Fangzheng and Ji Xiang nodded. Ji Han smiled happily and continued running forward.
Fangzheng hurriedly followed.
Ji Han ran very fast. In the beginning, Fangzheng didn't understand why he was running so desperately. When Fangzheng chased after him, he realized that Ji Han had run over and cleared the path ahead of time. He had flattened the weeds and cleared a path for the shrubs …
Fangzheng really couldn't imagine how such a small body could have so much strength. While feeling touched, he increasingly felt that he didn't have enough money in his pocket …
As for the bag of money, Fangzheng instinctively didn't dare touch it. He had a nagging feeling that the money had other uses.
Just as Ji Han had said, it took them nearly two hours to cross the second mountain. Standing at the top of the mountain, they could already see the lights at the foot of the mountain. However, there weren't many lights. There were only a few scattered spots. Instead, there was a huge flame burning in the middle of the village, illuminating the small square in the middle.
Along the way, Ji Xiang became familiar with Fangzheng, and the little girl became a lot more talkative.
Ji Xiang explained, "Although our village has electricity, it's too expensive. Most people don't use it. Only when there are guests, during the holidays, or when there are children studying at home, will the lights be switched on. Usually, everyone will gather firewood and pile it together. At night, we will light a huge bonfire and chat around it. "
A bonfire was something to be happy about for most people.
Fangzheng also liked bonfire parties, but at that moment, for some reason, he felt a little sad.
How poor were they to be unwilling to use electricity? Did they want to return to ancient society from modern society?
Without giving Fangzheng much time to think, Ji Han was already shouting. Fangzheng quickly quickened his pace.
Although going up the mountain was tiring, going down the mountain was even more difficult. This was because there were no steps to walk on. One could only rely on one's own balance. Furthermore, it was dark. Even a little monkey like Ji Han fell a few times. However, Ji Han was very sturdy. He acted as though nothing had happened to him, and he wasn't injured. After watching a few times, Fangzheng understood that most of the time, Ji Han had deliberately fallen. Furthermore, the way he fell was very particular. He wouldn't injure himself and avoid dangerous spots.
However, Fangzheng knew that this was definitely the result of thousands of times of falling. If the path was easy, who would be willing to have such an ability?
Shaking his head, Fangzheng slowed down and took care of Ji Xiang, who was behind him. He didn't want her to fall miserably …
Although going down the mountain was difficult, the speed was much faster than going up. In about an hour, the three of them arrived at the foot of the mountain and could see the Tuyao Fort.
Upon seeing this, Ji Han and Ji Xiang let out a victorious cheer. Fangzheng also smiled.
However, Fangzheng knew that it was time to settle the bill.
Therefore, Fangzheng found Ji Han and asked, "Ji Han, how much should I give you?"
When Ji Han heard that, his smile froze. Then, he became shy. Obviously, he was a little money-grubber, but when it came to making money, the simplicity in his bones made him embarrassed to ask.
Fangzheng encouraged him. "You earned it with your own abilities. You can take it with a clear conscience. How much do you think you should earn this time? "
When Ji Han heard that, his eyes lit up.
By the side, Ji Xiang bit her lip in excitement. She tugged at the corner of Ji Han's shirt with her tiny hand, as though she was saying, "Ask for less …"
Fangzheng looked at the simple siblings and really didn't know how much to give. Therefore, he got Ji Han to say that as long as Fangzheng had it, he would definitely give it to him.
In the end, Ji Han stretched out a hand and raised three fingers. He said, "30, is that okay?"
Fangzheng asked reflexively, "How much?"
Ji Han thought that it was too much, so Ji Xiang hurriedly pulled him back. The young lady was so anxious that she was about to cry. Ji Han hurriedly said, "Less is fine … Twenty is fine too."
Fangzheng looked at Ji Xiang, who was about to cry, and then at the flustered Ji Han. Thinking back to how busy Ji Han had been along the way, Fangzheng sighed, took out his wallet, and took out all the money inside. Fangzheng didn't know how much there was, but from the thickness, it was about a thousand yuan.
Fangzheng grabbed Ji Han's hand and said, "This is what you deserve. Remember, you earn a living with your abilities. Your dedicated service is priceless! Never underestimate yourself. You're very valuable! "
After Fangzheng said that, he patted the two children on the head. At that instant, Fangzheng saw Ji Han and Ji Xiang's tears fall. Ji Han's hand that was holding the money kept trembling. However, Fangzheng knew that he wasn't trembling because of the money, but because of respect!
"Plop!" Before Fangzheng could react, Ji Han suddenly knelt down and kowtowed to Fangzheng.
Fangzheng hurriedly moved aside and said, "What are you doing?"
Ji Han said, "Thank you, Brother Chang. It's not for the money … I can't say, but I know I should thank you."
Ji Xiang also said, "Brother Chang, take the money back. What you just said is more important than money."
Fangzheng was taken aback for a moment before he hurriedly helped the two children up. He smiled and said, "The money is from your labor, and the words are for you. We haven't arrived at Tuyao Fort yet. Your work isn't done yet. Aren't you going to lead the way? "
Ji Han and Ji Xiang immediately laughed when they heard that.
Ji Xiang suddenly turned into a flying bird and ran forward with a string of laughter. As she ran, she said, "Welcome to Tuyao Fort … Heh heh …"
Ji Han scratched his head in a daze and looked at the money in his hand. He smiled foolishly and said, "Brother Chang, I feel like I'm dreaming. I'm in a trance … Can you pinch me?"
Fangzheng pinched his face, and Ji Han said with a sobbing tone, "It doesn't hurt … It's over. It's really a dream …"
Fangzheng immediately laughed out loud. He raised his hand and slapped the back of Ji Han's head. Ji Han gritted his teeth in pain, but he laughed even more happily. "It hurts … It's not a dream. Haha …"
When Ji Han was done laughing, Fangzheng asked, "Ji Han, why do you want thirty yuan?"
Ji Han didn't ask for much, but Fangzheng had a nagging feeling that there was something fishy going on.
Ji Han looked at Ji Xiang, who was running happily in front of him, and whispered, "The day after tomorrow is Ji Xiang's birthday. I want to buy her a cake. I've already seen it. There's a cake shop in the county city that makes beautiful cakes. They have a small fruit cake that only costs twenty yuan. I'll use the remaining ten yuan for the ride. Brother Chang, you might not know, but my sister loves cakes. Last year, Uncle Iron's sister celebrated her birthday. Her brother came back from overseas and bought her a cake the size of two palms. There were candles on it, and it was beautiful when it was lit. Back then, Uncle Iron gave us a small piece. That taste … Hmm … "
Ji Han looked intoxicated before he waved his hand and said, "My sister told me when she returned home that it would be great if she could have such a birthday. From that day onwards, I've been thinking about how to earn money. However, the money I earn is too little. It's barely enough for us to live and my sister's tuition fees. It's really too difficult to earn too much … "
Fangzheng's heart palpitated when he heard that. He asked, "You earn money to support your family? What about your family? "
Fangzheng remembered that the siblings always talked about their mother. Could it be?
Upon asking this, Ji Han's cheerful face instantly froze. Then, his eyes turned moist as he turned his head away, as though he didn't want Fangzheng to see him cry. He tried his best to use a voice that he thought was cheerful as he said, "My dad went out to work in the early years and never came back. My mom was seriously ill the year before last. The villagers carried her out, but she passed away before they could leave the mountain. "
Fangzheng stroked Ji Han's head and said, "I'm sorry."
Ji Han shook his head and said, "It's fine. Let's go. The village is up ahead."
With that said, Ji Han ran off. Fangzheng knew that he didn't want Fangzheng to see him cry. He was a strong and prideful boy. He didn't want others to see his weak side.
Tuyao Fort was far smaller than Fangzheng had imagined. There were only about a hundred people in the village, and most of them were elderly, women, and children.
Fangzheng's arrival was like the entire village had come to a zoo. However, Fangzheng was the only monkey in the zoo. Everyone sized up this outsider curiously. However, the people of Tuyao Fort were very warm. They didn't reject Fangzheng and instead greeted him.
Thankfully, Fangzheng was proficient in all kinds of languages. He could easily respond to their dialects.
"You know how to speak Lahu?" An old man asked in surprise, "Are you from the Lahu race?"
Fangzheng shook his head and said, "I can speak, but I can't write."
The moment that was said, the elderly, women, and children around him laughed.
The old man said, "If you don't know how to write, I don't know how to write either." Then, the old man laughed again …
Fangzheng was dumbfounded. He had no idea what the other party was laughing at.
At this moment, Ji Xiang came over and whispered, "Although our Lahu race has our own language, we don't have our own written language. We can speak, but no one knows how to write. "
Fangzheng was instantly speechless. "…"
"Alright, fellow villagers, our village has a guest. Where's the music? Where's the dance? "The old man spread his arms and said straightforwardly.
When everyone heard that, they responded one after another. Then, they dispersed, leaving Fangzheng alone.
Fangzheng rubbed his nose and looked around. He thought to himself, "The Lahu race's hospitality is really warm … There's no one here …"
Fangzheng didn't walk around randomly. Instead, he sat by the bonfire and pondered over what to do next.
Just as Fangzheng was pondering over it, he heard footsteps around him. He saw that the villagers who had just sat there had changed into the Lahu race's ethnic attire. The men were dressed in black shirts, while the women were dressed in long black dresses. There were silver ornaments hanging from their hands. The long dresses accentuated the woman's graceful figure, making her look extremely beautiful.
Even the women looked much younger when they wore these clothes. All of them were full of energy. Standing there, Fangzheng felt like he was looking at fashion models.
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