Chapter 78

After rushing through the night, the wind and snow gradually stopped. The east was turning white, and the first rays of the morning sun shone on the tens of thousands of peach trees in the Pinggu Sea of Peach Blossoms.

The soldiers in the outside world were like a tide. Jianghu and the marketplace were as quiet as cicadas in winter under the situation where everyone was on guard. However, the canyon hidden in the deep mountains and forests seemed to be isolated from the world. It was calm and there was no movement at all.

The stove next to it had been extinguished, and the temperature was slowly dropping.

While Xu Buling was in a daze, he heard the squeaking sound of the house opposite him. Light footsteps came from the house and stopped at the door. It seemed like someone was peeking at him through the crack of the door.

Xu Buling was too tired last night. Because there was no danger, he did not wake up. But a moment later, the door opened and a figure walked out.

Xu Buling held the hilt of his knife with his left hand and squinted his eyes. He saw a woman wearing a cotton dress and a braided hairpin. She was not an old woman and did not look very old. She had willowy eyebrows and phoenix eyes. Her lips were thin and delicate like cherry blossoms. Her cheeks looked weak and delicate like a willow in the wind. Her long black hair was simply coiled up on her head. She wore a dark blue blouse and a blue pleated skirt with white flowers. The fabric was rather old, and there were some signs of wear and tear from daily work. Although she did not have any makeup on, she looked very elegant and elegant. Her clothes were clean and tidy. Hmm … what a beautiful village girl!

It seemed that the saying of a phoenix born in the deep mountains was not a lie. From her footsteps and expression, Xu Buling could tell that she did not know martial arts, so he let his guard down and pretended to sleep. He wanted to wait for the little village girl to run away before leaving so as not to scare her. After all, he was only wearing pants and his body was covered with grass, making him look like a savage.

The little village girl was not tall. She hid a pair of scissors behind her back. She walked into the yard and carefully looked around. When she saw that the person who broke in last night was still there, her face turned pale and she quietly walked back.

After taking a few steps, she discovered the black dog lying in the kennel. It was unknown if it was dead or alive. A hint of anger appeared in the village girl's eyes. She lifted her skirt and slowly walked to the kitchen door. She picked up the black puppy and retreated backwards, afraid that she would wake up the robber lying in the pile of firewood.

Xu Buling did not open his eyes, but he heard her movements clearly. Chu Chu held her breath and did not move, waiting for her to leave.

When the little village girl retreated to the middle of the yard, she saw that the man lying in the woodpile was not even breathing, so she stopped. After carefully looking at him, she thought that he was dead. She took a wooden stick from under the eaves and carefully entered the kitchen. She squatted in front of the earthen stove and poked Xu Buling's leg with the wooden stick.

Xu Buring closed his eyes. He did not know how to deal with this situation. If he were to wake up, this lonely village girl would probably be scared to death. If she did not wake up …

The village girl squatted down and moved a little closer. She used a small wooden stick to poke it a few times.

"Hello?"

Her voice was light and her delicate throat was like a lark, but for some reason, it sounded a little childish.

Was she retarded?

She didn't look like one …

Xu Buling felt a little awkward. He did not want to scare her, so he left the money and left. But the little village girl was quite naive. After poking him for a while and seeing that he did not respond, she was so scared that she threw the wooden stick on the ground. She stood up and curled her hands in front of her chest, as if thinking of a solution.

Xu Buring hesitated for a moment. In order to reduce his threat, he prepared to take a weak breath and pretend to be seriously injured so that the other party wouldn't panic.

Unexpectedly, before he could pretend to be weak, the little village girl had already thought of a solution. She walked back to the yard and took a hoe from the corner of the house. She ran to the snow outside the fence and began to dig a hole.

It looked like she wanted to bury the dead man directly.

？？

Xu Buling's eyes were full of astonishment. He thought to himself, "She didn't even check to see if he was dead before burying him. This is too straightforward!"

It was obviously a little inappropriate to wait for a weak girl to dig a hole and then get up.

Xu Buling thought for a moment and coughed weakly, indicating that he was not dead yet.

The sound of coughing and throwing away the hoe came back. The little village girl's figure quickly appeared and she ran into the house in panic. But when she passed by the kitchen, she found that Xu Buling had already stood up weakly. He must have found her, so she turned around and ran out.

It seemed that she was not retarded …

Xu Buling secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly raised his hand and said in a weak voice, "Miss … I'm not a bad person … I know you were hiding in the cellar last night … I'm really sorry …"

This comfort was obviously very useful. After the little village girl heard it, she stopped and looked back weakly. After making sure that Xu Buling could not run anymore, she turned around and said,

"Who are you? Who told you to come here? Get out of here. "

His tone was very fierce, but his weak face and body made it difficult for others to feel any threat or imposing manner from him.

Xu Buling nodded and 'struggled' to get up with the support of the knife. He put on a white robe and took out a silver note and placed it on the stove. There was a hint of apology in his voice.

"I'm really sorry to disturb you. I rested here last night and made some food. This silver can be considered as compensation to Miss, please accept it. "

As he spoke, he walked out of the kitchen and out of the fence.

The little village girl's eyes were alert. She put the scissors behind her waist and waited until Xu Buling left the door before she moved and quickly ran into the kitchen. She looked around and a little anxiety appeared in her eyes. She ran out again with the silver note in her hand.

"Wait!"

Xu Buring stopped in his tracks and turned around with a smile on his face.

"You're welcome, miss. This bit of silver is nothing to me …"

Before he finished speaking, the little village girl looked a little annoyed and interrupted.

"If you eat all the rice, what will I eat then? What do I need silver for? "

？

Xu Buling was stunned. He looked at her for a while and then reacted.

That's right. Looking at this place, the little village girl probably didn't go out much. Even if she had silver, she wouldn't be able to spend it. There was obviously not much food left yesterday. The food of poor people was basically good. If they wasted even a little, it would be difficult for them to last until the next autumn harvest. He thought that the rice in the jar was a few months' worth of food. According to his appetite, he probably ate ten days' worth of food last night. He even ate the only meat he had …

"Uh …"

Xu Buling's expression froze and he looked at the black dog next to him.

The little village girl quickly moved and blocked the black dog. "It catches fish for me and needs to eat too. Without food, it will starve to death. What right do you have to eat my food?"

"…"

Xu Buling's expression was a little awkward. Based on the route he took last night, there was probably no one within a few dozen miles. There was no way to hunt either. What should he do?

They looked at each other and were in a stalemate.

After all, Xu Buling was in the wrong. He thought for a while and said, "How about … how about I go out and buy some food for you?"

The little village girl frowned. She hesitated and shook her head.

"No, it's too far. You won't come back if you go out. You're lying to me."

Xu Buling looked a little helpless. He spread his hands and said, "I'm a man of my word. I won't lie to you. I'll definitely come back if I go out. Do you want me to leave the sword here? "

The little village girl obviously didn't trust a stranger. She shook her head again. "I can't follow you. If you run away, what's the use of my sword? I have an axe to chop trees."

"…"

Xu Buling guessed that the little village girl had been away from social life for a long time. Her logic seemed to be different from others. He thought for a while and said with a smile,

"If I don't go out, I can't buy food. If I stay here, there will be two people eating your food. Won't it be faster?"

The little village girl stood in front of the kitchen and thought for a while. She raised her slender finger and pointed to the river in the distance.

"Catch enough fish for me for ten days. And thirteen pieces of firewood. If you can't find oil, salt, and wine, I'll change them to ten fish. You have to cut a new set of chopsticks for me. I don't want your used things."

？

Xu Buling blinked. He didn't expect the little village girl to be so calculative. Firewood and chopsticks were easy, but where was he going to catch fish in the middle of winter?

The little village girl saw Xu Buling's awkward expression. She pursed her lips and seemed to think of the current situation. She was afraid that Xu Buling would fly into a rage out of humiliation. She said,

"If you don't want to, then forget it. I won't argue with you. But after you go out, don't come back here again. And don't let outsiders come here."

A gentleman should be careful. Xu Buling ate her food. No one might know that he would go back on his word, but his virtue was obviously more important than a meal.

Xu Buling thought for a while. With Lu Baiming around, nothing would happen to Chu Chu and the others. Jiujiu was an expert in hiding. If she hid, even he couldn't find her. He was not in a hurry, so he nodded gently.

"I'll go to the river. Twenty fish should be enough, right?"

"I want big fish. Don't catch fry."

"Well … okay."

Xu Buling nodded and stepped over the fence. He turned back and said, "Do you have a fishing rod?"

"I don't have bait. Go dig earthworms yourself."

Xu Buling sighed and walked out of the neat sapling forest with his sword and saber.

The little village girl stood in the yard. Seeing Xu Buling walking further and further away, she shouted again, "You have to come back.

Don't lie. "

Xu Buling wore a helpless expression as he stabbed the Drunken Bamboo Saber into the ground along with its scabbard. He then took off the safe and sound token that his master had given him from his waist and hung it on it. With his sword in hand, he slowly walked away on the knee-high snow …