After leaving the town, Guo Huai walked for more than ten days and finally arrived at the county seat of his hometown. The county seat was also in a dilapidated state, but fortunately some people were coming in and out, proving that there were still people living there.
Guo Huai entered the city and met a few people here and there, and most of the shops were closed.
Arriving at the Guo family's house, Guo Huai heard the sound of someone moving around and hurriedly knocked on the door and said, "Father, mother, I'm back!"
There was a sound of panicked footsteps, and the thin mother opened the door. She excitedly hugged Guo Huai, who was taller than her, into her arms and cried silently.
At this time, Father Guo also came over with his three-year-old sister in his arms, and cursed: "Where have you been this kid for more than a year? There are wanted notices for you posted everywhere in the city. Fortunately, in the county, my I have many relatives and friends, and they didn’t make things difficult for me. They just asked us to hide in the mountains for a while.”
It seems that the letter he wrote at that time was still a little later than the court's wanted order.
Guo Huai closed the door and told his parents what had happened over the past year. When he learned that Guo Huai was wanted to avenge Master Liu, he said nothing more.
Suddenly Guo Huai didn't see Xiaohu, so he asked: "Why don't you see Xiaohu?"
Father Guo sighed and said, "Let your mother speak!"
Mother Guo then slowly talked about what happened over the past year, and Guo Huai listened carefully.
When he heard that the army was passing by, Guo's father took the whole family to hide in the mountains in advance, and did not dare to come back until the army left.
Guo Huai couldn't help but admire his father's decisiveness.
For those who refused to leave, the men were captured by the army and the women were captured as camp prostitutes. Anyway, there was no good end.
Guo Huai couldn't help but lamented that the imperial army had no discipline at all and was worse than bandits.
This large cadre is not just like the army. The entire imperial court, from top to bottom, has never regarded the common people as human beings, only treating them as cattle and sheep, with inexhaustible supplies.
It’s not peanuts or soybeans that have the highest oil yield.
It’s the tens of thousands of ordinary people who, squeezing, squeezing and squeezing, can always squeeze out oil and water.
The powerful people at the top don't know, nor do they want to know how the people at the bottom live. They just want to monopolize all resources and live a life of luxury and wealth from generation to generation.
While the rich wine and meat smell, the road with frozen bone.
It has not changed since ancient times.
Guo's mother continued to say that when they were hiding in the mountains, because they had food, although the conditions were harder at the beginning, they had enough food and clothing.
Later, more and more people came to the mountain. People had insufficient food, so they began to rob. The Guo family's food reserves were also robbed, and several servants died. Xiaohu was separated at that time.
Because it was too chaotic and noisy on the mountain, Xiaohu was not found.
Later, I heard that a group of people went to Ningzhou along the mountain road of Niutoushan to find a way to survive. Xiaohu didn't know if he followed these people.
Mother Guo wiped her tears and said, "We are the ones who are sorry for Master Liu. He is Xiaohu's only biological flesh and blood, and he allowed us to lose him."
After Guo Huai stayed at home for two days, he decided to go to Niutoushan to look for it. He had lived there for three years and was familiar with it.
His parents didn't know martial arts and couldn't find it, so Guo Huai naturally had to look for it, and he felt guilty.
The so-called loyalty to others is a matter of being entrusted by others.
Guo Huai will never forget Master Liu's last wish. Master Liu has an only son, and he must find him and raise him up.
You want to see people when you are alive, and you want to see corpses when you die.
Guo Huai walked very quickly and arrived at Niutoushan in less than a day.
After searching for a long time on the mountain, I found a few unkempt men. After questioning, I found out that the army was passing through and stationed here for a period of time, catching strong men everywhere.
There were not many people in the two counties after the bandit riots, but now there are even fewer people.
Many smart people hid in the mountains in advance, but there was no food or drink in the mountains, and the food they brought with them was quickly used up.
People just wanted to hunt and dig wild vegetables to eat, but the barren mountains could not support so many people with food rations for thousands of people. After a long time, people became hungry and couldn't bear it anymore, so they started to rob. Many people died in this turmoil.
Some people crossed the 800-mile Niutoushan Mountain and fled towards Ningzhou.
Guo Huai didn't bother to rest, so he walked along the narrow mountain road and over the mountains towards Ningzhou.
There were countless corpses lying on the roadside along the way. Guo Huai would look through each corpse to see if there was anyone he knew.
After eight hundred miles of Niutoushan, a wide river blocked the way. People needed to cross the Wei River to reach Ningzhou.
Guo Huai saw several shacks set up by the Wei River. He ran over and saw that there were indeed seven or eight skinny refugees.
After asking, I found out that they were refugees from two counties. They finally crossed Niutoushan, but a big river blocked the way to Ningzhou.
The refugees asked Guo Huai weakly if the troops stationed in the two counties had left.
Guo Huai told them that the army had left, and several people packed their things excitedly to go back. Guo Huai quickly asked them if they had seen a seven or eight-year-old boy with a tiger-like head.
The refugees recalled for a while that there was indeed a seven or eight-year-old boy who followed them through the 800-mile Niutou Mountain.
However, there were only a hundred or ten people left by the Wei River. While fishing by the river, the little boy accidentally fell into the Wei River and drowned.
Guo Huai's heart became cold!
Xiaohu is dead?
Guo Huai asked: "Did you see the child drown with your own eyes?"
A refugee pointed to the turbulent Wei River and said: "Whoever fell into this river can still come out? I saw with my own eyes that child who fell in and was washed away by the river!"
Guo Huai sat there, blaming himself, motionless. Several refugees finished packing their things and asked Guo Huai if he wanted to go back with them.
Guo Huai's eyes were empty and lifeless, he waved his hand and said, "You guys go! I'll take it easy a little longer."
The refugees consoled themselves: "Thousands of people crossed Niutoushan together, but only a hundred or so people came to the Wei River alive. Now only seven or eight of them are alive."
"Don't be too sad, this is life!"
After the refugees comforted Guo Huai, they left one after another and embarked on their way home again.
Guo Huai looked at the rushing Weishui River in silence.
Guo Huai went back to the county town and told his parents the news. Everyone was sighing. No one could have imagined that Xiaohu's fate would be so tragic.
Guo's mother decided to ask Guo Huai to go to the Wei River to build a tomb for Xiao Hu, so that Xiao Hu could have a home after his death.
Although Guo Huai felt that this was of no use, he still obeyed his parents' instructions and brought a bunch of sacrifices across Niutoushan again to the Wei River.
