The world was dim, boundless dark clouds covering the sky, the earth barren, mountains shattered. Looking around, the ground was full of pits and hollows, no flowers or grass in sight, everything seemed so desolate, so lifeless.
On a land full of broken stones, two small figures were walking forward, their bodies swaying, as if they might collapse at any moment.
Leading the way was a skinny young boy, appearing twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in tattered clothes, filthy all over, hair like a bird's nest, barefoot, with bloodstained ankles that had long dried.
Behind him was a girl of seven or eight, ragged and dirty like the boy ahead. She held a withered flower in her hand, her head bowed, walking slowly, the distance between her and the boy constantly widening.
The boy stopped, turned, and looked at his sister, who was already ten zhang away from him, without speaking, just quietly watching her.
He waited until the girl approached him before turning to continue forward.
