C18 – The Village
The howls of the wolves were especially clear in the empty valley at night.
Xie Zhen trembled and subconsciously approached Li Yu.
They were both children, and although Li Yu was more mature than she was, he couldn’t help but be afraid. Now the last of the western sun was gone, and the woods soon grew dark, and the cold night light fell through the leaves on the ground at their feet, sprinkling the ground with silver dust. There was no light around them, and they could only see the road in front of them by the light of the moon.
Li Yu did not hesitate this time and held her hand, “Let’s find a place to hide.”
Xie Zhen looked around, afraid that a beast might suddenly pop out from a corner. She had never seen wolves, but when other parents threatened their children, they said they would let the wolves take them if they didn’t listen, and she kept that in mind and was afraid of animals like jackals and tigers and leopards.
After walking for a while, probably attracted by the smell of blood on Li Yu’s body, the howls of wolves grew closer and closer.
Her thin legs were sore from walking, but she dared not say she was tired, because Li Yu was even more pitiful than she was and he was wounded. She blinked, trying to hold back the tears in her eyes, “Big brother Xiaoyu, are you still in pain? Do you want me to carry you?”
Li Yu shook his head without thinking. “No need.”
He was a boy, and older than her, so how could he let her to carry him? And now it doesn’t hurt much. Since Xie Zhen’s so stupid and thin, carrying him on her back will only slow her down.
Not far ahead was a village, with smoke rising from the chimneys of several houses. If they reached the village before the wolves, they might be able to save their lives.
After Li Yu told this idea to Xie Zhen, she immediately got excited and walked faster than before, “Then let’s go quickly!”
Li Yu nodded and followed her.
In fact, he couldn’t even move anymore. He had lost too much blood, and he had already reached his limit. He felt the sight before him grow more and more blurry, and his vision became more and more dim. Finally, his legs gave way and he fell to the ground.
Xie Zhen heard the sound and turned her head, and fear and helplessness surged through her. She burst into tears.
She squatted in front of Li Yu and called out, “Brother Xiao Yu, Brother Xiao Yu …”
Li Yu didn’t even have the strength to look down on her. He closed his eyes and said, “You can leave by yourself.”
Xie Zhen shook her head, “Let’s go together.”
She was a child and did not understand any logic. All she knew was that they were good companions. If she wanted to leave, she could only leave together. If she wanted to live, she could not leave him behind. Even if Li Yu walked slower and slower, she had never thought of abandoning him and running away, leaving him here alone.
As the wolves drew nearer, she look back and see, through the misty tears, eyes glowing green in the distance.
She bit her lower lip and frantically wiped away her tears with her sleeve. She grabbed Li Yu’s arm and carried him onto her back. After she saw the road clearly, she used the last of her strength to move forward.
Li Yu’s voice was weak and filled with disappointment. “Do you want to die?”
She shook her head, choking, “I don’t want to die, and Brother Xiaoyu can’t die either. We’re going home together.”
She ran out of breath and slowly lost her strength, but she still refused to let go of Li Yu. Li Yu’s legs were dragging on the ground. Just as he was about to persuade her to give up, she slipped and fell down the hill with him.
During this period, Li Yu was pressed down to the point that his wound was pressed. With a stuffy groan, he fainted.
As soon as she got to her feet, a torch lit up the road around her.
“Who’s there?”
This man was from a nearby village. He had no firewood when he was cooking, so he came out to look for them. He didn’t expect to see two children.
At most, he was six or seven years old. One of them had a injury in his chest , while the other was completely exhausted. Just looking at them made one’s heart ache.
How old were them to suffer such a tribulation?
The savior’s surname was Wang, and he was ranked fourth in the family, and was named Wang Laosi. Seeing the poor children, he took them home.
In order to deal with the wolves on the mountain, the villagers had built fires around the village. Every few dozen steps, there would be a fire, and the wolves would not dare to come close at night.
Wang Laosi’s wife,Madam Wang Yang, was still waiting for the firewood. When she went out to welcome him, she saw that he was carrying firewood on his shoulder and two children were lying on the donkey cart behind him. She couldn’t help but ask: “What’s going on?”
Wang Laosi told her everything that had happened, and she carried the two children into the house without any word. Seeing that their clothes had been cut by thorns, he changed them into the clothes of his own children. Coincidentally, the Wang family also had a boy and a girl, both as old as they were.
Li Yu was wounded in the chest and couldn’t be delayed. Wang Laosi went to invite the village doctor early in the morning.
Madam Wang Yang had Xie Zhen’s hair combed again. Her original hair was all messed up, and the woman didn’t comb the rich family’s messy bun, so she put two simple braids on her head and left them on her sides. Madam Wang Yang sent her daughter and son to fetch a basin of water, wiping their faces and their hands. Only then did she realize that the two of them were born with delicate and exquisite breasts that could tell with a glance that they weren’t the children of an ordinary family.
She sighed. She didn’t know who had caused the two jade dolls to suffer like this.
When everything was ready, she let her children take care of Xie Zhen and Li Yu and went back to the kitchen to cook.
Xie Zhen woke up due to a burst of fragrance. Her hands and feet were aching, and she didn’t even have the strength to open her eyes. She was so hungry that she slowly lifted her eyelids.
She could see the two standing by the bed at first glance. They were staring at her with curiosity and suspicion, and even a little surprise.
Xie Zhen ignored them and immediately looked for brother Xiao Yu.
Fortunately, Li Yu was lying beside her. His chest had been bandaged and he had changed into a clean set of clothes. He looked a little better than before.
The little girl at the head of the bed said, “Father got a doctor and spent twenty coins.”
Her tone was filled with heartache.
“You saved us?” Xie Zhen asked.
The little girl nodded, “Father saved you.”
She said sincerely, “Thank you!”
The little girl smiled and shyly hid behind her brother.
When dinner was ready, Li Yu was still sleeping.
Xie Zhen had dinner with the members of Wang family, which consisted of ordinary farmers’ dishes, fried bamboo shoots and leek eggs, and because of their arrival, Madam Wang Yang made a chicken stew mushroom. The meal is not as delicate as at home, but Xie Zhen is not picky and eats better than ever.
Halfway through her meal, she suddenly thought of something and embarrassedly pointed to the dishes on the table. “Can I save some for big brother Xiaoyu …”
As she was afraid that they would not agree, she quickly added, “He doesn’t eat much, just a little bit.”
Madam Wang Yang’s heart ached uncontrollably, “Eat it, there is something else for him.”
Xie Zhen thanked her happily and went back to her meal.
After supper, it was completely dark. There weren’t many other things in the village, just a lot of houses. Madam Wang Yang cleaned up an empty room for them, placed a soft pillow on top of a mattress, and carried over two quilts, “You can sleep here tonight. If you need anything, go call me from the next room.”
Xie Zhen lifted her head, with tears in her eyes. She said, “When I get home, I will tell my father and my mother thank you properly.”
Madam Wang Yang rubbed her head, “Tomorrow, let the villagers ask where your home is. You can definitely go back, don’t worry.”
She cried, “Hmm …”
After Madam Wang Yang left, the room sank into silence and darkness.
Countryside oil lamps were expensive, and ordinary people didn’t want to use them. Normally, they would go to bed after nightfall.
Xie Zhen groped her way to Li Yu’s side, leaned close to him, and tentatively called him “Brother Xiao Yu”. Li Yu didn’t answer, but she felt at ease. She fell asleep beside him not long later.
When she woke up again, it was already the day.
The sunlight stabbed in through the window. She curled up and groaned. When she opened her eyes, she met Li Yu’s gaze as he stared at her.
She exclaimed in surprise, “Brother Xiao Yu, you’re awake!”
Li Yu was awake for a long time, but her hands and feet were wrapped around him, making it impossible for him to get up. He wanted to push her away, but he thought of that she stubbornly carried him on her back yesterday. Forget it, letting her hug him for a while isn’t a big deal, Li Yu thought to himself, so he lay quietly, waiting for her to wake up.
Then she realized she was still holding him, so she quickly let him go and sat up. She asked, “Are you hungry? Does it hurt? Yesterday, Auntie Yang saved us and called a doctor for you …”
Before she could finish, she saw Li Yu looking at her strangely, making her feel inexplicably nervous.
“What, what’s wrong?”
Li Yu reached out to grab her ponytail with a puzzled expression. “How did your hair become like this?”
If he didn’t say it, she wouldn’t realize it. She put all her attention to the dinner last night and had fallen asleep after dinner, and hadn’t noticed that her hairstyle had changed. There was no mirror, and she looked down and saw two thick black braids of braids.
She said, “Aunt Yang probably combed it for me.” She then asked, “Isn’t it pretty?”
Li Yu turned his head away and said, “So ugly.”
In fact, it was not as ugly as he said. Her skin was white and her little face was beautiful. No matter how bad it was, it would always look good. Even if it was an ordinary ponytail, the way she combed it was indescribably adorable and adorable.
Xie Zhen didn’t care about it, and wanted to get off bed.
She was used to be served by the maidservants and nannie, so when there was no one around, she could not put on even a pair of shoes. In the end, she simply placed them on her feet and went straight to Madam Wang Yang’s room to call for help.
Madam Wang Yang and Wang Laosi woke up early and heated up water for Xie Zhen and Li Yu, taking care of them with a simple wash.
Madam Wang Yang went to cook dinner. Breakfast was millet congee with a few simple side dishes and the most proficient fried radish cake.
The turnips were the last of the winter, and they didn’t fried much, so everyone got two. Xie Zhen was not full, Li Yu gave her his one, pursed his lips, and thought for a moment before saying, “I’ll give it to you.”
Xie Zhen refused it, and gave it back to him. “You’ve lost a lot of blood. You need to eat more.”
Li Yu frowned and pinched her bowl again. “If I let you eat it, then eat it.”
The two of them pushed and turned, but in the end, Madam Wang Yang gave them her one and the two of them finally stopped.
Madam Wang Yang knocked on the heads of her two children, educating them, “Look at how good their relationship is, then look at you two. All you know how to do is fight all day long.”
The two children stuck out their tongues.
Xie Zhen didn’t hear her. She was concentrating on her meal.
But Li Yu heard it. He turned to look at Xie Zhen, then turned around after a while. He lowered his head and took a bite of radish frying cake, but didn’t retort.
After breakfast, Wang Laosi was about to go to the village to find a way home for Xie Zhen and Li Yu.
Before he could go out, he was stopped by a tall and muscular man who was dressed as a servant.
“Did you see two children, five or six years old?” he asked.
Wang Laosi quickly sized this person up. He recalled how his two children were in dire straits yesterday and did not know whether he should tell the truth or not.
