Qin Yihuai handed her a cup filled with hot tea. Even though it had cooled down, there was still a lingering warmth that seeped into her skin.
She shivered. Finally, unable to withstand the cold wind outside, she turned around and bid farewell before leaving.
Under the cold moonlight, Qin Yihuai's nose was already red.
Only after watching the light in the room go on and then off did he return to his own house.
Ye Zhinan got up very early. The two of them packed up quickly and took a carriage straight to the village at the foot of the mountain.
"This place is more like a utopia. It has never had any contact with the outside world and is self - sufficient. How carefree it must be," she said.
She frowned slightly. She didn't see any fields nearby. It might not be that easy to be self - sufficient.
She slowly walked to the village entrance and found several children sitting around a big rock, drawing on the ground.
Seeing the strangers approaching, they all ran away quickly to find their parents.
The two of them stood at the village entrance, not knowing whether to go in or back out.
Finally, an old white - haired woman walked out from inside, leaning on a walking stick, with a stern look on her face.
"Who are you?"
Ye Zhinan bowed and spoke in a trembling voice, afraid that the old woman might misunderstand them.
"We're from a nearby village. It's just the harvest season, so we've come here especially to bring you some things."
The old woman's expression changed a bit. Then she waved her walking stick, trying to drive them out.
"Full of nonsense! The chief has burned all your crops. Where did you get the harvest?"
Seeing that the walking stick was about to hit Ye Zhinan, Qin Yihuai stepped in front of her, exposing his back and taking a hard blow.
The old woman seemed not to expect that she would really hit someone. She trembled as she let go of the walking stick and told them to get out in disgust.
Ye Zhinan wasn't angry. She held Qin Yihuai's hand and comforted him.
"The crops were indeed burned, but there were still some that survived tenaciously. When I saw these crops, I couldn't help but think of you, so I brought the things here for you."
She secretly gave herself a mental thumbs - up. This way of appealing to people's emotions and reasoning was probably something only she could come up with.
Actually, there were no unburned crops. Even if there were, they belonged to other people's fields. She naturally couldn't get them.
The so - called harvest was just from her own space, used to make up the numbers.
With some effort, she carried a basket off the carriage. It was filled with corn and cabbages.
Although they weren't precious things, she was sure that the villagers had never eaten them. Moreover, these were exactly what they yearned for the most.
Sure enough, the old woman's eyes lit up. Then she put on a disgusted expression again and knocked over the basket with her walking stick.
"Who wants your things? They're all stained with human blood. They're filthy."
Before the old woman could finish her words, several middle - aged men ran out from the village and picked up the things on the ground as if they were treasures.
"We've been at odds with the government for so many years and haven't gained any benefits. Instead, we've hurt ourselves. No matter how powerful those people on the mountain are, aren't they just living in hiding?"
The man hugged the corn in his arms and shed a few tears.
Only then did Ye Zhinan realize that not all the villagers supported the bandits.
The situation seemed much simpler than she had thought.
She politely stepped forward and helped pick up the things.
"It's getting late. The mountain road is rough. It might be dangerous for us to go back. If you could do us a favor and let us stay here for the night, that would be great."
The man holding the corn hesitated for a moment. His eyes fell on the old woman, as if seeking an answer.
The old woman heaved a heavy sigh, picked up her walking stick again, and motioned for Ye Zhinan and Qin Yihuai to come in.
Qin Yihuai and Ye Zhinan exchanged a look. They both thought it was too easy.
But when they walked into the old woman's house and saw the paralyzed old man in bed, their joy instantly faded.
"I know you're from the government. You're full of an air of nobility. Don't think you can fool this old woman's eyes by wearing a few ragged clothes," she said coldly.
She used her walking stick to pick up two quilts and casually threw them at their feet.
"Those people outside are inexperienced and won't feel the same as me, so they don't hate you. But I'm different. The chief on the mountain and I both regard you as enemies."
Ye Zhinan bent down to pick up the quilts, hugged them in her arms, and tentatively took two steps forward, approaching the old woman.
"What exactly happened back then? Could you tell us?"
The old woman spat on the ground, her eyes full of disgust.
"It's all about bloodshed. It almost cost my old man half his life. The whole village can forget, but you can't act stupid."
In the flickering candlelight, Ye Zhinan could see that the old woman's eyes were filled with tears. If she hadn't bitten her lip, the tears would probably have fallen soon.
She looked at the man in bed and didn't have the heart to ask any more questions. She could only hug the quilts and return to the side yard.
Just as the two of them were tidying up the room, there was a sudden noise outside.
Then an old voice said, "I've given you the broom. Clean it up yourself. Remember to restore it to its original state tomorrow. Leave as soon as it's dawn."
Ye Zhinan couldn't help but smile. She went out, picked up the broom, and bowed to the old woman's retreating back.
"Let's go out for a walk later and see if we can meet some villagers and find out some information."
Qin Yihuai nodded. After they finished tidying up, they went out.
The night wasn't too dark yet. They could faintly hear the sounds of children playing.
She followed the sounds of laughter and sure enough saw several women with children playing in the village.
Everyone was stunned when they saw their figures, but they didn't say anything and just continued to do their own things.
She walked over, took out a few candies from her pocket, and gave them to the children.
Seeing that no one was rejecting her, she walked up to the kindest - looking woman and handed her a handkerchief.
"This was embroidered by my mother. I don't have anything valuable on me. Please accept it."
Han Xiangmei was very good at embroidery. No one didn't like the handkerchiefs she embroidered.
The woman refused a few times but finally accepted it.
"If you have any questions, just ask."
Ye Zhinan pursed her lips, thought for a moment, and then slowly said, "It's not something urgent. I just want to ask you about the old woman at the village entrance during the day and the bygone past."
The woman rubbed the needle on her head a few times and lowered her head to continue her handicraft.
Ye Zhinan thought she was going to be rebuffed. Just as she was about to get up and leave, the woman suddenly spoke.
"She's the daughter - in - law of the former village head. She's really had a hard life. The former village head was burned while saving a child in a fire. Since then, he's been paralyzed in bed and has barely managed to make ends meet with the help of the villagers."
After the woman finished speaking, her eyes fell on the door not far away, and she heaved a heavy sigh.
"I only got married here later. I don't know much about the bygone past you mentioned. Ever since I've lived here, I've never seen any good farmland in the village. Most of the food they eat is game. If you want to know, I can take you to see the village head."