Chapter 970: Yearning Breath
At first, the village was filled with admiration for this touching emotion. Children imitated the galloping of horses and the leaping of toads in the streets. Old people sat under the old tree at the entrance of the village, telling this story full of warmth and fantasy over and over again, their faces full of yearning for the beautiful emotions in the world.
However, as time went by, the story gradually changed. Some villagers began to think that behind the story of the spirit horse and spirit toad, there might be great wealth or mysterious power hidden. Once this idea was born, it spread quickly in the village like weeds. The eyes of the originally simple and kind villagers began to have a hint of greed and calculation.
There was a scoundrel named Liu Er in the village who was idle all day. After hearing this story, he had a bad idea in his mind. He thought that if he could find the secret of the spirit colt turning into a spirit toad, he might be able to obtain inexhaustible treasures and live a life of wealth and glory from then on. So he began to ask around for the place where the spirit colt appeared, and often secretly observed their every move when the old woman and the spirit toad were not paying attention.
Late one night, Liu Er sneaked into the old woman's house under the moonlight. He tiptoed towards the toad, wanting to catch it and force it to tell him the so-called "secret". The toad sensed the danger and made a sharp cry. The old woman was awakened and saw Liu Er's actions. She shouted in horror: "What are you doing? Let go of my toad!" But Liu Er said viciously: "Old woman, don't get in the way! As long as you tell me the secret of the horse turning into a toad, I will let you go." The old woman hugged the toad tightly and refused to let go.
At this time, Xiaohu happened to pass by the old woman's door. Hearing the noise inside the house, he thought to himself that something was wrong and rushed in. Seeing the scene inside the house, Xiaohu was furious and rushed forward to wrestle with Liu Er. Although Liu Er was strong, Xiaohu was not afraid and tried his best to protect the old woman and the toad. After a fierce fight, Xiaohu finally subdued Liu Er. Liu Er fled in disgrace, and before leaving, he said viciously: "Just wait, this matter is not over!"
After this incident, the old woman and the toad were greatly frightened. Xiaohu looked at the old woman's pale face and the toad's frightened eyes, and felt guilty: "It's all my fault. I told everyone this story and brought trouble to you and the toad." The old woman shook her head and said, "Child, it's not your fault. It's the greed of human beings that's at work."
However, the matter did not end there. After Liu Er escaped, he became more and more angry. He was unwilling to see his plan fail, so he gathered a few hooligans who were also idle and planned to attack the old woman and the toad again. They discussed that if they still could not get the secret this time, they would burn down the old woman's house and let no one get any benefit.
On the other hand, after hearing about Liu Er's evil deeds, other villagers in the village did not choose to stand up to help the old woman and Xiaohu. Some people held a non-interventionist mentality, thinking that this was just a personal grudge between Liu Er and them; others secretly hoped that Liu Er could really find some treasure from the toad, and then they might be able to get a share of it. This indifferent and selfish attitude made Xiaohu feel extremely chilled.
Soon, Liu Er and his gangsters came to the old woman's house again. This time, they came prepared, holding weapons in their hands and looking fierce. The old woman was so scared when she saw them that she trembled all over, and the toad huddled tightly in her arms. Xiaohu stood in front of the old woman. Although he was a little scared, he still said firmly: "Don't think about hurting them again!" Liu Er sneered and said: "Xiaohu, if you know what's good for you, get out of the way quickly. I'm going to take this toad today!"
Just when the two sides were deadlocked, a noisy sound suddenly came from the village. It turned out that the elders of the village could not stand the evil deeds of Liu Er and others, so they called some righteous villagers to come to support Xiaohu. The elders looked at Liu Er and others and said sternly: "Liu Er, the bad things you have done have violated the rules and conscience of the village. The story of the spirit horse and the spirit toad is beautiful, but you want to destroy it with greed and violence. Aren't you afraid of retribution?"
Liu Er and the others were shocked by the elder's words and began to waver. At this time, a gangster whispered to Liu Er: "Brother, let's just forget it. With so many people around, we can't get any good results." Liu Er looked at the angry villagers around him and felt a little scared. In the end, he glared at Xiao Hu fiercely and left with the gangsters.
Although the storm has calmed down temporarily, Xiaohu is still worried. He realizes that just stopping it once cannot completely change the greed and selfishness of the villagers. He decides to find a way to make everyone understand that the truly precious thing is not wealth and power, but the true love that Lingju has for his mother.
Xiaohu found the village elder and discussed countermeasures with him. After thinking for a moment, the elder said: "Xiaohu, you are right. We must let the villagers realize the importance of kindness and true love again. I think we can hold a grand celebration in the village with the story of the spirit horse and the spirit toad as the theme, so that everyone can feel this beautiful emotion in a happy and peaceful atmosphere." Xiaohu thought this was a good idea, so he and the elder began to prepare for the celebration.
In the process of preparing for the celebration, Xiaohu and other villagers carefully decorated the village. They decorated the streets with flowers and ribbons, made exquisite models of spirit horses and spirit toads, and prepared various delicacies and programs. In this process, the relationship between the villagers gradually became harmonious. Everyone worked together for the celebration, and the previous indifference and selfishness gradually dissipated.
On the day of the celebration, the village was bustling with activity. The villagers all wore their best clothes and had smiles on their faces. Xiaohu stood in the village square, looking at the scene in front of him, with a lot of emotion in his heart. He knew that this celebration was not only to celebrate the story of the spirit horse and the spirit toad, but also to help the village regain the warmth and kindness that it had lost.
After the celebration began, the elder came on stage and told the story of the spirit horse and spirit toad. This time, he told it more vividly and affectionately. The villagers in the audience listened attentively. Many were moved by the true feelings in the story, with tears in their eyes. Then, the children performed wonderful programs. They expressed their respect for the spirit horse and spirit toad and their yearning for beautiful emotions through dance and songs.