Chapter 181

Along the way to the south, Xiaotian had to rely on his own feet most of the time. Although his shoes had worn out a few pairs, he had also trained his leg strength. As a result, he had seriously underestimated the speed of carrying a delicate and timid young woman and a four-year-old child.

Although he became impatient towards the end and carried Le Yao on his back, he still could not speed up with Xue Shuiwu accompanying him. Ye Xiaotian wanted to give her a hand but Xue Shuiwu refused to accept it with the reason that men and women should not touch each other.

Ye Xiaotian had no choice but to pick up a tree branch for her to use as a walking stick. This only reduced her pain but did not increase their speed by much. By the time the three of them reached the official road to the west of Jingzhou, it was almost dusk.

Ye Xiaotian said, "Let's find a place to rest for the night and continue the journey tomorrow."

Although Xue Shuiwu's body was as weak as a blade of grass, her personality was as tenacious as a blade of grass. Her feet were already blistered, but she didn't dare to say anything. She was afraid that she would be a burden to the rest of the journey, so she gritted her teeth and endured the pain. Hearing Ye Xiaotian's words, she let out a sigh of relief.

This was still within the boundaries of Jingzhou. Ye Xiaotian did not dare to stay with the villagers. In this era, there was very little movement of people. As long as a family in a village had a guest, it would not take long for the whole village to know. If the Yang family sent someone to visit, it would reveal his whereabouts.

Therefore, Ye Xiaotian did not enter the village. With the help of the dusky sunset, he looked around and saw a dilapidated Earth Temple by the paddy field outside the village entrance. From the dilapidated appearance, it did not look like there was any incense burning. Moreover, there was no one at the village entrance. He said, "Let's go there and rest."

The Earth Temple was not big. The mountain gate had long been torn down by someone to be used as firewood. There was only a hollow door. The Earth Lord's clay body was watered by the rain from the dilapidated roof of the temple. It was as if it had melted and could no longer be seen.

There must have been a temple attendant in the past but now he was nowhere to be found. Ye Xiaotian went inside and searched around. He found a makeshift bed that was still intact and the stove was still there. However, the pot on it was broken and only half of it was left. Fortunately, it was not taken away by the villagers.

Ye Xiaotian heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Alright, let's rest here tonight. You two can sleep on the couch and I will sleep on the altar for the night." He pressed the altar hard. The altar was made of mud and stone and was built in front of the deity statue. It was very strong and could support a person's weight.

Le Yao had long become familiar with Ye Xiaotian as he carried her on his back. She just got down from Ye Xiaotian of his back and she of the road. of the two. Ye Xiaotian was carrying her. As soon as she got off Ye Xiaotian's back, she said coquettishly, "Big Brother, I'm hungry."

She was not the only one who was hungry. Ye Xiaotian was also so hungry that his chest was sticking to his back. Xue Shuiwu didn't say that she was hungry but her stomach growled a few times. The shy little woman couldn't help but blush.

Ye Xiaotian said, "You two stay in the temple. Don't go out lest someone sees you. I will go to the village to get something to eat."

"Ok!"

The two women, one big and one small, nodded at the same time. Their expressions and actions were exactly the same.

… …

The sun, under the ardent expectation of Xue Shuiwu and her daughter, sank little by little to the end of the mountain. The last ray of sunlight also disappeared. The moon quietly climbed up while they were waiting anxiously. Le Yao snuggled in her mother's arms with her stomach rumbling. Her eyes that were full of hope gradually dimmed.

The sky was completely dark. Le Yao weakly raised her little face. She worriedly said to Xue Shuiwu, "Does Da Gege not want us anymore? Why hasn't he come back yet?"

Xue Shuiwu opened her mouth but didn't say anything. She just gently hugged her daughter tightly and put her face on hers. She looked at the dark night outside the temple. In addition to helplessness and sadness, there was also a touch of inexplicable melancholy in her eyes.

"I'm back. Where are you?"

A figure sneaked into the Earth Temple and whispered to him.

"It's Da Gege!"

Le Yao jumped up. Her eyes were shining like a puppy who saw a meat bun. She happily rushed to the figure. Xue Shuiwu also stood up excitedly. She rushed forward two steps and then suddenly stopped. However, her uneasy heart suddenly calmed down.

The firewood and firewood to start the fire could be found anywhere. The stove was ready-made. As for the pot, they had to use the broken half of the pot. They tilted it over and used it. Fortunately, the pot was big enough to stew food. There was a paddy field next to the paddy field. There was a canal beside the paddy field. The clear water could be used directly. So, a fat goose was shed and put into the pot.

In order to cook the meat as soon as possible, Ye Xiaotian opened the bag that contained the clothes. He soaked the clothes and put them on the broken pot as a lid. The fragrance of the meat finally drifted out. The three of them squatted by the stove. Although only Le Yao swallowed her saliva openly, Ye Xiaotian and Xue Shuiwu's eyes never left the pot.

Hearing Le Yao's stomach growling from time to time, Ye Xiaotian couldn't help but say, "Yaoyao, if you are too hungry, eat a piece of sweet potato first."

On the way back, Ye Xiaotian dug a few pieces of sweet potato. They were crispy and sweet after washing, but the three of them didn't eat much.

"Oh!"

Le Yao answered. She swallowed hard and looked at the pot eagerly. "Brother, when will the meat be cooked? I haven't eaten meat for a long time."

Hearing this, Ye Xiaotian's heart trembled slightly, like a zither string being plucked by the wind. Xue Shuiwu tucked her daughter's hair behind her ear with pity. She said softly, "The fragrance is coming out. The meat is almost cooked."

"Oh!"

Le Yao's hand had already taken out a piece of sweet potato. Hearing this, she put it back. Seeing her cute appearance, Ye Xiaotian and Xue Shuiwu couldn't help but look at each other and smile. Just by looking at each other, Ye Xiaotian's eyes couldn't help but become a little infatuated.

Seeing Ye Xiaotian's undisguised burning gaze, Xue Shuiwu hurriedly lowered her head. The firelight reflected on her slightly pale face. At this time, with the red firelight, she looked a little charming. Gradually, under the gaze of Ye Xiaotian, her face became redder and redder. She looked like the legendary little fox fairy.

The night was abnormally quiet. It was dark everywhere. Only the jumping firelight in front of them could be seen. From time to time, the dry wood under the stove made a "click" sound, which made the surroundings even more quiet.

Ye Xiaotian's burning gaze was extremely aggressive. His undisguised appreciation made Xue Shuiwu slightly annoyed. She suddenly stood up and pretended to tidy up the bed. Then she walked to the brick bed in the room next door.

Ye Xiaotian tried to withdraw his gaze from her slender waist. He saw Le Yao looking at him curiously. Her lacquer like eyes were pure to the extreme.

Although Ye Xiaotian knew that she was too young to understand the naked desire in his eyes when he stared at her mother, he still couldn't help but blush. Only when there are two people can they do it. When there are many people, they can only think about it. There is a difference between being thick-skinned and being shameless.

"Ahem! I was just thinking of a poem. Shuiwu, do you know how to write poems? "Ye Xiaotian could only embarrassedly interrupt.

Le Yao hugged her small skirt. She tilted her head and thought carefully. Then she shook her head: "No, Mother said that she would teach me poems when I grow up. But I know a lot of stories. A lot of them. Mother told me. Does Brother want to listen?"

Ye Xiaotian touched her head and smiled: "Okay, I'll listen to your stories later. Do you want to listen to my poems?"

Xue Shuiwu bent over and seemed to be arranging her clothes. She didn't seem to hear what they were talking about. But her movements clearly slowed down and her face slightly turned.

Ye Xiaotian coughed and said slowly: "Goose, goose, goose. Cut the neck with a knife. Pluck the feathers with a ladle of water. Light the fire and cover the pot!"

Xue Shuiwu couldn't help but laugh. Then she quickly held it back. But with the reflection of the fire, her shoulders could still be faintly seen shaking. Presumably, her face was red from holding it in.

Le Yao giggled and clapped her hands: "I heard this poem from Mother. It's not the same as what Brother said. But Brother said it better. Hee hee."

Xue Shuiwu held back her laughter and walked back. She said to Le Yao: "Brother is teasing you. This is at best a limerick. Well, don't show your front teeth when you smile. What did Mother tell you? Girls should not show their teeth when they smile. "

Le Yao quickly shut her mouth. Ye Xiaotian couldn't stand it and said: "She's still young. There's no need to be so particular."

Xue Shuiwu seriously said: "Rules should be set from a young age. If not, there will be no rules when one grows up."

Ye Xiaotian didn't think so and muttered to himself: "She's really from a big family. Even a concubine has so many rules."

The pot of goose meat was finally cooked. To be precise, it's only 80% done. But the three of them were so hungry that they couldn't wait for the meat to be cooked. The three of them washed their hands in the dark and switched hands with the hot goose meat. Their mouths didn't stop for a moment.

Although Xue Shuiwu was eating with her hands, she still paid attention to her appearance. Ye Xiaotian and the four-year-old Le Yao, on the other hand, were wolfing down their food without a care for their image. The goose was not small. Even though the three of them were hungry, they couldn't finish half of it.

After the meal, Ye Xiaotian let out a satisfied burp and said: "I'll heat up the rest of the meat tomorrow morning. I'll bring it along to eat on the road."

Xue Shuiwu looked at her daughter eating to her heart's content. She said worriedly: "She ate too much meat. She should drink some tea to dissolve the grease. This girl hasn't had enough meat. She better not get a stomachache."

Ye Xiaotian used a tree branch as a toothpick to pick his teeth and said: "Don't worry. It's not like we eat fish and meat every day. It's fine to eat once in a while."

"Mm!"

The conversation between the two of them was like a husband and wife talking about their child. But the two of them didn't notice it at all. Le Yao clapped her hands and smiled: "Brother is the best."