Chapter 228: Filial Piety (Part 3) (Bonus chapter for the alliance leader reward from

Qu Jing's first night at the village chief's house was spent huddled on the kang with the village chief's granddaughters.

Although there was no quilt and she could only cover herself with rice straw, at least there was a kang, and it was in the house where she could shelter from the wind and rain. The conditions were much better than on the tree. Qu Jing ate the sweet potatoes and eggs happily before sleeping, and slept until dawn.

The next morning, everyone drank porridge with half a sweet potato. Only Qu Jing had a full breakfast, with sweet potatoes and porridge to her fill, eat as much as she wanted, and boil more if it wasn't enough.

Watching Qu Jing squatting in the courtyard gnawing on sweet potatoes while staring at the chickens just like yesterday, the village chief's wife muttered to the village chief in a low voice: "I think her appetite is really large."

The village chief indicated that it wasn't his family's grain anyway: "It's fine, Old Qu can afford it."

"Is she a fool?"

The village chief's wife wasn't very sure, and stared at Qu Jing for a few more glances: "She shouldn't be too stupid."

The village chief felt that this was enough: "Teach her more. There were two rabbits in the basket Old Qu sent this morning. When the chickens lay eggs later, boil one for Qu Jing. Old Qu said he'll exchange them with skins."

Qu Jing heard about the egg from far away, ran actively in front of the village chief's wife, waiting to eat the egg.

The village chief laughed heartily: "I see she's not a fool at all, smarter than our Gou Dan."

Gou Dan, who was gnawing on a sweet potato:?

Just like this, Qu Jing lived at the village chief's house for more than a week.

The village chief's wife was undoubtedly a master at raising children, basically teaching Qu Jing as if she were a child. Teaching her to wash her face, wash her hair, wear clothes, what couldn't be eaten, what couldn't be touched, and how to use chopsticks.

Qu Jing just didn't have experience being a human for the first time, and wasn't really a fool. Teaching such things was of course something she learned as soon as she was taught. Except for not speaking and looking 10 years old, she was simply a smart child.

By the time she was taught, the village chief's wife was confused, often muttering: "Is she really a fool or not?"

"Does this count as smart or stupid?"

"Why do I feel this girl is stupidly smart."

Finally, when the village chief's wife was confused about whether Qu Jing was a genius child or a fool with a burned brain, the bed at Hunter Qu's house was made.

Hunter Qu came to pick up his granddaughter.

Raising a child for the first time, and skipping children to raise a granddaughter, Hunter Qu was a little excited.

Hunter Qu brought a small snack—maltose.

Not much, just a piece of candy the length of a little finger, which was an absolute rarity in this era. Seeing such a large piece of candy, the village chief's grandsons and granddaughters had tears of envy flowing directly from the corners of their mouths, flowing long. Looking at that posture, if their own grandfather hadn't been present, they would have wished to hug Hunter Qu and call him Grandpa directly.

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

Qu Jing nodded, her eyes staring straight at the maltose.

Hunter Qu grinned, laughed happily, and stuffed the candy to Qu Jing. Qu Jing decisively stuffed the candy into her mouth.

The village chief's wife packed up all the clothes Qu Jing could wear. There weren't many, just three sets. However, among children of the same age, it was definitely considered a lot. Children in the village chief's house generally only had two sets of clothes to change into, worn inside, with a thin outer garment worn outside. Whether they were dirty or broken, it was the outer clothes.

It was a pity that pants couldn't be counted like this, as the wear rate was high, which might be why the children in the neighbor's house next to the village chief's house had no pants to wear.

The village chief's wife not only packed up the clothes, but also took Qu Jing's bowl and gave it to Hunter Qu, telling Hunter Qu how much Qu Jing ate per meal, and nagged Hunter Qu that this child was a bit of a fool, but not particularly stupid, stupid with a bit of smartness. At least she knew how much she could eat per meal, and would stare straight at people when she was hungry.

She knew grain, knew how to burn fire, and knew how to boil sweet potatoes herself.

The village chief's wife told Hunter Qu not to worry when he went up the mountain to hunt, the child would know how to cook for herself when she was hungry at home.

Finally, the village chief's wife said that Hunter Qu lived too close to the mountain, and she wasn't at ease with the children in her family going over. If Qu Jing wanted to find someone to play with, she could come to the village to find them. The children in the village all knew Qu Jing these days.

The only fool in the whole village, high popularity.

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

Hunter Qu's house was a wooden house, and there were many processed skins in the house. Before, when Hunter Qu said he was looking for a carpenter to make a bed, Qin Huai hadn't reacted. After staying at the village chief's house for two days, Qin Huai reacted that there weren't many families in this village who had beds, basically all were kangs.

It was cold in the north, and every household was poor. The village chief's house only had three cotton quilts, and the children in the family all slept huddled together covering themselves with rice straw.

Compared to the conditions in the village, the "cloth quilt is cold like iron for many years, the spoiled child sleeps badly and steps on the inside to tear" in Du Fu's poem was already considered a good condition. At least there was a quilt, while many families in the village only had half a quilt—

The inside of the quilt was cotton mixed with rice straw.

Hunter Qu made a small bed for Qu Jing.

A small bed that looked ordinary, but was very domineering.

A tiger skin was draped over the bed.

Besides the tiger skin, there was also a cotton quilt that one could tell at a glance was newly made. As a hunter, what Qu Shan lacked least was all kinds of skins, so besides the tiger skin, Qu Jing's small bed was also covered with some other skins, which looked warm.

Because he lived alone, Hunter Qu's wooden house wasn't large, but there were many things. Hunting rifles, knives, and bows were hung on the wall. There were no hoes that every household in the village had. Grain and such weren't locked up either. Sweet potatoes, rice, and flour were placed in the bedroom, the salt jar was placed on the cabinet, and firewood was piled everywhere, from the bedroom to the hall to the kitchen. It could be seen that Hunter Qu wasn't very focused on tidying up when he lived alone.

At the same time, it could also highlight how wise the village chief's wife's decision to try to teach Qu Jing to boil sweet potatoes was.

Hunter Qu led Qu Jing around the house, told Qu Jing where things were, then gave her the key, stuffed two newly bought wooden carvings to Qu Jing, and went to the kitchen to cook.

Qu Jing, like Chen Huihong, liked wooden carvings very much, played with the wooden carvings happily, held them in her arms like treasures, and only carefully sized up the house after Hunter Qu went into the kitchen.

Qu Jing avoided the knife hanging on the wall, reached out to poke the tiger skin used as a quilt on the bed, sat on it happily, and continued to play with the wooden carvings.

Dinner was boiled corn flour, with wild vegetables and cured meat added to the corn flour.

Compared to wild vegetable porridge with sweet potatoes, this was undoubtedly a luxury meal. Qu Jing held the large bowl brought from the village chief's house and ate three large bowls, and put down the bowl after she was full, not eating more. Seeing that Qu Jing really knew not to eat when she was full as the village chief's wife said, Hunter Qu was relieved and praised happily: "Our Jingjing is truly smart."

Qu Jing opened her eyes wide and looked at Hunter Qu without responding, silently fetched water to wash her own bowl, and sat on the bed to play with the wooden carvings.

Seeing that Qu Jing still knew how to fetch water and wash the bowl, Hunter Qu praised again: "Our Jingjing is truly capable."

Qu Jing still had no response, but Qin Huai keenly sensed that the corners of Qu Jing's mouth raised slightly.

For the next few days, Qu Jing lived normally at Hunter Qu's house.

Hunter Qu went up the mountain to hunt almost every day, going out at dawn every day and only returning in the late afternoon or evening.

Of course, there wasn't a harvest every day.

When luck was bad, he returned empty-handed. Under normal circumstances, he could catch a few wild rabbits and touch a few bird eggs. When luck was slightly better, he could catch wild chickens and foxes.

People in the nearby villages were very familiar with Hunter Qu's schedule, and those who wanted to exchange things all came in the evening. Basically, it was barter, exchanging prey or skins for grain, salt, and cloth.

Basically, every villager who exchanged things would curiously look at Qu Jing twice, and then sigh in a low voice that Hunter Qu actually really adopted a little fool, and this fool's life was too good, at least she wouldn't have to worry about food and clothing for these few years.

On the 5th night after Qu Jing moved into the wooden house, another family trying to gamble threw a child who couldn't walk yet at Hunter Qu's door.

Hearing the child's crying, Hunter Qu didn't even light the lamp, got up skillfully, held the child, and walked toward the village chief's house.

Qu Jing sat quietly on the bed, looking at Hunter Qu's retreating back by the moonlight. Then she got up, put on clothes, and sat at the door waiting.

When Hunter Qu returned, 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."

After speaking, Hunter Qu led Qu Jing into the house, lit the kerosene lamp, and went into the room to feel for corn flour.

"Hungry, right? Grandpa will boil corn flour for you to eat."

"Why didn't you raise him?" Qu Jing asked.

Qu Jing's sudden opening of her mouth startled Hunter Qu, and he was stunned on the spot.

"I heard them say that adoption is raising children who don't remember things. He is a boy, doesn't remember things, and eats less than me. Raising him is more cost-effective than raising me," Qu Jing said.

Hunter Qu was ecstatic: "Jingjing, you can speak!"

Qu Jing:...

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

"Do you have a connection with me?" Qu Jing asked.

"You were picked up by me in the mountains, of course there is a connection."

Qu Jing looked at Hunter Qu: "Will you sell me?"

"Of course not."

"Will you eat me?"

Hunter Qu frowned: "Your parents used such words to scare you? It's not like it's been a drought for several years and we can't live, who would be willing to eat their own child."

"Don't believe such nonsense, truly speaking without restraint, saying everything to the child."

Qu Jing didn't speak.

Hunter Qu hesitated for a moment, and said a bit embarrassedly: "Jingjing, you know I'm your grandfather now, right?"

Qu Jing nodded.

"Can you call me Grandpa?"

Qu Jing didn't speak.

Hunter Qu was a bit disappointed, but didn't speak, found the bag containing corn flour, and walked toward the kitchen with the bag.

"Grandpa." Qu Jing said crisply.

"I heard them say that you are raising me so that I can support you in your old age and perform your funeral rites."

"I will, I swear."

"As long as I'm alive, I will definitely support you in your old age and perform your funeral rites."

Hunter Qu laughed so hard the corners of his mouth couldn't close: "You child, what swearing to live, pui pui pui, don't talk nonsense."

"You follow my surname, I named you so you are my granddaughter. Grandpa doesn't need you to support me in my old age and perform my funeral rites, I have saved several ocean dollars here. In a few years, if you fancy a young man from any family, I'll prepare a dowry for you, marry into the village and don't have to live at the foot of this mountain, that's better than anything."

"Jingjing, can you call me Grandpa again?"

"Grandpa."

"Eh!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 229 =====