Chapter 8: The Child Who Gathers Radishes
Chapter 8: The Child Who Gathers Radishes
Mi Xiaojing didn't need to do anything. He just had to watch on the side. The rent collected was mainly wheat and sorghum, with a small amount of millet, a small amount of rice, soybeans, and some red and green beans, all very ordinary grains.
Some tenants didn't have so much grain, so they could contribute some rough cloth they wove themselves. Other tenants would also give some offerings, mainly dried radish, pickled vegetables, dried chili, garlic, and other things.
The front yard of the village chief's house was bustling with people coming and going. The noisy voices made Mi Xiaojing feel restless. He was always a solitary person, and the sect was a quiet place. Even if he went up the mountain, it was very quiet, and he rarely encountered such noisy crowds.
Mi Xiaojing couldn't leave the front yard for the time being. His status was actually quite high. It should be noted that although the Evolutionary Sect was peaceful, it was also a place with strict levels. Mi Xiaojing was the last stage of the Yuanjue period in Evolutionary Immortality, and he was the highest level in the Yuanjue period. 𝐛𝐞𝐝𝗻𝐨𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝐜𝐨𝗺
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So among this group of masters, Mi Xiaojing's status was second only to Master Zeng Li. Of course, Master Zeng Li was one realm higher than him. Master Zeng Li was in the Observing Dharma period, equivalent to the Foundation Building period of a cultivator. In the Western Evolutionary Sect, he was an absolute master.
The originally noisy voices suddenly became louder, and a bunch of people squeezed in at the door. In Mi Xiaojing's eyes, this was a family with ten or so men, women, and children.
He asked the village chief, "Uncle Village Chief, is this a family?"
A glint flashed in the village chief's eyes. He was not a cultivator, but a person who practiced martial arts.
"This is the Luo family, they are very domineering in Maple Forest Village."
The old man of the Luo family had four sons, and after they got married, they had twelve children. Six of them were already adults, plus their wives. This large family had a lot of people and was a bully in the village. Only the village chief could suppress them.
The whole family came, carrying baskets and pushing wooden carts. The land they rented in Maple Forest Village was among the top, with a lot of harvest and rent to be paid.
The Luo family was relatively domineering in the village, but they dared not show any disrespect to the masters of the Western Evolutionary Sect. Whether in terms of martial arts or strength, the Luo family was nothing in front of the masters of the Western Evolutionary Sect. They were very respectful in front of the masters.
Mi Xiaojing watched on the side. The rent paid by the Luo family was all rice. He knew that the Luo family occupied top-quality farmland, and only top-quality farmland could grow rice because it was irrigated by water. From this point of view, the people of the Luo family were indeed domineering.
In addition to rice, the Luo family also gave a large jar of bean paste, which was a good thing. There were also various pickled vegetables, mainly pickled radish, which was dried pickled radish, with four baskets full. In other words, besides paying rent, the Luo family also gave a lot of offerings to the Western Evolutionary Sect.
Master Zeng Li was very satisfied with this. Looking at his attitude towards the old man of the Luo family, he knew that he was pleased with the Luo family.This kind of tenant is the most welcomed by the Western Evolutionary Sect. Even if they are a bit overbearing, the sect still tolerates them, and as a result, the Luo family is quite unscrupulous in the village.
Mi Xiaojing has a good impression of the Luo family. They pay a lot of rent and make a lot of offerings, which obviously shows that the Luo family values the Western Evolutionary Sect. As a master of the sect, Mi Xiaojing is naturally satisfied, just like Master Zeng Li.
Moreover, the old man of the Luo family personally brought the whole family to pay the rent, and his attitude was extremely respectful, which made the masters of the Western Evolutionary Sect very satisfied.
But soon, the masters frowned.
When the Luo family entered, they were busy paying the rent. The old man of the Luo family was talking to Master Zeng Li when a child who looked only seven or eight years old came in from outside. He was so thin that his neck was extremely thin, and he seemed to have a hard time supporting such a big head.
The clothes he was wearing were so worn out that they could barely cover his body. He struggled to drag a basket of radishes into the yard. He hadn't gone far when he suddenly lost his footing and fell to the ground. The radishes in the bamboo basket rolled out.
Mi Xiaojing happened to see it, and he was about to go forward to help when the next scene stunned him.
A very ugly man went up and kicked the child who was picking up the radishes on the ground directly, and then he followed up with a punch.
Master Zeng Li shouted.
"Stop it! You bastard!"
Everyone could hear the anger in Master Zeng Li's tone.
Mi Xiaojing even suspected that this kick might have killed the child, and this man still wanted to hit him. He was also angry, and ran a few steps to the child's side. He used his shoulder to bump the man hard, and a huge force burst out. The man staggered back and almost fell.
The old man of the Luo family shouted, "Second son, get out of here!"
The ugly man's face turned purple, looking very angry.
The old man of the Luo family apologized.
"Master, I'm sorry, my grandson lost his temper."
Master Zeng Li's face was gloomy.
"Is this child yours?"
Mi Xiaojing had already helped the child up. He saw a footprint on the child's shoulder, and there were several scratches on his face from hitting the ground just now. He couldn't help feeling angry.
"How can you be so cruel! He's just a child!"
The old man of the Luo family sighed.
"Young master, I'm sorry. This is my grandson. The one who hit him just now... was his father."
Suddenly, there was silence around them. It was a family matter, and outsiders couldn't say anything.
Mi Xiaojing was also helpless, but he still felt a little uncomfortable.
"Even if he's his father, he can't hit his child like this!"
The old man of the Luo family did not refute, knowing that if he did, it would probably anger the masters.
"Yes, it's my fault."
A clean and neat apology made Mi Xiaojing speechless.The child's face was covered in blood, the wounds on his face had just been wiped open again and blood was seeping out. Mi Xiaojing then noticed that the child's body was covered in scars, with bruises and cuts all over. His ragged clothes couldn't cover them up at all.
"Alright, Second Brother, you take him home. Don't embarrass us here!"
The ugly man said, "Yes, Father, I'll take him back." And then walked towards Mi Xiaojing.
The child clung to Mi Xiaojing's patched clothes, hiding behind him and trembling uncontrollably.
"I, I won't go home... I won't go home... I don't want to go home!"
The ugly man was full of anger.
"Come here, follow me!"
The child held onto Mi Xiaojing's clothes tightly and refused to let go. Mi Xiaojing squatted down and wiped the blood off the child's face.
"Let's go home."