Navigator: I have a double six-story house

Su Qing stepped into the small house.

The room was not large, and sunlight streamed through the wooden windows, falling on a slightly patinated wooden table.

A pot of stewed meat soup sits in the center of the table, steaming hot. Around the soup are two wooden plates with several pieces of black bread on them.

Wang Yao didn't stand on ceremony and plopped down in the chair. Iron Shield leaned against the table leg with a thud.

He fanned the white steam towards his nose with his hand.

"Brother Ham, your wife's cooking is absolutely amazing."

Wang Yao's nostrils twitched, and he looked completely absorbed.

Old Ham didn't say anything, casually hanging his straw hat on the back of the chair, revealing a head of short, gray hair.

However, the upward curve of her lips was impossible to suppress.

"The first time I tasted her soup, I knew I was destined to be with her for life."

Su Qing sat down next to Wang Yao, but instead of putting down her musket like Wang Yao, she relaxed her shoulders slightly as she leaned back in her chair.

Footsteps came from the direction of the kitchen, and a middle-aged woman came out carrying a plate of sliced ​​pickled cucumbers.

She was slightly plump with rosy cheeks, as if they had been roasted by firewood. She wore an apron stained with oil and her hair was wrapped in a blue cloth.

Upon seeing the two young men sitting at the table, she immediately glared at the old man.

"They didn't even give us a heads-up about the guests coming, so I haven't prepared anything."

Old Ham didn't argue back, he just chuckled foolishly.

Wang Yao immediately stood up. "Hello, sister-in-law!"

Su Qing also stood up and nodded slightly in greeting.

The woman looked the two of them up and down, her gaze filled with the gentleness of an elder looking at a younger person.

"Okay, okay."

The woman placed the pickled cucumbers on the dining table, then pulled up her apron and wiped her hands.

"You guys eat first, don't wait for me, I'll get some more food."

"Drink the soup while it's hot; it doesn't taste as good when it's cold."

After saying that, he turned around and went back to the kitchen.

Old Ham had already picked up a spoon and started ladling soup. He ladled a bowl for Wang Yao, then for Su Qing, and finally for himself.

His bowl contained almost no meat, only soup.

Su Qing picked up the wooden spoon on the table, scooped up a spoonful of meat soup, and put it in her mouth.

The rich, hot broth, infused with a wonderful aroma, bursts in your mouth.

Wonderful!

Su Qing scooped up another spoonful, along with tender chunks of meat, and slowly chewed it.

The meat chunks were stewed until tender and melted in your mouth.

His hands moved slightly faster without his noticing, and he picked up the black bread, dipped it in the soup, and ate it.

The aroma of wheat and the richness of the broth intertwine in the mouth, converging into a warm current that travels all the way to the stomach.

Su Qing chewed each bite carefully, her movements neither hurried nor slow.

The wariness I felt subtly faded a bit.

Wang Yao had already finished his second bowl of wine, his lips glistening with oil, as he chatted with the old man while eating.

"Brother Ham, you've been living here all this time? Never thought about going out for a walk?"

Old Ham waved his hand.

"I've never left the vicinity of Mofang Village in my entire life. The farthest I've ever gone was to the market in the town on the other side of the mountain, where I bought a calf."

He tapped the table with his finger, his tone filled with satisfaction.

"Plant some crops, look at the sky, that's enough."

"I, an old man, am quite envious of the lives of you adventurers."

He leaned forward, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Young men, could you tell this old man some stories about the outside world?"

"My greatest hobby in this life is listening to strange and wonderful stories told by people from outside the village."

Wang Yao scratched the back of his head.

"Brother Ham, to be honest, we're both newbies on the road, and we don't really have any earth-shattering adventures to tell."

Su Qing didn't reply, and continued eating slowly with her head down.

"How about I tell you something else?" Wang Yao's eyes suddenly lit up, and he raised half of his body.

"I love listening to any story from outside the village!" Old Ham slapped his thigh.

"Alright then." Wang Yao cleared his throat, put his chopsticks on the table, and struck a storyteller's pose. "Let me tell you, in a very, very far place, there is a continent called Arad..."

Su Qing buried her head in her food, listening to Wang Yao's vivid descriptions: what a ghost swordsman, what a Heavenly Emperor, what an apostle.

Old Ham listened with great interest, while the occasional sound of chopping vegetables drifted from the kitchen.

The sunlight streaming in through the window shifted slightly.

Su Qing put the last piece of meat in the bowl into her mouth, chewed it, and swallowed it.

My whole body feels warm and comfortable.

It wasn't the warm current that comes with gaining experience points, but rather a sense of satisfaction that spread from the bottom of my stomach, like snuggling into a warm bed in winter.

He leaned back in his chair, feeling at ease, and unconsciously rested the musket on the table.

Wang Yao was telling the story of the dark elves of the Arad continent, and Old Ham listened with great amazement.

The atmosphere was so warm and cozy, it felt like chatting with an elderly neighbor.

During a break in the story, Old Ham refilled their soup and casually remarked something.

"I see that you two young men are tired. Those who risk their lives and fight outside must be exhausted."

He paused, then stirred the soup in the pot with a spoon.

"Why don't you just stay here and not leave?"

"There are empty houses in the village, and enough land to cultivate. I'll teach you. Life may be a bit mundane, but it's stable and fulfilling."

The bread in Wang Yao's hand stopped in mid-air.

He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then a big smile spread across his face.

"OK."

These two words came out of Wang Yao's mouth as casually as if he were answering "The weather is nice today".

The warmth that had enveloped Su Qing was instantly drained away at that moment.

He suddenly sat up straight, looking down at his hands.

Place your right hand on the table and let your left hand hang down naturally.

The musket was simply leaning casually against the dining table.

He asked himself, "What am I doing?"

I went inside, sat down, ate, listened to Wang Yao chat, and finished eating.

What was he thinking about while he ate? He was thinking...

I wasn't thinking about anything.

Su Qing's pupils contracted slightly.

He was an orphan, an abandoned orphan, an orphan who was always highly vigilant about his surroundings.

I actually relaxed while sitting in a hellish dungeon.

He raised his head and looked at Wang Yao opposite him.

Wang Yao leaned his iron shield against the table leg, rested his arm on the table, and leaned forward to chat with the old man.

Su Qing then looked at the old man.

Old Ham was smiling as he explained to Wang Yao which plot of land in the village was fertile and which was suitable for growing radishes.

Su Qing's left hand silently reached back to the handle of the musket.

The faint smile still lingered on his lips, but his gaze shifted from Old Ham to Wang Yao's face.

Wang Yao was still smiling.

He said, "Okay, I won't leave, I'll stay."

Su Qing suddenly remembered what Wang Yao had said before they entered the village.

"I want to make a lot of money, then go to the countryside to buy a piece of land and bring Zhang's mother and the other children over."

The sunlight outside the window was still so warm, and the aroma of stewed meat soup still filled the room.

"Bang!"

A shot rang out.