Zhong Wen had no choice but to stand by the dock and wait for the boat to arrive from the lower reaches of the Danjiang River. Even if he wanted to find someone to ask, there was no one, so he had to do this.

Although there is no one at this pier and there is no boat, what is Zhong Wen waiting for here? Isn't it possible to wait for air?

Where can Zhong Wen go? Along the river?

Zhong Wen really didn't know what he was going to do. There were no boats on the river and no one was nearby. He really had no choice but to wait here.

Half an hour later, a boat passed by the river, but it was going from upstream to downstream.

When Zhong Wen saw the boat, he felt reassured. At least, he could be sure that there were still boats sailing on this Danjiang River, but they were just rare.

Time passes by bit by bit.

After noon, Zhong Wen was really tired of waiting, so he turned around and left the dock, preparing to go to the mountains and forests to hunt some wild animals and roast them to fill his stomach.

A moment later, Zhong Wen entered the forest and jumped straight into the depths.

And a quarter of an hour after Zhong Wen left the dock, a boat came from the downstream and headed upstream of Danshui.

Chen Feng stood at the stern of the boat and looked at the shores of Danshui, feeling complicated in his heart.

He took a boat all the way to Shangluo County, inquiring about information along the way, but he never got any information about Zhong Wen.

However, his hope is in Chang'an. He hopes that there will be news about Zhong Wen when he is in Chang'an. Even a little news is the best for him.

But now, ever since I placed my order at Xuanzhen Temple, I have begun to calculate in my mind where Zhong Wen will go and where Zhong Wen must pass.

But he had forgotten Yunxiang.

However, even if he arrived in Yunxiang, he did not know Li Gaoyuan. After all, Li Daoling had not told him about his old friend.

Otherwise, maybe Chen Feng would be able to find out some information about Zhong Wen after arriving in Yunxiang.

The two of them missed each other so perfectly.

One was still waiting for the boat to sail on the shore, but the other was looking for Zhong Wen on the boat.

If Zhong Wen hadn't been thinking about his troubles, he would have already boarded the boat and happened to meet Chen Feng. But it was such a coincidence that the two of them missed each other so perfectly.

No matter what, the boat Chen Feng took sailed away directly after seeing no passengers at the dock.

At this moment, Zhong Wen was searching for the prey he wanted deep in the mountain forest.

Two-quarters of an hour later, Zhong Wen walked out from the depths of the forest with a goat in his hand, came to the edge of the forest, handled the goat, randomly picked up some firewood, and began to roast his goat.

While roasting the goat, his eyes did not forget to stare at the lower reaches of the Danjiang River.

But he didn't know that not long after he left, there was already a ship heading upstream, which was a perfect miss.

After another half an hour, the roasted goat in Zhong Wen's hand was almost cooked.

At this time, the people near the dock led their families and carried some food on their backs, heading down the river from the upper reaches towards their homes.

Zhong Wen had already seen these people carrying things from a distance, but Zhong Wen did not get up to inquire about anything. He thought that he had to fill his stomach first, and he could put other things aside for now.

"Mom, look, there is a Taoist priest there who is lighting a fire, as if he is roasting something to eat." A little boy pointed at Zhong Wen by the forest and said to his mother.

"Go home first. The Taoist priest must be hungry, so he is grilling something to eat there." His mother was working hard to carry the rations for their family of five, and was still calculating in her mind. Later, it was

Cook some porridge or eat some dry rice.

This group of people went to the villages upstream to get a lot of food rations. They had rice and noodles. Although they were not very good, they could still live hand to mouth without having to force themselves. In the eyes of people like them, this food was very valuable.

, can’t be wasted carelessly.

As for the woman who was thinking about cooking dry rice, it was actually because her three children had not eaten dry rice for more than half a year. They only had a few mouthfuls of watery porridge every day, which made their faces sallow and skinny from hunger.

of.

And her family of five includes herself, three children, and an old woman. The old woman is her mother-in-law. At this time, she is carrying a small bag of wheat and following behind her.

The people near the wharf don't have much land, and they live by the Dan River. Floods often occur. Just like this year, it can be said that they have nothing to lose.

If the government hadn't distributed some relief food, he might have fled the famine long ago, and who would have been waiting here to die.

The number of people at the dock is relatively small, with less than a hundred people in a dozen households. However, further down from the dock, there is a small village with a small population, probably only twenty or thirty.

Each family has a population of no more than 200 people.

The people at the dock actually lived their lives based on Guandao and Danjiang Wharf. Later, there were fewer and fewer merchants on Guandao, which made the lives of these people even more difficult.

Zhong Wen watched the people coming back carrying bags or carrying burdens, and then he understood why there was no one in the house near the pier just now.

Although I don’t know what they are carrying or carrying on their backs, it must be important to be able to carry their family and leave home.

Zhong Wen didn't care what happened to the people, he was busy roasting his own goat meat, and occasionally glanced at the lower reaches of the alchemy water.

A quarter of an hour later, the roasted goat in Zhong Wen's hand was almost ready. Then, he took out some salt and seasonings from the bag and began to sprinkle it on the surface of the roasted goat.

"Good morning, Chief."

Just as Zhong Wen was concentrating on salting and seasoning his roasted goat, a childish voice suddenly reached his ears.

"Hello, little doll, are you from a farmer's family on the dock? Why are you wearing so little? Is that your sister?"

When Zhong Wen raised his head, he discovered that there were two little children standing not far away, wearing somewhat tattered and thin clothes. They were staring at the roasted goat in his hand. Their eyes were full of desire for food.

, and still swallowing saliva from time to time.

The person who greeted him was a little boy, estimated to be about seven or eight years old, and not far behind him was a little girl, about four or five years old.

Zhong Wen basically doesn't have much resistance to these little kids.

After all, he himself and his little sister were also like this. They were also dressed in rags and thin in winter.

Now, the two little kids standing not far away from him were like this. Moreover, from their appearance and eyes, it could be seen that they had probably been hungry for a long time, or that they had not eaten enough.

To be honest, Zhong Wen doesn't like to see this kind of scene, and he doesn't even want to see this kind of scene.

He is not the savior and cannot save many people, but as long as he sees it, he will naturally help, even if he does not have much ability, not to mention that he is still a Taoist priest.

No matter what, you should be worthy of others saying good-bye.

Perhaps, saying "well, Chang, be well" doesn't mean much, but it does represent the respect these two kids have for his identity as Zhong Wen and their recognition of his identity as a Taoist priest.

"Reply to the Taoist priest, that's my sister."

The little boy looked at the roasted goat in Zhong Wen's hand, swallowed his saliva, pointed at his sister behind him and said.

"You two, come over here and warm yourself up by the fire. It's too cold, so don't freeze your body."

Zhong Wen waved to the two little kids.

But the two little kids, after listening to Zhong Wen's words, did not approach the fire directly. There was a trace of awe, a trace of vigilance, and even some desire in their eyes.

"It's okay. You see, I'm already a Taoist priest. How can I still lie to you?"

Zhong Wen watched the two little kids stop and could guess something from their expressions, so he spoke out.

"Thank you, Taoist priest."

After listening to Zhong Wen's words, the little boy began to let down his guard. Then he turned back and took his little sister, walked closer to the fire, squatted down, and stretched out his hands to warm himself.

Seeing this series of actions, Zhong Wen felt very happy in his heart. This is how a brother should be.

Xiaohua once said about herself, and Zhong Wen himself, every time he encountered danger, he was always the first to run away, leaving his little sister Xiaohua behind. All this made Zhong Wen feel a little guilty.

Although that was the Zhong Wen of the past, not the Zhong Wen of today. But when he recalled these things, Zhong Wen still felt a trace of guilt.

But at this moment, when he saw the little boy coming back and holding his little sister's hand, Zhong Wen felt not only relief, but also pity.

"My goat is almost ready for roasting. Come on, I'll share half of it with each of you."

Although the roasted goat in Zhong Wen's hand was not big, it still weighed twenty or thirty kilograms. This was half for each person, which weighed at least ten kilograms. This was not something that two little kids could eat.

Although it's pity, you Zhong Wen can't do this. Don't you know that the baby's belly is the same as yours?

"Thank you, Taoist priest."

The little boy was bewildered and took the half roasted goat that Zhong Wen handed him. He was grateful. After thanking him, he gave it to the little girl next to him.

The little girl silently took the roasted goat, looked at Zhong Wen, and then at her brother. Then she stood up, bowed to Zhong Wen, and then trotted away with the roasted goat in her arms.

He left and headed towards home.

"What...what's wrong with your little sister? Why don't you eat here?"

Zhong Wen was wondering, why did the little girl go home with the roasted goat in her arms? Was she still afraid that she would have to go back? Although the little girl saluted and expressed her gratitude, this series of actions made him confused.

"Reply to the Taoist priest, my little sister can't speak. She gave these meats to my mother and grandmother to eat."

The little boy listened to the Taoist priest in front of him and stood up quickly. He also followed the example of his little sister and bowed, and then explained to Zhong Wen.

"this……"

After listening to the little boy's explanation, Zhong Wen finally understood why the little girl didn't say anything and why she ran home with the roasted goat in her arms.

"Oh, what a nice little girl, what a pity."

Zhong Wen felt helpless. He really didn't know what to say to such a little girl.

Being sensible makes people feel bad, being sensible makes people dare not to hit or scold him, and being sensible makes Zhong Wen think of his little sister at home.

"Here, take this half of the roasted goat and eat it. I'll go hunting for one in the forest and come back."

Zhong Wen felt a little sad in his heart. He stood up and handed the other half of the roasted goat to the little boy. Then he turned around and walked into the forest, leaving the little boy standing there.

"Thank you, Taoist priest."

The little boy looked at the half roasted goat in his hand, then looked at Zhong Wen who was leaving, and then bowed and shouted loudly.

After Zhong Wen heard such a thank you, the sadness in his heart became even more intense.

The younger sister should be happy to have such a brother, but the younger sister is a speechless little sister. Should she be happy, or should she scold God?

The little boy stood there until Zhong Wen's back disappeared, then he held the half roasted goat and trotted home.
Chapter completed!