On January 4, 795 in the New Calendar, at dusk, Duan Qing dragged his tired body back to the association one by one.
Although he has mixed feelings in his heart now, the experience of this day is still a bit unbearable to think about now.
Taking care of a girl who doesn't talk much and has difficulty communicating is an extremely difficult task, let alone playing with the girl and going out to play.
And he is a child who has never gone out to play.
Okay, the last one may be a bit too absolute in hindsight - the girl named Nina seems to have a basic understanding of the wonderful world outside. At least she didn't touch anything randomly or run away.
Going to some strange place. But for Duan Qing, leading such a girl put him under a lot of pressure.
Because Nina is curious about everything.
She would look at the bluestones on the street, at the signs beside the intersections, at the flying petals, at the various people coming and going - whenever she looked at these things, she would always stare.
Those big eyes stood there for a long time, until Duan Qing's legs and feet felt a little sore, then she continued to move forward without saying a word, heading somewhere else.
The whole process was silent.
Just ask whatever you want to know... There were several times when Duan Qing was so anxious that his eyelids began to twitch, but faced with Nina's unchanging eyes, he still couldn't make any request. Occasionally she would
Staring at some cats and dogs on the roadside, she stared at them so confused that their back hair stood on end, and then ran away in panic. Even one or two stall owners who had no business were caught by her substantial gaze.
Feeling uncomfortable all over.
Then they would glance this way with strange eyes, look at Nina, then look at Duan Qing, and finally turn away, leaving them with a back that ignored her.
So Duan Qing could only smile bitterly.
Some townspeople who come and go know this strange girl. They will come over to say hello and get a glare from the girl. Those who have had contact with this family before will touch the girl's head and then have a casual relationship with Duan Qing.
Let's chat for a few words, thank Duan Qing for taking care of him, and thank the Adventurers Association for his help. He is so enthusiastic about a girl... If he meets someone with ill intentions, he will probably look at them both hatefully.
He opened his eyes, left one or two inexplicable harsh words, then shook his head and walked away.
"That guy Albert didn't do anything good out there!"
"Your family will not end well..."
What a mess, you must be sick... Duan Qing pouted, then pretended not to hear, holding the girl's hand and continuing to wander around, or being pulled around by her.
At a certain moment, they came to the central area of Fenghua Town near the north. This is the center of Fenghua Town and the edge of the hillside. The mountain part of Fenghua Town is located in the northwest section of the entire town, and its dividing line passes through the center.
The area is drawn from the northeast corner to the southwest corner, passing through a river flowing down the mountain several times, passing through several bridges and many residential areas. Although the central area is close to the mountain, there are still many buildings placed here, with some architectural shapes.
It's quite strange. It seems that there are more elements in the statue. Duan Qing has inquired about the origin of this place before. It is said that these buildings have a certain commemorative significance. They seem to commemorate a battle that took place here, but time has passed.
It's been so long that even many townspeople living here don't know about it.
Most of them have taken a fancy to the scenery here. It is normal for wealthy families who have immigrated from other places not to have heard of it. However, this is not entirely their fault, because the vicinity of this area has now developed into a relatively lively tourist attraction.
Place, in fact, if you walk north from this place for a while, you can reach the famous Flower Basket Street.
Flower Basket Street is an authentic commercial street. In comparison, it is relatively civilian. People who do business here sell insignificant things. For example, various types of clothing for daily use, home furnishings, etc.
There are also all kinds of daily necessities and so on. The residents of Zhenshan often come here to visit, but for players, the things here are really not of much use. Therefore, among the people coming and going, there are daggers hanging on the waist and wearing gloves on both hands.
Wearing gloves and dressed as an adventurer, Duan Qing is quite eye-catching.
However, there were not many stalls he passed by.
Nina would not take too many steps every time. She would stop and stare at the things on the stall, biting her fingers and looking hard. From wooden barrels, brooms, clothes drying racks, to all kinds of things, with different colors and styles.
Even if she was wearing the same clothes, she would look at them carefully for a while, not knowing what was going on in her head. If there was a bookstall on the roadside, no matter what kind of books were on it, the girl would step forward and use her bright pair of eyes to
His big eyes swept around, then looked at Duan Qing, who had a grimace on his face.
It didn't take long for the girl to hold several books of different sizes in her hands.
It seems that the living expenses that were just calculated a few days ago are going to be wasted again... Duan Qing grabbed his collar and thought with some pain. But looking at the pair of people holding the book tightly to their chests,
With those two arms and that slightly calm face, he felt a little calmer again.
This is enough to take care of me. As a player, I am already very kind. I don’t ask for any extra rewards. I just ask you to let me go...
"You are... Nina."
At the street entrance ahead, an old voice suddenly sounded.
Duan Qing turned around and looked around. The direction leading to that street intersection was the direction of the mountain road going up. Occasionally, people riding horse-drawn carriages would get off here and walk up the mountain. There was a bridge on one side of the intersection, and many roads passed here.
People like to stop and have a rest on the bridge, admiring the flowers and leaves falling from the mountains and the clear river flowing under the bridge. The person standing by the bridge to stop the two of them was an old man with a white beard, but
Only those white beards can prove his old age. The dress he is wearing, the hat on his head, and the aristocratic cane standing straight on the ground under his withered palm are all neatly decorated.
The clean manner showed that the old man in front of him was still full of vitality.
As if she knew this old man, Nina did not look at him steadily as before, but looked at him briefly and then lowered her head. Duan Qing looked at the old man in black dress, and then at the girl who still said nothing.
, put on a smiling face: "Excuse me..."
"I am Rama, the mayor of Fenghua Town."
In the afternoon, people were coming and going across the bridge, but no one paid attention to the three people looking at each other. Duan Qing was stunned for a moment, and then nodded with some realization: "It turns out that it is the town.
As an adult, I have heard about the famous name for a long time, but I have never had time to visit..."
"You're welcome." The old man raised a hand to stop Duan Qing's polite words: "You... I've heard everything about coming here before."
Duan Qing was speechless.
"You and your partner are acquaintances of Master Gustan, right?" The old man did not pay attention to Duan Qing's attitude: "Please allow me to apologize for what happened before."
The old man held his cane with both hands and bowed slowly, causing Duan Qing to wave his hands repeatedly: "No, no, no, Mayor, you don't have to be like this..."
"You don't need to call me Lord Mayor, just call me Rama." Rama said in a calm tone: "I heard that you have joined the Adventurers Association and established an adventure group. I hope you and your friends can
Make due contributions to the peace of Fenghua Town."
"This is what it should be." Duan Qing did not hesitate this time and came out directly.
"As for... Nina." The old man said, then looked at the girl next to Duan Qing, who shrank back timidly, which made the old man smile again.
"She is the child of Robin and Rilis, but she has lived a hard life since childhood, so her temperament is not very... lovable. It's really hard for you to take care of her today."
"This is what we should do." Sensing the strangeness of the hand he was holding, Duan Qing responded with a smile: "It is the responsibility of us adventurers to complete the commission."
"It's also our belief." He added.
"Young people with great ambitions." The old man praised: "There are really not many young people like you nowadays."
As he smiled, two gray beards curled up beside his face, giving him the image of Santa Claus. Duan Qing also laughed, but quietly glanced to his right from the corner of his eyes.
Nina still lowered her head and remained motionless, like an honest cat.
"Okay, it's getting late, and I have other things to deal with." The old man looked at the sky, and then said: "If you have anything, you can come to the town hall to find me. I guarantee that you will be able to find me smoothly.
.”
Duan Qing smiled and nodded.
"Although Richard is...a very capable man, there must be some things that he can't solve, so...if there is any trouble, for Gustan's sake, I will
I will definitely help you."
The old man left his last words, then turned and walked towards the mountain road on the other side of the bridge. It wasn't until his figure disappeared at the corner of the street that Duan Qing lost his smile that he had maintained for a long time and looked down at the girl.
The girl is also looking at herself.
I don't know when she started staring at his face, or how long she has been looking at it. In short, when Duan Qingxian's beautiful eyes stared at him, he was like a frightened bird.
He usually lowers his head and then turns to look in another direction.
But his hands clenched tighter.
Duan Qing smiled meaninglessly, and then said: "It is indeed getting late, should we... go home?"
The hesitant turning to the side stopped, and the girl lowered her head again, seeming to be thinking carefully about this issue that did not need to be considered. After a while, Duan Qing used his keen awareness to discover that the black satin flowing down her back shoulder,
It moved imperceptibly.
Phew, no matter what, it's finally over.
Duan Qing took Nina's hand and returned to her dilapidated home.
Although he just walked back and forth that day and didn't do anything too tiring, Duan Qing still felt very tired. The most important thing was that his heart was too tired. This even made him feel a sense of relief when he sent the girl back to her room.
It feels like a world away.
"I..." He patted his forehead: "What have I done..."
The plan was not completed, few tasks were done, and after spending a whole day with the children, Duan Qing felt that he was simply burning his life. He lowered his head dejectedly, and continued to
I didn't have enough energy to say hello at the end. I just wanted to close the door for this girl who kept her head lowered, and then leave this place quickly. When I go back, I want to share today's painful experience with several other people in the team. At the same time,
Express your willingness to never accept such a thing again.
It hurts so much...
"gentlemen......"
The voice was a little high-pitched and a little weak. People who haven't spoken for a long time usually make such a sound. Duan Qing turned around in surprise and found that the girl sitting on the bed was holding a few books he had just bought for her.
He stared at himself with the eyes of countless cats and dogs.
"Qingshan...brother."
As if remembering something, she changed her title and her words became smoother than before, but she covered the lower part of her face with a book, so the voice became even more unclear. But at this time, Duan Qing had no intention of speaking.
Careful about these details, he turned around, walked slowly in front of the girl, then knelt down and looked into her eyes nonchalantly.
"What's wrong? What's wrong with you?"
"You...you just now, adventurer..."
"They will complete the commission, right?"
The setting sun brought dusk over the town, and then shined through the layers of air and the worn-out windows into the clean room, illuminating the entire room with warmth. Occasionally, there was the sound of rolling wheels of carriages passing by outside.
, and the excited shouts of adventurers returning from an outing were brought into this dim room by the perennial mountain wind, but Duan Qing didn't pay attention. He looked at the girl who was quietly holding the book he just bought, and suddenly felt
Something was shaking in my heart.
"Yes." he replied.
"So...can I entrust you with it?"
"Although adventurers accept commissions for remuneration..." Duan Qing looked at the girl holding the book tightly and tried to slow down his tone: "But I don't need to be remunerated, so...
....”
"Tell me what you want."
The wind blew in through the unclosed window, seeming to whisper in this quiet space. Although Duan Qing couldn't see it, Nina bit her lip and looked at him for a long time, and then spoke in a voice as thin as a mosquito's.
road:
"I want daddy."
**********************
"Uncle, you are finally back! It's such a pity that you didn't go today..." Seeing Duan Qing pushing the door open, Mengzhu who was sitting at the table jumped up suddenly: "City Guard's
The fight between the men and Kidd's men was so fierce! It almost turned into a group fight..."
"Mengzhu, the girl you asked me to take care of before, the one named Nina..."
"Oh, uncle, are you listening to me...Yeah, what's wrong?" Although she was a little dissatisfied with the sudden change of topic, the girl was obviously in a good mood, so she still swayed her ponytail:
"How about that girl, isn't she cute? Hehehe...uh."
Sensing that the other person's expression was wrong, the ponytail stopped swaying: "You...you didn't go, did you?"
"Nonsense." Duan Qing replied: "Of course I went, and...I received the commission."
"Ah?" After being stunned for a long time, Mengzhu jumped up as if he suddenly understood: "You can still receive tasks from her? She is so powerful, how did you do it..."
"I would rather not have done it." Duan Qing sat on the bench on the other side and sighed in frustration. The smiling uncle next to him asked with some doubts: "What task makes you so unfavorable...
..”
"It's not like that... forget it." Duan Qing looked at the rest of the people, and then calmed down: "Let's prepare and go together tomorrow, just think of it as... a group trip
Already."
"Where to?"
"Lanshan Village." Duan Qing said: "Go and ask her father to go home."
This chapter has been completed!