The person standing in the hall was Anlong. His skin looked darker and he was a little thinner. His face was tired, but he had a smile on his face. Mingna rushed over and hugged his waist, but her heart ached and she couldn't help crying: "Dad, I miss you so much..."
"Daddy misses you too..." Anlong hugged the child, his eyes were red, and he gently stroked Mingna's head, the guilt in his heart welling up like a tide.
After a while, he let go of his daughter and looked carefully up and down. He was very happy: "My little Mingna has grown taller, half a head taller than last year. She is also much fairer and looks more and more beautiful." The more beautiful it becomes.”
Ming Na giggled and suddenly remembered: "Dad, where is mom? Why don't you see mom?"
An Long paused and said with a smile: "Dad only has half a month's vacation, and he came here on a fast horse. How can your mother bear it? So you and Winnie take a boat and walk slowly. It will take a few days to arrive. .”
Ming Na felt something was wrong after hearing this, but thinking of being able to meet her mother, she didn't ask any more questions: "Is it only half a month? That's a rush. I'll pack my things right away." After that, she planned to turn around and go upstairs.
Anlong stopped her quickly, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Mingna, you don't need to pack your things. Dad has to rush back as soon as possible, so you don't have to follow me."
Ming Na was puzzled, but she quickly thought of the answer: "I know, dad wants me to go back with mom, right? No problem!"
"No..." An Long hesitated for a long time, and then said, "Dad wants you not to go back with us for the time being, but to stay in the Magic City and study here for a few years first."
"Why?!" Mingna was shocked, and then a little aggrieved, "I want to be with my parents. I haven't seen you for more than a year, why don't you let me go back?!" Her nose was sour and her eye circles were red again. .
Anlong hurriedly coaxed her and said: "Mingna, listen to me, our home used to be in Qedun and there was no school nearby, so only your mother taught you some things, but you have never studied seriously. You He is seven years old this year. He can no longer play around like before and should learn something. Your eldest cousin has now entered the Knight Academy. Your eldest cousin has passed the magic apprentice exam. Even your second cousin, who is only half a year older than you, has also passed the exam. Entered Ito Junior Magic School to study. Mom and Dad don’t ask you to be better than them, but you should at least learn some useful knowledge. Now that you are in the Magic City, it is a good opportunity."
This was the first time Ming Na heard about her cousins: "The eldest cousin is only three years older than me. Is she already a magic apprentice?" After thinking about it, she felt a little frustrated: "Actually, Professor Solon also asked me to participate. I took the exam, but the examiner said I was young and my magic power was low, so I wouldn’t be allowed to pass.”
Anlong smiled: "How can the exam in Yitong be compared with the one in the Magic City? There are so many talents here, it will definitely be difficult to pass the exam. In fact, you can really learn things here."
Xiao Tianjian, who had been left aside for a long time, also interrupted at this time: "I heard from the manager of the trading company just now that you are learning potions from Sauron, right? In fact, he is not bad at it. He might as well be a potion master."
Mingna pouted: "I didn't learn from him. He treats me as a coolie now. I have been cutting branches and leaves with him for two months." She glanced sideways at her grandfather, although he brought his father here , but she was still a little angry, it was him who caused her to suffer in Sauron's place!
Xiao Tianjian touched his nose and said nothing.
An Long looked at his daughter disapprovingly: "Mingna, you can't be rude to grandpa." Mingna stuck out her tongue and complied obediently, but the meaning in her eyes clearly did not take her words seriously. An Long looked at his father with a wry smile, then turned back to his daughter and said sternly: "I have already discussed it with your mother. Your grandmother used to be here too. How many years will you study here, whether it is to learn magic or potions? , lay a good foundation, and when you go back to Ito to go to school, you won't be afraid of not being able to keep up with your homework."
Mingna squirmed and refused to agree, but when her father kept a straight face, she reluctantly nodded. Seeing the aggrieved look on his little granddaughter's face, Xiao Tianjian smoothed things over and said, "Okay, okay, although your father is busy with work and can't visit you often, your mother can come and live with you. It's much better than before."
Ming Na thought about it, so she turned her smile and showed off to her father: "Dad, let me tell you, I know a lot of things now. I can cook several kinds of magic potions, I can also look at the stars, and recognize many plants. In many places, I can cook by myself." She suddenly remembered that it was already dinner time and exclaimed: "Dad, you and grandpa haven't eaten yet? I'll do it right away. I can do it now without a magic circle. Make some delicious broth!" Before Anlong could figure out the connection between the magic circle and the broth, she went to the kitchen.
An Long watched his daughter busy working in the kitchen, and for some reason he felt moved in his heart. Xiao Tianjian stood quietly behind him and asked softly: "Have you thought clearly? Do you really want to do this?"
Anlong did not look back: "I have thought about it very clearly. Father, maybe I still had my own selfish motives when I took on this task, but now the more truth I know, the less I can give up. That is my motherland , I swore to shed the last drop of my blood for it, I can’t watch those people destroy it and do nothing.”
"Even if you don't do it, there are others, so why would you take this risk?" Xiao Tianjian couldn't understand. Maybe he would be asked to sacrifice for his motherland in that world, and he would not flinch, but for Eastman, he thought it would not be possible. worth. Moreover, he has another concern: "Since the death of the Yuri family's son, the Heda family has been vigilant, and all evidence and traces have been erased. You are my son, it is difficult for them to believe you. .Is it necessary that you leave your wife and children behind for a plan that is likely to fail?"
"If everyone doesn't do it, no one will do it." An Long smiled slightly, "What's more, I didn't abandon them, I just separated from them temporarily for their safety. The department is thoughtful Even if our plan takes longer, there will always be a day when it succeeds. Since I joined the Capital Knights, I have already made a lot of contributions to the department. When this task is completed, I will no longer have to be an operative. It’s time for the family to be reunited, and our good lives will last forever.”
Xiao Tianjian sighed and gave up the fifty-third persuasion: "I understand, I will help take care of the child, but you must also promise me, be careful, and you must wear the armor I give you. You should also carry your sword with you. I will ask people from the trading company to help you."
Anlong turned around and looked at him gratefully: "Thank you, father, I know you are thinking about me, but it's better not to let too many people know about this kind of thing. Please believe me, one year at the earliest and one year at the latest. In three years, I will definitely have enough evidence to bring the traitors to justice."
=====================I am the dividing line where time flies======================
Two years later.
In the summer evening, the sunshine slightly reduced the heat. Ming Na walked briskly on the way home, humming an untuned tune softly in her mouth. She was wearing a local popular white gauze skirt and a small vest, with her long hair tied loosely into two pigtails. She was dressed just like a little girl from Shaonan.
She is nine years old this year and is a full head taller than two years ago, almost reaching her grandfather's chest. I wonder if it is because her mother urged her to develop the habit of drinking milk every day, and she often walks between the top and the bottom of the mountain. Compared with girls of the same age, she obviously grows taller and faster.
She is now a second-year student at the Junior High School in the Western Civilian District of the Magic City. Like other students, she studies popular subjects such as common language, astronomy, geography, arithmetic, and art. Because the school is half-day, she will go to the potion master Sauron in the afternoon to learn the basics of potions. After a full year of handling magical materials and half a year of training in mixing skills and mastering fire, she finally started learning to prepare potions eight months ago.
However, each recipe required ten days and a half of practice. Not only did she have to understand the working principle of each ingredient, but she also had to ensure that there would be no mistakes in the preparation process and that the efficacy of the medicine would be optimal. Even under these requirements, she After everything was completed, Soran would also ask her what would happen if one or two of the materials were changed, or what would be the consequences of making a mistake in the program. In short, every time she learns a recipe, she feels like she is a master.
The most terrifying thing was that Sauron asked her to learn different recipes for the same potion. For example, she had already learned how to make four cold potions and was going to learn the fifth one tomorrow. Before that, she had learned how to make three scabies potions. method.
Ming Na thought of this, raised her hand and looked at the tips of her fingers that were blackened due to being stained with magic potion for a long time, and her mood became depressed. It took her two years to learn less than ten potions. When will she finish learning? She couldn't help but sigh when she recalled what old magician Sennet had told her to learn from Sauron when he came to the Magic City to purchase materials the year before last. If he hadn't said that, and if her grandfather, father and mother had also urged her to learn, she would have given up long ago.
That Sauron, after knowing her for so long, still has the same bad temper. He always says that she is an idiot and that what she makes is not worthy of being called a magic potion. In fact, she knew that he had always been very proud because he had turned the stupid student Sennett had not taught well into a right-hand assistant (she had handled all the materials he used to prepare potions in the past two years).
As she walked, she turned into the commercial street and looked around boredly. Suddenly she saw a large gauze scarf displayed in the window of the cloak shop next to her. The pattern was exactly the kind her mother Dora liked best. Remembering that her mother's birthday was less than a month away this year, she went into the store and bought a gauze scarf, and also picked an exquisite water lotus brooch. As long as she gently wiped the flower holder, a light fragrance would emit. Makes you feel calm and happy.
In the past two years, Dora has been visiting her daughter frequently, and the longest stay was more than three months. Because the house was not big enough, Dora rented the small building where Ming Na's grandmother lived and took her daughter to live there. Maybe she wanted to make up for the relationship with her daughter. In addition to caring a lot about Ming Na in terms of food, clothing, housing and transportation, she no longer beat or scolded her. The mother and daughter got along very closely. However, even so, she couldn't help but worry about her husband. She always stayed with her daughter for a month or two, and then ran back to Yitong with Winnie.
To be honest, Mingna didn't understand what was wrong with her parents. They loved each other very much and cared about each other, but they always quarreled. Her father would make her mother angry and go back to her parents' house every time. But after a while, her mother would still tolerate it. I couldn't help but go back to Ito, so things started a vicious cycle again.
I wonder if buying a cool-scented brooch can help mom and dad calm down
Thinking of this, Ming Na picked another knight's cape brooch, which was the same type as the water lotus brooch. She asked the clerk to pack the three items, paid the money, walked out of the store, and put in the storage bracelet when no one was prepared. .
This is a work completed by the alchemist Han Lin half a year later than originally planned. It is a simple golden vine dotted with three small amethysts, which can change in size according to the thickness of the owner's wrist. Although the storage space is only about two cubic meters, it is enough for Minna.
She walked to Xiao's store on the corner of the street, intending to ask them to give her a lift. However, when passing by the weapons store, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure: "Happy?! Why are you here? Didn't your mother say you are not allowed to come back? Are you from here?" It was the boy he met by chance on the way to the Magic City.
Happy was about to sneak into the store when he was startled by her. He hurriedly shushed several times, looked around, and then dragged her into the alley next to the store. Ming Na was almost dragged down by him and asked inexplicably: "What are you doing? You're being sneaky."
Happy shushed a few more times, looked out, and quickly retracted: "Idiot! Are you going to kill me? I sneaked out while my mother was talking to the tailor. It would be bad if she found out. "
Ming Na imitated him and looked out. Sure enough, she saw his mother's round face looking at the door of the tailor shop. She quickly pulled back and said with a smile: "You deserve it! Who told you to sneak away? I heard that you failed the exam again? Again?" If you continue like this, you will be kicked out of school!"
Happy waved his hands nonchalantly: "I didn't want to be a magician in the first place. If I drop out of school, I'll drop out. Then I can learn to sword." He rolled up his sleeves and exposed the small muscles on his arms: "Look, I'm better than I was much stronger before.”
"Wait until you find a swordsman who is willing to teach you." Mingna poured cold water on him. He was immediately discouraged, but soon looked at her with hopeful eyes: "Mingna, your grandfather is not a great hero. A great master? Can you intercede for me and let him teach me a few moves? Not too many, just a few moves."
Ming Na said in embarrassment: "My grandfather has not come back yet, and he never accepts students." Even if he accepts students, he may not have the heart to teach. After living a stable life for the past two years, she finally saw her grandfather's true face. When he has nothing to do, he sleeps until he wakes up naturally every day. When he wakes up, he eats and drinks, walks around, finds friends, or goes to a tavern for a drink or two. In addition to looking younger, he is more agile and capable. , if he is more famous, he is no different from ordinary grandfathers and uncles. And because Ming Na had to go to school and learn potions every day, he simply stopped teaching her swordsmanship now, and at most reminded her to practice it when she had time.
Happy lowered his head in disappointment, rolled his eyes a few times, and then came up with an idea: "How about..." As soon as he started talking, a sharp shout came from the alley: "You brat! You really came here. !” It turned out that his mother had arrived. Happy jumped up in fright: "Oh my God!" He hurriedly said "Goodbye" and turned around to run away.
Ming Na saw Happy's mother rushing over, turned around in a hurry and pretended to be a passerby. When she chased after her, she hurried to the alley. In order to avoid taking it out on herself if she couldn't catch up with her son, Ming Na quickly went to the Xiao family branch, handed over the gift, and ran back home.
After entering the house, Minna first cast a cleaning spell on the sweeping turtles and rag bats on the ground, and then put them away. Looking at the situation in the house, he knew that his grandfather Xiao Tianjian had not returned yet. She sighed and prepared her own dinner. She has long been accustomed to this kind of life.
After dinner, she went to the study room to do her homework. Today she only had geography and homework, which she finished in no time. She reviewed her potions knowledge and was about to go back to her room to sleep when she heard the sound of the door opening downstairs. She was so happy that she quickly ran out of the room and went downstairs, shouting: "Grandpa, are you back?"
Xiao Tianjian took off his old boots, walked barefoot to the sofa, stretched out and lay down, saying: "I'm back, how have you been at home these days? Are you good?"
"Of course you are good, I clean every day." Mingna came over and smelled it, pinched her nose and waved her hands to fan her, "It stinks! Grandpa needs to take a shower!"
Xiao Tianjian smiled and went to the bathroom, shouting as he walked: "Let's make some midnight snacks for grandpa. I'm starving. I didn't eat anything good on the way. The wind and sand over Weisha are getting bigger and bigger, and I'm about to be blown away." Fucked chengren..."
By the time he came out after washing himself, Minna had already heated up the veal stew and vegetable soup left over from today. Xiao Tianjian devoured his meal, then slowly picked his teeth and asked, "How have you been studying recently? Did Sauron scold you?"
"It's been okay lately, I'm used to it anyway." Mingna stretched out her fingers, "I just kept boiling cold medicine these past few days. Grandpa, look, my fingers are all stained black."
Xiao Tianjian looked at the fingertips of his little granddaughter carefully and frowned: "You won't be poisoned, right? It's a medicine that's three-part poison, and those things are not that safe." He regretted it a little, although the potion master was quite safe and promising. Career, but it’s not a good thing for a little girl to deal with herbs and animal parts all day long.
Ming Na heard it funny: "Grandpa, I won't be poisoned, it's just the poison." She drank the body-building potion for a whole month, and ordinary poisons were ineffective on her, let alone what she did Just a very ordinary potion.
But Xiao Tianjian was still a little worried. After thinking about it, he asked, "Your mother hasn't been here for six months, right?" Ming Na nodded: "Dad wrote a letter saying that they had a fight again and that mother ran back to grandpa's house. I I really don’t understand why they always quarrel? Besides, my mother left Ito, why didn’t she come to me? "
Xiao Tianjian smiled: "Silly boy, you have studied geography. It only takes five or six days to travel from Ito to Matt Port by water. If you ride a fast horse and go by land, you can get there in three days. If your father wants to pick up your mother , or your mother wants to find your father, it’s very convenient, but if your mother comes here, it will take a long time.”
Ming Na thought about it and said with a smile: "So, mom actually wanted to make it easier to reconcile with dad, so she didn't come to my place? It's really troublesome. Why do adults like to quarrel so much? After quarreling, they want to reconcile. .”
Xiao Tianjian smiled and said nothing. Suddenly, he remembered that there was only one year left in the time agreed between Anlong and him. Judging from the news from the trading company, things seemed to be going very smoothly, and maybe they could succeed in advance, so he asked his granddaughter Said: "Mingna, is your semester almost over? Do you want to see your parents?"
Ming Na blinked, feeling overjoyed, and hurriedly approached her grandfather, but heard him say: "Let's go on another trip? Follow the river to the port of Yi Ni and Doro." She glared at her grandfather in disappointment, and then turned around. Ignore him.
Xiao Tianjian chuckled and said: "Then we will set off from Doro Port, go north along the coast, go to Matt Port to see your mother and grandpa, and then go with your mother to Yidong to find your father, okay?"
Minna turned around excitedly and pounced on him.
(Why can’t I write in 4K recently? I obviously didn’t plan to write so much...)