Chapter 74: Settling Down

The road in this wilderness-like place is not easy to walk, and Aunt Ren also went back to the fish pond for a dip. She was soaked to the skin, and there were many mosquitoes around. After walking for only seven or eight minutes, the hot, humid and dull environment had already made Ren Auntie was complaining in her heart.

But he saw that Xiao Xi, who was carrying a bamboo basket in front of her, was walking briskly at this time, which was not at all comparable to that of Aunt Ren, a city native.

"By the way, Xiao Xi, why are you wandering out here alone so late...Aren't you scared?"

"Looking for something to eat." Xiao Xi said without looking back, "I wanted to touch some eels, but I couldn't."

As he said this, Xiao Xi suddenly stopped, then jumped down into the ground, reaching out to dig something into the natural enemy.

After a while, Xiao Xi skillfully pulled out two medium-sized sweet potatoes from the ground, threw them directly into the bamboo basket, and then smiled and said: "Okay, let's keep walking!"

Aunt Ren was hesitant to speak... In the end she didn't say anything, she just nodded lightly and followed Xiao Xi forward.

After about five minutes of walking, Aunt Ren saw an earthen house with yellow mud walls. The courtyard walls were also piled up with mud, and a wooden door was crooked and ajar.

"Xiao Xi...you live here?" Ren Ziling asked hesitantly.

"Yes." Xiao Xi turned around and nodded, "Just wait a moment. I'll get some food first... I cooked some porridge when I came out. It's almost ready."

She watched the little girl with braided braids quickly walk into the small yard on the dirt floor.

In the corner of the yard, there was a fire built with stones, and an iron pot that burned black was placed on it. The smell of firewood was very strong.

Ren Ziling looked around... There was still no signal on the phone, but the flashlight on the phone obviously worked.

The yard was suddenly illuminated a lot... Half of the earthen house in front of me had completely collapsed, while the remaining half was intact.

Aunt Ren gently opened the door of this half of the house with some trembling, and looked in. Suddenly, a stifling smell hit her face... The ground was also mud, but it was pressed flat, and the most common ones were used on it. Plastic bags containing chemical fertilizers lay on the floor.

In the corner of the house, several dirty rubber blocks were put together, which seemed to be a bed... There were several candles beside it, some long and some short.

Some clothes were neatly folded and placed in a corner. In front of the only window in the house, which was covered with some greenhouse film, there was a wooden stool about thirty centimeters high, with a worn book placed on it. There are also some old books nearby.

Ren Ziling saw the light bulb on the roof beam, but the switch found on the wall could not turn on the light. She knew that the power here must be out of power.

"Xiao Xi."

Ren Ziling couldn't stand it anymore. She walked out of the room and saw Xiao Xi squatting in front of the stove, blowing on the fire with a bamboo tube.

"Are you hungry? Sister? The sweet potatoes have just been roasted and it will take a long time. How about...you drink some porridge first?" Xiao Xi thought for a while.

Aunt Ren walked to the stove without saying a word, covered her palms with her sleeves and untied the iron pot... It was indeed porridge, but it was thin, and there were some wild vegetables in it that she couldn't name.

There are quite a few wild vegetables, and they even smell a little sweet.

"You...do you usually eat these?" Ren Ziling looked at the little girl with braids in confusion.

"We've finished eating the bacon at home." Xiao Xi shook her head, "I didn't touch the eel tonight, otherwise there would have been meat to eat! There are two chickens in the backyard, but they have finished eating the eggs and they haven't laid them yet. Some time ago Some older brothers and older sisters brought some noodles, rice and canned oil and salt, but they were all finished.”

"Where are your parents?" Even though she had realized something, Ren Ziling still couldn't help but ask: "Relatives?"

"My grandma has been gone for a long time." Xiao Xi said with her usual expression: "My dad went out to work, but he didn't come back for a long time. When grandma left three years ago, my dad asked someone to bring some money back, but there was no news. ”

"This house..."

"It collapsed last year."

"There's no village near here? Doesn't the village committee care about you?"

"The village is still far away, and people in the village don't pay much attention to me... Actually, it doesn't matter. I can't starve to death by myself. When I'm hungry, I fish and eat shrimps. Sometimes I can catch a few quails in the ground. There are also a lot of things you can pick and eat. Sometimes people will bring some food."

"Those guys can only carry some food!" Ren Ziling snorted coldly.

Xiao Xi didn't say anything, she just stood up and walked silently to the side, where there were many dry branches and wood. At this time, Xiao Xi grabbed a branch and broke it with her knees.

Xiao Xi's movements were unusually swift, and Aunt Ren's glasses couldn't help but turn red just by looking at her.

This child's movements were so deft and skillful that it made her heart ache.

When Lao Ren was a child, he was an orphan without a father or a mother. Before he was admitted to an orphanage, he had a not-so-good experience. Later, she moved into an orphanage. She probably went far away, and was noticed by a good man from Xiangjiang, who then sponsored her for the rest of her life... and that's how she became what she is now.

"Xiao Xi, how old are you this year?"

"Thirteen."

Looking at the little girl's eyes that were a little dirty from the smoke, but still bright, Aunt Ren said in a strange way: "Xiao Xi, have you ever thought about leaving here?"

Xiao Xi shook her head: "I'm leaving. Dad won't be able to see me when he comes back."

Aunt Ren frowned and said, "What if your father never comes back?"

Xiao Xi smiled and said: "When I grow up, I will go to the city to work. When I have money, I can find my father."

"What's your father's name?" Aunt Ren said quickly: "Sister, I know a lot of people, maybe I can help you find out."

"Really!" Xiao Xi's eyes suddenly lit up, "My father's name is Su Xingqiu, and he is from the second team of the village cock concave!"

Ouch! ! !

At this moment, a sharp whistling sound suddenly came from the hill not far away, which made Aunt Ren's scalp numb for a while... The surroundings were pitch black, and there seemed to be countless unknown things hidden.

Ren Ziling's heart trembled and she said: "Xiao Xi, you live here alone, aren't you afraid?"

"I was a little scared at first, but then I got used to it." Xiao Xi shook her head: "But recently, these sounds have become more frequent at night... Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and see some green ones. When the light drifts by, I’m too scared to go out, but it’ll be fine in the daytime.”

"You can't live in this place anymore!" Aunt Ren grabbed Xiao Xi's wrist at this time, "Do you know how many extraordinary creatures are lying on the ground outside the city?"

"What... what are extraordinary creatures?" Xiao Xi asked in confusion.

"You didn't watch the TV..." Ren Ziling blurted out, but suddenly realized: "By the way, you are here, if no one tells you, you can't touch anything at all."

Saying that, Ren Ziling took a deep breath. She pressed Xiao Xi's shoulders with both hands and said seriously: "Listen, Xiao Xi, it's very dangerous outside now. The world has changed. It's not the world we used to have. The world is now There are monsters that can eat people, and there are gods... They are all dangerous, and there may be some who will specifically catch children like you to eat."

Xiao Xi opened her mouth and then laughed, "Sister, you are telling a story!"

Aunt Ren was about to say something, but her eyes were suddenly startled... She hugged Xiao Xi whole at once, and then rolled to the ground.

I saw a black shadow suddenly shoot out at this moment, knocking over the stove, knocking over the iron pot, smashing the stove... The burning wood was scattered on the floor.

"What is this!" Xiao Xi exclaimed at this time: "What a big...what a big mouse!"

In front of me, a mouse the size of an adult wolfdog appeared in the yard! The big rat in front of him had red eyes, and his claws were black and cold. He was staring at him with eagerness and grinning.

Feeling Xiao Xi's trembling body in her arms, Ren Ziling gritted her teeth and quickly took out the engraving plate from her arms and placed it on her forehead!

I saw a huge mouse flying towards me at this moment, but the blue light mask was generated just at this moment... The huge mouse suddenly jumped on the light mask, and was then bounced away by the power of the light mask.

But the red-eyed rat didn't give up. After landing, it swooped in crazily again.

Ren Ziling held Xiao Xi tightly in her arms at this time. She didn't know whether the engraving magic trick given by Miss Yue could be passed at a low level, so she could only pray secretly in her heart.

Outside, the cry of a huge rat sounded again and again...

I don't know how long she had been here before Ren Ziling slowly opened her eyes. What came into view were the scarlet eyes of a huge rat. The rat hit her again, and then was bounced away by the blue light shield magic.

This time, after the huge rat was bounced away, it roared several times as if unwilling to do so, then directly dug open the soil and burrowed into the soil.

But before the giant mouse finally left, it swiped its tail suddenly, sweeping away the firewood and crashing directly into Xiao Xi's house.

After a while, a fire broke out in the house.

"Ah, my house..." Xiao Xi screamed at this time.

But how could Ren Ziling dare to stay here at this time?

She hugged Xiao Xi tightly and pulled her out... She saw that the fire inside was getting bigger and it burned completely after a while.

Xiao Xi's face turned pale. She stared blankly at the fire in front of her and fell to her knees on the ground.

Aunt Ren put the dial on her forehead and didn't dare to let go. She could only endure it like this, for fear that the scary big mouse would appear again.

…

The interview car stopped hurriedly, and Lao Q and Li Zi in the car rushed out quickly.

Ren Ziling seemed to be relieved at this moment, and immediately put down the engraving plate, then sat on the ground for a few seconds... and then the light curtain disappeared.

"Boss! What's going on? We saw the fire from a distance..."

"Sister Ren?"

"Don't say it yet..." Ren Ziling said weakly at this time: "Quick, take this child with you, hurry... hurry back to the city! There is a big mouse!"

"Big...rat?"

Li Zi and Lao Q looked at each other with doubts on their faces.

…

…

…

…

The interview car slowly stopped in an alley in the old part of the city... It was not like there were no police cars patrolling this road during curfew.

The interview car was indeed interrogated several times, but Aunt Ren couldn't resist the fact that she was quite popular... The few police cars she encountered along the way were all driven by acquaintances, and they arrived at their destination smoothly.

At this time, Ren Ziling and the other three took the lost Xiao Xi into an old building.

"This house I used to live in with my husband is now vacant."

Aunt Ren turned on the light in the living room, pulled Xiao Xi to sit down, and then told Li Zi to boil some water and asked Lao Q to get some food.

She looked at Xiao Xi and said, "My child, please stay here for the time being... You have also seen how dangerous the place where you live is."

Xiao Xi curled up, her face turned pale, and she didn't know if she really listened to her words, she just nodded silently.

Ren Ziling hugged Xiao Xi lovingly and patted her back, "Don't worry, I will try my best to help you find your father. You just need to live here. The city is absolutely safe now. Those monsters You can’t get in. Even if you get in, you won’t have the power.”

At this time, Lizi waved to her quietly.

Ren Ziling tidied Xiao Xi's messy hair and said a few words of comfort before walking over.

…

"Sister Ren, do you really plan to take in this child?" Lizi asked curiously at this time.

"Otherwise, what can we do?" Aunt Ren said angrily: "Now that we have encountered this matter, we cannot ignore it... Besides, if it were you, could you bear to watch this child stay alone in such a dangerous place? She Even that shabby home is gone. Let’s wait and see if we can help her find relatives. If that doesn’t work, I’ll see if there are any welfare agencies willing to take her in.”

Lizi tilted her head, looking through the living room partition screen at the little girl sitting in the corner of the chair, hugging her knees and burying her head, and suddenly said: "I don't think she is very scared..."

"What are you talking about!" Aunt Ren reached out and knocked the foodie on the head: "Do you have any sympathy! From now on, your rent will be increased by 30%! The extra money will be used to buy food for Xiao Xi!"

Lizi's eyes suddenly widened. She could die, but she must not deprive her of snack money. "Wow!!"

Lizi burst into tears all of a sudden, "I'm so pitiful! I'm also an orphan. I came here alone. I thought I had found a good job and met a senior who was very kind to me... …I originally thought I would never have to live the same wandering life I once had...I didn’t expect...Wow!! I’m so pitiful!”

Aunt Ren immediately rubbed her forehead in pain, "Okay, okay! The rent won't be increased! I can support myself!"

"Thank you, Sister Ren!"

She gave her a sweet smile.

Ren Ziling rolled her eyes, thought for a while and then said: "It's too late now, and it's not convenient to have a curfew outside... You and Lao Q can sleep here tonight, and we can go directly to the venue from here tomorrow. "

"Okay! I'll go see the room!" Lizi said with excitement on her face.

"You guys are making the floor!" Aunt Ren glared, grabbing Li Zi's back collar and pulling her back, "I don't like outsiders sleeping in my room. It was the love nest of my husband and I. It is sacred and cannot be violated!"

"Isn't there another room..."

"That's for Xiao Xi!" Aunt Ren snorted: "How dare you let a child who doesn't have a home sleep on the sofa?"

"Tsk!"

…

…

"You can sleep here tonight, Xiao Xi."

After leading the little girl into a neat little room, Aunt Ren said softly: "This room used to belong to my son. He loves to be clean. You can rest assured that there will be no mess here." thing."

I saw Xiao Xi looking at the room in front of her with a strange expression, as if she was a little confused.

"You sit down first, I'll go find some clothes for you... I should still have some old clothes here, just wait."

With that said, Aunt Ren walked out quickly.

I saw Xiao Xi swallowing her saliva at this time, and slowly walked to the bed... After tentatively pressing the mattress, she sat down little by little.

The moment she sat down, Xiao Xi jumped up, then turned around with a vigilant look, looked at her, turned around again, and looked at her again.

He lay down, lifted the sheets, and looked inside.

Then he opened the curtains again and looked out the window nervously.

For a while, nothing seemed to happen, and then Xiao Xi slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly, Xiao Xi kicked the closet next to her with sharp eyes, then walked quickly, opened the closet with both hands... nothing happened.

She seemed to breathe a sigh of relief at this time, and her body relaxed.

"This is……"

Suddenly, Xiao Xi's eyes seemed to see something, and she couldn't move away for a while... She stood as if petrified for a while, and then she stretched out her hand tremblingly.

"Those are the underwear that my son smashed in the past! They are not for girls to wear, Xiao Xi, you can use mine!"

Unexpectedly, Aunt Ren appeared at the entrance.

Xiao Xi... Xiao Xi slammed the closet shut, lowered her head and grabbed the change of clothes from Aunt Ren's hand, and rushed out of the room.

"That way is for the kitchen, and the bathroom is over here."

Xiao Xi lowered her head again and walked past Aunt Ren.

"Shall I teach you how to use the water heater?"

"I... I can just take a cold shower. I'm used to it..." Xiao Xi closed the door at once, and then turned on the shower head without saying a word.

The cold water washed over Xiao Xi's body, seeming to slowly dissipate the heat in her body... She then let out a long breath.

"What on earth am I doing..."