Xie 'er leaned on the bed, worried about how her sisters were doing in the woodshed that night, worried about what punishment she would receive after offending Eunuch Xiao Shunzi, and thought about Rong Ruo's sorrow and worry. She also thought about the backer that Aunt Ah Gan had mentioned…For a moment, she was filled with a myriad of thoughts and finally tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
The sound in his ears was intermittent, like an endless worry, very annoying. She turned over a few times and finally couldn't help but get out of bed. She lit the bronze candle in front of the table that was carved with the appearance of a beauty and paced back and forth in the room.
"No, how can I live in peace here and ignore my sisters suffering in the woodshed? Even if I stay in the room, how can I sleep?”As Xie 'er thought about it, she simply put on her thick clothes, opened the door, and ran out.
The night outside was dark and the wind was strong. The shadows of the branches supported the gray glazed sky, occasionally making a shuttling sound, which was very terrifying. Xie 'er shivered and could not help but wrap her clothes tightly.
" Gulu gulu…" Xie 'er suddenly heard a sound in her stomach. Her five internal organs were disturbed. Her face turned embarrassed and she felt hungry.
Xie 'er was thinking about how she had been busy for the whole day. She had not eaten yet, so she was really busy. The first day in the palace was already so chaotic…No, she had to go to the kitchen to steal something to fill her stomach, and then send some to the girls locked in the woodshed. They had not only starved for a day, but also frozen for a night. They were even more pitiful than her.
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt. Xie 'er made up her mind and headed to the imperial kitchen.
After running for a while, Xie 'er suddenly stopped and looked around. Red walls, bright tiles, green trees and white steps. Even the branches that he looked at seemed to grow in the same direction. There was an orderly row of flowers, standing at the side like guards, as if they were inviolable. The disorderly pathways led to different Moon Cave Gates.
Xie 'er became more and more anxious. There were countless roads in front of her, but she did not know where to go. It was also dark, and she could not tell the direction clearly. What should she do now? Where should she go…
Xie 'er was so anxious that she even forgot the way back.
" Pa, pa, pa, pa…" At this moment, the sound of orderly footsteps suddenly came to his ears. Shocked, Xie 'er quickly hid in a bush beside her and carefully hid herself, only revealing half of her face. She lay between the cracks of the trees and watched the movements outside.
In a flash, a group of armored guards with swords at their waists patrolled the area with neat steps. Xie 'er could not help but lower her head. She was uneasy, afraid that they would discover her.
The sound of footsteps gradually faded away, so faint that it could no longer be heard clearly. Xie 'er finally dared to stick her head out. She looked around and was about to jump out when she suddenly felt that her dress was hooked by something behind her. She thought it was a branch, but she could not pull it away no matter how hard she tried.
Xie 'er flipped around for a long time before she reached behind her back and shouted," Ah!"
She actually pinched something soft…
Xie 'er instinctively rushed out. With a bang, she lost her balance and staggered to the ground. Immediately after, something rolled and crawled out from behind her and fell forward. In the dark, Xie 'er covered her face and tried to peek through her fingers. She saw a black shadow moving toward her.
"Who are you? " Don't come over…" Xie 'er covered her eyes in fear and screamed.
Suddenly, the black shadow poked her shoulder. Then, she laughed.
" Ah…Please don't touch me…" Xie 'er was shocked and choked up. Could it be that the Hundred Ghosts Parade was looking for a substitute?
"Little sister, little sister…what's wrong?”Suddenly, he heard the childish voice of a little boy and asked in confusion.
When Xie 'er heard this, she gradually put down her hands that were tightly covering her face. She narrowed her eyes and looked over. The little boy was squatting beside her, poking Xie' er's shoulder and sizing her up in confusion. He seemed to be very puzzled by her making a fuss over nothing.
" Little brother…you scared me to death…" Xie 'er finally saw clearly that it was a little boy. She let out a long sigh of relief and slowly stood up, helping the little boy who was squatting on the ground up.
The boy was obediently pulled up by her and carefully helped Xie 'er to wipe the dust off her body.
Xie 'er saw that he was cute, sensible, and well-behaved. His head just reached her waist, so she squatted down to talk to him.
"Little brother, tell me, why are you out so late at night? Are you too playful to go home?" Xie 'er smiled and held his tender hand.
"I stole some cornbread for Doudou." The little boy blinked his pure eyes and said honestly.
"Oh? What was Doudou? Why did he steal cornbread for it to eat?”Xie 'er asked suspiciously.
"Doudou is my good friend. She was locked up by Aunt Alu and is starving in the dark room. I just went to the kitchen and stole this for her. Sister, look." The little boy carefully took out a yellow cornbread from his pocket. Xie 'er suddenly remembered the little girl who had secretly sent them steamed buns today.
"I see. Haha, it's great that Doudou has such a loyal friend like you.”Xie 'er patted his head affectionately. She thought of something and said cleverly," Then…can you bring me to the kitchen too? My good friend is locked up and hungry."”
"Yes." The boy readily nodded and agreed. He then took Xie 'er's hand and dragged her to the west without any explanation.
" Hey, little brother, slow down..." Xie 'er shouted softly.
After a while, the little boy brought Xie 'er to a large palace. Xie' er looked up and saw the words " Imperial Kitchen " written in gold, glistening under the moonlight. The little boy walked to a window and gently pushed it open. Then, he agilely climbed in through the unlocked window. Xie 'er could only bite the bullet and follow him in. When she landed, she saw that the room was dark and she could not see anything. Xie' er could only hold the boy's hand tightly, afraid that they would get separated.
"Little miss, this way." The boy instructed her in a low voice.
"Oh." Xie 'er bent down and groped in the darkness.
"Look, there's a lot of cornbread here, but it's all cold.”The boy was flipping something in his hand, making some rustling sounds.
Xie 'er followed the boy's direction and reached out her hand. As expected, she felt a row of soft and fragrant things. They should be cornbread. Without thinking, she quickly grabbed a few and stuffed them into her sleeves and arms.
"Take it, little brother. Let's go.”Xie 'er smiled contentedly.
"Yes, this way." The little boy seemed to be very familiar with the terrain and directions here. He seemed to be familiar with stealing food. Although Xie 'er was full of doubts, she did not care much. Anyway, it was fine as long as she succeeded. Her sisters were still waiting.
They climbed out of the window again, turned around to close it, and ran away.
The boy pulled Xie 'er and ran for a long distance. Finally, he was exhausted. The two of them stopped at the side and panted.
"Wait, wait, little brother, you can't run…Wait for big sister.”As Xie 'er had been hungry for a day, she couldn't stand it and sat down.
"Little sister, let's hurry up. The dark room is just ahead. Your friend is still locked up in there, starving.”The boy's big bright eyes were still flashing as he panted heavily.
"That's right!" When Xie 'er heard that, she became spirited again. She looked up at the place where the little man was pointing. The so-called dark room was actually a woodshed.
"Sister, get up quickly. The guards will be patrolling later!”The little boy blinked and said.
"Alright, sister has rested well. Quickly bring sister over.”Xie 'er patted the dust away and pulled the little boy up. The two of them ran toward the dark room.
Soon, they arrived in front of the dark room. There was no light in the room, and it was dark and terrifying. Xie 'er shook the door, only to find that it was locked.
"Little brother, are you going in?" Xie 'er pulled the big lock. It was tightly locked. Without the key, there was no way to enter.
"Follow me." The little boy's big eyes flashed. He pulled Xie 'er's sleeve and led her to the back of the woodshed.
Behind the woodshed was a moldy wall, and at the base of the wall was a messy pile of hay and bamboo. It was not easy to push aside the debris and walk in.
"Little sister, look, there's a brick here that can be pulled out, hehe.”The boy said it very proudly. He touched the wall with his small hand and soon found the brick. He pulled it out with all his might and shook off some wall dust, making Xie 'er choke and cover her nose.
"From here, you can throw the cornbread inside. Doudou must be waiting anxiously inside.”The boy smiled, then took out the cornbread and stuffed it into the crack of the brick.
"Little sister, I'll help you ask Doudou if your good friend is also locked up inside.”The little boy picked up the stones on the ground and threw three into the hole. After a while, a small head popped out of the hole in the brick. Under the moonlight, it was a little girl about 15 or 16 years old.
"Yonggan, I've eaten the cornbread. What else do you want to say to me?”The little girl asked in a soft voice. She was indeed the little girl who had secretly delivered the food. She was also the Doudou that Yong Gan had mentioned. It turned out that throwing three stones was a secret signal for them to talk. Xie 'er found it interesting.
"Doudou, is there anyone else in the dark room?”Yong Gan leaned against the wall and asked.
"There are a lot of young ladies who have been talking to me for a long time. They are all so hungry that they are asleep now. I left half a piece of cornbread for them to eat when they wake up. Look." Doudou raised the large piece of cornbread and happily waved it at the little boy.
"Then do you know their names?”Yong Gan asked.
"I think…there's a sister called Zixun who likes to talk.”Doudou replied happily.
"Zixun…Zixun!" Xie 'er heard the voice and read. They were really here. They had no place to hide.
"Little brother, they are big sister's good friends! Come, quickly throw these pieces of cornbread in. Ask Doudou to wake them up and eat faster." Xie 'er hurriedly took out a few cornbread she had stolen and excitedly stuffed them into the little boy's hands.
"Alright, alright." The boy was also delighted. He stuffed them in one by one and said," Doudou, let the sisters inside eat quickly." You should eat that half of the cornbread yourself. Don't starve yourself. Yonggan's heart will ache.”
"Yes, yes." Doudou happily took the cornbread and stretched out her little hand from the hole. Yong Gan grinned and shook her little hand. He said happily," Doudou, then we'll go first. Otherwise, Auntie Ah Lu will scold us again."”
"Hurry up and go." Doudou withdrew his hand and waved it at him from the hole.
"Yes." Yonggan waved his hand outside and stuffed the brick back in.
"Little sister, I'm going back. You should go back to sleep too." Yong Gan led Xie 'er to the stone path.
"What? " But…" Xie 'er looked around and could no longer recognize the direction. She lowered her head in embarrassment and said," But…Sister has forgotten how to go back…"
"Sister is also new here, right? Tell me, what does the place look like and what is its name. If Yonggan knows, he will bring sister back.”Yong Gan patted his chest like a loyal little man. Xie 'er couldn't help but burst out laughing.
" It doesn't look special…It's similar to most of the palaces in the palace…It's called…It's called Chuxiu Palace…" Xie 'er tried her best to recall.
"Chuxiu Palace, isn't that the place we came out from? Let's go, I know the way." Yonggan smiled like a full moon. He held Xie 'er's hand and ran toward the east.
After walking for a short distance, Yong Gan suddenly stopped." Sister, let's stop here. Walk forward and count the twenty-two trees before we arrive." Yonggan should also go back. It was really too late. If the emperor knew, he would be scolded again.”
"Alright, then sister will go back. Yonggan, you have to be careful on the road.”Xie 'er squatted down and gently stroked his little face.
"Yes." Yong Gan's face had turned so pale. He was not as happy as before. For some reason, Xie 'er thought that he might be cold. She took off her coat and put it on Yong Gan. She said intimately," Don't catch cold. Go back quickly."”
Yonggan immediately shed tears. He stubbornly wiped them away and turned to run away without saying a word. He was like a blade of grass that grew in a place where the sun did not see the light. When he encountered the sun, he was moved as if he had received grace, but his stubbornness could not be dispelled. He was really lovable.
Xie 'er smiled and shook her head helplessly. She counted the trees alone and walked back.
" Gulp, gulp, gulp…" Her stomach started growling again. Xie 'er just remembered that the cornbread that she had stolen with great difficulty was actually stuffed into the hole.
Xie 'er sighed helplessly. She held her hungry stomach dejectedly and walked with unusually heavy steps, counting the trees by the side of the pathway and searching step by step.
"Bang!" " Aiya." Xie 'er suddenly covered her forehead tightly. She did not know what she had hit, but it was painful.
"It's you!" Xie 'er and the person in front of her exclaimed in unison.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]