After the Legend

Chapter 42: growing up

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Awujia sat behind the counter of his small shop, carefully placed the four loaves of bread, closed the lid again, looked at the sparse pedestrians outside, and sighed.

Her husband Kuva emerged from the kitchen, patting the flour on his apron and saying, "I just made four more loaves, but all the flour in the store has been used up. Why don't you buy some?"

"What's the point of buying it?" Awujia rolled her eyes at him and pointed at the wooden tray containing the four loaves. "These may not be sold yet. There isn't even a passing merchant now. Foreigners You’re not allowed to come, it’s not a festival, who in the village would spend money to buy these things to eat?”

Kuwa was robbed by his wife and said a little: "What do you know? This is all to catch spies. If the spies continue to do bad things, our country will suffer. We must obey the king's orders."

"Didn't the king just pass away? Who knows who gave the order?" Awujia retorted impatiently. Seeing her husband's eyes widening and what he was about to say, he stopped him first, "Now There’s no business to do, so go to your mother’s house to pick up your daughter first, I haven’t seen her in a few days.”

Kuwa took off his apron and walked out of the store, only to see a little girl with gray-black hair and green eyes standing timidly in front of the counter, looking inside with her feet on her feet, and whispered: "Uncle, aunt... I think... Buy bread…”

He felt that this little girl looked unfamiliar, and he immediately became vigilant: "Whose child are you from? Why have I never seen you before? Could you be a spy?"

The little girl shrank her head and seemed a little scared. When Awujia saw it, she thought of her daughter and couldn't help but feel soft: "Husband! What are you talking about?! How could such a young child be a spy? Don't It scares people." After saying that, he smiled gently at the little girl and said, "Whose daughter are you? It seems that my aunt has never seen you in the village. You are not a local, are you? Who brought you here?"

The little girl was still timid: "My uncle and aunt brought me here. My aunt's family is here. I...I came to buy bread. My aunt said I would use it to entertain guests..."

"That must be Juma from the Farrar family. I just heard her mother say yesterday that Juma was going to take her man back to her parents' home to visit relatives. I didn't expect to come back today." Awujia happily drove her husband away, " Go quickly, I heard that Zhuma's family is very rich. When you get the child back, we can go see her together so that we can see the world."

After hearing this, Kuwa muttered something and went away. Awujia quickly wrapped four pieces of bread in paper, handed them to the little girl, and said: "There are four more in the kitchen, they will be baked soon." , please wait for a while." She was very happy to be able to sell these unsalable high-priced items. She also stuffed a candy bar that the children in the village loved most to give to the little girl: "Eat it, this is a gift from my aunt. Yours. Come and tell me, does your family eat meat every day? What does your Aunt Zhuma usually cook? "

The little girl licked the candy bar and just smiled and shook her head. When pressed, she became anxious and said she didn't know. Awujia curled her lips in disappointment: "Your aunt must have told you not to say anything, right? Humph, maybe her husband's family is not as rich as she said..." He glanced at the child and said, "The clothes he is wearing are also the same. We're almost..." After a pause, she fixed her eyes on the child's hair: "Why is Zhuma so careless? I didn't even comb your hair!" After saying that, she reached out and combed the little girl's hair into two braids. He also helped her adjust her belt: "Women who have never been mothers are not good at it. This method of tying a belt is only used by boys. You are a girl, so you should tie it like this..."

This little girl was Ming Na who drank the hair-changing potion. She blinked and let the proprietress of the shop arrange her clothes and hair. She felt a little puzzled: "Didn't Grandpa say that this is how Nuojia's children dress? It turns out that It's wrong." Since she entered this country, everyone she met has been annoying to her, but this woman, although verbose, reminded her of her mother and felt a sense of intimacy. When Awujia finished tidying up for her, she smiled sweetly and thanked her, and the other party gently touched her head.

The aroma of bread came from the kitchen, and Awujia said hurriedly: "A batch of bread has been baked. Just wait, I will get it for you." After that, he went into the kitchen. Ming Na sat next to the counter, hugging the bread and licking the candy bars, thinking that this "mission" was quite simple.

As soon as this thought flashed through her mind, several people walked in front of the store, the leader of whom was a military officer. When he saw her, he looked at a document in his hand, seeming to be checking something.

Ming Na saw the knife on the opponent's waist, and suddenly her heart tightened. She thought of the officer who died under her grandfather's hands. She lowered her head with some guilt, and her whole body tensed up, ready to escape at any time.

When the officer saw a little foreign girl in the store, he asked an old man next to him: "How many people are there in this family? Is that their child?"

The old man stretched his neck and squinted at Minna, but his old eyes were dim and he could only see a little girl dressed as a villager. She was about the same height as the daughter of Kuva and Awujia, so he nodded and said, "It's them My daughter." He raised his voice and shouted: "Is anyone at home? Kuwa? Awujia?"

Minna was startled, and turned around to see Awujia sticking her head out from the kitchen: "Here you are, are you the village chief? Are you looking for me?"

"Where's your Kuwa?"

"He's out, do you have anything to do with him?"

"It's nothing, you can go ahead and do your work." The old man waved his hand. Seeing Awujia shrinking his head and going back, he smiled and said to the officer, "This is a family of three." The officer nodded, not realizing that he looked very nervous after seeing him. Mingna took it to heart and led the old man and his men to the next house.

Ming Na was greatly relieved when she saw him leaving. Although she didn't understand why the old man thought she was the aunt's daughter, she finally deceived him.

At this time, Awujia came out with a plate of bread and handed it to her with a smile: "Including the four just now, there are eight in total. I charge you forty-eight copper coins. Do you have any money?"

Mingna quickly took out a gold coin, and Awujia stared at it: "Is this a gold coin? Your family is really rich." After saying that, she took a bite of the money and saw that it was real, her eyes shone, but Immediately he became worried again: "But I don't have that much money to give you change, what should I do?"

Ming Na blinked and felt a little stupid. Grandpa only said that one gold coin was enough to buy the food, but he didn't say what to do if others don't have money to look for it, so she hesitated: "Then...then I won't look for it, okay?"

"How can that be done?!" Awujia glared at her, "We have never done anything like this in our store!" After thinking about it, he hesitated: "How about I go find someone to borrow it? The village chief should be like that How much money..." She looked up and saw the old man and the officer not far away, and seemed to be planning to go find them.

Ming Na was startled. She couldn't even hide from the officer. How could she get him to pay attention to her? He hurriedly said: "Then... then I will buy more food. What else is there, auntie?" Awujia was delighted when she heard this, and hurriedly put cold boiled noodles and roasted sweet potatoes to her. As for food, Ming Na swept away all the food in the entire store. Including the bread she bought earlier, she just bought enough for nine silver coins and eight copper coins, and she successfully got ninety-two copper coins in change.

Awujia smiled so hard that she couldn't even see her eyes: "What a good boy. When I see your aunt later, I will definitely praise you."

Ming Na laughed a few times, thanked him, and walked back with a lot of food. When she met soldiers on the road, she acted as if nothing had happened. In fact, she looked very nervous, but the little girl was not the subject of suspicion by the soldiers, so she did not attract any attention. She was able to successfully walk to the house on the edge of the village and meet her grandfather who was hiding behind the house.

Xiao Tianjian quickly took the pile of food that looked like it was about to crush his little granddaughter, stuffed it into the storage ring, then picked up Ming Na and swept into the forest. After arriving at a safe place, he asked about the process of buying food. Mingna told her everything and didn't think anything was wrong. However, he broke into a cold sweat and thought that if there weren't so many coincidences and the child was still a little small, She is smart and has been cheated on for a long time. It seems that she still needs to be educated well in the future.

If you want to deceive others, you must first learn to overcome your nervousness and avoid contact with people you know!

With enough food, Ming Na could use magic to produce water, and most of their physiological needs along the way were met. After considering various circumstances, Xiao Tianjian decided to abandon the level and sneak through the nearby forest. My granddaughter has a foundation in Qinggong and her foot strength is much better than her peers. In addition, she has practiced climbing skills for several months in the Elf Forest. With her own help, she should not have much of a problem.

Facts have proved that not only did Mingna have no problems, she even adapted better than him.

She is thin and nimble, and has strong hands and feet. She can climb vines and trees in the mountains and forests more easily than her grandfather, who is a martial arts master. Moreover, this large mountainous forest reminded her of the days in the Elf Forest, and the boredom she felt since entering the Nuojia Kingdom had also dissipated a lot. If her grandfather hadn't stopped her, she would have even wanted to yell. She was so comfortable climbing trees that she didn't even take the "mountain road" and went directly to the "air" road.

Xiao Tianjian was speechless. His little granddaughter had been so well-behaved for so long that he actually forgot how much of a headache she was at the beginning. I really don’t know how her mother, who values etiquette and respectability, could raise such a monkey-like daughter. He used to feel that Dora was too strict with her children, but today he began to feel that it was not easy for his daughter-in-law. He, the best master in Qinggong in the continent and the unrivaled in the world, had to work hard to keep an eye on his lively granddaughter. The child, for fear that something might happen to her.

"Grandpa!" Mingna called him in a low voice from a big tree in front of her, "Hurry up, you are so slow!" After saying that, she stretched her neck to look at the third checkpoint not far away, then turned around and pulled her over. A thick vine swung to the next tree.

Xiao Tianjian cut off a snake hanging from a branch next to him with one stroke, and followed him, feeling even more depressed.

They walked all the way through the mountains and forests, and finally arrived in Mengli seven days later. Xiao Tianjian took out his and Ming Na's real identity certificates, passed Nuojia's checkpoint, and truly left the country.

Mengli is located at the junction of the three countries of Noga, Weisha and Vana. It is backed by the mountains on the Vana border. The terrain is high in the east and low in the west. It is a large town. The center of the town is the market. With it as the center, the entire town is divided into three parts, which belong to the spheres of influence of the three countries. People from different countries live in different areas, resulting in a town with three architectural styles. The people here have their own characteristics in clothing, food and customs. Many people will go to the three districts to experience the different national customs in their spare time. However, this area is deeply influenced by the underground forces of the capital of Weisha. , armed fights occur from time to time, and it will never become a real tourist attraction.

Minna followed her grandfather into the town, and she felt that there were many people here, more people than in Qedon, Meton and all the places she passed. Even the streets of Nomonka may not be that lively. People were loudly selling goods from all over the world, and customers were going back and forth to pick out what they wanted, but the strange thing was that they didn't seem to have the habit of bargaining. Mingna asked her grandfather in a low voice and found out that this was a local "rule", but she didn't understand why.

The grandfather and grandson gradually left the area controlled by the Nuojia people and embarked on another road. The houses on both sides here have white or light blue walls and black roofs. They have no extra decoration and look very simple. The eight-pointed star decoration is hung in front of every house, which is the symbol of the Guangming Cult. Most of the pedestrians on the road wore simple and clean clothes, the women had almost no jewelry, and the children walked very steadily.

Ming Na felt something and asked softly: "Grandpa, is this an area close to Fan'a?" It must be, this is a place protected by the God of Light, and even the air has become holy, Ming Na can't help but relax Keep your pace, so as not to offend the people here.

Xiao Tianjian nodded and looked at an all-white house by the road with some disgust: "If you encounter these people in the future, stay away and don't associate with them."

Mingna looked at her grandfather in surprise, and was about to ask him why he said that, but she was pulled tightly by him and turned into another street. She turned right and came to another area. The scenery in front of her suddenly changed.

The houses here have beautiful colors, including light yellow, sky blue, pink, and white. Most of them have onion-like roofs, and the flower beds around the houses are also neatly trimmed. Mingna immediately put aside her previous doubts and asked curiously: "Grandpa, where is this? Why are the roofs of these houses so strange?"

A smile appeared on Xiao Tianjian's face: "This is a characteristic of Weisha. We are now in a neighborhood controlled by Weisha. The Xiao family business has a shop here, and I also have a house here."

Minna asked happily: "Grandpa has a house here? Can we live in it?"

"Of course. My house is very beautiful. It's white with golden carvings. It has a big yard, a pavilion, a veranda and a pool. It's very comfortable to live in. It was given to me by a friend of mine. Come back. I will take you to meet him, he has a lot of good things, and he likes children very much, maybe he will give you a few small gifts."

Ming Na became excited after hearing this. She had met several of her grandfather's friends, and they were all very interesting people. What was this one like

Not walking far, they came to a street full of shops and stalls. People's clothes were very different from what they had seen before. They looked a bit like the clothes of residents seen in the snow-capped mountains north of Noga, but It is much thinner, and some women will even wear a dress made of light gauze, decorated with colorful gems or pearls, with the navel slightly visible, revealing a small waist. Most of the women dressed like this are extremely beautiful and dressed up in wealth. They are either accompanying rich people or walking with women dressed in the same way.

Mingna looked at them with great interest, and was very interested in the musical instrument-like things on their backs. Grandpa pulled her so she didn't lose him because she was just looking at what was new.

Arriving at a shop at the back of the street, Xiao Tianjian stopped. Ming Na guessed that this was probably the shop of Xiao's Trading Company, but why was the shop closed

Xiao Tianjian was obviously puzzled. After asking the people in the shop next to him, he learned that the stewards and clerks of the commercial bank had been taken away half a month ago. He couldn't help but be shocked. Could it be that the incident at the Nomenka branch was happening again? ? ! He hurriedly led his granddaughter over the back wall and entered the shop.

The place inside was very large. Ming Na walked around everywhere. Whether it was the dining room, the room, the kitchen or the warehouse, they were all empty. The furniture was covered with a thin layer of dust. It was obvious that no one had stayed there for some time. Could it be that the people here were expelled like the people in the Nomonka branch? However, something seems wrong...

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a mechanism in the innermost room, and hurriedly ran over. She saw her grandfather standing next to a bookshelf, and a hole slowly opened in the floor in front of him. She consciously stepped forward and cast a lighting spell into the hole. There was a secret room inside, but it was empty.

Xiao Tianjian murmured: "The people, money and goods are all gone, the transfer was so complete..." But why? There were obviously foreign businessmen in the town, so why were the Xiao family members driven away

"No..." He slowly realized the unreasonableness of this speculation, "It doesn't look like he was driven away..."

"Nothing is broken!" Ming Na shouted out first, "There is only dust on the ground, no debris! It's different from Nomonka!"

(It’s so depressing... It rained heavily and thunderstorms for most of the day, and I almost didn’t dare to turn on the computer... Can you see Ming Na’s growth in this chapter? Although there are still shortcomings... ah, vote~~~)