The girl looked to be about ten years old.
She had a mushroom cut, wore a grey T-shirt and shorts, and had a slingshot tucked into her waist, looking like a tomboy.
Tang Tang asked,
“Are you an outsider?”
Seeing Qi Xiao’s confused expression, Tang Tang explained,
“I mean, did you arrive here by Train?”
Qi Xiao thought for a moment and said,
“I floated down from the river in Gaojia Village. Isn’t this Gaojia Village?”
“Gaojia Village? Never heard of it. This is Jingyi Village.”
Not Gaojia Village?
No, Anchor Point Retrospection still works, so this is still the same world.
It seems I was swept very far away. I can’t directly revert back, or I’ll never find Old Six.
“It’s not safe by the water at night; water ghosts will come ashore to eat people.”
“Come to my house, my mom’s cooking is delicious.”
There are water ghosts here too?
The calm water, due to the darkness, made it impossible to see its depth.
Qi Xiao took a deep breath and stood up.
Regardless of whether there are water ghosts or not, he needed to find a safe place to recover his strength.
In his current physical state, he probably couldn't even withstand the recoil of a single shot.
Tang Tang supported Qi Xiao as they walked towards the village.
......
At the village entrance, several children who had just finished eating were playing marbles under a tree.
Seeing Tang Tang appear at the village entrance, one child jeered,
“The outsider’s bastard is back!”
But when they saw Qi Xiao behind Tang Tang, especially his tightly furrowed brows and somewhat fierce-looking face, a chubby boy trembled and said,
“There, there really is an outsider.”
“She brought an outsider into the village!”
“Run!”
The children scattered like a swarm of bees.
Qi Xiao looked at Tang Tang, who was bending down to pick up marbles.
“You all seem to be very prejudiced against outsiders here. Is it because all the outsiders who came were bad?”
Tang Tang pulled out the slingshot tucked into her waist, loaded a marble, and shot it with a 'thwack' at the backside of the chubby boy who was running last.
It hurt so much that he fell face-first.
Tang Tang put away her slingshot and said calmly,
“My mom said not all outsiders are bad people, just like not all villagers are good people.”
......
Jingyi Village is divided into East Village and West Village.
The higher ground is East Village, and the lower ground is West Village.
Tang Tang’s house is in West Village, not far along the riverbank, practically on the edge of the village.
It’s on the lowest ground.
Every year during floods, their house is always the first to suffer.
“Grandma.”
Tang Tang greeted an old grandmother with white hair sitting by the roadside with enthusiasm.
“Oh, it’s Tang Tang back.”
“Grandma, here, gardenias I picked on the way.”
The old grandmother reached out her hand, trembling as she took the gardenias.
“Thank you, Tang Tang, Tang Tang is so good.”
Tang Tang’s house was right next to the old grandmother’s.
Rather than calling it a house, it was more fitting to describe it as a dilapidated mud-walled thatched hut.
“Mom, I’m home!”
“Perfect, quickly wash your hands and eat.”
“Wow, it smells so good, what delicious food did Mom make today?”
Tang Chuntao was busy in front of the stove.
But when she saw the stranger, Qi Xiao, a hint of vigilance flashed in her brows.
At the dinner table, Tang Chuntao brought out a basin of wild vegetable soup, a plate of shredded potatoes, and a few steamed buns.
There was also a dish specially added for Qi Xiao—scrambled eggs with chili.
The dishes were simple, but the taste was excellent.
During the meal, Tang Tang explained the situation to Tang Chuntao.
“So that’s how it is, as long as you, Brother Qi Xiao, don't mind our home.”
“Then Brother Qi Xiao can sleep in my bed tonight; I’ll sleep with Mom.”
Tang Tang threw herself into her mother’s arms:
“It’s been so long since I slept with Mom.”
Tang Chuntao caressed Tang Tang’s head:
“How old are you, still wanting to sleep with Mom.”
She brought her nose to Tang Tang’s hair and sniffed.
“You stink! Did you go hunt ducks for money again today?”
“Yes, Mom’s birthday is coming soon, and I want to buy you a new pair of shoes.”
“Once I save enough money, I’ll bring the ducks I hunted back, and Mom can make me braised duck.”
“Good, good, Tang Tang is so good.”
“Go take a bath, and I’ll wash your clothes after you change.”
“You stink.”
Tang Chuntao feigned a look of disgust.
“Going now!”
As Tang Tang left, Tang Chuntao looked at Qi Xiao, smiling and nodding slightly.
Although she was a mother, she still looked very young.
Someone who didn't know wouldn't be able to tell that she was the mother of a ten-year-old child.
Qi Xiao smiled back:
“Excuse my intrusion.”
After dinner, Qi Xiao carried a bucket of hot water to bathe.
The bathing area was a small shed built in the backyard, very simple.
After cleaning his body, Qi Xiao took out a new set of clothes from his jie bracelet, changed into them, and put away the dirty clothes.
Tang Tang’s bed was a bit small; Qi Xiao couldn’t straighten his legs and could only curl up slightly.
The thin quilt was very old and patched, clearly having been used for a long time.
There was only a small bed and a low table in the room, with a vase on the low table.
The vase held the gardenias Tang Tang had just put in.
Smelling the flowers, Qi Xiao’s tense mind gradually relaxed.
The side effects of Word Spirit · Time Zero surged forth.
Extreme fatigue struck, Qi Xiao’s head spun, and he just fell asleep.
......
“Chief, Chief, where are you?”
Old Six, dragging a fishing net with one hand and grasping ‘lust’ with the other, searched naked along the riverbank for Qi Xiao’s traces.
His shouts startled a flock of birds from the reeds.
Recalling the scene of Qi Xiao cutting off the water ghost’s head with a single slash earlier that day, Old Six sighed,
“Chief is only cool for less than three seconds every time. No, less than one second.”
Old Six yelled at the top of his lungs:
“Chief! Where are you! Chief!”
“Hey, there’s a light!”
Old Six’s eyes immediately lit up:
“It looks like a village!”