Become a cat [Zhan Zhao]

The further south we went, the colder it became.It's not that it's not cold anymore in the north, the wind still pierces the body like a knife.But the further south you go, the colder you get to your bones. It's so cold that your bones ache. No matter how many clothes you wear, it's useless.Alan was born and grew up in the Central Plains, and his only experience of going south was before winter, so he had never experienced the winter in the south.

In contrast, Zhan Zhao didn't feel much, but he really didn't know whether to cry or laugh when he saw Alan's look so cold that he wanted to hibernate on the spot.

"If you stayed in Kaifeng, you wouldn't have to suffer this living crime." Zhan Zhao would say that sometimes.

A Lan would tell him: "If you stay in Kaifeng, you won't die from the cold, but it won't be much better." She doesn't say what's wrong, and Zhan Zhao doesn't ask.However, every time Zhan Zhao heard what A Lan said, he actually felt very good in his heart.

Just like this, hurrying all the way, eating and sleeping in the open air, after the two of them went deep into the southwest, the weather gradually warmed up.It was a rare sunny day, and it was still very cold, but the sun in the sky was enough to give people sufficient spiritual comfort.So Alan squinted her eyes and raised her face all the way on the horse, trying to feel the feeling of the warm sunshine on her face.

Zhan Zhao laughed at her all the way because of her posture: "Ordinary people look forward when riding a horse, but Zhang Guolao looks backward when riding a donkey. Why do you look up to the sky? Gold is falling from the sky?"

Alan smiled and ignored it, still leaning her neck not too tired.

And they were not far from Luo Town at this moment——before they really went deep into the mountains, Luo Town would be the last town they could settle down in.

Luo Town is not only small, but also pitifully small and poor.It took two days to walk the mountain road to this town, and the most difficult part was that even the horses couldn't get off their hooves.Sometimes the terrain is high and sometimes low, sometimes the road is bumpy and full of thorns, sometimes it seems to be a smooth road, but it is a swamp that is hardened by the cold.

Therefore, after passing through a small willow forest exuding a strong scent of vegetation and wading through a few winding streams, Alan looked at the small town in front of him, which seemed to be not as big as Kaifeng's government office, and he didn't feel at all. Surprised.

This is their destination.

"I came here about seven or eight years ago." Zhan Zhao said while holding the horses of the two of them with one hand, "It seems that I was visiting someone with my master at that time, and I can't remember exactly. But this place is really enough. It’s so remote that it’s hard to even ride a horse, let alone a carriage.”

Occasionally, the townspeople they met would stare at them. They probably hadn't seen a distant visitor on weekdays, and they all had ghostly expressions on their faces.

There is only one main road in this town, and it is so short that standing on one side of the road, one can clearly see what clothes the people on the other side are wearing.And in the middle of the long street, there is a pitifully small tavern for the locals to get together to chat and fart in their spare time.

Zhan Zhao tied the horse to the post at the door, and led A Lan into the tavern.It was almost dusk, and the tavern was bustling with activity. Drinkers in twos and threes gathered together to chat and laugh loudly, using a dialect or another language that was very obscure.

The sound of pushing the door drew everyone's attention to this side. In the dim tavern, there was only one oil lamp with flames jumping and flickering, making all the drinkers look like evil spirits crawling out of hell: faces Hidden in the darkness, the two eyes shone with coquettish light.

Zhan Zhao calmly blocked Alan with his body, then walked slowly towards the counter.Behind the greasy counter was a fat and thick woman, her hair was wrapped in a dirty rag, she squinted at Zhan Zhao, her eyes looked like two oiled brushes.

Alan didn't like the way this woman looked at Zhan Zhao.

"Is there any wine?" Zhan Zhao asked with a smile.If someone doesn't know Zhan Zhao well, he might not know that his expression often expresses displeasure—apparently, the impolite scrutiny of the woman opposite him also makes him displeased.

The woman smiled, thick folds piled up on her fat face, and she said in a delicate voice that didn't match her figure: "There is not only wine. I can give you whatever you want." Her accent was a bit weird , but barely can be regarded as official language.

"That's great." Zhan Zhao continued to smile, "Unfortunately, I only want wine."

The woman wrinkled her nose, and the smile on her face remained unchanged: "You will change your mind." She glanced at A Lan who was hiding behind Zhan Zhao, "Can this little hen make you happy?"

A Lan gave the other party a hard look, which made the other party laugh.

"The wine needs to be hot." Zhan Zhao didn't answer, and put the money on the counter, "I want strong wine."

The woman let out a series of crisp laughter again. If she covered her eyes, it might not look so scary.Zhan Zhao ignored the woman, and walked to an empty table in the corner with A Lan in his arms.

Alan twisted her shoulders uncomfortably, which provoked Zhan Zhao's soft warning: "Don't move around." Then he sat down on her.

The tavern was soon filled with noise again, and those with malicious intentions would usually die down after seeing the long sword hanging by Zhan Zhao's waist.After those people stopped staring at them, A Lan whispered to Zhan Zhao, "Why are the people here so weird?"

"Almost no outsiders come here." Zhan Zhao replied softly, "Don't pay attention to them. We'll stay here for one night and then leave."

Alan couldn't help but frowned: "But there isn't even an inn here, where do we live?"

"There is always a way." Zhan Zhao calmly glanced at the woman behind the counter not far away, and sighed almost indistinctly.He originally planned to live in this tavern, even if it wasn't an inn, it would not be a problem to spare two beds.However, it may be more troublesome if Alan is around.

How did his master solve these problems back then?Zhan Zhao frowned, he couldn't remember something clearly.He couldn't even remember who the person who came to visit was who belonged to Master, and all his memories were as blurred as a dream.

The wine came quickly, and it was strong indeed, in chipped jars.Zhan Zhao first poured out a bowl, shook it in his hand, then lowered his head to sniff, and then took a shallow sip.

It was still the same woman who served the wine, she put her hips on her hips and laughed: "What's the matter, I'm afraid my old lady is running a black shop?"

"Always be careful when going out." Zhan Zhao replied with a smile, not minding that the other party could see the suspicion in his heart.Alan snorted at the other party.

The woman was originally standing on Zhan Zhao's side, but when she saw Alan's expression, she took two steps forward, leaned slightly, put a hand on Alan's shoulder, and whispered with a low smile, "You haven't put him down yet?" Got it?"

Alan raised her hand and patted the other person away, saying coldly, "Don't touch me." But her face was already flushed.

"Oh, it's quite fierce." The woman said and looked at Zhan Zhao, "So you like this taste? I can actually be very fierce."

A Lan straightened up with goosebumps and glared angrily at this woman who spoke out loud.Zhan Zhao ignored this, and just poured a bowl of wine for A Lan, and said, "Drink some, you'll feel warmer."

The woman probably felt bored, so she sneered and twisted her waist and went back behind the counter.

Alan still had a fever on his face, buried his head in a gulp of wine, and almost choked in the end.She took a deep breath, then smiled at Zhan Zhao.

"Has it warmed up?" Zhan Zhao asked her with a smile as a feeling of warmth surged in his heart.

Alan nodded repeatedly, then drank the rest of the wine, and pushed the bowl to Zhan Zhao.Zhan Zhao slightly raised his eyebrows: "Be careful of getting drunk."

"Man up." A Lan said with a smile, "I can't get drunk."

Zhan Zhao didn't really fill it up for her, but just poured a small sip, pushed the bowl over and said, "Just make sense, this wine is very strong."

"It's too spicy." Alan took a sip and took a breath, "But it's okay, it's really warm after drinking it."

Zhan Zhao drank a bowl himself, and he motioned for Alan to take out the dry food. After the two of them simply fed their stomachs, Zhan Zhao almost drank the jar of wine.

It was completely dark outside at this moment, and the drinkers in the tavern had left in a hurry.Most of the rest are alcoholics, whose eyes are red and their tongues can't be controlled.

Zhan Zhao still has no intention of getting up and leaving, he sips his wine, watching A Lan sitting on the chair leaning back and forth sleepy.The wind here is low, and it lingers outside the tavern for a long time.Zhan Zhao listened for a while with his head tilted, then took out a medicine bottle from his pocket with his lowered eyes, poured out a pill and swallowed it with wine.

A Lan almost fell headlong under the stool.She regained consciousness after a jolt, rubbed her eyes and asked Zhan Zhao, "What time is it?"

"It's almost dawn." Zhan Zhao smiled brightly at Alan.

Alan blinked in confusion at first, then rolled her eyes helplessly, and muttered, "Take fun of me again."

That woman swayed over again at this moment, she leaned against the corner of the table and smiled at Zhan Zhao: "It's so late, isn't guest officer planning to find a place to stay?"

"We're new here, and we're not familiar with the place." Zhan Zhao smiled back, but the smile from before had disappeared from his eyes, "Does the proprietress have any good places to introduce us?"

The woman blinked, leaned close to Zhan Zhao and whispered, "Yes, but I don't charge for it." She looked at Zhan Zhao as she said that, with that kind of deep-meaning look.

"That's really unfortunate, I only have money." Zhan Zhao pointed at the table with his finger, "But I believe that there must be other people in this town who will accept money."

The woman sighed, then laughed again: "There is only one room on the second floor, but I live there."

"Then don't bother me." Zhan Zhao said, put the money for the drink on the table, and stood up.

The woman quickly reached out her hand to stop Zhan Zhao: "Hey, I haven't finished." She glanced at A Lan and said with a smile, "In this town, you can't find a better place than mine."

"Didn't you say that there is only one room?" Zhan Zhao stretched out a finger against the woman's arm, and slowly pushed her arm away from his chest.

The woman's voice became low and soft, and she said, "I can give you whatever you want."

The author has something to say: You may not believe it, but I was captured by aliens and just escaped from Mars_(:з」∠)_