Zhou Li, I think she's probably interested in you

Don't talk nonsense

Really. You look good, people like those who look good, "Huai Xu sat under the eaves listening to the commotion coming from the kitchen, teasing Zheng Zhilan's dog from time to time." You see, as soon as they met, they killed a chicken for you to eat and even named the biggest one

They can hear me

That's right

Huaixu remained silent and focused on bullying the dog instead.

The demon beside Zheng Zhilan has walked towards the chicken coop.

Although this demon is in an upright human form, its appearance is far from that of a human - its mouth is wide open behind its ears, its skin is crimson, and its face is like wearing a ferocious mask, with no expression. And his fingers are particularly slender, with pointed claws.

Perhaps beneath his loose robe was the body of a monster.

The chickens in the chicken coop were scared and flew around, but only the strongest male chicken held his head high and his eyes were full of indomitable fighting spirit. When he caught him, he kept turning his head and pecking at him, vowing to defend the dignity of the chicken king to the death.

Cut throat, bleed, blanch, pluck hair.

Open the intestines and stomach to take chicken offal, set the fire and burn it again.

It's done in one go.

Huai Xu couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

Zhou Li felt embarrassed to eat alone, so he ran to the demon and helped him cause some trouble. After finishing, he walked to the kitchen and saw Zheng Zhilan cutting vegetables inside, which were actually very cooked.

Is there anything I can help with

There is no reason to ask customers for help

I'm afraid it won't be convenient for you

Habit becomes natural. You go sit down, I don't have much fun here, but it's still nice to see the rain, "Zheng Zhilan said." Qinghe and I have been cooperating for many years, and we have all come here like this

Okay

Zhou Li stood by the kitchen, looking at Zheng Zhilan.

She remembered the placement of everything in the kitchen, and because she remembered, her movements were even more familiar than ordinary people. Zhou Li soon realized that she could only continue to cause trouble when she went in, so she silently retreated.

The rain is getting heavier and heavier, hitting the mountain village with a crackling sound.

Zhou Li sat under the eaves with rain splashing on his feet, and in the mist, the path they had taken was already out of sight. As the entire mountain was shrouded in clouds and mist, the light gradually dimmed.

This meal took quite some time to cook.

Until the sky had turned gray black and the night world was covered in rain, Zheng Zhilan and Qinghe came out with their food.

It's time to eat

The mountain village is pitch black, with a light on.

There are only two pots of dishes.

A pot of roasted chicken, with chicken meat, chicken blood, and chicken offal, topped with a small amount of potatoes and green peppers to enhance the color. It's a whole big pot. Before, Zhou Li's family of four went out to eat wood turkey, but they didn't have such a large portion.

A pot of sour radish duck soup is the best to drink in summer, and it also balances the fire of the wood turkey.

Prepare two bowls of dipping water.

Zheng Zhilan looked in Zhou Li's direction and held a bowl in her hand, saying, "Is it for serving rice

I'll do it myself, "Zhou Li quickly got up.

It's okay

Thank you then

The rice is traditional rice, steamed in a wooden steamer, with moderate softness and distinct grains. Zhou Li likes this taste the most.

Zheng Zhilan served everyone a bowl of rice and sat down, saying, "Usually, only the two of us eat when cooking, and we don't pay much attention to it. I don't know if it suits your taste

Zhou Li squeezed out a smile and said, "You're too polite

At this point, Huaixu had already taken a piece of hot chicken leg meat into his mouth, causing him to exclaim in surprise but reluctant to spit it out.

After swallowing it whole, he said straight, 'It smells so good!'

Zheng Zhilan smiled.

She struggled to pick up food and ate politely. Zhou Li occasionally glanced at her quietly, wanting to know what her eyesight was like, but he was too embarrassed to ask directly.

Zheng Zhilan seemed completely unaware of this.

After eating silently for a while, Zheng Zhilan was the first to break the silence. She glanced at the Yan Huai Xu and said, "I seldom see a demon like you who looks like a person."

Huai Xu was a bit busy and took some time to answer, "Wo is proficient in hair changing and disguise techniques

Zhou Li stopped his chopsticks and said, "I forgot to introduce him. His name is Huai Xu

Huai Xu? "Zheng Zhilan looked at the demon beside her." What a coincidence, his name is Qinghe. I met him in April, and at that time he was completely confused and couldn't remember who he was. I heard that April is also called Qinghe, so

Suddenly, Huai Xu was stunned.

His chopsticks were still holding a potato, his mouth full, staring blankly at Zheng Zhilan.

What's wrong? "Zhou Li asked.

No, it's nothing, "Huai Xu realized and continued doing what he had done before." This sounds a bit familiar to me

Is that so? "Zheng Zhilan looked at him.

He has only woken up for over a year, "explained Zhou Li Daihuai Xu," and his memory has not been restored yet

Mmm hmm! "Huai Xu took the time to nod.

No wonder

Zhou Li discovered that Zheng Zhilan's cooking skills are really good. She lives in such a remote area, so it should be difficult to buy spices and seasonings, but she can still make delicious dishes.

After finishing a bowl, he added another bowl.

Huai Xu has already finished the third bowl.

At this moment, a series of barking dogs came from outside. Qinghe went out to take a look and came back saying, "One sheep is missing

Zheng Zhilan nodded and shouted outside——

Steamed buns

A border animal darted in.

Zheng Zhilan said to it, "Go find it, let's go together

The border herder jumped out again.

The barking of the dog gradually faded away.

Huai Xu struggled to swallow the flesh from his mouth and frowned as he reminded, "On our way here, we saw a big demon. It was terrifying. I could feel the hostility on his body. Could it be him who did it

No, he's our guardian angel here

Guardian? "Huai Xu was full of question marks." That demon is covered in starlight and its eyes are red. Not to mention sheep and dogs, I reckon he has killed many of his own kind. Can someone like him be a guardian

Perhaps you're not wrong, but he is indeed our guardian deity, guarding us for many years, "Zheng Zhilan said calmly

What does he protect from you

I heard that in ancient times, there were many monsters and people were also terrifying. We worshipped him and offered him an annual sacrifice only enough for him to eat. He promised that no evil monsters or people would enter the village

He probably sees this place as his territory, right? "Huai Xu guessed." If it were my territory, I wouldn't tolerate those messy things coming in

It's not that simple, "Zheng Zhilan shook her head.

What's going on

When the ancestral hall was still there, Qinghe and I went to search for some information, and through our contact, I guessed that he had also been labeled as evil by people. Many years ago, when the ancestors of the village discovered him, he was seriously injured and on the brink of death, mostly beaten by demons or humans. The villagers hesitated for a long time and chose to treat him. It may have been an agreement made at that time, or it may have gradually evolved over time, that we formed this relationship with him

Hey, this demon knows how to repay kindness

Well, he has a bad temper, very fierce, and irritable, but he has been guarding this place until everyone leaves here or no one believes in him anymore

You're the only one in this village now, "Zhou Li interjected.

Yes, the landslide destroyed half of the village, and the government relocated everyone

And you

I didn't go out, anyway I'm alone. I'm almost blind anywhere, "Zheng Zhilan smiled and served herself a bowl of soup. After waiting for Qingqing to remind her that the soup was full, she stopped.

Don't you have any family

He's dead

Sorry

It's not over, there are still a few uncles who wanted me to go out with them, but they didn't agree

Are they afraid of you

A bit, but I am still very grateful that they have tried to persuade me several times despite their fear. "Zheng Zhilan and Tang Liang clearly haven't spoken to anyone for a long time, especially Zhou Li, who is a person of the same kind and speaks very little. Now she can't help it.

I was just thinking, what would he do if I left too

That's right

Zhou Li knew she wasn't referring to Qinghe.

Huai Xu held the bowl and kept blowing soup. Upon hearing this, he glanced sideways and glanced at Zheng Zhilan through the edge of the bowl, saying, "How do you know he wants to stay here? Maybe he's just trapped in a promise, but in fact he also wants to leave here and find freedom

Zheng Zhilan shook her head and said, "I don't know. He doesn't speak, and I don't know what he's thinking

Huai Xu remained silent.

The light above flashed twice.

Zheng Zhilan glanced outside and whispered, "Two years ago, heavy rain knocked down the power pole, and the person in charge of electricity ran a long way to fix it. Don't let anything happen again this year

The dog outside has returned, accompanied by the barking of sheep.

Zheng Zhilan breathed a sigh of relief and asked the two, "Kill a sheep tomorrow. Do you like to eat lamb

Love

Huaixu answered without hesitation.