu Bai felt his strength return and stood up, passing through the desolate forest in front of him, walking towards the outside alkaline land where almost nothing grew.

  That alkaline land, the entire relay station people didn't want it, year after year starving to death and freezing to death beggars, were mostly carried by other beggars to that place where they dug a shallow pit with wooden sticks and buried them.

  Although I don't remember clearly where home is, Mu Bai still remembers that eleven years ago, after he and his mother begged for food to this place, his mother fell ill and never got up again.

  Fortunately, there were a few kind old beggars who called out to bury my mother at that time. If not, the young Mu Bai would have had no choice but to leave his mother's body exposed in the wilderness.

  "Mother! I've come to see you, this is probably the last time I'll be able to see you. If I stay in this place any longer, my son will starve to death. My son is unfilial and can't come to see you again, please don't blame me for being heartless. This is also an unavoidable measure. When my son makes a living outside, he will definitely find a good place to rebury your coffin..."

  Mu Bai hadn't finished speaking before tears were streaming down her face. For over a decade, whenever Mu Bai was in pain, she would run to this small mound alone and cry out the suffering in her heart.

  It's especially hard to bear when I see other people's children surrounding their mothers, this time I have to go hundreds of miles away from home to make a living, and it's unknown when I'll be back. Although I have some attachment to Yima Ridge, what I miss more is the memory of my mother who has been buried in this small mound for many years, which has already become very vague.