Refusing to marry the king of broken sleeves

Chapter 175: The old man was very surprised. The two of them followed the old man into the house. Ling Ruoyao couldn't help but glanced around the furnishings of the entire room, and found that the furnishings of this room were extraordinarily simple.

In the hall, there is only a simple wooden table, two bamboo chairs and a bamboo tea table beside it, the whole hall looks a bit monotonous.

She casually glanced at the room, except for the old man, she didn't see anyone else.

Seeing that both of them were standing at the gate without any movement, the old man put the firewood away, then walked into the hall, pointed to the chair beside him, and said, "You two ladies, please sit down."

Quickly regaining her senses, Ling Ruoyao didn't continue to look around the room, but smiled politely at the old man, and walked towards the chair next to her.

I can finally sit down and rest for a while.

"Oh, I'm exhausted." Caizhi also sat on the chair, sighing as if she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Turning her head and squinting at her, Ling Ruoyao said angrily, "Did you rest just now? Why are you tired just now?"

"No, Miss." Upon hearing her displeasure, Caizhi said quickly, with a nervous look on her pretty face, "I don't feel tired at all! Even if I'm asked to walk for another day Road, I won't feel tired either!"

The corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably, Ling Ruoyao shook her head helplessly and said, "Okay, just take a rest when you're tired."

"Thank you, Miss!" Seeing that her tone had eased a lot, Caizhi smiled very obsequiously, and hurriedly said.

And the old man just came out of the kitchen, holding a teapot in his hand, came to the two, took the teacup on the tea table, and made a cup of tea for them.

"Tea, please." After brewing the tea, the old man walked to the wooden table and sat on the stool, but his gaze stayed on Ling Ruoyao with a sizing expression.

Not noticing the old man observing her eyes, Ling Ruoyao picked up the teacup on the table, blew on the tea leaves floating on the water, and took a sip carefully, suddenly felt a fresh feeling in her mouth, and felt extraordinarily refreshed Refreshing.

"Old man..." Looking up at the old man, she just wanted to speak out, but saw the old man looking at her with a serious face, and she couldn't help but swallowed back the words that came to her lips.

The old man also hurriedly came back to his senses, put away the serious look on his face, suppressed the doubts in his heart, cleared his throat and said, "Miss, what's the matter?"

When asked by the old man, Ling Ruoyao didn't know how to speak. What she was about to say just now felt that she couldn't say it.

After thinking for a while, she asked aloud, "Old man, why haven't you seen your family?" She asked very carefully, lest she accidentally say something that shouldn't be said.

Simply, after listening to her question, the old man's face was still calm, without any dissatisfaction, Ling Ruoyao was secretly relieved.

After stroking his gray beard, the old man smiled and said, "I live here alone."

Opening her mouth, Ling Ruoyao didn't know how to continue the topic, she could only twitch the corners of her mouth, sneered twice, then quickly picked up the teacup and just buried her head in drinking the tea.

After being silent for a while, the old man suddenly asked her: "The girl is from the capital?"

Choking on the tea, Ling Ruoyao suddenly raised her head, looked at him in surprise, and subconsciously asked, "How do you know?"

After he finished speaking, he realized that his words were too abrupt, so he could only smile awkwardly.

Fortunately, the old man didn't care. Instead, he stroked his beard and said with a smile, "The girl's accent sounds like someone from the capital."

The corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably, and Ling Ruoyao was speechless.

She has been in this strange country for so long, and she still hasn't realized that she speaks with a capital accent.

Before Ling Ruoyao could speak, the old man continued to ask, "Where are the two girls planning to go?"

"We're going to Xiangzhou!" Recovering, Ling Ruoyao said with a smile, "Go visit my aunt!"

"Miss..." Caizhi on the side called her in a low voice, and winked at her, feeling very anxious.

How can you talk so much to a stranger so easily?Not only did he tell the other party where he was from, but he even told where he was going.

Unfortunately, people haven't realized it yet.It's true that the emperor is not in a hurry and the eunuchs are in a hurry.

"Auntie?" The old man raised his brows. Although he was old, his face was still clear and clear, showing a puzzled expression, "Excuse me, I don't know the girl's name?" He walked Ruojin.

"My name is..." As soon as she opened her mouth, Ling Ruoyao noticed Caizhi winking at her, and swallowed the words when she reached her mouth.

Why was she so confused all of a sudden?Having said so much to a stranger, now he almost even told his own name, where he lives, how many people he has and how many acres of land he has.

Although the old man kindly took them in, he must guard against others.

Seeing that she suddenly stopped talking and was still looking at him vigilantly, the old man didn't care, instead he laughed out loud, hearty and casual, but the master and servant laughed so hard that they couldn't figure it out.

After a while, the old man stopped laughing, waved his hand and said: "If the girl refuses to tell, it's fine if she doesn't, the old man is just asking casually. It's only natural that a girl doesn't trust strangers."

Ling Ruoyao didn't know what to say, so she kept laughing with embarrassment on her face.

After staring at her for a while, the old man's face became serious again, as if he was thinking about something, which made Ling Ruoyao feel very uncomfortable.

She's just spending the night with him, why is he staring at her like this?Is it because I am afraid that she will do bad things, so I want to remember her appearance, is it because I am afraid that I will not know her in the future?

Don't be so cautious, right?She couldn't help but rolled her eyes, what bad things could she do?She hasn't been wary of him yet?

After being silent for a while, the old man looked away, stood up, and said: "You must be hungry, I'm going to prepare dinner right now, please wait a moment."

Ling Ruoyao also stood up and bowed to the old man.

After all, you are staying on someone else's territory, so you must be polite, right?

It wasn't until the old man left the hall and entered the kitchen that Ling Ruoyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief and sat back on the chair again.

But she didn't want to, as soon as she sat down, Caizhi leaned forward and leaned towards her, muttering displeasedly: "Miss, how can you be so careless? You can't say anything to a stranger."

Knowing that what she did was inappropriate, she was indeed a bit careless, and she didn't care about Caizhi's attitude and tone of speech, she just smiled awkwardly, and said in a low voice: "Didn't I not tell him my name in the end? Fortunately, You remind me. Thank you!"

"How dare the servant let the miss thank you?" Cai Zhi was overwhelmed with flattery, and hurriedly waved her hands, "It is the duty of the servant to serve the miss."

Seeing that her servility is already too deep, even though she has been trying to reduce or even eliminate her servility, the effect is not ideal.

Just shaking her head helplessly, Ling Ruoyao didn't speak any more, picked up the teacup on the table, fiddled with the lid casually, looking like she was doing nothing.

"Miss." Caizhi leaned forward to her again, frowned and said doubtfully, "Do you think this old man is a bit strange?"

"What's so strange?" Ling Ruoyao asked casually, staring at the teacup in her hand without even raising her eyes.

"Miss, didn't you notice?" Changing her sitting position, Caizhi turned sideways to face her, and said in a low voice, "The old man was staring at you just now, with a serious expression on his face, I don't know what he was thinking about Woolen cloth."

"What would he be thinking about?" Ling Ruoyao pouted and said, still disapproving, "Anyway, it's impossible for him to fall in love with me."

The old man was so old that he could almost be her grandfather!Old cows eat tender grass, which is too far away.

She also noticed that the old man had been staring at her, but she didn't feel any hostility or danger. Instead, she felt that the old man was very polite and kind to her.

"Miss!" Seeing that she had been indifferent, Caizhi became more and more anxious, her small face was almost wrinkled, "I think we should get out of here quickly, that old man is weird."

"Didn't you still shout that you were tired just now?" Turning her head and squinting at her, Ling Ruoyao said teasingly, "You are not tired now? If we leave now, we can only sleep in the wild at night, you have to think about it."

Opening her mouth, Caizhi hesitated, it seemed that it was better here than sleeping in the wild.

Although the old man looked a little weird, at least he didn't show hostility or premeditation towards them.

Seeing that she was still worried, Ling Ruoyao waved her hands and comforted her and said, "Okay, don't worry about it. Let's go when the sun breaks tomorrow, okay?"

I thought about it secretly, anyway, it was only one night, as long as I kept vigilant at night, maybe nothing would happen if I thought about it.

After thinking about it, Caizhi nodded, and said in response: "Young lady listens to Miss."

"That's right." Curling the corners of her mouth and smiling, Ling Ruoyao patted her chest and assured her, "We'll stay here tonight, and we'll leave tomorrow morning. We won't stay here any longer."

"Are you two leaving?"

As soon as she finished speaking, there was a doubtful, slightly old but confident voice from the hall leading to the door of the kitchen.

Unable to help being startled, Ling Ruoyao immediately turned her head to look, met the old man's surprised gaze, and quickly said with a smile: "We will continue on the road tomorrow morning and will not disturb you any more."

"Don't disturb." The old man rolled up his sleeves and said while walking towards the two, "If you are not in a hurry, you might as well stay for two more days. Although it is a bit remote and quiet here, the scenery is not bad. If you don't Mind, this old man can show you around. Besides, we haven't had any guests at home for a long time."

The old man's words were very sincere, and there was a sincere invitation in his words. In addition, the old man's expression was extremely serious and firm, as if he was really happy because there were guests at home.

Ling Ruoyao suddenly hesitated, not knowing whether to agree or refuse.

Slightly turning her head to look at Caizhi next to her, she asked her opinion with her eyes, but seeing that Caizhi was also hesitant and at a loss, she suddenly became even more speechless.

The old man's eyes were full of sincerity, as if he really hoped that they could stay for two more days.Moreover, he has been living alone, and he hardly has anyone to talk to on weekdays. When he met them today, he must be really happy to have someone to talk to.

Anyway, she is not in a hurry, so why not stay here for two more days.If the old man dared to harm them, they would not sit still.

After thinking about it, she nodded and said with a smile: "So, I will bother the old man."

"It's the old man who is thanking you. I haven't had any guests in the house for a long time, and I don't even have anyone to talk to." The old man said, stroking his gray beard again, looking a little lonely.

The atmosphere suddenly became a little depressed and awkward, and after a while, the old man said again: "Let's not talk about this, I will continue to cook, please feel free."

After the old man prepared the dinner, the three of them ate dinner together, and the master and servant entered the room that the old man had arranged temporarily.

Entering the room, Ling Ruoyao threw the burden on the bed, and lay down on the bed with a big belly.

Turning over, she suddenly saw something in the bag showing a corner, so she quickly took the bag and was about to put the things back, thinking in her heart that the bag was not packed tightly enough, in case something What should I do if I drop it?

After taking a look at the bundle, she realized that the small box she had put in the bundle was exposed.

Taking out the small box, she looked at it for a while, her eyes fell on the small lock, her brows were involuntarily frowned, and her expression looked serious.

Her mother, who had never met before, was also very strange, the dowry prepared for her had to be locked with a lock, but she didn't give her the key, what did she want?Do you want to give her a so-called surprise?

If that was the case, she really didn't want this surprise.

She can't open the box, and she can't throw it away at will. After all, this is also the dowry left by her mother, isn't it?

"Miss, what are you looking at?" Caizhi, who was making the bedding, saw that she had not made a sound, so she raised her eyes to look at her, and said doubtfully, "Isn't this the dowry that Madam left you?"

Throwing the box on the bed casually, Ling Ruoyao sighed and said, "Yes, but unfortunately, I don't even know what's inside."

Quickly picked up the box, carefully put it back into the bag, Caizhi reminded: "Miss, this is the dowry left by the madam, how can you put it around? Besides, you brought it out. If it falls, what should I do?"

A little impatient, Ling Ruoyao muttered, "Didn't I just put it in? Do you think I'm willing to run around with it?"

When she left the prime minister's mansion that day, she hurriedly brought some luggage because she left in a hurry.After leaving the Prime Minister's Mansion and staying in an inn in the capital, she packed her bags and realized that she had brought the box out.

It's too unrealistic to put it back in the prime minister's mansion.She just came out of the Prime Minister's Mansion.I had no choice but to carry the box with me all the time.

Regarding her complaints, Caizhi didn't say anything, but lay on the bed, approached Ling Ruoyao, and said mysteriously: "Miss, how about we open this box?"

"You also want to know what's inside?" Ling Ruoyao said with a slight smile when she turned her head to look at her.

Nodding her head vigorously, Caizhi's delicate face was full of curiosity: "I think, the dowry my wife left you must be a good thing, otherwise why would it be locked?"

Cursing her lips, Ling Ruoyao glanced at the box in her hand, and said lazily: "If you want to see it, you can open the box yourself."

She tried to open the box before, but unfortunately, she did.The locking ability is not strong, and there is no way to take this box.

With Ling Ruoyao's permission, Caizhi began to tinker with the box with great vigor, as if she would never give up until she opened the box.

Unfortunately, not long after, she chose to give up.

It's just because she also has nothing to do, she is helpless, but she is so tired that she is sweating.

"Miss, I can't open it..." Pouted, Caizhi said helplessly, looking at Ling Ruoyao with a bit of innocence.

Seeing her like this, Ling Ruoyao couldn't help laughing, the corners of her rosy lips raised a sweet arc upwards: "It's fine if you can't open it. Anyway, this thing is by my side, and it won't run away. "

"That's true." Nodding her head, Caizhi didn't continue to mess around, and put the box back into her bag.

"It's getting late, let's go to bed quickly." After Caizhi finished the bedding, Ling Ruoyao called her to sleep.

A good night's dream.

In the early morning of the next day, Ling Ruoyao woke up to the sound of birdsong.

Opening her sleepy eyes, she only felt a dazzling light in front of her eyes, so she quickly covered them with her hands, and only moved her hands away after her eyes got used to it.

The fine sunlight in the morning is projected through the half-opened windows, bringing brightness to the whole room.

After stretching, she turned over and got out of bed. Under Caizhi's service, she dressed neatly and left the room.

In the hall, the old man had already prepared breakfast, and when he saw the two came out, he greeted them to have breakfast.

After washing up, the two sat down at the dining table.

"I'm going to go out to chop firewood in a while, so please stay in the house and wait for the old man to come back. Don't walk around. After the old man comes back, I will take the two of you for a walk."

"Why can't you move around?" Looking up at the old man, Ling Ruoyao asked suspiciously, could it be that the old man wanted to imprison them here?

If he really intends to do so, then they will not give in easily.

Seeing her looking at him vigilantly, the old man knew that she had misunderstood him, so he smiled and explained: "Although this place is remote, it is not far from the main road anyway, and there are many pedestrians passing by like you, but Who can guarantee that there are no bad people among these passing pedestrians?"

As the old man spoke, he looked at her expression and saw that she was pondering over his words, so he continued, "The mountain behind this house is Nanhua Mountain. You must have heard of Nanhua Mountain before you came here." ?”

Nodding her head, Ling Ruoyao frowned and said, "I have indeed heard of it, and I also heard that there are bandits near Nanhua Mountain. I don't know if it is true or not."

The old man's expression also suddenly became serious, and he said in a low tone: "There are gangsters in Nanhua Mountain, it's not a rumor, but a fact. That's why I hope the two girls stay in the house. Anyone except the old man Come, don't bother."

"There are really gangsters!" Ling Ruoyao was a little timid at once, looked at Caizhi, and found that she was pale from fright, "Can we go chop firewood with you?"

Although the old man didn't seem to have much combat value, he was still a man anyway, and he could be more courageous with a man by his side, which was better than the two of them staying in this room.

Moreover, if they leave here and continue on the road at this time, if they accidentally encounter those gangsters, wouldn't it be even worse for them?

"How can this be done?" The old man rejected Ling Ruoyao's proposal without hesitation, "You are guests, how can you go up the mountain with me to cut firewood? Besides, the mountain road in Nanhua Mountain is extremely difficult. If the two girls go up the mountain, It's just suffering."

"But……"

"Don't worry, girl." Stopping her words with a wave of his hand, the old man took out a short knife from his waist and put it on the table, "You guys take this knife for self-defense. But you two don't have to worry too much. As long as you stay in the house and don't come out, and someone knocks on the door, and pretend that no one is at home, naturally there is no danger."

Well, since he didn't want them to go up the mountain to chop firewood, and gave them a knife for self-defense, they should stay here.If it is not possible, they can leave here while the old man is away, and hurry to Xiangzhou on the road.

As long as you leave Nanhua Mountain, you don't have to worry.

After repeating a few words to them, the old man took the firewood tools and went out.

Watching the old man leave, Ling Ruoyao quickly ordered Caizhi to close the door, and the two of them took the knife and hid in the room, looking trembling.

And here, after leaving home, the old man walked straight towards Nanhua Mountain.

In his old age, he still walks like flying, his steps are particularly healthy and fast, not at all like a gray-haired old man approaching his sixtieth birthday.

Walking into a forest, he suddenly stopped under a big tree, with his hands behind his back, his back straight and straight, and he looked like a fairy.

Almost in the blink of an eye, a black figure rushed behind him, knelt down on one knee, lowered his head, but made no sound, as if he was waiting for the old man's order.

Without looking back at the black figure, the old man just stood with his back to him, and after a moment of silence, he said: "Go and investigate someone, you must investigate thoroughly, especially her parents. "

"Yes, this subordinate will go right now." Nodding in response, the black shadow suddenly sprinted away, as if appearing, and left without a trace, making it impossible to catch a trace.

The old man still stood tall and straight, and whispered in his mouth: "There can't be such a coincidence in the world, right?"