Xie Mingchi didn't have so many twists and turns in his mind, and his thoughts were very simple.

But before this, he had no experience of getting along with little girls. He spoke harshly and his face was as stiff as a piece of wood. How could Hua Shi understand what he wanted to express?

"I don't want it, you can take it back. Thank you for your kindness." Hua Shi shook his head and refused.

No reward without merit, and besides, Xie Mingchi's attitude towards her was extremely cold and ruthless during their previous meetings.

She hadn't done anything, nor had she helped Xie Mingchi in any way, so it was strange that he suddenly wanted to give her something...

At this time, Hua Shi had been starving and freezing for half a month, and her life was miserable. She had to compete with her younger brothers and sisters from time to time. She had long forgotten her marriage engagement with Xie Mingchi after the New Year.

Xie Mingchi's tense expression seemed to stiffen for a moment.

He didn't seem to have thought that Hua Shi would refuse...

"It's nothing, just take it." His voice was a little stiff.

It was freezing cold, and she was still wearing a thin layer of coarse linen clothing. Her face and hands were frozen red, and the corners of her eyes, where she looked over, were also red...

Xie Mingchi lowered his eyes, feeling a little annoyed.

Why didn't I think... I should buy her some thick clothes and thick cotton shoes...

The pants he was wearing no longer fit him, revealing a large part of his ankles, which had turned white from the cold. He was still wearing summer shoes, wrapped only in a thin layer of cloth, which didn't keep him warm at all...

Seeing that he was determined not to take it, Hua Shi frowned slightly. She felt very strange and was wondering what was wrong.

A light flashed in her mind, and she suddenly remembered something she had long forgotten, their engagement...

She immediately realized that Xie Mingchi's sudden change in attitude was due to the arranged marriage and the change in his status.

After thinking it through, Hua Shi weighed the bag in his hand, thought for a moment, and asked, "How much is the stuff in this bag?"

The rice and flour together, including the weight, should be more than 50 kilograms, very heavy.

A dou of rice costs twenty coins, and flour is twice the price of rice, costing forty coins a dou. If there are twenty-five catties of each, that would be seventy-five coins.

Hua Shi's eyes fell on the bamboo basket slung across her arm. Inside were two pheasants, which made the cloth covering them bulge out.

A pheasant should be 90 coins, which is more than enough to buy a bag of things...

Xie Mingchi was just thinking about what Hua Shi meant by this question, but before he could open his mouth, Hua Shi's clear voice rang out again.

"How about I trade this for these?"

When Hua Shi opened the cloth covering the basket, she revealed a pheasant tightly tied up inside.

Xie Mingchi paused, then looked up at Hua Shi's serious face, pursed his lips, and whispered, "It's too much."

After he said that, he suddenly reached out to touch his belt, took out the bag hidden inside, and handed the whole bag over.

"There are 130 coins in it. Give me both pheasants, and the money for this will be deducted."

As he spoke, he pointed to the sack in Hua Shi's other hand.

Hua Shi breathed a sigh of relief, handed the whole basket to Xie Mingchi, and then took the purse from his hand.

Suddenly he paused and said, "Is one hundred and thirty coins too much?"

One pheasant was worth ninety coins at most, and two pheasants were worth a hundred and eighty coins. After deducting the money from the rice and flour in the sack, there was only a hundred coins left at most. How could there be an extra thirty coins?

Xie Mingchi's voice was a little muffled, "Not much, just right."

He immediately saw that Hua Shi didn't want to accept his things, and he wanted to settle every little thing with him...

Xie Mingchi felt a little depressed.

He remembered Zhang Qingsheng and his wife, so he wouldn't be so calculating. Zhang Qingsheng would often buy things for his wife, and his wife seemed happy to see them...

Could it be that because they weren't married yet, she didn't want his things and wanted to separate them so clearly?

Seeing this, Hua Shi said no more. After she figured out the matter, she was still thinking about it.

"Xie Mingchi, I have something to ask you."

Hua Shi was brewing words in her mind, looking up at Xie Mingchi's face.

Xie Mingchi paused, his face expressionless, but he unconsciously rubbed his hands holding the bamboo basket, "What?"

Hua Shi pondered his words and spoke slowly, "Last time you told me not to go into the mountains, saying that mountain spirits were out looking for food. How did you know? Have you ever seen that mountain spirit?"

Xie Mingchi paused, as if he didn't expect her to ask this question, and looked at her curious gaze.

"Yes, I have."

He didn't want to lie, and Hua Shi also had a black cat from the mountains by his side, which was something he had never done before...

He still didn't quite understand why. After all, there were very few people in the village who could still be connected with Lin Haishan...

Hua Shi's expression changed and he asked, "What does that look like?"

Seeing her curiosity, Xie Mingchi didn't want to hide it. "It has three arms and three legs, and is covered with long black hair. It has a short body and a small head, but its eyes are very big..."

He described it in great detail and vividly, and even measured it for her with his hands.

Hua Shi withdrew his gaze and understood.

The description was almost the same as what she had seen last time...

Hua Shi was still a little confused, "What exactly is that mountain spirit?"

She had never seen one before. Could it be that besides mountain elves, there were other unknown monsters hidden in the mountains?

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!