dognovel Chapter 607 Children's Chapter Happy Duck
Chapter 607 Children's Chapter Happy Duck
In the spring of 1463, beside a village under the jurisdiction of the Southwest Governor, a shallow stream was humming a faint song.
The pebbles at the bottom of the water were polished into round shapes by the current, and they sparkled like a handful of silver coins scattered in the water.
Two little girls squatted by the stream, splashing water with their bare feet, which scared a few silver carp into the crevices of the rocks.
"Jill, look what I found!"
The taller girl suddenly cheered, and with her muddy little hands she pulled a slender fish out of the water, its shiny scales shimmering in the sunlight.
The fish's body was as long as her outstretched arms. Its tail slapped the water surface, and the splashing water droplets fell on the tip of her nose, feeling cool.
"This kind of fish likes to hide in the cracks of rocks."
Roselian pinched the fish's gills, her tone full of pride.
"They'll run away at the slightest noise. We have to strike suddenly."
She gently placed the fish into the wooden barrel beside her, closed the lid tightly to prevent it from jumping out, and bent down to put her hand back into the water.
"Be careful. If you practice more, you can catch it."
Jill cupped her empty hands and stared at the fish thrashing in the barrel, her eyes sparkling with envy.
"I didn't even see any fish..."
"You."
Roselyn turned and winked at her.
"Next time I'll teach you, you'll definitely be smarter than this fish."
As she was speaking, Roselyn's fingers suddenly touched something slippery. She picked it up curiously and held it up to her eyes.
It was a dark stone with a bumpy surface, but with several strange protruding lines. If you looked closely, they looked very much like human facial features: two pits as eyes, a crack as a nose, and two protrusions that could barely be considered a mouth, all arranged randomly on the surface of the stone, as if someone had randomly pressed the facial features on as a prank.
"It feels... so rare!"
Roselian's eyes suddenly lit up. She has always liked these unique things.
She tugged at Jill, who was still turning over stones beside her.
"Look, Jill, I found a strange rock!"
Jill came closer, stared at the stone for two seconds, and suddenly shrank back:
"That's weird... Is it something unclean? Throw it away quickly, it's creepy."
"Those priests' words are just to scare children!"
Roselyn curled her lips nonchalantly.
"The priest said drinking on Sundays would bring God's punishment. Look at the drunkards in our village, who isn't living well?"
She put the stone in her arms, then lowered her head and continued to grope in the water.
Not long after, a clear child's voice came from the shore:
"Hey! Hey! Jill! Roselyn!"
A little boy stood on the shore, tiptoeing and waving:
"There are missionaries from outside the village giving toys and treats to the children! They say it's Children's Day! If we're any later, they'll be gone!"
"understood!"
The two men responded in unison and scrambled ashore.
Jill squatted by the water to pour out the mud and sand from her shoes, while Roselyn picked up the wooden barrel and shook it. The big fish was still struggling inside, its tail slapping against the barrel wall.
The two of them trotted into the village and saw from afar several carriages decorated with ribbons parked in the center of the square.
Several priests in black robes were busy distributing packages to the children in line.
The most eye-catching thing is the huge doll standing at the edge of the square, a little black duck more than two meters tall, with a round body covered in a furry black velvet cover. Its two black "wings" sway gently in the wind, just like a real duck wobbling about to walk.
"Where do these people come from?"
"From Mont-de-Marsan, they say."
"This is the capital of our city. Why are these people from big cities coming to this remote place?"
"I heard that the former Governor John founded the Kingdom of Helderland, and now they're celebrating Children's Day there. We have a church organization here that belongs to Helderland, and they want to bring our children to celebrate the festival as well."
"Oh, Governor John, he is a good official..."
Roselyn and Jill looked at each other, not having any impression of the name, but seeing that other children had already lined up, they quickly squeezed in.
Soon it was their turn, and a gentle priest smiled and handed each of them a package:
"Happy holidays, girls."
Roselyn couldn't wait to open it. Inside was a large piece of shiny smoked ham with a few pieces of raisin bread next to it.
Her throat suddenly rolled. Her father was just an ordinary tenant farmer. It was a luxury for the family to eat meat once a month. Every time they gnawed on meat bones, it felt like New Year's Day.
"Wow......"
She stared at the ham with little stars in her eyes.
Jill also opened her package, which also contained a piece of ham and bread.
Her father had fought in the army and was seriously injured, so he had to use a crutch to make a living. Frustrated, he worked in a tavern with other veterans, but the money he earned was not enough to buy alcohol, and the family had long been unable to make ends meet.
"Hello everyone."
A gentle voice suddenly came from behind.
The two turned around and saw the two-meter-tall little black duck doll looking at them with its head tilted.
"Can you show me that stone?"
The doll pointed with its furry-gloved hand at the black stone in Roselyn's arms.
"What do you want to do?"
Roselyn immediately hid the stone behind her.
"Are you trying to steal my treasure?"
"Do not misunderstand."
The doll's voice came through the thick fabric, with a smile.
"I can trade this."
He shook the large package in his other hand, and after opening it, the two were surprised to find several packs of ham neatly stacked inside, and the aroma filled their noses.
"Um......"
Roselian's brows wrinkled into knots, and she thought quickly in her mind, that the stone was indeed strange, but in exchange for so much ham... She bit her lip.
"No... that's too little. I need at least two packs!"
The two of them happily headed home, carrying their heavy packages. Roselyn's barrel contained large fish, and the packages contained ham and preserved fruit.
In addition to the ham, Jill's package also contained a few pieces of honey candy, which she had secretly asked the doll uncle for while Roselyn wasn't paying attention.
"That uncle is so kind. He exchanged so much ham for just one stone."
Roseline gnawed on a piece of honey candy and spoke incoherently.
"Yes."
Jill held the ham in her hand, the sweet juice of the preserved fruit still stained the corners of her mouth.
"If only they could come more often, we could have meat every meal."
"Hey, isn't this Jill?"
A shrill sound suddenly came from the side of the road.
The two frowned and looked up, only to see a few drunken old drunks standing unsteadily at the entrance of the tavern. One of them pointed at them with a red face:
"Hey, isn't this the bastard from the tenant farmer's family and the daughter of the disabled veteran? Are you out shopping?"
"Ignore them, let's go."
Roselyn tugged at Jill's sleeve and lowered her voice.
"Why, you don't say hello to someone you know?"
The leading drunk staggered over and reached out to touch Jill's face.
"Jill, I'm your father's comrade-in-arms..."
"Snapped!"
Luo Silian slapped his hand away and glared at him:
"You know what you're thinking! Get out of here!"
"Huh? Who do I think I am? I'm just that tenant farmer's bastard. He doesn't even know who his own father is, yet he dares to come out and embarrass himself!"
Suddenly, Roselyn felt someone kick her in the back and she fell forward to the ground, with the ham in the bag scattered all over the floor.
Jill looked back and saw a man in chain mail standing behind her. His name was Larry, a veteran who had served with her father.
After he came back from the war, he used the money he saved to buy a piece of land and became a small landlord. He usually loved to bully others by taking advantage of his power.
"Sister Roselyn!"
Jill dropped the package and helped Roselyn, who had fallen to the ground, up, while angrily scolding these drunkards:
"What else do you have besides bullying children? Believe it or not, I'll tell the village chief!"
"No ability? Bullying the weak is my ability! Otherwise, how could I come back so completely?"
Larry came over unsteadily and looked down at the two of them.
"One of you has a disabled father, and the other's wife was raped by a bandit. I don't know whose child you are, yet you dare to yell at me like that? It seems I have to teach you a lesson."
As he spoke, he raised his leg and prepared to kick the two. Luo Silian protected Jill and retreated, but suddenly heard a familiar voice:
"Hey, wait a minute."
Behind Larry, the two-meter-tall little black duck doll appeared again at some point.
He reached out and pushed Larry, who stumbled forward and hit his head on the ground with a thud.
"Mascot uncle!"
Roselyn and Jill ran over in surprise.
"I said, today is Children's Day."
The doll has a little black duck head and is preaching loudly to the drunkards around it.
At this moment, with the suit on, he must be at least two meters tall, which completely overwhelms the drunkards around him who are only one meter five or six, making them dare not fight back at all.
"Can't adults be nicer to children? Children are the hope of the future. We need to educate them properly and cultivate correct values..."
Larry on the side shook his body and stood up. He touched his head subconsciously, and then saw that his hands were covered in blood. It was obvious that his head was broken by the blow just now.
"You damned fellow, I'm going to beat you to death!"
Larry said as he raised his fist and charged after the mascot.
"Uncle Mascot, watch out behind you!"
Roselyn noticed it immediately and shouted a warning to the mascot, but it was too late. Larry had already rushed to the side, grabbed the fabric on the mascot's left arm and tore it hard.
"Let me see who you are, how dare you act so presumptuously in front of my uncle Larry!"
"Tear it!"
The moment the fabric ripped, Larry froze.
What was exposed was a thick arm with knotty muscles. Its width was almost as wide as his thigh. Not only that, the arm was also wearing a silver arm guard, and the joints had a metallic luster. It was obviously not an ordinary person's arm.