Chapter 18: The Village

The wolf’s howl echoed in the vast night valley, sounding particularly clear.

Xie Zhen trembled, subconsciously getting closer to Li Yu.

Both were children, and although Li Yu was a bit more mature than her, they couldn’t help but feel scared. Now, the last hint of sunlight in the west had disappeared, and the mountain quickly became dark. The cold moonlight filtered through the leaves, casting a silvery gray on the ground. With no light around, they could only rely on the faint moonlight to illuminate the path ahead.

Li Yu didn’t hesitate this time; he held her hand. “Let’s find a place to hide.”

Xie Zhen walked closely beside him, glancing around while walking, fearing that a wild beast might suddenly jump out from a corner. She had never seen a wolf, but when other parents frightened their children, they would say that if they didn’t behave, wolves would take them away. She remembered this well and was genuinely afraid of animals like wolves and tigers.

After walking for a while, probably attracted by the scent of blood on Li Yu, the wolf’s howl grew closer.

Xie Zhen’s little legs were sore, but she didn’t dare to say she was tired because Li Yu was in a worse condition with his injuries. She blinked back the tears in her eyes, “Little Yu, are you still in pain? Do you want me to carry you?”

Li Yu shook his head without hesitation. “No need.”

He was a boy, and he was older than Xie Zhen. Why should she carry him? Besides, the pain had subsided a bit, and Xie Zhen, being clumsy and frail, would only slow them down. Not far ahead, there was a village. Smoke rose from the chimneys of a few houses. If they could reach the village before the wolf pack, perhaps they could salvage their lives.

After sharing this thought with Xie Zhen, she immediately perked up, walking faster than before. “Let’s hurry over there!”

Li Yu nodded and followed her steps.

In reality, he couldn’t walk any longer. He had lost too much blood, and making it this far was already his limit. The scene before his eyes became increasingly blurry, and his vision darkened. In the end, his legs gave way, and he knelt on the ground, collapsing to the side.

Xie Zhen heard the movement and turned around. Waves of fear and helplessness surged through her, and she couldn’t hold back the loud cries.

She crouched in front of Li Yu, continuously calling, “Little Yu, Little Yu…”

At this point, Li Yu didn’t even have the strength to disdain her. His eyes closed, “You go on your own.”

Xie Zhen shook her head, refusing, “We go together.”

She was just a child, not understanding grand principles. All she knew was that they were good companions, and if they had to go, they had to go together. Even though Li Yu was getting slower, she never thought about leaving him alone to escape. She couldn’t abandon him here.

The wolf pack behind them was gradually getting closer. When Xie Zhen turned her head, through teary eyes, she could even see the distant eyes emitting a faint green light. She bit her lower lip, frantically wiping away tears with her sleeve. She grabbed Li Yu’s arm, hoisted him onto her back, and with the last bit of strength, moved forward.

Li Yu’s voice was weak, with a hint of frustration, “Do you want to die?”

She shook her head, choked up, “I don’t want to die. Little Yu, you can’t die either. We have to go home together.”

She ran, panting heavily. Slowly running out of strength, she still refused to let go of Li Yu. Li Yu’s legs were dragged on the ground. He was about to persuade her to give up when, unexpectedly, she slipped, bringing him along as they tumbled down the slope.

During the fall, Li Yu was pressed against his wound, and he groaned before completely passing out.

Hastening to check on him, as she stood, a torch illuminated her surroundings.

“Who’s there?”

*

The newcomer was a resident from a nearby village. They had run out of firewood while cooking and had come out to search for some nearby. Unexpectedly, they stumbled upon the two children.

The appearance is at most six or seven years old, with one chest injured and the whole body exhausted, making people feel sorry at first sight.

At such a young age, how did they endure such hardships?

The person who saved them is surnamed Wang, the fourth in the family, commonly known as Wang Lao Si. Seeing the two pitiful children, he brought them home. In the village, to deal with the wolf pack on the mountain, the people specially built half-human-high fire platforms around the village, with a fire every few tens of steps to keep the wolves away at night.

Wang Lao Si’s wife, Wang Yangshi, was waiting for firewood and came out to greet him. Seeing him carrying firewood on his shoulder and two children lying on the donkey cart behind, she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on?”

Wang Lao Si then explained the cause and effect to her. After hearing it, she didn’t say anything and quickly brought the two children into the house. Seeing their clothes torn by thorns, she replaced them with the clothes of her own children, coincidentally having a boy and a girl of the same age.

Li Yu’s chest injury couldn’t be delayed, so Wang Lao Si went early in the morning to invite the village’s old doctor.

Wang Yangshi combed Xie Zhen’s hair again; her original hair was messy. As a woman, she didn’t know how to make intricate hairstyles for wealthy families. So she simply braided two plain twists for her, hanging on both sides. Wang Yangshi asked her daughter and son to fetch a basin of water to wash their faces and hands, only to discover that both of them were extraordinarily delicate, like jade, clearly not ordinary children.

She sighed, not knowing who caused the calamity, tormenting these two precious children like this.

After everything was settled, she asked her children to take care of Xie Zhen and Li Yu, while she continued to go to the kitchen to cook.

Xie Zhen was awakened by the enticing aroma, feeling sore and tired. She couldn’t even open her eyelids with the last bit of strength but eventually, due to extreme hunger, she slowly lifted her eyelids. At a glance, she saw the two people standing eagerly by the bed, staring at her intently with curiosity, doubt, and a bit of amazement.

Xie Zhen ignored them and, upon waking up, immediately looked for Li Yu, the little brother.

Fortunately, Li Yu was lying next to her, his chest bandaged, changed into clean clothes, looking a bit better than before.

The little girl at the bedside said, “Father invited the doctor, and he looked at him for a long time, costing twenty wen.”

That tone, it’s heartbreaking.

Xie Zhen turned her head and blinked, asking, “Did you save us?”

The little girl nodded, “Father saved you and brought you back.”

She sincerely said, “Thank you!”

The little girl smiled and shyly hid behind her brother.

*

When Wang Yangshi finished preparing dinner, Li Yu was still not awake.

Xie Zhen had dinner with the Wang family. The dishes were simple rural dishes, stir-fried bamboo shoots and leek with eggs. Because of their arrival, Wang Yangshi specially made a dish of chicken stew with mushrooms. The food was not as refined as at home, but Xie Zhen, not picky at all, ate more deliciously than ever before.

Halfway through the meal, she remembered something and pointed to the dishes on the table, apologizing, “Can I save some for Li Yu…?”

Afraid of opposition, she quickly added, “He doesn’t eat much, just a little bit is enough.”

Wang Yangshi felt extremely sorry, “Eat, it’s already saved for him.”

Xie Zhen happily thanked her and continued eating.

After lunch, it was completely dark outside. There weren’t many things in the village except for many houses. Wang Yangshi cleared a vacant room for them, laid out soft bedding, and brought two more blankets. She said, “You’ll sleep here tonight. If you need anything, just call me in the next room.”

Xie Zhen looked up, tears shimmering in her eyes, “After I go home, I will make sure my father and mother thank you properly.”

Wang Yangshi patted her head, “Tomorrow, we’ll ask the people in the village about your home. You’ll surely be able to go back, don’t worry.”

She replied with a hint of crying, “Hmm…”

After Wang Yangshi left, the room fell into silence and darkness.

Oil lamps were expensive in the countryside, and ordinary families couldn’t afford to use them. Generally, people would go to bed after it got dark. Xie Zhen groped her way to Li Yu’s side, snuggling close to him, tentatively calling out, “Little Brother Yu”. Li Yu didn’t respond, but she felt very reassured lying next to him, and soon fell asleep.

When she woke up again, it was already broad daylight.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, and she curled up with a soft moan. As she opened her eyes, she met Li Yu’s gaze fixed on her.

She exclaimed happily, “Brother Yu, you’re awake!”

Li Yu had been awake for a while, but her hands and feet were entangled around him, preventing him from getting up. He initially thought about pushing her away, but when he remembered how stubbornly she had carried him on her back yesterday, he couldn’t bear to do it. Well, let her hold on for a while longer, Li Yu thought, lying quietly and waiting for her to wake up.

Only then did Xie Zhen realize that she was still holding onto him. She quickly let go, sitting up, and asked with concern, “Are you hungry? Are you in pain? Auntie Yang saved us yesterday and got a doctor for you…”

Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Li Yu looking at her strangely, making her inexplicably nervous.

“What, what’s wrong?” she asked.

Li Yu reached out and grabbed her braided hair, looking puzzled, “How did your hair become like this?”

Without him mentioning it, Xie Zhen hadn’t noticed at all. Last night, she was too busy eating, and after finishing, she fell asleep without paying attention to her changed hairstyle. There was no mirror in the room, so she lowered her head and saw two thick and black twisted braids.

She said, “Maybe Auntie Yang did it for me…” Then asked, “Is it not good-looking?”

Li Yu turned his head away, “Ugly as hell.”

It wasn’t as bad as he described. Xie Zhen had delicate skin and a beautifully shaped face. No matter how she styled her hair, she looked good. Even with ordinary braids, she looked charming and cute.

Xie Zhen didn’t mind and wanted to get out of bed. She was used to the maidservant taking care of her. Now, with no one around, she didn’t even bother to wear shoes. She simply walked barefoot to Wang Yang’s room to call someone.

Wang Yang and the fourth son of the Wang family had already woken up early. They heated water for Xie Zhen and Li Yu, taking care of them with a simple grooming. Wang Yang went to cook, preparing breakfast with millet porridge, a few simple dishes, and their specialty, fried radish cakes.

Radishes were leftover from winter, not many were fried, only two for each person. Xie Zhen didn’t eat enough, so Li Yu gave her his portion. He pursed his lips and said, “Eat it.”

Xie Zhen refused and handed it back to him, saying, “You’ve lost a lot of blood; you should eat more.”

Li Yu furrowed his brows, once again placing it in her bowl. “If I give it to you, you eat it.”

They went back and forth, and finally, Wang Yang offered her portion to settle the matter.

Wang Yang tapped the heads of her two children and lectured them, “Look at how well-behaved the siblings are. Look at you two, always fighting.”

The two children stuck out their tongues.

Xie Zhen didn’t hear it; she was focused on eating.

But Li Yu heard it. He turned to look at Xie Zhen, then turned back, lowered his head, and took a bite of the fried radish cake without refuting the statement.

After breakfast, Wang Lao Si was about to go to the village to find someone to help Xie Zhen and Li Yu find their way home.

Before he could leave, he was stopped at the door by a well-dressed, sturdy person, a servant, who asked him, “Have you seen two children around five or six years old?”

Wang Lao Si quickly sized up the person before him, recalling the pitiful state of the two children yesterday. For a moment, he wasn’t sure whether to tell the truth or not.

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