I picked up skill fragments in the demon world.

Chapter 46 Whose sister? (Two chapters in one)

Although the speed of excavating the frozen soil is a bit slow, it is still within Zhang Chen's tolerance and can be accepted by Zhang Chen. He is still young, he still has time, he can wait! And he did not sit and wait for death, he was still thinking of other ways.

Zhang Chen collected firewood and lit it in the cave when he was about to go home, waiting to see the effect the next day.

"The underground space is well sealed, the flames burn for a long time, and the heat accumulates for a long time. After the flames start burning, it is no different from a cave. Even if the frozen soil is extremely cold, it should have melted a little."

Zhang Chen took out a flint and lit the grass first, then left the cave after watching a pile of firewood burning.

"In fact, if there is coal, it would be the best way to melt the permafrost. But I haven't heard of any coal mines being unearthed in the nearby mountains." Zhang Chen stood outside the cave and soon felt the heat wave coming from the cave, forcing him to retreat continuously.

The heat wave was so scorching that even the air was distorted. The dry temperature in the air was already hot enough, but compared to the firewood in the cave, it was nothing.

Zhang Chen carried a basket and checked the traps. In the afternoon, the traps caught three rabbits. Zhang Chen sucked the blood of the rabbits directly, then took them to the stream and began to clean their internal organs, skin them and remove their tendons.

What puzzled Zhang Chen was that the width of the stream was only one meter. The shallow stream was flowing, and some fish were swimming restlessly in the stream, obviously sensing that something was wrong.

"Why is the drought spreading so quickly?" Zhang Chen was full of doubts. He had already sensed something was wrong, but there was nothing he could do.

He had no way to stop this natural disaster. The only way to reverse it was to bring rain. Unfortunately, Zhang Chen was not a god and did not have the ability to call the wind and rain. He could only barely protect himself from this natural disaster.

This is not only a natural disaster for humans, but also a natural disaster for the mountains, beasts and birds.

Birds might be better off, as they could sense trouble and flap their wings and fly away. They could run faster and might not be affected by the drought. However, for animals, climbing mountains and crossing ridges is not an easy task.

"It's really a natural disaster! I'm afraid that after the natural disaster, there will be even more terrible man-made disasters." Zhang Chen muttered. Thinking of those old farmers who forged swords, he felt uneasy.

"I just hope that I can have enough time to prepare before the chaos comes. I need to make more gunpowder so that there won't be enough when I need it in the future." The knife in Zhang Chen's hand deftly moved across the surface of the rabbit, and then he pulled it hard, and the entire rabbit's fur was torn off.

"Now is not a good time to sell furs. In autumn or winter, furs will be valuable. But I don't plan to sell the furs this year. I am also planning to make fur clothes for my mother, brother and younger sister for the winter." Zhang Chen muttered to himself.

There is no cotton in this world. The poor use down to fill clothes and quilts, but this stuff is not warm at all, so many people freeze to death in winter. The rich have much better choices, mostly using animal fur to make clothes, or using animal hair as filling. There are also ancient versions of down quilts and wool felt, but they are very precious and even ordinary owners cannot afford them.

After processing the rabbit, he carefully processed the fur and used the tools prepared in advance to prop up the rabbit skin to prevent it from shrinking. Then Zhang Chen washed his hands and filled the rabbit meat and rabbit skin. Zhang Chen did not return home directly, but trained a falcon in the deep mountains and forests. With the cry of the falcon, it shuttled across the blue sky, scaring the birds and animals on the ground to flee in panic.

After feeding the falcon and the bumblebee, Zhang Chen prepared some gunpowder. As the sky gradually darkened, around three or four in the afternoon, he staggered towards home.

Glancing at the next room, I saw that the vixen and the poor scholar Zhang Chen were not there. I guess they went to the mountains to study.

After returning home, Zhang Chen hung the cooked rabbit in the shade, then walked out of the yard, picked up a sickle and prepared to go to the mountains to cut some branches to weave some baskets, and raise more pheasants and ducks in the future. Even if a drought really comes in the future, he will be able to make some preparations, right?
Just as Zhang Chen walked out of the gate holding the sickle, he suddenly heard the sound of bells in the distance, and then a carriage drove in from outside the village.

The carriage was very luxurious, made of the finest elm, polished to a smooth finish, with unique patterns and shapes engraved on it, making it look very valuable. The horse pulling the carriage was red in color, looked fat and strong, with perfect muscle lines all over its body. Even people who didn't know how to judge horses could tell that this horse was very valuable.

The saddle is inlaid with green embellishments, it is hard to tell whether they are gems or glass. All the patterns on the saddle are made of seals, and it is really worth a lot of money.

The coachman was no ordinary man either, he was a strong man like a bear, with a pair of fierce eyes. Behind him hung a crimson green curtain, which was made of several layers of silk and satin, with all kinds of exquisite embroidery that came alive. The beautiful birds on the curtain seemed to come alive and fluttered with the swaying of the carriage.

Two servants in yellow clothes followed behind the carriage. The servants were also strong men, and looked to be about two meters tall. Standing behind the carriage, they looked like two moving hills.

"Are we almost there?" An anxious voice came from inside the carriage.

"Madam, the young master's home is just ahead. Don't worry, we'll be there soon. I have spent a lot of time and effort to get the news and clues about Young Master Zhang Chen, and finally got the accurate clues. Madam, I will not return empty-handed this time." The coachman in front took the opportunity to take credit.

"Don't worry, as long as I can find my brother Zhang Chen, I will ask for credit from the prince when I return, and you will get a reward." The man in the carriage promised.

At this time, Zhang Chen was also surprised when he looked at the carriage:

"A carriage? How could such a person come to this remote place?"

When Zhang Chen saw the carriage and horses moving, he quickly took a step back to make way, but he did not dare to bump into the people inside for fear of causing unnecessary trouble.

For him, the most important thing is to quietly survive and grow. Why create trouble when the trouble can be avoided by taking a step?

Zhang Chen was secretly surprised: "It's really strange. There are strange things happening in this small village. Before, farmers came to make swords and armor, and now a big man has come in person. It's really strange."

There was a golden light flowing in Zhang Chen's eyes, and his eyes were looking at the carriage, but there was no breath flowing. It was obvious that the people in front of him were ordinary mortals.

However, Zhang Chen stopped at the side of the road and wanted to avoid it, but he saw the carriage and horses coming to his yard. The driver pulled the reins suddenly, and the horses raised a cloud of dust, as if they were hit by a spell, and stood still on all fours.

The coachman jumped off the carriage and said respectfully to the curtain: "Madam, we have arrived."

When the car curtain was opened, a sweet face appeared in front of Zhang Chen. At this time, Zhang Chen looked at the woman, and only one word flashed through his mind: sweet.

The woman was not necessarily beautiful, or the most beautiful woman in the world, but she was extremely sweet. Moreover, her skin was very white, which was a bit dazzling in the sun.

She had a simple bun on her head, with a hairpin to hold her hair in place and dotted with emerald green gems, which gave her a more noble look.

"Which house is my brother's home?" the woman asked.

The sound is crisp, accompanied by a unique softness, somewhat like the Taiwanese accent of later generations, which is very attractive.

"I don't know, but there are only two families here. You can find out which one they are by just asking." said the coachman.

The woman's big eyes swept forward when she heard the words, and she saw Zhang Chen standing to one side. Suddenly, a light flashed in her eyes: "No need to ask, I already know where my little brother comes from. In such a poor and remote place, my little brother stands out like a crane among chickens. I recognized him at a glance."

As she spoke, the woman's eyes fell on Zhang Chen, her eyes were full of confidence. Zhang Chen looked at the woman with a sense of wealth and luxury, but he didn't know that when the woman looked at Zhang Chen, her eyes also lit up.

As mentioned earlier, after Zhang Chen shed his skin, his skin became snow-white without any blemishes. He looked like a pampered young man. Coupled with his peculiar temperament of later generations, he could not help but attract people's attention.

Such snow-white skin, coupled with such temperament, can only be cultivated by wealthy people.

In such a remote place, who else except my little brother is worthy of such temperament?

"Little brother, I heard about you. Since you ran away from home four years ago, there has been no news since you disappeared, and I was very worried."

The coachman knelt on the ground, acting as a human stool. The woman stepped on the coachman and jumped off the carriage. Her footsteps landed lightly on the ground, splashing a trace of dust. Then the woman moved lightly and quickly came to Zhang Chen. Her soft voice was full of surprise.

"Little brother?" Zhang Chen was stunned when he heard this address. He stared blankly at the woman in front of him, and a thought flashed through his mind: "Could she be my sister?"

But the woman in front of him didn't look anything like the elder sister in his memory.

However, Zhang Chen thought about how his eldest sister had been away from home for several years and had left without saying goodbye and had no news. It was normal that he could not recognize her now that she had grown up and changed a lot. Maybe his eldest sister looked like the mother he had never met.

Then Zhang Chen confirmed that this was his sister who ran away from home. His eyes suddenly turned red and he rushed over to hug her: "Sister~"

The voices were full of grievance and intimacy, and accompanied by bursts of fragrant aroma, the brother and sister hugged each other.

The groom beside him looked at Zhang Chen and frowned: "How strange! Although the young master is an illegitimate child, how come he has no resemblance to my master and his wife?"

The woman hugged Zhang Chen tightly with both hands, tears streaming down her face and she was so excited that she couldn't speak.

The brother and sister hugged each other and cried for a while. The girl recovered first and patted Zhang Chen on the head: "Is this where you have lived for several years? Why don't you invite me in and sit down."

Zhang Chen suddenly realized what was going on and patted his head, "My sister is here. I was so excited that I forgot about this."

Then Zhang Chen opened the door and invited the woman in white into the yard.

The woman in white stood in the yard, looking at the simple yard with a pair of eyes. She couldn't help shedding tears again, and said with a look of heartache: "It's really hard to live in such a place for several years."

"It's not hard. It's already difficult to survive. What's the hard part?" Zhang Chen shook his head and picked up a stool beside him, wanting to ask the woman to sit down. However, when he looked at the dirty stool and then at the luxurious clothes on the woman, he suddenly felt a little embarrassed.

The woman seemed to see Zhang Chen's embarrassment. She smiled and took the stool from Zhang Chen's hand, then sat down lightly: "We are siblings, don't be restrained. When I ran away from home, I wanted to send someone to pick you up when I heard about you, but something went wrong. Fortunately, you are still alive. I feel relieved."

As she spoke, the woman looked at Zhang Chen's ragged clothes, and tears began to well up in her eyes again: "You have lived a life of luxury since you were a child, when have you ever experienced such hardship?"

"I have been living a life of luxury since I was a child?" Zhang Chen was stunned when he heard this, then shook his head: "I have forgotten everything in the past."

When the woman heard Zhang Chen's words, she felt even more distressed and quickly said to the outside, "Why don't you move the things in the carriage in quickly?"

As the woman finished speaking, the two men in yellow clothes came down from the carriage, carrying seven or eight food boxes. They spread a gorgeous leather on the ground, opened the food boxes, and laid out the exquisite dishes.

"I heard that you were living in seclusion here, so I quickly ordered wine and food from HSBC Building and rushed them to you. These were your favorite dishes when you were a child, a total of 18 dishes. And I brought you 30 kilograms of your favorite Lao Feng Tang dim sum. I also brought you 18 pieces of brocade, 10 pairs of Bu Dexiang's shoes, large and small sizes, a mink fur coat, and a variety of daily necessities. I brought you all. Pens, ink, paper, inkstone, and books, nothing is missing." When the girl said this, her eyes looked at Zhang Chen, her eyes full of tenderness: "I have just established my foothold in Pingbian Palace, and I can't take you there for the time being. You stay here for a while. Give me another two or three years. When I have completely established my foothold, I will take you to Pingbian Palace and then ask the prince to find a future for you."

The woman grabbed Zhang Chen's hand, her eyes full of self-blame.

Zhang Chen was a little confused at this time. He didn't know what his sister had been through and how she was related to that royal palace?

Looking at the brocade, fur coats, clothes, cakes and other items that were constantly being moved into the house, Zhang Chen was a little confused. The other party gave him too much.

"Sister, where did you go that year? Why are you still..." Zhang Chen pointed at the objects in the yard and was speechless for a moment.

"Don't ask. You will know what you should know. There is no point in asking what you shouldn't know." The woman looked embarrassed, then picked up a lion's head with chopsticks for Zhang Chen and stuffed it into Zhang Chen's bowl: "Come and try it, this was your favorite back then."

(End of this chapter)