Grain
1716 Words
The round moon was big and white, hanging high in the sky like a large pancake, illuminating the surroundings brightly even in the middle of the night.
Song Family Village was not large, with dozens of houses scattered among the mountains, peacefully entering the realm of dreams.
After a half-night's journey, Jason and the others entered the village.
Now that they had arrived, Robert Wealthy wanted to stay with Jason and the group, but couldn't bring himself to be straightforward.
He pretended to have something to attend to and went to the other end of the village.
Jason didn't pay much attention to Robert Wealthy's departure; his mind was focused on this unfamiliar village.
After observing the surroundings from all directions, he noticed that every household had tightly closed doors and windows with no light visible.
He was unsure of what to do next.
With hunger pressing and no resources on hand, Jason, Martin, and Emily quickly discussed their options.
With no money between them, their only choice was to try begging.
Even though it was late at night, they steeled themselves to knock on doors.
Jason knocked on several doors, but received no response at all, let alone any help.
One house had light shining through, but as soon as Jason knocked, the light went out, and there was no further movement.
Life in this village was complicated; there were vampires to the east, a resistance army to the west, and bandits who appeared every now and then.
Who would open the door to a stranger in the middle of the night? It seemed like waiting until morning was the only option.
Jason abandoned the idea of knocking on more doors and returned to the empty space where they had started, sitting in a corner to bask in the moonlight, waiting for Martin and Emily to return from their separate endeavors.
Not long after, Martin returned with a dejected look on his face.
Like Jason, he had knocked on multiple doors but had come back empty-handed.
Emily finally appeared, but she had something extra in her hands—a dark, steamed bun.
She hadn't gone knocking on doors like the others; instead, she pitifully called out under a few rear windows, "Uncle, auntie, I'm hungry.
Can I have some food?" Listening to the young girl's plea, a family actually threw this bun to her through the window.
Emily handed the steamed bun to Jason, but he pushed it back directly, saying, "You eat it.
We'll figure something out after daybreak.
Martin and I won't go hungry.
" Seeing Jason's firm attitude, Emily hesitated after sniffing the steamed bun, then decided to put it in her pocket.
Robert Wealthy staggered to the east end of the village, feeling extremely hungry and desperate, his eyes almost turning green.
"If I starve to death here carrying a g*n, that would be a disgrace beyond belief.
" After knocking on several doors with no response, realizing diplomacy was futile, he felt compelled to resort to force.
Choosing the least sturdy-looking door, he raised his foot and kicked it open, storming in with a machine g*n in hand.
The small house was pitch black, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
Fearful of being ambushed, Robert Wealthy took two steps inside and quickly halted, gesturing into the darkness with his g*n.
"Is there anyone here? Turn on the lights now, or I'll riddle this place with bullets! If you don't turn on the lights soon, I'll really start shooting!" The dim, flickering light illuminated the room as a child of around ten years old anxiously moved away from the lamp and nestled into the arms of his grandmother who was curled up on the heated brick bed.
Phew—Robert Wealthy breathed a sigh of relief seeing the elderly and the child.
Feeling reassured, he surveyed the room under the dim light, ignoring the pair on the bed, and began rummaging through cabinets and chests in search of food.
With a clatter and clink, he rummaged through everything haphazardly, but to his dismay, he found absolutely nothing.
What a disappointment! With his tall body heaving in the room, Robert Wealthy caught his breath for a moment, his eyes scanning around.
He started searching again.
"Grandma, not a single bite to eat? Impossible! You must have hidden it," he thought.
This time, he didn't search through cabinets and pots, but focused on every nook and cranny, occasionally tapping on the walls.
Heaven does not disappoint those who work hard, and finally, he managed to pull out half a bag of flour.
Robert Wealthy was immersed in the happiness and joy, but a deep sigh came from the bed.
"If you're still human, then go ahead and kill this lonely old woman and this child!""I'm just trying to make a living, why would I kill you guys?" "My son died, and it's just me, a lonely old woman, raising this child.
Look at the situation outside, what season is it? What's the difference between taking the food and killing us, mother and daughter? I beg you to do a good deed, kill us now to spare us from suffering.
I'm begging you as an old woman, if you have any conscience, if you are also a human being, kill us now!" The old lady spoke, trembling, and knelt on the bed facing Robert Wealthy.
The child beside her stared coldly at Robert Wealthy with wide eyes, not saying a word.
At that moment, Robert Wealthy felt that the bag in his hand was not a bag of flour, but a mountain, a heavy sensation that rendered him speechless.
This feeling wasn't because he pitied the old lady and the child, but because Robert Wealthy suddenly remembered his own mother.
"My mother starved to death.
I always ate a lot since I was young, and my mother never complained.
She always smiled as she watched me eat.
She wished she could squeeze the food out from between her teeth to feed me.
She always said she wasn't hungry.
When my mother died, her body was as light as a feather, and when I held her emaciated body, I could only feel bones, poking my chest, causing me pain for a lifetime.
My mother never complained about me.
My mother was never hungry.
My mother always said she had eaten.
.
.
" Robert Wealthy stood back in the moonlight.
He didn't dare to pick up the half bag of flour.
Robert Wealthy was tall and strong, but the bag of rice was even heavier.
He couldn't lift it, feeling a pain in his chest.
In the Song village, while there are many poor people, there is also a wealthy household known as Samuel Fields.
With plenty of fields and land, though not as wealthy as the major landlords, they have achieved some success.
At least their walls are high and thick, their main gate is spacious and bright, they have three to five laborers, and even hired a guard for their estate.
The guard, named Simon Bright, is of unknown origin, and he happened to wander into the Song village.
Because he carried a g*n on him, he caught the eye of Samuel Fields and became the guard, also serving as the only armed presence in this small area of Song village.
In the dead of night, there came a loud banging on the door, making Samuel Fields's heart pound with fear.
Lately, there have been disturbances from vampires, resistance fighters, and mountain bandits, threatening to turn everything into chaos.
Who could this be at such a late hour? Samuel quickly called for Simon Bright to go and check the situation.
Through the c***k in the door, under the moonlight, stood a tall and burly figure, seemingly holding a machine g*n and demanding food.
Clearly not a vampire in tattered clothes, most likely a bandit.
After carefully observing the surroundings for a while, it seemed he was the only one out there.
With a clearer picture in mind, Simon Bright returned to the house and informed Samuel Fields of the situation.
"There seems to be only one person out there, probably a mountain bandit, as he is carrying a machine g*n.
" Samuel Fields was busy packing up valuables with his wife, preparing to slip out the back door in case of emergency.
Upon hearing Simon Bright's words, he calmed down a bit and stopped what he was doing, asking, "Just one person? Are you sure?" "Sure.
" "Phew.
.
.
That's a relief.
No need to rush off.
What does he want?" "He wants food.
" "Then quickly send him away!" "Sir, I'm worried he might be trying to deceive us into opening the door.
" Upon reflection, Samuel Fields realized that it didn't make sense for someone to come demanding food with a g*n in the dead of night.
Nonsense.
He then instructed, "Wake up a few of the laborers to help out.
Light up the yard, and keep an eye on all sides of the courtyard.
" Simon Bright took the orders and went out to make arrangements.
Robert Wealthy shouted outside the gate for a while without any response, his throat getting dry from exhaustion.
Suddenly, he noticed the yard lighting up, with lanterns hung on the walls inside.
What was going on? Was it a festival? Shortly after, he heard someone inside the gate shouting, "Outside, listen up.
We have no food here.
It's late, so you better go find something elsewhere.
" "Damn, look at how tall your gate is.
If you had no food, this Song family village would have starved to death ages ago.
If you don't give us food today, I'll start shooting! Look closely, I have a machine g*n in my hands! Do you understand what a machine g*n is? It can sweep through a large area, you know!" Simon Bright pulled out a rare M1911 pistol from his pocket.
He aimed through the narrow gap of the door at the big figure outside, who was moving back and forth.
In the dim light, he barely found an opportunity and pulled the trigger.
Crack—The crisp sound of a gunshot rang out in the moonlit night, echoing through the Song family village.
- Writer
