Chapter 55 Re-entering the Miao Village

Cheng Ying disliked Wei Mucheng, and naturally, the Chen family did not welcome him either.

People in the mountains have strong likes and dislikes, and they usually wear their emotions on their sleeves.

Despite Cheng Ying's wishes, Wei Muchen continued to harass her, and the Chen family also treated him poorly.

That night, Wei Mucheng spent the night sleeping in the Chen family's woodshed.

Around five o'clock the next morning, Da Huang licked Cheng Ying awake.

Cheng Ying got up in the dark and saw that Wei Muchen was still asleep in the woodshed without making a sound. She quietly took Da Huang and left.

She had just stepped out of the Chen family's courtyard when a dark figure emerged from under a tree by the roadside, startling her.

"Comrade Cheng," the figure spoke, "I'm sorry to have startled you. I have a letter that I need you to mail for me. Could you please do me a favor?"

As the figure spoke, he took out a letter from his pocket and handed a fifty-cent coin to Cheng Ying.

The money was for Cheng Ying to buy stamps.

In the dim light of the night, Cheng Ying recognized the person in front of her as Ye Wenwen, the female educated youth she had seen yesterday.

She reached out and took Ye Wenwen's letter, saying "Okay."

"Thank you for your trouble," Ye Wenwen said in a barely audible voice. "Comrade Cheng, please don't tell anyone about the letter I asked you to send. If you receive any mail for me, please hand it directly to me and don't pass it on to anyone else, including my husband and my children."

Cheng Ying sensed something was off and couldn't help but ask, "Does your husband not allow you to contact your family?"

“Yes, he was afraid I would run away.” Ye Wenwen smiled sarcastically. “Back then, he disregarded my wishes and let his mother force me to… that’s why I married him. For so many years, I’ve tried to contact my parents, and every time he would find an excuse to send me a letter, but he never sent a single one, and I never received a reply from my parents. I thought my parents knew I had married a man from the countryside and were angry because I hadn’t listened to their advice before they left, and they didn’t want to talk to me anymore. Until two months ago, your father gave me a letter from my brother, asking why I hadn’t written to them for so many years, and whether I resented them for severing ties with me. That’s when I found out that all the letters I had written over the years had been torn up by my husband.”

Cheng Ying was astonished. What Ye Wenwen said was completely opposite to what Chen Ling had said about Ye Wenwen and Cao Jinshi being in love and dating on their own initiative.

She asked, "Did your husband force himself on you? Why didn't you report it to the police back then? In the countryside, men who bully female educated youth should be executed. Give the educated youth justice!"

“I can’t report it to the police because I was with Cao Jinshi willingly back then.” Tears welled up in Ye Wenwen’s eyes. “I was too young back then, I had never done farm work, and I had never done any housework at home. When I first came to Ma’an Village, I didn’t know how to do anything, and the villagers always looked down on me, saying that I couldn’t do anything, that I only knew how to ruin the crops and take away the village’s grain, that I was a good-for-nothing. The educated youth who came with me also thought I was clumsy and didn’t want to talk to me.”

I can't cook, and the other educated youths thought my cooking was terrible and didn't want to eat with me. They made me cook alone. I hadn't eaten a decent meal in a long time, and I fainted while doing farm work.

Cao Jinshi's mother happened to see this. She knew that Cao Jinshi liked me and had always wanted to date me, so she carried me to their house, stripped me naked, locked me and Cao Jinshi together, and made Cao Jinshi do something with me before letting us out.

Cao Jinshi was timid and dared not do anything to offend me, so he never dared to touch me.

However, Cao Jinshi's mother spread the word that I had spent several days in the same room with Cao Jinshi, and now everyone in the village knows that I 'slept' with Cao Jinshi. Even if I am innocent, I have no way to defend myself.

Later, Cao Jinshi kept trying to please me and helping me with my work, saying he wanted to make up for what his mother had done to me. I saw that he was treating me very well. I could never finish all the work I was assigned, and I couldn't even afford to eat enough with the work points I earned. Plus, my reputation was ruined, so I compromised with Cao Jinshi.

But I never imagined that after I married him, my life in his house would be like being fried in oil, a living hell..."

Ye Wenwen was originally a pampered young lady from the city, with a simple mind. She never lifted a finger at home, and all the housework was done by a nanny.

Once she was sent to the countryside, she worked hard in the fields, enduring hardship and exhaustion. She felt so tired that she wished she were dead and had no hope of living. Suddenly, she was tricked by Cao Jinshi and his mother. She thought that Cao Jinshi could save her from her suffering and that she would not have to work after marrying him. So she reluctantly married Cao Jinshi.

Years later, Cao Jinshi's mother let slip the truth, and she finally realized that she had been tricked by Cao Jinshi and his mother. She had already given birth to three children and regretted her actions.

She originally intended to accept her fate, stay in the poor mountain village, live with Cao Jinshi for the rest of her life, raise her three children well, and help them leave the poor mountain village when they grow up.

But a letter from her brother rekindled her hope.

Her brother said that their family had been exonerated and returned to Shanghai in June of this year. Her father went back to his original workplace, her brother got a new job, and her mother's health was not good. The whole family was looking forward to her coming home.

They thought she still resented them. They didn't know how she was doing in the countryside, or whether she had gotten married. In her last letter, her brother said that if she wanted to go home, no matter what her situation was, he would come to take her home and try to get her a spot to return to the city so that she could stay in Shanghai and not be sent back to the countryside. He wanted her to stay at home forever and be loved by her whole family, just like before.

God knows how excited she was when she saw the letter. Returning to the city and seeing her family was something she had dreamed of doing day and night for the past ten years.

Now that she has finally received a letter from her family, she realizes what her husband has done to her over the years, and she confronts him angrily.

Her husband admitted to tearing up her letters from years ago. She got into a huge argument with him and tried to leave, but her husband stopped her. Her two daughters clung to her legs and cried loudly in front of her, begging her not to go.

The sound of her child crying and her husband kneeling and begging for her forgiveness softened her heart, and she did not choose to leave.

But the obsession with returning to the city was etched into her bones, gnawing at her thoughts day by day. In the end, she secretly wrote a letter and slipped it to Cheng Jiantong, asking him to mail it for her.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Jiantong was pushed down the mountain by Cheng Chunfu, resulting in hemiplegia and the inability to work. Cheng Ying took over Cheng Jiantong's job as a postman, but has yet to bring her a single letter from home.

She couldn't resist any longer, so yesterday she secretly asked Cheng Ying at the brigade headquarters if she had any letters from her.

Upon learning that there were no letters for her, she was deeply disappointed. After returning home, her two daughters told Cao Jinshi about her going to the postman to inquire about the mail, which led to a big argument between Cao Jinshi and her.

During the argument, Cao Jinshi's mother rushed in to protect her, slapped her twice, and hurled many nasty insults at her. Cao Jinshi stood silently by, letting her mother beat and scold her.

She felt the pain on her face and saw Cao Jinshi's inaction. Her heart sank, and she finally decided to leave and return to the city.

After the Cao family went to sleep, she secretly wrote a letter and stayed up all night, waiting for the postman to leave before asking Cheng Ying to deliver it.

She placed all her hopes on Cheng Ying, believing that once the letter was sent, her brother would see it and come to take her home.

By then, she would never want to stay in this poor mountain village again, suffering the torment of the Cao family!

Cheng Ying sensed her anticipation and carefully placed the letter into the parcel. "Ye Zhiqing, don't worry, I will deliver your letter to the post office on time and mail it out. When I receive your reply, I will give it directly to you and will not give it to anyone else."

"Thank you, Comrade Cheng. I'll be waiting for your good news." Ye Wenwen, her eyes red, gave her a slight nod.

Cheng Ying waved to her, indicating that she was leaving, then turned and called to Da Huang, and headed towards the next village.

When the sun was high in the sky, Wei Muchen, his hair a mess, caught up, panting, and angrily questioned Cheng Ying, "Why didn't you call me before you left?"

Cheng Ying didn't even bother to look at him. "Why should I call you? Who are you to me?"

"You!" Wei Muchen was taken aback and wanted to step forward to argue with her.

"Woof!" Big Yellow suddenly barked at him, blocking his way, crouching low, baring its sharp fangs, and staring at him fiercely, as if it were about to attack him at any moment.

It's as if it's saying, "Stay away from my little master!"

Wei Muchen paused, Cheng Ying had already walked several meters away. He wanted to get angry but no one would respond, so he could only hold his breath and keep his distance, following Cheng Ying.

Half a day passed, and after delivering mail to the remaining two villages, Cheng Ying arrived at Ayi Mountain and headed to the iron chain grass grove in the Pucangzhai Valley.

Wei Muchen stood on the mountain path, watching Cheng Ying pull out an iron chain as thick as a child's arm from the haystack. The chain wound down the stone steps on the cliff face until it disappeared from sight. He frowned and said, "The mountain path has been rugged and dangerous all the way here. The road to Pucang Village is still this difficult. You even fell down the mountain from here before. I don't understand why you would take your father's job and become a postman."

Cheng Ying tied the rope from the big yellow dog's neck to her waist, took out a pair of work gloves she had specially bought at the supply and marketing cooperative from her mailbag, put them on to protect her hands, and pulled on the iron chain with both hands to prepare to go down the mountain.

Before descending the mountain, she looked at Wei Muchen standing by the path and said, "You, born into a wealthy family, with everyone revolving around you, and you think everyone should revolve around you, that others are nothing but ants whom you can crush at will, destroying their self-esteem, even their families. A dissolute playboy who tries every means to destroy anyone who disobeys you or wants to leave you—how could you possibly understand the persistence and passion of ordinary people like us from poor families? Wei Muchen, you're ultimately just a selfish bastard who doesn't understand love and only cares about yourself!"

Boom—!

It was as if something exploded in his mind. Cheng Ying's words suddenly made Wei Muchen understand why Cheng Ying suddenly wanted to break up with him, why she broke off relations with him, and why she hated him so much and was so cold to him.

Could it be that Cheng Ying, like him, also had a dream about her past life, dreaming of what he did to her in that life, or perhaps she was reborn?

He wanted to test Cheng Ying, but Cheng Ying didn't give him a chance to speak. She held onto the iron chain with both hands, clamped Da Huang between her legs, and slid down the mountain quickly.

Seeing this, he quickly climbed onto the iron chain and slid down as well.

Both of them had served in the military and received a lot of training, so their decline was very rapid.

Fortunately, the weather was sunny today, with no signs of rain or strong winds. Cheng Ying and Da Huang safely slid down the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain is a large, dense forest, and a small path leads to Pucang Village in the middle of the forest.

Cheng Ying loosened the rope around Da Huang's neck, patted Da Huang's back, and said, "Da Huang, let's go."

"Woof!" Big Yellow barked and ran into the dense forest first, leading the way for Cheng Ying.

Cheng Ying followed behind Da Huang and walked forward.

After sliding down the mountain, Wei Muchen hurriedly followed behind.

As noon approached, the bright sunshine shone on the earth, and golden rays pierced through the dense forest branches and leaves, leaving dappled light and shadow in the forest, swaying gently in the breeze.

Beneath the dense forest, many small pink, white, and purple-blue flowers grow, and some white, withered leaf-colored, and purple butterflies flutter among them. Illuminated by the dappled light and shadow, the dense forest appears quite beautiful.

In addition, the dense forest was covered with tall weeds, so dense that they almost completely blocked the road into Pucang Village. If it weren't for Da Huang leading the way, Cheng Ying would have had no idea where to go.

The last time she walked this path, she still couldn't remember it. The dense forest was just too vast, the trees were all about the same size, and for some reason, the weeds in the forest grew exceptionally fast. In just two days, they covered up all the traces of her path.

Wei Mucheng followed behind Cheng Ying, looking around with a furrowed brow.

In other dense forests, no matter how deep or remote, once you enter, you can hear birdsong, insect chirps, or the calls of various wild animals.

This dense forest, though not particularly remote, was eerily silent once inside. It was as if there wasn't a single living bird or insect in it. The only sounds were the wind rustling through the leaves, the footsteps of people walking, and the rustling of something moving about in the thick grass.

This Pucang Village is indeed eerie. Even the forest at the entrance to the village is so strange. Wei Muchen had a feeling that Cheng Ying's previous words about the Miao people in Pucang Village using witchcraft were not just to scare him.

As if knowing what he was thinking, Cheng Ying, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned around and warned him: "I've said it before, the Miao people of Pucang Village don't welcome outsiders. If you insist on coming to the village with me, then you should be prepared to be targeted and cursed by those Miao people. If you don't want to die, you'd better not eat or drink anything given to you by the Miao people, and don't touch anything belonging to the Miao people. In addition, don't have any inappropriate thoughts about those beautiful Miao women, and don't try to seduce them, or you'll bring disaster upon yourself. Of course, I think leaving now is the best choice for you."

Wei Muchen refused to believe it. "I've lived for twenty-five years and seen everything. They're just some saplings. Why should I be afraid of them!"

Cheng Ying smiled mockingly, said nothing, and turned to continue walking forward.

Dahuang led her forward for about an hour, avoiding several collapsed pits and jumping over several slopes more than two meters high. During this time, they encountered two venomous snakes as thick as a wrist. When the snakes saw Cheng Ying, they were initially in an aggressive posture, intending to attack her and Dahuang. However, when Cheng Ying was less than two meters away from them, they seemed to sense something terrifying, immediately turned around, and scurried into the bushes, disappearing without a trace.

Cheng Ying knew without a doubt that they were afraid of the brocade pouch given to her by Zhuo Zuilan and the sachet given to her by Long Buxi.

She continued walking forward without much concern, and soon emerged from the dense forest, where she could see the stilted houses of Pucang Village in the distance.

"Woof—woof—woof!"

No sooner had Cheng Ying stepped out of the dense forest than Da Huang stood at the entrance and barked three times at the Miao village in the distant valley.

This has been its habit for many years as it has accompanied Cheng Jiantong on his mail delivery missions. At the entrance of each village, it would call out three times in advance to let the villagers know that it and the postman have arrived.

Soon, Long Buxi appeared on the gravel road leading into the Miao village.

Today, Long Buxi was wearing a deep blue Miao-style long-sleeved jacket with intricate patterns embroidered with silver thread, matching trousers, and black cloth shoes. Her tall and slender figure walked quickly towards Cheng Ying under the autumn sunlight.

As Cheng Ying got closer, she noticed that Long Buxi's hair seemed to have grown a lot longer. He used to have short hair, but after just two days, it had grown to shoulder length. His hair was braided with something that looked like a silver rope and hung diagonally over his left shoulder. He wore a silver necklace with five thumb-sized silver bells on his chest, and he also wore silver ornaments with bells on his hands and feet. However, none of the bells rang when he walked.

He still had long, narrow eyes and a fair complexion, with the appearance of a bewitching and ghostly mountain fairy. The clothes he wore made him unique and mysterious, full of exotic beauty.

"Cheng Ying, you're here." Long Buxi stopped about two meters away from Cheng Ying, a faint smile on his face, and greeted her.

"Long Buxi, what brings you here?" Cheng Ying asked, somewhat surprised.

He arrived in less than two minutes after Dahuang called out from the intersection; that's incredibly fast!

It takes another half an hour to walk from the entrance to where the Miao people of Pucang Village live.

Long Buxi lowered her eyes and said softly, "I knew you were coming after you came down from Ayi Mountain. I've been waiting for you. When you left last time, you told me that you should bring me something delicious when you came back."

Cheng Ying didn't think much of it and pointed to the package she was carrying. "I brought you lots of delicious food. It's in the package. I'll go to your house first and give it to you."

“Okay.” Long Buxi was delighted and naturally stepped forward to pull the mailbag on Cheng Ying’s back. “Let me carry your bag.”

Cheng Ying instinctively wanted to refuse, but then she hesitated for a moment, remembering that Wei Muchen was still behind her, and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

“It’s no trouble at all, I’m doing this willingly.” Long Buxi took the mailbag off her back and carried it on his own.

The package still retained Cheng Ying's warm body temperature. After he put the package on his back, he felt its warmth, as if Cheng Ying was pressed against his back.

For some reason, Long Buxi smiled and was in a very good mood.

The two completely ignored Wei Mucheng's presence and walked into the village.

Wei Muchen blocked their path, staring at Long Buxi with a sinister gaze. "So you're the childhood betrothed Cheng Ying mentioned? You look presentable, like a pretty boy, but you're just a country bumpkin. What right do you have to compete with me for Cheng Ying? I order you to immediately stop having unrealistic fantasies about Cheng Ying. Go out and tell Cheng Ying's father that your childhood betrothal is off. How much money do you want? I'll give it to you. From now on, stay far away from Cheng Ying!"

Cheng Ying frowned and scolded, "Wei Muchen, are you sick?! Don't think that just because you're a high-ranking official's son, you can be so arrogant and look down on people. My business with Long Buxi is none of your business!"

After she finished speaking, she turned her head to look at Long Buxi, her eyes silently conveying something.

Long Buxi was surprised for a moment when she heard Wei Muchen's words, but quickly regained her previous expression.

After receiving Cheng Ying's look, he blinked knowingly, then suddenly reached out his jade-like hand and gently grasped Cheng Ying's hand, saying with a mixture of heartache and anger, "Why did you bring outsiders to our village? We don't welcome outsiders here. I thought you had forgotten about the betrothal, but now it seems you've always forgotten me. I'm so happy."

His hands were very cold. The moment he grasped Cheng Ying's right hand, Cheng Ying felt the warmth of his arm and almost shook his hand off.

It's so cold, as cold as holding a corpse.

Cheng Ying suppressed her discomfort and forced a wronged expression, saying, "He's my ex. We broke up more than two months ago, but he keeps bothering me. He insists on coming with me, saying he wants to meet you. I had no choice."

The words "ex-partner" made Long Buxi very unhappy.

He looked at Wei Muchen, his dark eyes filled with icy killing intent. "Since he keeps bothering you and you can't get rid of him, then I'll take care of him for you."

As he spoke, he raised his long, slender right hand, pointed at Wei Mucheng, and said a word in Miao language: "Tread (kill)!"

His voice was chilling and filled with murderous intent.

The instant he finished speaking, Cheng Ying heard the sound of something flapping its wings and flying towards her. From the grass beside the gravel path, there was also a rustling sound, accompanied by countless tiny hissing sounds.

Cheng Ying's eyelids twitched, and she quickly reached out to press Long Buxi's arm down. "Long Buxi, don't do anything rash. This is a society governed by law, not like before the founding of the People's Republic of China. Murder is punishable by death!"

Long Buxi turned her head to look at her, her eyes icy: "You're worried about him, afraid I'll kill him?"

“No.” Cheng Ying shook her head. “Wei Muchen comes from a prominent family in the capital. His father is the commander of the Western Military Region, and his mother works in the central government. The Wei family’s influence is spread throughout the country. I’m afraid that if you kill him, it will bring disaster to your Miao village.”

So it turns out she was worried about him and Pucangzhai.

The coldness in Long Buxi's eyes faded, and a gentle smile appeared on her beautiful face. She said nonchalantly, "I don't care who he is. He's bothering you and making you unhappy. If you don't want to see him, I can make him disappear without a trace. After he disappears, if anyone comes looking for him, I'll kill as many as they come. Once they enter my village, none of them will leave alive! As long as they can't find him, they'll never be able to tell his family about his death."

He was clearly smiling, and his voice was calm, but the bloodthirsty killing intent in his eyes terrified Cheng Ying.

She understood that he wasn't joking; he really wanted to kill Wei Muchen!

Wei Muchen continued his provocative act, saying, "Your name is Long Buxi? Don't think that just because you're some young Miao clan leader, I'll be afraid of you. If you dare to lay a finger on me, I'll show you what it means to wish you were dead."

"Shut up!" Cheng Ying couldn't take it anymore. "You really think he wouldn't dare kill you?! This is his territory, his Miao village. If you don't want to die, get out of here."

Wei Muchen scoffed, "So what if it's a Miao village? Can its snakes, insects, rats, and ants withstand bullets and artillery fire? If it dares to touch me, my Wei family will definitely raze their Miao village to the ground!"

He had barely finished speaking when he suddenly opened his eyes wide in horror.