amaotonovel Chapter 275 The Little Nun 3
Chapter 275 The Little Nun 3
Ling Yi waved her hand weakly: "You heard someone and instead of running away, you dared to go forward to check?"
This is not the right way to deal with chaotic times, points deducted!
The wary old man relaxed his guard the moment he saw her, and asked in surprise, "Ling Yi, what are you still doing here?"
Ling Yi tried to prop herself up but couldn't. She gritted her teeth and said, "Don't ask me why I'm here. Is there anything to eat? Give me a bite."
Master Jing'an was the only doctor in the village who knew basic medical principles. People would come to the nunnery for help and protection whenever they had headaches, fevers, or mental illnesses. Therefore, Ling Yi was very familiar with the villagers down the mountain and didn't even exchange polite words at this moment.
Seeing that she looked so hungry she could be blown away by a gust of wind, the old man hurriedly said, "Old woman, bring Lingyi something to eat!"
All the two elderly people could give Lingyi was a hard, dry cornbread mixed with bran, the kind that was so tough it hurt your teeth if you bit into it.
But Ling Yi didn't care at all; she just chewed vigorously and swallowed large mouthfuls.
After the coarse food slid down her throat, Lingyi finally felt like she had survived.
She took a deep breath, restrained her instincts, and took small bites of food, trying her best to swallow it down as finely as possible. Even so, she only ate until she was about half full before stopping.
The old man's worried expression relaxed slightly after seeing Ling Yi's actions, and he said repeatedly, "That's how it has to be, you can't eat too much!"
He had seen cases where people who were starving binged on food died from overeating in one meal. When he saw Ling Yi wolfing down her food, he wanted to say a few words of advice, but he didn't expect her to come to her senses after only one bite.
Ling Yi carefully ate the cornbread from her lips before smiling and saying, "Thank you, I know."
Seeing her obedient appearance, the old lady handed her some water to drink.
Seeing that she obediently drank it, he said with a mixture of pity and reproach, "Where have you been, child? Master Jing'an was looking for you like crazy the other day!"
"Don't even mention it. We encountered bandits and soldiers on the mountain and hid for several days before daring to show ourselves."
Those two people were too dangerous, and Ling Yi said she didn't want to tell the two elderly people, lest they react abnormally if they encountered pursuers even if there was only a one in ten thousand chance.
Given those guys' habit of burning down temples, they probably won't treat other people who know the truth well either.
A look of distress crossed the old man's face before he whispered, "It's good that you know how to hide, it's good that you know how to hide!"
The world has been in chaos ever since some emperor ascended the throne or passed away.
The heavy taxes and levies became increasingly burdensome, and the number of bandits and outlaws increased. Eventually, war broke out everywhere, with men being conscripted from all over the land, and the fighting never-ending!
Her two sons went down the mountain to exchange salt and never returned. The old woman who escaped later said that they were conscripted by soldiers from an unknown place.
In any war, people inevitably die.
Their poor child probably died long before them.
The wrinkles on the two elderly people's faces deepened.
Ling Yi quickly changed the subject, no longer wanting to touch on their painful memories: "I wonder if my parents-in-law know where my master and the others went. She left a letter saying that they left with the rebel army, but she didn't tell me which way they went. I can't find them!"
Hearing her words, her mother-in-law's face showed even more pity: "What's the point of looking? In these chaotic times, it's perfectly normal for people to get lost and relatives to separate. Who has ever heard of a lost person being found again?"
"Your health isn't good, how can you withstand such a long journey?"
Looking at Ling Yi's beautiful, innocent, and youthful face, she sighed, "Even if I can endure traveling, I can't stand bandits roaming the mountains!"
These days, whether they are pitiful people trying to escape exorbitant taxes or villains simply wanting to burn, kill, and plunder, they all tear up their household registration and become mountain bandits after entering the mountains.
These bandits extort caravans and pedestrians, so how could they possibly let go of a weak woman traveling alone like her?
They couldn't even imagine the consequences if this little girl left alone.
Ling Yi shook her head: "No, I have to go find them."
Whether it's for the mission, for cherished memories, or to find "the one," she has to leave this mountain valley and meet more people.
How can people live if there is no sign of human habitation?
The two elderly people stared at her stubborn appearance in disbelief, exchanged a glance and smiled, saying, "You should wait until you've recovered before you go. If you keep walking like this, you'll probably fall ill in a couple of days."
"Well then, don't go looking for your master and the others yet. Stay at our house for now." The two elderly people said, "Our family isn't large right now, but we have enough food for you for the time being. Take care of yourself before you leave."
Because there were two strong laborers who used to eat there, their family had a lot of grain left over, but now no one eats it anymore.
Ling Yi looked away, ignoring the sadness in the old man's eyes, and nodded with difficulty: "Thank you, Father-in-law and Mother-in-law!"
"What are you thanking me for? It's just a matter of adding a pair of chopsticks!" the two elderly people said cheerfully, then stopped serving her and helped her walk home.
By this time, most of the villagers had been relocated by the rebels, leaving only three or five elderly people like them who stubbornly remained in the same place, unwilling to leave.
They're all so old, they could die right now, they don't want to cause any more trouble.
"These are my two granddaughters' rooms, you can stay here for now." The old man settled her in a side room, lingeringly glancing over the room that had become deserted in the past few days.
Touching a faded hair tie left by her child, she said softly, "We two old folks are too old to walk anymore, but they and their children still have to live on, so I let them all go."
She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "What a coincidence! It just made room for you."
Ling Yi looked around the clean and tidy mud house and was speechless for a moment.
After a long while, she said, "They must be with Master and the others now. When I find them, I will bring them back to see you."
The old man paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Alright, alright, bring them back to see me."
The tone of his voice, used to coax the child, clearly showed that he hadn't taken Ling Yi's words to heart.
She even thought that after a while, Ling Yi's obsession with finding people would fade, and she might stay quietly in the village, waiting for the war to pass.
But Lingyi knew that what she said was true. As long as those people were still alive, she would definitely bring them back to see the two old people.
"Here, have some porridge first."
At the door, the old man walked in carrying a bowl of leftover multigrain porridge that had just been boiled again that morning, along with a small dish of pickled vegetables.
The not-so-pleasant aroma of rice wafted into Lingyi's nostrils, causing her stomach to growl again, which brought smiles back to the faces of the two elderly people.