Chapter 1003 Er Gou's Thoughts
Inside the room, next to the wardrobe.
After Miaosi answered loudly, the air was silent for a moment.
Ouyang Rong's expression remained unchanged; he simply asked earnestly:
"You two know each other? Have you met before?"
Xiao Mo Jing's reply surprised him once again.
She replied confidently, "I don't know."
Ouyang Rong frowned:
"have no idea?"
Miao Si sat with her arms crossed, and said confidently:
"Yes, I don't know how he knew me. I've never met him, but this kid just put the snack box at the door of the house as a tribute to me."
Having heard this, Ouyang Rong understood most of the story. He stared at the arrogant little black spirit and asked sternly:
Are you sure this is for you and not for me?
"I don't know." She waved her hands, looking indifferent to everyone. "Whatever, it's a gift of respect, so this fairy will gladly accept it. What's wrong with that?"
Ouyang Rong: ...?
Wow, you're something else, my lady!
He frowned slightly, focusing his attention on Er Gou's matter, and asked seriously:
"Besides the snacks, did Er Gou leave anything else at the door?"
Miao Si tilted her head and thought for a moment.
"No, not at all..."
She waved her little hand and said, "But you should tell him to bring more snacks next time. This fairy loves to eat them, but there aren't enough. They're not even enough to fill a tooth gap."
Ouyang Rong: ...
Sometimes he really wanted to throw Little Ink Spirit out and let her roam the world, to see if she would still be so arrogant at home. Of course, in the words of the female immortal, this would mean she didn't want him as her follower anymore.
Seeing that he couldn't get any important information out of her, Ouyang Rong pursed her lips, turned around, and left the wardrobe.
From behind came Miao Si's grumbling, one hand on her hip:
"You disturbed this fairy's deep sleep, and after asking your question, you didn't even say thank you! Little Rongzi, you are the most rude person, without a doubt!"
She was about to issue a few stern rebukes when the Peach Blossom Spring painting suddenly flew to the wardrobe. Startled, Miao Si quickly closed the door.
Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't turn around to look.
After a short while, still unable to understand why Sha Ergou had suddenly come to find him, he shook his head slightly, put the matter aside for the time being, returned to the inner room, and soon fell asleep fully clothed.
The day passed quickly, and the sun set and the moon rose.
When Ouyang Rong woke up, it was already evening.
The sound of Miaosi snoring loudly came from the wardrobe.
After getting out of bed, he stretched and prepared to take a cold shower before heading out to attend to his business for the day.
But as soon as he reached the door, he saw the Peach Blossom Spring painting floating in mid-air in front of the door. He looked up and saw that one end of the bronze scroll was faintly pointing towards the courtyard gate outside.
Ouyang Rong frowned slightly.
[Craftsman], who was controlling the Peach Blossom Spring Map and had been keeping him on guard, now vaguely sensed something.
Ouyang Rong stopped and listened for a while, then put away the Peach Blossom Spring map, pushed open the door, and went into the courtyard.
The courtyard was quiet and dark, with no lights on. In particular, the brightly lit courtyard of Madam Li next door made Ouyang Rong's courtyard appear even more dim and desolate.
However, after looking around, Ouyang Rong's gaze fell on the wooden courtyard gate in front of him.
After observing for a moment, he walked straight forward, casually pushed open the courtyard gate, and earnestly addressed the back of the short-haired young man sitting quietly on the steps outside:
"Why don't you come in? The key is under the stone bricks over there. I told you before."
Sha Ergou sat with his back to the door on the two steps outside the courtyard. The steps were small, and his broad shoulders and burly body looked somewhat comical as he sat there.
Sha Ergou seemed to turn around and look at Ouyang Rong.
In the darkness, the two stared at each other for a moment.
The latter lowered his head, said "Oh," stood up, and walked straight into the courtyard.
Ouyang Rong vaguely sensed something.
An indescribable atmosphere.
In addition, Sha Ergou's voice was strangely hoarse when he responded.
After the short-haired young man entered the courtyard, Ouyang Rong silently closed the door, turned back into the house, and poured himself a cup of hot tea.
Sha Ergou sat quietly on the stone bench in the courtyard.
Ouyang Rong handed out a cup of hot tea and said softly:
"Go inside and cook, it's cold outside. Wait a moment, I'll make you two side dishes. You've come all this way, twice a day, haven't you eaten yet?"
Sha Ergou shook his head, his voice hoarse and soft as he said:
"Brother Liu, I'm not hungry..."
"Even if you're not hungry, you have to eat. It's mealtime. By the way, the snacks you brought during the day were delicious. Thank you."
After saying that, Ouyang Rong casually waved his hand and headed towards the kitchen to cook.
He hadn't taken two steps when Sha Ergou's voice suddenly came from behind, calling out to him:
"Brother Liu..."
Ouyang Rong turned around and glanced back:
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
Under his bright gaze, Sha Ergou seemed to lower his head, muttering to himself:
"Actually, I didn't go back, I didn't make two trips. I came over this morning, but you weren't here, so I left some snacks at the door and went to wander around. I went to see Miss Song and Miss Yu to clear my head... It's just a pity that they weren't at the hall."
Ouyang Rong listened patiently, while observing Sha Ergou, who had suddenly arrived today and seemed somewhat different.
After a short while, he calmly nodded:
"Oh, I see. There were some things going on at the dining hall. I got back late this morning and slept until now."
Sha Ergou said guiltily:
"I've bothered Brother Liu again."
"No, I'm happy you could come."
Ouyang Rong shook his head and said.
"I'm clumsy and careless, and I always end up troubling others."
Sha Ergou murmured.
Ouyang Rong frowned slightly, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.
Just then, as if sensing something, he suddenly stopped and pointed to the kitchen:
"Go in and lend a hand."
Sha Ergou obediently followed him into the kitchen.
The kitchen light shone on Sha Ergou's face, making his entire appearance clear.
Ouyang Rong turned around and glanced back.
As expected, the short-haired young man's eyes were red and somewhat swollen.
"Ergou, is something wrong?"
"N-nothing."
"If there's anything you need to say, you can talk to Brother Liu."
"No, it's just that I missed you and wanted to come and see Brother Liu."
Sha Ergou vehemently denied it, forcing a smile as he spoke.
Ouyang Rong looked into his eyes and remained silent for a while.
Sha Ergou seemed to realize it too late, noticing Brother Liu's gaze.
He quickly turned to the side to cover himself.
Ouyang Rong pointed seriously at his eyes and asked:
"Ergou, is someone bullying you?"
Sha Ergou waved his hands forcefully:
"No, this is me..."
Ouyang Rong interrupted softly, "You wouldn't fall like this if you just fell down."
Sha Ergou was somewhat speechless.
Just as Ouyang Rong was about to leave, he quickly blocked his way and said sincerely:
"Brother Liu, no one really bullied me. It's not because of that, it's something else..."
He seemed to realize he had let something slip halfway through his sentence and quickly shut his mouth.
She had just told Ouyang Rong that nothing was wrong, but now she seemed to have inadvertently admitted it.
The short-haired young man's face turned bright red, and he was filled with shame.
Ouyang Rong said softly:
“You can talk to Brother Liu about it.”
Sha Ergou glanced at him, then lowered his head after a moment:
"It's really nothing, Brother Liu. I don't know why, but I always feel that when I'm by your side, a lot of things don't seem like a big deal, and I feel much more at ease..."
He mumbled incoherently, saying things that Ouyang Rong couldn't quite understand.
Ouyang Rong pursed her lips and quietly looked at him.
Sha Ergou remained silent for a long time, then suddenly said:
"Brother Liu, I'm hungry. Can I have some of your cooking? Your cooking always gives me a feeling of home."
Ouyang Rong looked at him.
"good."
He turned and went to the stove to start a fire, busily getting to work.
"I don't have many dishes at home, so I'll just cook whatever I have on hand for you."
"Okay, fine, anything is fine. I have a big appetite, I'll eat anything."
Sha Ergou scratched his head and gave a silly smile.
Ouyang Rong chuckled softly.
The main problem is that Miaosi likes to sneak food; she has already raided the kitchen several times, practically turning the floor upside down.
The leftover food in the kitchen is either food she doesn't like and would never eat, or something she calls food.
For some reason, although I knew that Little Ink Spirit was greedy before, it didn't seem to be this serious when we were in Xunyang. Now that we've come to Jianze, the female immortal is like a starving ghost every day, and she will sweep up any food that's left in the house.
Ouyang Rong thought to himself silently.
A short while later, a fire was lit on the stove, and the smell of smoke filled the kitchen.
While Ouyang Rong was cooking, Sha Ergou stepped forward to lend a hand.
Although his cooking skills aren't great, he's still from a poor family and knows how to cook.
The two worked quietly for a while.
At one point, Sha Ergou suddenly said:
"Brother Liu, am I really useless? Every time we have a meal together, do Young Master Lu and Madam Li look down on me? Do Miss Song and Miss Yu feel the same way... do they all think I'm a good-for-nothing?"
Ouyang Rong paused for a moment.
After a short while, he continued chopping vegetables, gently shaking his head:
“Just looking at the facts, you are more favored by the seniors of the Bamboo Hall than Brother Lu, and you are better than Brother Liu to me. If you were to enter the Bamboo Hall to cultivate, Brother Liu would be looked down upon even more than you would be.”
"But does it matter? No, it doesn't matter. Why bother about what others think? You'll just exhaust yourself. Just focus on your own path. You've already done a great job..."
It's unclear what sentence triggered it, but Sha Ergou suddenly interrupted excitedly:
"But it's all luck, and I'd rather not have any of that luck at all; the price is too high..."
Ouyang Rong turned his head to look, and Sha Ergou, who had stopped speaking, choked up, and tears the size of soybeans streamed down his face like pearls.
Ouyang Rong frowned inwardly.
He turned around, placed his hand on Sha Ergou's shoulder, and asked seriously:
"Has something happened at Zhutang? You can tell Brother Liu."
Sha Ergou rubbed his eyes and said:
"No, it's really nothing."
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, feeling helpless, and could only say:
"Okay, let's eat first."
Before long, several dishes were prepared, and Ouyang Rong brought them inside, inviting Sha Ergou to come in for a meal.
Miao Si hid in the wardrobe and remained silent.
The atmosphere around the table quieted down, with only the sounds of Ouyang Rong and Sha Ergou silently eating their rice.
Ouyang Rong knew that Sha Ergou was in a bad mood and it would be difficult for him to say anything, so he simply stopped trying to get information out of him or urging him, as that would only backfire.
The two finished their meal in silence.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the young man in front of him who was shoveling rice into his mouth from time to time.
Knowing that Ouyang Rong was going to work at the Qingliang Valley canteen, Sha Ergou didn't want to delay and prepared to leave.
Before leaving, he suddenly asked:
"Brother Liu, I'm sorry to have taken up your time, but sometimes I just can't help it... Brother Liu, could I come again when I want to see you? I don't know if it will bother you too much."
Ouyang Rong shook his head directly, his expression serious:
"How could that be? I'm so happy you came. Even though there are some things we didn't talk about, your coming to see me shows your trust in me."
Sha Ergou's nose tingled, and he said with a choked voice:
"Thank you, Brother Liu... If you weren't in Jianze, I wouldn't know what to do or who to turn to."
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Rong keenly sensed something and wanted to ask some questions, but Sha Ergou didn't give him a chance to ask further. He had already turned around and run out the door, waving goodbye.
"I'll come see you again next time, Brother Liu. Please take care of yourself and don't overwork yourself."
Ouyang Rong had no choice but to remain silent and watch the short-haired youth's figure disappear into the darkness outside the courtyard gate.
He stood still for a while.
At one point, he suddenly remembered that before he parted ways with Sha Ergou last time, Sha Ergou seemed to have discussed his own fortune with him. At that time, he said that he would investigate it after returning to Zhutang.
So what exactly did Sha Ergou mean by saying, "I'd rather not have it, the price is too high"?
The sudden visit of Sha Ergou somewhat disturbed Ouyang Rong's mind.
However, Ouyang Rong quickly adjusted; he had important things to do and some things had to be put on hold.
In addition, Ouyang Rong knew Sha Ergou well. He might be unreliable in small matters, but when it came to important things, Sha Ergou wouldn't be careless or try to fool him. If it was really important, he would tell him the truth.
Given the current situation, it's likely that there's nothing that can be done by talking about it. Just like Sha Ergou said, they didn't want to affect his mood.
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, quickly tidied himself up, and headed towards the Qingliang Valley Dining Hall under the cover of night.
He arrived a little late tonight, but it doesn't matter.
As agreed with Chen Jiaxin in the morning, the vegetarian meal will be delivered later tonight... so there's no rush.
Wu Cui is still the same as before, but these past few days she has been more energetic, taking a day off every two days.
Ouyang Rong knew that she was going to see Chen Jiaxin and receive swordsmanship instruction from the fairy.
How much she can learn is unknown, it depends on her own comprehension... Ouyang Rong hasn't asked her much during his recent meetings with Chen Jiaxin.
Midnight arrived quickly.
Ouyang Rong, carrying the prepared vegetarian meal, followed Li Ruotong and her entourage of Yue women who arrived as usual, into Qingliang Valley, and left the group behind in front of the largest waterfall.
Chen Jiaxin and Enting remained by the pool, meditating and cultivating.
Yun Xiangyi still hasn't returned.
Ouyang Rong glanced at them silently, then lowered his eyes. He passed the two women who were resting with their eyes closed, crossed the pool, and entered the waterfall again.
Upon entering the room, Ouyang Rong placed down several vegetarian food boxes but did not immediately enter the water dungeon.
Just like last night, he moved away from the empty table in the middle and sat cross-legged on the ground by the wooden gate, leaning against the wall with his head slightly tilted back and his eyes closed.
Half-awake, half-asleep, I drifted off to sleep.
(End of this chapter)
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