"Sister, we almost have enough firewood. It's not early, let's go back. Dad said to make us rice for lunch to eat, I haven't eaten white and fragrant rice for a long time. I'm so hungry!" The childish voice sounded, Tan Shaobai couldn't help but smile slightly, of course he didn't know who was coming, but from the voice, he was already sure that it was not the person from the Demon Sect who came to arrest him.

Another voice that sounded more mature said: "Little sister, you ate three pieces of sweet potatoes in the morning, where are you hungry now, it's obvious that you are hungry." ”

"Hee-hee, it's my sister who knows me best. Let's go back, okay, I really want to eat rice! If it weren't for the rice that Uncle Li sent me yesterday, I don't know how many days it would have been before I could eat it. "Okay, okay. Firewood and the other are almost enough, let's go back now. Since you love to eat so much, it's good for my sister to give you her share at noon. I just eat sweet potatoes. ”

"No, where did I eat so much, Dad always said that my sister is now the time to grow her body, so she needs to eat more. Our village is really poor, look at the Li Village, most people can eat rice and steamed buns every day. Much stronger than us. As the voice approached, two slender figures, one tall and one short, appeared in Tan Shaobai's line of sight.

Listening to the conversation between the two sisters, Tan Shaobai couldn't help but think of the time he used to be with Tan Jinxuan, his village was also very poor, and the same situation had happened, isn't the relationship between himself and Tan Jinxuan like this pair of sisters? When I go back to Qingyun Sect this time, I will definitely go to see you. At this time, the pair of little sisters had already walked under the tree where Tan Shaobai was. None of their faces were very good, slightly yellow, apparently due to chronic malnutrition. But their faces did not affect their delicate appearance, the elder sister was about thirteen or fourteen years old, and the younger sister was about ten years old, both of them were carrying bundles of firewood that were disproportionate to their body shape behind their backs, looking at their appearance, Tan Shaobai's heart was sour for no reason.

Floating down, Tan Shaobai was already standing in front of the little sisters the next moment. His appearance immediately startled the two sisters, exclaimed, and retreated again and again, because of the heavy firewood on their backs, they suddenly fell together. The elder sister held her sister in her arms and looked at Tan Shaobai tremblingly.

Tan Shaobai tried his best to soften his expression and smiled: "Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person." I was sleeping on a tree just now, and I just wanted to help you when I saw you carrying such heavy firewood. The pair of sisters obviously didn't believe his words, and the sister said in horror: "You, don't come here." Uncle, we don't have any money, and we don't have anything to eat. Just leave us alone. If you want, take these firewood to you. If you want to ...... , I, I'm willing to follow you, my sister is still young, you just let her go. ”

Tan Shaobai couldn't help but feel a slight flurry when he listened to the words of this "sister", and a strange feeling rose in his heart, he knew that the two sisters had already regarded him as a robber. "How do you know so much, it seems, you are still very young! I am really not a bad person, and I will not hurt you, otherwise why would I talk nonsense with you? ”

The sister murmured: "People, they are sixteen years old, not young, and my sister is thirteen years old, but we are relatively small." Don't lie to us. Where are bad people who admit that they are bad people? Mom and Dad often say that you must not trust outsiders. With a look of vigilance in their eyes, they made a gesture of readiness to flee at any moment.

Tan Shaobai saw that it was difficult for the two sisters to believe in themselves, so he had to sit on the ground helplessly, touched his beard under his chin, and said with a wry smile: "If you don't believe it, don't believe it." But don't call me uncle, I'm only eighteen years old, and I'm not much older than you. My name is Tan Shaobai. What about you?"

The sisters watched Tan Shaobai sitting on the ground, as if they really didn't pose any threat to them, and they couldn't help but become bolder. They took off the firewood behind them, and the elder sister said timidly: "I, my name is Yuhua, this is my sister Yuhua, you, are you really only eighteen years old? But how did the clothes on your body be torn like this? Could it be that you have encountered a robber?" The girl from the countryside couldn't help but feel compassion after seeing Tan Shaobai's outfit clearly.

Tan Shaobai smiled bitterly and said, "Yes, I met a group of powerful bandits, and they chased me for a long time, so it was not easy to get rid of them." ”

The jade bottle poked her head out of her sister's arms and said, "Then you are really pitiful! Come home with us, our family has rice to eat today, can you share some of your own?"

Yuhua was obviously more wary, pulled his sister, and said in a low voice: "Bottle, don't talk nonsense, we can't just take outsiders home, what if he is a bad person? Who knows if what he said is true." Tan Shaobai looked at them, a trace of warmth rose in his heart, and the words full of childishness and kindness in the jade bottle made him feel a little homesick. With a light sigh, he said, "It's late, you should go home too." Let's go, or your parents will be worried. You don't have to doubt me anything, I'll just sit here and stand still, that's all. Goodbye, lovely two sisters. As he spoke, he also waved his hand to Sister Yuhua.

Yuhua looked at Tan Shaobai's sincere face and muttered, "Aren't you really a bad person?" My dad is the village chief, and if he says you're not a bad person, the village will take you in. Tan Shaobai had already been annoyed by the torn clothes and dirt on his body, not to mention that he also wanted to go to the village where the two girls were located to find out how he felt before. So he stood up and smiled, "Okay then." If your dad thinks I'm a bad person, I'll leave immediately, and I won't trouble you. With that, Tan Shaobai walked up to the Yuhua sisters, bent over, and carried their firewood and all on his shoulders. "It's not good for a girl to carry so many things. It will affect the development of the body. ”

Yuhua protested: "No." Don't look at me thin, I have strength, even ordinary boys are nothing better than me. Our village is very close to here, so let's get there. ”

Under the leadership of the Yuhua sisters, Tan Shaobai followed them through the woods and came to a small mountain village. This small village is built on the forest, the village is surrounded by all kinds of vegetation, the village is very small, it looks like there are only about a hundred families, their clothes can no longer be described as plain, most of them are patches and patches, obviously, this is a very barren place. Of course, compared with Tan Shaobai's hundred shirts, these villagers' dresses are luxurious.

The appearance of Tan Shaobai, an outsider, immediately attracted the attention of the villagers, and as soon as he entered the village, more than a dozen sturdy male villagers immediately surrounded him. They looked at Tan Shaobai with a very unfriendly look. "Who are you? Why did you come to our Jade Village? Yuhua, did you bring him here?" Although Yuhua was not very old, his temper was very pungent, and he crossed his hands on his waist and said: "What is it? He is a man in distress, he was robbed by robbers, I think he is pitiful, so I brought him back." ”

A young man in his twenties said: "Is he very pitiful? Even if he is pitiful, we can't take him in! Yuhua, don't forget, now even our villagers can't eat enough, and one more person like this will have one more mouth, and the grain in our village will be uniformly allocated. Where is the strength to work? ”

Yuhua said angrily: "Yuji, you selfish villain, you know that although he is an outsider, you can't let him starve to death in the forest." ”

In the midst of the quarrel, a middle-aged man came over with several villagers, this middle-aged man looked a little old, and his eyebrows were somewhat similar to the Yuhua sisters. Tan Shaobai knew that this should be the father of the Yuhua sisters, the village chief here. Sure enough, as the middle-aged man approached, the young male villagers all got out of the way, and the young man named Yu Ji hurriedly said: "Village chief, Yuhua doesn't know where to bring back a wild man, what did he say was robbed by robbers, he doesn't look like a good person! ”

The village chief glanced at Yu Ji and strode in front of Tan Shaobai, Tan Shaobai's height was already close to one meter eight, taller than the village chief, and said with a smile: "Hello village chief, my name is Tan Shaobai." ”

Village Chief Yu Mistletoe looked Tan Shaobai up and down, and couldn't help but be secretly shocked in his heart, although on the surface this person was in tattered clothes, but he faintly revealed a trace of strange temperament, like a high mountain looking up and awe-inspiring, Yu Mistletoe knew that this person in front of him must be not ordinary, and frowned: "Our Jade Village will never accept people of unknown origin." Please leave. Yuji, go, get a bag of sweet potatoes for this brother. ”

Yu Ji shook his head and said, "Village Chief, our grain is also very limited! The summer seeds have just been allocated to the ground, and it will take a long time to reach maturity. ”

Jade Mistletoe glared and said, "If you are told to go, you will go." Where is so much nonsense. You're the village chief, I'm the village chief?"

The look on Yu Ji's face fluctuated for a moment, and then he was unwilling to go. Tan Shaobai put the firewood on his back and put it on the ground, and the Yuhua sisters didn't dare to say anything since their father appeared, and stood aside with their heads down. Tan Shaobai looked at these poor villagers without a trace of blame in his heart for refusing to take him in, everything in front of him was so similar to the small village in the west where he was! the same dilapidation, the same desolation, and the same simplicity. Raising his head, Tan Shaobai looked at the jade mistletoe squarely and said, "Village chief, sweet potatoes don't need to." I still have some food with me. It's just that this dress is too torn, can you let me wash up and provide me with a cleaner outfit, of course, I won't ask for your things for nothing, I can exchange some food. ”

Jade Mistletoe thought for a moment and said, "Okay then." There's no need to exchange anything, but you have to get out of us as soon as you've freshened up. Yuhua, go, get a set of my clothes for this brother. Yuhua glanced at Tan Shaobai helplessly, agreed, turned around and ran to the depths of the village. Under the leadership of Yu Mistletoe, Tan Shaobai followed him to a small river on the other side of the village, the clear water of the river was like the one when Tan Shaobai met Mokui, and the sound like a silver bell gave people a feeling of relaxation and happiness.

After a while, Yuhua had already rushed over with a set of cloth clothes, and Yuhua led the male villagers to surround Tan Shaobai in the center and let him freshen up in the river, while the Yuhua sisters stayed outside and waited. As the dirt on Tan Shaobai's body gradually disappeared, the look of surprise in Yu Mistletoe's eyes became more and more intense, and the silver heart shield on Tan Shaobai's chest made him feel shocked. Jade is even more greedy. Tan Shaobai's skin was moist and shiny, without the cover of dirt, and his sturdy body was glowing under the sun, which looked very strange.

"Well, it's so comfortable to take a shower. Thank you, village chief. Changing into dry clothes, Tan Shaobai felt a little more relaxed all over his body, combed his black and thick hair back to his head, and walked in front of the village chief Yu Mistletoe. As soon as they heard that Tan Shaobai had finished washing, the Yuhua sisters couldn't wait to squeeze into the crowd, when Tan Shaobai said that he was eighteen years old, they all wanted to verify it.

Jade Mistletoe said: "Little brother, it turns out that you are so young, I am really blind." You can take this bag of sweet potatoes and eat them on the road. I'm really sorry, that's all we can provide in Yucun. ”

Tan Shaobai shook his head and said, "No, village chief, I can't ask for it, I'm already very satisfied to be able to take a shower and change clothes." I have my own way of eating. I can't ask for this outfit for nothing, so be it. I'll help you catch some fish and eat them. Why don't you fish with such a river?"

Jade Mistletoe sighed and said, "Little brother, don't be afraid of your jokes, we are really too poor here, and it is an inland area, and the price of fishing nets is amazingly high, which is not affordable for us at all." The river may not look wide, but the water is wide and fast, and it is difficult to catch fish without nets. ”