Suzhou has almost given up from top to bottom. After all, natural and man-made disasters are irresistible disasters. The government has tried their best, but they are not lucky enough to survive.
It was the last day for the government to provide porridge. Looking at the crystal clear soup in the wooden bucket, the government servants also had a sad look on their faces.
There are also relatives and friends among these victims, but he can only watch them suffer from hunger, but he can't do anything about it. This feeling is too painful.
The government officials filled everyone's bowls of rice soup, and the people lined up in a long queue. The expression on everyone's face was solemn. Although the government did not say it, they all knew it in their hearts.
They won't survive.
After eating this meal, they will starve to death in a short time, or they may freeze to death. Anyway, they are just hanging on for a while now.
The crowd was eerily quiet. The only sounds were the clinking of spoons against barrels when the government servants were preparing rice, and the sound of the common people's clothes rubbing against each other as they walked.
Other than that, no one spoke.
The rice soup was crystal clear to the bottom. Although the yamen filled the bowl with it, there were only a few grains of rice in each bowl.
A child in the crowd, less than ten years old, drank the rice soup in one breath. He had not had enough to eat these days, and with people around him starving to death one after another, the child's mood was on the verge of collapse.
He drank all the rice soup, and when he looked up again, tears were streaming down his face, and he couldn't help but burst into tears.
"I don't want to die, dad and mom, and the dog doesn't want to die!"
When the boy's parents heard his words, they also wiped away tears.
Who would want to die? How could they go against God in such a situation?
"Dad, I'll give you this bowl to drink."
The boy's father was an honest man. He had never touched the rice soup since he received it. Now that he saw his son in this state, the man's grooved face was full of pain.
It was his inability to protect his wife and children.
"Mother, give it to you too, Gouzi. Drink it while it's hot. You'll feel warm after drinking it."
After the boy vented his anger, he wiped his tears with his sleeve and pushed both bowls of rice soup over.
"Father and mother eat!"
If he really wanted to starve to death, then their whole family would have to be together, and he would not want to live alone.
"good!"
With tears in his eyes, the man obviously understood what the boy meant. He raised his head and drank the rice soup, then took his wife and children to find a sheltered place to nest.
There were dark clouds on the horizon, and it was obvious that there would be a snowstorm soon. Their death was inevitable, unless a miracle happened.
There are more and more cries and howls in the crowd, death is right in front of you, and not everyone can face it calmly.
Zhou Yuan stood behind the crowd, listening to the crowd's wailing, his face was filled with despair.
The guard beside him wanted to step forward to stop him, but was stopped by Zhou Yuan.
"Forget it, let them vent."
Suzhou City was filled with cries and howls, and the despair of the people inside could be felt from a distance.
The person escorting the coal was Liu Meng who was beside Shen Yanqing. He was promoted by Shen Yanqing from the secret guard camp. He was tall and mighty as his name suggests.
Now he led a group of convoys and drove for half a month day and night, finally arriving in Suzhou.
Shen Yanqing guessed that there would be a shortage of food due to heavy snowfall and road closures in Suzhou, so he sent a letter to Liu Meng and asked him to hand it over to officials in the surrounding cities of Suzhou to open warehouses and release grain to relieve Suzhou.
Therefore, these people not only brought coal, but also food.
As soon as they arrived at the border of Suzhou, they heard cries from inside the city. Such shrill sounds made people go crazy.
There were younger people in the team who had never seen such a scene before, so they rubbed goosebumps on their bodies.
"What happened in the city? Why are so many people crying?"
Liu Meng's face looked a little solemn. The situation in Suzhou City was even more tragic than he imagined.
"It seems that Suzhou has run out of food, otherwise the people's mood would not collapse."
As long as there is stock, they can still support themselves. When they have nothing, they will give up.
"Well, walk faster and try to reach Suzhou before dark."
It was going to snow soon, and Liu Meng was afraid that they would be delayed on the road if they were slow. If he arrived a moment earlier, he could rescue the people of Suzhou as soon as possible.
"yes."
The sky is getting dark, the energy brought by the rice soup has been exhausted, the north wind is blowing, and the people are shivering and hugging each other to keep warm.
"Squeeze in, squeeze in to keep warm..."
At this moment, regardless of whether the people around him knew each other, in the face of life and death, everyone had already put down their reserve and face.
Zhou Yuan stood outside for a long time, and his body was almost frozen.
The subordinates around him hurried over with anxious expressions on their faces.
"Sir, the lady fainted!"
Mrs. Zhou was infected with wind and cold, and her high fever persisted for a long time. The Zhou family's firewood and charcoal had long been used up. Zhou Yuan was a good official who loved the people as his own son. How could he watch the people suffer from hunger, but he was well-dressed and well-fed.
There's a charcoal fire burning.
Therefore, the Zhou family's firewood had long been sent out to the people who were suffering from the cold. However, Mrs. Zhou was weak and had been pampered since getting married. She could not bear the cold at all. She was lying in bed, covered with a thick quilt, but her body
Still as cold as ice.
Zhou Yuan rushed home and saw the pale woman on the bed, her eyes full of guilt.
"Qing'er, I'm back. The doctor is already on the way. Just hold on, you will definitely get better!"
Mrs. Zhou's illness was all caused by him. Zhou Yuan held her hand and put it on his face. The silent man couldn't help but shed tears.
He couldn't live up to the people of Suzhou, nor could he live up to his wife.
Mrs. Zhou was burned by the tears in her palms. She weakly opened her eyes and when she saw it was Zhou Yuan, she forced a smile on her lips.
"Ms. sir, you are back."
They were a young couple and had been together for more than 20 years. Zhou Yuan truly loved his wife. Seeing her frail appearance, he wished he could take her place and suffer for her.
"Qing'er, my husband can't help you..."
He knew clearly that his wife's body could not stand the wind or the cold, but he still insisted on donating all the firewood. He was not a man if he could not protect his wife.
Mrs. Zhou shook her head, her voice weak.
"My husband has not sorry for me. If I can exchange Qing'er's life for the livelihood of the people of Suzhou, Qing'er is willing."
She knew her husband's regret. Zhou Yuan's heart was with the people of Suzhou, and Mrs. Zhou saw it in her eyes and felt sorry for him.
"No, Qing'er, you have to live well, and you will live well. If I don't have you by my side for the rest of my life, how will my husband go on?"
Zhou Yuan couldn't help but burst into tears. He really felt despair at this time.
He can't save his wife or his people.
Why could God be so cruel and torture him like this? Zhou Yuan resented God for the first time.
Just when he was desperate and helpless, the shouts of his subordinates suddenly came from outside.
"Sir, a group of convoys came outside, saying that they were sending coal and food from Qiongzhou. Sir, we are saved!"
