At this moment, no one knew where her crutches had been thrown away. She was hanging on the crooked poplar tree with her arms, her legs dangling on the sedge, and the white cloth that had wrapped her earlier was now covered with strange patterns.
"Master, Master..."
The three little kids were crawling on the ground with runny noses and stuttering, imitating the adults and performing the Southern Qiang people's prostration ceremony.
Xiao Nanhui grumbled, "Hurry up and get up. The floor is so dirty. Who taught you that?"
The one who had just forgotten the words rushed to say: "Grandma taught me..."
The person standing next to him quickly nudged him with his elbow.
She saw it and found it a little funny: "What else did your grandma teach you?"
This time the three children were silent.
Xiao Nanhui didn't force it, and changed his tone: "Your grandma is wrong. How can Qing Huaihou be so scary? It's all made up to fool children. How can you believe it? It will only boost others' morale and destroy your own prestige."
The child with painted face felt a little guilty, but the other two immediately perked up.
She smiled absentmindedly and asked out of sheer boredom, "We're talking about Marquis Qinghuai. Have you heard the rumors about the old Emperor Tiancheng?"
"I know!" One of them sniffed excitedly and stumbled over his words, "The Emperor could recite at the age of five, compose poetry at the age of seven, and at the age of nine, he could play the zither with such melody that it was unparalleled in the valley. No other zither player in the palace could match him..."
What the hell?!
Why is Xiao Zhun a Black Diamond, but when he becomes the Emperor he becomes an otherworldly immortal? What kind of logic is this?!
"Wait, where did you hear that?" She felt a little too much after she said it, so she added, "Shouldn't we Lingxi people really hate him?"
Ever since the Bai family occupied Bijiang, Tiancheng had been secretly putting pressure on them. She didn't believe that the people here loved the emperor very much.
Another one blinked his eyes and continued, "I really hate him. But the one who praised him was Xumizi, the most respected zither player in Nanqiang. How come the village chief doesn't even know this?"
Xiao Nanhui was stunned.
She had done her homework before coming to Bijiang, but she had never thought about learning about music, chess, calligraphy and painting, let alone doing the emperor's homework.
Inexplicably, she thought of the situation in front of Sanmu Pass that day. The sound of the piano seemed to be right next to her ears. Although she didn't know much about music, she could tell that it was not about the interest of literati, but about killing and slaughter.
I wonder if the Emperor Tiancheng’s piano playing is similar to that person’s?
"Master Pan!"
Xiao Nan turned around and saw Wu Xiaoliu walking hurriedly towards him from behind.
During the time they spent together, she could tell something just by looking at the fat man's expression.
Now his expression, well, doesn't look very good.
When Xiao Nanhui followed Wu Xiaoliu out of the village entrance, he saw the unfamiliar group of Southern Qiang people at a glance.
Their dress and behavior were very different from those of the people in her village, and they looked much richer and more arrogant.
Among them, there was only one person who had his back to her, standing with his hands behind his back. He was the shortest, but his aura was as great as a meter.
The saying "don't judge a book by its cover" applies to this type of person. Furthermore, villains are difficult to deal with, so never let your guard down.
As her thoughts raced, she had already approached the group of people.
The short man noticed something and turned around, revealing a smiling face. However, his thin eyelids revealed a bit of his shrewdness. His pair of bean-sized eyes turned and fell on Xiao Nanhui.
"Chief Pan, long time no see. How did you injure your legs? You look quite a bit thinner!"
Xiao Nanhui had no intention of playing Tai Chi. He went straight to the point with a confused look on his face, "Excuse me, who are you...?"
The short man pretended to be surprised: "It's only been three months since we last met, and Mei'er doesn't remember me?"
Wu Xiaoliu saw the opportunity and cleared his throat: "How dare you! This is Pan Yaoer, the leader of Pan Village, not your Meier!"
The short man took a few steps forward, as if he wanted to get a closer look. Xiao Nanhui could almost smell the faint fishy odor on him, which was the unique smell of people who liked to eat raw meat.
Even in Bijiang, the ancient custom of eating raw food is considered very rare. This person must be from one of the most barbaric tribes in Southern Qiang.
"Pan Meir is my elder sister, and I have the final say here. If you have anything to say, just tell me now."
The short man blinked and adjusted his expression in the shortest time, still smiling.
"I see. Since this is our first meeting, I must explain things clearly to avoid any unpleasantness or misunderstandings. After all, Mei'er and I are very close friends, so I should do the same if it were her sister."
Xiao Nanhui remained silent. Her eyes fell on the empty bags on the other people, and she had already made up her mind.
"Since Village Master Pan doesn't say anything, I'll take it as your consent."
The short man stepped aside, revealing the sturdy Southern Qiang men behind him. "These brothers are all servants of Lord Bai. They are here to inspect as per custom. By the way..." He paused deliberately, stretched out two short and thick fingers and twisted them, "to ask for some hard-earned money."
She was still wondering this morning why the Bai family hadn't made any move yet. It was really unbelievable that they came to her house so soon.
Xiao Nanhui smiled widely, regardless of how Wu Xiaoliu grinned beside him, and the next second he made a welcoming gesture of "My door is always open".
"Of course. May I ask your name, brother?"
The other person also smiled, revealing a mouthful of densely packed teeth, like the man-eating pomfret in the Nujiang River.
"My surname is Kuang, and my full name is Kuang Wuwu. Village Master Pan, please just call me A'Kuang."
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