Chapter 188 That day...

In the evening, the sky is filled with glow, the evening wind blows through the branches, and the leaves rustle.

　　The guards guarding the city yawned as they waited for their shift, and the restaurant selling wonton noodles on the street hung up lanterns.

　　Under the big tree at the city gate, a little girl wearing a floral jacket and skirt was squatting on the ground playing with a grasshopper made of straw.

　　The guard knew her well and had nothing to do at the moment, so he came over to tease her.

　　"Ah Li, your father hasn't come back yet?"

　　The little girl held the grasshopper in her hand and jumped around and gestured, without raising her head when she heard the words.

　　"Brother Dashan, stand guard and tell me little things. Be careful if your boss sees it and punishes you!"

　　"Hey, you can still scare people." Lu Dashan laughed, "I'm going to take over my shift now, so I don't care about you."

　　"Ah Li, when your father comes back, let him come to my house when he has time. The roof of my house is leaking. It's getting hotter now, and there will be more rain. If we don't repair it quickly, it may collapse. "

　　"I know." The little girl put down the grasshopper in her hand and stretched out her hand towards Lu Dashan.

　　"What are you doing?" Lu Dashan stared.

　　"Give me money. Daddy works for people and you have to pay a fixed fee."

　　The little man in front of him was serious. Lu Dashan was stunned for a moment, then laughed: "Well, you Wenli, you asked me for a deposit from my brother!"

　　But after all, the young man still asked: "How much is the deposit?"

　　"Two Wen." The little girl raised her hands with a serious look on her face.

　　Lu Dashan shook his head helplessly, smiled while looking through his money bag, counted out five copper coins and put them in Ah Li's little hand.

　　"You can use the extra to buy candies."

　　"Hehe." The little girl smiled, revealing a pair of cute dimples.

　　--clang!

　　A gong sounded suddenly.

　　"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has arrived! Everyone is waiting to kneel down and greet you!"

　　Immediately afterwards, there was a sound of kicking footsteps, mixed with the sound of horse hooves.

　　Lu Dashan was so excited that he stretched out his hand to grab the little girl's collar and threw her behind a thick tree.

　　He whispered: "Hide well and don't make a sound."

　　As soon as he finished speaking, the team that opened the way strode in. Lu Dashan knelt down with a plop, and the prince followed him into the city in a carriage drawn by eight horses.

　　The sound of wheels, horse hooves, and tapping footsteps did not dissipate for a long time.

　　Ah Li hid behind the tree, anxious and curious, and carefully poked her head out of the trunk.

　　I saw rows of people dressed in officer and soldier uniforms, some with sabers, and some with Mao guns striding towards the city.

　　She remembered her father saying that when the South Vietnamese army came to besiege their small town, they would first breach the city gate and then march into the city with their soldiers.

　　For some reason, she always felt that this prince looked like an enemy of South Vietnam and was unlikable.

However, before she could think about it, a man in the crowd wearing the clothes of a general who defended the city announced loudly.

　　"Everyone come out and line up to get clothes!"

　　"Stand still! Stand still! Everyone!"

　　"If you have elderly people or children with limited mobility at home, please come to me to register!"

　　Ah Li recognized that person. That person was the leader of Brother Dashan, named Sun Ao.

　　She poked her head out and looked out, and soon she saw that Kungfu Street was already filled with people, old and young, men and women, all residents of Yueliang City.

　　They lined up, and officers and soldiers handed out clothes to them one by one.

　　Those who got the clothes were happily gesturing to themselves, while those who didn't get them were looking forward to it.

　　The little girl was a little excited.

　　Hand out clothes. Dad hasn't come back yet. Do you want to go get him one?

　　Her mother-in-law died of illness not long after giving birth to her, leaving her and her father to depend on each other.

　　Fortunately, my father knew some masonry work and often went out of the city to work for others in nearby villages to earn some money.

　　Dad hasn't worn new clothes for a long time.

　　However, something unexpected happened.

　　Someone in the crowd shouted: "What...what kind of clothes are these!"

　　"Why do you look like a South Vietnamese soldier?!"

　　"I won't wear this!"

　　This voice sounded, and the crowd suddenly became panicked.

　　"This is the prince's reward!" Sun Anchor's voice rang again.

　　"What do you untouchables know? What are the styles of South Vietnamese soldiers? Have you ever seen South Vietnamese soldiers? Wear them quickly !"

　　However, everyone still refused.

　　"Those who disobey the order will be killed without mercy!"

　　A high-pitched and rough voice sounded.

　　Immediately afterwards, there was the sound of swords piercing flesh.

　　——Poof!

　　Hot blood splashed, and there was no sound in the crowd.

　　Ah Li's eyes widened and she froze in place.

　　People outside began to put on clothes rustlingly.

　　The little girl covered her mouth and turned around, leaning against the big tree, shaking violently.

There was chaos outside at some point, with sounds of running, shouting, and cries of pain, accompanied by the officers and soldiers yelling and swearing, and the sound of blood splattering one after another.

　　She hid behind the tree and did not dare to move. After an unknown amount of time, the sky gradually darkened and the movement outside became smaller.

　　Ah Li waited for a long time before holding her breath and leaning forward to look outside.

　　It was quiet outside, and she saw many people from Yueliang City wearing South Vietnamese soldier uniforms, lining up on the street. They were holding South Vietnamese weapons in their hands, their mouths were gagged, and their hands were tied together.

　　Among the huge crowd, she saw the man on horseback.

　　Wearing a golden crown and golden clothes embroidered with dragon patterns.

　　He was laughing, raising his head and laughing, his bloodshot eyes full of evil and pride.

　　Ah Li was so frightened that she even forgot to hide when the prince turned his head and looked this way.

　　Between the lightning and flint, a dark shadow suddenly shrouded from above, and Lu Dashan blocked her in front of her.

　　Immediately afterwards came Sun Anchor's scolding voice: "You brat, what are you doing muttering over there?! Why don't you come over here and serve the prince!"

　　When Ah Li heard Lu Dashan's promise, she ran towards that person and hurriedly hid herself.

　　Soon it was completely dark.

　　She huddled behind a tree and watched the people of Yueliang City who had been forced to change their clothes standing in groups in the street. However, the officers and soldiers brought by the prince changed into people's clothes and tied themselves up. We lined up and went outside the city.

　　It got completely dark and there was heavy fog.

　　The city was eerily quiet. Ah Li smelled the smell of blood in the air, and suddenly felt that something terrible was about to happen.

　　After a period of terrible silence, she heard the sound of horse hooves again, fast and fast.

　　She heard someone outside the city shouting for the South Vietnamese army to surrender, and then there was a fierce fight and a loud noise of the city gate being broken open.

　　Ah Li was dumbfounded. She saw people wearing Dongling soldiers' clothes rushing in with swords and guns. She should have been full of hope, but she only felt a chill down her spine.

　　She clenched her fists and stumbled out from behind the tree.

　　She wanted to tell those people that there were no South Vietnamese enemy troops in the city, they were all from Yueliang City!

　　The bad guys are outside the city, please don't kill them!

　　However, her voice was too quiet and her stature was too small. No one could see or hear her.

　　In the chaos, she was kicked away and rolled to the wall. The sound of knives and guns piercing flesh could be heard in her ears, and the salty and disgusting smell was everywhere.

　　Suddenly, the fighting stopped, and the Dongling soldiers began to retreat quickly.

　　A glimmer of hope rose in Ah Li's heart, maybe they discovered something was wrong.

　　She wanted to step forward, but just as she got up from the ground, a big hand behind her suddenly grabbed her.

　　"ah..."

She exclaimed, and the next moment, her mouth was tightly covered.

　　Lu Dashan's voice rang in her ears: "Don't make a sound!"

　　"The city is no longer safe. You hide here and no matter what happens outside, don't come out!"

　　Ah Li wanted to say something else, but Lu Dashan held her in one hand, opened up a dry well with the other, and was about to throw her down.

　　She held on to the mouth of the well and was about to speak when she saw flames rising into the sky behind Lu Dashan.

　　The raging fire ignited almost instantly, like a majestic beast, opening its bloody mouth to engulf the small city.

　　"on fire!"

　　"Brother Dashan, run quickly!"

　　Her voice was drowned in the panicked screams of the people.

　　Lu Dashan's face was covered with blood. He broke A Li's hand away, pushed her down, took off his wet clothes and covered the well mouth, and moved some light debris to cover the well mouth.

　　Ah Li fell into a dry well covered with straw, and the sounds outside gradually left her.

　　After an unknown amount of time, the sounds outside gradually stopped, and it was as quiet as a dead city.

　　She waited for a long time, until her hungry stomach growled, and then she climbed up the rugged well wall using both hands and feet.

　　The mouth of the well was pressed down by something, and it took some strength for her to lift it open.

　　It was already bright outside, and the air was filled with burnt and rich smell of blood.

　　Ah Li shrank and took a few steps forward, and suddenly saw Lu Dashan's familiar face.

　　However, Lu Dashan is already dead.

　　His face was ashen, there was a big hole in his head, and blood covered most of his face.

　　Like other dead people, he fell to the ground with a knife stuck in his back, but he still tried hard to raise his head and look in the direction of the dry well.

　　Ah Li cried loudly, but then she covered her mouth tightly to suppress her cry.

　　She was scared and sad, and stood there for a long time at a loss.

　　Until the sky gradually darkened, and fog began to appear in the city again.

　　She randomly pulled out a stick from the rubble, held it tightly in her hand, and then staggered outside.

　　…

　　The setting sun shines through the window and shines into the house, spreading warmth on the body.

　　The little girl sat at the table, holding a loquat in her hands. The yellow pulp and juice were already soaked in her hands.

　　Ye Anqing patted her shoulder gently and said in a warm voice: "It's all over, Ah Li, you are safe here now."

　　The little girl bit her lip and nodded with a pale face.

　　After so many years, she never dared to recall what happened that day.

　　In other words, out of the body's protection for her, she automatically blurred the events of that day from that day on, and only remembered the fire, which burned the entire city.

　　"Then what happened next? How did you find your father?"

　　"Ah Li dug her father out of the fallen wall." The little girl blinked, seeming to be struggling out of the horrific memories.

"Dad went out to work and came back the next day. He escaped a disaster, but in trying to find me, his legs were broken by a collapsing wall."

　　But at least one life was saved.

　　From then on, the two people were forced to stay in this deserted and ruined city, relying on each other for seven years.

　　"Come." Jiang Zhu came in from outside with a bowl of sweet loquat and white fungus soup.

　　"Wipe your hands, eat something. Then sign this."

　　As his words fell, Ziyu stopped writing and handed Jiang Zhu a pleading narrated in Wenli's tone.

　　Jiang Zhu took it and read it carefully. After finishing it, he took the ink pad on the table and pushed it in front of Ah Li together with the pleading.

　　Looking at this scene, Ye Annian always felt that they looked like bad guys who kidnapped children.

　　Seeing him frowning, Jiang Zhu asked, "What's wrong?"

　　Ye Anian shook his head, thought for a while, and said, "I still have to explain it clearly to her. She must know what she is signing."

　　"Okay," Jiang Zhu nodded, "You're twelve, it's time to be sensible."

　　He wanted to explain to Ah Li, but Ye Anyian stopped him: "I'll do it."

　　After explaining the matter of the petition to Ah Li in detail, the little girl stared at the petition filled with words for a long time.

　　Ye Annian thought she still had questions to ask, but unexpectedly she stretched out her hand and dipped it in the ink mud, tilted her head and looked over: "Where to press it?"

　　"But I can't write."

　　Ye Annian taught her how to press her fingerprints, and then took her to sign her name.

　　Ah Li looked at the petition and asked him: "In this way, can that person be punished?"

　　"Yes." Ye Annian patted her shoulder, "You are the only person alive in Yueliang City, and you have to witness all this for them."

　　"Um."

　　The little girl looked at the word "Wenli" on the petition and nodded.