At the beginning of Niujia Village, my sister-in-law and I depended on each other.

Midnight
A cool breeze gradually rose, the green lotus leaves swayed, and the reeds on the beach rustled in the wind.

In the lake, white birds are flying by the water, fish are playing in the waves, and occasionally wild ducks are chasing and playing on the lake, creating long ripples.

Niu Dingtian was originally immersed in healing his wounds when suddenly a sound of rowing came from the depths of the lotus pond. Soon afterwards, water birds flew away in startle, wild ducks flapped their wings, and fish jumped into the water, and the surroundings suddenly became noisy.

He slowly opened his eyes.

Glancing sideways at the lake, I saw A-Bi rowing a small boat out of the lotus pond under the moonlight.

"Ah! Sir, why are you so trapped outside? Come back to the lake."

Seeing Niu Dingtian sleeping on a wooden ladder with the lake next to him, and he would fall into the lake if he turned around, A-Bi was shocked and uttered a mouthful of Suzhou dialect.

Because of Han Xiaoying, Niu Dingtian could understand about 70% of what was said, so he smiled at the girl and said, "It's too stuffy inside, I can't sleep, so I came out to look at the moon."

Then, he asked in surprise: "Miss Abi, is there something wrong? Why are you here now?"

Ah Bi tied up the boat, held the quilt in one hand and the bamboo basket in the other, went ashore, and said with a smile:

"How can snacks be eaten as meals? Young Master is seriously injured, I came to deliver some food and bring you a blanket."

As she spoke, she saw Niu Dingtian blocking the way, so she smiled and urged him, "It's too cold outside, sir, please go in quickly, I have to go back quickly."

After hearing this, Niu Dingtian couldn't help but sigh silently. How could he repay this kindness in the future?
He raised his eyes slightly, and saw A-Bi pursing her lips and looking at him with a smile.

Under the moonlight, the girl's skin was as white as a freshly peeled water chestnut, and a tiny black mole at the corner of her mouth made her look even more charming.

"Thank you Miss Abi..."

Niu Dingtian thanked him softly, and without waiting for A-Bi to help him, he forced himself to stand up and staggered into the nunnery.

After being nourished for half the night, his tendons and veins had recovered somewhat, so he no longer needed to crawl in.

Seeing that Niu Dingtian could actually stand up on his own, Ah Bi's eyes flashed with surprise, and she smiled behind him:

"Sir, please don't be polite to me. Actually, A-Bi is also an orphan."

"I forgot to ask you your name this afternoon, please remember to tell me later."

She giggled, her voice soft and clear, like the sound of an orchestra. After entering the house, she placed the quilt on the haystack and took out a porcelain jar from the bamboo basket.

When the lid was opened, there was a delicious and milky crucian carp soup, a bowl of rice, and a plate of fried lotus root slices.

Seeing Niu Dingtian's eyes fall on the kitchen knife at the bottom of the basket, A Bi smiled and said, "It's for you to use for self-defense."

"All the weapons in the village are on the list, so I couldn't bring them with me, so I just took a kitchen knife from the kitchen."

"Young Master, you are all alone here. If you encounter a large water snake, you will be safer with this."

Niu Dingtian stared at the kitchen knife: "..."

This time, he didn't say thank you again. Sometimes, those words become powerless when said too much.

He knew that A-Bi helped him out of empathy for his family background and out of pure kindness, but this was no reason for him to receive her help again and again.

Thinking of this, he fumbled around his body for a long time and finally took out a token.

This is the only good thing he has left, and it is also a thought from another time and space.

After rubbing it in his hand for a while, Niu Dingtian handed it to A-Bi and said with a smile:
"My name is Niu Dingtian. If Miss A-Bi doesn't mind, you can call me Young Master Niu or Big Brother Niu."

"Please keep this token, Miss Abi. When I get it back, it will be my time to repay you."

"In the future, seeing the token is like seeing a person. As long as it is not a conspiracy, I will satisfy any request from anyone."

"Token?" A-Bi was curious and subconsciously took it in her hand.

In the moonlight, you can see that the token is pitch black. One side is carved with mountains and rivers, which looks lifelike; the other side is carved with the words "sun and moon", which looks ancient and vicissitudes.

After playing with it in her hand for a while and weighing it, she handed the token back and said with a smile:
"This is obviously a valuable item, Mr. Niu, you should keep it for yourself. When you save me again one day, we'll be even."

"Miss A-Bi, do you think I'm bragging?" Niu Dingtian shook his head and didn't answer.

Ah Bi blushed slightly and defended herself, "How could that be? Ah Bi is just a little girl, how could she deserve such a valuable thing?"

Niu Dingtian said with a smile: "Take it. Miss A Bi is not an ordinary girl. You are Niu Dingtian's creditor."

So, A-Bi couldn't refuse and accepted the token reluctantly.

Naturally, she didn't think that the weak scholar could fulfill such a promise, but in order to save his face, she didn't refuse.

I thought to myself that since I would have to take it in the future, I should just keep it well.

Seeing Niu Dingtian leaning against the wall, looking a little tired, Ah Bi scooped the fish soup from the porcelain pot into a small bowl, handed it to him, and said with a smile:

"Mr. Niu, drink some fish soup to replenish your body first. Don't worry about food and drink in the future. A-Bi will come over every day when she has time."

Niu Dingtian took the small bowl, took a sip, and the fresh soup went into his stomach, and his body immediately felt much more refreshed.

After finishing the remaining fish soup, he put down the bowl, looked at the elegant and refined girl in front of him, and chuckled:
"No need to go through so much trouble. I will be in good health in the next two days. There are all kinds of birds, fish and shrimps in the lake, as well as endless amounts of fresh lotus roots and lotus pods. I won't starve."

"If Miss Abi is free and can bring some fire and seasonings, and a few clean clothes, I will be satisfied and don't have to come here every day."

Niu Dingtian was naturally very happy that a young girl brought him food every day.

But if it goes on for too long, someone will find out and attract people from Chanhe Village, which will be bad.

Your own maid secretly sends food to another man? I'm afraid any man would not be able to stand it.

Since it involves a man's face, there is no guarantee that Murong Fu will secretly attack him.

Therefore, when he saw A-Bi's hesitation, Niu Dingtian calmly asked, "Miss A-Bi came here late at night, did anyone know?"

A-Bi was stunned for a moment and said, "I only told Sister Zhu. Sister Zhu is my good sister and I won't tell anyone."

Niu Dingtian smiled slightly and said, "But if you send meals out frequently, it's inevitable that people will find something fishy. Mr. Murong's reputation for narrow righteousness is well known in the martial arts world, so I think he won't mind."

"But it's not good for Miss Abi to let others misunderstand and gossip about you."

"Miss Abi, if you feel bad, why not sing a song like you did during the day? At that time, I heard the fairy music in my dream and didn't want to wake up. After waking up, I felt that even the pain was relieved a lot."

A-Bi was naturally happy when she heard him praising her in a roundabout way.

Without hesitation, she straightened her skirt, sat on the haystack with her arms around her legs, and sang softly:

"On the auspicious day of the second festival, in the courtyards of thousands of families, two flying swallows are seen dancing. The Phoenix Nest is stable and we are neighbors. Why is the smoke and dusk of Xiaoxiang coming so late?"

"I broke into the red building, flew low over the green bank, and the painted beams gently brushed the singing dust. For whom do I go and for whom do I come? The master is so kind, the pearl curtains are rolled up."

The clear and gentle sound, lingering and melodious, penetrates the hazy night and echoes on the lake.

When Niu Dingtian heard her gentle singing, he couldn't help but think of Ruan Jiang in Taoyuan and the song Ruihexian that Miss Huang sang for him.

It's a pity that she is no longer with me. I don't know if I will ever see her again in this life...

……

After the song was over, seeing Niu Dingtian in a trance, Ah Bi said with a smile, "I didn't sing well, please don't laugh at me, Mr. Niu."

Niu Dingtian sighed, "If I could listen to A-Bi's song every day, it would be worth living in this thatched cottage for ten years."

After hearing this, Ah Bi's cheeks flushed slightly. She picked up the bamboo basket beside her and whispered:
"How can it be so good?"

She spoke with some shyness.

He glanced outside and said, "It's getting late. Mr. Niu should go to bed early after dinner. A-Bi can go back first." Niu Dingtian smiled and nodded slightly.

When the girl left the thatched hut, untied the boat rope, rowed the boat, and slowly disappeared into the lotus pond, he couldn't help feeling a sense of loss.

Unlike his previous life, when he suddenly came to this world, he was alone.

Rather than witnessing the joys and sorrows of these characters, he would rather return to the afterlife and reunite with his family.

But his cultivation was gone, his breathing method had stopped working, and he didn't know when he would be able to continue on this path.

With a slight sigh, Niu Dingtian picked up the rice on the ground, picked up two pieces of lotus root slices, put them into his mouth, and chewed silently.

After finishing his meal and drinking half a can of fish soup, he walked out of the hut, lay on the wooden ladder, and continued his previous work.

Repairing tendons and veins...

……

But A-Bi sailed out of the lotus pond and headed west. After traveling for about ten miles, she arrived at a small island.

Under the moonlight, there are four or five houses scattered on the island, which are small, exquisite and quite elegant.

She had just tied up the boat and went ashore. Not far away, she saw an expressionless old woman standing at the door of the cottage. She stopped in her tracks and her face turned pale.

The old woman, leaning on her cane, trembled as she came closer, glanced at the bamboo basket in A-Bi's hand, and shouted:
"You little bitch! You're still out so late, are you meeting some wild man in secret?"

A-Bi's delicate body was trembling. She was about to explain anxiously when she suddenly smelled a faint fragrance.

She reacted, threw away the bamboo basket in her hand, scratched the old woman's armpit angrily, and shouted:

"You are so good, Ah Zhu. You are still a good sister. How can you scare others like this?"

The old woman was tickled in a sensitive spot and hurriedly dropped her cane, giggling.

While fighting back, she said in a tender voice: "Who asked you to be gone for so long? It takes half an hour to go back and forth to the lotus pond. Tell me, what did you do with the extra time?"

She felt the fullness of A-Bi's chest and wanted to pinch it as usual, but who would have thought that she pinched a hard object instead.

"Ah! Let go!"

Abi exclaimed with a red face.

Ah Zhu held it tightly and chuckled, "Sister, I don't remember you having such a hard thing. Where did you get it? Come and show it to me!"

As he said this, he wanted to pull open A-Bi's clothes to look inside.

Ah Bi held on tightly and begged for mercy, "It's just a piece of iron plate. Let me show you. I'm tired from rowing all the way. I'm going to take a shower and change clothes first, and then I'll show you later."

Ah Zhu then stopped with a smile.

After laughing and playing with A-Bi for a while, the two of them went into the hut together.

Half an hour later, in an elegantly furnished room—

The candlelight was bright, like water splashing on the window frame, casting a shadow on two slender figures on the side.

A-Bi was wearing a light green dress, her skin was fair with a rosy glow, and her wet hair was draped behind her.

Next to her stood a young girl in a light crimson gauze shirt, who was also about sixteen or seventeen years old, with an oval face, flawless fair skin, lively eyes, and a mischievous look.

It was her good sister, Azhu.

After listening to Ah Bi's story of tonight's experience, Ah Zhu chuckled and said, "You are very considerate. Be careful that the young master will get jealous if he finds out."

A Bi sighed and said, "Sir, you won't take such a small matter to heart. You never take us two little girls to heart."

Ah Zhu rolled her eyes at her and snorted, "Why would I want you to take it to heart? Sister Ah Bi, don't worry about me all day and night. It's useless."

Ah Bi sighed and did not answer. Ah Zhu patted her shoulder and whispered:
"Tell me if that young master Niu is handsome and whether he knows martial arts. I'll come over to check it out for you someday."

"Young Master, if you don't care about us, we girls can't afford to waste time. If there is a chance to find someone you can entrust your love to, my dear sister, don't hesitate."

She has always been a little more clever than A-Bi, and has long seen through her master's thoughts.

He is a figure like Liu Bei, who is only interested in great achievements. The two sisters have been raised as young ladies since they were young, and there is no guarantee that they will be sent away one day.

But as a servant, this is a very sensitive topic and it is difficult to say it out loud.

After hearing this, Ah Bi hurriedly said, "Sister, please don't talk nonsense! I only went to help Mr. Niu because he was seriously injured and had lost his relatives!"

Ah Zhu looked at her with a smile but said nothing.

Seeing that she couldn't escape, Ah Bi lowered her eyebrows and said with a red face:

"He looks a few years older than my sister, and not as handsome as you, but, but..."

"But tell me what it is!" Ah Zhu became curious and grabbed Ah Bi's wrist to urge her.

"But she is very pretty, not much different." A-Bi thought for a moment and whispered:

"Moreover, at first glance, there is a special charm that makes people want to take a few more glances."

"So how many times did you look at her more?" Ah Zhu rolled her eyes, took Ah Bi's hands, and teased with a smile.

A-Bi's face immediately turned red with shame, and she defended herself by saying, "I didn't, I didn't see it..."

She wanted to continue to defend herself, but she felt uneasy. She had clearly looked many times, so how could she not have looked?
Ah Zhu smiled when she saw this, her almond eyes flickered slightly, and she looked at her innocent little sister in front of her and reminded her softly:
"No matter what Sister A-Bi thinks, Mr. Niu is right about one thing. We can't go there every day. We can't let others know, let alone Mr. Niu."

Seeing Ah Bi's puzzled expression again, she pursed her lips and smiled, "Of course men understand men best. That Mr. Niu is an interesting person."

"Even though the young master doesn't care about us, we still belong to him. No man wants to see his woman approaching another man."

After saying that, she smiled and stretched out her beautiful hand to the stunned A-Bi.

A-Bi came back to her senses, sighed, and handed over the token in her arms.

When Ah Zhu received the token, his eyes suddenly lit up. He was not only surprised by the workmanship, but also shocked by the weight of the token.

The iron plate, which is less than three inches long and wide, feels extremely heavy when held in the hand.

She had never seen anything of the same size, whether gold, silver, copper or iron, that weighed this much.

With an idea in mind, Ah Zhu quietly turned her back and tried to pry it open with all her strength.

However, she held it in until her pretty face turned red, but she still couldn't make a single sound.

She has inner strength...

Ah Zhu was a little unconvinced, and her curiosity made her set her eyes on the sword by the window.

Behind him, A-Bi noticed something was wrong and rushed to snatch it away, saying, "Sister, I've seen it, it's time to give it back to me!"

Ah Zhu dodged and said with a smile: "Good girl, aren't you curious about what this is made of?"

"No curiosity! It must be iron, give it back to me!" A-Bi tried to grab it again, but came up empty-handed again.

"Where can you find such heavy iron? Let me try. I'm sure I can't break it." Ah Zhu smiled and drew out his sword.

"no!"

A-Bi was shocked. (End of this chapter)