It can be seen that although Zhou Rushuang lives a very difficult life, he still maintains a rare neatness.
Moreover, Zhao Cheng found more than half a bowl of porridge near the stove.
Zhou Rushuang carefully covered the bowl of porridge with a clean cloth. Zhao Cheng picked up the bowl and looked at it. It was obvious that Zhou Rushuang was eating this thing behind his back.
I thought Zhou Rushuang would throw away the burnt porridge yesterday, but I didn't expect that she would stay and eat it herself.
Thinking of the newly cooked yam he had just eaten, Zhao Cheng felt that he owed the little girl too much.
Taking advantage of the nice weather, Zhao Cheng walked out of the ruined temple slowly, leaning on a walking stick, and looked at the small village.
It is late autumn, and everything in the fields that has been cultivated has been cleared away, leaving only flat rows of ridges. Those unowned wastelands are overgrown with wormwood and tangled branches and vines.
The terrain in the east of the village is slightly higher, and you can have a clear view of the village.
Dozens of houses are scattered on both sides of the road like tofu blocks, and occasionally there are a few particularly tall houses located among them.
Several farmers were walking on the road carrying farm tools and talking loudly.
"That guy Hu Laoliu is hateful. He doesn't miss his old friendship at all. Back then, Zhou Laoyan helped him find a job."
"Well, we can't help much. After all, Hu Laoliu is in charge. We just feel sorry for the little girl Rushuang."
When the farmer's words drifted to Zhao Cheng's ears in the wind, he keenly caught the word "Rushuang".
"Brother, what did you say happened to Miss Rushuang?" Because he hadn't seen Zhou Rushuang when he got up in the morning, Zhao Cheng began to worry after hearing the farmer's conversation.
The farmers saw Zhao Cheng standing on the roadside leaning on a stick and knew that he was the "husband" bought by Rushuang, but they didn't know his name yet. They looked at Zhao Cheng and said, "Little Rushuang went to the fields early in the morning. She was gathering rice ears, but she was caught by Hu Laoliu, who said she had stolen rice from his field and was scolding her."
Zhao Cheng felt a surge of anger in his heart, but he remained calm on his face and asked, "Where is she now? I'll go find her."
The farmer pointed to the direction they came from and said: "Keep going along the road. There is a path near the old elm tree in the distance. Go north along the way and you will see it."
Zhao Cheng thanked him quickly and walked away quickly with a walking stick.
Not far from the old elm tree, four or five people were gathered around. Zhou Rushuang was still dressed as unkempt as yesterday, standing there timidly holding a blue cloth bag.
Opposite her, a thin man in his forties with a sharp face was looking at Zhou Rushuang proudly.
"How's it going? Have you thought clearly? Ordinarily I should report to the official that you stole my rice ears."
"However, considering that we are all neighbors, and you are an orphan, I will send you to the official because of these few rice ears. It is inevitable that some people will say that I, Hu Laoliu, bully the small ones."
"Let's go and wash your face, and I'll see if you are actually Zhou Rushuang. If so, I, Hu Laoliu, want to keep your friendship with Zhou Laoyan, so I can let you go."
"If you are a thief from another village who comes to steal rice ears, don't blame me, Hu Laoliu, for being ruthless."
Several farmers standing nearby said indignantly: "She is obviously Zhou Rushuang, do you still need to let her wash her face and humiliate her? Even if she really takes your rice ears, I will compensate you."
Hu Laoliu smiled sadly. This scene was explained by Li Dashan yesterday and asked him to think of a way to show Zhou Rushuang's true face no matter what.
For an idle guy like Hu Laoliu, such a trivial matter is nothing to worry about. As long as a few tricks are used, the little girl can do whatever she wants.
So he walked around the roadside all morning. He knew that Zhou Rushuang had been picking up rice ears these days, so he went to the unharvested rice field at home, picked out a large number of rice ears, and then threw away the picked rice ears. Go to the wasteland aside.
Zhou Rushuang was filled with joy when she saw a pile of plump rice ears. She thought someone had picked them in the wasteland, so she put them in her cloth bag to prevent them from being destroyed by birds and beasts.
Unexpectedly, Hu Laoliu was hiding aside and watching. When he saw Zhou Rushuang picking up the ears of rice, he immediately jumped out to "catch the thief and the stolen goods."
Zhou Rushuang couldn't argue, and Hu Laoliu threatened her to report to the official, which made her almost cry.
When several farmers from Zhoujia Village saw Hu Laoliu bullying Zhou Rushuang, they all advised him to forget it. After all, it was not such a valuable property.
But Hu Laoliu's drunkard's intention was not to drink. He was entrusted by Li Dashan to show Zhou Rushuang's true face, and he also wanted to see what this little girl was like now.
So he turned a deaf ear to the persuasion of several farmers and snorted: "You guys will pay me compensation? Can you afford it?"
Several farmers said angrily: "It's just a few ears of rice, what can't we afford to pay for it?"
Hu Laoliu said angrily: "How many times have rice ears been lost on my land in a year? She must have stolen it. What's more, I also buried some money in the land, but it is gone now. She must have stolen it too." of."
"If you want to compensate, just pay all these to me!"
"You fart!" a farmer yelled, "Why are you burying your money? Where do you have any money?"
Hu Laoliu put on a straight face and said, "Are you working with this little thief when you are so helpful? Do you also have a share of the money she stole?"
He took a step towards Zhou Rushuang who was standing aside, and Zhou Rushuang was so frightened that he stepped back again.
"Little girl, think about it carefully. If you wash your face now and I recognize you as Miss Zhou Rushuang from the village, this matter will be forgotten."
"If you refuse, don't blame me for being ruthless. I will take you to the county government office no matter what!"
With that said, Hu Laoliu stretched out his hand to grab Zhou Wushuang's hand.
"Stop!" A voice came from far away, causing Hu Laoliu to pause.
Several farmers also turned around and saw a young man walking towards them, holding a wooden stick and panting.
The visitor was none other than Zhao Cheng. He had just recovered from a serious illness and was out of breath from exhaustion when he got here. However, when he saw Zhou Rushuang standing there safe and sound, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Rushuang, come here, husband." He waved to Zhou Rushuang.
When Zhou Rushuang saw Zhao Cheng coming to save her, the tears she had been suppressing fell down like broken beads. She ran to Zhao Cheng in a few steps and reached out to grab his sleeves.
Zhao Chengneng could feel the fear and tension in her heart. He stretched out his hand to hold Zhou Rushuang's little hand. He felt that her mood gradually stabilized, and then he looked at Hu Laoliu opposite him.
Hu Laoliu didn't recognize Zhao Cheng, but looking at Zhao Cheng's appearance, although he was sick and gloomy and ruthless, he didn't dare to act rashly.
