She Is Not a Witch

Eastern part of the empire, Yuesu Province.

This is a county province in the south of the eastern border. Hills and fields alternate in the area, and there are large and small noble fiefdoms. They build castles on the hills and fields, and beside these castles, some scattered cities and small towns Embellish it.

Compared with other places, the provinces and territories in the east are relatively peaceful and wealthy, with a warm maritime climate, and even the few provinces in the interior rely on prosperous commerce to live well.

However, even in relatively peaceful areas, there are still people living in poverty.

In the mountains full of yellow leaves scattered, a boy of about 14 years old is trekking in the mountains. He is wearing rough linen clothes, the whole body is light yellow, and the color is like dry soil, which blends with the surrounding environment.

Although it is already winter, there is no snow in Yuesui Province, but there is some coolness in the mountains. The young man's clothes are thin, and sometimes he has to move his hands and feet more to avoid being frozen.

Elio jumped onto a big rock on thick rope sandals, and searched the grass and under the shade of trees, and soon found those hidden small gardenia fruits, which ripen late and are usually picked in late autumn. And because of the local climate, he can still find unfallen gardenia in the mountains in winter.

After finding the target, he jumped off the stone, brushed aside the dry and rough weeds with both hands, held the long branches of the shrub, and then stroked down the long branches with his hands, peeled off a row of small orange fruits, and slid them into his palms .

These fruits are slightly smaller than grapes, covered with a layer of translucent and dry withered skin, and there are small separate green buds at the tip of the fruit. If they are piled together, they look like orange yellow dotted with a little light green, giving people a feeling. Comfortable visuals.

Picking up a few fallen gardenias among the dead branches and fallen leaves, the boy put them in his carry-on cloth bag, tied a rope around his waist, and continued to search for the next place with gardenias.

Gardenia fruit can be sold to some herbal medicine workshops, but they don't receive a lot of goods, so they are more often sold to cloth dyeing workshops, because they can be used to extract pigments and dye them yellow.

It is worth mentioning that the yellow linen on his body is dyed with gardenia, the most hardworking ordinary people, this color is resistant to dirt and not easy to fade, it is very popular.

Walking among the withered grass and bushes, Elio grabbed these small fruits and put them in the bag. He tried to find as many as possible so that he could exchange for more money.

Time gradually approached noon, the young man sat down on a clean stone, and took out half of an unfinished dry biscuit from his arms. He had very little money, so he could only buy such affordable things to fill his stomach .

Bite down these cold and hard dry biscuits with all his teeth, and then chew slowly, trying to moisten and soften the food with saliva so as not to be choked.

Even though the cheeks were a little sore and limp after chewing, Elio was still a little hungry after eating half of the cake. He licked the crumbs around his mouth. between search.

This continues until the sun gradually deviates, and the time is probably in the afternoon.

Stretching out his hand to pat the tiny insects stuck to the bag, Elio looked at the not-so-warm sun in the sky, guessing that it was going to go down the mountain.

He didn't dare to spend the night in the mountains, even if there were no wild animals, the low temperature there would still kill him.

He untied the bag, put his hand in, and felt the tiny gardenia fruits rolling down from his hand, and he couldn't hold it with one hand. He felt a burst of satisfaction and happiness.

With these, I guess I can have a full meal tonight. No, I can't eat enough, I have to save some money, winter is coming.

He is already an adult, and after his mother is gone, he can only live on his own.

Elio grabbed the bag, quickly and skillfully shuttled among the rocks and yellow mud withered grass, slid down the hillside, and galloped forward.

In the distant field, a big city stands beside the flowing river, and the green smoke rises from time to time. This is the third largest city in Koshio Province, located in Kuyan County.

———

There were sporadic lights on both sides of the street at night, and the windows of some rich people illuminated the street. Elio walked out of the gate of the workshop contentedly with a bag of copper coins in his arms.

Looking at the pedestrians around, he carefully wrapped the coins in his collar and ran quickly.

You have to go to the backyard of that beautiful bakery, where you can probably buy some expired scraps. Such food can be said to be a luxury among the poor.

Those luscious cream mixed with cake crumbs were so sweet and delicious that he tasted them for the first time at the age of 9, when his mother was still there and made himself a few.

When he came to the door of the backyard where people were coming and going, the boy tiptoed and looked inside. When he saw a busy maid, he waved his hands happily.

"Sister Anna."

It was a fairly common name, one in ten girls in the East was named Anna. After hearing the boy's shout, the maid raised her head and looked around, but she didn't immediately agree. She was used to answering the wrong person.

"It's you, Elio." She looked at the boy in surprise, and then walked over. It's almost closing time, and the store is also idle.

"It's me, I want to buy something to eat." The boy said excitedly.

Anna was someone he had known for a long time. It was said that his mother had helped her a little in the past, so they got to know each other well.

"But it will be very expensive." Anna said worriedly. Although she is a maid in the bakery, she can't take out the contents at will, and this job is very important to her, and she dare not do things that violate the rules.

"I know." The young man took out a bag containing copper coins. For people who have been on the line of food and clothing all year round, being able to eat well is the greatest happiness in life.

"Where did you make the money?" Looking at the bulging bag, there were estimated to be dozens of copper coins in it. Anna looked around and saw that no one was paying attention, so she came over to help him cover it, and put it back in the boy's arms. inside.

"Don't be as bad as those hooligans on the street. If you are really short of money, my sister can lend you some, although it's not much." Anna squatted down and stroked Elio's hair, looking at this thin and good-looking man Cheek, lamenting that he has a good mother.

"No, I went to the mountains to find some fruits bought by the workshop. I know where these things grow. I have been running in that mountain since I was a child, so I am very familiar with them." The boy explained, looking at Anna with a smile.

"Okay, you still have to be careful in the future. Although there are no monsters in the mountains, some ordinary beasts are dangerous enough."

"Yeah, I know, Sister Anna." Elio looked at the maid in front of him and nodded from time to time.

"Okay, I'll go to the back kitchen first. Mr. Andrew will clean up the expired pastries today, and I'll get some for you then. You can wait around now."

"Yes." Elio agreed, watching the maid walk back to the yard.

Afterwards, he squatted on the stone by the street, wrapping his hands around his body, so as to preserve the heat, and looked up at the darkened sky. Under the cover of the buildings in the distance, there was a smear of light purple on the sky, which was the color of the fire cloud.

As time went by, pedestrians occasionally passed by on the street, and none of them paid attention to this ordinary boy, but a few ruffian boys familiar to Elio whistled at him, and when they saw that he didn't respond, they also walked away with a smile passed. The weather is so cold, bullying others is not an interesting thing, even they will want to get to the warm nest as soon as possible.

Just when Elio was in a daze, a familiar voice came from behind.

"Elio."

"I'm here." The boy stood up quickly, but he staggered because his feet were numb from the cold, and he held on to the wall to stand still.

"It's freezing." Anna came over with small steps, put a piece of oil-wrapped paper aside, squatted down, and checked Elio. He saw that his arms and body were red from the cold, and his lips were also a little purple. Rubbed affectionately for a while.

"Go home early, it's too cold outside." She reminded the boy, and handed over the small package.

"Here are the crumbs I got from Mr. Andrew. Most of them should not be broken, but they can't be put anymore."

"Thank you!" Elio excitedly took it, and quickly opened it, revealing crumpled bread and cake inside, with some white cream in it.

Regardless of the coldness, Elio directly took it out with his hands and put it in his mouth. The sweetness was as soft as cotton, and it melted in his mouth, and it was gone in one bite.

Afterwards, he grabbed some more in a row and put them in his mouth. The few crumbs that were originally there were eaten up in one go. Seeing the young man gobbling, Anna smiled, and then patted his back to avoid choking.

"By the way, money." Elio took out the bag of copper coins from his pocket, ready to pay Anna.

"No, I'll treat you as my sister this time. It's cold, so it's time for you to buy some warm clothes."

"This..." Out of self-esteem in his heart, Elio really wanted to continue to give the money to Anna, but he hesitated again when he thought that he was often unable to sleep due to the cold recently.

"Okay, I'm working in a bakery, and I'm not short of this money." Anna saw Elio's hesitation, and continued to add.

"Then, I will repay Sister Anna in the future." Elio took the bag back, then waved to Anna, and ran towards the place where he usually lived.

It was a remote corner of the slums, and although it was very messy, it was the only place he could stay. He also thought about building a log cabin in the wild mountains before, but the wild beasts and monsters in the mountains made him give up his mind.

At least it's more convenient to work and earn money here, it's probably colder outside.

The slums are full of mud and rubbish, and it is extremely cold and dark at night. Because there are no lights, you can only move forward in the dark, and sometimes you have to be careful of those with malicious intentions.

Fortunately, it is winter now, and there are quite a few people wandering outside. Elio trotted through the alley and came to a closed and dilapidated courtyard. He found a collapsed place on the side, stepped on the moss and gravel to pile up the footing, and turned into the courtyard.

"Is it Elio?" An old voice sounded.

"Yes." The boy replied, and then looked at the dilapidated house in the corner of the yard. An old man with gray hair looked at him through the air leaking window, and then disappeared into the shadows.

This old man is missing a leg and is half-blind. He lives here all year round and earns his living by making some strange 'handicrafts' on weekdays. He is considered Elio's neighbor.

"Getting into his small, drafty room, Elio moved stones and blocked the door, so that there would be less draft through the door.

He wrapped the broken old blanket around his body, then curled up in the corner, enduring his still hungry stomach, imagining a beautiful scene, there is a world where he can eat bread at will, where he has a mother, and a Warm stone house.

Just like that, Elio fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, he went to a place selling old things on the street, and found an old overcoat that didn't fit well. Although it had several holes, it was still a good thing to keep warm as long as it was mended.

In the following week, before the hoarfrost covered the land, he went to the mountains several times to look for those gardenia fruits that could be sold for money, until one day he finally gathered a huge wealth of one silver coin.

This is the first time in his life that he has earned so much money. Even if he doesn't go out for a month, he can barely survive with a huge amount of wealth.

Taking the money, Elio headed towards the bakery again. He wanted to return the money to Anna's sister and buy some delicious food.

"Anna?" A strange maid stood in front of the backyard door, preventing Elio from entering.

"Oh, I remembered, that maid, she's not here anymore."

"Then where did she go?" Elio was a little anxious.

"I don't know, I just heard that she quit. She seems to be married. You should also know that she is not young. In our case, she should be a mother at this age." The maid He explained impatiently, and then drove away the dirty boy.

"Don't come here, customers will be disgusted when they see it in the future." She said with disgust.

"Sorry..." Elio apologized and ran away.

He vaguely remembered where Anna lived. It was another corner of the city. It seemed to be a place where ordinary civilians gathered. Although they were not rich, the houses and streets were intact.

"Sorry, I've never heard of someone named Anna." An old woman shook her head, and then asked the boy to ask other places.

"Ha, who is that? Don't get in the way." Some people waved their hands impatiently.

"Get out, it's disgusting." A certain girl covered her mouth and nose and waved her hands in disgust.

"Anna? There are too many people with that name." An uncle with a prey on his back shook his head.

"I don't know." Passers-by hurried past.

"Who are you?" Some people directly refused.

In this way, Elio asked for a day and still got nothing. He squatted on the corner of the street and thought for a long time, and finally got a new idea.

Another evening, Elio stopped Mr. Andrew, the baker's baker, on his way home.

"Hello, I want to ask about the whereabouts of sister Anna." Elio looked at the man seriously.

"Are you...? Oh, now that I think about it, it seems that Anna really takes care of you." Andrew looked at the thin black boy.

"I advise you not to look for it, Anna has gone home."

"Go home, which home to go to?"

"Her hometown is actually in a mountain village in a neighboring county. She actually lives in her uncle's house on weekdays, and she just gives some money for rent."

"Actually, you don't know that Anna has worked very hard. Most of the money she earned was taken away by her uncle, and sometimes she hid some of the money in the store and asked me to help keep it."

"Recently, I heard that his uncle introduced a butcher to her, so he married her."

"But..." Elio wanted to ask a lot of things, where did he get married, how was the other party, whether sister Anna was happy or sad, and so on.

"You don't have to think about it, it's not a good thing to bother people." Andrew shook his head.

"But I have to pay back the money. I owe sister Anna a lot." Elio looked at Andrew seriously.

"Oh, this..." Andrew wanted to get away, but was stopped by Elio several times, and finally had to tell him the direction.

"It's in a small village not far from the city, probably to the east?" Andrew said, turning his head around.

"I'll go find her." Elio ran away without looking back.

The cold wind blowing on the wilderness in winter is like a thin blade brushing against the cheeks. Although it is not as cold as in the north, it is still uncomfortable.

With a few wrapped breads in his pocket, Elio ran along the road in the wilderness, guessing which road might lead to the village based on the rough handwriting on the fork of the road.

After taking many wrong paths, it took him nearly three days to finally find the village Andrew mentioned.

"There is a white birch tree at the head of the village." The young man recited the logo of the village silently, and then walked quickly into it.

Scattered houses are scattered among the hillsides, and it is still deep winter. The doors of every house are closed, only the rings woven with frozen green are hung on the door, which is the custom of praying in winter.

Elio had no choice but to knock on the door of a house cheekily, asking if there was a newly married girl named Anna.

"I don't know." Someone shook his head.

"Go away, brat." Someone refused to pay attention.

"I haven't heard of anyone getting married recently."

"Are you talking about the butcher? It's that simple. The one in the village is the house near the boulder and the sheepfold."

"Thank you." Elio saluted gratefully, then ran over quickly.

With tired steps, Elio finally stopped in front of a house, and there was a terrifying curse from inside.

"Do you know how to serve people? I spent a lot of money to buy you, not to raise waste." After speaking, I could hear the sound of the water basin being overturned, followed by a slap.

"Sorry, sorry." Elio finally heard Anna's voice again.

The door opened, and Anna, who was already dressed as a woman, came out squatting on a basin and splashing water outside the door. At this time, she saw the child standing outside the house.

"You are... Elio?" There was some disbelief in the voice.

"It's me, Sister Anna." The boy wanted to speak up, but Anna quickly winked and waved his hand.

Then he stood where he was, watching Anna put the pot back into the house, and after a while, he quietly walked out through the back door, pulling him into the shade of a tree.

"How did you come."

"I want to give you back the money." Elio took out the money bag in his arms, which was still warm.

"No, take it yourself." Anna waved her hand.

Elio was stunned, a little at a loss, and finally asked.

"Is Sister Anna okay now?"

"It's okay, you don't have to worry about me, you should think more about yourself." Anna hesitated, and then continued to speak.

"Actually, you don't need to thank me specifically, because your mother helped me in the past, and I just repay the kindness."

"Don't come here again, it will make people suspicious, and it will affect your reputation." She said a little more emphatically, but then added.

"It's not that I hate it, it's just that it will be better. If you have money, remember to learn a craft, and you can find a place to settle down in the future and live well. This is not a disappointment to your mother."

Anna put her hands in front of her body, recalling more than ten years ago, when she was just a little girl who had just grown up. And the beautiful lady took the child passing by the village, which was an amazing scene that she will never forget in her life.

After finishing speaking, Anna waved her hand to bid farewell to Elio and walked into the house again. Not long after, there was another sound of scolding and apology.

Listening to this sad voice, Elio stood under the tree for a long time before leaving silently.

The celebration of the winter festival came, he was one year older, and life seemed to be a little lonely again.

Two weeks later, the winter festival celebration was held in the city, and many people from nearby villages also came here to watch and participate. The shops on the streets, large and small, were hung with wreaths woven with frozen green, and the dark green branches and leaves and berries were dotted with colors. The gloomy world makes the residents of the city show rare smiles.

At this time of year, it is difficult to go out due to the weather, so it is also a rare time to rest. Everyone sits together and discusses recent current events, such as harvests, anecdotes, etc., and then sits in a lively bar with a fire, drinks beer, and listens to the bards playing various stories.

Chirp—

Accompanied by the long sound of piercing air, the servants of the nobles lit the fireworks made by the alchemist, and then everyone in the city began to appreciate the beauty of the night sky in full bloom.

Boom! Red fireworks bloomed high in the sky, crimson meteors streaked across like rain, and then another bright yellow firework burst, bringing a large shower of stars.

Amidst the crackling sounds, residents from nearby areas stood on the street and watched, and some applauded slightly.

"These mages are still quite useful. No wonder the nobles want to protect these people who escaped from Luerna."

"But these things can only be used by noble masters."

"But it's also good to look at, it's really beautiful."

"Haha, this one too." The civilians in the city whispered.

"Hello." Elio saw a familiar face in the crowd, who was the one who showed him the way in Anna's village some time ago.

"Oh, hello, it's you." He seemed to recognize Elio.

"Yes." Elio nodded, and then asked about Anna's situation.

"This... well, I advise you to open some more." He sighed and said, and then wanted to avoid it.

"What the **** happened." Elio was worried and scared.

"It's nothing, that Anna, I'm afraid she's gone now."

The calm words exploded in Elio's mind like a thunderbolt, so that he didn't listen to what the person opposite said later.

He ran in the dark night, his body was like a red-hot coal fire, panting for heat, and ran in the direction of his memory.

The small village outside the city was hazy under the cold starry sky. He was far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and plunged into the icy night. The cold winter air rolled in his lungs, which made him feel a sharp pain. The back made him suffer even more.

Why?

Why?

Why did the people who were still alive some time ago suddenly disappear, even through such a difficult winter?

Why this time...

'The girl named Anna committed suicide. ’ The words of the uncle’s sigh are still lingering in his ears, which made Elio unable to let go of it for a long time.

He ran to that village insane, UU reading www. uukanshu.com rushed into that family, quarreled with others amidst the sound of cursing and fighting, and then was hit with a thick wooden stick until his head was bleeding.

The warm blood gradually became cold in the winter night, and the pain on the top of his head gradually became numb. With a stiff body, he walked step by step to the hillside behind the village, where Anna was said to be buried.

Walking in a dark mountain forest, Elio's hands and feet gradually became cold. He only felt that the mass of flesh on his feet seemed to belong to someone else. It was cold and stiff, and he would no longer feel pain when holding his hands on the rough bark.

Is this winter? It's so cold.

Even if the cracked lips were slightly opened, there was a burst of pain, which stimulated Elio's gradually numb nerves, preventing him from falling down.

He couldn't see in the dark, and he couldn't find the place where Anna was buried. He could only walk in the mountains and disappear into the darkness step by step.

And behind this young man, in the distant city, grand fireworks are rising one by one, blooming with delightful brilliance, and these light rains fall finely, arousing countless beautiful reveries in people's hearts.