The summer of Dao Calendar 3933 was even hotter than in years past.
The wind blowing head-on felt as though it had rolled through a steamer hundreds of times.
Sweat left salt on his face.
Old Quan licked his cracked lips dryly, and the salty taste made him vaguely think it was tears.
He pushed a wheelbarrow slowly along the Official Path. The sun spread his shadow into a pitiful flatbread.
A little girl with her hair in twin buns walked atop that uneatable bread.
Bundles were piled on the left side of the wheelbarrow, and a listless Old Yellow Dog lay on the right.
Luckily, the Official Path was still level. After months of being tossed about by hardship, he had gained a bit of strength for suffering.
"You can barely walk yourself, yet you're pushing a dog along. You treasure that dog more than people." Passing travelers pointed and commented.
Old Quan habitually smiled at everyone he met. "This old dog's about to die of old age."
The passersby who had lingered to point had already gone far down the branching path.
He still habitually added an explanation: "Letting it rest its feet."
Living was too exhausting!
Old Yellow Dog could not even be bothered to roll its eyes anymore.
"Nier. Are you tired?" Old Quan turned back again and asked with a smile, "Want to climb up and rest your feet?"
Nier glanced at him, then continued stepping on his shadow.
Nier was probably mute, though Old Quan could not remember clearly. His job had only been to greet patrons in the front hall; teaching the girls was not his responsibility, nor had he had many chances to interact with them.
In any case, he had never heard Nier speak, nor did he know Nier's name.
The