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Chapter 612 - Cowheart Village
“Ah~ Let me tell you, the Shangjing capital is huge! You can walk on foot for days and nights without being able to go to the other side of it!”
“Do you know how big the road to the capital is? It’s wide enough for more than twenty carriages to run side by side!”
“And the girls in the capital... Tsk, tsk, I don't even have to talk about their appearance. Their voice alone is enough to make your bones go weak.”
“The people in the capital eat like it’s New Year’s Eve every day. Even the vagrant dogs raised by the roadside can eat meat every day!”
Puppy was sitting proudly on a large boulder beneath the big tree in the middle of Cowheart Village. He bragged about his journey to the capital unabashedly toward the villagers.
These villagers had never been a hundred miles away from the village throughout their lives, so Puppy’s words were truly astounding to them. They couldn’t even focus on eating the food in their bowls, as they imagined the capital described by Puppy.
Puppy was pleased by their shocked reactions, and a sense of superiority rose in his heart. He waved his hand like a commanding general and said, “Hmph, the capital really is just like that, and I'm actually looking down on it. If we're talking about extravagance, then nothing beats the Imperial Palace!”
“Even the pillars and roof edges of the palace are lined with gold, while the ground is covered with jade stones. Imagine how much money they spent to build the entire thing.”
“Hey, listen. The Imperial Palace is a forbidden place for many people, but I can enter it freely. Do you know why? Remember that simpleton? I'm talking about the head of our Cowheart Village's militia. He’s become the Emperor of the Great Liang. I hope you guys haven't forgotten that he’s my senior. In other words, I, Cao Cao, am considered a relative of the emperor.”
“Hmph! What a load of bullshit. The more you talk, the more outrageous it gets!” Master Wu exclaimed. He had been eavesdropping and couldn't beat it anymore. In Master Wu's eyes, the emperor couldn't be blasphemed. After all, he might end up passing the imperial exams and become a disciple of the emperor.
“You brat, watch your mouth! You can say this here, but your head will go flying if the authorities somehow hear what you're saying!”
“Ah~! You’re just a teacher, so you must be thinking that you know everything just because you have some ink in your belly. Well, guess what? You know nothing!”
“This is absurd! Hey, brat! You better not come to my school in the future!”
“Heh, what a joke. When did I, Lord Cao Cao, ever participate in your class? I wouldn’t go, even if you beg me to go.”
The people nearby quickly intervened in the heated argument, and the two soon stopped fighting.
“Hey, Puppy, if your senior is already the emperor and the Shangjing capital is so great, why did you return?”
Puppy took a mouthful of food, and his expression was tinged with contempt as he said, “Gao Zhijian begged me to stay there with him. He said the Shangjing capital was too big, but there was no one for him to talk to.”
“But am I someone who forgets my roots? I told that fool—Simpleton, don’t blame your junior for being indifferent to fame and wealth. Even if you are the emperor or an angel from the heavens, I'm not going to go somewhere if I don’t want to go there!” Puppy exclaimed, feeling a bit pleased upon seeing the looks of admiration that the crowd directed toward him. He had already figured it out. His appearance meant that everyone in the capital would look down on him; Puppy knew very well that he was a freak compared to ordinary people.
Puppy's skin had always been thick, so it would have been fine for him to stay in the capital despite the potential bullying.
However, his daughter would inevitably become an outcast and the target of everyone's gossiping once she grew up.
Knowing that, why would Puppy stay in the capital?
Zhao Wu and Xiaoman had no intention of staying in the capital either. Puppy assumed that they shared the same sentiment as him.
At least, Cowheart Village was their territory as disabled people; no one dared to look down on them here.
After his boasting to the villagers, Puppy felt relaxed and refreshed. He walked toward the Bai Family Mansion with an empty bowl in his hand.
When he entered the courtyard, he saw Lu Xiucai walking out of the mansion with oil stains at the corners of his mouth. “Good morning, Xiucai. Have you eaten anything yet?”
Lu Xiucai’s eyes were full of disdain at Puppy's free-spirited attitude. Puppy had never really strived for progress. Whenever he was free, he'd go run and brag to the others. Lu Xiucai believed that he'd soon leave Puppy in the dust.
Puppy would certainly regret his actions once Lu Xiucai became an expert as strong as his master in the future!
Puppy didn't take Lu Xiucai's actions to heart. He hummed a tune as he walked into the hall.
He saw Yang Xiaohai and his wife tidying up the bowls and chopsticks.
After a year, Yang Xiaohai had grown a head taller, and it was probably due to the good food in Cowheart Village.
Puppy noticed that Yang Xiaohai had become almost as tall as him, and he looked even more energetic, too.
Puppy threw the bowls and chopsticks onto the table, asking, “How’s it going? Has Simpleton helped you find your parents yet?”
Yang Xiaohai shook his head and replied, “The eunuch told me to go back and wait. They’ll send someone to inform me once they've found them. However, it might take a while.”
“It’s been so long, and he still can’t find two people? It seems that this emperor isn’t very capable,” Puppy said smugly, and then he left with his hands behind his back.
After Puppy's departure, the pear-faced woman said, “It’s okay, don’t be impatient. They will eventually be found.”
“Yeah, I’m not in a hurry,” Yang Xiaohai said.
And that was when he felt a pair of hands wrapping him from behind, pulling him into a soft embrace.
Yang Xiaohai struggled and broke free. He cast a guilty gaze at the ceiling and blushed before saying, “What are you trying to do here?! Senior Li is upstairs!"
The pear-faced woman smiled innocently, “Don’t blush; I haven't even done anything yet.”
Yang Xiaohai glared at her, and then he carried the pile of bowls and chopsticks to the kitchen.
“What's with that reaction? Am I not your wife?” the pear-faced woman asked, carrying a bucket of water into the kitchen.
“No! I never said that you're my wife," Yang Xiaohai said. He threw the bowls and chopsticks into the pot of boiling water to clean them.
Yang Xiaohai received no response and noticed that the kitchen had become too quiet.
He turned around and saw that the pear-faced woman was leaning against the kitchen door and was silently shedding tears.
“Are you... are you disgusted with me? Do you find me disgusting because I was rescued from a bandit’s den? If that's the case, then just tell me. I'm not going to stop you.”
Yang Xiaohai was at a loss for words. He realized that he didn't want to see her being so sad.
“No.... no, I just... I just don’t... I just don’t know what to do.”
The pear-faced woman smiled and wiped away the tears on her face. She then walked into the kitchen and casually closed the door. "Ignorance is fine; I'm going to teach you everything that you need to know.”