The sky gradually brightened, and the last wisp of smoke in the brazier dissipated. Jiang Xingchen, who was leaning on the corner of the bed, moved his eyelids and slowly opened them.
Before he was fully conscious, he heard a creaking sound and subconsciously turned his head to see the door being pushed open and Meier walking in from the door, holding a clay pot in both hands.
"Brother! You're awake. I've got some water. Come down and wash up!" Meier smiled when she saw Jiang Xingchen's eyes open. She put the pottery pot on the table and said as she closed the door.
"Huh?" Jiang Xingchen woke up instantly and was surprised: "The little girl sat on my lap to sleep last night. I didn't even notice when she got up. How could she sleep so deeply?"
He was a very light sleeper originally, and since he had just traveled through time, it was even less likely that he would sleep to death in the new environment. But now he thought about it and found that he didn't even dream last night. It seemed that when he closed his eyes, he would open them again.
Eyes, it's daybreak.
"Could it be because of that breathing method?" After fully waking up, his mind was surprisingly clear. All the details after yesterday's time travel were still vivid in his mind, as if they had just happened.
"Brother! Do you have a headache again? Didn't you agree last night?" Meier saw Jiang Xingchen sitting on the bed, lost in thought, and hurried to the bed to ask.
"Oh! I'm fine, don't worry!" Jiang Xingchen quickly put down his thoughts, smiled at Mei'er, lifted the quilt, raised his hand and patted her little head.
"Is everything okay?" The little girl looked serious, her two slender eyebrows furrowed, forming a small pimple between her eyebrows.
"You still hope that something will happen to me..." Before Jiang Xingchen could finish his words, Mei'er suddenly leaned forward and inserted her two small hands along his neck into his arms.
The little girl had just returned from fetching water. It was obvious that the temperature on her hands was as if ice cubes were sticking to her skin. Jiang Xingchen's body shook violently, and the smile on his face was completely out of shape, and he let out a miserable howl.
.
"Whoosh" Mei'er jumped out, looked at Jiang Xingchen, whose face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and said quickly: "Brother, don't be angry! You were sick two days ago and didn't respond to any stimulation. I just wanted to make sure.
, now I know you are really fine!"
Jiang Xingchen stared at the little girl's pitiful expression with a straight face, and then said, "I believe you this time, but next time, be careful with your butt!"
"Oh! Got it!" Mei'er's face turned slightly red and she responded weakly. She covered her back with her little hand, then lowered her head and stuck out her tongue, with a smile on her lips: "Brother, it seems that he really won't change back.
Got it!"
Jiang Xingchen went to the table to wash his face. The cold water stimulated his skin and made him shiver. He stroked it twice and then raised his head.
After washing his face, Meier brought a pottery bowl filled with water to him: "Brother, rinse your mouth!"
Jiang Xingchen frowned, took a sip of cold water, and vigorously pumped his cheek muscles: "Living in a leaky house, eating bread like cinders, two people covering a patched sheet, the little girl wearing rags,
The toes of my shoes are leaking, I can only use cold water to rinse my mouth, and there is no toothbrush or toothpaste..."
There was a splashing sound, and Jiang Xingchen turned his head, only to see Meier lowering her head in front of a clay pot to wash her face.
"Pfft!" The water in his mouth spurted out. Jiang Xingchen frowned and said, "That water is what I used!"
"What are you afraid of? It's not dirty! There is a well nearby, and many people are queuing up. It's very slow to get water!" Mei'er said, wiping her face.
The little girl washed away the stains on her face, her face was very delicate, but her skin was slightly yellow, obviously malnourished.
"It's hard to even use water... These days of not having enough to eat or wearing warm clothes must end as soon as possible. The little girl is only thirteen years old. She will definitely get sick as time goes by!" Jiang Xingchen's face was dark, and the little girl used the water he had used.
Washing his face with water deepened the feeling in his heart.
"Brother, let's go!" Meier rinsed her mouth with Jiang Xingchen's remaining half bowl of water, tidied the house again, and then asked him to leave.
"Have everything been packed?" Jiang Xingchen asked.
"It's all here!" Mei'er took out a cloth bag and shook it, and there was a tinkling sound of copper coins inside. Then she patted a ceramic kettle on her back.
Jiang Xingchen nodded and said, "Let's go out and buy some food first. We only ate half of it last night..."
"No!" Before Jiang Xingchen could finish speaking, Mei'er shook her head: "Look for a house first. We only need twenty copper coins. If we spend it, we won't be able to find a place to live..."
After a pause, Meier pursed her lips and said, "Brother, please bear with me for now. When we find a place to live, I will go to work in Chunxiang Building to earn money to buy food!"
Jiang Xingchen opened his mouth, and just as he was about to speak, Meier blocked him back again: "Brother said last night, listen to me in everything!"
"Okay!" Jiang Xingchen twitched the corners of his mouth and responded helplessly.
"Then let's get going!" Mei'er secretly punched her fist in her heart, with a victorious smile on her face.
Jiang Xingchen walked to the door, took a deep breath, opened the door and stepped out, truly entering the world...
On the narrow hard dirt road, Jiang Xingchen followed Meier, looking around with his eyes. Whether it was the ancient houses with mud bricks or earth tiles, or the wide-sleeved long clothes worn by people on the street, they all gave him a sense of time and space, as if
The feeling of walking into a film and television city.
The buildings are all bungalows, some high and some low. They are obviously not planned and look very disordered. Garbage and sewage can be seen everywhere on the walls on both sides of the hard dirt road...
The windows were covered with wood chips. What surprised Jiang Xingchen was that he didn't see any room using window paper...
Most of the pedestrians walking on the street were wearing cheap linen clothes. Occasionally, some were wearing clean cotton clothes, and they walked with their chins slightly raised...
After walking for a while, Jiang Xingchen met three people carrying burdens selling things, but without exception, they were selling black flour cakes. This made him sigh: "Is the food in this world so monotonous and poor?
There are no sellers of vegetables, meat or fruits..."
While Jiang Xingchen was looking at the world, passers-by also cast surprised glances at him. In the civilian gathering area, people living at the bottom of society were almost no one able to afford expensive silk.
The little girl was unusually quiet. Apart from asking someone every time she passed by to see if there was room for rent, she hardly spoke. Compared with when she was alone with Jiang Xingchen, she seemed to be a different person. However, every time she saw someone selling black faces
As for the cake, she would drag Jiang Xingchen away...
The morning passed quickly, but they found nothing. The cheapest house cost ten copper coins a day. Meier's expression was a little depressed. Only then did she realize that it was impossible to find a house like Uncle Huang's.
The price of a copper coin per day is the same as living for free.
After drinking the last sip of water in the pot, the narrow dirt road they were walking on came to the end. Looking up and looking forward, Jiang Xingchen felt suddenly enlightened. In front of him was a road paved with bluestone strips, with more than 20 people.
meters wide, and the houses on both sides are much taller. The exterior walls are made of large blue bricks. At first glance, they feel neat and clean. The windows are no longer covered with wooden boards, but with arranged bamboo sheets, which is neat and ventilated.
.
Most of the doors on both sides of the road were open, and many flags and banners were hung at the door. Jiang Xingchen immediately recognized the handwriting on them. They were signs for various shops, clothing stores, shoe stores, weapons shops, pharmacies, restaurants, etc.
inn……
There were a lot more pedestrians on the street, walking in and out of the shops, and many of them were well-dressed people. On the street, there were a few stalls selling goods, and there were also many people watching.
"This is a market!" Seeing this scene, Jiang Xingchen knew that he had thought wrong before. This society was not as backward as his first impression! The food was poor and the environment was dirty and dilapidated. It was just a civilian area.
Other places are very prosperous. Just look at the several restaurants connected on the street and the endless stream of pedestrians entering. If the food is simple, how can so many people eat it?
The familiar aroma of scallions boiling in a pot came. Jiang Xingchen's stomach rumbled and he couldn't help but sniff. Without saying a word, he turned around and walked towards the street.
"Brother, why are you going? That's not a market in a civilian area..." Mei'er quickly grabbed him.
"Little girl, stop looking! Uncle Huang's warehouse is where charcoal is stored, so you can rent it for two copper coins a day!" Jiang Xingchen sighed softly, with a bitter look on his face, and begged: "We'd better go first
Eat something, I'm too hungry to walk!"
He ate half a black flour pancake yesterday evening, and his energy was still absorbed by the fog in his brain. Coupled with walking all morning, his appetite now felt as uncomfortable as being burned.
"Gu~" Meier's stomach also made a growl, and her face turned slightly red, but she still said unwillingly: "We only have twenty copper coins. If we spend it, then... what about the place where we live?"
"Oops!" Jiang Xingchen covered his forehead pretending to be annoyed: "If I don't eat, I will starve to death. What else do I need to live in!"
"You don't have to go there to eat, the food there is very expensive! Come on, let's buy black flour cakes!" Mei'er dragged Jiang Xingchen and started to walk back.
"Who told you to eat black flour cakes? Let's eat white flour cakes today!" Jiang Xingchen said, reaching out to a small stall on the street not far away, with a stack of snow-white flour cakes on it.
"Ah?" Mei'er was stunned for a moment, then glared and said, "No, that costs two copper coins each. We only have twenty copper coins now, so we must save money..."
"Bring me ten copper coins!" Jiang Xingchen suddenly interrupted Mei'er and said with a cold face.
Meier was stunned for a moment, her eyes full of surprise, and then her face suddenly changed, her lips pursed into a straight line, her eyes fixed on Jiang Xingchen, filled with mist: "He promised me yesterday that he would never change back again!
Is it fake again!”
Jiang Xingchen's expression slowly softened, he put his palm on Mei'er's head and said softly: "As for the house, my brother will find a way to ensure that he has a place to stay at night... But now, he must have a full meal first.
!”
Hearing Jiang Xingchen's soft words, Mei'er's nervous mood slowly relaxed, but the grievance on her face did not fade at all. She turned her head to avoid Jiang Xingchen's palm and said: "You must spend more when you have enough food."
Money, isn’t it the same as black bread?”
"You are just thirteen years old. It is not good for your health to always eat food that looks like dirt!" Jiang Xingchen put his hand on Mei'er's head again and rubbed it hard.
Meier was stunned again and looked straight at Jiang Xingchen, the mist in her eyes getting thicker, but this time it was obviously not aggrieved.
"What are you looking at, little girl! I don't believe I can find a house... Let me tell you, in the future we will buy a large yard of 1,000 square meters near the Imperial College or in the aristocratic district. We will eat rice every day and buy ten pounds of meat every day. When we go out,
Take the most beautiful carriage and watch the performance of the most famous song and dance troupe in Hongyuan City... Brother will also buy you beautiful clothes. Wear the best silk in summer and the softest animal skin in winter... More on that later.
He will not let Meier wear shoes with holes, and will also redeem Meier’s jade pendant..."
"Woo~" Before Jiang Xingchen could finish his words, the little girl couldn't control her tears anymore. She hugged his waist and began to cry.
"Hey! Why are you crying!" Jiang Xingchen was a little stunned and didn't know where to put his hands...
"Gulu~" After a long time, Jiang Xingchen's stomach roared again, and Mei'er pushed him away, wiped her tears, took out the cloth bag she carried with her, poured out ten copper coins and handed it over: "Here, go
Buy white flour pancakes!”
When Jiang Xingchen took it, Meier asked, "Why were you so cold and mean to me just now?"
"If I don't do this, will you give me money?"
"I asked you to lie to me!" When Meier bared her teeth and claws and pounced on her, Jiang Xingchen had already turned around and ran away.
Looking at Jiang Xingchen's back, Mei'er smiled, and then wondered: "How come what my brother just said is the same as my dream yesterday..."
Soon, Jiang Xingchen came back with five white flour cakes. The two squatted on the side of the street, took the white flour cakes and opened their mouths to eat.
Mei'er's little mouth bulged like a bun, chewing hard.
While Jiang Xingchen was eating, he squinted at Mei'er: "Is it so fragrant? The taste is not that good. Are there no steamed buns, steamed buns, stuffed cakes here..."
After a while, after Jiang Xingchen had eaten two pieces of cake, what he had been looking forward to happened.
A stream of heat rushed from his stomach to the top of his head, and his breathing method started to work automatically. Then the thick fog changed again, and a complex circular pattern emerged and merged into his mind.
At this moment, three words came to his mind: Taichu Formation
And with the appearance of these three words, he seemed to see his mind suddenly turn into a night sky, with stars all over the sky lighting up.