"Dingling bell──"
There is a fishing line under the door of Yuanyun Taoist Temple. The fishing line goes around the pillars and connects the string to the table legs in the backyard.
A bell is tied to the string at regular intervals. After the fishing line is pulled, the crisp sound of the bell leads all the way to the backyard.
Yunqi followed the sound and opened the door for them.
He held the sandalwood in his hand and his eyes wandered around the two people: "Master said that anyone stained with blood should burn three sticks of incense."
"Does shooting count as stained with blood?"
"Calculate."
Chi Yue first walked aside to clean her hands, took the sandalwood incense with her left hand according to the rules, and lit it with a lighter in her right hand.
Then shake the sandalwood to extinguish the open flame, take two steps forward and face the main hall where the statue of the god is enshrined. Even though you can't see clearly, you still worship three times sincerely, and then insert the three pillars of incense into the incense burner one by one.
After putting on the incense, she found that Yunqi was still standing next to the incense burner. She guessed that he was chanting a curse, so she waited quietly for a while, and then followed his movements towards the backyard.
"Yunqi." Chi Yue asked curiously after closing the distance from the main hall: "How did Master Ming know that I was stained with blood?"
"He knows divination."
"Is it so powerful?"
"Yes." There was a flash of pride in his eyes, but the light of the flashlight was shining downward, and no one could capture his emotion.
They walked slowly towards the main hall, and everyone who was waiting for them to come back breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that they were safe and sound.
"Sister." Chi Yunyan stepped forward and helped carry the sack dragged by Wen Qizhou into the house: "Are you still looking for supplies?"
"Well, I found it for you."
"what is this?"
"Knickknacks to pass the time." She knelt down and sat at the table, letting him look through the items he had taken out from the space.
Chi Yunyan took out puzzles, painting tools, calligraphy materials, Rubik's cubes, and ten battery-powered handheld game consoles.
He turned the Rubik's Cube twice, handed it to Xunsong who looked curious, and turned on the handheld game console to study it carefully.
There are hundreds of games in the game console.
Nostalgic games like their familiar Bubble Bobble, Soul Raider, Ninja Bros. and Super Mario are all on the menu.
He pressed the OK button on the game console and played a round of Super Mario Bros., and the speaker immediately emitted a long-lost sound effect.
Hearing the sound effects, everyone else, including Mingming, picked up their game consoles and played the games they were interested in.
For a time, the main hall of Nuo Dazhao was filled with different sound effects, and occasionally there were cheers from them after clearing the level.
"Brother Qizhou, teach Xunsong." Xunsong, the youngest, would ask Wen Qizhou to teach him when he encountered a game he didn't know how to play.
Wen Qizhou patiently hugged him and played with him when he was free. The combination of his warm voice and silver-like laughter actually made people feel much better.
After playing until dinner time, under the questioning of everyone, he skipped the Ge family's housework and talked about his encounter with the Ge family brothers and sisters, and the situation when he was followed by others on the way back and forth.
"It's still too dangerous outside." Knowing that they had guns, Wen Yaxian frowned: "Are you going out soon?"
"I'll be out next month."
"Then I'll go with you?" She really didn't trust them: "With more people, we are more powerful, and trouble can be easily solved."
Chi Yue shook her head: "Chang Xiao just comes with us." She paused for two seconds: "You can stay and guard the Taoist temple."
"That's fine."
Xie Changxiao's strength is obvious to all.
And he can also use a gun. Having him accompany them can indeed improve their safety.
Wen Yaxian felt a little relieved.
She held her chopsticks to pick up the food for Yan Shuo beside her, and cast her eyes on the only meat dish on the table: "Shall we go to the back mountain later? The trap set before should have caught the prey."
Yan Shuo responded lightly: "Okay."
The polar night makes hunting difficult, so they can only set traps in locations where prey often hang out and wait for them to take the bait.
Although the efficiency is low, at least one prey that falls into the trap is encountered every time, which is enough to sustain life.
After dinner, they headed to the back mountain with Xie Changxiao.
Chi Yue didn't want to move, so she leaned on the recliner that had been moved into the main hall, watching the chess-addicted Mingming and Wen Qizhou play chess.
Yunqi and Xunsong were playing game consoles.
The remaining Chi Yunyan sister and brother, according to today's "shift schedule", cleaned up the leftovers on the table and prepared to wash the dishes.
A "clang" sound suddenly sounded.
Chi Anying, who didn't hold the bowl and chopsticks firmly, broke a round bowl and looked at Mingming apologetically: "Master Ming, I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Mingming paused, looked up at her, and said pleasantly, "There are plenty of bowls in the kitchen."
Chi Anying is still apologetic.
She swept the debris into the dustpan with a broom, carefully picked up the remaining bowl, and said sorry before leaving.
So polite that it makes people feel alienated.
"The characters of their siblings are really..." Mingzhang trailed off and couldn't help but sigh: "They are completely different."
Chi Anying and Chi Yunyan have been staying at the Taoist temple for nearly a month. The former has always been reserved and distant, and does not regard them as one at all. He seems out of place most of the time.
The latter was also very reserved at first, but after spending time with them day and night, he gradually integrated into them, released his original lively and cheerful temperament, and became closer to them.
Comparing the two, Chi Anying is more like a guest.
In other words, she put herself in the position of a guest and was unwilling to open her heart to any of them.
Chi Yue: "She has always been like this."
Her eyes fell on that figure, watching her melt into the boundless darkness, and she calmly withdrew her gaze and stopped paying attention.
No matter what, it has nothing to do with her.
*
The click of a lighter came from the kitchen, and a flame lit the candle on the stove, providing light to the surroundings.
The two siblings were sitting on bamboo stools. The light of the candles reflected the two figures on the ground, occasionally swaying gently in the wind.
Chi Yunyan picked up the water ladle, scooped two ladles of water from the bucket full of well water, and poured it into the round basin with bowls, plates, and bamboo chopsticks.
The well water covered the dishes and bamboo chopsticks. He squeezed two pumps of dish soap onto the handkerchief and rubbed the handkerchief to let the foam emerge.
"Sister." He glanced at Chi Anying, who was becoming increasingly taciturn: "Are you only going to be happy when you return to Origin City?"
"no."
"Then why do you always keep a straight face?" He wiped the oil on the bowl with a handkerchief: "I haven't seen you smile in a long time."
"Is there anything worthy of my laughter?" Chi Anying's movements were synchronized with his: "I don't have as low a laugh point as you."
"Is this a question of how funny you are? Today, Xunsong made you laugh, but you ignored him. I really don't understand. What are you thinking about so much every day?"
"Think about the future."
"Can't you live the present moment first? There are so many uncertainties in the future. Who knows what disasters will happen in the future? What's the use of thinking so far ahead now?"
Chi Anying said nothing.
She put the oil-stained bamboo chopsticks into the round basin on her right. Her calloused hands, which had been damaged by natural disasters, were once again submerged in the water, and she picked up the next bowl and plate.
