Dongjia Village.

The door to Dong Jisheng's house was closed.

"Grandpa Dong must have gone to chop firewood."

"We can just leave the grain and coal at our doorstep."

The little girls left the grain and coal outside the door, and just as the oxcart reached the village entrance, they encountered Dong Jisheng carrying firewood.

"Great Protector!"

Dong Jisheng was overjoyed. He stood up straight, looked energetic, and carried two bundles of firewood on his shoulder.

The little dumpling said in a clear voice, "Grandpa Dong, we brought you some grain and coal. We left it outside your door. It's not much, just a small token of our appreciation."

"I can't accept this!"

"Grandpa Dong, you often carry firewood for Jinghu Academy, which is very hard work. This little bit is nothing."

"I have a few winter jujubes here!"

Dong Jisheng put his hand into his pocket.

The little dumpling shook its head and grinned, "Grandpa Dong, Chu Peiran and Sister Qing'er are getting married soon. Why don't you give them some winter dates then?"

"Alright then."

Dong Jisheng nodded with a smile.

...

Shuanghe Village, Qingshui Town.

Niu Mang pulled a cart across the stone bridge.

"Woof woof woof!"

The big yellow dog wagged its tail and ran over.

The little dumpling pointed at the big yellow dog and said in a clear voice, "Jia'er, this is Ziyue's family's big yellow dog."

"He doesn't look fierce at all!"

Lin Jia'er winked at Da Huang.

The big yellow dog followed the oxcart all the way to the yard. Ziyue was helping her parents clean at home when she heard the commotion outside, so she went outside to check what was going on.

"Purple Moon".

"Great Protectors, it's you!"

"Auntie!"

"Jia'er is such a good girl!"

Ziyue pinched Lin Jia'er's little face.

"hey-hey!"

The little dumpling raised an eyebrow and said crisply, "Ziyue, your uncle and aunt just got home and must be short of supplies. This food and coal are for them."

Zi Yue asked curiously, "Did Senior Brother send you?"

"The eldest brother said he was going to send some grain and coal to Grandpa Chen, and I thought I'd send some to you guys too."

"Great Protector, you are so generous. But if Master knew, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep."

"I learned it all from my elders."

Ziyue originally planned to go to town to buy some grain, since the grain and coal given by Xiaotuanzi would last a long time.

"We're all sisters!"

"Please come inside and sit down."

The little dumpling said proudly, "Grandpa Gao invited us to eat boiled fish. We'll come back for dinner next time."

Go!

Zi Yue nodded with a charming smile.

Let's go!

Goodbye, Auntie!

...

In the dead of winter, the ground is covered in snow.

In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. Qin Luo walked alone in the wind and snow, as if he had become one with the wind and snow.

Deep in the mountains, there were several wooden houses. Qin Luo came to the most dilapidated one and knocked on the door.

Who is it?

There was a hoarse voice inside the room.

"Jinghu Academy, Qin Luo."

Hurried footsteps sounded inside the room. An elderly man with a wrinkled face opened the door. He looked nervous and somewhat at a loss. "Dean Qin, please come in and sit down."

Qin Luo followed the old man into the wooden house. The house was small, dark and damp. There were Thousand Character Classic written in charcoal on the wooden wall. In the middle of the house was a brazier. The firewood in the brazier was almost burned out, and a pot of water was boiling on it, emitting steam.

The old man, dressed in tattered, blackened clothes, walked with a limp. He seemed nervous, unsure why Qin Luo had come. "Dean Qin, did Zhou Peng make a mistake at school?"

Qin Luo smiled and said, "Zhou Peng is doing very well at school. I just came to see you all."

The old man handed Qin Luo a small stool, and they sat by the brazier to warm themselves. "Dean Qin, Zhou Peng is a dishonest boy. He often steals things in the academy. It's all because I haven't taught him well. I'll discipline him when he comes back."

Qin Luo chuckled and said, "It doesn't matter if I bring one or two steamed buns home. The academy isn't short of food."

“He not only brings steamed buns, but sometimes he brings meat buns, or even chicken legs.”

The old man dared not hide anything.

"The meat buns and chicken legs are distributed according to the number of people. He didn't eat them at the academy and brought them back, so there's no problem."

Upon hearing this, the old man's eyes reddened.

Qin Luo knew that a group of children were living in poverty, so he came to visit them. He took out a bag of rice, as well as cured meat and sausages. These were left by Hua Ying for Longhu Temple. They couldn't finish them all, so they wanted to share them with the people in need in the mountains.

"Dean Qin, you...I..."

The old man didn't know what to say.

Qin Luo smiled and said softly, "Zhou Peng has performed very well at the academy. This is a reward for him. You should encourage him to study hard."

"Yes, Dean Qin!"

The old man's withered hands were trembling.

"Dean Qin, have some water."

The old man poured Qin Luo a bowl of warm water.

Qin Luo took the bowl, crushed a peach blossom and put it in the bowl, then handed it back to the old man, saying gently, "Old man, drink this bowl of water and you will gradually get better. Don't do heavy work recently. After you recover, you will be able to go back to work in the fields next spring."

"Thank you, Dean Qin!"

The old man was moved to tears. He knew that Qin Luo was a celestial master from the Dragon Tiger Temple. Without hesitation, he drank the bowl of peach blossom water, and soon felt a burning sensation in his body.

Qin Luo smiled and said, "Zhou Peng is very obedient in the academy. He is very smart, so you can rest assured."

The old man wiped his eyes with his tattered sleeve. When he lowered his arm, Qin Luo was already gone. He went outside and looked at the swirling snow, but he couldn't see Qin Luo anywhere. "Dean Qin, you are truly a living god!"

Zhou Peng carried the firewood he had just collected home. He was not tall, but he was very strong. He would not go hungry at Jinghu Academy and could move freely in the mountains even in heavy snow.

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