"Huff huff huff!"
Mud paths flanked by wild grass sprouting new shoots were crowded on both sides; although they could escape natural disasters, they could not avoid "man-made" ones. They wilted into the mud, beaten down by wooden sticks, releasing a faint scent of fresh grass.
Six little boys brandishing tree branches ran from east to west, then from west back to east, stirring up clouds of dust and dirt along the way.
A group just happened to pass by, and Liang Qu casually stopped one of them.
Seeing a stranger enter the village and stop children, a farmer carrying manure paused to watch. He left quietly after noticing Liang Qu's official attire.
"Kid! Whenever someone in your village gets married or there's a fight, who does everyone turn to? Where does that person live?"
The boy flicked his grass-stained stick, glanced sideways at his companion hiding behind the corner of the wall, and remained silent.
"Hey!"