"My family has three houses next to each other, which are connected inside so people can move around freely."
"You can choose one of the houses on the north, south, or west side to live in, and we will move some of the things there to the other two houses."
"If we choose the south, will the price of four snow foxes change?" Xia Yibing asked.
"That would probably require five... plus at least one other prey."
Xia Yibing frowned slightly after hearing this, but didn't say much.
She knew why it was like this - these three houses were basically stacked in a triangle, a bit like a simple wooden fort. From what Kurum said before, it was known that wild beasts would attack the outskirts of Binghu Town from time to time. Since the houses on the north and west were the outermost, the risk factor was also greater... They were equivalent to protecting the houses on the south inside, and the safest houses were naturally the most expensive.
But this group of people were not afraid of being attacked by wild beasts, so after some discussion they chose the part heading north.
Kurumu nodded and opened the door, motioning them to come into the house.
Xia Yibing turned to look at Hitzfeld.
Heidi, who had been about to go in first, noticed that she had stopped and looked at Hitzfeld.
"Woof!" Lily looked up at the girl, her tail wagging happily behind her, "Woof woof woof!"
This is me being treated as the backbone...
Hitzfeld laughed to herself, and had to lift up her thick skirt, stomping her feet on the steps to rub off the snow that was clinging to her body, making sure that her body was still clean, before she walked up the wooden steps.
Kurumu noticed her little movement, and his originally stiff expression softened slightly.
Well, although he was not very happy to accept a group of outsiders to live in his home, at least they were polite, completely different from those petty, vulgar and annoying people of Trierred.
Moreover, they are all women. If I accept them, I don’t have to worry about Lulum suffering any harm.
The more he thought about it, the better he felt this was a good idea. Kurum was completely relieved, so he brought the three people and the dog into the house and began to introduce his family to them.
His wife and daughter were waiting in the outer room. They had known that their house had been chosen, but due to custom, they could not show up when the male host was "talking about important matters", so they could only wait here for the ceremony.
Hitzfeld looked at them first - after all, they were going to live here for a while, and she also wanted to understand the general temperament of the head family.
It is worth mentioning that the outer room, which should be the [living room], has a layout that is somewhat different from other places.
There was nothing around except some cabinets and shelves. In the middle there was a very primitive pit, probably made of stone bricks, with charcoal burning in it.
A large black pot was placed on top of the charcoal with an iron rack, and it was hard to tell what was inside. There were several animal skins spread on the floor outside, and it looked like it was not only a place for entertaining, but also a place where the family would sit together to eat.
As for the two people, a tall dark-skinned woman on the left and a girl who was only as tall as her waist on the right. Both of them had dark skin, but not the black of the natives, but more like the flaxen black of the "Indians". Their skin was lighter than that of the Southwestern Teens, and their eyes were large and double-lidded, each with a slightly exotic look.
Hitzfeld thought that the woman should be Marnie, and the child next to her was Lulum.
Hmm... She's not shy at all.
From the moment they entered the room, the girl Lulum had been staring at them - she observed Hitzfeld the most, and it was obvious that she was most curious about her. She had glanced at her face and eye mask countless times, and it seemed as if she wanted to say something but stopped.
"You must be tired after coming all this way." The gentle hostess said as she brought hot water and towels. "Hurry up and take a shower. We have baked some sweet potato cakes and fatty meat stuffing. You can eat them after a rest!"
After expressing their gratitude one after another, the three of them took off their thick clothes, hung them by the fire pit to dry, then used the hot water that was handed to them to wash their hands, feet and faces. Only then did they feel like they were alive again.
Kurum knew that they were women and it was not convenient for him to take them upstairs, so he asked Mani to take them to the bedroom and luggage, while he stayed to help them deal with the Sheldon dogs.
“If we have a choice, we usually don’t live on the first floor.”
As they went upstairs, Mani was still explaining to everyone.
"There are wolves and foxes... these things are easy to deal with."
"But if it's a white bear, if something like this suddenly breaks in, the people sleeping on the first floor may not be able to resist well even if they wake up."
"Excuse me," Xia Yibing said, "Are you and your husband both native to Binghu?"
"of course."
"Then how come you..." Xia Yibing was a little embarrassed to express herself. It was only when she got to this point that she realized that the question she was about to ask was a little impolite to the host.
"How come they are so reasonable and polite? They are not like the northern barbarians in the rumors at all?" Mani smiled and looked back, shaking her head. "Of course it's because Binghu Town has also received the grace of Sarah."
"Perhaps many years ago, when our ancestors first escaped from the glacier and chose to build a village here, they were relatively primitive and barbaric."
"But today, there are many people in Binghu Town who have read books and can recognize words."
"We are no longer primitive people. I also went to high school in New Orwater."
Her words were really surprising. Hitzfeld and Xia Yibing looked at each other, both of them a little confused as to why someone who had seen the city of Sara would choose to marry back to the North Pole.
Mani seemed to be able to guess what they were thinking, and her voice became softer and softer: "Because everyone's desired life is different."
"I know the further south you go, the more prosperous it will be, but I'm more afraid that prosperity will change me..."
"I love Kurumu, Kurumu loves me, and that's enough for me." She led them to stop at the door of the bedroom and smiled gently, "Then why should I pursue a prosperous life?"
“…She sees things very clearly.”
After the hostess left, Xia Yibing stood at the door and whispered.
"Tsk... I want to live here after I retire."
"Stop fantasizing."
Hitzfeld's voice came from inside.
"Come in quickly and help clean up!"
They chose "a house", but it was actually the northern part of a small wooden fort. Xia Yibing was going to live with Hitzfeld, and Heidi would sleep next door. At most, they would only occupy two bedrooms.
However, the host family was very trustworthy. Kurum promised that as long as they stayed there for one day, the Bart family would not disturb them in the north corridor. They could do anything here, as long as they did not destroy the house and no infringement occurred.
An invasion event refers to a wild animal or something unclean that has sneaked in. Because the north, west, and south parts of this wooden fort are all connected, and the corridors of the three parts are put together to form an irregular circle, Hitzfeld speculated that this was to take the invader for a "walk" in the event of an invasion.
Take their place for example: the north corridor is the corridor after going up the stairs. This corridor is used for insulation and anti-freezing, and for emergency escape. When you come out, you can escape along the west. There is a corridor entrance at the junction of the west corridor and the east corridor. It can be said that the corridor is interconnected and winding.
Xia Yibing was ordered by her to make the bed inside, and she walked along the corridor to the west entrance. Looking up, she saw a row of wooden fences hanging there.
The wooden fence was suspended in the air, tied with ropes, and the bottom was sharpened to an extremely sharp point. If you looked closely, you could even see dark red bloodstains on some of the tips of the fence.
It seems that the price of 4 snow foxes is already very cheap...
Hitzfeld narrowed his eyes and turned back to help make the bed.
I passed Heidi's room and found the door was tightly closed. I tried pushing it but it didn't budge, so I just ignored it. Then I heard a quarrel coming from next door.
However, it was Xia Yibing who released the blood crystal crow. The crow insisted on having a room of its own, and the former scolded her for being ungrateful.
"Do you think you can get rid of me by just finding a birdcage or a bird stand? I won't! I've had enough of your lovey-dovey ways along the way! I want to chase the free air!"
Just as he opened the door a little, Hitzfeld's eyes blurred and he saw a blood crystal crow flying out. It circled in the corridor, went around Heidi's room next to it, and flew to the third room on the far right and then remained silent.
"She just doesn't know what's good for her!"
Xia Yibing was furious, "I don't want you to listen to it!"
But you insisted on having her live with us because you wanted to use her to protect and guard us...
Hitzfeld saw through the woman's thoughts and went up to grab her hand.
"Make the bed quickly."
"We're getting ready to eat downstairs, don't keep the host waiting for too long."
After working for nearly an hour, they finally set up their temporary home.
At the innermost side is a small bed, which was originally made of blackened wooden boards. Fortunately, it has no smell and is not rotten. It can be used by covering it with clean cotton quilt and bedding.
Although it is a bit small, it is still no problem for two people to squeeze in.
Next to the bed is an old wooden cabinet. The dust and cobwebs on it have been wiped off. There is nothing in the cabinet, so it can be used to store some outdoor clothes that are not afraid of getting dirty.
There is a short and fat barrel stove in the middle of the room. It seems to be fixed to the floor. There is a pipe connected to it with a metal cover, which winds its way into the gap between the beams. It is speculated that it is used for exhaust.
The rest is... nothing!
There's nothing against the wall against the corridor, so it's a great place to put the boxes. I can also put some shelves and tables there later, there's no rush.
It was almost done, and Heidi came to urge us to finish.
The Blood Crystal Crow was squatting on her shoulder, and it disguised itself as a normal crow. When it saw Hitzfeld coming to open the door, it jumped onto her shoulder.
"This little thing is very psychic." Heidi narrowed her eyes. "I don't know where it came from. I found it next door."
"Then keep it there."
Hitzfeld took the crow in his hand and petted it. "I like it very much and I don't intend to let it go."
If they need to live together, Blood Crystal Crow will not be able to keep it a secret any longer. It's a good opportunity to find an excuse early so that Heidi can get used to her presence.
"A bird won't be a problem." Heidi nodded, "But you'd better explain to Kurum. These Ice Lake people don't like to be kept in the dark."
After the discussion was almost over, the three of them took Crow downstairs and found that the host family - strictly speaking, Lily as well - had been sitting around the fire pit in the outer room waiting for a long time.
“I built a shed for it outside.”
Kurumu immediately stood up when he saw them and pointed out the window.
"This kind of dog is not afraid of the cold, so you don't have to worry about freezing to death. Of course, if you want, you can take it upstairs to live. We don't mind."
Snow dogs enjoy a special status in the north. They are also called Arctic dogs, sled dogs, and life-saving dogs, so the people of Binghu Town are not averse to living closely with these big dogs.
"I think I'll pick it up later," Hitzfeld said.
"no problem."
Kurumu smiled.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but when he heard the girl's choice, his attitude became even friendlier.
The dinner was sumptuous, consisting of sweet potato and wheat pie crust and sizzling roasted fat.
Although it is called fat meat, it is not ordinary. It is made by taking the meat from the hind legs of the reindeer as the essence, cutting it off and putting it on a large iron skewer. Then, the thick fat under the skin of the reindeer is wrapped with cleaned fat sausage casings, which are wound up section by section in a spiral to form a fat "meat roll".
It is roasted on charcoal fire, cut into thick slices after roasting, the crust is stretched out and stuffed inside, sprinkled with salt and other condiments for seasoning. This is the most sumptuous deer oil cake that people in Binghu Town serve to entertain guests - roasted deer oil cake.
Hitzfeld couldn't accept this kind of thing at first, which sounded and looked too greasy.
There was so much oil and fat, just thinking about it made her feel full. Even with the pancakes to neutralize the flavor, she didn't think she could finish it.
However, after taking the first bite, she was surprised.
Greasy... indeed very greasy.
But she seemed to find this greasiness acceptable to her, and even vaguely felt that it was... fragrant?
After thinking about it carefully, she realized that it was due to the long journey and the environment.
What people like to eat is not determined by their personal will, but is related to the environment and the energy they consume every day.
They had been on the road the past few days, either staying in train carriages or trekking through the snowfields, pushing carts and climbing mountains, which consumed far more energy than usual. In addition, the climate in Binghu Town was too cold, so their bodies definitely needed to be replenished with enough oil and water.
There is certainly nothing better than these fatty pancakes to replenish your body…
So this is what the body wants to eat.
My body's needs override my personal will and change my taste preferences.
While eating, Hitzfeld comprehended the truth and felt that his understanding of life had deepened a little.
After washing their hands and cleaning their mouths after dinner, a group of people sat around the fire pit and chatted. Hitzfeld asked the host about things happening in the town.
Mani asked Lulum to bring slippers to the three people who had taken off their shoes. The people of Binghu do not wear shoes when sitting on the leather carpets, so this was to take into account their customs.
"Thank you."
Xia Yibing thanked the girl, moved closer to Hitzfeld, and listened quietly to her conversation with Kurum.
"Are there still ancient witches in Binghu Town now?"
"Yes... Geyeso is our ancient witch."
"Does the matter of 'Bear Man' Sintara have anything to do with Geyeso?"
"No, it was Geeso's adoptive mother, Gerosha, who prophesied to the Sintara family. She died three years ago, and Geeso inherited her position."
"What a weird name... Is she a witch?"
"No, Geyeso is a man."
"Does he have a high position here?"
"In theory, Mayor Polly is the most senior person here, but in the eyes of many people, Geyeso is more respectable than Polly."
"What kind of man is he? Where's Mayor Polly?"
"Geyeso is very mysterious. He always lives in his Black Spider hut. He is rarely seen walking around except during festivals and sacrificial ceremonies. And Polly is a typical 'Southerner'. He likes money, so there should be no obstacles for him to chat with you."
