It took Winter nearly twenty days to go back and forth.
Many incidents, big and small, happened in the 20-day clan. Wen Te didn't know about it. Seeing that there were more females in the clan, and most of the males had a male in pairs, he thought he entered the wrong clan. It wasn't until standing in front of Ren's house that he was sure that he had gone to the right place.
A male orc passed by and joked with Winter:
"Winter, if you come back a few days later, my son will be able to go hunting!"
Winter: "???"
Winter knocked on the door in front of him inexplicably, until he heard Ren's voice from inside, he pushed the door open and entered.
"Boss, I'm back."
…
Ji Xiaoou is at the back of the mountain.
Spring returns to the earth, the grass grows and the warblers fly, as if overnight from the severe and cold winter to the warm spring.
The edges and corners of the icebergs in the distance are peeling off bit by bit, and the silver coat is taken off, and the colorful spring shirt is covered, welcoming the arrival of spring at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Standing between the mountains and forests, Ji Xiaoou could even feel the rapid rise in the surrounding temperature.
Ji Xiaoou wandered in the forest all morning and found many good things.
She put all these things in the space, and left a few bamboo shoots in the bamboo basket, ready to take them home to make winter bamboo shoot soup.
However, Ji Xiaoou couldn't help but feel his cheeks burn at the thought of having to face Rennes for lunch.
Although two days had passed since that incident, she felt ashamed as long as she recalled the embarrassing scene that day.
Later, Ren brought her a menstrual belt, and it seemed that in order to verify the authenticity of her words, he actually wanted to help her put it on himself. It was the first time he touched this kind of thing, he didn't know how to use it, and he refused to give it to Ji Xiaoou. Ji Xiaoou's face turned red, so he had to raise his arm to cover his cheek, and whispered how to do it.
Ren first stuffed the cotton into the menstrual belt, spread it under Ji Xiaoou's buttocks, then passed the other end between her legs, folded it in front of her body, and tied the ropes at both ends to her crotch...
stop! Why did I think of this again.
Ji Xiaoou shook his head twice, not allowing himself to think about it again.
On the way back, two leopard males walked towards him, and Ji Xiaoou subconsciously walked away from them.
Even so, the conversation between the two male orcs still reached Ji Xiaoou's ears—
"Speaking of which, what did that guy Went do in the east? That place is far away, and it's another piece of sea..."
"I heard it means the leader."
"What does the leader mean? Since when did the leader become interested in that kind of place?"
"I'm not sure about this. You can ask yourself, isn't Winter already back? I saw him this morning."
…
The two male orcs gradually walked away, and Ji Xiaoou stood behind an oak tree, reminiscing about their conversation.
Winter is back
Back from the east of Bornia
Great, does that mean she'll be home soon
After receiving this news, Ji Xiaoou couldn't care about anything else, and hurried back to Ren's house with a bamboo basket on his back.
The courtyard door was ajar, and Ji Xiaoou pushed it in, and saw a male with an unfamiliar figure standing in the front room, talking to Ren.
It should be Winter.
Ji Xiaoou put down the bamboo basket, forgot all the embarrassment with Ren for the time being, walked into the room quickly, and asked—
"Did you find Pat?"
The conversation in the room stopped abruptly.
The air became silent for a moment.
Wen Te looked at Ji Xiaoou, then at the leader, finally fixed his eyes on Ji Xiaoou again, scratched his head, and said frankly: "Sorry, I didn't find Pat."
Ji Xiaoou's joyful mood fell to the bottom in an instant, and he stopped in place in a daze.
Looking at the pale girl in front of him, Winter couldn't bear it, "But I found Pat's family."
Ji Xiaoou's eyes lit up, "Then...do they have any news about Pat?"
"Yes." Wendy nodded.
Ji Xiaoou rekindled hope and took half a step forward.
Better to know about Pat than to have nothing at all. She never thought that she would be able to find him once. If she couldn't find him this time, there would be another time, and she would find him anyway.
However, Winter's next sentence completely shattered all her hopes—
"Pat's family told me that Pat's health was getting worse and he passed away as early as ten years ago."
Ji Xiaoou staggered, startled, "What did you say?"
Winter said: "Pat is dead."
Ji Xiaoou froze for a while, and shook his head in disbelief, "No... Eric's grandfather told me that Pat is the longest-lived water turtle in the Bornia continent. How could he..."
"That's right, Pat was exactly five hundred and one years old when he died, and indeed no one lived longer than him." Winter interrupted her.
The blood on Ji Xiaoou's cheeks faded quickly, and her body trembled slightly. Perhaps the news had brought her such a big blow. She bit her pink lip, and a layer of water mist rose from her eye sockets, and her black and clear eyes were soaked in the thin water. Among them, they are so pitiful.
Although Ji Xiaoou has never met Pat, the name Paye has brought her infinite hope along the way. It seems that as long as she moves towards this goal, she will have the courage and reason to survive in this world.
But now I was told that Pat was dead...
All of a sudden, she lost her guiding light, and the road ahead was bleak, and she suddenly didn't know which direction to go.
Wen Te didn't expect this incident to hit Ji Xiaoou so hard, he was a little at a loss, "I tried my best..."
At this moment, Ryan asked calmly, "Did Pat leave anything behind?"
Winter suddenly remembered something, and hurriedly searched for it: "Yes, yes, Pat's grandson gave me this thing..." While speaking, he took out something from the pouch behind his back and handed it to Ji Xiaoou, "This is Pat's painting, his descendants have never understood the meaning of it, so they gave this thing to me, do you think it is useful to you?"
When Ji Xiaoou received it, it was a flat and square stone with two round objects engraved on it, and several ripples in the middle divided the two circles into two parts.
Other than that, nothing else.
Ji Xiaoou looked at it for a long time, then shook his head very slowly, "... I don't understand."
Winter was helpless, "Then... I have nothing to do."
This sentence undoubtedly sentenced Ji Xiaoou to death, Ji Xiaoou's shoulders instantly collapsed, the light in his eyes disappeared, and was gradually replaced by deathlike silence.
Ren looked at Ji Xiaoou, but he said to Wen Te: "I know, it's been a hard journey, now you can go to Bosen to get your female, and you will be on vacation for the next ten days."
Belonging to his female? Winter was taken aback, didn't the females in the clan always share? When did he also have the qualifications to own females alone
"Leader, is there any change in the clan that I don't know about?" Winter couldn't help asking, remembering the joke of the clansman this morning.
Ren propped his chin, a little impatient, "Bosen didn't tell you what's going on?"
Winter shook his head.
Ren said: "Then go and ask Bosen, I am not responsible for answering these stupid questions."
Winter: "..."
…
While they were talking, Ji Xiaoou quietly left the room.
Ji Xiaoou came to the back mountain stream aimlessly, with his head drooped, and occasionally kicked the stones by his feet while walking.
Although frustrated, his reason is still there, and he has not left the territory of the Leopard tribe.
When I reached the end, I turned back and forth, back and forth four or five times, and finally got tired of walking, so I sat behind a tree to rest.
After sitting for a while, Ji Xiaoou felt a little noisy.
She raised her head, and saw rows of geese flying neatly above the vast sky, flying from south to north for seasonal migration.
The cry that Ji Xiaoou heard just now came from their mouths.
In addition to wild geese, there are many birds flying north, swiftlets, bar-headed geese... The birds have complicated calls, and they use the sky as a stave to compose a joyful and beautiful piece of music.
Ji Xiaoou cupped his cheeks with his hands, and was fascinated by it before he knew it.
Ji Xiaoou couldn't help thinking, if she was like these birds, she could go wherever she wanted, and go home if she wanted to, why would there be so many troubles
I don't know how long I watched it, but Ji Xiaoou Yang's neck was sore, so he rubbed his neck and stood up slowly.
Just as he was about to go back, when he turned around, he saw a figure standing upright behind him.
Ji Xiaoou stepped back quickly, raised his eyes and saw that it was Ren. "You... when did you stand here?"
There was no sound at all. Did he want to scare her to death
"Same as you." Ren's voice was calm.
That is to say... He came with her? He has been following him
Ji Xiaoou's face changed slightly, and he explained: "I'm just in a bad mood, I want to go out for a walk, there's no other meaning..."
Ren stepped forward step by step, "Are you feeling better now?"
Ji Xiaoou was silent for a moment, and said truthfully, "Not good."
"Then how do you feel better?"
Ji Xiaoou raised his head, Ren didn't know when he had come to him, his eyes slightly lowered, looking directly at her. She thought for a while and asked without warning, "Ren, do you have parents?"
Ren was silent for a long time, "No."
Most of the leopards grew up alone. He was abandoned by his parents when he was three months old and has grown up alone until now.
Before he was an adult, he had been alone in the race. He had never experienced and never needed the so-called family and friendship.
That's something only the weak would crave.
"...But I have." Ji Xiaoou's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his voice lowered little by little, "I have parents and family members. They don't know that I came here. If I don't go back quickly, they will definitely worry about me. I have been Wanting to get back to them, Eric's grandfather told me that Pat knew how to get back, that's why I wanted to find Pat..."
After speaking, the girl's voice was choked up, and she spoke of endless grievances slowly: "I have always wanted to find Pat..."
But why is Pat dead
Where else can she go in the future? What should I do
"Ren, I will never go home again..."
The girl looked at him tearfully, pursed her lips, her shoulders drooped slightly, and finally realized this fact alone.
Ren stepped forward to hug her, put his arm on the hollow of her leg, stretched out the other palm to press her head into the hollow of her neck, stroked her hair gently and unskillfully, and said in a calm voice: "You will have a home in the future."
Ji Xiaoou moved, his wet eyelashes rubbed against his rough skin.
"If you want to go home, it must be the home I made for you."
Ji Xiaoou buried his head in Ren's neck, without any reaction. After a long time, he reached out and put his arms around Ren's neck, and gave a very light, almost inaudible "hmm".