The flowers bloom and fall, and it has been six years of cold and summer in the blink of an eye.

Jiudao Villa is still Jiudao Villa, every day there are different people waiting to walk through the majestic archway, in and out of the Zhuangzi, the mysterious mine behind the Zhuangzi, like a fierce beast with a big mouth of blood, is devouring the lives of those thin and humble digging slaves all the time.

But these do not affect the reputation of Jiudao Villa, since those people are slaves bought by the villa with money, then their lives belong to the villa, and all their strength should be used for the prosperity of the villa, which is a matter of course, so for so many years, no one has ever questioned this practice, and no one will jump out and say a word of justice for those poor slaves.

Never.

This year's spring came very early, the green grass had sprouted small yellow buds in the brown soil, the thin ice floe on the lake had melted away a few days ago, and the clear water of the lake was blowing in the spring breeze and slowly spread to the entire lake.

It is the season of walking, but unfortunately there are no half-pairs of lovers chattering under the tender green willow, only a thin girl squatting by the lake, struggling to scrub a large pile of coarse cloth clothes splashed with mud.

Her frozen red fingertips were covered with tiny cracks, blood leaking out of her movements, and in the mud-stained water, her slender and clear eyebrows frowned from time to time, forcibly enduring the pain that came from her hands from time to time.

Cold, hungry and painful...... The girl sniffled, and a few round tears fell on the dirty, muddy dress in her hand.

"Xiaolan, have you had breakfast? I have two steamed buns here, you eat them and wash them. ”

A deep voice sounded behind her, and the girl swallowed, and she smelled a sweet smell.

"Xiong Chen, what are you doing here early in the morning, be careful of being found by the housekeeper and take a good beating! I got up early in the morning and drank a bowl of well water, and I was not hungry. ”

Xiao Lan, who was wearing a white cyan coarse cloth dress, turned her head, wiped the water splashed on her forehead with the back of her hand, and whispered to Xiong Chen, who looked more than a head taller than herself.

Xiong Chen couldn't help but say, pulled Xiao Lan to sit down on the big rock next to the weeping willow tree by the lake, and covered her cold little hands in his big hands: "Xiao Lan, I heard Lao Liu say that I beat you to the housekeeper yesterday, didn't you?"

His hand was so warm! Xiao Lan pulled her hand out a little shyly, but Xiong Chen clenched it so tightly that she didn't have the strength to break free at all.

"Hmm...... It's not in the way, I'm used to it, Sister Chun Tao gave me medicine last night, and it will be fine in two days. ”

"Where's the injury? Let me see...... You...... I"

Xiao Lan's face was as red as a peach, she shook off Xiong Chen's hand vigorously, turned her back to him and looked at the lake, and said sullenly, "You...... I said it won't get in the way, you don't have to worry about it. ”

Xiong Chen's chest rose and fell a few times, and his angular face was full of heartache and resentment.

"Xiaolan, I'...... Just worried about you. ”

"Huh?"

"Xiaolan, I ......"

Xiong Chen was a little at a loss, his hand froze half an inch away from Xiao Lan's back, and he wanted to caress it, but he didn't dare.

He was seventeen years old this year, and although he did not have enough food and nutrition every day, his body still flourished according to the laws of nature, and he was already eight feet tall when he stood up, and he became a young man of great stature.

The seventeen-year-old young man is in the early years of love, although he is a lowly slave, but this instinctive emotion is still irrepressibly expressed in front of the girl he likes.

Xiao Lan suddenly turned her head, smiled at him, and said softly, "Brother Xiong Chen, I know...... You treat me well, okay, don't be stunned like this, my injury is on the back, this can't be shown to you, I have been drugged last night, and the pain will not get in the way for a few days, you frown, sit down and talk to me for a while, okay?"

Xiong Chen scratched his head, his eyes stayed on Xiao Lan's pale and thin cheeks, and he said in a dumb voice: "Okay, tonight, you have to remember to call Sister Chun Tao to give you medicine." ”

Xiao Lan pouted at him, and then looked back at the sparkling lake.

Xiong Chen smiled innocently, and also looked at the wide water with Xiao Lan.

In the past three years, he was arranged to carry soil in the mine behind the villa, and every day when the rooster crowed, he was driven out of bed with a stick from the housekeeper, and he was not allowed to return to the residence in the west chamber until the sun went down, and last night when he dragged his weak legs back to the narrow hut where more than 30 people lived, Xiangzi, who had broken his leg two days earlier and could not enter the mountain, whispered in his ear the news that Xiaolan had been beaten up by the housekeeper.

At that moment, his fists clenched and gurgled, and he rushed out of the hut and ran towards the east wing where the slave girl lived, but before he could run two steps, he had already been whipped back by the butler with a leather whip.

At that moment, he impulsively snatched the leather whip from the butler, kicked the fat pig to the ground, and then, raising the leather whip, whipped it down hard...... But this was just his imagination, and he finally bit his lip, held his head, and returned to the west chamber under the whip of the butler.

He showed weakness, not because of timidity, but for fear that he would provoke the sniping of the villa on impulse, and in that case, he would never be able to take care of Xiaolan again.

Xiao Lan's thin and pale face flushed with a faint flush, and she said in a low voice: "Brother Xiong Chen, why are you here here? Don't you have to go into the mountain today?"

She is fourteen years old, and although she has not grown in size, she also has a graceful state, especially after her menarche last month, facing Brother Xiong Chen, who has been secretly protecting her for eight years, for some reason there is always a strange feeling in her heart.

Xiong Chen was silent for a while, and suddenly said, "Xiaolan, your hands are so cold." ”

Xiao Lanwang took a breath in the palm of his hand, rubbed it a few times, and said with a smile: "I'm washing clothes, of course my hands are cold, well, I'm fine, you don't have a face, don't you have to go into the mountain today?"

Xiong Chen shook his head with a gloomy face, and said in a low voice: "Yesterday, the mine collapsed, burying dozens of people, and the owner was afraid that the entire mine would collapse if he dug any more, so he was kind and let us rest for a few days." ”

He took out an oiled paper bag from his arms, handed it to Xiao Lan, and said, "Eat quickly, they said that you were punished last night, and you didn't even have to drink gruel." ”

Xiao Lan looked at the two snow-white steamed buns in Xiong Chen's hand, swallowed her saliva, and wondered: "Today is not the day to send steamed buns, where did this steamed buns come from?"

Xiong Chen smiled, picked up a steamed bun that was still a little hot and put it in Xiao Lan's hand, and said, "I secretly took it when Lao Zhang's head was in the toilet in the room." ”

Xiao Lan gasped, looked left and right with the steamed buns, and said in a low voice: "You stole it?"

Xiong Chen looked smug and said with a smile: "Don't be afraid, Lao Zhangtou has a good heart, he knows that I am looking out of the window, and deliberately let me go in to get it, eat it quickly, it won't taste good if it's cold." ”

Xiao Lan was really hungry, and when she saw what Xiong Chen said, she put her mind at ease and said, "Brother Xiong Chen, it's enough for me to eat one, you eat this, you do hard work, you have to eat more." After saying that, he put the steamed bun in his mouth.

Xiong Chen just watched her eat, and when she finished eating, he handed over another steamed bun and said, "You have also eaten this, I have already eaten it." ”

Xiao Lan took the steamed bun and looked at Xiong Chen's sallow face suspiciously, Xiong Chen raised his eyebrows and smiled at her.

"Eat!"

Xiao Lan licked the corners of her mouth, the taste of steamed buns was really good, she remembered that the last time she ate steamed buns was the fifteenth of last month, the fifth lady of the owner of the village gave birth to a little son, the owner of the village was half a hundred years old and added a son, she was happy, and she sent two white-flour steamed buns and a red egg to the people in the village.