XXXVI. Sleepy

Minna knew that she was in trouble, so she didn't dare to speak out again, but listening to the footsteps of those soldiers getting closer and closer, she couldn't help but feel anxious. There is nothing to cover here, although the alley is not a dead alley, but it is long and deep, and there is no exit except the tail end, what should I do? Grandpa is running fast, will he be able to reach the end of the alley before those people arrive?

Suddenly, she was hugged by her grandfather and retreated, rose into the air, and climbed into the wall next to her. On the other side of the wall was a shop owned by a Nogar, with a layout somewhat similar to a branch, and it was also in the front and back yards, and they landed in the middle of the corridor between the walls and the walls of the houses in the back yard, and all the people in the shop gathered at the front door to watch the expulsion of their foreign counterparts, and they were not found.

For the sake of safety, Xiao Tianjian let go of his granddaughter as soon as he landed, and took out his sword to guard against it, Minna took the initiative to cover her mouth tightly with both hands, and stood motionless on the side, so as not to make any more noise. Her heart was beating fast, and from time to time she recalled the bloody head she had just seen, and her body trembled slightly.

The officers outside the wall could not find anyone, so they searched back and forth, and saw a few Nogar people in the shops next to them, including women and children, and thought that they were making noises, so they did not investigate deeply, and went back with the soldiers.

Minna calmed down a little when she heard their footsteps moving away, but she saw that her grandfather was still listening carefully to the movement outside, and continued to stand there.

It seems that the bloody scene just now has played a role, and the merchants of various countries who had been arguing endlessly have closed their mouths, no longer fighting hard with those Noga soldiers, but they can't help but feel sad when they think of the lost property. The group left the street under the escort of the soldiers, and there was a faint sound of choking in the ranks.

Minna listened to those people leaving, and wanted to urge her grandfather to go out quickly, but at this time, the people gathered at the front door all returned, and some people went into the backyard. In broad daylight, once you climb over the wall, it is easy to be discovered by those people, and at this time, there is the sound of people and horses moving outside, and it seems that many people are moving things. She had no choice but to stay with her grandfather, and in order not to be noticed, she quietly moved to the corner and blocked her figure with a few rotten wooden boards.

They waited until dark, when the people in the shop saw that there was no business to do, so they closed the store, some of the clerks left to go home, and the people living in the backyard began to cook. Xiao Tianjian took advantage of the unpreparedness, pulled his granddaughter to come to the wall again, pointed to her neck, Minna willingly reached out to hug him, in order to reduce his burden, and kicked up at the same time as he jumped, although the effect was not big, but it also made Xiao Tianjian a little easier. They quickly climbed the wall, Xiao Tianjian smiled at his granddaughter with satisfaction, and when he saw that there was no one outside the wall, he turned out.

The streets are deserted, most of the shops here are owned by foreign merchants, and now only a few Nogar shops are closing one after another. At a glance, there were no pedestrians on the street, and the shops whose owners had been driven away were all wide open, and scattered goods were scattered all over the place, as if they had just been looted.

Taking advantage of the darkness, Minna followed her grandfather down the alley to the back wall of the Xiao family's branch, and still climbed into the wall in the old way. The branch was empty, and the front door was open, but the people outside couldn't see the backyard, so the grandparents were safe. Reflecting the bright moonlight, Minna looked around, and found that the wine jars and bags of goods that had been piled up here were gone, and the wine jars placed in the house were gone, the door of the storehouse was on the ground, the stables were empty, the courtyard was full of broken straw ropes and broken sacks, and there were also fragments of tea sets and vases, and a few copper plates were scattered near the courtyard gate, and a few feet away from them, there was a silver coin.

Minna felt as if she was in a dream, and the place she had left a few hours ago had become like this.

There was a woman's voice at the front door, and Minna listened to it as if she was a cook hired by a branch, and knew that she was fine, so she hurriedly ran out happily, but was hugged by her grandfather, covered her mouth and retreated to a small room by the kitchen, and closed the door. Minna looked at her grandfather in confusion, Xiao Tianjian made a look, and she obediently quieted down.

It was the Cook Noga who came in, and she brought six or seven strong men and three or four women, and carried torches into the backyard. It could be heard from the conversation that it was her family and relatives. The cook directly called a few people into the kitchen, and the others searched in various rooms. Soon, the people who entered the kitchen brought out a few bags of flour, two baskets of flour, half a smoked pig, a ham, a cage of chicken, and a lot of oil, salt, sauce and vinegar, and so on, while the people who entered the room were holding large bags of clothes, shoes and socks, and grinning and discussing which ones could be worn by whom and which ones could be sold for money.

Xiao Tianjian had been watching from the side, and the anger in his heart gradually came up. Just now, I was worried about the large number of soldiers, and the people in the branch fell into the hands of the Nojia people, and he had a little granddaughter by his side, so he didn't face those people head-on, otherwise, with his skills, what could those people do to him? But now these greedy and stupid fellows are openly stealing his property in front of him, so how can he bear it? He clenched his fists, his muscles were rising, just thinking that it would be easy to kill these people, but if he alarmed others, he could still find a way to get out in the city, but the little granddaughter didn't have that ability, so he had to swallow this breath.

Minna looked at the cook's excited look and felt incomprehensible. Isn't this stealing? That aunt is obviously very good to her and speaks kindly, why would she bring someone to steal things while the people in the store are not there?!

Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of the child's clothes in the hands of one of the women, and her eyes widened, it was hers! It's a shirt made by Winnie, and there are flowers embroidered by her mother on it! Hearing the woman laughing at others and saying that this dress could be changed and make a vest for her daughter, Minna couldn't help blushing, and wanted to rush out immediately to snatch the clothes back, but thinking of the trouble she had caused before, she looked at her grandfather and saw that he had no intention of acting, so she had to grit her teeth and endure it.

Watching those people return with a full load of laughter and laughter, the grandparents and grandchildren were not happy. At this moment, another group of people came outside, but it was another local servant woman from the branch, who was full-time cleaning and cleaning, and brought a dozen or twenty young men, and when they met the cook's group at the door, they were all staring at each other.

Both sides knew each other's intentions, nodded to each other, and the cook took the man away. A middle-aged man following behind the servant woman said unwillingly: "Let them take so many things, won't we come in vain?" ”

"Afraid of what?" The servant woman didn't care, "There are a lot of good things, they are all dirt buns, and they don't know the goods!" ”

She led the people into the backyard and ordered them to go their separate ways. Minna hid in the hut, and saw through the crack in the door, from needlework, thread, candlesticks, oil lamps, and basins, to tables, chairs, and cabinets, they didn't let go, and all the things were loaded into the several carriages parked outside the door, obviously premeditated. The person who walked at the end also found copper plates and silver coins on the ground with sharp eyes, and secretly picked them up while people were not paying attention.

The backyard returned to calm and darkness, and Xiao Tianjian and Minna quietly pushed open the door and walked out. I just found out that the place where they were hiding was a firewood house, and two groups of people came to get things, and they didn't think to come in and take a look. Minna looked at the empty yard and empty room, and looked back at her grandfather: "Why did the two aunts take the things?" Isn't this stealing? ”

Xiao Tianjian held back his anger and shook his head: "I don't know, what's wrong with this country?!" He has not been to the hinterland of Noga for more than ten years, at most only wandering on the border, in the impression, this is a country where the people are simple and straightforward, the men are strong, the women are hearty, and they regard themselves as the descendants of the hero in the legend of the "Blade of the Gods", plus the mountains in the country are windy, and they have the title of "People of the Wind". Although life is not rich, the folk customs have always been good. What has happened in the last twenty years? The country had become almost unknown to him.

Minna watched sadly as the room where she had stayed for two days was now empty, her new shoes, her new shawl, and her new felt hat had been taken away, the magic books she had forgotten to put away in the morning had been thrown on the floor, the overturned inkwell had been poured over it, the table had been stained with ink, and a pen had been broken in half.

She squatted down at the door and stared at the room, her mouth flattened, and she only felt very uncomfortable in her heart.

Xiao Tianjian sighed when he saw this, and then persuaded: "It's useless to look at it again, grandpa will buy you a new one in the future." Now be careful to look around, maybe there is something left that can be used. ”

Minna replied sullenly, got up and moved to the other room. Because she was afraid of being discovered, she could only use illumination to release small points of light, and finally found an old quilt, a few thick curtains, and two complete bowls. There was also a pot of tea in the restaurant, and she was thirsty, so she poured two sips and sent it to her grandfather to drink.

She found Xiao Tianjian in the room where she was in charge, and when she saw him knocking here and there on the floor, she asked, "Grandpa, what are you doing?" ”

"I'm looking for a secret room." Xiao Tianjian didn't look up, "As long as it is the Xiao family's store that is bought and used as a branch, there will definitely be a secret room in the steward's room, and maybe there will be something inside." "It's both a vault and a shelter.

Soon he found that there was a movable brick on the ground under the bed, and when the brick was lifted, there was an iron chain inside, and the chain was pulled, and the mechanism was activated, and a very heavy old clothes box next to the bed slowly slid open, revealing a hole in the ground below. Minna's eyes widened, and she cast a light spell, and when she looked out, she saw a narrow stone staircase leading down, and it was so dark that she couldn't see anything. She descended the stone steps, and as the light in her hand zoomed in, she could see what was going on in the cavern.

It's only about eight or nine square meters in size, only two meters in height, it's made of stone, and the floor is clean. Next to the wall were two large wooden boxes, a pile of palm-sized black cloth bags, four rattan baskets with food and water bags, two thick quilts, and a large package. Minna opened one of the black cloth bags and found them full of gold coins, twenty bags each, and here there were one or two hundred bags. She couldn't help but gasp.

Xiao Tianjian had already jumped down, and when he saw this situation, he knew that he had found the right place, looked at the label on the rattan basket, and found that it was the water that had been changed two days ago, which was a pity. According to the rules of the trading house, the drinking water in the shelter is changed every three days, probably today, the steward did not have time to change the new one, smelled the smell, and could still eat, so he handed a bread to his granddaughter: "Are you hungry?" There's something to eat here. ”

Minna took the bread and ate it, and asked in a low voice, "Grandpa, what are we going to do now?" Want to find a way to leave? ”

"I'm going to inquire about the situation first, to see what really happened, why did the palace suddenly issue an expulsion order, and kill people? The king who died heard that he was a good man, and there was no reason why he would do so. I'm going to find out where the people in the branch will go. After a pause, Xiao Tianjian sighed secretly in his heart, the target of the tracking probably had to give up, now that it was so chaotic outside, it was better for him to leave as soon as possible.

Minna nodded silently, hurriedly stuffed the whole bread, took a sip of water, and then grabbed the corner of his clothes: "I'm full, I can go." ”

Xiao Tianjian looked at her and smiled: "You stay here, it's safer here, grandpa will come back after inquiring about the news." ”

Minna thought for a moment, shook her head and said, "I don't want to stay......" Her voice trembled slightly

"Are you afraid?" Xiao Tianjian was a little surprised, "You have always been very bold, you have persevered in the face of demonic beasts, you have lived in the forest alone for a few days, and you have never been afraid, there are houses here and there, and you have lived again, what are you afraid of?" If you're afraid of being discovered, just sleep in the secret room, and I'll close the mechanism from the outside. He glanced at the ventilation hole in the corner of the ceiling: "This place can live in people, it's just a little darker, aren't you afraid of the dark?" ”

Minna's face slowly turned red, of course she wasn't afraid of the dark! As Grandpa said, she lived alone in the forest for a few days and was never afraid, so why couldn't she stay? If he follows his grandfather, he still has to take care of himself, which is really inconvenient. So, she agreed.

The door to the cave gradually closed, and the room was pitch black, and Minna immediately made a lighting spell. I don't know why, she always has some hair in her heart, so she got up and spread out the quilt, one as a mattress and the other on her body, and went to rummage through the baggage, and saw that they were all adult men and women's clothes in the style of Nuojia, so she put them away again. Looking at the two chests, she crawled over and opened them, and saw that they were full of gems and gold ornaments, and a large box of pearl coral, and she was dazzled by them, and hurriedly closed the boxes, and the point of light of the illumination was gone.

She had already sent out a few lighting spells, and the magic was a little lacking, so after thinking about it, she simply opened a chest and used the faint light of the jewels to illuminate it. Crawling back on the bed, and as soon as she closed her eyes, her mind was full of the rolling head, tossing and turning, and she couldn't sleep.

Finally, she fell asleep, but in a daze, she heard a noise outside, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that the officer who had killed someone appeared in the secret room, and forced her to hand over the gold coins and jewels with a knife, but she refused, so he swung his knife and slashed her neck.

She suddenly woke up, already in a cold sweat. A few rays of white light filtered through the vents, indicating that it was the next morning. Xiao Tianjian still hasn't returned.

Wiping her sweat, Minna gasped and sat up, knowing that she was having a nightmare just now, so she cheered herself up. It was just a dream just now, with grandpa here, how could those bad guys cut off their heads?

Thinking of this, her spirits were a little better. She's the granddaughter of an epic hero, how can she be scared by such a dream?!

Her stomach growled, she got out of the bed, pulled a basket and picked a loaf of bread to eat, felt that the taste had changed a little, and frowned. At this time, there was a sound outside, and she was overjoyed, thinking that her grandfather must be back, so she jumped up.

Although she said that she was not afraid, she still felt very uncomfortable without her grandfather.

However, the sound from the ceiling showed that there was more than one person outside, and there seemed to be the sound of rummaging things and scolding, although she couldn't hear it clearly, Minna also knew that it would not be grandpa.

Her heart tightened, and she hurriedly pushed the quilted basket and everything to the side, covered the jewelry box, and shrank into the corner and stared at the door of the hole.

The hustle and bustle outside was still there, but the door to the cave never opened, and she gradually breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that no one else might find out.

At this moment, the door of the cave quietly slid open, and there was a cheer outside, followed by a man's voice: "Sure enough, there is a secret room!" There must be a lot of treasure hidden here! ”

Minna's heart tightened, she would never forget the voice, its owner was the officer who had killed someone.

The next second, he appeared on the stone steps, and almost immediately spotted Minna, showing a playful smile: "Oh, there is actually a little mouse." ”

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