Mo Qingchen was taken aback, hastily stuffed the wine gourd into his bosom, swallowed the wine in his mouth with great effort, and scooped up a ladle of water from the nearby bucket to rinse his mouth.
This bucket of water was deliberately placed here by her, just in case something unexpected happened and someone suddenly came and smelled the wine on her breath.
Lingzhi entered the door and saw a small person holding a water scoop, drinking wildly. The water scoop covered the entire face of the little person.
Although she was also only in her early teens, seeing this, she didn't feel a shred of sympathy in her heart. She quickly walked to Mo Qingchen's side and snatched the ladle from him, scolding: "You little girl, why are you drinking cold water? If your stomach hurts, who will take care of you?"
Mo Qingchen blinked her eyes and smiled at Lingzhi: "Sister Lingzhi, you're here, take a seat." She patted the small stool beside her.
Lingzhi glanced at the basket, furrowed her brow and sat down, handing a steamed bun wrapped in a handkerchief to Mo Qingchen: "Qin, my mother just made these steamed buns, try one and see if they're good."
Mo Qingdun took over Wowaotou and sat down next to Lingzhi, raising her face and saying: "Sister Lingzhi, you're really good."
Lingzhi gave her a glance: "You eat quickly, I'm in a hurry to go back and feed the chickens."
Although she said so, she helped Mo Qingchen pick up the beans little by little.
Mo Qingdun held a handkerchief and ate the Wonton little by little.
Still warm, the corn bread was eaten into my mouth, full of sweet and fragrant aroma, and after one swallow, the burning sensation in my stomach disappeared, leaving two more that I couldn't bear to eat, staring at them hesitantly.
Lingzhi paused for a moment, smiled and said: "Ah, girl, I'm leaving first, I just remembered I have something to do, if I don't go back my mother will scold me. By the way, you keep this handkerchief for now, I'll get it from you next time."
Lingzhi stood up and patted her butt, not waiting for Mo Qingchen's response. She pinched Mo Qingchen's thin cheeks and turned to walk out the door.
Mo Qingchen gazed at the back of Lingzhi, her eyes moistening. No matter where she went, there were always good people around, which gave her confidence in this unknown world and made her believe that better days would come.
Just then, the door creaked open and Liu Yang strode out, slapping away Mo Qingchen's bowl of rice and scolding: "You good-for-nothing, lazybones! Didn't I say you could only eat after finishing your chores? Who told you to sneak in here and slack off?"
Lingzhi, who hadn't gone far, heard the voice and hastily hid in a corner outside the wall with a seam, watching. When she heard Liu Yang's harsh words, her face flashed with anger, thinking of going out to argue with her for a few sentences, but after thinking about it, she realized that this would make life even harder for the young girl, so she endured it silently.
Mo Qing's expressionless face lifted slightly as he glanced at Liu Yang, replying, "Aunt, I'll do it right away."
Without even a glance at the lonely Wawa lying on the ground, she silently picked up the beans.
Liu Yang's words were like a punch in the cotton, he held back a breath in his heart, and his mouth was still scolding non-stop.
Scolded for half a day, Mo Qingchen sat there unmoved, slowly picking beans. Suddenly, a surge of evil fire burst forth, and he kicked the basket flying, then slapped Mo Qingchen in the face.
Lingzhi raised an eyebrow as if wanting to run in, but suddenly widened her eyes.
In that small courtyard, there was suddenly one more person!
That person looked to be in his twenties, wearing a black robe, standing tall and still, yet somehow making people can't help but take a few more glances. Even Lingzhi, who was only just over ten years old, couldn't help but blush slightly.
"Is that enough?" The man in black robes said in a voice that was neither high nor low, but it sounded like a spring thunderclap to Liu Yang's ears.
Liu Yang raised her head, first stunned in incredulity, then seeing the man's expression as calm as water, her usual boldness surged up, and she shouted loudly: "Who are you? This is my home! Get out of here immediately!"
The man in black didn't even glance at Liu Yangshi, and before anyone saw how he moved, he suddenly appeared in front of Mo Qingchen and helped her up.
The man in black saw that there was still a palm print on his face, but the thin and frail little girl looked at him calmly, without even a single tear in her eyes, which made him pause for a moment.
Liu Yang saw the man in black ignoring her existence and completely blew up, shouting: "Come on, catch the thief!" And then she wanted to pounce on the man and fight him.
The man in black robes didn't even glance at her, his wide sleeves simply sweeping back and stirring up a whirlwind, causing Liu Yang to thud to the ground with a dull expression still on her face.
At this time, people from all eight neighboring families ran to the gate of the courtyard with their tools and looked inside.
Although the Liu Yang family was not popular, Liu Dacheng was still honest, and at that time people's thoughts were simple and rustic, they were all neighbors, even if they didn't get along, when encountering a robbery, they would also lend a hand.
The man in black completely ignored people's gossip and just looked at Mo Qingchen and said: "What is your name?"
Mo Qingchen, who had always been calm and collected, suddenly felt her heart racing. She had just seen something - the wind stirred up by the man's sleeve was unmistakably a move from the immortal arts!
She was even quicker than these indigenous people, no wonder, the world she came from was filled with all sorts of immortals and heroes, so she immediately realized this.
Mo Qingchen took a deep breath and smiled sweetly at the man in black: "My name is Ya Tou."
She had never been so nervous before, she vaguely felt that the person in front of her was going to change her fate. In order not to live a life of being bullied and beaten, hungry and cold, she must seize this opportunity.
She was calm and composed, but it was a helpless move in the face of an unresistible reality. She had heard Liu Yang's words to her uncle many times, saying that she would definitely become a beauty when she grew up, and if she became Wang Yuanwai's concubine, the whole family would benefit from it.
Although she refused to give up and didn't want to bow her head to fate, how could she not be perplexed and afraid deep down inside?
The man in black saw the little girl who didn't react even after being slapped, but instead smiled timidly at him. A vague emotion rose in his heart, and his originally expressionless voice softened slightly: "Little girl? Do you know what your father's surname is?"
"I... I don't know..." Mo Qingchen lowered his head.
The man in black robes stared blankly for a moment before suddenly coming to his senses, turning his head to ask Liu Yangshi, who was sitting on the ground: "What is your relationship with her?"
The words were neither fast nor slow, but carried an inexplicable pressure, causing the originally fierce Liu Yang to stop crying and answer involuntarily: "I am her aunt..."
"What about her parents?" The man in black robes had a hint of impatience in his tone.
Sweat rolled down Liu Yang's forehead in big drops, but she didn't notice, answering in a string: "She hadn't been born yet when her father left home and never came back, her mother died a few years ago. Her father... seemed to be surnamed Mo..."
"What's your surname? That's right." The man in black finally had a hint of a smile on his face, but it was only directed at Mo Qingchen. "Girl, come with me, I'm your fourteenth uncle."
One sentence made Mo Qingchen almost shed tears, she nodded and stood up, seeing the man in black clothes stretch out his hand to pull her, she quickly bent down to pick up the fallen hairpin of Liu Yang's wife from the ground and put it in her arms.
The man in black smiled and took Mo Qingchen's hand, saying, "Girl, let's go."
