"I'm done baking!"
The girl beside him held up the steaming piece of rabbit meat, her eyes shining brightly, as if she was asking for credit.
Zhao Zheng broke away from the past and looked at her: "It's baked...not cooked."
Baitao looked at the rabbit meat in disbelief, "How could it be undercooked? Look at the sides, it's a little burnt."
Zhao Zheng took it and scratched it a few times with his dagger: "The outside will be burnt, and the meat inside will be tightened. It would be best if the oil stopped dripping."
"All right."
What he bakes is delicious. She handed Baitao to him and watched his movements with her chin on her side.
It feels like Zhao Zheng obviously looks sick and weak, but he is like a weed clenching his teeth to hold on to his last slim hope. In the adversity of wind and snow erosion, he takes root, sprouts, grows wildly, and gradually grows into a towering tree.
Baitao said: "What if I never learn how to barbecue in the future."
"Then I'll bake it for you."
Zhao Zheng moved the roasted rabbit meat away. It was already half-cooled in a short time. He tore off a piece of meat and fed it to Baitao.
Baitao refused: "You are sick, you eat. I'm not hungry."
How could she not be hungry? The dried meat was only enough for three or four days, but she had been relying on that bag of dried meat for seven or eight days, perhaps excluding the days when he was in a coma.
There was a stubbornness in Zhao Zheng's pursed lips that could not be rejected, "I will eat it only if you eat it."
"..."
Baitao opened her mouth obediently and shared the rabbit meat with him. She noticed that Zhao Zheng was keeping the burnt side for herself, so she asked: "Do you think you are older than me and I am younger than you? Just let me."
Zhao Zheng: "Yes."
Baitao was thinking, what would happen if Zhao Zheng knew that he was over a hundred years old? Would he be scared to death?
She would still blame her for asking for so many favors from him, all of which were to deceive his feelings.
Cheating feelings.
Whether you are a grown up man or not, deceiving other people's feelings is what the bad foxes in the gang do.
After eating the last bite of meat, Baitaowo was still thinking about it while warming himself in Zhao Zheng's arms, and he felt a little excited as he thought about it.
Grandma Dajizu is a famous demon in the demon clan, and she also does things that deceive people's feelings.
Then can I cheat my reputation?
The more Baitao thought about it, the more excited she became. She couldn't help but roll over, but she suddenly hit the ribs on Zhao Zheng's chest. She stretched out her hand to suppress the pain and prevent Zhao Zheng from waking up from the pain.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Zheng did not fall asleep at all. His chest vibrated, he coughed a few times, and pressed her head into his arms with his hands: "Taotao, go to sleep."
Baitao: "...."
A sleepless night, eyes open until dawn.
Maybe the mountain ghost really protected me and had some effect.
The blizzard that had been blowing for a long time finally stopped howling, and the sky and the earth were dazzlingly white. Baitao took Zhao Zheng's hand out of the cave, and there was a crow on the branch with its head curled up, shivering.
Zhao Zheng's body has not recovered yet, and he feels as if he is about to be blown away by the cold wind.
But he said he couldn't delay any longer.
It's very risky to go out of the cave this time. You might freeze to death outside.
Baitao was a little worried about him.
Sensing her worried gaze, Zhao Zheng took her hand and shook it, remaining silent.
His face was too pale, even a little cold. Baitao couldn't understand his expression or read his mood. He just felt that he was only eleven years old and was too calm.
"Zhao Zheng, I'm not afraid."
Bai Taotao walked in the snow, one foot deep and one foot shallow, and murmured: "Did you think about it all night and stayed up all night yesterday? You can't think too much, and there is white snow outside. Don't keep looking away, it hurts your eyes, we will go out."
"good."
Bai Tao guided him to the side intentionally or unintentionally, and sure enough he found a path.
She and Zhao Zheng hugged each other, keeping each other warm, and walked across the vast plains to find a village in the southwest.
This village is secluded enough, backed by a cliff. If it hadn't been for the guidance of the Wolf King, it would have been ignored.
This is the junction of the Qin and Zhao territories. Qin and Zhao would fight each other when they met, so this border was the line of defense for sending troops.
However, due to the cessation of hostilities in recent years, the villagers have become more attached to their homeland, so the residents who originally moved away have returned, and the village has regained its popularity.
Consider it lucky.
Baitao helped Zhao Zheng and knocked on the smokey firewood door.
"Dong dong dong——"
Listening to the noise, there was someone inside. The person's breathing was rapid, and there was even the sound of weapons clanging.
Could it be Zhao Bing?
Baitao was a little nervous, but she knew that this was Qin's territory and there would never be anyone from Zhao.
Also, Zhao Zheng was in a very bad condition. He would probably freeze solid if he stayed outside in the snow.
The courage to fight against mortals emerges from the bottom of my heart.
If you dare to bully Zhao Zheng.
She would drain their essence and blood, leaving no one behind.
"Squeak——"
The firewood door opened, and an old man with white temples came out, holding a sharp sickle in his hand.
When he saw a girl and a boy at the door, he gasped and white mist spurted out from his nostrils, "I thought Hu Bing was coming again."
The sickle was not released because the old man saw the thin boy.
The dagger held tightly in the boy's hand made people feel cruel for no reason, just like the ferocious beasts looking for food in the snow.
Zhao Zheng put away the dagger and said, "Old man, if you are bothering me, I would like some hot water to drink."
"come in."
Hearing that he spoke with an authentic Zhao accent, the old man might have been through a lot of hardships, which could be seen from the long and wide wrinkles on his forehead. He took the crutch from the side and held it in his hand.
"clatter."
"Da da da."
The crutches fell to the ground, and the old man led them into the house.
This is a simple wooden house, which looks very poor, but the wooden floor shows a bit of luxury.
"There are still dried meats hanging on the beams. You can do whatever you want. I don't want to entertain guests."
"Thank you, uncle." Baitao's voice was crisp, like biting a radish.
She helped Zhao Zheng sit on the felt cushion and covered him with a wool blanket.
He was really too thin from hunger. When he didn't speak, his pale cheeks and crow-feather eyelashes were lined with soft wool blankets, making him look somewhat delicate. However, the color at the end of his eyes was darker, There is also an exotic taste.
After Baitao settled him, he set up the iron pot and started boiling water.
"Gululu."
After the water boiled, Baitao blew on it and fed it to him. Zhao Zheng's throat rolled and his body recovered some warmth. He opened his heavy eyelids and said, "Taotao..."
"Don't talk."
Baitao tore some dried meat and stuffed it into his mouth. She was a vixen, so she thought it was nothing, but for a mortal to support his weak body in the snow and walk for so long without stopping, it required a strong willpower.
Zhao Zheng didn't hold on any longer and swallowed her feed bit by bit.
"Cough cough cough..."
During this period, he coughed again, and Baitao quickly patted him on the back, "Did he choke? Then I'll feed him slowly. This is my first time feeding someone, so I'm a little inexperienced."
"No problem."
His voice was weak, and he slowly closed his eyes again.
"Are you brothers and sisters?" The old man sat next to him and started to ask.
"no."
Baitao stuffed the dried meat into his mouth, chewed and mumbled, "We are friends, and he also swore to be my best friend for life."
Zhao Zheng's eyelashes moved slightly, but he still looked sluggish, like wilting grass.
Baitao moved closer to him, watching him and protecting him.
The old man said: "You seem to have a good relationship."
"It's very good."
"They must have escaped."
"That's right."
The creases on the old man's eyelids tightened, "It's not easy in this world now. Not long ago, the new king of the Qin State, Ying Zichu, came to power and began to conquer the east and west. He first destroyed Chenggao and Xingyang and changed it to Sanchuan County. Now we are preparing to send troops to attack Zhao again, and the war is about to start again."
He sighed heavily, his eyes moistened, "I have a son, and a little granddaughter your age, who looks just like you. They are all in my heart, and I hold them in my hands. It's a pity that he was killed that day. damned..."
The old man wiped his tears with his sleeves, and Baitao didn't know how to comfort him.
Zhao Zheng was still resting and seemed not to hear.
The old man sitting opposite stood up tremblingly, "Old man, half of his body is buried in the ground. When he saw you two babies, he started to feel hurt."
The old man muttered to himself and went out on crutches, "My granddaughter likes to eat bitter vegetables. I'm going to find some bitter vegetables from my neighbors."
"Da, da, da da."
The cane made a regular rhythmic sound as it hit the floor.
Where do the bitter herbs come from in the middle of winter?
Baitao felt that the old man missed his granddaughter and was confused.
Zhao Zheng next to him opened his eyelids, as if the cold porcelain was filled with life. He pulled the wool on his body, and he was no longer as weak as before. "There is something wrong with that old man. It is very likely that he colluded with Zhao Guo and Hu Bing at the same time." Work carefully."
Baitao's heart skipped a beat: "How do you know?"
"He just said that the Hu soldiers are here again. Just imagine a village that is often plundered by the Hu soldiers. Why does his family still have plenty of food despite no strong men? Furthermore, what he said later about going to his granddaughter for bitter vegetables is because he saw I was dying, and you were naive and incapable of escaping, so he made a poor excuse, but actually went to inform Hu Bing."
"What should we do?"
Baitao was a little panicked. How about she transformed into another person and ran away with Zhao Zheng in her mouth.
"Trust me, Taotao."
In this situation of approaching danger, Zhao Zheng was able to stuff the dried meat on the table into his arms. He drank the warm water that Baitao had just boiled and wiped his mouth. "Let's follow and find Hu Bing."
