early morning.
There were various sounds of drinking in the distance, but since it was some distance away from the market, it wasn't too noisy.
Tang Xiuer opened the door and felt a cool breeze blowing 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 already cut down the dead tree, sawed it into several sections and moved it aside to prepare a cage. The chickens he bought were fenced in a corner of the courtyard. He also built a shelf in another corner and planted grapes in the ground. When the grapevines grew up, he could place a table underneath.
Until then, I feel comfortable just thinking about it.
"There is porridge in the pot." He raised his head and looked at her.
"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 was hot, and there were two meat buns he bought on the kitchen table. It is very convenient to live in the town. There is a market not far away from home, 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. You can only 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 go in and close the door.
She was very obedient, turned around and closed the door after walking in. Closing the door was not enough, so she quickly walked back to 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.
Various vendors are drinking, selling pastries, selling steamed buns, selling various 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. Last time, Tang Xiuer said 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, wait a moment." The waiter quickly weighed the food with quick hands and feet.
"Hey, have you heard about it? There are traces of Zijiu in Xilin. Recently, a large number of people have been looking for it. Master Cheng's son has opened a hundred taels for one."
"Didn't you say it was only thirty taels last time? Now it has been raised to one hundred taels?"
"The thirty taels happened last month, right? No one has found it. It's not that easy to catch. Even if you give me a thousand taels, you won't be able to find it."
…
Two thin men holding fans were discussing, shaking their heads as they spoke. Among them, the man wearing green clothes said "tsk" again, "The price is unaffordable. If you are lucky enough to see it, you can feast your eyes on it."
"That's right, I heard that the purple chirp's feathers are very gorgeous and beautiful, and its cry is ethereal and melodious. It is very different from other birds." Another man replied.
"Your flour." The waiter handed the flour to Ji Huai. Hearing the conversation between the two, he also intervened, "Mr. Cheng likes to fight birds. If someone catches the purple chirp, Mr. Cheng will definitely buy it. When the time comes to hold a bird fighting convention, everyone can feast their eyes on it.”
The culture of bird fighting 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 waving their fans and looked at the guy.
"The young master also likes fighting 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 talking, and kept talking, He was very proud in his words.
"Have you really seen it?" The man in green clothes became interested, "Then tell me, 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 again, 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 were talking about had orange-red claws and a seemingly colorful tail
"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 men approached and asked the waiter.
"Of course it sounds nice. The sound 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 high-pitched voice.
Ji Huai paused, then 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. It was not a docile bird at first glance, but rather very agitated.
Moreover, the call of this kind of bird is not very gentle and loud. When it is provoked, it can imitate the angry tone of a person. 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 is small, less than the size of a little finger, most wild fruits are bitter, while black mulberries are sweet. He wants to pick some and eat them.
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 pounced.
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.
The bird was clever, sharp, and able to escape with a few black mulberries in its mouth after evading his attacks.
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 you have come to the town, you have to plan your life. Originally, he planned to work as a coolie at the dock or as a domestic slave in the mansion. He has been hunting these years. He has some martial arts skills and is tall, so he can earn some money to support his wife and his wife. But we cannot afford a life that is too wealthy.
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, just make some for yourself, and don't need anything else. If you want to sell, you have to make more. If you make 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. Naturally, 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 make money by embroidering purses. If I eat more, I will have milk to feed the child." "
Her dark eyes looked at him with assurance, for fear that he wouldn't believe it.
Ji Huai laughed, and realized subconsciously moving 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 my 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 got a general understanding of his 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.
Unconsciously, 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, but he often crossed mountains and chased his prey all over the mountains. What was this little journey
But he didn't know the direction and could only follow the two of them.
When we arrived at Xilin, we met many people on the way. The purpose of most people was 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 can't see any trace of it. 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 beasts in the mountains. 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 people had just arrived. After hearing what the people who came back said, they didn't even want to enter the mountain.
There was already hesitation on his face, his eyes were struggling, and his pace had slowed down a lot.
"How about forget it?"
"You're here, let's go in and take a look. Even if you can't find it, you'll give up. But what if you see it?"
The two gritted their teeth and walked in anyway. Behind them, Ji Huai had already strode forward without any hesitation. As soon as the two saw each other, they quickly followed him, shouting, "Brother, you are still alone. Let's go into the mountains together? We also have to take care of each other."