"Someone's coming?" Kong Xingzhuo narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Looking at their clothes and appearance, they don't seem like imperial soldiers..."
As far as he knew, bandits often appeared on the road from the Northern Frontier to the capital.
They plundered and committed all sorts of evil deeds, and the villages along the way had their donkeys, horses, cattle, and sheep completely looted.
It was really bad luck for him to bring Han Chi Jiao, this troublesome burden, and then run into bandits...
"Hahaha, Kong, you deserve it! Later, I'll have the bandits tie you up and throw you into the snow to freeze into a stone!~" Han Chi Jiao said with a smug look.
Upon hearing this, Kong Xingzhuo curved his lips and slowly walked up to Han Chi Jiao. "Princess Han, don't you think that if those bandits saw a beauty suddenly appear in the snow, would they grab me first, or grab the beauty first?"
Han Chi Jiao's expression changed after hearing this...
"Also, the bandit's lair is full of rough men, with many wolves and little meat. If you were captured, do you know the consequences?" Kong Xingzhuo smiled lewdly.
Han Chi Jiao's cheeks flushed, and she clenched her fists. "I, I can protect myself!~"
How come she felt that her title as the number one female warrior of the barbarian tribes had no presence at all...
After arriving in the Central Plains, anyone could bully her.
While she was contemplating, a group of people had already charged over, surrounding the two of them.
The leader of the bandits was a dark-skinned man with a full beard. He sat on his horse and a flicker of excitement flashed in his eyes when he saw Han Chi Jiao. "Hahaha, brothers, our luck is pretty good today. We actually encountered such a spirited woman in the wilderness..."
The other bandits followed suit, cheering. "Yes, boss, aren't you in need of a wife for your stronghold? Take this woman back, and you can do whatever you want with her, hehe!"
"Ugh!~" Han Chi Jiao felt a wave of nausea.
Kong Xingzhuo felt the dagger in his sleeve and slowly shielded Han Chi Jiao behind him. He looked at the big bearded man and said, "We are just passing travelers and don't want trouble. If you know what's good for you, scram quickly, otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite..."
A bunch of small fries, Kong Xingzhuo was not afraid of them at all.
The big bearded man was stunned for two seconds, then burst into laughter. "Kid, have you drunk too much fake wine? Where do you get the nerve to tell us to scram?"
As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes at Han Chi Jiao, licked his lips, and said, "You, this little lady, are beautiful and charming, with graceful posture. After I deal with this kid, this little lady will be mine, haha..."
"Brothers, chop this ignorant kid to death with a thousand cuts, and remember, don't hurt that little beauty!~"
"Yes!"
The bandits raised their weapons and, like a pack of African hyenas, lunged at Kong Xingzhuo.
Seeing this, Han Chi Jiao quickly pushed Kong Xingzhuo. "Quick, give me a weapon!"
"Stand still!~" Kong Xingzhuo's expression was serious, his earlier flippancy gone. At this moment, he exuded a strong masculine aura.
Han Chi Jiao was somewhat lost in thought. For a moment, she truly hoped the bandits wouldn't harm this man...
Just as everyone rushed forward, Kong Xingzhuo drew his dagger with a 'swish', then leaped into the air and threw it fiercely in the direction of the big bearded man.
'Whoosh!~'
The sharp dagger cut through the cold air. Before the bandits could make a move, the big bearded man let out a scream and fell crookedly from his horse...
As the saying goes, to shoot a person, first shoot their horse; to capture a thief, first capture their leader. As long as the bandit leader died, the other small fries would not pose a threat.
"L-老大? The boss is dead!~"
"What do we do now? The boss is dead, are we still going to rob women?"
"Rob what? That kid can jump three feet high, he's more agile than a monkey. Let's retreat!"
"Right, right, let's go back, divide the treasure, and go our separate ways!~"
"......"
The bandits scattered, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Kong Xingzhuo walked to the big bearded man's corpse, pulled out his dagger, and then kicked him into the snowdrift.
"Hmph, you've done too many wicked things in this life. I hope you'll be a good person in your next life..." Kong Xingzhuo said.
Han Chi Jiao opened her mouth, wanting to praise Kong Xingzhuo, but the words caught in her throat. She turned away with a blush, picked up the rope from the ground, and began to tie her own feet.
Seeing this, Kong Xingzhuo asked curiously, "Han Chi Jiao, what are you doing?"
She suddenly became so obedient that he was a little unaccustomed to it...
Han Chi Jiao said, "Aren't you afraid I'll run away? I'm tying myself up, so you can rest assured now!~"
Kong Xingzhuo put his hand to his forehead and sighed. As long as you don't bite people randomly, it's fine.
In the afterglow of the sunset, two figures cast long shadows in the snow, slowly heading into the distance...
At the same time, in Da Shui Village, Old Yun's house.
"Daddy, Mommy, please come with me to the county town later. Eldest sister-in-law and Shanshan sister can also come along!~" Xiao Xi Tian said with a sweet smile.
The snow outside had stopped, and the whole family was having lunch together.
Now that the dairy cows were raised, Xiao Xi Tian's money-making plan was about to get on track, and it was time to rent a storefront in the county town...
Old Man Yun grunted and murmured, "It's fine to take a look. If we rent the shop, there will be renovations and trouble. Then Dad and your elder brother will stay there and help the craftsmen with their work!~"
The whole family would definitely support their little daughter's business with both hands.
After all, they didn't spend a penny on buying the dairy cows, and the more than seven hundred taels of silver in the house were also earned by their little daughter selling wild game, so whatever she said, went...
Gu Shi nodded, still a little worried. "Daughter, opening a shop is a good thing, but it's winter now, and there are few customers, and not many people eating. Should we rent the shop first and wait until spring next year?"
She knew her daughter was very opinionated, but she couldn't just watch the restaurant lose money...
Xiao Xi Tian put down her chopsticks and said with a sweet smile, "I know, Mommy. By the time the shop is completely renovated, it will be almost Chinese New Year. So it's not too late to open after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month!~"
Ancient craftsmen were slow to renovate, and everything had to be made with care. Slow work leads to fine work, and without modern equipment, the construction period would be delayed...
Moreover, Xiao Xi Tian also had to design renovation blueprints, purchase materials, and prepare materials, all of which required time.
Gu Shi listened and rubbed Xiao Xi Tian's head. "Okay, after lunch, Mommy will accompany you to the county town!~"
She no longer regarded her daughter as a lucky charm, but as the apple of her eye.
Gu Shi didn't ask her to earn much money for the family; she only hoped her daughter would grow up happily in the Old Yun family.
Upon hearing that they were going to see the shop, Zhao Guihua was naturally very happy. Her sister-in-law was opening a restaurant for her, and she didn't have to spend a penny. This was truly a godsend...
Du Tie Shan silently shoveled rice into her mouth, not saying a word.
After lunch, Yun Da Man borrowed a horse-drawn sled from the village chief. With everything ready, the family set off.