Chapter 60 Chapter 60 Huo Linchuan
Fu Lingzhi's eyes, blurred by tears, finally saw the person coming. It was Miao Ying, whom he had met several times.
His face was completely devoid of the dignity they had shown when they first met. Miao Ying then noticed that his clothes had been torn, revealing a bit of his shoulder. Miao Ying asked hesitantly, "Are you okay?"
Fu Lingzhi shook his head, thankful that Miao Ying and the others arrived in time.
His clothes were tattered, barely covering his body, and his face was bruised and purple. It was unknown how much torture he had endured. Miao Ying didn't dare to think about what would have been waiting for him if they hadn't met him today.
The little deer kept circling around Fu Lingzhi, and Fu Lingzhi reached out and touched it.
Miao Ying helped him up and tidied his clothes, then called Huo Xing. Huo Xing then turned around and looked at Miao Ying.
Now is not a good time to talk, Miao Ying could only ask Fu Lingzhi if he was willing to go to his house. He did not ask Fu Lingzhi if he would go home. If he could go home, he would not be like this now.
Fu Lingzhi really had nowhere to go and felt a little embarrassed, so he nodded very slightly.
"Can you still walk?" Miao Ying looked at him.
Fu Lingzhi nodded.
Huo Xing had no intention of coming forward to talk. He walked forward silently, went to where they had put their things before, and picked them up again.
Fu Lingzhi's leg seemed to be twisted, and he walked with a limp. Miao Ying couldn't carry him, so he looked at Huo Xing in front of him and said, "Huo Xing, how about you carry Master Fu for a bit?"
"No."
"No."
The two said in unison.
Miao Ying: ...
But Fu Lingzhi's foot was so painful that Miao Ying could hear him gasping for air. If he really walked back to their home from here, his foot would probably be broken. But Huo Xing was a stubborn donkey and refused to carry him.
Finally, Miao Ying saw the fawn following them. After living in luxury at the Fu family for some time, it had grown much stronger. Seeing Miao Ying's intentions towards Yoyo, Fu Lingzhi quickly shook his head: "I, I've never ridden Yoyo before."
"Its name is Yoyo?" Miao Ying patted Yoyo's back. "It's so strong, it won't be crushed."
Yoyo seemed to feel it as well, and then stood in front of Fu Lingzhi. There was no choice, so Fu Lingzhi had to ride on Yoyo's back.
Later on the way, Miao Ying supported him and Yoyo carried him, and finally they arrived home.
It was already very late and everyone in the family had gone to bed. Only the two dogs came out of the small door after hearing the noise, circled around Miao Ying a few times, and then discovered the stranger. The two dogs now arched their backs, as if ready to attack.
Miao Ying quickly drove them back to their nest to sleep, and found a place to tie up Youyou, but he couldn't find any food for it, so he had to let it suffer for the night.
There was still rice in the stove, but it was only enough for the two of them. Miao Ying thought about it and brought the rice to the table. The three of them ate some.
They stayed in the kitchen for too long. When Li Hongying got up, she was confused to see a stranger in the house.
Miao Ying finished his meal first, then asked his mother to help him clean up the guest room. Fortunately, they had built an extra room at that time.
Li Hongying lit the lamp and went there. Huo Xing also hurriedly finished his meal and went to the kitchen to boil some hot water. Miao Ying helped Fu Lingzhi back to the room, and then Huo Xing brought the hot water.
"Just wash up and have a good sleep. We'll talk about anything tomorrow." Miao Ying helped him sit on the bed and patted his shoulder gently. "Don't clean the basin. We'll do it tomorrow."
Fu Lingzhi's eyes were filled with tears. Miao Ying really didn't know how to comfort her. After saying a few words, he went back to his room.
In their room, Huo Xing had already prepared hot water, waiting for him to come back and soak his feet. Huo Xing still remembered what Miao Ying said, that if you are too tired during the day, soaking your feet before going to bed can relieve fatigue and help you sleep better.
Miao Ying was also tired after the day. After soaking his feet, he climbed onto the bed and lay down, forcing himself to talk to Huo Xing.
After Huo Xing returned to the bed, Miao Ying could barely open his eyes, but he still wanted to ask, "Why don't you carry Master Fu on your back?"
Huo Xing paused for a moment before saying, "I'll only carry you."
Miao Ying almost laughed out of anger: "That's a matter of life and death."
"It's not a big deal." Huo Xing said, "He's just a stranger after all. If someone sees him, it won't be good for his reputation."
"Aren't I here too? What are you afraid of?" Miao Ying turned over and took one of Huo Xing's arms.
"People can only see what they want to see." Huo Xing knew this truth very well. They didn't care what the facts were. As long as they saw it, it was Huo Xing carrying a disheveled boy on his back in the middle of the night. It made no difference whether Miao Ying was there or not.
Miao Ying sighed. He knew very well how powerful the intelligence department at the village entrance was, so he could only pat Huo Xing on the shoulder and then fell asleep.
The next day, Miao Yingshi woke up to the sound of Huo Xiaobao reciting his lessons. His side was already cold. Huo Xing must have gotten up very early.
Miao Ying slept well and got dressed. Huo Xiaobao was reciting his lessons in the yard, Xiao Mu was tidying up in the tool room, his grandmother was sewing under the eaves, and his mother seemed to have gone out.
Miao Ying went to their guest room and knocked on the door, but there was no movement in the room. Huo Xiaobao read a little more quietly and watched Miao Ying enter the guest room like a thief.
The guest room was empty, with only a bed in it.
Fu Lingzhi was lying soundly in bed, and the basin used for washing him last night was placed beside him. The loud noise in the yard did not wake him up. Miao Ying walked up to him and touched his forehead.
It’s hot enough to fry an egg.
Li Hongying just happened to come back with some medicine in her hand: "I took a look when I got up. His face was burning red. I went to the side to borrow some herbs."
Miao Ying nodded: "Thank you, mother."
Li Hongying smiled and said, "Who is this? Why did you bring him back in the middle of the night?"
Miao Ying briefly recounted what happened last night. Li Hongying covered her heart and looked at Fu Lingzhi with a hint of distress in her eyes. She asked hesitantly, "Is nothing else wrong?"
If my innocence is really ruined, my whole life will be ruined, Li Hongying thought.
Miao Ying shook his head: "It's okay, we got there in time."
After listening to Miao Ying's story about last night, Li Hongying realized how clever the deer was. She wiped her hands and said, "I'll go get some fresh grass for the deer—what's it called? Yo Yo."
Miao Ying was at a loss for words: "Where can we find fresh grass nowadays?"
"Then don't worry about it." Li Hongying left in a hurry.
Miao Ying put the medicine into the pot. Xiao Mu came over and asked to help him watch the fire. Miao Ying went to the guest room to fetch some water, wet a handkerchief, and put it on Fu Lingzhi's forehead.
The cold handkerchief made Fu Lingzhi groan and open his eyes. Miao Ying patted him soothingly, and he fell asleep again.
After the medicine was ready, Miao Ying woke Fu Lingzhi up and watched him drink the fever-reducing medicine. He still showed no sign of waking up, so Miao Ying left the room and asked Xiao Mu to sit by the bed and watch him.
Today is the day for the two little birthday boys and girls at home, so Miao Yingde prepared a table of delicious food for them. From today on, their family can eat meat, so he can take this opportunity to nourish his family members.
Huo Xing went up the mountain early in the morning to check on the traps he had made. In the past, he would hardly go up the mountain in December, for one reason being that it was far away, and the other reason being that there were almost no prey on the mountain. But now they were guarding the mountain, and he was willing to go up the mountain to check on it when he had nothing to do.
There was nothing else in the trap except a pheasant, but Huo Xing was not disappointed. That was how hunting was.
After coming down the mountain, Miao Ying was already busy in the kitchen. The sausage skin he had dried had already been air-dried, and he planned to cook a piece to try today. He also cooked a piece of bacon. The cooked bacon was fat and lean, and after being cut into thin slices, it was crystal clear and looked very appetizing.
While the bacon was cooking, Huo Xiaobao had already gone into the kitchen several times. After Miao Ying finished cutting the meat, he gave him two slices of meat and said, "Give one piece to Xiao Mu. Eat slowly."
Huo Xing came back soon. Seeing the pheasant in his hand, he smiled and said, "I was just saying I didn't know what soup to make."
Huo Xing nodded and went to kill the chicken without Miao Ying's instruction.
The lunch was very sumptuous, with a plate of sausages, a plate of bacon, radishes cooked in bacon soup, stir-fried cabbage and pork, and a pot of pheasant soup. Grandmother also steamed longevity peaches for the two children, and she specially made red bean filling.
After the dishes were served, Miao Ying went to see Fu Lingzhi again. His fever had subsided and he had woken up.
Miao Ying saw him staring at the bed curtains with his eyes open, and reached out to help him up: "Are you still feeling uncomfortable?"
Fu Lingzhi looked at him and shook his head.
"Then let's get up and eat." Miao Ying remembered something and went to the room to get a set of clothes. "Your clothes are torn, so you can wear mine."
Fu Lingzhi put on his clothes awkwardly: "Thank you."
Miao Ying helped him up: "It's our child's birthday today, you should come and join in the fun."
Fu Lingzhi walked out of the room and looked at their table in the yard. There were dishes on the table that he had never seen before. When he came out, several pairs of eyes were looking at him.
But those eyes are all kind, the children's eyes are clear, and the elders' eyes are loving and distressed.
Miao Ying arranged Fu Lingzhi to sit next to Li Hongying, and then Miao Ying said that today was the day Huo Xiaobao turned six and Xiao Mu turned nine.
Huo Xiaobao had said long ago that Master Song would give him a formal name when he was six years old, but because Master Song and the others were out, Miao Ying thought that Huo Xiaobao could only have a formal name after they came back.
But Huo Xiaobao took out a purse from his small bag and said that it was given to him by Master Song when he left.
Miao Ying did not do it for Huo Xiaobao, but let him open the letter himself. Inside was a piece of paper with words written in a flamboyant style. Miao Ying could not recognize some of the words, but he knew that it was the name that Master Song had given to Huo Xiaobao.
Fu Lingzhi, who was closer to Huo Xiaobao, had already seen the words on it: Huo Linchuan. Lin means overlooking from a high place, and Chuan refers to rivers and plains. The person who gave him this name hoped that he would have a far-sighted vision and be broad-minded.
Why should such a young child learn to be open-minded and broad-minded? Fu Lingzhi thought.
There was a line of small words under the name, but Fu Lingzhi didn't see it clearly. Huo Xiaobao curled his lips because Master Song had written that when he came back, he would let Huo Xiaobao orally tell him the specific meaning of the name.
But he soon became happy again, because the dishes on the table today were all his favorites. Although Huo Xiaobao was still young, he already understood filial piety and etiquette. Although he was greedy for meat, he also knew that his brother Mu Tou was sad. Although he was not close to Huo San, he also knew that he was his biological father and he should observe mourning.
Although he is sensible, he is also greedy.
Especially the sausage that his brother had just made, full of meaty aroma and the smoky smell from being smoked on the outside, it was so fragrant that he just wanted to swallow the whole bowl.
Seeing that Fu Lingzhi didn't move his chopsticks, Li Hongying didn't think twice and used her chopsticks to pick up some food for him, saying, "It's just some simple food, don't be disgusted."
Fu Lingzhi hurriedly said no and ate all the dishes that Li Hongying gave him. He had eaten many delicacies in the past, but today's meal, which he did not think was rich, was the most delicious meal he had ever eaten.
Fu Lingzhi's nose felt a little itchy, but he remembered that this was the birthday party for his two children and it would be impolite to cry at this time, so he held back his tears.
After the meal, Miao Ying put two pieces of milk cakes on the table. The two children's eyes lit up. Xiao Mu was a boy and was naturally thoughtful. Thinking that there were guests at home, he handed his piece to Fu Lingzhi.
Fu Lingzhi looked at the milk cake in front of him and couldn't help himself any longer. He forgot about etiquette and hurried back to the house where he was temporarily staying.
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