Uttar Pradesh, South Asian subcontinent.
A skinny man with dark skin was pedaling an old bicycle on a muddy and broken dirt road.
And it was right on the rusty back seat of the bicycle.
A huge package more than half a person's height was teetering on the edge of a rope.
The skinny man was named Qiao Han, a landless farmer who had completely lost his ancestral land due to the coercion and inducement of the rich people in the village.
Being of a low caste, he was forced to leave the village where he was born and raised.
Go to a nearby city to find a job that can support the whole family.
Qiao Han is honest, but not stupid.
He knew from the beginning that he could not keep the land.
We can only try to get more monetary compensation from the rich.
Moreover, the low-caste Johan has long been accustomed to this feeling of powerlessness.
The only things he was worried about were his hardworking wife and young son at home.
Therefore, Qiao Han gave all the little compensation money to his wife to support the family, and embarked on the difficult road of working alone.
Today is the first week since Qiao Han left home.
He took a temporary leave and bought a large amount of expiring food from a large shopping mall at low prices, as well as the candies he promised to buy for his son and a silk scarf for his wife. Now he is on his way home.
Phew!
One of Qiao Han's feet was needed to maintain the overall balance of the automatic car.
I had to step into the muddy dirt road covered with cow dung.
He shook his head and smiled bitterly, and finally decided to get off the car and walk.
In fact, the village should have had a neat and solid cement road.
However, after the village chief's son bought a high-powered off-road vehicle, there has been no news of road construction funds from the state since then.
Not only the honest Qiao Han, but everyone in the village knows the inside story.
But in order to survive, they really have no good way to deal with it.
"Um?"
As time went by, Qiao Han, who was gradually approaching the village entrance, blinked suspiciously.
At this time in the past, Old Jiayi, who had been selling the specialty crispy balls at the entrance of the village, should have been the busiest person.
After all, a fried dough ball stuffed with chickpea paste and dipped in a variety of masalas is delicious, cheap, clean and hygienic...
George Han, who was lacking in oil and water in his stomach, swallowed subconsciously.
He took a deep breath and pushed the heavy bicycle forward.
Before long, he saw the merchandise counter that Old Jiayi had built with several large stones.
However, at this time, the glass box filled with fried dough balls on the homemade counter had already been shattered, and a large number of fried dough balls were scattered all over the ground, but only Old Jiayi and his loyal customers were nowhere to be seen.
"Did something happen in the village?"
George Han, with his eyes slightly widened, quickly stopped his bike.
He hurried to the front of the merchandise counter, squatted on the ground and took a closer look.
"These fried dough balls have been completely soaked by the rain. I remember that the rain started seven days ago and only stopped this morning..."
George Han slowly stood up and muttered to himself.
His expression gradually became serious and he wanted to turn around and leave.
As his eyes moved back and forth, he accidentally saw a sharp saw blade belonging to old Jiayi.
Old Jai was also of low caste.
According to the unspoken traditions and rules, people of lower castes are not allowed to use real knives.
Qiao Han lowered his head and thought for a while.
Then, he picked up the sharp saw blade without hesitation and put it behind his waist.
The existence of the merchandise counter is old Jai's destiny.
It is also his only source of income to support his family.
It was impossible for Old Jai to just sit there and do nothing while others trample on everything that belonged to him.
Therefore, something else must have happened in my village!
Fight? Riot? Or...
Squeak!
With a nervous expression, Johan quickly ran back to the bicycle.
He pushed his bicycle and rode into the village.
He needed to rush home as soon as possible to see if his wife and son were safe.
If something really happens in the village that we can't do anything about.
At worst, he could take his whole family to the city and sleep on the streets, so at least he could save his life.
Qiao Han pedaled the bicycle with all his strength, and flew through the messy streets of the village.
The villagers who used to come and go had long since disappeared, and even the annoying sounds of dog barking and cow mooing were no longer heard.
In order to conduct some verification, Qiao Han deliberately took a detour.
He quickly passed the road in front of the rows of mansions that the village chief and other wealthy people had occupied the land and built.
But there was still no sign of anyone showing up, only metal doors locked from the inside!
Boom!
Not long after, Johan, covered in sweat, finally returned to his old house.
At this moment, no sound came from this old ancestral house, which had experienced decades of wind and rain and was barely standing thanks to the repairs of the father's generation.
"Amir? Tina?"
Qiao Han was so flustered that he didn't even care about the food on the seat.
He shouted his son and wife's names several times towards the house, but received no response.
George Han, with sweat dripping from his forehead, took a deep breath and walked quickly to the door.
He pushed the door gently and found it was not locked.
Squeak——
As the door gradually opened, the faint light from the outside slowly shone into the dimly lit room.
Qiao Han cautiously looked around.
I found that the floor at the door and the furniture around it were very neatly arranged.
And it's all thanks to his wife Tina.
Although life at home was relatively poor.
But the two were not lazy, and they did not complain about their fate...
"Tina!"
At this moment, Johann, with his lips trembling slightly, suddenly saw his wife lying on the ground beside the bed.
He wanted to go forward and check whether the other person was dead or alive.
But human instinct still stopped him from making any movement.
Because the wife's current state did not look like a living person at all!
Moreover, her pale face with eyes wide open had a horrible smile on it, and her exposed hands and feet were covered with horrible herpes of various sizes, which kept oozing out extremely smelly green juice, and even her abdomen had swelled a lot.
And Qiao Han clearly knew that his wife was not pregnant again...
Is this some unknown disease?
Or is it the raging plague that the elders in the village talk about?
Qiao Han, who had just suffered a great blow, thought in great confusion.
"Amir?"
The next moment, Qiao Han, who was suppressing his inner grief, glanced inside the room again, and suddenly saw a short figure squatting facing the corner.
And that was the little back of his son Amir!
"Son! Don't be afraid! Dad is back, Tina...what happened to your mother? What happened in the village?"
In an instant, George Han was filled with worry and love for his son.
He finally overcame his worries about his wife's decaying body and some unknown disease.
He rushed into the room without hesitation, and then carefully moved towards his son who was squatting in the corner.
"Dad, you're back..."
"Mom is sick, we can't contact you, and the people in the village are afraid of getting sick and are not willing to help us..."
At this moment, Johan, who was completely worried about his son's safety, did not notice that Amir's voice was low and heavy, and even the basic tone and intonation did not change at all.
"I was very scared, anxious and sad. I wanted to pray to the gods in heaven for help as my mother once said... I didn't expect that the great gods would actually answer me!"
I heard my son's simple words without any intonation.
Qiao Han, who had just placed a few fingers on his son's shoulders, subconsciously felt his hair stand on end!
He was just about to say something.
At this moment, his son, who had been facing the corner, suddenly turned around and faced him.
"ah!"
Johan couldn't help but take a closer look and subconsciously took a few steps back, his whole body shaking all over!
In the arms of his son Amir, who was swollen and festering.
A terrifying Nurgling, only the size of a human head, with a green, pitted body covered with sticky liquid, was trying to stretch out a pair of slender hands towards Johan, and creepy laughter and indistinct whispers kept coming out of its slightly open bloody mouth!
"Hehe…"
"Dad, hug me--"
Thank you for your support!
(End of this chapter)