Return of the Swallow

Pang Xiao picked up the big seal and patted the dirt on it.

The fires blown by the wind in the mountains were clearly extinguished, but the four seal characters "Treasure of Northern Hebei" could still be clearly seen.

Huzi and Mu Jinghu were stunned.

"This is the national jade seal of Northern Hebei!"

"How did this thing appear here?"

Mu Jinghu and Huzi both turned around and looked at Qin Yining. This land was circled by Qin Yining, and she even knew the depth of the excavation. This showed that the jade seal that Li Qitian could not find was indeed hidden by Qin Yining.

Huzi lowered his voice and said with excitement, "I didn't expect the princess to hide such a treasure!"

Pang Xiao said with a smile: "Don't say this nonsense. Just think that this thing is spiritual and has grown legs and ran here on its own."

Qin Yining burst into laughter, and even Xiao Zhou rolled his eyes with laughter. The slightly tense atmosphere just now eased.

Huzi was also shocked to realize that what he said was inappropriate, he smiled apologetically and scratched the back of his head.

Pang Xiao turned around and handed the jade seal to Qin Yining, "Take it." He added, "Let's restore this place to its original state."

"Okay!" Huzi and Mu Jinghu had no objections, and soon got busy.

Qin Yining held up the heavy jade seal and showed it to Lian Xiaozhou.

Lian Xiaozhou's slender, white fingertips gently touched the four seal characters of "Northern Hebei Treasure" covered with soil, and his eyes became moist.

It is impossible to say that she is not a little bit sad about the past. But after all, she is no longer an ignorant child. She understands what she can and cannot do now.

Moreover, in order to protect her, Qin Yining has hidden the truth from her most beloved people for so many years. No matter how difficult her life has been these years, she has never treated her badly. Even if she wants to take out the jade seal now, she has considered everything properly. After this matter was revealed, if someone with bad intentions had intentionally left her behind or even killed her, wouldn't she have to suffer as well?

Qin Yining is kind and devoted to her, treating her like a sister. She can't be bothered by the past memories that she can't remember. Isn't it worth using those past events to hurt the people closest to her?

Northern Hebei's national spirit has long been exhausted, and it is already in the past.

Pang Xiao and the other three restored the place to its original state and transported some snow to cover the ground.

"Fortunately, the snow has been heavy recently. Soon these traces and our footprints will be covered up." Pang Xiao said with a smile.

Qin Yining nodded and handed the jade seal to Pang Xiao to put it away, "It is estimated that no one will come to this wilderness. Let's think about how to spend tonight. It is not suitable to go down the mountain now."

As soon as he finished speaking, a wolf howl was heard.

Qin Yining and Lian Xiaozhou couldn't help but tense up.

Pang Xiao hugged Qin Yining's shoulders.

Looking around, the branches of the forest are full of ghosts and claws, and the howling of wolves keeps coming to my ears. The north wind howls, mercilessly digging into people's collars, and the sound of falling snow is like a ghost in the dark and silent night. It was the sound of the falling footsteps of something unknown.

He suddenly remembered that when Qin Yining was a child, he had to work non-stop every day in the dark night, cold, hunger, and wild beasts that might pounce on him at any time...

What should I do if I suddenly fall ill? What should I do if I encounter a wild animal or get injured?

When other girls were living a comfortable life,

His precious baby has already tasted all the warmth and coldness of the world in order to survive.

Qin Yining did not notice Pang Xiao's strange mood. He took Lian Xiaozhou's hand and said, "Is there any cave or something nearby where we can stay overnight?"

Lian Xiaozhou nodded, "Yes, go this way, along the hillside. Sister, follow me."

Lian Xiaozhou returned to hold Qin Yining's hand, and the two of them picked up a thick wooden stick to clear the obstacles in front of them. Their nimble steps surprised Pang Xiao and others.

Pang Xiao, Mu Jinghu, and Huzi also hurriedly followed.

After walking for about two cups of tea, Lian Xiaozhou found the familiar place. It was not actually a cave, but a depression formed by thick tree roots on the hillside, which could half cover the top of the head. Get out of the wind.

The five people lit a fire in the middle. Qin Yining hung up his cloak as a door curtain. Even Xiao Zhou followed suit and took off his cloak and placed it next to Qin Yining's.

Qin Yining instructed the three men: "Go find the snow and pile it up around it. If you pile up the snow and compact it, you can block the gaps."

The three of them obeyed and did as they were told. Everyone started working together and soon made a hiding place.

Entering the cave through a gap that only allowed one person to pass sideways, the warm bonfire steam hit his face, and the slightly damp branches were abandoned. The selected dry branches did not produce much smoke when burned. In this way, the heat of the bonfire quickly baked the snow next to it even stronger.

"I didn't expect that the princess is so powerful and can build such a warm snow house." Huzi said with a smile.

Qin Yining smiled and said: "This is nothing. We are just squeezing in temporarily. You will get sick if you live in such a place for a long time."

Huzi wanted to ask Qin Yining what kind of place he lived in the mountains before, whether he built a house or lived in a cave. However, seeing Pang Xiao's somewhat distressed expression, he swallowed the words that were on his lips. .

Qin Yining and Lian Xiaozhou squeezed in and leaned against each other. Pang Xiao unfolded his cloak and used it as a quilt for Qin Yining and Lian Xiaozhou. He sat down next to Qin Yining. Huzi and Mu Jinghu also sat down next to Pang Xiao, holding the The bread on the body is skewered with tree branches and roasted on the fire.

Qin Yining let Lian Xiaozhou lean on his shoulder, while she leaned on Pang Xiao's shoulder. In such a simple and warm environment, there was a faint smell of firewood and the fragrant aroma of noodles in the air, which made people feel at ease.

Perhaps because there was Pang Xiao around, Qin Yining was not as wary as before in the mountains and she soon fell asleep.

Pang Xiao originally wanted to wake her up and eat some hot pancakes, but seeing that she was sleeping peacefully with her little face flushed, he was reluctant to wake her up, so he simply ate hot pancakes with Huzi and Mu Jinghu in the snow. , arranged to take turns keeping vigil, and rested peacefully.

It was bright and clear the next day. The five of them had a few bites of cake, then found their way down the mountain. After getting ready, they returned to Liangcheng.

As for Pang Xiao taking a few people out for a night and even calling Lian Xiaozhou over, Bingtang guessed that what they did must be related to Lian Xiaozhou's life experience, but Qin Yining, Lian Xiaozhou and Huzi also went there. Bingtang would not take the initiative to ask any of them. She should know, Qin Yining would have told her long ago without asking. If it was dangerous to her, Qin Yining would hide it.

As Bingtang thought, the others also tacitly agreed and didn't ask any more questions.

Qin Yining changed out of her damp clothes. When the cool breeze blew, she covered her mouth and sneezed three times in a row.

"Princess, please don't cause the cold." Bingtang said nervously, "I'll go and prepare the ginger soup first. You and the porridge will both have a big bowl of it to drive away the cold."

Qin Yining smiled and nodded, "I'll give some to the three of them by the way."

"knew."

Bingtang quickly went to borrow the inn's kitchen.

Ji Yun brought a hot handkerchief to help Qin Yining scrub him.

"The closer we get to the capital, the colder it gets. The princess is feeling cold. You should pay more attention, so your hands and feet are as cold as ice."

"It probably won't happen again in the future. There's nothing we can do about it. We spent the whole night in the snow last night, sneeze!" Qin Yining rubbed her itchy nose and said with tears in her eyes, "It was very cold at night. It's a shame we found a special place. There is also a fire in the small cave, otherwise it would be very cold right now."

Ji Yun sighed, "You've caught a cold, so don't wash your hair today. Scrub it and put on thicker clothes. Eat ginger soup and make yourself sweat. It would be better if you can get some sleep."

"Yeah." Qin Yining nodded and wiped his nose with the tissue paper.

Pang Xiao ate ginger soup next door and heard Bingtang say that Qin Yining seemed to have caught a cold and hurried back to the house. Qin Yining had already finished the ginger soup in one gulp and chewed another piece of ginger. His forehead and neck were sweating.

Pang Xiao came in and saw Qin Yining wrapping himself up in a quilt. He couldn't help but feel distressed and said: "It's all my fault. I didn't think carefully enough and wasn't prepared to spend the night in the mountain. That's why you caught the cold."

"It's none of your business. Everyone is fine. I'm the only one who caught a cold. That's my problem." Qin Yining said with a smile, "Has it been discussed? When will we set off?"

"You're sick. We can rest here for two days before leaving."

"Isn't the original plan to rush to Maocheng to celebrate New Year's Eve? If I were delayed, I might end up spending New Year's Eve in the wilderness."

Pang Xiao thought for a while and said: "Let's see your situation first. If it doesn't work out, we can just spend the New Year here before leaving. Anyway, this is not the first time I have resisted an order and disrespected you." He looked like a broken man. The posture of Er breaking down.

Qin Yining shook his head in a funny way: "This can't be done. We've already got pigtails all over our heads, so we can't add fuel to the fire any more." At this point, Qin Yining waved his hands to Ji Yun and Bingtang, and called Lian Xiaozhou to arrive. in front of.

Bingtang and Jiyun knew that Qin Yining had something to say, and hurriedly retreated to guard the door to prevent anyone from approaching.

"Zhixi, I want to discuss something with you."

"What's the matter?" Pang Xiao asked seriously.

Qin Yining pulled Lian Xiaozhou, looked at her somewhat nervous appearance, touched her cheek with pity, and said: "I want to ask you to help me find a suitable person to take care of Xiaozhou and place her in a safe place. Then We found the thing, and I'm afraid that one day, sooner or later, we won't be able to hide Xiaozhou's identity, and she will be killed."

Pang Xiao lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then nodded, "You are right, it must be absolutely foolproof."

Lian Xiaozhou shook his head, "Sister, I'm not afraid. I don't want to be separated from you, and I don't want to be separated from Sister Bingtang..."

"Xiaozhou, be good." Qin Yining stopped Lian Xiaozhou and nodded her face, "Following me back to Beijing is like sending a fish to a cat. It is too dangerous for you. I promise , I will definitely pick you up and reunite with you when the matter is resolved."