"Trash!"
"Quack!"
Countless curses erupted from the crowd, and a torrent of vicious imprecations began to fester.
Song Qingchao was led forward by Bai Youan.
She turned her head and saw Song Qingmu, who was following, with a fearless expression.
"Chao Chao Jie!"
"Zhe Er!"
Song Qingchao's pupils suddenly dilated. She saw Liu Zhe'er's small frame being squeezed in the crowd, appearing as though she could be crushed at any moment.
Bai Youan and Song Qingmu also stopped.
Song Qingchao waved her hand, signaling her not to follow, not to acknowledge them.
But Liu Zhe'er stubbornly called out, "Chao Chao Jie" and "Mu Mu Ge."
This made the already agitated crowd even more restless.
They unleashed all their fury upon Liu Zhe'er.
Liu Zhe'er was too small and was immediately pushed and fell to the ground.
Song Qingchao, her heart aching, wanted to rush over and pick her up, but Bai Youan firmly grasped her hand.
"Don't go."
He whispered, "I'll have Ying Zhong bring her over."
Song Qingchao looked at him and finally agreed.
Everyone knew that Zhe'er had been with them.
Now that they had incurred the wrath of the masses, even if they didn't want to involve Zhe'er, keeping her outside would not guarantee her safety.
"Zhe'er, don't be afraid!" Song Qingchao called out to her.
Liu Zhe'er also responded loudly, "Zhe'er is not afraid!"
But she was, after all, too young and too weak.
Her lively apricot eyes were now filled with tears.
The aunt who had treated her so well now offered no help, instead pressing closer to her.
For the first time, Liu Zhe'er felt as though she was drowning in spit.
Just as she felt chest tightness and could not breathe, a tall figure suddenly appeared before her.
To call him tall, he wasn't particularly imposing.
On the contrary, his back was somewhat stooped, and his hair was disheveled.
Madly clutching a quilt, he stood before her.
"Who are you bullying now! Huh? Our girl has a mother too! Get lost! Be careful, or I'll deal with you!"
No one was willing to argue with a madman.
A madman could do anything.
They still wanted their lives.
Liu Zhe'er hadn't expected that the one to stand up for her would be the mother who had abandoned her.
For some reason, tears streamed down her face.
Little Hu Shi turned around. Seeing Liu Zhe'er crying, her dirty face immediately lowered and she used her hand to wipe Liu Zhe'er's face, "Zhe'er, why are you crying? Did those bad people bully you? Mother will beat them away for you."
Liu Zhe'er placed her hand on Little Hu Shi's hand and choked, unable to speak.
She didn't know what to say about this mother.
"Oh my, Fu Bao, why are you crying? Did your sister bully you? I'll discipline her!"
Little Hu Shi suddenly became erratic again.
The hand she had placed on Liu Zhe'er's face lifted and then fell with a "slap."
Following that were cries of "slut," and "good-for-nothing."
Liu Zhe'er cried.
It turned out that the mother from just now was when she was mad...
"Let's go, little ancestor."
Liu Zhe'er's armpit was suddenly lifted. She quickly turned to look and saw it was Thin Monkey.
She was handed into Song Qingmu's arms.
The scent from Mu Mu Ge's body was pleasant.
It made her chaotic heart finally settle.
She should have known long ago, should not have held onto hope.
"Zhe'er, don't cry," Song Qingchao comforted her, not knowing what else to say.
Anything she said now was futile.
Liu Zhe'er quickly smiled and shook her head. She wiped away her tears, her voice a little hoarse, "I'm fine, Chao Chao Jie."
Song Qingchao gently rubbed her head, her heart filled with affection.
She also knew that no words now could comfort Liu Zhe'er.
Some things, she had to face alone.
Bai Youan suddenly asked, "Are you afraid?"
Song Qingchao looked up. She realized then how tightly Bai Youan was gripping her hand. "I'm not afraid."
She quickened her pace, walking alongside Bai Youan. "Why do you ask me this question again?"
"I..." Bai Youan, uncharacteristically, seemed a little lost. "It might be more terrifying ahead than you imagine."
Song Qingchao looked at him but couldn't understand him.
Even though this person was right in front of her, she felt him to be ethereal and untouchable.
She hesitated, then said softly, "I'm not afraid."
At this moment, she had no idea what the terror Bai Youan spoke of was.
Not until she walked through that door did she realize that the world could be divided by a doorway.
Every step she took felt heavy.
Her hem was constantly being tugged by the people on the ground. Even with the guards protecting her, Song Qingchao couldn't break free from their entanglement.
She couldn't bear to kick away these emaciated people.
"Save... save..."
Before the person could finish, their body began to convulse, and then they vomited with a "wow."
Their eyes kept rolling upwards.
Bai Youan shielded Song Qingchao behind him and immediately squatted down to perform emergency measures.
"Hold them!"
Two simple words, like a drumbeat in the chaos, instilled confidence in people.
The guards directed others to hold down the convulsing man.
Then, Bai Youan focused and began to insert needles.
Although it looked like a simple few needles, the thin sweat on his forehead indicated that it was extremely critical.
The people in their group, possibly due to their continuous attempts at remedies and the promotion of preventative knowledge, had generally lighter symptoms and had not yet encountered the situation occurring in the city.
The matter was in the past, and she couldn't articulate her feelings at this moment.
She had experienced war and famine.
But neither of her two lives had been as shocking as this.
Even describing it as a living hell would not be an exaggeration.
In the face of illness,
humans could do very little.
Song Qingchao couldn't help but look at the still silent Song Qingmu and then tightly gripped his hand.
Song Qingmu seemed to sense her palpitations and also held her hand tightly.
The guard beside them looked hesitant. Song Qingchao glanced at him, "Sir, is there something you need?"
The guard, who had been holding back his words, finally spoke, "I know that everyone's life is equally important, but I still want to be selfish. My wife can't wait any longer."
As he spoke, his eyes turned red. "She has suffered a lot since she followed me. I want her to live."
Such direct words pierced Song Qingchao's heart, making it stiffen, and her face began to pale.
She wanted to say some words of comfort, but her throat felt as if it were stuffed with stones.
Bai Youan, after collecting the needles, turned back to look at her with a frown.
She shook her head, signaling that she was fine.
"Shall we go take a look?" Song Qingchao tentatively asked Bai Youan.
Bai Youan readily agreed.
The guard beside them immediately beamed with joy.
It was the first time Song Qingchao had seen someone smile through tears.
He wiped his sun-darkened face, "Please excuse me, you all follow me."
His steps were light with happiness. "My name is Chang Pinghe, you can call me Xiao He'er."
Song Qingchao held her handkerchief, "Sir, you are too kind."
She followed closely behind him, and when she looked up, she was startled.
Those people lying on the ground, on the verge of death, were gathering and closing in on them.
Song Qingchao couldn't help but take a step back, her face turning even paler.
Her once steady heartbeat began to pound again.
Chang Pinghe's eyes were solely on Bai Youan, the doctor who could cure his wife's illness.
He kept walking backward until he noticed Song Qingchao's anomaly and then turned his head.
"What are you doing!" The smile that had been on his lips vanished instantly, and he resumed the dignified and imposing demeanor of a city guard.