Chapter 103
Qi Dan was stunned for a moment, then his face changed drastically as if he thought of something. He didn't even bother to say hello to Rong Yuan, and turned and ran away.
He ran quickly through the woods, leaping over the gnarled tree roots like an agile little leopard. The overgrown branches and bushes hit his face and body, leaving deep and shallow blood marks, but he seemed not to notice anything and did not slow down at all.
After passing through the forest, you can see the golden farmland and a low wooden house. In front of the wooden house, there is a wide square for drying grain. At this time, most people in the village gathered in the square, and the crying and shouting came from there.
"Please have mercy... please have mercy... spare him... you killed me... let me take his place..."
Qidan ran quickly along the ridges between the farmlands. He was small, and his figure was almost completely blocked by the straight wheat. No one noticed that he had come out of the forest. Soon, Qidan ran along the path in the village to the square, and saw what happened there. It was exactly what they had been worried about.
The neighbor of Qidan’s neighbor, Uncle Kasanlai, was trampled under the feet of a wolf rider with a bloody head , wailing like a wild beast in grief and hoarseness; Aunt Kasanlai looked like she had just been fished out of a pool of blood, her lower body was all covered in blood, she couldn’t even stand up, she crawled over and hugged a wolf rider’s leg, crying bitterly: “Forgive him…Forgive him…Forgive him…”
She seemed to be out of her mind and just kept repeating this sentence over and over again. Blood spread out from under her body. The bright and glaring red color was shocking to see.
The wolf rider whose legs she hugged seemed to be an important person. The other riders were only wearing leather armor, but he was wearing iron chain mail. The well-maintained armor shone brightly in the sun. His face was also hidden behind a metal visor, and only a pair of cold eyes could be seen.
The wolf cavalryman held a red, wrinkled little thing with three fingers and carried it far away, as if he was carrying something dirty. Facing Aunt Kasanlai's sad plea, he just looked at her coldly and kicked her away.
The physical fitness of the Moon Wolf Clan far exceeds that of humans. Even though he didn't use much force in this kick, Aunt Kasanlai vomited blood. The skinny woman squirmed on the ground like a worm for a long time but couldn't get up. Even so, she still arched her body and moved forward inch by inch, leaving a bloody trail behind her.
In the eyes of the wolf riders, her powerless struggle was both ugly and ridiculous. They laughed at her miserable appearance. Although the surrounding humans lowered their heads and acted submissive, in fact, everyone's eyes were filled with uncontrollable anger and hatred. The men clenched their fists tightly and trembled all over, while the women closed their eyes and covered the eyes of the children around them, but the cries and pleas still reached their ears continuously.
They all knew that the reason why Kasanlai's family was in such a state was because the one who was held in the hands of the Wolf Cavalry was her little son Katuli, who was only three days old.
The Moon Wolf Clan implemented strict and cruel management of the human villages under their rule. In addition to year-round labor and huge taxes, they even controlled the birth, aging, illness and death of humans - all humans must start working at the age of ten and must be married before the age of fifteen (otherwise they will be forcibly paired up), each couple can only have two sons (there is no limit on daughters, but beautiful girls are often taken to the castle to become maids when they grow up, and then never heard from again), and they must die when they are forty years old, when they are covered with injuries and are basically too tired to work (for those who do not consciously dig a hole to bury themselves, the Wolf Riders will do the job themselves, and will also punish their children and neighbors for it).
Kasanlai already had two sons. However, the eldest son, Kaguto, was frightened when he was a child by wolf riders throwing tax-evading farmers into wolves and being torn to pieces. Since then, he has been crazy and stupid; the second son, Karenbi, was in poor health and could not do heavy work. Everyone could foresee that when the child started working in the fields in two years, he would not be able to last long. Therefore, Kasanlai and his wife hoped to have another child, even if it was a girl, as long as she was healthy, it would help this miserable family.
As a result, a boy was born, healthy and strong. As soon as he was born, he announced his existence with a very loud cry.
Every family can only have two sons. This is an iron rule.
So what should I do if I have three sons?
——Just one person will die.
Three days ago, Kasanglai sat outside the door silently for a night, watching his little son stretching his arms and kicking his legs vigorously in bed. The next morning, Kasanglai made his silly son eat a full stomach for the first time, and then took him out of the village. On the way, people who saw them guessed what Kasanglai was going to do. They silently gave way to the side of the road, and some people stuffed an egg, a handful of beans, and some wild fruits that they had saved with great difficulty into Kagto's hands.
When they arrived at the place, Kasanlai quietly dug a hole - two meters long, one and a half meters wide, and flat. It was almost twice as big as the small wooden bed in their home. If this was really a bed, it would probably allow people to sleep comfortably.
This was the last thing he could do for his son - to prevent him from sleeping so aggrieved in his final moments.
After digging the hole, Kasanlai stood up, pounded his waist, and turned around to see his silly son Kaguto squatting behind him and digging the soil. Because Kasanlai did not bring a second tool, he scooped up the soil with his own hands and threw it far away. When the wind blew, most of the soil fell back on him, but he still worked very hard. Seeing his father looking back at him, Kaguto, who was so dirty that his original appearance could not be seen, clapped his hands, took out , swallowed his saliva, and then handed it to Kasanlai firmly, saying: "Dad...eat! Dad...eat!"
Kasanlai's throat suddenly choked with sobs. He turned around, rubbed his eyes fiercely twice, and said hoarsely: "Daddy is not hungry, good boy, you eat!"
"Well, OK!" Kagto didn't know what it meant to be humble. He answered readily and ate the egg in a few bites. He even chewed the eggshell and swallowed it. Licking his fingers covered with dirt and egg yolk residue, he said vaguely: "Eggs...delicious..."
Kasanlai turned his back, not daring to look at him, and said tremblingly: "Child... come here... you... you lie down here..."
"Oh, okay." Kagto had no idea what was going to happen next. He lay down obediently, put his hands on his stomach, and said, "I'm lying down... lying down, Dad."
Kasan took out a few thumb-sized mushrooms from his pocket. The red and blue ones looked very pretty. But all farmers knew that this kind of mushroom was extremely poisonous. Eating it would cause death within a few breaths. The pain experienced in this short period of time was unimaginable.
Kasanlai held the mushroom tightly in his hand, turned around and saw Kagto lying obediently in the grave dug for him, his clear eyes full of innocence. When he saw him looking at him, he immediately revealed a bright smile that was carefree, wholehearted and full of trust.
Kasanlai suddenly broke down and knelt on the ground, crying loudly. The man's desperate and sorrowful cry was like the howl of a wounded beast at the end of its rope, excruciating and heartbreaking.
…
At nightfall, Kasan came and took Kagto back home.
At night, the family lay in bed. Of course, except for the eldest and youngest sons who did not know what sorrow was, everyone else just stared at the dark ceiling.
"I'll go."
At daybreak, the second son, Karenbi, said calmly.
"My brother can still help with some housework. I'm going to die sooner or later. So... what difference does it make if I die sooner or later?"
"Karenbi...my Karenbi..." Aunt Kasanlai covered her mouth and cried.
Kasanlai didn't say a word. His tears had soaked all the hair at his temples. In the darkness, a hunched back was shaking constantly.
The next morning, Kasan watched his second son finish his meal slowly, then carefully clean himself up, tidying up his messy hair, and washing away the dirt on his face, behind his ears, and between his nails. He was so calm, as if he was not going to die, but to go on a date with a beautiful girl.
"We should go, Dad."
Karenbi pushed open the door, squinted his eyes and took another look at the land that nurtured them and gave them endless pain, then said.
Kasanlai's arms were shaking slightly, and he tried to stand up several times by holding on to the table, but he fell back down again. His whole body was weak and in great pain.
The one who was going to die was his favorite son, who was smart, sensible, well-behaved, and obedient. Except for his poor health, there was nothing wrong with him. He had not caused much trouble to his parents since he was born. When he became a little more sensible, he would hold his brother, who was much taller than him, with his little hands, and take good care of him and protect him without any complaints. Even when he was sick and curled up in pain, he never cried or made a scene to vent his pain. Instead, he would smile and comfort his worried parents.
A child like this... A child like this... How could Kasanlai bear to let him die just to make way for his newborn brother?
Kasanlai closed his eyes in pain, and opened them after a long while, his expression had calmed down.
"Let's...send Katuli away."
