Chu Qingxiao's heart was in his throat, and he took a step back involuntarily, almost unable to restrain himself from turning around and running away.
But at this time, the outstretched hand did not fall on him, but gently placed it on the other half of the door that had not been pushed open.
Squeak——
The old door once again made a sound like rotten wood being sawed open.
And as the door over there opened, the light from outside finally shone into the dark room.
There, Liu Pei smiled brightly and honestly.
The owner of that hand also had a warm look on his face.
He is a man, tall and honest in appearance.
That was Liu Pei's father, Liu Zhuang, a butcher selling meat at the Chengxi Market.
"Master Chu, come in quickly." Butcher Liu greeted with a grin.
As the light shone into the room behind him, it no longer had the eerie smell. It was just a slightly simple but well-furnished room of an ordinary family.
"What's wrong with you? Are you standing here in a daze?" Chu Zhaozhao walked behind Chu Qingxiao at this time.
She just walked here and didn't see the strange situation in the room before. Naturally, she couldn't understand why Chu Qingxiao suddenly froze on the spot.
Chu Qingxiao came back to his senses at this moment. He shook his head and looked intently at the room and the father and son in it again.
Everything is normal and nothing out of the ordinary.
Chu Qingxiao was in a daze. He was not sure whether the feeling just now was the result of his hysteria.
But at this time, Butcher Liu stretched out his hand, grabbed Chu Qingxiao, and dragged him into the house.
Chu Qingxiao was still in a daze. Chu Zhaozhao, who walked into the house with him, looked at Butcher Liu who walked quickly into the back room at this moment, and whispered in Chu Qingxiao's ear: "Who is this? Why did I drag you in? No.
Is it your former enemy who dragged you in and prepared to close the door and beat the dog??"
Chu Qingxiao shook his head and stared at Butcher Liu who walked into the house with some vigilance.
In his impression, his relationship with Butcher Liu was not very good.
Butcher Liu was mean and stingy, and he had several quarrels with his father over trivial matters.
The other party's weird behavior today really left Chu Qingxiao confused.
But at this moment, Butcher Liu walked into the house and walked out carrying a large wooden box.
The wooden box seemed a bit heavy. It was not a long distance from the inner room to the outside, but Butcher Liu was sweating profusely.
Under Chu Qingxiao's strange gaze, he placed the wooden box on the ground, wiped the sweat on his forehead, then smiled honestly at Chu Qingxiao, and opened it hurriedly.
But there were a lot of old things that were very familiar to Chu Qingxiao, from pots and pans to bedding and clothes, all kinds of miscellaneous things.
"Old man Gu, who was looking after the house next door, cleaned up all these things yesterday and wanted to throw them away."
"I think some of these things can still be used. It would be a pity to throw them away. Besides, you and Chu Yamen left in a hurry that day. I was thinking that if there is anything missing, if you come back to look for it, I can help you keep it first."
The man said this, looking a little shy.
He seemed to feel that such remarks were too hypocritical, and then added: "Ahem, if you don't want it, I can also see if there is anything I can use."
"I just heard the conversation between you and that old man Gu, so I asked Pei'er to call you over to see if what you are looking for is here."
When Chu Qingxiao heard this, he realized that the familiar baskets of things in the wooden box were old things from his home. He couldn't help but look at Butcher Liu beside him with a strange expression. He probably never thought of it.
The man who had never been on good terms with him was able to lend a helping hand at this moment.
Although it was just a small kindness, it was extremely precious to Chu Qingxiao, who was stuck in the quagmire and was abandoned by everyone in Wuling City.
And the groundless fears and assumptions I had just now felt even more ridiculous now that I thought about it.
"Thank you." He said sincerely.
Butcher Liu scratched his head honestly and said: "Distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. When every family encounters difficulties, it can be done with a little help."
As he spoke, Butcher Liu's dark cheeks turned slightly red. It was obvious that he was not used to the scene of being thanked.
"Look quickly to see if there's anything you're looking for."
Chu Qingxiao nodded and walked to the wooden box.
There were a lot of sundries inside and they were not piled neatly. Chu Qingxiao rummaged around for a while and finally found the notebook with yellowed pages at the bottom of the box.
He hurriedly took it out, but before he could examine it carefully, Chu Zhaozhao on the side looked even more impatient than him. He snatched it away, then looked through it and examined it carefully.
"Found it?" Butcher Liu asked.
"Yeah." Chu Qingxiao nodded.
"What kind of book is this? Is it important? I saw the words written on it, but I didn't recognize it, so I thought I'd leave it there until Pei'er could read the book and learn the words to see if she could figure it out."
Butcher Liu asked curiously.
"It's just ordinary reading material. My cousin likes it, so I came to see if I can find it." Chu Qingxiao responded casually. At the end, he looked apologetically at Liu Pei, who was being held by Liu Butcher, and said: "Xiao Pei, this book brother
Take it away, and my brother will buy you some new books in a few days. If you study hard, you may be able to become a literary sage or a Confucian scholar in the future, and become a high official who will honor your ancestors."
Liu Pei is a child at heart. When he heard there was a gift, his eyes immediately lit up and he nodded hurriedly.
Butcher Liu beside him waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, you're too polite."
"Your family is not having a good time now. We have been neighbors for so many years, and we deserve this small favor."
"Besides, in the past, I was a bit stingy, but that's not because this child Liu Pei was born with weak bones. I had to squeeze out the money from my teeth to pay for his medical treatment."
"But now that the disease is cured and our family's life is getting better, Mr. Chu doesn't have to spend any money."
When Chu Qingxiao heard this, he remembered that the last time he left, Liu Pei had also mentioned that he had recovered from his illness. However, he had just been kicked out of his house at that time and was not in a good mood, so he did not pay attention to it.
, now that I heard it, I realized it.
Liu Pei's body has been very weak since he was a child, and he cannot withstand the wind and rain. He has to live at home all year round. Except for Chu Qingxiao who occasionally accompanies him, he has almost no other playmates.
In order to seek medical advice for his son, Butcher Liu was often deceived out of money by swindlers. For this reason, he became the butt of many jokes in Wuling City.
"When did it happen?" Chu Qingxiao asked in surprise, his eyes falling on Liu Pei.
Seeing that his face was rosy and the expression on his face was lively, he was indeed completely different from the sickly look he had in the past.
"A few days ago, a doctor came to the city and opened a medical clinic. I went to try my luck. Who knows, in just three or four days of taking medicine, my Pei'er's disease will be cured!" Liu Butcher talked about this,
He was also very happy.
The heart disease that had troubled him for many years had been cured, and he no longer looked as mean and gloomy as before. Chu Qingxiao was also really happy for them. He nodded and was about to say something.
But I heard Butcher Liu say again: "So, Mr. Chu, don't give up. Although your illness is troublesome, there is definitely a possibility of cure."
"Look at our current Wuling City. I wish you a kind heart. The taxes have been reduced by 80%. Free schools have been opened. In the future, there will be martial arts schools and dojos..."
"Our life is getting better day by day. As long as your illness is cured, everyone can gather together in a lively manner. Don't you think this is good?"
Chu Qingxiao was stunned when he heard this. He felt that there seemed to be something wrong with Butcher Liu's words, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.
He looked up at the other person and saw a simple and hearty smile on the other person's face.
This made Chu Qingxiao feel a little ashamed for his malicious speculation at that moment.
He was about to agree, but at this moment, the girl who had been paying attention to the Gone City Codex suddenly raised her head.
"What disease did Xiao Pei have before?" She squatted down with a smile and looked at the boy and asked.
"I don't know either. I only heard my father say something about disordered spiritual veins, deficiency of qi, blood, and yin..." Liu Pei responded in a low voice. For some reason, it could be vaguely seen from his brows that he seemed to have some feelings for the girl in front of him.
fear.
"Disordered spiritual veins...deficiency of qi, blood and yin..."
"This is a congenital deficiency disease. Even Qingzhufeng, who ranks among the top three in the world of medicine and stone, has to nurse himself back to health for seven or eight years before he can barely recover."
Chu Zhaozhao talked to herself, but she said she was talking to herself, but whether intentionally or not, her voice seemed to be raised a bit intentionally, so that everyone present could hear her clearly.
"Then the doctor who treats Xiao Pei is probably very talented. If Uncle Liu recommends us, he might be able to cure my cousin's serious illness." She said this and looked towards him with a smile.
Butcher Liu's eyes were narrowed into a thin line, with a sharp light shining in them.
Butcher Liu seemed a little flustered: "That's a traveling man. I don't know where he is now..."
"Well, that's a pity." Chu Zhaozhao sighed, but his tone was a little strange.
Seeing this, Chu Qingxiao quickly grabbed Chu Zhaozhao, somewhat dissatisfied with her unknown hostility towards the Liu family and his son.
Seemingly feeling the indignation in Chu Qingxiao's eyes, Chu Zhaozhao shrugged his shoulders, put away his temper and focused on the note in his hand again.
At this time, Chu Qingxiao thanked Butcher Liu again, and promised Liu Pei that he would come to play with him in a few days. Then he said goodbye to the father and son and left with Chu Zhaozhao.
It wasn't until the figures of Chu Qingxiao and Chu Qingxiao walked away that the door, which had been bright just now, suddenly became dark at that moment.
Liu Pei looked up at his father: "Dad, that sister just now..."
"She doesn't belong here." The man's voice turned gloomy.
He reached out and hugged the boy into his arms, and his dark pupils were infected by white, turning into a strange pure white.
He lowered his head to look at the child in his arms, but his white pupils reflected a gentle light.
"Don't be afraid."
"Eternal Night has its own arrangements."
"Dad will never let anyone take you away from me again..."
"we will be together forever……"
In the man's gloomy murmur, the darkness spread in the room, and within a moment, the father and son were enveloped, and then...