Lemongrass has imagined the appearance of Huangshi Town in her mind countless times.
But her knowledge was too poor. In her weak imagination, she could only sketch out the many houses and many bridges in Huangshi Town.
In fact, she had been in the village all day and hadn't even seen what the building looked like. It's just that Zi Wan had painted her on the ground with branches. Naturally, Zi Wan had no talent for painting. She simply and crudely stacked two spire-like triangular patterns together, and then clicked on her masterpiece: "No, Lemongrass, this is the house in Huangshi Town, so tall, with two or three floors!"
So in Xiangmaozi's imagination, it looked like two of her thatched huts stacked on top of each other. Once upon a time, Xiang Mao Zi tilted her head and thought, the roof of the thatched hut was pointed, would it be stable if the two thatched huts were stacked together? !
But when Xiangmaozi led Xin Mao to Huangshi Town, she realized that all her ideas were wrong!
Huangshi Town is really beautiful and huge.
Xiang Maozi and Xin Mao looked around, their mouths half open, their two pairs of black eyes full of incredible surprise and exclamation.
If it were a normal day, someone would probably laugh at them, but today, almost no one had the time to pay attention to the two small figures.
Huangshi Town is a long and narrow town from north to south, with a small river running through it. It can be said to be a very convenient and comfortable border town, but today this town is full of panic and noise.
Xiangmaozi pulled Xin Mao all the way into the town.
She was not uneasy in her heart.
Where to go? What to do next?
Lemongrass has no idea at all.
Now she and Xin Mao were in extreme shock, wishing they could grow four eyes to observe everything.
Entering through the gate at the entrance of the town, you will see a flat, smooth stone road at your feet. Dry and cool, especially easy to walk. It's nothing like the muddy dirt roads in the countryside. Even if you walk on this road for a day, your shoes won't get dirty. Xiangmaozi couldn't help but look down. Her and Xin Mao's feet were covered with black and yellow mud, even splashing onto their calves.
Lemongrass looked around carefully.
People who came to seek refuge like her were all the same. But for people who originally lived in the town, it would be much cleaner. Observing this, Xiangmaozi pursed her lips and made a note of it secretly.
There are small buildings on both sides of the bluestone slab. That's a building! Seats and rows are connected neatly. Xiangmaozi was particularly shocked in her heart. She was so young that she still didn't understand this feeling. It was called shocked!
Xiangmaozi held Xin Mao's hand and walked toward the inner town step by step.
In fact, Lemongrass was at a loss. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't dare to stop. She was afraid of being asked, and even more afraid of being chased away.
It was getting late, and in Huangshi Town in the past, the windows had already been boarded up and the doors were bolted. But today is different, too many people came in, looking for relatives and friends, coming and going. Too many people poured into Huangshi Town today!
People who have taken refuge in several villages are exploring and looking for a place to stay. Some are seeking refuge with relatives, while others are looking for inns and B&Bs. There are also people who are reluctant to spend money and don't know anyone, so they are looking for a place to shelter from the wind and rain...
For the convenience of pedestrians, the shops on both sides of the street were not closed. Instead, they opened their doors and lit lanterns and candles, illuminating the houses so that they could lend light to pedestrians.
It's also the kindness and atmosphere of Yellowstone people.
Xiangmaozi has never seen such a battle before. In a small village, everything is cherished, and luxuries such as candles are unheard of. Only the rich families in the village will light up their children when they are studying. At this point, it's time to sleep.
But here, there are candles and lanterns everywhere, and the sky and the earth are as bright as day.
beautiful!
So majestic!
Xiangmaozi and Xin Mao were so shocked by this scene that they didn't even dare to say anything.
There are various shops on both sides of the street, and there are some cooking cakes, Hu Tang or other snacks for sale at the door during the day. They are all lemongrass seeds that cannot be named. They are so shiny that you can smell the aroma from across the street.
It must be delicious, Xiangmaozi swallowed hard.
From morning to now, throughout the whole day, she and Xin Mao only ate one pancake, and she even gave a large portion of the pancake to Xin Mao.
"Sister, I'm hungry." Xin Mao whispered to her, looking at the food in the shop without blinking.
Xin Mao wanted to eat those foods, and so did Lemongrass. But what did they buy? ! The family only had a total of 37 large sums of money, all of which were packed in the small package Xin Mao was carrying.
Don't dare to move!
This is the only money they have! This money should be used to save lives.
Lemongrass comforted Xin Mao, "We won't eat that, it's not delicious."
This obvious lie obviously couldn't deceive little Xin Mao. He twisted around and said, "No, I want to eat!"
Xiangmaozi was not as gentle and patient with Xin Mao as the other sisters. She rolled her eyes impatiently, "Eat it. Follow me quickly. I'll find a way to get some hot water for you to make the millet."
Bitter millet is inherently dry and hard to swallow. Even if it is boiled in a pot for half an hour, it still feels like it is in the throat. This ingredient is too hard. Lemongrass is so good, he actually plans to let Xin Mao eat just asking for hot water bubbles.
When Xin Mao heard this, he was even more unhappy.
But he is very smart. He sees Xiangmaozi's impatience and knows that if he resists again, Xiangmaozi will really beat him!
So he remained silent, just tilting his head and looking at the oily and fragrant food on the stall.
Some villagers came to buy it and asked how much it cost. The stall owner shouted loudly, "It's fragrant, it's sweet. It's delicious and filling. A fried brat only costs two big bucks! Just two big bucks!"
When the villagers heard this, they took out two cents and handed it to the stall owner. The stall owner picked up a piece of fried food, wrapped it in dried leaves and handed it to the buyer.
Xin Mao couldn't help but feel moved when he saw this scene. He didn't know how to buy this thing at first, but now he saw that all he had to do was give two round copper coins, and there was a handful in the small package he was carrying!
So, Xin Mao turned his head and began to make calculations silently.
Xiangmaozi didn't pay attention to Xin Mao.
She was trying to look around, thinking about what to do next.
There was a short road as we walked into the town. At the end of the road, there was a small bridge. Behind the bridge are a series of residential buildings. But the alleys here are narrower and quieter. Many doors have been closed tightly, and they are obviously in a state of rest.
The dark alley looks like a sleeping giant.
Lemongrass didn't dare to go inside. She did not cross the bridge, but led Xin Maoxiang to the east, where there was the sound of water.
Under the moonlit night, a clear stream flows quietly and gently. Next to the creek, there is a large stone platform, which is very safe and gentle, and half of it is submerged in the water.
This kind of platform was specially built in the town to facilitate residents to use water for laundry.
Xiangmaozi saw it, and quickly took Xin Mao and ran to the stream to start cleaning.
Xin Mao didn't want to, so he twisted around and said, "Sister, what are you doing? Hurry up and find hot water. I'm starving."
Xiangmaozi ignored him and quickly washed her face and hands. Then she carefully soaked her calves and shoes in the water and scrubbed them vigorously.
Under the moonlight, the mud and water stepped on along the way fell one after another and were taken away by the stream.
After washing herself, Xiangmaozi ignored Xin Mao's struggles and objections, and even threatened him by pinching the tender flesh on the inside of his arm, and also washed Xiao Xin Mao clean and white.
Lemongrass has her own reasons. Huangshi Town is so beautiful, and the people in the town are very clean and respectable. If the two of them are so dirty, they will definitely be hated and looked down upon. So what should you do if you are kicked out?
Ziyuan had told her some truths before, such as respecting clothes first and then respecting people. Xiangmaozi thought about it and thought it made sense. If a person dressed like her and talked about some truth, he would definitely not be as convincing as someone like the village chief.
Therefore, the little lemongrass actually understands very well that it must be clean and tidy in order to be respected.
The stepmother was very dissatisfied with this preference of hers. Because Lemongrass likes washing clothes so much - waste cloth! Good clothes, let her wear patches after washing in less than three months! The stepmother was so angry that she scolded Xiang Mao Zi over and over again.
But she still persisted.
Given this truth, the first thing she did was to find a place to clean herself and Xin Mao.
After blowing for a while, all the water on my face was dried.
Xiangmaozi led Xin Mao's family to sit on the steps and told him to wait here and not run around!
Xin Mao looked at the basket, hugged the bundle and nodded obediently. Xiangmaozi took the firewood stick and prepared to go out to ask for hot water.
Lemongrass followed the stream and walked southward from another road.
As soon as I turned the corner, I saw a very impressive restaurant, bustling with customers. Xiangmaozi saw from the door that Xiao'er placed a large porcelain teapot filled with tea on each table.
On the stove nearby, there is an iron kettle filled with boiling water, which is constantly steaming.
Xiangmao Zi felt that this was the place she was looking for, but the country girl was timid and did not dare to ask anyone.
She could only stand in a remote corner of the door, staring blankly inside, but she didn't know how to start. Naturally, some of the people inside saw Lemongrass, but she stood far away and was quiet, just a little dazed. Those people didn't know what she was going to do, so most of them glanced at her and threw her away.
Xiangmaozi simply squatted at the door, ready to watch for a while before talking.
The diners in the restaurant are divided into several categories. Some are residents of the town who have finished eating and are chatting, and some are villagers who have fled from other villages. They have nowhere to go, so they come here to have something to eat.
Regardless of poverty or wealth, what everyone cares about and discusses is the vicious beasts on the mountain hurting people.
What he said was no different from what he said at Wang's old shop. Everyone was guessing when the ferocious beasts on the mountain would be driven away so that they could go home and continue their lives.
Citronella listened with her ears attentively while thinking about how to get hot water.
In the midst of scratching his head and ears eagerly, he heard a faint vibrating sound, and then the rapid sound of horse hooves from far to near became clearer and louder!
A group of people are riding fast towards us!
The sound alarmed the waiter in the restaurant, and he ran out, holding a lantern high in his hand and looking around.
The sound of horse hooves quickly came nearby. A group of about ten people were riding tall horses. The leader was an extremely splendid white horse. It whinnied and neighed, and the horse team stopped in front of the restaurant.
Looking at the splendid appearance of the visitor, he knew that he was either rich or noble. The waiter came forward enthusiastically and flatteringly, "To be objective, do you want to be a top-notch person or stay in a hotel?"
The man got off his horse, and under the light of the lantern, Xiangmaozi saw clearly that the man who got off the white horse was an extremely good-looking young man.
He is so handsome! Lemongrass thought.