Chi You woke up again in a farmhouse.
She sat up in a daze, her hand on her forehead as she surveyed the surroundings.
"Miss, you're awake?"
The door creaked open, and an older woman entered, carrying food.
Chi You's heart tightened, and she looked at the approaching woman with suspicion.
The older woman, noticing her fear, placed a steamed bun and a sweet potato bowl on the table and smiled.
"You collapsed in the mountains. My old man was out hunting and found you unconscious, so he brought you back. Don't be afraid. Are you hungry? Come, have something to eat."
Seeing the kind expression on her face, Chi You's guard immediately relaxed. She slowly moved herself off the bed.
"Thank you, Auntie."
The older woman served her a bowl of porridge and sat beside her with a smile, asking, "Where are you from, dear? How old are you? Are you married?"
"---"
Chi You was puzzled but didn't think too much of it, answering each question obediently.
Upon hearing that she was married, a hint of disappointment flashed in the older woman's eyes. This child was clearly well-behaved, and she had been thinking of her as a daughter-in-law.
What a pity.
Unaware of her thoughts, Chi You offered some silver fragments from her satchel after finishing her meal.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Auntie."
"Oh my, no, no, you don't need to give so much money."
The older woman's face split into a wide smile at the sight of the silver. Though she said it wasn't necessary, her hand truthfully accepted it, even biting down on it with her teeth.
"Oh my, it's real silver."
Chi You glanced at the sky outside and picked up her satchel to bid farewell.
Hearing she was leaving, the older woman warmly said, "Won't you stay for a day? Our village is poor, but the scenery on the other side of the back mountain is quite nice. You can go explore."
"No, Auntie, I need to find my friend."
Brother Ayun must still be waiting for her; she had to hurry back to the small hillside.
The older woman walked her to the courtyard gate and pushed open the wooden door, mumbling,
"I don't know what's happening outside, but there are soldiers everywhere. You're just a young girl; you must be careful."
Soldiers?!
Chi You's heart leaped, and she involuntarily stopped.
"What's wrong?"
The older woman turned back, looking confused.
Chi You dared not say anything and stealthily peeked outside. Seeing no soldiers, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"You don't know, but a few days ago, they caught a wanted criminal from the imperial court in the city. He was imprisoned for only two days before being rescued as he was being transported to the prefectural city. The official was so furious that he ordered a city-wide search, but they couldn't find anyone. Now they're searching house by house—"
Listening to the older woman's ramblings, Chi You felt increasingly uneasy. Was it Brother Ayun?
Who had rescued him?
"Auntie, could you help me go to the small mountain outside the city and see if anyone is waiting for me?"
"Ah, is it your family?"
Chi You nodded quickly, "Yes, I got separated from him."
The older woman paused, looked her over a few times, and asked no further questions.
"Alright, you stay in the house. I'll go and have a look. Remember to open the door for them when the old man and the others return."
"Okay."
Chi You waited in the house. By the time the old man, who had gone hunting, returned, the older woman had not yet come back.
She was starting to get impatient and wanted to go look for her, but suddenly, many soldiers carrying wanted posters arrived in the village to search.
Her face turned pale with fright, and she clutched her satchel, wanting to hide.
Yang Dan, sitting nearby, noticed her distress and asked her,
"What's wrong?"
Chi You remembered the excuse Xia Yun had taught her and shyly blushed as she lied.
"I escaped from the mansion of a lord in the city. That lord wanted me to be his concubine, and I fear they've come to arrest me."
The old man, sitting on a stool and smoking, snorted, "This county magistrate is becoming more lawless by the day. He doesn't do anything for the people and only bullies the weak."
"Exactly, exactly. Just the other day, I heard his son forcibly took a civilian girl, forcing her to be his concubine."
Listening to his sister's words, Yang Dan said, "But these people outside don't seem like the city's soldiers; they look like soldiers from Shuzhou Prefecture."
"Yes, Father. I heard a big shot has arrived from Shuzhou Prefecture, and he seems to be searching for someone. Our small town also has many soldiers, and posters have been put up on the streets. A reward of a thousand taels of gold is offered for catching the person, which is enough for our family to live without worry for generations."
"Heh heh, my brother and I will go into the city tomorrow to check out that poster. Maybe we'll actually bump into them."
Old Man Yang ignored his children's words and glanced at Chi You, whose lips were trembling in fear. He beckoned her.
"Come, hide in the cellar. They probably aren't looking for you. If you're scared, go hide in there. No one will search the cellar."
Chi You looked at the soldiers coming from the other side of the river and quickly followed him, descending into the cellar via the ladder.
The cellar was small, filled with some hunted game, vegetables, and fruits.
Chi You bit her lip and looked up. White light filtered through the straw sparsely. All she had to do was look down to see her hiding place.
She heard the soldiers' footsteps outside and quickly lowered her head to look around. She spotted a large earthen jar used for storing grain.
She directly lifted the lid and hid inside with her satchel.
The jar contained several large cabbages, with frost around the edges. The cold made her shiver uncontrollably.
Above her, she heard the old man and the soldiers talking, interspersed with the clatter of swords and the sounds of searching. Terrified, she bit her lip, daring not to make a sound.
Her mind replayed the words of the siblings from earlier, and her heart grew even more anxious. Had people from the capital come to catch her?
Was it her brother?
He was getting married, and she wanted to return to Nanjiang. Why was he still chasing her?
The more Chi You thought about it, the more distressed she became. Her eyes felt sore and stinging, but she dared not move, letting the warmth flow down her face.
Above, soldiers raked through the straw back and forth with their swords.
She heard the sound and her body froze with fear.
"What's in there?"
The old man quickly brought water with a smile and handed it over.
"It's where we store grain. We'll sell it another day."
The superiors were pushing hard, and the soldiers didn't want to delay. They glanced inside and, seeing no one, didn't linger.
"Boss, no one in the house."
"Let's go, next house."
After the soldiers left, Chi You stealthily emerged, but she didn't dare go into the courtyard until she heard the old man's voice from above. She then climbed back up the ladder.
Yang Dan approached her with a handkerchief and handed it to her, "Wipe your face. They've already gone far."
As Chi You took it and thanked him, she saw the older woman returning in a hurry.
"Miss, this old woman circled around and asked many people. I didn't see anyone waiting for you on the mountain."
Chi You was stunned, a sense of helplessness washing over her.
Who had taken Brother Ayun away?
"Awu, if we ever get separated, we'll meet at the outskirts of the next station after our stop. If I don't hear from you after three days, keep moving forward until you reach Longcheng. I'll wait for you there."
Xia Yun's parting words flashed through her mind. A glimmer of light appeared in Chi You's eyes.
She quickly took out a map from her satchel, tracing the marked locations with a slight pursing of her lips. The next stop was Yanzhou.
The wind was picking up here, and they couldn't stay any longer. She could wait for Brother Ayun in Yanzhou.