Chapter 45: Quarreling Over Trifles

  Dinner was braised pork with vermicelli, accompanied by a large bowl of big white cabbage sour and spicy soup and several cold dishes. What surprised me was that there were even dumplings. Of course, in addition to these, there is also a local Northeastern white wine that sells very well. Except for the lack of TV, everything feels great.

  "Have some more, there are still dumplings cooking in the pot!" Huo Jingying kept putting food into my bowl and then leaned back with her chin resting on her hand, watching me eat.

  The forest farm is tens of miles around, and apart from us few people, I estimate there's no one else. Not to mention people, it's probably hard to see even a single house. As I eat the hot pork and cabbage dumplings, I secretly admire Niurou, wondering how she managed to survive in this broken place for so many years.

  "Right, you eat more, there are still dumplings cooking in the pot!" Seeing how close Nose Mucus Girl and I were, the demon girl seemed to have gotten some kind of nerve, constantly putting dumplings and dishes into my bowl. While she was doing that, she was also saying something with a vicious tone.

  "Plop, cough, cough! This vinegar is a bit sour!" The lamp grass sitting next to me couldn't help but spit it out. He picked up the bowl of dumpling soup and took a few big gulps, saying: "But, Lamp Grass, my brother, what kind of vinegar are you talking about at night when you have nothing better to do? I think Lamp Grass is in trouble!"

  "What vinegar?" As expected, the demon girl slapped her chopsticks on the table, her willow eyebrows turned upside down, and her face was as cold as frost, making the lamp's flame flicker!

  "I'm telling you, this is vinegar!" said Lamp Grass, picking up the vinegar dish in front of him and explaining to the demon girl with a straight face.

  "Hey, Master. This dumpling just came out of the pot, try some!" I secretly shook my head, picked up a steaming hot dumpling from the plate in front of me and put it into the dish in front of the demon girl, wanting to use the dumpling to shut her mouth!

  "I won't eat, it's all stained with vinegar!" What made me stunned was that the demoness actually coquettishly teased me. Is my charm really greater than his? So much so that from ninety-nine to just learning to walk, all opposite sexes can't escape this calamity of mine?

  "This one, eat this one, this one doesn't have vinegar!" I felt my head start to sweat, and I lightly bumped Huo Jingying with my thigh. I secretly comforted the little girl, then picked up another dumpling and said to the demoness.

  "Feed me!" The demoness seemed to have made up her mind to have a showdown with Nasal Doll at the dinner table. She puckered up those rosy lips, half-closing her eyes as she glanced at me and made this request that put me in a very difficult position.

  "Eat your dumplings! How old are you, still playing childish tricks!" At the critical moment, it was Mei Jiugu who came to my rescue and saved me from the predicament. I saw her swiftly pick up a dumpling and stuff it into the mouth of the female demon. Of course, there's a suspicion that she did this to save face for her own apprentice, after all, if things went on like this, Xiao Nizi's face would be lost. But no matter what, this also helped me solve one trouble.

  "Ah, the dumplings in the pot should be cooked, I'll go get them!" Huo Jingying was originally a delicate and transparent girl. Looking at this master uncle who seemed to be competing with her for attention, she found an excuse to leave her seat and walk towards the wooden house next door.

  "Ah, I'll go help you!" It's been years since we last met, and just now there were still many words that hadn't been said yet when the demoness interrupted us. This poor daoist will take advantage of this opportunity to go and bicker with Nasal Mucus Girl again.

  "I'm going too!"

  "Come on, sit down! It's been years since we sisters met, today you have to keep me company for a few more cups!"

  The witch understood my intention and was determined to follow me closely. But as soon as I stood up, I was pulled back by Mei Jiugu.

  "After returning from Hubei, have you been here all along?" I asked as I followed Huo Jingying into the steaming kitchen. The image of Niutian saving me back then was still vivid in my mind. More than a decade had passed since then, and that little girl with two streams of snot always running down her nose had now grown up to be a beautiful young woman.

  "Not long after I was born, my master took me as his apprentice. At that time, these things were still considered feudal superstition, in the category of cow ghosts and snake gods. Just a few years later, someone reported this to the authorities. My father had no choice but to take me and run away to Hubei. Luckily, an accountant from our commune was on good terms with my family, so he helped us out by issuing a letter of introduction. Otherwise, even if we went to Hubei, it wouldn't have been possible to find a place to live, let alone go to school."

  "After staying in Hubei for a year, waiting for others to forget about the matter. My dad decided to return to Northeast China after all, this is our home. Since then, I followed my master and moved into the mountains, occasionally returning to visit my family." Huo Jingying finished speaking quickly, put the dumplings on a plate, and then placed it in a tray, walking towards the neighboring house under the reflection of the snowy ground.

  "Come on, let's have a drink! Since you were young, you've been stealing your father's wine to drink. After all these years, how come your capacity for liquor hasn't improved at all?" The demon girl held her cup and was desperately persuading Mei Jiugu to drink, her face red and ears flushed. How did she get drunk so quickly? I couldn't help but wonder!

  "Hey! Look at this little couple, a perfect match made in heaven!" The witch was clearly drunk, shaking her head and staring at me and Huo Jingyun with a confused expression.

  "Jingying, the kang in the next room must be warm by now? Help your Shu uncle over to sleep, this is a drink-to-get-drunk affair. Can't stay awake, still stubbornly pulling people to drink!" Looking at the demon girl's dazed and confused expression, Mei Jiugu beckoned to Jingying with her hand and instructed.

  "Hmm! Young one, did something happen between you and Shī Yǐng that shouldn't have? Do you know how old she is? You young people don't know the height of the sky or the thickness of the earth, daring to provoke anyone." After Huò Jīngyíng escorted the demon girl out, Méi Jiǔgū picked up the wine cup in front of her and took a sip, then tossed two peanuts into her mouth and asked me.

  "Master Mei, nothing happened between me and Master Shi!" I'm even more wronged than Dou E! So I defended myself.

  "Hmph! It's best that way, anyway. You guys' business is none of my concern. Just one thing, if you provoke Shī Yuè, don't go provoking Jīng Yíng again, got it?" I knew Méi Jiǔ Gū wouldn't believe that the relationship between me and the demoness was innocent, but thinking about it, she's just trying to protect Niú Tián Yù in her own way. I shouldn't take offense at what she said.

  "Got it!" What else can I say at this moment?

  "Uh-huh, remember to get some rest early. You've walked such a long way today, you must be exhausted?" Seeing me with my head bowed and eyes cast down, looking very obedient. Mei Jiugu didn't continue scolding me either, just showed a bit of concern before waving her hand for me to go rest in the already prepared room.

  "Well, Master Uncle, let's go rest!" I pulled the still-busy lamp grass and brought him to his feet, bowing to Mei Jiugu who was sitting upright tasting wine, then exited the room door and walked towards the residence across from us.

  As soon as I and Dengcao entered the house, we saw Nitianyou putting a large wooden basin filled with hot water on the table, and was reaching out to test the temperature.

  "Meow meow, come wipe your face!" Seeing that I had entered the house, Nostalgia naturally called out to me as she did when we were young. Then she wrung out a thick towel and handed it over to me.

  "Hey! Jingying, don't you feel suffocated after all these years?" I looked out at the pitch-black door and turned to ask her. There was no TV, no phone, no radio, not even electricity. This was a place that people in the late 20th century couldn't even imagine! I really admired this girl, how could she calm down and stay here?

  "It's not boring, when I have free time, I just think over the things Master usually teaches again. If that doesn't work, I'll tidy up my room! Day by day, it passes quickly!" Nostalgic Maiden said it as a matter of course, but hearing it in my heart makes me feel a kind of sadness. A 17-18 year old big girl, at this age she should be playing outside, at this age she should be being chased after by seniors and juniors. But Nostalgic Maiden is always accompanied by the desolate mountains and wild forests here, who will appreciate her youth, her figure?

  "You're more serious than me, I'm only serious when Master is around, but when he's not, I just want to play!" As I poured the water from the wooden basin into the foot-washing basin, I prepared to take off my socks while blowing my nose.

  "When you were young, you went to school like this. When the teacher was there, you were dead, and when the teacher left, you came alive! So many years have passed, and you're still the same!" Niugui smiled slightly with her head down, reminiscing about me from childhood, then naturally helped me take off the smelly socks on my feet. She put my feet into the foot bath and gently massaged them for me!

  "Let me do it myself. I've been walking all day, I stink!" As I looked at the runny-nosed girl squatting in front of me, carefully washing my feet, I grabbed her arm and said so. For the first time, I felt a flutter in my heart for this childhood playmate, for this girl who was willing to wash my feet!

  "My mom used to say, a woman should know how to pamper men..." At this point, Nuo suddenly stopped talking. And her face was as red and shiny as the apples hanging from the trees, so red that it moved people's hearts.

  "Let's go out for a stroll and come back later!" Under this circumstance, Deng Cao felt extremely uncomfortable all over. He touched his bald head, picked up the lazy Deng Xin who was lying on the kang, and walked towards the door!

  "Did I say something wrong?" Niutou looked at the Denglcao walking out of the door and turned back to ask me with a flash of big eyes. She has changed, from that clever and mischievous girl in childhood, to this gentle and virtuous appearance now.

  "Never mind him, he's just jealous! I'll wash it myself, you've been squatting for so long, aren't you tired?" I hypocritically said to Nosey, but actually I'm still enjoying this feeling.

  "It's okay, you've been walking in the snow all day. If you don't loosen up your muscles, they might swell up tomorrow. The water has cooled down a bit. Sit still and I'll go get a bucket of hot water for you to soak in." Nuo Si said as she stood up, wiping her forehead with the back of her white wrist.