117: Don't laugh at the muddy wine of the farmers

On the village road, Xu Qi'an followed behind Niu Li, and the surrounding villagers all showed curious gazes.

"Hey! Niu Li, where is that person behind you from? He's fair-skinned and clean-looking. Is he a merchant or someone going to take the imperial examination?"

An old man in a gray robe, over fifty years old, was smoking a dry pipe by the village path and shouted.

As soon as Niu Li saw it was his third uncle, he smiled and said, "Third Uncle, stop smoking that dry pipe of yours, be careful you don't suck your last breath into it!"

"This is Lu brother, he's here to stay for the night."

"Third Uncle, I won't chat with you anymore, we're leaving now!"

Niu Li responded, casually exchanged a few words, and then prepared to leave with Xu Qi'an.

The old man in the gray robe shook his head and sighed, "These past few days haven't been peaceful, Niu Li, you must be careful!"

After speaking, the old man disappeared down the village road while smoking his dry pipe.

Xu Qi'an slightly observed the energy flow within this person.

Blood energy was decaying, and the roots of illness were growing.

His Lifespan was likely no more than five years.

Niu Li smiled and said, "Old people just like to be suspicious, Lu brother, please don't mind him."

Xu Qi'an nodded slightly.

Next, the two walked for a while and arrived at a courtyard that was neither big nor small.

Niu Li's house was a thatched cottage built with wood.

However, the area occupied by this thatched cottage was already considerable within the village.

Just as the two stepped into the courtyard, two people heard the sound and came out to greet them.

One of them was a woman wearing coarse cloth with a few wrinkles on her face; she had a smiling face when she saw Niu Li return.

Holding a child of about eight years old by the hand, she stood at the doorway waiting, and then called out affectionately.

"Ah Niu, you're back! The food is ready."

She then saw Xu Qi'an and asked doubtfully, "Who is this Young Master?"

Niu Li smiled and said, "This is Lu brother, who is passing by our Xiao Cui Village and plans to stay for a night. I ran into him and brought him to our house."

"Don't we have a spare room empty? A Hua, quickly clean it up later. We can't let my Lu brother not even have a place to sleep peacefully."

The woman immediately became enthusiastic and said with a face full of smiles, "So it's Lu brother, please come in quickly."

"You haven't eaten yet, right? Let's eat first. After eating, I'll clean up right away."

"Yes, yes, yes, let's eat first!" Niu Li said with a smile.

He pulled Xu Qi'an and walked towards the house.

Xu Qi'an was slightly taken aback, but he didn't refuse.

And the woman went back to the kitchen on the side.

Xu Qi'an was seated by Niu Li on a wooden stool, while he walked to a clay pot inside the house, picked up a bowl, and poured something.

Xu Qi'an scanned the environment inside the house.

A few yellowed wooden stools, a slightly uneven wooden table, and some wooden farm tools were all that was inside the house.

On the table were three ceramic bowls with white bottoms and black edges, three pairs of wooden chopsticks, a large basin of watery porridge, and two small bowls of pickles.

"Is this a farmer's dinner for one day?"

Xu Qi'an was also slightly surprised to see this food.

Because it was truly quite simple.

And the eight-year-old child sitting beside him looked at Xu Qi'an with a face full of curiosity, and then asked softly.

"Uncle, are you a Husband from the county?"

Xu Qi'an was slightly taken aback when he heard this.

He then chuckled softly, "Have you ever seen such a young Husband?"

The child shook his head, "I don't know. I've never seen a Husband before, but Daddy has always wanted me to go to a private school to study and achieve fame."

"And he keeps saying how good it would be if a Husband was willing to take me in."

"Then if Uncle isn't a Husband, what does he do? Niu Niu is very curious."

The eyes of the child named Niu Niu were full of curious starlight.

"Me?" Xu Qi'an smiled and said.

"I am merely a traveler who eats the wind and drinks the dew."

"Hmm?" Niu Niu was very confused.

Before he could ask in detail, Niu Li walked up and interrupted him.

"Oh! What are you saying, child?"

"Hey! Lu brother, try the yellow wine I brewed myself!"

"Although this wine can't compare to the fragrant fine wines in the city, it has its own unique flavor when served."

Niu Li brought a bowl of yellowish wine to Xu Qi'an and said enthusiastically.

Xu Qi'an responded and nodded.

"Thank you, Brother Niu, for your hospitality."

"Hahaha, what are you being polite for?" Niu Li sat on the wooden stool, slapped his thigh, and laughed.

At this moment, the woman also came in from the kitchen carrying a plate.

"Cured meat is here!"

Chen Xiu smiled and placed the plate full of cured meat on the table.

The child beside him immediately had his eyes light up.

Xu Qi'an was slightly taken aback when he saw the only plate of meat on the table.

One must know that farming families do not bring out their prized meat unless it is a festival or holiday.

He couldn't help but feel some emotion.

Farmers eat simple meals daily, yet they offer precious meat to their guests.

Farmers are always poor and hardworking, but most are simple and honest.

And they are very warm and generous towards guests.

"Lu brother, there really isn't much food, making you laugh." Niu Li smiled somewhat unnaturally.

Xu Qi'an waved his hand, "Brother Niu is joking. I am used to eating the wind and drinking the dew; I regard these things as treasures when I encounter them."

"There is nothing to laugh at or be embarrassed about."

"Instead, I have troubled you."

Then Xu Qi'an drank the yellow wine in the bowl in one gulp, without circulating his spiritual energy to dispel the alcohol's effects.

Instantly, a spicy and stimulating sensation flowed down Xu Qi'an's throat.

"Good wine!"

This yellow wine had a unique flavor.

Niu Li and the woman smiled when they saw Xu Qi'an's satisfied look.

"Come, eat meat!"

......

At night, Xu Qi'an lay on the bed in the side room.

A pile of thatch was wrapped beneath the bed, and a thick cloth was placed on top of the thatch.

This was to minimize Xu Qi'an's discomfort caused by the wrinkles in the thatch.

It was clear that the Old Woman had put a lot of effort into it.

Xu Qi'an lay on the bed, secretly pondering everything that had happened today.

"Mortal World?"

"Is this the Mortal World?"

Xu Qi'an had some insights, but not many yet.

He decided to leave Xiao Cui Village tomorrow and continue to comprehend the Time Domain in the Mortal World.

Next, he sat up, closed his eyes, and regulated his breathing.

After a while, he suddenly heard extremely faint whispers coming from the room next door.

An ordinary person wouldn't be able to hear it, but Xu Qi'an was not an ordinary person.

"Ah Niu, do you think this Lu brother is from the county town? If we ask him, can our Niu Niu go to the private school?"

"What are you thinking, woman? He's just passing by, not related to us. How can we possibly ask him for help?"

"Can't we ask? It's such a rare opportunity. I observed Lu brother at the dinner table earlier; he must be someone from a prominent family. Helping us small farmers would be effortless for him!"

"If we miss this opportunity, who else can we count on?"

"Are we going to rely on your fifth uncle? That guy has been taking our money, saying he will definitely get it done, get it done, but it's been so long, and we haven't seen any progress!"

"Are we going to watch Niu Niu become a farmer just like us, for his whole life?"

Speaking of this, the woman gradually began to sob.

"Alas! I..."

Gradually, there was no sound in that room.

Xu Qi'an was silent.

The moonlight outside the window was bright, but there were still many places in the courtyard that were not illuminated.