Chapter 163
Jiaojiao, who was happily coming out of the kitchen with her father carrying sugar cakes, heard a knock on the door, stopped and turned to look.
“Bang, bang, bang!”
"Bang bang bang bang bang bang!"
The rapid and forceful knocks on the door sounded very unfriendly, mixed with faint noises. Yin Zheng's eyes moved, moving away from Jiaojiao and falling on the courtyard door.
Qin Mianmian, who heard the knock on the door, put down her pen, got off the kang, put on her shoes, and ran out: "Jiaojiao, what's wrong?"
"I don't know." Jiaojiao shook her head.
The knocking on the door became more and more urgent, and the noise became louder and louder. Jiaojiao, who could distinguish the voices of Yin Dazhu and Old Wu, frowned slightly.
That bad grandpa and bad grandma are here to bully dad again?
Thinking of this, Jiaojiao wrinkled her nose and ran after Yin Zheng who was about to open the door with her short legs: "Dad!"
Yin Zheng, who always focused half of his attention on Jiaojiao no matter what he was doing, stopped and looked back at him: "Hmm?"
Jiaojiao reached out and tugged at her father's trouser leg, holding the bowl in her hand upwards: "Daddy, give it to me."
Yin Zheng, confused, squatted down and took the bowl.
With her hands free, Jiaojiao patted her father's arm and said in a serious manner, "Don't be afraid, Dad. Jiaojiao is here."
After he finished speaking, he ran into the utility room, swinging his little hands, and angrily rushed towards the gate of the yard, dragging his little hoe. His posture looked like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, but he was just a little tiger that was not even a month old.
Yin Zheng almost reached out to grab him: "What are you doing?"
Jiaojiao, who was lifted into the air and flapped his legs a few times, looked up at his father, with doubt in his dark, bright eyes: "Jiaojiao, go chase them away."
Yin Zheng: “…”
He took the small wooden hoe from Jiaojiao's hand, stuffed the bowl of sugar cakes into Jiaojiao's arms, asked Jiaojiao to eat it while it was hot, and then got up to open the door.
But after just two steps, Jiaojiao grabbed his trouser leg again. Knowing that her father wouldn't let her go out, Jiaojiao was very obedient and just held up a candy cake to Yin Zheng: "Daddy, have some."
Yin Zheng bent down, took the sugar cake from his hand, and walked out.
There were not too many people standing outside, not too few either. Including the fortune-teller, there were about twenty of them, and among them were two or three strangers who didn't look like the kind of people who would dig for food in the fields. They all had angry and hostile expressions on their faces.
Yin Zheng's eyes moved, and he finished the candy cake in two bites. He turned around and closed the door, then looked at the people in front of him and said, "What's going on?"
Yin Zheng is tall, with sharp eyebrows and a fierce face. Those who are angry and come to cause trouble will subconsciously feel a little timid when they see Yin Zheng.
Widow Li wasn't afraid of Yin Zheng, though. Her son's death had left her with a deep hatred for him. Seeing no one was speaking, she spoke maliciously, "Yin, you've brought back a disaster. Locusts have wiped out the crops in several villages surrounding Hengyang Town. How are you going to give us an explanation for this?"
The two strangers from the outside village immediately said, "That's right. Everything was fine before the disaster struck. Although it was a bit dry, our Hengyang Town has a river branching off from the Jialing River and is close to Wushan Mountain. We've survived every severe drought in the past."
"If that calamity hadn't brought the locusts, how could we have been so miserable this year!"
"Not only did the crops fail, but even the wild vegetables and tree bark on the mountain were eaten by locusts."
"My parents starved to death because of you!"
"In order to avoid locust plagues next year, hand over the disaster star and burn him to death!" One of the strangers from outside the village shouted first.
The crowd was enraged. They raised their hoes and carrying poles and shouted with ferocious faces: "Hand over the disaster star!"
"Burn the evil star to death!"
"Burn the disaster star to death! Hand over the disaster star and burn him to death!"
Yin Zheng stood outside the door, without any response to their words, nor any sign of handing Qin Mianmian over.
He even thought about turning around, opening the door and going in, but he thought their knocking was too loud, so he lowered his eyes and thought about how to solve the problem.
Qin Mianmian, who was holding a bitten sugar cake inside the door, froze in his tracks. He listened to the hysterical voices outside shouting that he was a disaster star, that he had attracted the locusts, that he had killed everyone, that he had not been abducted, that he had been deliberately abandoned by his family, and that if they wanted to burn him to death, a dense chill would surge through his body, and he would shiver a little.
Jiaojiao realized something was wrong with him and stood on tiptoe to cover his ears, but she couldn't reach them because of her height.
Jiaojiao turned her head and looked around, then ran to drag a stool over, climbed onto it and stood up, then reached out and covered Qin Mianmian's ears: "Mianmian, don't be afraid, Jiaojiao is here."
Qin Mianmian lowered her eyes and met Jiaojiao's bright and clear eyes. She pursed her lips as if she wanted to cry, and just as she opened her mouth to call out "Jiaojiao", tears began to fall.
He, he is not a disaster star!
His parents love him so much that they won't abandon him!
He didn't kill anyone!
Jiaojiao was so scared that she quickly wiped his tears with her little hands. Seeing that he was still crying, she lowered her head, took out some candy from her pocket and stuffed it into his mouth. She then opened her little hands as hard as she could to hug Qin Mianmian, gently patting her back. She imitated Aunt Chen's way of coaxing Duoduo and whispered, "Mianmian, be good, don't cry. Jiaojiao will give you candy. Don't cry, don't cry."
Qin Mianmian held the sweet candy in her mouth, buried her head in Jiaojiao's small shoulders with red eyes, listening to the noises outside. Her small hands tightly grasped the corner of Jiaojiao's clothes, and her low voice was filled with tears that could not be concealed: "Jiaojiao... I... I miss my parents..."
Outside the door, the crowd was still clamoring for Yin Zheng to hand over Qin Mianmian. Some of them even rushed up and tried to push the door open, but were kicked to the ground by Yin Zheng and couldn't get up.
He just stood there, like an unbreakable wall, and no one could get past him.
Widow Li looked at Yin Zheng with vicious eyes: "If you don't want to hand over the disaster star, you are in cahoots with it. I think you brought the disaster star into the village on purpose. The little kid you picked up earlier was also a disaster star. He brought drought, and the other one brought locust plague. The three of you are all disaster stars and disasters, and you all deserve to be burned to death!"
When she said that she wanted to burn Jiaojiao to death, Yin Zheng instantly looked up at her.
"You're right, that kid is also a disaster. When he comes, the drought comes!"
"Both of the little ones are disasters. Hand them over and burn them together!"
"Hand it over quickly!"
This was the first time that Yin Zheng showed extreme hostility towards the villagers.
Without the restraint and self-control of the past, he exuded an extremely brutal and cruel aura, like some kind of predator standing on top, removing its disguise and revealing its fangs that had been hidden all along. The oppression and fear it brought were so frightening that the people in front of him involuntarily took three steps back.
The angry shouts gradually died down and the scene became quiet for a while. Apart from the whistling wind, there was only the rapid and heavy breathing of the crowd due to fear, especially Widow Li, who faced Yin Zheng's eyes directly, her face was so pale that she could not stand steadily.
If she continues talking, Yin Zheng will really kill her!
At this moment, she realized this very clearly!
The instinct of survival blocked her throat, and she couldn't utter a single word except for a gasp.
Compared to these people who have never seen blood, Yin Zheng, to a certain extent, is a person who has stepped out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
Seven years ago, when the new emperor ascended the throne, the Turks moved south. They happened to run into the Turks while serving in Sifang Town, Yu County. The scar on his face was left at that time.
Yin Zheng went to that forced labor on behalf of Yin Youcai, and among the people from several nearby villages who went to serve, he was the only one who came back alive, or in other words, he was the only one who survived in the entire Sifang Town at that time.
That was Yin Zheng's first time killing someone, and also his first time killing so many people. If you ask him how he felt about killing someone for the first time, aside from feeling a bit tired, he didn't feel anything.
Yin Zheng's gaze fell on the people in front of him.
Yin Zheng rarely has the intention to kill others.
To have murderous intentions towards someone requires drastic emotional fluctuations, but Yin Zheng's emotions rarely fluctuate greatly.
There is another reason. In Yin Zheng's world, there are two reasons why they eliminated emotions and became humanoid war machines: for the continuation of human civilization and for the millions of compatriots behind them.
Although Yin Zheng in this world does not have those memories, some things are engraved in his soul and genes. For humans, he has an instinct to protect existence in his subconscious. Although it is very weak, it does exist.
He would not kill anyone unless necessary, but there were two exceptions: life was threatened, and... his reverse scale was touched, and his emotions overwhelmed his rationality.
The atmosphere became inexplicably solemn. The two unfamiliar villagers looked at each other and just as they were about to say something, the village chief, who had heard the news, rushed over with his men and stood between them and Yin Zheng.
"What are you doing! What are you doing! What are you doing! What do you want to do by bringing your weapons here? And you even brought people from other villages with you. I think you want to make trouble!" The village chief shouted angrily, his cloudy eyes staring at the two witches and several people from other villages with unfriendly eyes.
"Village Chief," Yin Dazhu said flatteringly, "There's talk out there that the kid Yin Zheng brought back later was a disaster star, and that the locust plague was caused by him. People from Shangyou Village and Zhaojia Village wanted to tie up the kid and burn him, but I stopped them and brought a fortune teller with me so they could see if the kid was really a disaster star."
The village chief narrowed his eyes at Yin Dazhu and said with a forced smile, "You mean to say that I should praise you for doing the right thing?"
Yin Dazhu shrank back, stammered, and thought of the ten taels of silver at home. He gritted his teeth and said, "They're right. It's true that the locust plague came not long after that kid arrived. I'm doing this for the good of our village. After all, no one wants to have no harvest next year. The crops here are the lifeblood of us rural farmers. Watching them go to waste is like cutting flesh from our hearts."
"How many people have lost their lives this year due to this locust plague? Village chief, if you don't think about yourself, you should at least think about the villagers. I brought a fortune teller here. I just want her to see if that little kid is a disaster. If not, we have nothing to say. If it is, we have to give everyone an explanation, right?"
Widow Li quickly responded, "We should also show that little kid named Jiaojiao a look. It was because of him that Ergou got into trouble, and since he came, our village has been hit by a drought!"
Old Wang turned around and spat at her. Ever since her grandson and daughter-in-law were really safe and sound, Jiaojiao had reached a very high position in her heart. She would have a grudge against anyone who treated Jiaojiao badly.
"Bah! Your shameless thief, gambler, and whore-maker needs no one to harm him? He owed gambling debts and couldn't pay them back, so he stole someone else's child and sold it. Then he blamed the victim. What a shame, the whole world..."
Old Wang's words were no exaggeration; they hit the nail on the head, and Widow Li's face was distorted when she heard them.
"Sister Wang, stop scolding and let the fortune teller take a look at the baby." Old Mrs. Wu interrupted.
"Bah." Old Wang turned around and spat at her. "What are you looking at? These witches are just two liars. My Li family has paid them so much money over the years, and we've used so many talismans, but have they ever worked? Not only did they not work, they almost drank my eldest daughter-in-law to death. Who would dare to trust such a witch? If they accept someone's dirty money and start slandering us, they'll really kill a child."
The two witches' faces immediately turned ugly. They touched their foreheads and the ground in a mysterious manner, and then performed a series of strange dances. After that, they recited an incomprehensible spell to Old Wang in a harsh voice. Just as they were about to say something, they were interrupted by Old Wang.
"You two witches are talking nonsense and pretending to be gods. You just open your mouth and want to label the child as a disaster star. Even the high-ranking officials in the capital, such as the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, would not dare to make such a conclusion. They would go to places like Zhenguo Temple and Lingyin Temple to ask the eminent monks. Who are you two witches? Are you more powerful than the eminent monks in those big temples?" Old Wang retorted with her hands on her hips and spitting.
Old Wang heard about the Imperial Observatory, Zhenguo Temple, and Lingyin Temple in the capital from a storyteller in a teahouse when she went to the city one time. Since she seldom went to the city, she remembered the incident very clearly and never forgot it. She didn't expect that it would come in handy this time.
"Several northern states have been hit by a locust plague. You're trying to pin such a large-scale disaster on a little kid. You wicked bastard, aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning from heaven?"
"They say that kid is a disaster star, but I say he's a lucky star. Other places have suffered disasters, so why are we the only ones growing wild vegetables and grass for pigs and cows? It's because that kid is in Li Village. I'm telling you, don't put down your bowls and start cursing. If you really get into trouble tomorrow, you won't know where to kowtow!"
Ever since Chen gave birth to her eldest grandson safely, Old Wang had been wondering why Yin Zheng didn't let Jiaojiao accompany her to the village chief's house. After thinking about it for half a month, she vaguely understood a little bit. It is said that people are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being fat, and there is also the saying that wealth should not be shown. She guessed that Yin Zheng was afraid that someone with evil intentions would covet Jiaojiao's blessing and kidnap him.
Thinking about this, Old Wang just had an idea and gave the title of lucky star to Qin Mianmian.
No matter whether others believe it or not, as long as the people in Lijia Village have doubts about this in their hearts, it will be difficult to pin the title of disaster star on the head of the little kid named Qin Mianmian.
Yin Dazhu and others were left speechless by Old Wang's series of words.
Aunt Feng, who hadn't been able to get a word in, quickly said, "Yes, the little kid is fair-skinned and sensible. He doesn't look like a filthy disaster star. I see, just like what Sister Wang said, he's a little lucky star!"
Aunt Chen: "Exactly, who has this scoundrel with such an attractive appearance? He outshines all the other kids in town!"
The two strangers who didn't look like they were just digging for food in the fields saw that things were hopeless, looked at each other and left quietly.
Village chief Li Gensheng, who happened to see them leaving, narrowed his eyes and felt that something was wrong.
After Old Wang's intervention, the matter came to nothing. However, the villagers who participated in blocking the door were severely scolded and warned by the village chief and the elders.
In the county town, Meng Qiwu frowned fiercely after receiving the report from the servants. He put down the half-finished painting, took the handkerchief handed to him by the maid and wiped his hands carefully. Only then did the anger in his heart subside. It was not a big deal, just some setbacks.
It's just that problems keep popping up again and again. Although it's not a big deal, it's bound to make people upset.
At night, Qin Mianmian, who was asleep, suddenly began to hum softly. Her fair little face gradually turned red, her nostrils flared rapidly, and her exhaled breath was hot. Qin Mianmian, feeling uncomfortable, kicked off the quilt covering her body with restless hands and feet.
The next day, Jiaojiao got up and washed up, but saw that Mianmian hadn't come out yet, so she ran to his door and knocked: "Mianmian, get up and eat!"
Jiaojiao, who didn't hear any sound, tilted her head, pushed the door open quietly and stuck her head in. When she saw that Mianmian was still sleeping, she quietly closed the door again.
Yin Zheng came out of the kitchen with breakfast in his hand. He found Qin Mianmian still hadn't come out yet, so he decided to go check on her. Jiaojiao, who had seen her beforehand, tugged at her father's clothes and looked up, saying, "Brother Mianmian, he's still sleeping."
Qin Mianmian's daily routine has always been very stable. He always gets up not long after Yin Zheng does, as if it was a fixed routine that he developed at home.
She hasn't woken up yet today, which obviously means something is wrong. Thinking of this, Yin Zheng picked up Jiaojiao in his arms and walked towards the west room together.
I have a fever!
Looking at Qin Mianmian's blushing face, Yin Zheng made a judgment immediately.
Because he was holding Jiaojiao in his arms, he was afraid that Jiaojiao would be infected with the disease, so he put Jiaojiao down first, and then went forward to touch Qin Mianmian's cheeks and forehead.
It’s a fever indeed!
After confirming this, Yin Zheng picked up Qin Mianmian from the bed, put clothes on him, wrapped him tightly, and put him in the backpack.
After taking Jiaojiao back to the house and dressing her in a thick cotton-padded jacket, rabbit fur shoes, and a hat and collar, Yin Zheng held Jiaojiao in his arms and carried Qin Mianmian on his back as they walked towards the town.
On the way, Jiaojiao, who was chewing a steamed bun in her father's arms, had a worried look in her clear eyes: "Dad, is Mianmian seriously ill?"
Yin Zheng lowered his head and took a bite of the steamed bread that Jiaojiao handed over, then fed Jiaojiao the warm porridge in the bamboo tube: "I don't know."
Worried that something might go wrong if Qin Mianmian continued to burn, Yin Zheng and Jiaojiao, who didn't have time to eat breakfast, could only eat on the way.
Jiaojiao wrinkled her nose and said, "Those people were mean yesterday. They scared Mianmian, and that's why she got sick."
"Well, have some more porridge."
Jiaojiao gave the steamed cornbread that she couldn't finish to her father. After holding the bamboo tube with her little hands and drinking a big mouthful of porridge, she puffed out her cheeks and shook her head to indicate that she didn't want it.
Yin Zheng finished the remaining porridge and steamed bread, hid Jiaojiao in his arms, and quickened his pace towards the town.
I'm almost done with writing two chapters~ I want to cry
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