The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 224: Licking the Calf (Part ) (Additional chapter for the reward to the leader who read this book!)

Qu Jing spent her first night at the village chief's house squeezed on the kang with several of the village chief's granddaughters.

Although there was no quilt and they could only cover themselves with straw, at least they had a kang, which could protect them from the wind and rain. The conditions were much better than those in the tree. Qu Jing happily ate sweet potatoes and eggs before going to sleep, and slept until dawn.

The next morning, everyone drank porridge with half a sweet potato, but Qu Jing was the only one who had a full breakfast. The sweet potato and porridge were enough to fill you up. You could eat as much as you wanted, and if not enough, you could cook more.

Seeing Qu Jing squatting in the yard, staring at the chicken and eating sweet potatoes like yesterday, the village chief's wife whispered to the village chief: "I think he really has a big appetite."

The village chief said that it was not his family's food that they were eating anyway: "It's okay, Lao Qu can afford it."

"Is it stupid?"

The village chief's wife was not very sure. She stared at Qu Jing for a few more times and said, "She shouldn't be that stupid."

The village chief thought that was enough: "Teach them more. There were two rabbits in the basket of food that Lao Qu brought this morning. When the chicken lays an egg, boil one for Qu Jing. Lao Qu said he would trade for the skin."

Qu Jing heard the eggs from a distance and ran to the village head's wife, waiting to eat the eggs.

The village chief laughed: "I don't think he is stupid at all. He is much smarter than our dog."

Goudan eating sweet potato:?
In this way, Qu Jing lived in the village chief's house for more than a week.

The village chief's wife was undoubtedly an expert in raising children, and she basically taught Qu Jing like a child, teaching her how to wash her face, how to wash her hair, how to put on clothes, what not to eat, what not to touch, and how to use chopsticks.

Qu Jing just had no experience as a human being for the first time, but he was not really stupid. Of course he could learn such things once taught. Apart from not talking and looking like he was 1 years old, he was simply a smart kid.

After teaching for a while, the village head's wife was confused and often muttered: "Is this stupid or not?"

“Is this smart or stupid?”

"Why do I feel that this girl is quite smart despite being stupid?"

Finally, when the village chief's wife was wondering whether Qu Jing was a child prodigy or a fool with a burned-out brain, the bed for Qu the Hunter's family was ready.

Qu the Hunter came to pick up his granddaughter.

It was his first time raising a child, and he was raising a granddaughter instead of his own children. Qu Liehu was a little excited.

Hunter Qu brought some snacks - maltose.

It wasn't much, just a piece of candy as long as a little finger, which was absolutely rare in that era. When the grandchildren of the village chief saw such a big piece of candy, their tears of envy flowed directly from the corners of their mouths. If their own grandfather wasn't there, they would have wanted to hug Qu Liehu and call him grandpa.

"Jingjing, do you remember me? I'm your grandfather." Qu Liehu was a little nervous and a little expectant.

Qu Jing nodded, her eyes fixed on the maltose.

Qu the Hunter grinned and chuckled happily, then stuffed the candy into Qu Jing's mouth, and Qu Jing decisively put the candy into her mouth.

The village chief's wife packed all the clothes that Qu Jing could wear, not many, just three sets. But compared to other children of the same age, it was definitely a lot. Children in the village chief's family usually only had two sets of clothes to wear inside, and a thin outer shirt on the outside. The outer clothes were the ones that were dirty or torn.

It is a pity that the same cannot be said for pants, as they have a high wear and tear rate. This may be why the children next door to the village chief have no pants to wear.

The village chief's wife not only packed up the clothes, but also gave Qu Jing's bowl to Qu the hunter, telling him how much Qu Jing should eat at each meal. She kept nagging him, saying that the child was a little silly, but not particularly silly. There was a bit of intelligence in her sillyness. At least she knew how much she should eat to be full at each meal, and would stare at people when she was hungry.

I can identify food, make fire, and cook sweet potatoes by myself.

The village chief's wife told Qu the hunter not to worry when he went up the mountain to hunt, because the children at home would cook for themselves if they were hungry.

Finally, the village head's wife said that Qu the hunter lived too close to the mountain, and she was worried about her children going there. If Qu Jing wanted to find someone to play with, she could come to the village. These days, the children in the village all knew Qu Jing.

The only fool in the village, well-known.

Hunter Qu led Qu Jing towards the wooden house at the foot of the mountain.

The house of Qu Liehu is a wooden house, and there are many processed furs in the house. Before Qu Liehu said that he asked a carpenter to make a bed, Qin Huai didn't react. After staying at the village chief's house for two days, Qin Huai realized that there were not many families with beds in this village, and most of them had kangs.

The weather in the north is cold and every household is poor. The village chief's family only has three quilts, and the children in the family sleep together under straw.

Compared with the conditions in the village, the conditions in Du Fu's poem, "The cloth quilt has been cold for many years and is as cold as iron. The child slept on it and tore it." are already considered good conditions. At least there is a bed and quilt. Many families in the village only have half a quilt.

The quilt contains cotton mixed with straw.

Qu the Hunter made a small bed for Qu Jing.

A small bed that looks ordinary but is actually very domineering.

There was a tiger skin draped over the bed.

In addition to the tiger skin, there was also a quilt that was obviously newly made. As a hunter, Qu Shan had plenty of furs, so in addition to the tiger skin, Qu Jing's bed was also covered with some other furs, which looked warm.

Because he lived alone, the wooden house of Qu Liehu was not big, but it had a lot of stuff. Hunting rifles, knives and bows were hung on the wall. He did not have a hoe like every household in the village, and he did not lock up the food. Sweet potatoes and rice were placed in the bedroom, and the salt jar was placed on the cabinet. The firewood was piled everywhere, from the bedroom to the living room to the kitchen. It can be seen that Qu Liehu did not pay much attention to tidying up when he lived alone.

At the same time, it also highlights how wise it was for the village chief's wife to try to teach Qu Jing how to cook sweet potatoes.

Hunter Qu took Qu Jing around the house, told her where everything was, then gave her the key, stuffed two newly bought wood sculptures into her hands, and went to the kitchen to cook.

Qu Jing, like Chen Huihong, was very fond of wood carvings. They had a lot of fun playing with them, holding them in their arms like treasures. They only looked around the house carefully after Qu the Hunter entered the kitchen.

Qu Jing avoided the knife hanging on the wall, reached out and poked the tiger skin that was used as a quilt on the bed, sat down happily, and continued to play with wood carving.

For dinner we had boiled cornmeal with wild vegetables and pickled meat.

Compared with wild vegetable porridge with sweet potatoes, this was undoubtedly a luxurious meal. Qu Jing took the big bowl she brought from the village chief's house and ate three bowls in a row. When she was full, she put the bowl down and didn't eat more. Seeing that Qu Jing really knew not to eat when she was full as the village chief's wife said, Qu Hunter was relieved and praised happily: "Our Jingjing is really smart."

Qu Jing opened her eyes wide and looked at Qu Liehu without any response. She silently fetched water to wash her own bowl, then sat on the bed to play with her wood carving.

When Qu Liehu saw that Qu Jing could fetch water and wash dishes, he praised her again: "Our Jingjing is really capable."

Qu Jing still didn't respond, but Qin Huai keenly noticed that the corners of Qu Jing's mouth slightly raised.

In the next few days, Qu Jing lived a normal life in Qu Liehu's home.

Qu the hunter went up the mountain to hunt almost every day. He would go out at dawn and come back in the afternoon or evening.

Of course, not every day brings rewards.

When you are unlucky, you will get nothing. Generally, you can catch a few rabbits and bird eggs. When you are luckier, you can catch pheasants and foxes.

The people in the nearby villages knew the hunters' daily routine very well, and they would come to exchange things at night. They would basically barter, exchanging food, salt, and cloth for prey or furs.

Basically every villager who came to exchange things would look at Qu Jing curiously, and then sigh in a low voice that Qu the hunter actually adopted a little fool. This fool is so lucky, at least he won't have to worry about food and clothing in the next few years.

On the fifth night after Qu Jing moved into the wooden house, another family tried to take a chance and threw a child who could not even walk at the door of Qu the hunter's house.

Hearing the crying of the child, Qu the Hunter didn't even turn on the light. He stood up skillfully, carrying the child and walked towards the village chief's house.

Qu Jing sat quietly on the bed, watching the back of Qu Hunter going away in the moonlight. Then he got up, dressed, and sat at the door waiting.

When Qu Hunter came back, he was startled to see Qu Jing at the door and said with concern: "Jingjing, it's so cold outside, let's go in and sit down."

After saying that, Hunter Qu took Qu Jing into the house, lit the kerosene lamp, and went into the room to get cornmeal.

"Are you hungry? Grandpa will cook some cornmeal for you."

"Why don't you support him?" Qu Jing asked.

Qu Jingdi's sudden words startled Qu Liehu, who stood there in a daze.

"I heard from them that they adopt children who don't remember anything. He is a boy, he doesn't remember anything, and he eats less than me. It's more cost-effective to raise him than me," said Qu Jing.

Qu Liehu was overjoyed: "Jingjing, you can speak!"

Qu Jing: ...

After the ecstasy, Qu Liehu calmed down and patiently explained: "I have no fate with that child."

"Are you and I destined to be together?" Qu Jing asked.

"I found you in the mountains. Of course, we are destined to be together."

Qu Jing looked at Qu Liehu and said, "Will you sell me out?"

"of course not."

"Will it eat me?"

Hunter Qu frowned: "Your parents are trying to scare you with these words? It's not like they've been suffering from drought for several years and can't survive. Who would be willing to eat their own children?"

"Don't believe this nonsense. He is so outspoken and tells the children everything."

Qu Jing stopped talking.

Qu Liehu hesitated for a moment, and said a little embarrassedly: "Jingjing, you know that I am your grandfather now, right?"

Qu Jing nodded.

"Can you call me grandpa?"

Qu Jing didn't say anything.

Hunter Qu was a little disappointed, but didn't say anything. He found the bag of cornmeal and walked to the kitchen with the bag.

"Grandpa." Qu Jing said crisply.

"I heard them say that you raised me so that I could take care of you in your old age and see you to the end of your life."

"I will, I swear."

"As long as I am alive, I will take care of you until the end of your life."

Qu Liehu was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth. "You kid, why are you swearing to live? Bah, bah, bah, don't talk nonsense."

"You take my last name, and I'll name you my granddaughter. Grandpa doesn't need you to take care of me in my old age. I've saved up a lot of money. If you fall in love with a boy in a few years, I'll prepare a dowry for you. You can marry into the village and don't have to live at the foot of the mountain. It's better than anything else."

"Jingjing, can you call me grandpa again?"

"grandfather."

"Eh!"

(End of this chapter)