Chapter 213: Female Neighbor

"Sold it, exchanged it for food!" The boy patted his belly. "It's in here!"

He Lingchuan gave a dark laugh, drew his long saber, and pressed the back of the blade against his belly, sliding it upward. "If you ate my stuff, then squeeze it out for me!"

The coldness unique to metal scared the boy into retreating, shouting, "There's law in Panlongcheng, you can't kill me!"

"There's law in Panlongcheng, so why did you dare to steal?" Although the brat was young, he was a habitual offender who wouldn't listen to reason. He Lingchuan asked the woman, "What did you lose?"

"An IOU, and a Redemption Order."

A Redemption Order? He Lingchuan was stunned. How could a commoner's family have such a thing?

The woman shook the boy like a little puppet. "Who sent you to steal from my house?"

The boy shook his head. "No one, I was hungry and needed to find something to eat. Your house is too poor, not even a grain of rice, so I just took whatever."

"Are you literate? Or did someone write the words 'Redemption Order' for you to recognize beforehand?" The woman found it funny. "Otherwise, I have plenty of books in my room, why didn't you just take one?"

It would be strange if a six- or seven-year-old little thief could read.

The boy stopped making noise, his mouth shut tighter than a clam, but his eyes said, "What can you do to me?" "Who did you give the Redemption Order to?"

The boy blinked.

He Lingchuan took some broken silver from his bosom and dangled it in front of him, but before he could speak, the woman pushed his hand back. "No need to ask, just send him to the officials; they have specialists to ask."

"Can they ask it out of him?" This was the first time He Lingchuan had seen someone with confidence in the efficiency of the government.

"A Redemption Order is no small matter; stealing this is an insult to a hero, and the government will handle it strictly once they receive it." The woman patted the boy's head. "He's too young to have his hands chopped off, so it'll probably be changed to having characters tattooed on his face, constantly reminding others that he's a thief."

If he had characters tattooed on his face, would he have any way to survive in Panlongcheng in the future? The boy was shocked, his attitude softening immediately. "Big sister... little sister, have mercy, I didn't do it on purpose!"

He turned to beg He Lingchuan, tears welling up. "I have a three-year-old sister; if I get caught, she won't have anything to eat!"

He Lingchuan remained a cold bystander. His loss was minimal, so let the biggest victim handle this brat.

The woman was unmoved. "Where is my Redemption Order, who exactly has it?"

"City, by the Cheng Lake in the west, in the hands of Liu Tailai, everyone calls him Er Gunzi."

"So it was him." The woman nodded.

Just then, a few government runners walked by. The woman waved to stop them, pointing at the boy and saying this thief had stolen from seven households.

The boy was furious. "I told the truth, why are you still sending me to the officials?"

"If I don't send you to the officials, how can I recover my lost property?" she said lightly. "I'm a weak woman, do I have the ability to snatch the Redemption Order back from Liu Er Gunzi?"

The two runners were moved when they heard "Redemption Order." "This brat actually stole a Redemption Order?"

"He confessed that he was instigated by Liu Tailai, Liu Er Gunzi, in the west of the city. That guy lends black-market loans; my brother owed him a large sum of money before he died, and he wanted me to continue paying the debt, so he sent this brat to steal the Redemption Order."

He Lingchuan listened from the side, feeling that this plot was somewhat familiar.

The woman pointed at He Lingchuan again. "This little thief also stole from six other households nearby; this one is also a victim, he lost a bundle of firewood and two fish."

The runners carefully recorded it and then asked, "What is your name?"

"Sun Fuling."

"We'll take him back first, and we'll ask you if there are any questions."

He Lingchuan looked at the expressions of the two, knowing they only cared about the Redemption Order.

And then the two runners took the boy away.

He Lingchuan looked at his short, thin back. "He was begging for mercy so pitifully, I thought you would soften your heart."

Women loved to soften their hearts, like Lady Ying.

"The city has city rules; if everyone softens their hearts and acts out of personal favor, that's having small benevolence without great righteousness."

He Lingchuan was filled with respect.

The woman paused before continuing, "Besides, last time on Ma Liu Street, he was caught stealing, and it was the same excuse."

She turned back to push the door—the door next to He Lingchuan's.

"You live here too?" Only one wall apart.

Come to think of it, he had never paid attention to who lived next door, only seeing that the eastern neighbor had a child on the night the Emperor Flow arrived. But this woman was his western neighbor.

Anyway, this was just a dream, wasn't it?

"Yes, it seems we're neighbors." The woman looked at his wooden door. "That brat came specifically for my Redemption Order, but took your things on the side, sorry."

As soon as she finished speaking, He Lingchuan heard a rumbling sound.

The woman covered her lower abdomen and took a step back. Although she wore a face veil, He Lingchuan seemed to be able to see her embarrassment.

Remembering the little thief's words, "Your house doesn't even have a grain of rice," He Lingchuan's heart stirred, and he handed over an oil-paper bag. "Here, this is a token of gratitude for catching the thief."

The woman wanted to refuse, but smelling the fragrance seeping out of the oil paper, she took it. "Thank you!"

After He Lingchuan was full, he had packed a lotus leaf chicken at Yixiang Pavilion, originally intending to have it as a midnight snack. This was the tavern's signature dish, using seven spices, including sand ginger powder, which were ingredients sent into the city by merchants from other places. It was salty, fresh, and juicy. He Lingchuan had eaten a whole one himself and still hadn't had enough.

The woman probably smiled, because He Lingchuan saw her almond eyes squint into slits. Then the two said goodbye and pushed their doors open respectively.

The whole afternoon, He Lingchuan practiced martial arts in the courtyard, while next door was quiet, as always.

He didn't take it too much to heart. The Panlong Wasteland had strong winds and sand, and the sun was fierce. Although Panlongcheng was located on the Chipa Plateau, it couldn't escape it. Many people here had the habit of wearing face veils when going out, revealing only a pair of eyes to block the wind, sand, and strong light. He often saw it on the road.

When the sun was about to set, he heard the woman's door being knocked, and people talking.

He Lingchuan had good hearing and could hear the conversation from his own courtyard.

It was the runners who had come to the door, asking for details from the victim again, and promising her that the case would be investigated to the end to give justice to the hero's family.

Then they left.

He Lingchuan finished his practice and took a cold shower. Just as he put on his pants, the courtyard door suddenly rang.

The people he knew should all be lying at home drunk by now.

Opening the door, a girl of seventeen or eighteen stood outside. Although she was dressed in plain clothes without decoration, she was still as pretty as someone who had walked out of a painting.

A new face? He Lingchuan was slightly stunned. "Who are you looking for?"

The girl smiled at him, and a small dimple appeared on her left cheek.

"I'm Sun Fuling." She raised her head, generous and natural. "Your neighbor."

"Oh!" He Lingchuan looked again, and sure enough, those almond eyes were somewhat familiar.

She held a bundle of firewood in her left hand and moved it quickly toward He Lingchuan when she saw him. "I heard the sound of water. You shouldn't have firewood or charcoal to boil water for warmth, right? Reciprocity."

Since she called it a return gift, He Lingchuan took the firewood.

A big bundle, very heavy.

"The lotus leaf chicken was delicious." The female neighbor nodded at him. "The signature dish of Yixiang Pavilion, very expensive, right?"

He Lingchuan blurted out, "How did you know it was from Yixiang Pavilion?"

"... There's a mark on the inside of the oil-paper bag."

"Oh." He didn't know where his sharp tongue in reality had gone; clearly, "He Lingchuan" could tease any big girl or little daughter-in-law he met, speaking right off the cuff.

The two fell into a strange silence.

The female neighbor moved her feet first. "Then see you later..."

By some strange whim, He Lingchuan opened his mouth inexplicably: "Do you want to come in and sit for a while?"

Every time he entered the dream, it was either practicing martial arts or fighting; he had almost never had a proper conversation with the ordinary residents of Panlongcheng.

Her almond eyes squinted again.

"Okay."

The woman followed He Lingchuan into the small courtyard and looked around.

The weather was very cold, but the room was really too small; once the bed was placed, there was no room for people to sit, unless both sat on the bed. That was clearly too rude, so He Lingchuan moved the only stool out and said casually, "Please sit, I'll go pour you a glass of water."

After he finished speaking, he was stunned himself. The courtyard hadn't been lit all day, where would there be cold boiled water?

Let the guest drink raw water? There was wine in the room, good wine. But if he took out wine, would it look like he had bad intentions?

The female neighbor waved her hand very considerately. "No need, really no need, I'm not thirsty."

He Lingchuan still went into the kitchen to move a small stove out, starting a fire to boil water, and also to warm the two of them. "Is your brother Sun Jiayuan?"

"Yes, the compensation has already been delivered." Sun Fuling's gaze turned to him. "You being able to survive shows that your ability is greater than his."

"Just good luck." Just relying on not dying in the dream.

He thought to himself that Sun Jiayuan's sister was really beautiful, not like him at all, especially when she raised her eyes, they were bright and spirited, as if she could see to the bottom of a person's heart.

"I was at the scene when your brother sacrificed himself. Actually, I almost followed in his footsteps." He Lingchuan stirred the ashes in the stove. "Before he died, he specifically asked us if becoming a hero could write off old debts."

To his surprise, Sun Fuling's eyes and tone were equally calm. "He really is hopeless, to think of such a way."

The ashes were a bit big, and He Lingchuan almost sneezed. "He finally wrote off the debts he left behind, so as not to implicate you. By the way, does Sun Jiayuan also live here? I don't seem to have ever seen him nearby."

"No, he lived in an earthen shack." Sun Fuling said lightly. "What qualifications does a person with a mountain of bad debts have to live in a wooden shack?"

An earthen shack was the lowest-grade housing in Panlongcheng, only one grade higher than a slave's snail shell. The whole house was six square meters, barely enough to put a bed, and the remaining space wasn't enough for an adult to stretch their legs.

If He Lingchuan's wooden shack was for commoners, then the earthen shack was the standard for the poor.

"However, he would sometimes come here to mooch a meal." Sun Fuling's eyes were curious. "I heard from Liutiao that you also jumped into the Earth-Hole Spider's nest after my brother was killed?"

"Yes." The fire was lit, so He Lingchuan hurriedly set the pot and added water.

This fire was burning too slowly.

"Then did you see Zhu Xiuer? The leader of the Earth-Hole Spiders." Sun Fuling reached out to warm her hands by the fire. The firelight reflected in her eyes, bright and jumping, exceptionally mischievous.

The double activity ends on the evening of the 7th, SO, continue to ask for monthly tickets.

Thanks to Fairy Sister YL for the support.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 214 =====