A few roosters crowed, the wooden door of a courtyard by the river creaked open, stretched out a small head, both hands picked up the crack of the door, on the white skin, a pair of smart phoenix eyes looked around, from the door to the left and right chicken pens, firewood room, and ran excitedly to the chicken coop.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine" she counted the number of chickens with one hand, grabbed a handful of rice with the other hand and sprinkled it in the chicken nest, a group of chickens went up in a nest, and was quickly pecked clean, she happily sprinkled a handful, and excitedly shouted "A-Niang, or nine"

A chubby woman carried a basket on her right arm, lit it again, and said with a smile: "The people who sell medicine in the West Market really didn't lie to me, this medicine can prevent demons."

took out a piece of baked cake from the basket and handed it over and said: "Xiao Shui, go and brush yesterday's bowl after eating, and then go to the mountains to cut some grass and come back, and when I sell this fox, we will eat delicious meat."

Xiaoshui lifted the cloth on the basket, and a red fox nested in the basket and was already dead, his limbs were slightly bent, and his fur was like blood. Soft like cotton. This is the red fox that stole the chickens to eat a few nights ago, and they drugged around the chicken pen, and the red fox smelled the smell and ate the poisonous meat and died directly.

Their village is surrounded by mountains, there are many jackals, tigers and leopards, and the little monsters who have become spirits often go down the mountain into the village to steal their chickens and bite the villagers, and the villagers gradually become vigilant, put poison on the chickens, and build fences. During the day, he went to the mountains to pick up the corpses of elves.

The most valuable thing is the skin of the red fox, one is worth ten white fox skins.

Their village is the border of the women's country in Ziliang Prefecture, and the four seasons are clear all year round. There are few men in Ziliang Prefecture, and most of them are women. Adjacent to the country of Baisi, the territory of the country is covered with snow all year round, the glacier closes the road, the people in the territory like to eat animal meat to keep warm, wear animal skin to keep warm, this red fox skin is bright red like blood, the most can add color, this red fox skin is also bought by the people of Shangyuan realm.

Xiaoshui took a bite of the cake, it was a little dry and hard, and he couldn't bear to say: "Auntie, this red fox is very pitiful, let's just bury it and don't sell it."

Sang Ma brushed his hand on the red fox, re-covered the cloth, and said in a low voice: "This red fox skin is the most valuable, we don't sell it, and if someone finds out, it will be stolen, besides, this red fox smells big, and it is not good to attract more jackals, tigers and leopards after a long time" After speaking, he closed the door and walked to the market.

Xiao Shui smelled the smell on his hands, and sure enough, he touched it and got it, Xiao Shui rubbed his clothes a few times with his hands, and then put it under his nose There was still a smell. Soak the cake in hot water to soak it soft and eat, a bite of cake, a bite of pickles, eat calmly, put the bowl in the bamboo tube and take it to the river to wash, most of the water in the river is melted on the Shangyuan glacier, cool, this river connects the four countries, from the country of Baisi, flows through the country of Ziliang, Shangyuan realm, the desert is too royal, very clean, the small water washes the dishes, and sweeps the yard again.

Sang Ma forgot to comb her hair early, Xiaoshui's combs, casually through her hair, thought about her mother's method of weaving bamboo baskets on weekdays, and braided her hair against the water, and her black and shiny hair made her face whiter. I washed my face casually, put a water bladder of water, and sprinkled the day's food into the chicken pen, she wanted to go up the mountain, and she definitely didn't come back at noon, hoping to have eggs when she came back in the evening. Don't get on the sickle, go to the pond first, fold a big lotus leaf, and go up the mountain.

Although it is spring, the grass and trees are somehow scarce, most of them are withered, dry and yellow, showing the appearance of autumn, Xiaoshui shook his head, no wonder the beasts want to go down the mountain to steal livestock to eat, halfway up the mountain stones, halfway mountains are barren, there are no wild fruit trees, wild vegetables and mushrooms, this sense of desolation is too royal to reach the north of the desert.

About 100 years ago, the world was still green, and most of the people ate wild vegetables, weaved mulberry and hemp for clothing, planted grains for food, and dug herbs to prolong life. The people work at sunrise and rest at sunrise. I never thought that one day everything would wither and rivers would dry up. People said that it was the gods who brought disaster, and people worshiped more sincerely, and gradually got a little better.

The sun was rising, and the wild beasts were mostly out at night, and they were sleeping in the cave at this time, and Xiao Shui held the sickle in his hand and the dead branch in the other. I'm going to try my luck in the mountains, or I'm going to eat dry baked cakes again today, and if I can find a few weeds, I can also make a wild vegetable soup to drink.

Xiao Shui walked slowly along the path of his predecessors, and there were wild vegetables growing on the road, all of which were too small, if they grew up a little more, Xiao Shui held the sickle and thought about it, and continued to walk forward. The weeds that people can't eat grow very well, so Xiaoshui takes a sickle and cuts them down and puts them in a basket, covers them with a layer of fine soil, and then grows again in a few days, so that the chickens have grass to eat throughout the spring.

Xiaoshui walked seven or eight miles, and there were only wild grasses for livestock to eat on the whole road, as well as fresh soil pits, and it seemed that someone had already gotten up early to dig up the wild vegetables on the side of the road, and it seemed that there was no food on this road.

The sun rose a little more, and the sun was hotter, and Xiao Shui wiped it with his sleeve, swaying, and going deep into the mountains, he could find delicious food, but the deep mountains were mostly tall and mighty beasts, and if he came out to forage for food or disturbed them, he would definitely become a food eater. If you don't go, you'll have to eat yakiniku with pickles for a few days.

Xiao Shui looked up at the sky, the sun was hotter, at this time the animals were hiding, so they walked along the sparse grass and trees, such a place where the beasts are not easy to nest, and it is safer, and you can also find some food from the cracks in the stones, Xiao Shui pulls the stones, most of them have wild vegetables that grow well, and other people in these places dare not come, and they are afraid that there are wild beasts under the stones.

Near noon, Xiaoshui found a big stone facing the shade, just blocking the sun, so he unloaded the basket and sat down, took out the cake from his arms, this cake was made a few days ago, it has been dry and cracked, and the slag will fall off when it bites, so he will tear off a corner of the lotus leaf, put the cake in it and pinch it with his hand, hold the bottle in one hand and bite the water bladder plug with his teeth, bite it twice and not bite it open, then put the cake on the ground, twist it with both hands, open it with one twist, drink two sips excitedly, and touch the cake on the leg with his hand while drinking, As soon as he stretched out his hand, he touched a furry thing, Xiao Shui suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, the animal under his hand did not move, and she did not dare to move, but she could feel that its vigilance was the tightening of the body muscles, and one hand touched its bones It didn't seem to be very big, it was very easy to deal with, Xiao Shui quickly got up, held the sickle with his backhand, and stabbed it under the stone, and saw that it was a white little animal staring at it, Xiao Shui stabbed it on the stone with a wrong hand, and made a sound, and the thing was so frightened that he raised his little paw when he heard the sound, and bared his teeth, The body stepped back, Xiao Shui was amused, the animal's small body, the snow-white fur was stuck together with blood stains, and the flesh skin on the side of the mouth was not missing a piece, with new meat, although it was very vigilant, but from time to time with a paw to pull the cake in front of him. It seems to be a pitiful little one, and the wound on its body should have been scratched by another animal. Xiaoshui tentatively stretched out his hand forward, it maintained its posture, and did not attack, Xiaoshui took a step forward, it stepped forward violently, hooked Xiaoshui's hand with sharp claws, and then quickly retreated, so fast that Xiaoshui did not feel pain, this little animal was also very hungry, the body was full of bones, Xiaoshui took the water bladder and poured the water on the lotus leaf, and then retreated, observing it, this animal is very small, big eyes, long tail, like a cat and like a fox I don't know what it is, it looks very cute, but also very hungry, a piece of cake was quickly eaten by it, Xiao Shui broke off half of it from his arms, still put it on the lotus leaf, and poured a little more water, there was no water around, which was considered a full meal for it.

The wild vegetables are also there, go back and chop the weeds just for the chickens to eat, then pack up the things and prepare to go down the mountain, the little thing is still eating, Xiaoshui slowly stretched out his hand to get closer again, it didn't stretch out its paws, just stared at it, Xiaoshui gently touched it and said: "Goodbye"

The little thing could understand the general stretched out its tongue and licked the palm of Xiao Shui's hand, itchy. Xiao Shui simply gave it the remaining half of the cake. He was so young that he only gnawed on the turf, hoping not to be eaten by other animals.

Xiao Shui put the scythe to his chest and trotted all the way, looking back to see if any beasts were following him.

trotted all the way down the mountain, until there were sparse figures down the mountain, Xiaoshui slowed down, wiped the sweat on his forehead and walked home, Sang Ma went to the market to sell fox skins should be back, the red fox is easy to sell, and it is only three or four hours to go back and forth to the town, and he should come back earlier than Xiaoshui. Just waiting for the wild vegetables to cook. Xiao Shui walked to the door and straightened the messy braids to Shui Ying, pushed open the door and shouted, "A-Niang, A-Niang"

The chickens in the chicken pen heard the sound and jumped up with their wings, Xiao Shui picked up the door of the chicken pen and saw that they were all eaten up, the chickens smelled the fragrance of grass on her body, and they all fluttered their wings and flew to her, pecking grass and eating, some chickens pecked her hair if they couldn't eat it, and all the chickens were chickens for a while, Xiao Shui covered his face with his arms, and reached out to his back with his backhand to grab a handful of grass and threw it into the chicken pen, the chickens saw that there was no food, and they jumped down, Xiaoshui took the opportunity to collect eggs, and if they ate well, they laid eggs, there were four or five big eggs, Xiao Shui carefully held the eggs and put them under the bed, the house was still the same as when she left, it seemed that Sang Ma did not come back, Xiao Shui picked out the wild vegetables, put them in the bamboo dry to clean, dry the water, she didn't know how to cook, just wait for Sang Ma to come back and they can start the fire to cook.

Xiaoshui moved a bamboo stool, sat in front of the door and chopped the grass, and the grass was finely chopped and mixed with the millet skin to eat, and then he could go up the mountain again the next day.

The people next to him went home one after another, there was ash smoke in the chimney, and they smelled the fragrance for a while, Xiaoshui touched his stomach, Sang Ma has not yet, Sang Ma never came back so late when he went to the market, maybe he found a good buyer, waiting to withdraw the money, and he should come back after a while.