Read Novel Full Chapter 723 - 356 Prince Chu is Dead
Chapter 723: Chapter 356 Prince Chu is Dead
A few years ago, Guihua Village, where no villager survived the plague, is now bustling. Many people are walking back and forth in the village, moving very quickly, looking a bit anxious. Their expressions are numb, their eyes hollow, like walking corpses.
Some people are sitting on the ground, devouring buns. Their faces are dark, hair disheveled, clothes ragged, hands covered in dirt and wounds.
Prince Chu and Lin Geng sit among these people, their appearances indistinguishable from the rest, completely unrecognizable.
A few days ago, Prince Chu and Lin Geng disguised themselves and infiltrated Guihua Village. They were so well-disguised that they did not attract any attention.
The people here number enough that as long as there are plenty, they won’t draw the overseers’ attention. Furthermore, everyone here looks so distressed, each face blackened, features indistinct, impossible to tell who is who.
The middle-aged man sitting next to Prince Chu choked because he was eating too quickly. He quickly raised his hand to pound his chest. Seeing this, Prince Chu quickly handed his water to the man.
The middle-aged man took the battered bowl filled with water and drank hastily. After gulping down several mouthfuls, he finally managed to swallow the bun caught in his throat.
"Uncle Zhang, are you okay?" Prince Chu’s voice, usually clear and bright, had become rough and hoarse, with a very strange accent.
"I’m fine." Uncle Zhang returned the remaining water to Prince Chu, gratefully saying, "Thanks to your water."
"It’s nothing, you better finish the water, I’ll go fetch more from the well in a moment."
"Then I won’t stand on ceremony." The middle-aged man’s legs and feet are somewhat inconvenient, and it takes a long time to walk to the well.
Guihua Village has a river, or rather a stream, but the stream’s water is undrinkable due to the copper smelting waste. Fortunately, the village still has a well, although it’s a bit far at the back of the village.
"Uncle Zhang, no need for formalities with me." With these words, Prince Chu bent down and crudely ate his bun. Just then, someone walked past him and accidentally bumped into him, causing his bun to fall to the ground.
Without any hesitation, Prince Chu quickly picked up the bun from the ground. It had some dirt on it, but Prince Chu simply blew on it twice and continued eating.
The dirt hadn’t been completely blown off, and he ate it with the dirt, though he didn’t mind at all.
When Uncle Zhang saw Prince Chu like this, his eyes flashed with an unusual look, but he soon lowered his head and continued eating his bun.
Prince Chu finished the last bun in two or three bites. He raised his dirty hand, wiped his mouth casually, and then said to Uncle Zhang, "Uncle Zhang, I’m going to the well for water, give me your water bag."
Uncle Zhang untied the water bag from his waist and handed it to Prince Chu: "Thanks, Wang Si."
"No need for thanks." After speaking, Prince Chu took both his and Uncle Zhang’s water bags to the well.
Uncle Zhang watched Prince Chu’s departing figure. His back was somewhat hunched. In Guihua Village, everyone’s back was somewhat hunched, because it comes from bending over for work for long periods.
When Prince Chu reached the well, he found quite a few people squatting there. Some were eating buns and drinking well water. Some were directly pouring well water over themselves.
The day was getting hotter, and to keep cool, people here often used the cool well water to rinse their bodies.
Prince Chu waited for a while, then took a water bucket from someone and drew a bucket of well water, filling his and Uncle Zhang’s water bags.
Fortunately, there was a well in Guihua Village; otherwise, they would have to drink waste water from copper smelting.
The people in Guihua Village had numb expressions, never meddling in others’ affairs, and never bullying others. They spent day after day smelting copper here, unable to leave Guihua Village. They knew clearly that if they left Guihua Village, the only end would be death. They also knew that once the copper was smelted, their fate would still be death.
They could only die in this village, without a trace of hope for survival. What was there to fight or snatch for?
Prince Chu, having filled the water, returned and handed Uncle Zhang his water bag.
"Uncle Zhang, let’s go."
Uncle Zhang sighed deeply, then placed his hands on his knees and slowly stood up.
"Let’s go."
Prince Chu did not offer a hand to help the limping Uncle Zhang because he didn’t need it.
Uncle Zhang hunched his back, with his hands behind him, and limped slowly. After a while, he was drenched in sweat.