There was a mountain spring not far from the house, and an earthen stove behind it. Xiao Qing knew all this without Fenghuang having to tell her!
This is where the Xiao family practices martial arts in seclusion. Although in recent years, the Xiao family has not produced any more martial arts geniuses, and this self-torturing method of seclusion has long been abandoned by modern people, Xiao Qing has practiced martial arts diligently since childhood and spent some time here a few years ago!
This phoenix, she actually knows the Xiao family's secret residence, and even the surrounding environment... So, it seems she really is...
Although Xiao Qing didn't say it aloud, she gradually began to believe Phoenix's claim of being a member of the Xiao family. As for the claim that they were sisters... looking at their identical appearances... how could she not believe it?!
"There are buckets in the house. You can wash them at the mountain spring and then bring back water. There are iron pots and kettles behind the earthen stove. Let's boil some water to drink first."
Phoenix went into the room first, and Zhang Xiaotao and Xiao Qing hesitated for a moment before following her in.
The small house wasn't big, only about ten square meters. On a kang (a heated brick bed) made of mud bricks, there used to be a reed mat, but it was already almost rotten. Chen Xiao followed behind, sighed, threw away the rotten reed mat, swept away the dust, took off his outer clothes and spread them on the kang, and looked at the three girls: "You guys rest, I'll go fetch some water."
He opened the doors and windows to ventilate the room and disperse the dust and dampness from the small house. Then he ran to the back to fetch a bucket and went to find a mountain spring.
Chen Xiao's journey was quick. The mountain spring wasn't far, but Chen Xiao deliberately sped up—he was really worried about leaving the three girls alone together!
Chen Xiao rushed back and saw that the house was quiet and there was no arguing or fighting. He breathed a sigh of relief and hurried into the room. He saw three girls sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), but they were far apart from each other. The three pairs of eyes were staring at each other, but no one was willing to speak. It was as if they had all used the same strategy: I will kill you with my eyes.
Chen Xiao couldn't help but find it amusing. The three girls glared at each other for a while, their eyes already sore, but none of them were willing to back down first. Fortunately, Chen Xiao returned, and the three of them breathed a sigh of relief. When Zhang Xiaotao saw Chen Xiao carrying the water bucket, she jumped off the kang first, took the bucket, and whispered, "How could a man like you know how to do this kind of boiling and washing!"
He grabbed an iron pot, then snatched a bucket of water and ran to the earthen stove at the back to wash it.
Xiao Qing and Fenghuang exchanged a glance. Although neither of them were particularly delicate, they were truly incapable of doing such household chores.
I was a little dumbfounded.
Seeing Zhang Xiaotao humming a little tune with a smug look on her face as she deftly scrubbed the iron pot, Phoenix's eyes lit up: "Ah, I'll go get some firewood."
"I..." Xiao Qing blushed. She had wanted to gather firewood, but Phoenix beat her to it. She hesitated for a moment, then said, "I, I'll go get some food..." and ran out with her head down.
Chen Xiao stood there awkwardly, touching his nose, and for a moment he really couldn't figure out what he was feeling.
As the saying goes, three women make a drama. Although Xiao Qing and Fenghuang are not the type of women who stay at home, they have indeed achieved some success.
After a while, the phoenix ran back and brought back a bundle of dry branches from outside.
Although Xiao Qing had lost all her martial arts skills, she still had the ability to set traps and catch wild animals, as she had lived in the Xiao family's old house and often played in the back mountain. In a short while, she actually came back carrying a gray rabbit.
Looking at the three girls, Zhang Xiaotao cleaned the stove, Fenghuang started a fire, and Xiao Qing hunted wild game. It was actually the first time they had worked together. All three girls were covered in dust, and their originally beautiful faces were now covered in patches of ash and black.
Chen Xiao sat to the side, acting like a carefree old man, feeling a little embarrassed. He wanted to help several times, but the three girls seemed to be deliberately competing with each other and refused to let Chen Xiao get involved.
As a result, it wasn't until an hour later, when a pot of fragrant rabbit stew was ready, that Chen Xiao was able to offer a single helping hand. Instead, he was treated like an old man who had his food served to him.
Looking at the only bowl in the house, which had been washed clean, and filled with a bowl of fragrant rabbit soup with a few pieces of delicious rabbit meat floating in it, Chen Xiao looked awkwardly at the three disheveled "housewives".
Although he wasn't hungry at all, he forced himself to finish the soup in one gulp and swallowed the pieces of rabbit meat in a few bites without even chewing them.
Even when the soup was too hot and burned his tongue, he didn't dare to utter a sound.
The atmosphere was a bit strange... Fortunately, they didn't start making a scene again.
Chen Xiao comforted himself.
But he soon realized he had been too happy.
After they finished eating and drinking, the three girls started arguing again!
"I cooked this! I also made the pots and stove!"
"What a joke! I brought the firewood. Without firewood, how could you start a fire!"
"Hmph, I hunted the rabbit! Otherwise, why would there be a supermarket in the mountains?"
"cut!"
"I'll cut it!"
"I'll slice, slice, slice!!"
Seeing that the three women seemed poised to start another fight, Chen Xiao swallowed hard and cautiously said, "Um, could you please not..."
The three women turned around at the same time, glared at Chen Xiao, and shouted angrily, "Shut up!"
Chapter 273 [Who Understands a Daughter's Heart?]
All right……
Women, any woman, whether she is beautiful or plain, elegant or playful, intelligent or vulgar, and whether she is eighteen or eighty years old...
At least, when women get jealous, from some perspectives, they're all the same.
Phoenix's personality is more quirky and mischievous, Xiao Qing's is more strong and proud, while Zhang Xiaotao's personality has more of the cuteness and persistence of a city girl. But at this moment, the three girls are putting on a show, and their performances are almost identical.
The same excitement, the same slight loss of control—girls experiencing jealousy often share some of the same "symptoms": stinginess, irritability, sensitivity, and... irritability and emotionality.
Most importantly, at this time, a woman is—unreasonable!
Believe me, even the most elegant women, when faced with a rival in love, will all look almost exactly the same when they roll up their sleeves and start arguing.
Phoenix and Zhang Xiaotao were exchanging sharp glances, while Xiao Qing stood with his arms crossed, his face displaying feigned arrogance and indifference. One said "Tch," another "Hmph," and yet another expressed his stance with a disdainful look.
Chen Xiao, on the other hand, could only sit aside, holding his nose – he had been deprived of the right to speak.
He couldn't even hear what the three women were saying during their argument. It was just a constant chattering. Luckily, the three girls had delicate, clear voices, making it sound like singing even when they were arguing.
If we set aside my own perspective, it actually sounds quite pleasant.