Chapter 3: Ten Miles Inn

  This is the nearest village to Zhang Laosu's home, but it's still over 10 miles away, and from here to Fengliu Town there are more than 20 miles, just like a transfer station.

  "This place is called Shili Pu, with over thirty households." Zhang Laosuo smiled and said to Huang Li: "They are all poor people, so they are willing to help each other out. We often ask them to buy things for us from the town."

  Huang Li leaned on a wooden stick and sat on a big stone, panting heavily. He pointed to the village and said, "Old, old fellow, you go first, I need to rest for a while."

  Not far away, there was a puddle of water where several boys were splashing around naked and playing happily.

  Zhen Niang carried Niu Niu on her back, glanced over there for a moment, then withdrew her gaze, her face still slightly red.

  "Alright." Zhang Lao nodded and pointed to the village, saying: "The village isn't big, the one with a large Chinese scholar tree is Meng Lao's home, easy to find. You rest first then go."

  "Alright, alright." Huang Li wiped the sweat from his forehead and repeatedly replied in agreement.

  Originally, Zhang Lao Suo meant to let Huang Li rest at home, but he kept recalling past events due to his amnesia. He thought that going to crowded places and changing the environment might help him remember something, so he insisted on coming along. However, his body had not fully recovered, and the dozen or so miles of mountain roads made him stop to rest three times, and now he was still panting heavily.

  The breeze blew gently, the sky was clear without a single cloud, Huang Li slowly adjusted her breathing, and she had almost rested.

  At this time, a thin and weak little boy walked from afar, picking up broken twigs on the ground from time to time and throwing them into the basket behind him. Slowly walking to the edge of the puddle, the child stopped in his tracks. It was very hot, and it seemed that he also wanted to go into the water to play.

  A few boys with bare buttocks saw it and burst out laughing and shouting.

  "Come on, little change, let's take a look and see if you've changed again?"

  "Come on little kid, take off your pants and get in the water! Haha, you don't dare take off your pants!"

  The child called Little Change fell silent and turned around to walk away, his back figure looking very lonely.

  Huang Li smiled, the innocence of childhood is truly enviable, simple and happy. As one grows up, with more thoughts and heavier burdens, such joyful smiles become less frequent.

  He slowly got up and walked slowly towards the village. Happiness belongs to others, his own, still have to go find it himself.

  In the east of the village, there was an abandoned kiln that had been deserted for a long time. Few people came here normally. A child named Xiaobian walked to there, circled around, and came to the back of the kiln, where there was a water pit. After hesitating for a moment, she took off her clothes and jumped into the water...

  "Save me——", Huang Li suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking around in all directions, somewhat doubting that his ears had also gone wrong.

  Another faint sound, but Huang Li already knew it was real and enough for him to judge the source of the sound. He ran three steps in two steps, rushed to the broken kiln, and followed the sound of water to the side of the water pit.

  The water was not deep, but it was very deep. The little girl went down and disappeared in an instant, shouting twice, and then swallowed a bellyful of water, leaving only chaotic splashing, and the strength was getting smaller and smaller. Finally, her hand grasped a stick, and the instinct to survive made her hold on tightly.

  Huang Li stretched out his crutch and pulled Xiao Bian'er closer, reaching out to lift her onto the shore. A poor family's child was lucky to have clothes that covered their body, let alone anything like undergarments. So, Huang Li unintentionally saw Xiao Bian'er's body and understood why the boys bullied him. Boys bullying girls, from young to old, seemed like a normal thing.

  A elm tree spreads its branches like an umbrella, and the sunlight that comes through the gaps between the leaves is sprinkled on the little girl's body in a mottled way.

  This was a thin and small girl, no more than seven or eight years old, wearing very tattered and ill-fitting clothes. Her little feet were bare and stuffed into a pair of broken shoes. After being scolded, her small face looked even thinner and paler, timidly silent.

  "Is everything all right?" Huang said with a warm smile: "Hurry back home, kids can't play alone in the water, it's very dangerous."

  The little girl nodded slightly and silently put on a small basket. When she looked up, Huang Li had already walked towards the village.

  The sound of footsteps followed, and Huang Li walked into the village. Ten miles away, three sides were mountains, and the houses were arranged along the foot of the southern mountain, like a snake sleeping at the foot of the mountain. There were not many people on the street, and most of the courtyard doors were open. In this mountain valley, there were no thieves, and poor families had nothing valuable to fear being stolen.

  "Wait, wait." Xiao Bian suddenly quickened his pace and ran over.

  "What's wrong?" Huang Li stopped and asked in confusion.

  The little girl pointed to the jujube tree in the courtyard next door and said, "I'll pick some dates for you to eat, thank you."

  "It's no use—" Huang Li had just finished speaking, when Xiao Bian'er had already run into his own courtyard, spat some saliva onto his palm, and nimbly climbed up the tree. Huang Li could only stand under the tree waiting.

  The mountain children are good at climbing trees, and those who can't climb will be laughed at. But this time, Xiao Bian was in a hurry, or maybe his shoes didn't fit well, and as soon as he stepped on the first branch, his foot slipped and one of his shoes fell off. Barefoot, the jujube tree bark was very painful, and it was not good to go up or down.

  Huang Li lightly shook her head, reached out to support her waist, and carried her down, laughing: "Do you have to climb trees? You can use a pole to knock them down!"

  Little Chang put on his shoes and said, "If we use a pole to knock them down, the jujube leaves will be damaged, and my father will notice."

  "Haha, so that's how it is!" Huang Li lightly patted her little head and smiled: "I don't eat dates, but I appreciate your kind intentions. I'm leaving now, let's meet again sometime."

  ……

  The home of Meng Lao, the medicine collector, was at the northwest corner of the village. Behind it was a mountain, and there were no more houses beyond that point. Before entering the courtyard, one could already hear the sound of laughter coming from inside. Through the half-person-high wall, Huang Li saw Zhang Lao Suo and an elderly man sitting under a tree, engaged in a heated conversation.

  "Here, here." Zhang Laosu raised his head and saw Huang Li, smiling as he got up to greet him: "Quickly come in and sit down."

  Huang Li first clasped his fists and bowed, these days he had learned the simplest etiquette, and thanked the old man: "Is this Mr. Meng? Thank you for sending medicine, I was able to come back to life again."

  "This brother is too polite." Old Man Meng stood up, returned a courtesy, and pointed to the chair beside him, saying: "Please sit down, please sit down. Seeing you're getting better, I'm delighted!"

  Old Man Meng had a head full of silver hair, with a very wide forehead and deep wrinkles etched on it, which hid his stern experiences and hardships. His grey and white eyebrows were furrowed together, his eyes rolled back and forth on his yellowish face, and a kind smile floated at the corner of his mouth. His demeanor and smile made people feel an inexplicable sense of closeness.