The little one's purse connects the two worlds, turning a desolate village into a paradise.

Fang Daniu heard it clearly; it was Zhao Hu's voice.

His face lit up with overwhelming joy, and he hastily wiped away his tears, trembling with excitement.

Alive! There are still living people! It wasn't the kind of situation he imagined!

"Tiger, it's us! We're back..." Xinghua's voice rose a few octaves in response, filled with uncontrollable sobs and relief.

Dr. Chen also breathed a long sigh of relief, his tense nerves relaxing slightly.

Zhao Hu, behind the wall, didn't dare to relax: "How many people have returned from outside?" He couldn't see outside and didn't know their current situation, whether they were alone or had brought government officials with them.

Or are there other outsiders...?

The village now hides too many secrets that cannot be brought to light.

After asking his question, he turned back to look at the village. The small houses scattered in the valley were indistinct, with solar-powered sensor lights shining under the eaves, casting circles of incongruous dim light.

There was also a tricycle at the entrance of Grandma Liu's courtyard, which was even more inexplicable and could not be known to outsiders.

And their clothes...

Each of these things could be enough to bring about the destruction of the entire village.

"The Northwest Border Garrison suffered a defeat, the general was killed in battle, and they all scattered. Now, only... only Da Niu, Doctor Chen, and I remain." Xinghua remained silent for a long time before speaking softly.

Zhao Hu froze on the spot, feeling as if a rough hand was gripping his heart tightly, the heavy emotions making it hard for him to breathe.

The entire village went out, fought their way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, suffered a crushing defeat and fled, and only three returned in the end...

How many hardships and dangers must they have endured to get here?

He stared blankly at the stone wall in front of him, about to ask about the three people's situation, when a short, startled cry suddenly burst from outside the wall.

Da Niu's body was already extremely weak. The sudden surge of joy and sorrow caused his vision to go black, and he collapsed straight down.

Xinghua was so frightened that her soul almost left her body. She hurriedly reached out to help, but she didn't have much strength, and the two of them fell down together at the base of the mud wall.

Dr. Chen, leaning on a tree branch, quickly stepped forward and laboriously helped Xinghua up first, then went to check Da Niu's breathing.

"What's wrong, Xinghua, Doctor Chen, Da Niu!?" Zhao Hu called out, but the two of them were focused on Da Niu. Da Niu's shoulder wound had reopened, and Xinghua didn't know where to put her hands as she looked at the spreading bloodstains.

Doctor Chen checked Da Niu's breathing and felt his pulse. He was still breathing, but his pulse was so thin that it was almost imperceptible.

"This is due to shock and mental distress, a sudden loss of qi and blood, excessive joy and sorrow disturbing the heart meridian, and hunger damaging the central qi, which caused the sudden fainting. First, stabilize the mind and stop the bleeding."

Zhao Hu could only vaguely hear what was happening on the other end of the line. He was so anxious that he wished he could grow wings and fly over the high mud wall.

They considered throwing some objects over, but firstly, they were worried that there might be other people on the other side, and secondly, what separated them was not a narrow wall, but a dike nearly four zhang wide that had been washed down from the mountain three times...

He glanced at the lamp closest to the village entrance and hurried toward it.

That was Uncle Tiesheng's house.

……

Among the medicinal herbs that Xinghua was protecting were hemostatic herbs. Doctor Chen crushed the herbs and applied them to Da Niu's wound by the dim moonlight. He also tore off half a relatively clean piece of cloth from his own undergarments to help Da Niu press and bandage the wound.

Xinghua gathered some leaves and painstakingly squeezed out the juice, barely managing to drip it onto Da Niu's chapped lips.

Amidst the flurry of activity, Doctor Chen suddenly felt a tightness in his chest and a chill creeped over him for no apparent reason.

They returned from a long and arduous journey. While they could avoid natural disasters, the unpredictable man-made calamities were truly impossible to guard against.

Lotus Village has been sealed off for so long, without food or salt, and the villages outside are in such chaos, with people fleeing famine, praying to the gods, and families sealing their doors and dying out. How is it that Zhao Hu alone has managed to survive so well?

That strong, resonant voice clearly indicated that he was doing quite well.

How could a lame man remain unharmed in this chaotic and desperate situation?

Where did the rest of the village go?

A terrifying thought suddenly popped into his head: Could it be... that the villagers had all met with misfortune, and that it was all related to him?

Xinghua slowly raised her head. "Uncle Chen, Brother Hu... he seems to have stopped moving. Is it him? My parents..."

They didn't want to suspect Zhao Hu from the bottom of their hearts. They had all grown up in the same village, eating and drinking together and taking care of each other. How could they bear to hurt each other?

But all of this is too abnormal.

Tiger's reaction was strange when he heard that there were only the three of them; he even left immediately, which was very odd.

On their way back, they encountered danger and witnessed horrifying scenes of people killing each other for a bite of food.

While pressing on Da Niu's wound, Dr. Chen gently shook his head at Xinghua.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Da Niu slowly woke up. He struggled to lift his eyelids and asked, "Dr. Chen, what happened to me? Where's Brother Hu? How are the others in the village? Are they all alive?"

Dr. Chen didn't dare tell Da Niu his speculation. He forced a smile and said, "Tiger must have gone to call the others. It's alright, we're already home. Don't worry, just lie still and don't move around."

Xinghua hugged her legs tightly, buried her head in her knees, and her knuckles turned slightly white.

The cool moonlight shone on the muddy ground, making it look as white as a layer of frost.

The mountain wind howled, whistling through the withered trees and wild grass, like a sob or a low weep, sending chills down one's spine in the silent night.

I was cold, hungry, and scared.

With an empty stomach and feeling both hungry and cold, the exhaustion and fear accumulated during the escape were all suppressed at this moment.

They were like three lone wolves trapped in a desperate situation, clinging to their last breath, awaiting a verdict of life or death.

Home was right in front of them, but none of them dared to be sure whether warmth or deeper despair awaited them behind the dike.

"Uncle, hurry up."

Zhao Hu wished he could carry Old Man Fang away.

In the small courtyard behind her, Grandma Fang's hands trembled, her eyes were red, and the small stove in front of her had just started to burn.

The outside is blocked off, so there's no use her going there. She wants to stay here and cook the warmest and most fragrant rice porridge for her son.

Fang Tiesheng practically clung to Zhao Hu's arm as they walked, with Zhao Hu carrying a thermos in his arms.

The faint, scattered sound of footsteps drifted by.

Dr. Chen's fingertips twitched slightly.

Da Niu immediately sat up. Who came over? It wasn't just Tiger alone!

The footsteps stopped, and someone on the other end sniffed.

All three of them pricked up their ears.

"My son...is that my son, Da Niu? Have you returned?"

The old, trembling call drifted and floated into the bull's ears.

Da Niu's body jolted violently, and tears streamed down his face.

It was his father's voice!