The cave was about forty to fifty square meters, with a spring flowing through it, a truly advantageous hidden spot. Liu's father had even brought a few bundles of straw during his leisure time.
After carefully looking around, Wu Caiwei was quite satisfied with the environment, except for one thing: the cave entrance was small, and it was rather dark inside. Taking advantage of the light that shone in at noon, she quickly laid out a bed with straw and carefully moved the person inside.
With all that done, the sun began to set. Once she had free time, she felt incredibly hungry. After a moment's thought, she decided to leave and restore the cave entrance.
She carefully returned along the original path, erasing all traces along the way.
Having done so, she hid and dodged her way home. Before she even arrived, she saw Liu's mother in the distance, her head tilted in anxious anticipation.
As soon as they met, Liu's mother's worried expression turned to joy. "You're back, you child? No matter how fun the town is, you must come home early. It's not safe for a young girl like you."
"Yes, yes, Mother is right. I'll be careful next time. Where's Father?" Wu Caiwei stepped forward and supported Liu's mother as they walked into the courtyard, asking casually.
"Your father is in the study. Although he hasn't said anything, I can tell he's been worried about you too," Liu's mother said, patting her hand.
"Then I'll go see Father. I haven't eaten lunch yet. Can you make me something? I'm starving," Wu Caiwei said as she walked. "Oh, right, make a bit more. My friend hasn't eaten either."
"You child, it's this late, and you still haven't had lunch? What if you starve?" Hearing that she hadn't eaten lunch, Liu's mother's heart ached.
"Ah, right, you mentioned a friend. What friend? Do I know them..." Before she could finish asking, she saw Wu Caiwei walk into the study and Liu's mother shook her head helplessly.
"You're back. Come back a little earlier next time. There are people waiting at home." Although Liu's father spoke words of admonishment, his eyes revealed indulgence.
"I know, Father. Something came up today, and I won't do it again next time." Wu Caiwei's attitude of admitting fault was very good. She particularly cherished this kind of parental affection, which made her think of her own parents. They were just like this.
"Oh? What happened?" Liu's father was a little curious.
Wu Caiwei walked to Liu's father's side and, in a voice only the two of them could hear, recounted the process of rescuing the person. Of course, she omitted the fight, fearing she would frighten Liu's father and prevent him from letting her go out again.
Liu's father initially didn't take it seriously, thinking his daughter was just whispering secrets to him like when she was little. As he listened, his expression grew more serious. Knowing this was no small matter, he instructed Wu Caiwei, "This matter should not be publicized. Since he is being pursued, he must have enemies. If they find out we rescued him, the consequences would be unimaginable. Besides, we don't know what kind of person he is; what if he's a bad person? However, since you've already saved him, we are now involved. We should see this through. I'll go prepare some things later, and we'll go up the mountain to take a look."
"Bring Mother along too. I'm worried about her being home alone. We'll all go to the cave to take care of him. He's very seriously injured and will likely have a fever tonight." Wu Caiwei knew that if the Li family's attack was unsuccessful, they would have further plans. If something happened to Liu's mother while she was home alone, she would never forgive herself.
"That's fine. Let's eat soon and then go up the mountain together. We'll be together as a family." After a moment's thought, Liu's father agreed. Mainly, they had never been separated since marrying Liu's mother, and he was also worried about leaving her alone at home.
After dinner, Liu's father went to the village's barefoot doctor and, using an excuse, obtained some medicine for reducing fever, stopping bleeding, and treating wounds.
Then, they packed some things and headed towards the mountain, avoiding people. Fortunately, the Liu family lived in a secluded area, close to the back mountain, where they rarely encountered anyone.
This small village was called Qingshan Village, composed of three surnames: Lin, Zhang, and Liu. Clans were quite influential in this era, and all villages were generally insular. Liu's father had chosen this village precisely because it was different from others, being made up of three surnames and not as united or insular as other villages.
Even so, when they first arrived, the villagers were reluctant to accept them. It was only when the village chief, considering his scholar's title, thought it would be beneficial to have a scholar in the village, that they were given the most secluded spot in the village. They had lived there for over ten years.
The three of them walked for about a quarter of an hour and reached the cave before dark.
Upon entering the cave, Liu's father and Liu's mother used stones to seal the entrance from the inside, then layered straw over the stones to ensure no light would escape.
Once everything was ready, they replaced the torch with an oil lamp.
Only then did Liu's father have the mood to properly examine the man in white. Liu's father had once been a concubine's son in an official family and had some insight. He immediately recognized that the fabric of the man's clothes was very expensive, and his accessories, though simple, were refined, clearly indicating he came from a family of considerable wealth.
Liu's mother only learned of her daughter's actions at this point. However, after a moment of shock, she put it aside and went about her business. With Liu's father and daughter there, she felt that even if the sky fell, someone would hold it up.
Both Liu's father and Liu's mother were born into prominent families and had both experienced hardship. Their journey from young masters and ladies of great houses to humble villagers began with the grievances of the previous generation. Su Dan Novel Network.
Liu's father's original name was Liu Qing, and his father was Hu Jiayuan. He was born in a village near the neighboring prefecture city. His family was poor, and with the collective effort of the entire clan, they barely managed to support him to become a Xiu Cai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations).
However, studying was a bottomless pit. The clan only intended to support him to a certain point, thinking that having a scholar in the village would prevent them from being bullied by outsiders.
Everyone was not well-off and lived a difficult life. Some people already had opinions. Seeing that he had passed the Xiu Cai exam, no one was willing to support him further.
Seeing that he could not continue his studies and would have to return home to open a private school like some of his classmates, he was unwilling. He was clearly the most talented and the most diligent, yet he had to give up the path to advancement simply because of poverty.
Coincidentally, one of his classmates married a merchant's daughter. Not only did he have money to continue his studies, but he also had servants to command. Hu Jiayuan began to have ideas.
If others could do it, why couldn't he? Thus, after deliberately inquiring, he identified several specific targets, engineered various chance encounters, and finally won the heart of the Liu family's young lady.
Initially, the Liu family objected because they had only one daughter and wanted a son-in-law to inherit the family business. Hu Jiayuan already had academic honors and could not become a live-in son-in-law. It was Hu Jiayuan who voluntarily proposed that their first son would take the Liu surname and inherit the Liu family.
Liu's father was tempted. Although Hu Jiayuan's family was poor, everyone said, "All trades are inferior, only scholarship is superior." To find a good son-in-law, they naturally wanted the best one, and most importantly, their daughter liked him.
After marriage, the couple lived in harmony for a while, but unfortunately, their good times were short-lived.