Chapter 12 Bandit Neighbors

Following Brother Zheng's instructions, Chen Shiyi found the gurgling spring.

The clear spring is located in a mountain that is planted with camellia trees.

On the branches of many tea trees, there grow delicate and exquisite tea bags.

The tea bag is moist, sweet, and can quench thirst. This is what the children who fetched water with me told me.

She collected some, put it in the hem of her shirt, and hurried back.

On the way back to the wooden house, she saw Wen Zhirou from a distance, standing on tiptoe and looking in the direction she was walking.

Seeing Eleven's figure, Wen Zhirou's tense body jumped for joy and ran towards Eleven.

"You found something to eat."

Wen Zhirou's eyes sparkled, especially when she smelled the aroma of food, she was extremely happy.

Several people sat down around the food. When they opened the lotus leaf packages, a few light green vegetable pancakes came into view. The rich aroma of rice mixed with the aroma of vegetables was such a huge temptation for those who had not had a proper meal for a long time.

Each person got a piece. The Wen family was a very well-educated family. Even in their down and out days, their innate behavior and slow manners made Chen Shiyi feel very out of place.

Ruier touched his belly and was obviously not full, but he was very sensible.

"Uncle and father haven't eaten yet, should we save some for them when they come back?"

Mrs. Wen ruffled his messy hair.

"My Rui'er has grown up."

Wen Zhirou asked while holding the tea bag.

"This seems to be different from the previous elm money. It tastes sweeter."

Chen Shiyi was a little absent-minded; she was still thinking about the house.

After filling her stomach a little and drinking a sip of water, she walked back to the abandoned yard.

The yard is in a great location, with a stream in front and a mountain at the back. On the left side of the yard is a large flat area, which looks like it was a vegetable field in the past. Not far away, a large bamboo forest rustles.

Moreover, this courtyard is not far from the Fengming Mine.

This is really suitable for their current situation.

She thought she should find out more about the situation of this courtyard first.

She looked around and saw that there was a family living on the hillside about a mile away from them.

This family is relatively well-off.

On the wall of the smoked yellow mud house hung several strings of scarlet dried meat, side by side with white garlic. Under the eaves, a large wooden cage was placed casually, with the sound of chickens chirping. The yard was rather messy, with dust and fallen leaves everywhere, and it seemed that it had not been cleaned for a long time. On the right side of the house, a short wooden barrel was filled with old clothes.

Chen Shiyi wondered what kind of people would live in a place like this?

Suddenly, a sharp blade was placed on his neck.

It was so cold that Chen Shiyi dared not move at all.

A crazy, hoarse voice sounded from behind.

"Who are you? What do you want to do by hanging around in front of my house?"

Chen Shiyi replied quickly.

"Brother, please spare my life. I was exiled here. I saw this family and wanted to find out something. I have no bad intentions."

After a long time, the knife on the neck slowly loosened.

Chen Shiyi cleared his throat nervously and turned around before recognizing the man's face.

He was dressed in black clothes, washed till they looked pale, and his body was sturdy, strong and powerful. The veins on the hand holding the knife were bulging, his skin was dark, and his eyes were sharp, like a lurking wolf. There was a clear scar on his left forehead.

bandit?

Chen Shiyi instinctively wanted to escape, but was unexpectedly blocked by the man at the door.

"You can come as you like and leave as you like?"

Chen Shiyi leaned against the gate, her dark pupils flashing constantly, revealing her panic and fear.

"I, I..."

The bandit looked at her for a while and suddenly sneered.

"Tell me, what do you want to know?"

Chen Shiyi swallowed and said nervously.

"I, I just want to ask, is it okay to live in that abandoned yard over there?"

"You want to know?"

"Um."

"You can ask me, but I won't do anything unless it's for my own benefit. What can you offer me in exchange?"

"I have no money."

"Why would you ask if you don't have money?"

After saying that, he ignored Chen Shiyi in front of him and walked straight into the yard.

Chen Shiyi hurriedly followed behind him and said.

"I can work."

Seeing that the man didn't want to pay any attention to her, she continued.

"You can do anything for me."

The bandit snorted coldly.

"Whoever here needs this kind of strength, get out."

Hearing that he was angry, Chen Shiyi quickly ran outside. As soon as he reached the door, he was called by the man again.

He just frowned and asked in a cold voice.

“Can you cook?”

Chen Shiyi nodded.

"Can."

"Prepare me a table of food, and in exchange I will tell you how to live in that house."

Once we entered the kitchen, we found that the bandit's home was indeed rich.

The rice in the jar and the oil in the pot were both full. The salt in the small jar had not melted like lard, but was clearly separated like fine sand. This was new salt.

There were several strings of smoked meat hanging from the kitchen ceiling, and in the basket on the ground were a few fresh bird eggs, with some green wild vegetables that had just been picked.

Chen Shiyi does all kinds of work in Xiangyang Village, and cooking a few dishes is no problem for him.

She skillfully cut and washed vegetables, lit a fire, and cooked four dishes and a soup. She also cleaned his yard.

She thought that if she did a better job, maybe others would give her some advice, which would be much better than their random prying and probing.

While she was cleaning the kitchen, the bandit was banging on the doorstep outside, and soon she heard more footsteps coming into the yard.

A loud voice roared in.

"Brother Cui, I finally managed to get a jar of the Liang family's wine."

I heard the bandit's voice reply.

"That's right. I've prepared a few delicious dishes. We won't go home until we're drunk tonight."

As soon as Chen Shiyi came out with the dishes, the eyes of several people outside were all focused on her.

There was shock, confusion, and most of all, disbelief.

The one with the loudest voice said something.

"Brother Cui, when did you get into this? You are still a child, right?"

"That's right. You actually like this ugly thing?"

The bandit named Cui greeted them with a smile and sat them down at the square table that had just been built.

"I don't know where she got this idea from. She said she can do the job, so I'll let her do it. It's a waste if she doesn't use it."

Chen Shiyi listened to the jokes of the group of men but did not dare to say a word. He just put the dishes on the table, put the washed bowls and chopsticks in place, and stood quietly by the side.

A man in a white shirt, a little more gentle.

"There are chickens, fish, meat, and eggs. Yongan, you've spent a lot of money today!"

"No way, let's eat, it will get cold soon."

The man in white drank some wine and ate some food, seeming to be very happy.

"Girl, your craftsmanship is pretty good. Where are you from?"

When Chen Shiyi heard someone asking her, she quickly perked up and replied.

"I am exiled from Kyoto."

When several people heard this, their hands that were picking up food and drinking wine paused.

The man in white asked with a frown.

"What happened at home?"

Chen Shiyi shook his head.

"I don't know. I'm just a maid. I came here with the master."

They were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"You mean, your master is in exile, and you still find a maid to serve him?"

Chen Shiyi nodded, not understanding why.

"No wonder, how can someone from Kyoto cook such a delicious meal?"