early morning.

Various sounds of drinking could be heard in the distance, but since it was some distance away from the market, it was not too noisy.

Tang Xiuer pushed the door open, and a cool breeze blew in her face. At a glance, she could see Ji Huai who was knitting a basket in the courtyard. He was sitting under the dead tree, lowering his head and concentrating on knitting.

He had cut down the dead tree, sawed it into several sections and moved it aside to make a cage. The chickens he bought were fenced in in the corner of the courtyard. He also built a shelf in the other corner and planted grapes in the ground.

When the vines grow up, a table can be placed underneath.

By that time, I feel comfortable just thinking about it.

"There is porridge in the pot." He raised his head and looked at her and said.

"Have you eaten?" she said and came over.

Ji Huai: "No."

Tang Xiuer seemed to have expected it, her eyebrows also curved, and she turned and walked to the kitchen, "Then I will serve the porridge, and we will eat together."

The porridge is hot, and there are two meat buns he bought on the kitchen table. Living in a town is very convenient. There is a market not far away, where you can buy all kinds of food.

After the two had breakfast, Ji Huai was about to go out with the bamboo basket he had made, "Do you have anything to buy?"

Today was a market day and there were many people on the street, so he didn't plan to take her out.

"No, you come back earlier." Tang Xiuer shook her head, still a little nervous and panicked. After all, she was going to be at home alone, still in the yard where she had just moved in.

"Lock the door. Only you can open the door when I come back, and no one else can!" he warned.

Tang Xiuer: "Okay."

Ji Huai walked forward, and when he was about to turn, he turned around, looked at her, and asked her to quickly go in and close the door.

She was very obedient, turned around and walked in, then closed the door. Closing the door was not enough, so she quickly walked back into the house, closed the door to the room, and hid on the bed.

After hiding and hiding, sleepiness came over me and I fell asleep again.

At the market.

Ji Huai found a seat, placed the bamboo basket on the ground, and stood aside.

All kinds of vendors are having a drink, those selling pastries, those selling bags, those selling all kinds of fruits and vegetables... the street is very lively.

The bamboo baskets were selling out very quickly today, and he was going to buy some candies. Tang Xiuer said last time that the cakes bought outside were too expensive, and she wanted to make them herself, so she had to buy some flour.

When he came to the rice shop, he said to the waiter, "I want a pound of flour."

"Okay, guest, please wait a moment." The waiter quickly weighed the items with quick hands and feet.

"Hey, have you heard? There are traces of Zijiu in Xilin. Recently, a large number of people have been looking for it. The young master of Mr. Cheng's family paid a hundred taels for one."

"Didn't you say thirty taels last time? Now it has been raised to one hundred taels?"

"The thirty taels were all last month, right? No one has found them. How can they be so easy to catch? Even if it's a thousand taels, if you can't find them, you won't be able to find them."

...

Two thin men holding fans were discussing, and they shook their heads as they spoke. The man in cyan clothes said "tsk" again, "The price is unaffordable. If you are lucky enough to see it, then you can't afford it."

It’s also a feast for the eyes.”

"That's right, I heard that the purple chirp's feathers are very gorgeous and beautiful, and its cry is ethereal and sweet, which is very different from other birds." Another man replied.

"Your flour." The waiter handed the flour to Ji Huai. After hearing the conversation between the two, he also intervened, "Master Cheng likes to fight birds. If someone catches the purple chirp, Master Cheng will definitely buy it."

, when the bird fighting conference is held, everyone can feast their eyes."

The bird-fighting culture has always been popular in this town, and it is an elegant hobby of high-ranking officials. The higher the status, the more they like to keep a few rare birds.

"You also know this?" The two people didn't leave. They walked into the rice shop with their fans waving and looked at the guy.

"The young master also likes to fight birds. He has asked the boss several times to ask for money to buy purple chirps. It was originally said to be sixty taels, but now the price has soared. The key is that no one can catch it. I heard that it happened once before

, and when we looked for it later, there was no trace. Everyone’s impression of Zijiu was the one that Qiangwei had raised for several years, and our young master was lucky enough to see it once.” The guy seemed to be chatting, and kept talking.

He spoke with great pride.

"Have you really seen it before?" The man in green clothes became interested, "Then tell me quickly, what does Zijiu look like?"

Mr. Wei is a famous "bird fighting" master in the town. It is said that the purple chirp he raised died not long after. Since then, no one has caught the purple chirp, let alone anyone who can raise it.

The clerk recalled, "Purple chirping feathers are not all purple, most of them are very light purple, with a circle of white around the eyes, and the feathers on the belly are also white..."

These words stopped Ji Huai who was about to leave.

The bird they are talking about has orange-red claws and a tail that seems to be colorful?

"The purple chirp has the most beautiful tail. It comes in various colors. It is the most beautiful bird. Its claws are red, and its pointed beak makes it different from other birds at first glance..." The waiter continued to praise.

.

"No wonder, the sound is also very nice." The two of them approached the waiter and asked.

"Of course it sounds nice. The voice is so melodious, loud, and crisp. Our young master will never forget it. However, Zijiu has a docile temperament and is not suitable for bird fighting." The boy replied in a straight voice.

Ji Huai paused, lifted his feet and walked forward again.

Mild-tempered?

He thought of the bird he saw two years ago, with a slightly ferocious look in his eyes, but at first glance he was not a docile bird, but rather very agitated.

Moreover, the call of this kind of bird is not very gentle and loud. If it makes people anxious, it can imitate the angry tone and intonation of people. The call is indeed different from other birds.

It seems to like eating black mulberries.

Two years ago, he went hunting in the mountains and passed a black mulberry tree, so he went to pick black mulberry fruits. Although the fruit was small, less than the size of a little finger, most wild fruits were bitter, and black mulberry fruits were sweet, so he wanted to pick some.

Go back and eat.

There were not many fruits on the tree. After he finished picking, there were only a few left. A bird with gorgeous feathers flew over. It flew around him twice, then looked at the basket he put aside and looked towards

He rushed over.

He could sense its displeasure and anger and almost didn't get pecked. Then he quickly picked up the tool and prepared to catch it and roast it.

This bird is clever, sharp and smart. After evading his attack, it can still carry a few black mulberry fruits in its mouth.

Its feathers were indeed beautiful and its cry was unique. He had never seen such a beautiful bird in the mountains and forests, so he was really impressed.

On the way back after buying flour, Ji Huai kept thinking about a question: One bird, one hundred taels?

Since he came to the town, he had to plan for life. Originally, he was going to work as a coolie at the dock, or as a slave in the mansion. He has been hunting these years, and he has some martial arts skills and a big body, so he can also make money.

I have some money to support the two of them, but I can't afford such a wealthy life.

In the evening, Tang Xiuer made pastries, which were pretty good. He praised her a few times, and she said, "Then I'll make some pastries to sell in a few days. What do you think?"

She also wants to make money and do something for the family.

Ji Huai: "Have a good rest and don't tire yourself. I'll go see what work is available tomorrow."

"I won't be tired." She pursed her lips, still fighting for herself.

He advised her: "If you want to eat it, just make it yourself, and don't need to do anything else. If you want to sell it, you have to make it better. If you make it less, it will be in vain and you won't be able to sell it for money."

"....Okay." She didn't know what to say and was a little disappointed. She changed the subject and asked him again, "What work are you going to do?"

"I will do whatever work can support you and your children. Of course, the more money, the better." He continued casually.

Before he finished speaking, Tang Xiuer looked at him seriously, "It has nothing to do with money, just do some easy work. I don't eat much, and I can also make money by embroidering my purse. If I eat more, I will have milk and water to support myself.

child."

She looked at him with her dark eyes, with assurance, for fear that he wouldn't believe it.

Ji Huai laughed, and realized that he subconsciously moved down her face. When Tang Xiuer noticed it, her face suddenly turned red. She raised her hand forward to block something, and looked at him angrily and embarrassed.

"I know." There was still a smile in his tone.

"It's good to know. Work hard to support me and the children." She left the words and ran away.

Ji Huai: "Be careful."

She quickly slowed down and held her belly.

The next day.

Ji Huai walked around the market and had a general understanding of the current life. It was enough to support his family, but his life was definitely not as nourishing as hunting.

If you want to eat meat in the future, you may have to think twice.

Unknowingly, he walked to the city gate and heard that the two were going to Xilin, so he followed them without hesitation.

Xilin is not far from the town, but it is definitely not close.

The two people in front were halfway out of breath, and he often crossed mountains and ridges, chasing his prey all over the mountains. What was this little journey?

But he didn't know the direction and could only follow behind the two of them.

When we arrived in Xilin, we met a lot of people on the way. Most of them were looking for the purple chirping bird, and most of them came to try their luck. After all, the temptation of the one hundred taels was not small.

"Are you here to find Zi Jiu?"

"Don't look for it. This bird is rare to begin with, and it's even harder to find because of its mysterious whereabouts."

"Yeah, I've been looking for it for several months, but I haven't seen it yet. Could it be false news?"

"Anyway, I don't believe it anymore. There used to be a huge wave of people coming, but now do you think there are still many people? There are wild animals in the mountains, and no matter how much money you have, it's not as important as your life."

....

More and more people were disappointed. Ji Huai and the two men had just arrived. After hearing what the people who came back said, they didn't even want to enter the mountain.

Hesitation was already showing on his face, his eyes were struggling, and his pace had slowed down a lot.

"How about forget it?"

"I'm here now. Let's go in and take a look. I'm disappointed if I can't find it, but what if I see it?"

The two gritted their teeth and walked in. Behind them, Ji Huai strode forward without any hesitation. When the two saw each other, they quickly followed him, shouting, "Brother, you
Chapter completed!