GBP Chapter 421 Be careful at night
Chapter 421 Be careful at night
On the way back to the town, Wen Luozhi walked and looked around. There was basically no place suitable for planting. Even if there was a chance to leave some land near the mine, what could be accomplished with those few small plots of land?
When she gets to town, she'll have to ask around; she can't believe that such a vast southern wilderness wouldn't have a few decent plots of land.
The desolate town was backed by the road that Helian Yu and his group had taken. When Wen Luozhi arrived in the town, she finally felt that it had some human presence.
Although I encountered a few people on the way back, the desolate wilderness felt somewhat eerie.
As the weather warmed up, more people came out, and those who saw horse-drawn carriages and roadside stalls kept trying to attract customers.
"Grandpa, look at these cabbage dumplings I made myself. They're so delicious with rice!"
"Hey? Look at mine! Mine's fresher than hers!"
The two old women started vying for business on the street. Wen Luozhi glanced down at their pickled vegetables, which looked so dark that she lost her appetite.
The carriage drove right past them without stopping at all. The two old women, seeing that business was over, pushed each other.
As the carriage approached her lodgings, Wen Luozhi saw a noodle stall and thought to herself, "Finally, something decent to eat!"
What were those things being sold on the roadside along her way? She couldn't recognize them, but they looked like they wouldn't taste good.
It's been a long time since I've seen a horse-drawn carriage in town, and judging from Wen Luozhi's clothes, she's not short of money.
The proprietress was very welcoming, and Wen Luozhi ended up ordering two bowls of shredded pork noodles.
Thirty coins for a bowl was so expensive that she thought she was deaf and had misheard. The proprietress gestured and spoke, and she finally remembered that this was the Southern Wilderness, where nothing was cheap.
There should be a lot of meat in this 30-coin dish, right? After working so hard for so many days, she comforted herself with this thought.
Helian Zhiyan also felt it was very expensive; it was much more expensive than the food she ate at other places last time she came here.
When the noodles arrived, the proprietress warmly urged them to eat them while they were hot. Wen Luozhi was a little dumbfounded when she saw the noodles in front of her.
A bowl of noodles costing thirty coins only had a few shreds of meat on it, and the soup base had very little oil; she would believe it if you told her it was vegetarian noodles.
"Boss lady, did you serve us the wrong thing?"
She couldn't help but ask again, and the proprietress smiled and said, "No mistake, no mistake, it's just two bowls of shredded pork noodles! Enjoy your meal!"
She left after she finished speaking. Wen Luozhi picked up her chopsticks and took a bite; the taste was very bland.
Having not eaten fresh pork in a long time, she picked up two strands of meat, found them fishy and tough, and spat them out.
No, no! I can't let my stomach suffer! She'll go back to her place and cook for herself in a little while.
Helian Zhiyan had eaten something even worse than this before. The little girl obediently ate the meat on the noodles and then ate two more bites of noodles, but she really couldn't eat the rest.
Wen Luozhi knew she was definitely not full, and she was only eating these things out of a sensible sense of not wanting to waste them.
She took Helian Zhiyan's hand and paid the money. The proprietress smiled so broadly her eyes narrowed into slits: "Come again next time, you two! I'll give you a discount!"
Their stall is set up every day, but how many people in this town are willing to spend thirty coins for a bowl of noodles?
That's enough to feed the whole family for several days!
This person is obviously from out of town and doesn't know anything about their area; he's also a fool with too much money.
Wen Luozhi left, and the noodles left on the table were a boon to the beggars who had been watching her and Helian Zhiyan from the roadside.
Seeing that the stall owner wasn't looking their way, the beggars swarmed forward, picked up their bowls, and started grabbing food with their hands.
A few drops of soup spilled all over the table. The proprietress, having put down the money, came over with the bowls and, seeing them, angrily yelled, "It's you beggars again! You've dirtied my place!"
She grabbed a rolling pin and rushed over, and the beggars scattered in a flash, disappearing from sight.
The proprietress cursed a few times and quickly put away the bowls. She was afraid that they would steal all the bowls from her house and go begging for food.
Wen Luozhi arrived at her lodgings. She had to ask around to find this empty house when she arrived a few days ago.
The homeowner is an elderly woman who makes a living by collecting money from people living in her house.
Although the house was small, it had everything. After Wen Luozhi arrived, she boiled water, took a hot bath, tidied up, and then took out some ingredients to start cooking.
Helian Zhiyan sat in front of the stove, tending the fire. She wanted to ask about the ingredients, but then she remembered that Wen Luozhi had told her before they left not to ask too many questions about anything she saw, or she would get angry.
She obediently tended the fire; it had been a long time since she'd seen Wen Luozhi cook, and now that she was watching her, she couldn't bear to blink.
Neither the big nor the little one could eat much, but Wolf Overlord had a rather large appetite and was now howling incessantly that he was starving to death.
Steamed sea bass, tomato and potato stewed beef brisket, a Sichuan peppercorn pickled fish, and a big bone soup for two people. I also made two plates of poached chicken separately for Wolf Batian.
Helian Zhiyan couldn't wait any longer, so she ran out to wash her hands and came back to help serve the dishes.
She was so satisfied with the meal that Wen Luozhi almost shed tears.
To save time on the road, they ate fast food, and after eating it so much, they felt that all the food tasted the same.
"Hey, are you eating?!"
"Replace this bolt. The people in this town are terrified of being robbed in the middle of the night; this one will be more secure."
The landlady's mother-in-law came to deliver some things and happened to see them. The old lady smelled the aroma and looked embarrassed. She put down the things and was about to leave.
Wen Luozhi called her over and scooped out some of the vegetables, making a full bowl with a generous portion.
"Grandma, please take this home and eat it. We can't finish it all."
The landlady tried to refuse, but Wen Luozhi insisted on putting it in her arms.
Grandma Mi has a little granddaughter at home, so after thinking about it, she accepted it. After all, she had never seen such good stuff before and it smelled delicious. She could just charge less for the room.
Even though Wen Luozhi's voice was deliberately disguised and he looked like a young man, Granny Mi, who had seen countless people, still managed to figure something out.
Looking at Helian Zhiyan again, she felt the same way.
Pulling Wen Luozhi behind the door, she whispered, "This desolate town is different at night than during the day. Be careful, and don't sleep too soundly at night."
She finished speaking and gently patted Wen Luozhi's hand.
Wen Luozhi paused for a moment, then smiled slightly at her, "Thank you for the reminder, Grandma. I will be careful."
As soon as she left, Wen Luozhi immediately changed the door latch and tied a bell to the door so that she could hear if anyone sneaked in.
When she returned to the dining table, Helian Zhiyan asked, "Sister, is that old woman...?"
"Shh," Wen Luozhi gestured for her to be quiet, telling her to focus on her meal and not worry about anything else.
That night, Wen Luozhi asked Lang Batian to watch over her for a while so she could sleep, and then switch back to Lang Batian once she was rested.
During the first half of the night, when Lang Batian was on guard, everything was normal inside the small house, and there were no unusual noises outside.
When it was Wen Luozhi's turn in the middle of the night, she was lying in bed when she heard a sound outside the door and immediately opened her eyes.
Wolf Batian, who had just fallen asleep, also became alert. The two exchanged a glance and quietly walked out.
Two scruffy, unkempt men outside the door were slowly moving the latch with knives, and after a while they didn't feel any movement inside.
"Idiot! Are you even capable? Don't let them find out soon."
The man with a mole on his face slapped the man who was trying to pry open the door with a knife, complaining that he was clumsy.
Fang Er's forehead was covered in sweat. "Almost there, almost there! Why are you rushing me? Keep your voice down!"
He kept moving his hands; this trick had always worked for them, and it was sure to work tonight too.
Fang Da waited impatiently behind him, thinking that if things didn't work out tonight, they would be starving.
Yesterday, I was out for a stroll and I was lucky enough to see a big horse-drawn carriage. The two black and white horses looked so sleek and shiny that I had already decided to kill one and sell the other.
As for that person, he seemed to be quite wealthy; if they stole another sum of money, they wouldn't have to worry about money for a long time.
Oh no! With silver they can buy food, and with horses they can escape this awful place. Finally, they'll be free!
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He couldn't wait any longer and snatched the knife from Fang's hand, starting to fight himself.