He Xin, who had been hiding nearby, poked his head out and asked in a low voice, "Master, what should we do now? Should we pretend to be a merchant caravan?" Didn't the news say Miss Ye was kind and generous? But it didn't seem that way. This family was clearly heartless and wouldn't help.
Chu Xuesong supported his forehead with his hand, pondered for a moment, and shook his head: "No need, you go back first, and leave me alone."
The man who always loved cleanliness didn't care at all that his white clothes were dirty and his hair was messy. He Xin was still a little worried and said hesitantly: "But... they won't come out, what should we do now?" He couldn't spend the night outside. Although the master had good kung fu, the night in the wilderness was cold and windy, and there were wild beasts, and there were even more of them on the Crescent Moon Lake side.
"Nothing, you leave now, and you are not allowed to appear within a mile radius without my order."
He Xin had no choice but to leave.
A frost poured down from the moon. Not far away, a wild animal peered at Chu Xuesong, who was still sitting on the ground, but was afraid to approach due to the aura surrounding him. Chu Xuesong patted his clothes and stood up, carefully pushing open the courtyard door. His white boots made almost no sound on the ground.
He walked up the wooden terrace to the two-story building, then composed himself and began knocking on the door, rhythmically and frantically. After a few knocks with no response, he continued knocking. An hour later, still no movement.
The usually patient man was now a little impatient. He stopped and listened attentively, trying to hear any movement, but he could only hear the even breathing sounds in the room.
The north wind howled, and Chu Xuesong, dressed in thin white clothes, stood shivering at the wooden door. His usually gentle and smiling face could no longer hold back. He raised his palm to smash the door in front of him, but thought of his plan and restrained himself.
Ye Nuan, who was inside, naturally heard the knock, but who would be foolish enough to open the door in the middle of the night? So, after a full night's sleep, she woke up the next morning to find a white ball slumped over at the door, huddled and shivering.
The man's eyebrows and eyes were shrouded in the morning mist. Although he looked disheveled, he exuded a clean and timeless scent from the inside out.
Su tutted and cursed, "What bad luck! I run into a scholar so early in the morning." She kicked the man's calf and shouted, "Hey, stop playing dead! Get up!"
The person underground moved and opened his eyes with difficulty. The inner corners of his eyes were sharp and deep, the tails of his eyes were thin and slightly curved, and the area around his eyes was moist, giving people a hazy and broken feeling. It was a pair of eyes that could easily attract sympathy and romance.
He reached out and grabbed a piece of Ye Nuan's dress, and managed to squeeze out a few words: "Can you give me some water, and, can you, can you, give me some food?"
Last night is last night. Now that he is like this, I can’t just ignore him.
"Xiao Hu, go get some water and the buns from last night."
Ye Xiaohu obediently ran to the kitchen and soon brought back some buns and water. Ye Nuan helped the man sit in front of the door and handed him a bowl, but he didn't take it and drank directly from her hand.
No matter how thirsty he was, he still drank with grace. After he finished the water, Ye Nuan handed him the bun again. He took it and ate it in small bites, finishing it elegantly but quickly.
"You can rest here for a while, and leave when you're ready." Ye Nuan handed the cup of water to Ye Xiaohu and stood up to leave.
The hem of her skirt was pulled by someone again, and the man raised his head and whispered, "I can't repay you for saving my life. Xiaobai is willing to stay here and work like a slave for you."
Ye Nuan: “.”
She seems to be being relied upon!
Su had a bad temper. When she saw the man looked like a scholar and was also handsome, she became angry and shouted, "If you are ready, just leave now. You don't need to report it, and you don't need to work like a slave for me." The wasteland was so chaotic, and the sudden appearance of such a good-looking scholar, who knew what trouble would come from it.
Chu Xuesong did not let go and continued, "Read the books of sages and establish the character of a gentleman. I cannot rest in peace if I do not repay the favor. I beg you to help me."
Ye Nuan sighed, squatted down and smiled at him. Chu Xuesong also forced a smile, and then heard her say: "Look at you, you can't carry anything on your shoulders, you can't lift anything with your hands, you look so sick. If you stay here, you will have to eat and drink from me, and maybe I will even help you with your medical treatment. This is not repaying a favor, it's clearly revenge, so go back to where you came from."
This explanation was really interesting. Chu Xuesong was stunned for a moment, then tried hard to force a smile. Hesitantly and helplessly said, "Young lady, to be honest, I am from Qingzhou. I was framed and exiled here. As soon as I arrived, I ran into horse bandits and barely escaped death. If you don't take me in, I have nowhere to go and can only die."
As if afraid that Ye Nuan would disagree, he hurriedly added: "I'm willing to do anything. If I don't know how, I can learn. As long as I can get a place to stay and shelter from the wind and rain, that's all I need."
Qingzhou is Su's hometown. Her father was the governor of Qingzhou. He was transferred to the capital when she was eight years old and was later named Duke of Rong.
Su was somewhat touched and couldn't help asking, "Where are you from Qingzhou? What did you do to be exiled?"
Chu Xuesong quickly said, "I'm from Lin'an County, Qingzhou. My ancestors had some property, but it was later taken away by my uncles. I wanted to pass the imperial examination, but I was framed for cheating during the provincial examination. I wasn't exiled, but I got so angry that I hit someone..."
In other words, he originally had the title of scholar, and the person he beat was very powerful.
Ye Nuan asked doubtfully, "Aren't the Wei family's horse bandits mostly dead? As far as I know, the people from the Chu family village only rob people and don't kill them. So, were they the ones you encountered?"
Chu Xuesong looked confused, "What did the girl say? Wei family, Chu family village?" He seemed to have thought of something and said in fear, "Is there more than one group of horse bandits in the wilderness?" His panic didn't seem to be fake.
I haven't tried it out, but this guy looks refined and doesn't seem like he came from a bandit's den.
Ye Nuan said, "Those exiled here are all going to Dahuang Village. You can rest here first. When the people from Luomu City come, I will ask them to take you there."
The man who had just been pulling at her skirt lowered his head, his whole body immersed in gloom, and said in a hoarse voice: "I am just a scholar, it is useless to go there. Miss, don't worry about me, just let me die here."
"It's up to you." Ye Nuan pulled Ye Xiaohu and walked out.
After the three of them washed up, Su took her son to the pond to wash clothes, while Ye Nuan cooked porridge in the kitchen, the simplest sweet potato porridge with radish strips.
The fragrance of sweet potatoes wafted out in waves, and soon the entire yard was filled with it. Even Su, who was by the pond, could smell it.
Chu Xuesong sat on the wooden floor and looked up at the kitchen. From his position he could see the busy profiles of the people in the room.
She washed the rice, chopped the sweet potatoes, and cooked the porridge, all in one go. Her features were beautiful in the misty air. As he watched, the corners of his eyes tilted upwards, his mood brightening, and he no longer had the slightest hint of weakness or restraint he had just felt.
After the porridge was cooked, Su's clothes were washed and hung out to dry. She and Ye Xiaohu moved the low table outside and waited for Ye Nuan to serve the porridge.
The three of them sat around the table eating hot porridge. The rice was soft, the sweet potatoes were sweet and sticky, and the radish strips were sour, spicy and chewy. It was so delicious.
Ye Nuan finished her meal and turned to see Chu Xuesong staring at the porridge. She sighed, filled a clean bowl with chopsticks and brought it to him, saying, "You should have a hot bowl too. If you're too hungry, don't eat the radish strips. They're spicy."
"Spicy?" Chu Xuesong took the bowl and asked in confusion, "What's that taste?"
This is hard to describe, so Ye Nuan simply picked up a small piece and put it in his bowl, "Just take a bite, and tell me if it doesn't taste good."
Chu Xuesong took a light bite, then another, and finally ate the entire radish without even a frown. Ye Nuan asked in surprise, "Isn't it spicy?"
"This is spicy? It's delicious!"
Ye Nuan was suspicious and looked at him again, and it seemed that he really thought it was delicious.
"Can you give me some more?" He took a sip of porridge, and his hands, which had been frozen all night, finally warmed up a little.
Ye Nuan gave him some more, "That's all. Eating too much is not good."
After she finished eating, she went to clean the kitchen. Su didn't want to pay any attention to this person, nor did she allow her son to pay any attention. After eating, she took the vegetable seeds she had soaked last night and walked out to the yard. The sun broke through the morning mist and shone in front of the cabin.
Ye Nuan cleared the dishes and started planting vegetables with her mother and Xiao Hu. This time, the yard was even bigger than the one in Dahuang Village. It was fully opened from left to right, and even the ditches were dug.
They just need to plant the seeds and seedlings at intervals. Ye Nuan planted cabbage, lettuce, radish, garlic, spinach, eggplant, and tomatoes in turn... She dug the holes, and Ye Xiaohu handed over the seedlings and seeds.
She reached out again, her fingertips touching the edge of a plain white garment. She turned around and saw the scholar, who had been sitting at the gate, handing her some garlic seeds with a flattering yet not servile smile, while his brother was handing some seeds to her mother.
"Have you got the strength?"
The scholar nodded. "My name is Chu Bai, you can call me Xiao Bai. My injuries aren't serious, just a few scratches on my arm. I fainted earlier because I was tired, hungry, and thirsty. I'm feeling much better now that I've eaten."
He spoke softly, his eyes sincere, and he exuded a noble air, evidently well-educated. His pristine white robe did have a few rips, and his face was stained, but that couldn't hide his handsomeness, which made him very attractive to girls.
Especially, always smile no matter what you say.
Ye Nuan patiently explained, "It's really not convenient for us to take you in here. How about this? I'll send you to Dahuang Village later. I'm familiar with it. Just tell them you know me and they'll take care of you."
If she knew his background, she wouldn't mind having an extra farmhand. Although this person told her his full name and surname, he showed up too suddenly and she was worried.
The person behind him didn't say anything, and the two of them were silent for a while. Ye Nuan had just finished planting a garlic, and he immediately handed it to her, his movements quick and his expression gentle.
They were only halfway through planting when they heard the sound of horse hooves in the distance. Su stood up to look and excitedly said to Ye Nuan, "Nuan, Gao Shoucheng is here, bringing cattle, sheep, and foals."
Ye Nuan immediately stood up to look, and sure enough, she saw a large group of people coming this way. Before they arrived, Gao Zangfeng arrived with a loud voice.
"Miss Ye, Miss Ye! Come out and take inventory!"
Ye Nuan quickly said to her mother, "Mom, go get some sesame cakes for them. I'll go take a look first."
She washed her hands and walked out of the yard. Gao Zangfeng and his group of more than 20 people were surrounding more than 30 cows, sheep and foals.
"Miss Ye, here are twelve sheep, twelve horses, and twelve cows, half male and half female. Where should we put them?"
Ye Nuan pointed to the fence behind the house and said, "Put it there first. There's already a pile of wood next to it. Take someone to fence off the lawn behind. I'll make you roast goose for lunch."
Everyone then noticed that there were more than twenty large white geese and a goat on the farm. Gao Zangfeng asked curiously, "Where did these geese come from?" He hadn't seen them during the work yesterday.
Ye Nuan smiled and said, "They were raised in Dahuang Village before and were just delivered this morning." There were only a few of them before, but many more were hatched later.
Gao Zangfeng looked up into the yard and saw Chu Xuesong standing at the gate in a remarkably white outfit. He was stunned for a moment and asked, "Did he send the goose? He looks a bit like a goose in his white outfit!"
This matter was difficult to explain. The more Gao Zangfeng explained, the more confused he would become. He would probably have to ask more questions. Ye Nuan had no choice but to change the subject: "Come on, let's have some scones first. They smell so good fresh out of the oven. After we finish eating, we can go build the fence."
Everyone's attention was indeed attracted by the pancakes. After eating the pancakes, Gao Zangfeng led a group of people to drive the cattle, sheep and foals into the fence and started to fence the lawn.
The seeds sown yesterday had already sprouted, looking lush and green. Gao Zangfeng and the others were plucking them, wondering, "When was this grass planted? How did it sprout so quickly?" He looked around. The only other places with grass in the vast wilderness were near Crescent Moon Lake and the Ye family's plot.
He tutted his words and said, "Miss Ye is really good at growing things. Luomu City should not be short of food this winter."
The person who was putting up the fence nearby pushed him and told him to look up. Gao Zangfeng followed the crowd's gaze and saw Ye Nuan and the pretty boy standing by the pond, talking, both of them with obvious smiles on their faces.
Someone gossiped, "Gao Shoucheng, who do you think this pretty boy is related to Miss Ye?"
"They look quite compatible."
"Yes, look Miss Ye is smiling at him."
If someone had dared to steal the city lord's girlfriend two days ago, Gao Zangfeng would have killed that person. But the city lord said he didn't like Miss Ye, and Miss Ye didn't necessarily like the city lord. If that was the case, it didn't seem to matter to him who Miss Ye talked to.
"Gao Shoucheng, do you think the city lord will chop this kid down if he sees this?"
"You dare to touch the city lord's woman and even laugh at her. You must be tired of living."
Gao Zangfeng slapped each of them and cursed, "What nonsense are you talking about? The city lord said he doesn't like Miss Ye. Don't say that in front of the city lord, or he'll be angry."
Gao Zangfeng felt that since the city lord had been so kind to him, he had an obligation to help him explain things clearly. So, amidst everyone's skeptical gazes, he pulled the man aside and gave him a good scolding, finally convincing everyone that the city lord really had no interest in Miss Ye.
Ye Nuan actually didn't want to talk to Chu Xuesong, but he came over by himself, with a very nice attitude, to ask her about the situation in the wasteland.
If he was really exiled, Ye Nuan would naturally help him with this little favor. After chatting with him casually for a few minutes, she found that he was very interesting and not a complete nerd. He could even make her laugh.
Seeing that the two were unhappy, Su Shi carried the two scalded geese to the pond and asked in a bad tone, "Um, can you pluck the feathers? If you eat my food, you have to do some work. Come here and pluck the goose feathers."
Ye Nuan stood aside and said nothing. Chu Xuesong looked at the two plump geese, feeling a little embarrassed, but still said, "I may not be able to do it, but I will do my best." As he said that, he really walked over, rolled up his sleeves and started plucking the feathers.
Su's attitude improved. She walked over to Ye Nuan and said in a low voice, "His scholarly air is somewhat similar to your father's. He's a bad guy, so don't take him seriously."
"Mom, what are you talking about? Is your daughter that kind of person? She would look down on any man." She caught a glimpse of Chu Xuesong plucking hair out of the corner of her eye.
Those hands were long, slender, and well-proportioned, with distinct joints. It would be a waste of natural resources to use them to pluck hair. However, he plucked hair very seriously, as if he was taking a provincial examination.
He didn't think he could keep the hair after plucking it, did he?
In fact, he was very careful in his work. There was not a single feather on the two geese. He even cleaned the area around the pond.
Su asked doubtfully while holding two geese, "Have you done this before?"
Chu Xuesong shook his head: "No, but killing geese is the same as writing an article. As long as you are determined to do it, everything is not a problem."
Would such a person really beat others for the sake of the provincial examination?
"Mom, let's go cook first." Ye Nuan pulled her mother inside.
Chu Xuesong was still squatting by the pond. When the people disappeared, he frowned and put his hands into the water with some disgust and rubbed them vigorously. In just a few moments, his hands were rubbed red. He stood up, took out a handkerchief from his bosom, and wiped his hands carefully. Then he took out a sachet from his sleeve pocket and rubbed them twice.
Ye Xiaohu ran over from outside, looked at him curiously as he passed by, then leaned in closer and asked, "What's that in your hand?"
Chu Xuesong bent down halfway, looked at him at eye level, then spread out the sachet and explained, "This is a sachet. There are a lot of spices in it. Smell it." He had a gentle look and was very patient with the child.
Ye Xiaohu twitched his nose and grinned, "It smells really good. Did you make this yourself?"
Chu Xuesong nodded: "Well, my brother can make a lot of interesting gadgets, he can also draw and carve wood, do you want some?"
Ye Xiaohu's eyes sparkled and he nodded his head vigorously.
"Then Xiaohu, can you please tell your sister to let me stay?"
Ye Xiaohu hesitated and said, "But, but my sister said that we can't just pick up things from outside and bring them home. It's unlucky!"
Chu Xuesong: Things? That's an interesting term!
The sun shone brightly on his fair face, leaving a dimple on his cheek. He took out a paper frog from his pocket and put it in Ye Xiaohu's hand: "That's a pity. Xiaohu will have nothing to play with from now on."
The paper frog was folded so vividly that it even had two round eyes drawn on it. Ye Xiaohu loved it very much.
He hesitated for a while and said, "Then, can you write?"
Chu Xuesong chuckled: "Yes."
Ye Xiaohu's eyes lit up. "My mother is teaching me to read, but there are many things she doesn't understand. My sister is worried about hiring a teacher. If she chases you away later, just say you want to be my teacher."
He blinked and said, "You must not tell me that I said that. Sister would be unhappy if she knew I wanted to take you home!"
Chu Xuesong touched his head and said, "Well, I won't tell you."
Ye Xiaohu happily ran back to the cabin with the paper frog in his hand, followed by the playful Xiao Hei. Chu Xuesong stood there, smiling slightly: "Children are so easy to fool. Hmm, I should be nicer to this little kid from now on."
Smoke rose from the kitchen. Ye Nuan first blanched the chopped goose meat to remove the fishy smell, then added oil to a clean pot, added star anise, green onion, ginger, peppercorns, and dried chilies to stir-fry until fragrant, then poured the filtered goose meat in and stir-fried it over low heat.
The fat of the goose sizzled in the oil, the skin quickly curling and turning golden, its aroma emanating from it, filling the entire yard. When it was almost done, I added sugar and dark soy sauce, stir-frying, and finally added half a bottle of wheat wine to simmer.
There was a rumbling sound in the pot. Ye Xiaohu ran in following the smell, tiptoed to look inside, and did not forget to hide the paper frog in his hand.
"Sister, is the meat ready to eat?" Ye Xiaohu didn't know it was goose meat, he just smelled the fragrance and his mouth was drooling.
He wanted to reach out to lift the lid, but Ye Nuan slapped his hand away and said, "Don't move. It's not cooked yet. We have guests here today, so be polite."
"I understand, sister." He smelled the fragrance.
In addition to the goose meat, she also fried two large plates of vegetables, two large pots of pumpkin, a large pile of peanuts, a can of spicy and sour dried radish, and steamed the rice directly in a large steamer.
The midday sun was too strong, so Ye Nuan had Xiao Hu carry the table and low table to the first-floor living room and set the food on the table. Since there weren't many people this time, she had plenty of bowls and chopsticks. The twenty men worked quickly, and by a quarter past noon the fence was completely closed.
When Ye Nuan shouted that they had finished eating, everyone's eyes lit up. They had already smelled the delicious food, which was so delicious that it made them hungry.
Ye Nuan said, "Go wash your hands by the pond, then come over for dinner."
Pond, what pond? Under Ye Nuan's guidance, everyone walked south and saw that the deep pit dug yesterday was full of water, with curled and pointed lotus leaves floating in it.
Did you really plant lotus flowers?
The water in the pond was refreshingly cool. Gao Zangfeng wiped his face vigorously and drank a sip. He asked in surprise, "Where did this water come from? How did it fill up overnight?"
"Such clear water, even cooler than the water in Tianhu Lake."
Ye Nuan really wanted to say that the water washed clothes and goose feathers, but seeing how happily they drank it, she couldn't bear it.
She said, "This water is brought from Crescent Moon Lake. We must be lucky to have dug up groundwater."
Chu Xuesong stood aside and laughed silently: How could one be so lucky to be able to dig out water, grow grass, and grow so many vegetables in the wasteland?
Is it really as the mute said: She can bring spring back to dead trees?
It’s quite interesting!
Gao Zangfeng said excitedly: "If we had known that we could dig out water, we would have dug it earlier."
"Let's go eat first."
The twenty or so people were very excited. They looked at the pond and the lawn outside the yard. When they arrived in the yard, they saw the seedlings planted early in the morning and touched them curiously, asking questions.
Ye Nuan didn't mind explaining everything, and she looked kind, gentle and soft-hearted.
But why didn't you help him?
Chu Xuesong squinted his eyes and looked at Ye Nuan. Her skin was white and translucent, like his jade fan, and her whole body was warm.
Ye Nuan met his gaze, smiled, and said softly, "Come along."
Chu Xuesong bowed to her, thanked her, and followed her in.
There were obviously not enough seats for more than twenty people, so they had to squeeze in and eat standing up. The people from Luomu City were all soldiers, so they didn't care about this. They would even eat such delicious food standing upside down.
These people didn't dare to be too rude to Ye Nuan. They ate politely, but their hands were obviously fast. As they ate, they praised Ye Nuan to the highest praises.
Someone yelled, "This goose is delicious!" Ye Xiaohu, who had been enjoying his meal, suddenly burst into tears, still crying about his goose. Gao Zangfeng stuffed a goose leg into his mouth and said with a laugh, "This little kid is interesting. He just keeps crying without shedding any tears."
Ye Xiaohu chewed and chewed until he could taste the flavor. He howled and said, "The goose is quite delicious."
Suddenly everyone at the table burst into laughter.
The food was a bit spicy, but Gao Zangfeng and his group were used to it and loved spicy food. They were clamoring for chili sauce, so Ye Nuan brought out two large jars of it from the kitchen.
"This is chopped pepper made from autumn peppers. Gao Shoucheng, take it easy."
Gao Zangfeng said nonchalantly: "What's a man afraid of a little bit of spicy food, right, little brother? You should try some too."
The point he mentioned was a big spoonful, and the little brother he called was Chu Xuesong who was standing opposite him.
Thinking that he had been hungry for a long time, his stomach would not be able to bear it. Ye Nuan was about to stop him when Chu Xuesong smiled and held out his bowl. A large pile of chopped peppers piled on the rice looked red and spicy.
"Don't force yourself if you can't eat." She didn't want anyone to die.
But Chu Xuesong still ate the chopped pepper with a smile on his face. Gao Zangfeng bared his teeth and praised: "Good boy, you can eat spicier food than me."
The meal was a delightful one. When everyone was about to leave, Ye Nuan handed the written agreement to Gao Zangfeng and said, "Could you please, Gao Shoucheng, do me another favor and send him to Dahuang Village?"
Ye Nuan pointed at Chu Xuesong, and Gao Zangfeng readily agreed: "It's not a big deal."
However, Chu Xuesong said, "Don't bother, I'll stay here."
Everyone looked at him. Gao Zangfeng pointed at him and then looked at Ye Nuan and asked, "What's going on?"
Ye Nuan frowned and looked at Chu Xuesong: "Didn't we agree on this?"
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