I changed the world.

Page 254

Yizhou is a large southwestern province of Zhao Kingdom, bordering Tibet Province. Historically, due to its inland location and rugged mountainous terrain, its economy has been less developed compared to coastal and inland provinces. Some cities and counties in the mountains still lack adequate road infrastructure, making it difficult for local residents to travel to large cities, as if they were disconnected from modern life.

Antai County is a small county located in the central and western part of Yizhou, with a population of only tens of thousands. It has never produced any great figures in history and is the kind of county that can only be found on a large-scale national map.

Anli Town is located in the western mountainous area of ​​Antai County. The entire town has only about a thousand households. According to family genealogies, most of them settled in the mountains hundreds of years ago to escape war, eventually forming the town. Most of the townspeople are related. Although technology has developed rapidly in recent decades, that's in comparison to large cities in the south. Here, even after decades, internet access is still limited, and telecommunications companies have no interest in building base stations across the mountains. As for satellite signals, compared to base stations, they are slow and expensive, and most local residents, except for a very few willing to try them, are unwilling to bear the cost. Time seems to have stood still here…

It was dinnertime, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys throughout the town. Children ran and played joyfully along the stone-paved streets. Occasionally, a house door would open, and the woman of the house would come out, calling loudly for her children to come home for dinner.

"Mad monk, mad monk, slovenly mad monk..." A children's rhyme drifted from the street corner at the town entrance. Several young children were waving willow branches and loudly mocking a hunched old monk walking ahead. Judging from the children's song, they were clearly quite familiar with it. They sang it over and over again, even making all sorts of funny faces. Following behind these children was a girl with pigtails and a snotty nose. She looked to be no more than four or five years old and was also singing the rhyme along with the older children.

The old monk was hunched over, carrying a reddish-brown gourd on his back. His bald head had some newly grown gray stubble, and his robes were tattered and riddled with tears, clearly unwashed for a long time, their original color unrecognizable. He wore patchwork shoes, the right toe worn through, exposing his toes. Even this appearance was far more presentable than that of a beggar in a big city.

The old monk ignored the taunts of the children behind him and continued walking silently, seemingly used to it. The children, however, grew tired of the constant jeers and their voices gradually subsided. Finally, one of the older children, as if remembering something, mustered his courage and approached, intending to use the willow branch in his hand to whip the old monk.

The children immediately followed suit, raising their willow branches to whip the group. Just then, the old monk seemed to grow angry. He, who had been silent all along, suddenly turned his head, his eyes wide, and he shouted in a low voice, raising his hand as if to rush towards the group of children and strike them!

The children screamed and turned to run away, dropping their willow branches on the ground. In no time, they disappeared around the corner of the street.

Only the little girl with pigtails, who was walking at the back, seemed to be frozen in fear because of her young age. She forgot to run away and stood there blankly, still holding her willow branch in her hand. When she saw the old monk approaching, she was filled with fear and didn't know what to do. Finally, her mouth trembled and she burst into tears.

The old monk walked up to the little girl, and seeing her crying so hard that snot bubbles were coming out of her nose, he slowly lowered his raised right hand. His previously fierce expression suddenly changed, and he smiled, reaching out to stroke the little girl's head before turning around and continuing on his way…