The death of Lao Zhu's family of three is like a pebble thrown into a deep pool.
Although it caused some ripples in the alley, not many people mentioned it after a few days. Neighbors occasionally mentioned it, but it was nothing more than a sigh.
As for the disappearance of Hou Zheng, who was renting in a dilapidated house, no one cared about it at all.
A second-rate monk who likes gambling, who cares about his life or death?
What everyone is more concerned about now is the rising food prices.
When we meet those aunts and ladies, the topic they talk about is always about the price of spiritual rice or gong rice, which is priced one day. Their faces have a faint look of sadness, and they are full of worries about the coming winter.
When the first snow fell, a new family moved into Lao Zhu's house.
There are a total of five people in this family. The male owner’s surname is Duan. He is a fifth-level Qi practitioner and has a wife, a concubine and two children.
Monk families like this are rare in the streets, so they have become a topic of conversation among many neighbors.
But the monk surnamed Duan has a good temper and is always smiling and polite to everyone he meets.
One of his wives was gentle and the other beautiful, and they were good at cooking. When they first moved here, they made a lot of snacks and gave them to the neighbors to share.
The two children also look very well-educated.
All in all, it made people feel good, so the family easily blended in with the neighbors.
But Wang Chen didn't care about this.
He even changed his previous living habits and began to live in seclusion and spend most of his time on cultivation.
The weather is getting colder and colder.
Several consecutive heavy snowfalls have turned Dongwuzhai into a world covered in silver.
The surrounding rolling mountains are all covered with thick snow. At night, the water drips and turns into ice. Many monks enter the state of cat winter and never leave the walled city easily.
Gathering and hunting in winter are very difficult, and many monks' lives begin to become miserable.
Especially those families who do not have enough food for the winter must find ways to survive this most difficult season.
Ta-ta!
"coming."
Hearing the noise from outside, Wang Chen, who was drinking tea in the back room, went out and opened the courtyard door.
"Brother Chen?"
I saw Chen Qi, my neighbor across the door, standing in front of the door, with his head shrunk and a frown on his face.
Seeing Wang Chen, he sneered and said, "Fellow Daoist Wang, I take the liberty of interrupting you. Can we chat for a few words?"
Wang Chen was polite and called Chen Qi "Brother Chen", but he did not dare to think that he was superior to Wang Chen.
You must know that Wang Chen is not only at the seventh level of Qi training, but he is also a quite famous Talisman Maker.
No matter what, it is beyond Chen Qi's reach.
Wang Chen smiled and said, "Come in quickly."
Among the neighbors, he is most familiar with the Chen Qi family who lives across the street, and has the most daily communication with them.
"Fellow Daoist Wang, your family is doing really well!"
Chen Qi, who came to the main room and saw the layout and furnishings of the room, couldn't help but express his heartfelt admiration.
Although he was familiar with Wang Chen, this was the second time he visited Wang Chen's home.
But the scene I saw last time was very different from what I saw today!
The main room was covered with thick carpets, and a fireplace was set up on the north wall. The firewood in the furnace was burning brightly, making the whole room as warm as spring.
There was a tea table in front of the fireplace, and the teapot was placed next to the fire, steaming.
The whole room was clean and tidy. Except for a few pieces of furniture, there was no mess. There were also a few calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls, which looked quite elegant.
Chen Qi compared her own situation and felt envious from the bottom of her heart!
"It cost a lot of spiritual stones, right?"
What he liked most was the big fireplace in the room. He had never seen the same one in his memory.
I feel that Wang Chen, the Talisman Maker, has a very different style and demeanor from ordinary casual cultivators.
Wang Chen invited his neighbor to sit down, and then brewed him a cup of spiritual tea: "I just tidied it up a little and made it more comfortable. It didn't cost much spiritual stones."
Chen Qi held the tea cup with both hands and took a cautious sip.
His unnaturally frowning brows suddenly relaxed: "What a great tea!"
In fact, it is just a very ordinary spiritual tea, but for Chen Qi, it is already a very luxurious enjoyment.
Wang Chen smiled and said, "Not really. If Brother Chen likes it, I can take some back later."
These spiritual teas were not purchased by Wang Chenhua Lingshi, but came from a seized storage bag. There were hundreds of kilograms stored in it. I don’t know which unlucky guy likes to drink tea so much.
In the end, it was all in vain for Wang Chen.
"Thanks."
Chen Qi hesitated for a moment, looking like he was hesitating to speak.
Wang Chen observed his words: "Brother Chen, what do you want from me?"
Chen Qi would visit the Three Treasures Hall for nothing. He was not the kind of person who liked to go from house to house and disturb other families. There must be a compelling reason for his sudden visit.
Chen Qi gritted his teeth and said, "Fellow Daoist Wang, I don't know if your family has enough food. Can you lend me some?"
He took off the storage bag hanging from his waist and placed it on the tea table: "I'll leave this with you!"
This empty storage bag is the most valuable thing Chen Qi owns.
Borrow food?
Wang Chen was stunned for a moment, he didn't expect that the other party's intention was this.
Chen Qi misunderstood Wang Chen's reaction.
His face suddenly turned red and he whispered: "I know that food is precious now and everyone is not well-off. There is really no other way. The two boys in the family are the best at eating."
"It doesn't matter if I eat less, I just feel sad when I see my child..."
As he spoke, he became upset again: "Well, it's my fault. You shouldn't have put fellow Taoists in trouble, so let's forget it."
He reached for his storage bag with an embarrassed look on his face.
It turned out to be empty.
Wang Chen took the storage bag in his hand: "Brother Chen, how much do you want to borrow?"
"ah?"
Chen Qi shook his head and replied subconsciously: "You can give it as much as you want."
"Hold on."
Wang Chen took the storage bag to the bedroom and came back soon.
He handed the storage bag to the anxious Chen Qi: "Brother Chen, take these spiritual grains first, and then return them to me when you have enough money."
Wang Chen packed three hundred kilograms of spiritual grain in his storage bag, which was the white jade rice that was cultivated in the outer sect of Yunyang sect.
If you save some food, your family of four will have no problem surviving the winter.
Although in Wang Chen's hands, there was a lot of Lingmi Linggu Spirit Fruit Beast Meat, which was packed into several storage bags.
But he would not lend Chen Qi too much to help the urgent rather than the poor.
Wang Chen naturally understands the principle of favor and hatred.
Chen Qi was overjoyed and burst into tears of gratitude: "Thank you, thank you Daoist Wang, I will definitely return it to you as soon as possible!"
His eye circles were red.
Although the man was said to be reluctant to shed tears, in the current situation, Wang Chen, who was willing to lend him food, was truly a great benefactor!
After sending away his grateful neighbor, Wang Chen thought for a moment and left home for Fangshi.