Ye Zhinan was quite unconvinced by his explanation. She still stuck out her neck and patted her chest.
"I can just disguise myself as a man. Didn't I dress in my elder brother's clothes and treat your ailments before?"
Qin Yihuai lowered his head and rubbed his forehead. He didn't know where to start to refuse.
In fact, he had always wanted to tell her that it would have been better not to change her outfit that day.
After all, she was extremely delicate and beautiful. Trying to disguise herself as a man only made her look out of place and extremely eye - catching.
"Maybe we should wait for your elder brother to come and then make a decision."
Qin Yihuai really couldn't bear to refuse, nor could he bear to see Ye Zhinan looking dejected.
He knew how much effort Ye Zhinan had put into this and understood that she was looking forward to reaching a reconciliation with the bandits.
If he really didn't take her, she would probably be sad for a while.
So he'd leave this blame to Ye Yingfeng.
"I'll sleep on the outside. There'll be a quilt between us. Please bear with me."
As soon as Ye Zhinan entered the room, she saw the small kang that could barely accommodate two people.
She knew this wasn't the time to be fastidious, so she gritted her teeth and agreed.
Qin Yihuai wasn't a bad person. If he really wanted to do something, he wouldn't have kept her until now.
"Go to sleep early. We may have to get up early tomorrow."
Qin Yihuai rolled over and closed his eyes. There was no more sound.
In the night, Ye Zhinan sized up the distance between them and found that he had curled his whole body on the edge, deliberately keeping a distance from her.
Although the kang wasn't big, there was a space for one person between them.
Ye Zhinan bit her lips and wrapped herself in the quilt. There was an inexplicable strange feeling in her heart.
Early in the morning, there was a knock on the door.
Ye Zhinan rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up. Looking at the surrounding environment, she suddenly woke up.
"Quick, wake up. It should be the old granny knocking on the door."
She wanted to wake up the person beside her, only to find that Qin Yihuai had left the room at some point.
Panic and fear suddenly filled her heart, giving her an inexplicable sense of suffocation.
But then a familiar voice sounded outside. The big stone in her heart suddenly fell, and she heaved a sigh of relief.
"Don't knock anymore. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
The voice outside gradually faded away. Ye Zhinan quickly tidied herself up, afraid of being left behind.
She rushed out of the door in a hurry and saw the two of them sitting in the yard. They were no longer as tense as yesterday. Instead, there was a bit more amiability.
Qin Yihuai was holding a map in his hand. One could vaguely tell that it was the route to the mountain.
"Let's go!"
Seeing Ye Zhinan coming out of the room, Qin Yihuai got up to say goodbye to the old lady.
Before she could react, she was dragged out of the yard.
But when she looked back, she seemed to see tears glistening in the old lady's eyes.
"Actually, she must be reluctant. In order to avenge the torture she once suffered, she has to let the villagers fall into new torture. It's really difficult for her to be loyal and kind at the same time."
"Indeed. So only when the leader of the bandits gives in can the stone in her heart be completely removed."
Ordinary people think very simply. All they want is to support their families and live their lives.
In this world, being able to survive is already the luckiest thing.
They hope that God will give them a chance to forgive others, but in the past three years, no one has ever bowed their heads.
The government thinks highly of itself. Even if they sit idle until all resources are exhausted, they still think they can deal with the bandits.
And the people on the mountain, relying on their rudeness, also think they can make the government pay the price.
Even though generations change, the nature deep in their bones remains the same.
Ye Zhinan let out a long sigh. She didn't want to get too entangled in it and quickly changed the topic.
"Most of the children in the village are malnourished. They don't seem to have been to school and can't even read a single character."
Qin Yihuai walked quickly in front. It was not clear how much he had listened, but he just responded perfunctorily.
Ye Zhinan didn't find it boring. On the way, she told him all the things she had discovered.
From the big plans for the future of the village to the small things like how to make use of the land at the entrance of the village.
The person walking in front just listened quietly and also remembered silently in his heart.
"You're finally here. We've got all the equipment ready. But you said in the letter that you wanted me to bring a set of men's clothes. Don't tell me it's for you to change into?"
Qin Yihuai didn't say a word. Instead, he pulled the clothes off the carriage and threw them into Ye Zhinan's arms.
"Change into them. Didn't you want to come along?"
Before Ye Zhinan could reply, Ye Yingfeng got angry. He stood in front of his younger sister, looking extremely resistant.
He knew how cruel the bandits were. If they knew that Ye Zhinan would come along, he would never agree.
"Brother, I won't hold you back."
"This isn't about holding us back. It's about protecting you. You're a girl. If you go up the mountain with us and people get hold of this and start gossiping, you'll never be able to hold your head up for the rest of your life."
Ye Zhinan straightened her back, raised her neck, and argued with him with a blushing face.
"As long as the two of you don't say anything, no one will know. Besides, I'm wearing men's clothes. I can just say it's Chen Zhenhai accompanying you."
Without saying a word, she directly got on the carriage and quickly put on the men's clothes.
"The road on the mountain is difficult. It's impossible to move forward without horses. Now all three horses are in my hands. You'd better think it over."
Ye Yingfeng was so angry that his teeth were itching. He had no way to deal with Ye Zhinan, so he could only give her a few instructions and reluctantly compromise.
...
"A fat lamb is coming. The leader has to be well - prepared. Whether we can defeat the government or not depends on this lamb!"
A burly man walked in from outside. Holding a letter in his hand, he knelt down on the steps cheerfully.
Sitting on the top was a magnificent man. He was wearing animal skins, had a full beard on his face, and there was a killing intent in his eyes.
"Leader, don't forget what happened three years ago."
Many people around echoed. The man sitting on the top frowned slightly and gave them a cold look.
Everyone didn't dare to say a word. They all knelt down and there was no more sound.
"I have my own judgment. Since they've come, they won't leave unscathed."
There was a chill in the leader's eyes. His words were tough, but there was hesitation in his expression.
Just as he finished speaking, a yellow - haired boy walked in from outside.
He had a tuft of hair on his head tied up with a red string, looking even more cute and playful.
He wasn't very tall, but he was a bit stronger than his peers. From afar, he looked like a little gourd spirit.
He crawled up the steps and nestled in the leader's arms, calling out sweetly.
"Dad, are we going to have another lamb to eat? But there's no grass at home. How can we feed the lamb?"
After the little gourd spirit finished speaking, the people who were still indignant just now all bit their lips and lowered their heads deeply.
The leader stroked his little face. There was nothing but doting in his expression.
"Dad promises you that in the future, I'll definitely let you see grass and raise flocks of sheep for you!"