Chapter 258.
The death of Lao Zhu’s family of three was like a stone thrown in a deep pool.
Although it caused some ripples in the alley, not many people mentioned it after a few days, and when neighbors happened to mention it, it was nothing more than a sigh.
As for the disappearance of Hou Zheng, who rented inside the broken house, then no one cared at all.
A second-rate cultivator who liked to gamble, who would care about his death?
What everyone was more concerned about now was the rising food prices.
Those aunts and maids usually met and the topic of conversation was always about the spirit rice or tribute rice that was priced one day at a time, their faces were faintly sad and full of worries about the winter that had already arrived.
When the first snow fell, a new family moved into the old Zhu’s house.
This family had a total of five members, the male owner was surnamed Duan, with a fifth level cultivation in Qi Practicing, and possessed a wife, a concubine and two children.
Cultivator families like this were not rare in the streets, so they became the topic of conversation for many neighbors.
However, cultivator Duan was very good-tempered and was always smiling and polite to everyone he met.
His wives and concubines, one gentle and one beautiful, were also good at cooking, and when they first moved in, they made quite a few treats to give to their neighbors to share.
The two children also seem to be very educated.
In short, people quite good feeling, so the family easily integrated into the neighborhood.
Wang Duan did not care about this.
He even changed his previous habits and began to live in deep seclusion, spending most of his time in cultivation.
The weather became colder and colder.
Several consecutive heavy snowfalls turned Dongwu Walled City into a world of silver.
The surrounding rolling hills were all covered with thick snow, and at night, the water dripped into ice, many cultivators entered the cat winter state and easily stopped leaving the fortress.
Gathering and hunting were very difficult in winter, and the days of many cultivators began to become tormented.
Especially those who didn’t have enough food for the winter would have to find ways to get through this most difficult time of the year.
Ta-ta!
“Coming.”
Hearing the sound coming from outside, Wang Dust, who was drinking tea in the inner room, went out and opened the courtyard door.
“Brother Chen?”
Only to see his neighbor across the street, Chen Qi, standing in front of the door, shrinking his head with a sad face.
Seeing Wang Dust, he smiled sarcastically and said, “Fellow Daoist Wang, I’ve taken the liberty of disturbing you, is it convenient to chat for a few moments?”
Wang Chuan was polite and called Chen Qi “Brother Chen”, but he didn’t dare to think that he was superior to Wang Chuan.
He had to know that Wang Chen was not only at the seventh level of Qi Practicing cultivation, but was also a famous talisman maker.
Either way, it was beyond Chen Qi’s reach.
Wang Dust smiled and said, “Come on in.”
Among the neighbors, he was most familiar with Chen Qi’s family who lived across the street and usually had the most communication.
“Fellow Daoist Wang, your house is doing really well!”
Chen Qi, who came inside the main house, couldn’t help but let out a heartfelt admiration when he saw the room’s arrangement and furnishings.
Although he was familiar with Wang Chen, it was only the second time he had been a guest at Wang Chen’s home.
However, the scene he saw last time was very different from what he saw today!
The main house was covered with thick carpets, and a fireplace was set up on the north wall, with a wood fire burning vigorously in the fireplace, making the whole room as warm as spring.
In front of the fireplace there was a tea table, and the teapot was set up next to the fire, bubbling with hot air.
The whole room was clean and tidy, except for a few pieces of furniture, there was nothing messy, and there were also a few pairs of paintings and calligraphy hanging on the walls, which looked quite elegant.
Comparing Chen Qi’s situation to his own home, he really felt envious from the bottom of his heart!
“It cost a lot of spirit stones, didn’t it?”
His favorite thing was the large fireplace in the room, and he hadn’t seen the same one in his memory.
It felt like Wang Dust, the talisman maker, had a pattern of temperament that was really different from that of an ordinary loose cultivator.
Wang Dust greeted this neighbor as he took a seat, then brewed a cup of spirit tea for the other party, “It’s just that I cleaned it up a little bit myself to make it more comfortable to live in, it didn’t cost much in spirit stones.”
Chen Qi cupped the tea cup with both hands and carefully took a sip.
His originally unnaturally wrinkled brows instantly stretched, “Good tea!”
It was actually just very ordinary spirit tea, but for Chen Qi, it was already considered a very luxurious treat.
Wang Dust laughed, “Not really, if Brother Chen likes it, bring some back later.”
These spirit teas were not purchased by Wang Chuan with spirit stones, but came from a captured storage bag, which had stored several hundred pounds, and he did not know which unlucky person loved tea so much.
As a result, all of it was cheap for Wang Chuan for nothing.
“Thanks.”
Chen Qi hesitated for a moment, looking like he was about to say something.
Wang Dust sensed his words, “Brother Chen, what are you looking for me for?”
Nothing, Chen Qi is not the kind of person who likes to disturb other’s family by walking through the door, there must be a compelling reason for his sudden visit.
Chen Qi gritted his teeth and said, “Fellow Daoist Wang, I don’t know if your family’s food storage is generous, can you lend me some?”
He took off the storage pouch hanging on his waist and set it on the tea table, “I’ll bet this on you!”
This already vacated storage bag was the most valuable thing Chen Qi possessed.
Borrowing grain?
Wang Dust froze, not expecting the other party’s intention to be this.
Chen Qi misunderstood Wang Dust’s reaction.
His face immediately bashfully reddened, and he said in a low voice, “I know that food is precious now, and everyone is not generous, there’s really no other way, and the two boys in the family are at their most capable of eating.”
“It doesn’t matter if I eat less myself, it’s just that I look at the child’s heartache ……”
Said, and then chagrined, “Cough, blame me, shouldn’t make it difficult for daoyou, better forget it.”
He reached for his own storage bag with an embarrassed look on his face.
As a result, he grabbed an empty hand.
This storage bag was held in Wang Dust’s hand, “Brother Chen, how much do you want to borrow?”
“Huh?”
Chen Qi shook his head and subconsciously replied, “As much as you want, just watch and give.”
“Wait a moment.”
Wang Dust took the storage bag and went to the bedroom, quickly reentering.
He handed this storage bag to the jittery Chen Qi, “Brother Chen, you can take these spirit grains first, and just return them to me when you’re more generous.”
Wang Dust had filled his storage bag with three hundred pounds of spirit grain, the white jade rice that he used to cultivate at the outer gate of Yunyang Sect.
Saving some to eat, there was no problem for a family of four to survive the winter.
Although in Wang Chen’s hands, the amount of spiritual rice, spiritual grain, spiritual fruits and animal meat was large, and several storage bags were loaded.
However, saving the emergency is not saving the poor, he would not lend Chen Qi too much for this reason.
Wang Dust naturally understands the reasoning behind the principle of “rice grace, rice hatred”.
Chen Qi was overjoyed and grateful, “Thank you, thank you, Fellow Daoist Wang, I will definitely return it to you as soon as possible!”
His eyes were red.
Although it was said that men don’t shed tears, in the current situation, Wang Dust, who was willing to lend him the grain, was truly a great benefactor!
After sending away the neighbor who thanked him profusely, Wang Dust thought about it and left his home to head to the market.