"That's right, girl, just make yourself at home here. Auntie will get you some clean clothes. You must be badly injured."
"N-no, it's okay." Hua Cai shyly shook the hem of her clothes, which was somewhat heavy due to the blood clots. "This isn't our blood. It's from a wolf. We encountered a wolf on the mountain that wanted to eat us, but I killed it."
The world fell silent.
Hua Cai felt the people around her tremble and subtly move away from her.
Hua Cai pursed her lips as her gaze swept subtly across the faces of the group.
Regardless of whether the people here are truly as harmless as they appear, she still understands the principle of not flaunting one's wealth.
They were both either unconscious or injured, and she was afraid she wouldn't be able to handle it if the people here really had any ulterior motives.
The kind old woman eagerly led them to see the house. Perhaps because it was rare for outsiders to come to the small village, the villagers who came out for a stroll after dinner also gathered around out of curiosity. More and more people gathered, and finally attracted Xiao Shuang, who was drying clothes at home.
"What happened to you two?" Pushing through the crowd, Xiao Shuang was shocked to see Hua Cai and Zhao Qiang covered in blood. She quickly stepped forward to help support Zhao Qiang.
"You know Si'en, daughter?" an elderly man in the crowd asked in surprise when he saw Xiao Shuang.
The girl has been in their village for almost a month. She is beautiful and capable, and she quickly became a familiar face in the village.
Hua Cai looked at Xiao Shuang with a puzzled expression. Xiao Shuang led the way and replied, "Si En is my current name. That's my current home. Let's go inside and rest for a while."
The villagers following behind, seeing that the two had met someone they knew, did not linger. However, the old woman called out that she wanted to see the house and went to find him. Since the girl knew where the old woman's house was, she left.
Si'en led the two into a small courtyard not far away. It was simple, but exceptionally clean. A rope was tied to a tree not far from the gate, and clothes on the rope were still dripping water. There were two pieces of clothing that had not yet been hung up in a wooden basin on the ground.
"This place is quite nice." Hua Cai looked around and couldn't help but smile.
Looking at the small courtyard she had managed, Si'en couldn't help but smile: "Yes, life here is simple, but it's very peaceful. We work at sunrise and rest at sunset, which is very pleasant."
Si'en smiled, but her eyes revealed a hint of resentment.
“If it weren’t for you, Miss, there would be no Si’en today. If you ever need anything from me, I would do anything for you, even at the cost of my life.” Si’en turned to look at Hua Cai.
Hua Cai smiled slightly but didn't reply: "Let's not talk about that now. I'll change my clothes first, and then you can take us to Grandma's house to see where she lives."
“Young lady, don’t you live here? Si’en lives here by herself, which is quite spacious. Since you and your partner are in this situation, it’s convenient for Si’en to take care of you.”
As Si'en spoke, she helped Hua Cai carry Zhao Qiang into the house: "Let's put this young master on the couch to rest first. Please come with me to change into some clean clothes."
Hua Cai was changing her clothes in the inner room when she heard a noisy commotion outside the door. She quickly tidied her clothes and stepped into the yard.
"Girl, I knew you'd be here. How's your accommodation situation going? My courtyard is absolutely perfect, only two taels of silver a year, how about it?" The enthusiastic old woman from outside the village finally revealed her true purpose, enthusiastically promoting her place to Hua Cai, while holding up two fingers as she tentatively gestured.
Turning his head, his gaze fell on Si'en's face. Si'en lowered her head uncomfortably: "I, I didn't even have a chance to speak before you came out."
Hua Cai smiled slightly, not bothering to delve into the guilty conscience in Si En's words. She nodded to the old woman and said softly, "I understand, Grandma. May I go and take a look at the courtyard first? If it's not bad, two taels of silver is no problem."
“Let’s go now.” Hua Cai said softly, turning around to lift Si En’s lowered head and make her look at her: “Grandma and I are going to look at the house. You stay here and take good care of him, okay?”
Si'en nodded blankly, Hua Cai smiled, and followed the old woman toward the courtyard she had mentioned.
The courtyard that Granny Wang described was indeed nice; it was clear that it had been specially cleaned, and although the furniture and utensils were a bit old, they were all there.
Hua Cai was satisfied and paid the money readily. Wang Po was overjoyed, happy to receive the money, and generously gave Hua Cai a new quilt as a gift.
Two taels of silver is enough for a family of three to live comfortably for a year in this village.
Both sides were decisive people. The transaction was completed just as it was getting dark. Taking advantage of the clear visibility, Hua Cai returned to Si En's courtyard and moved Zhao Qiang over.
Da'an Village is relatively small, with only two wells in the entire village: one at the entrance of the village and one at the village chief's house. There is a river in a remote area on the west side of the village, but the road is difficult to travel.
As dusk settled, Hua Cai smiled and saw off the villagers who had enthusiastically helped her fetch water, as well as Granny Wang who kept introducing Da'an Village. The moment she closed the door, it seemed as if the whole world had fallen silent.
Looking at the sky, Hua Cai went back inside, lit an oil lamp, fetched some water to help Zhao Qiang wash his face, and fed him some melted pastries.
Sitting at the table with the oil lamp burning, he nibbled on pastries, glancing at Zhao Qiang on the bed every now and then.
"Sigh—" Hua Cai glanced at the pastry in her hand and suddenly realized that the food she had been eating for the past few days was actually quite delicious: "Tuanzi, tell me, we've finally settled down, so why does it feel so strange?"
As if summoned, as soon as the words were spoken, a ball of light floated leisurely to Hua Cai's front and landed right on the oil lamp.
Hua Cai looked at the completely oblivious system and couldn't help but burst out laughing: "You idiot, are you trying to roast yourself?"
She took a big bite of the pastry, but heard no sound. Hua Cai glanced at the ball of light on the flame and moved it a little closer: "What's wrong? It's so quiet. Has the silly system changed its personality?"
The ball of light flickered and awkwardly moved to the table: "I'm sorry, Xiao Cai, I'm so useless. At the crucial moment, I couldn't even take out a single prop, making you work so hard."
Hua Cai paused, staring at the pastry in her hand for a long time without saying a word.
She, the dignified little princess of Qingqiu and the future heir of the demon race, has never suffered such humiliation. She has been in this world for so long, and not a single day has been comfortable for her.
Sniffing, Hua Cai rubbed her eyes: "This oil lamp is really irritating my eyes. I'll go get some water; these pastries are a bit dry."
Soon, Hua Cai came in carrying a full bowl of water, and looked at the system on the table with a smile, saying, "What's wrong? This little bit of hardship is nothing. When I ran away from home to roam the mortal world, I suffered a lot too."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
