Chapter 1: Escape to the Mountains
Chen Huan was a waitress. She was sold to the Zhang family when she was seven years old, just to wait for a husband.
However, during the ten years she stayed in the Zhang family, her mother-in-law gave birth to eight daughters in one go.
As she grew up, her mother-in-law's health deteriorated day by day, and she began to look down on her.
So they decided to attack her.
While eating, Shen Huan slipped out quietly, and without looking back, she rushed directly into the old grandson who was heard to have a wild bear.
"I can do it, I can do it!" She kept repeating to herself.
The Zhang family and a group of big men chased after them relentlessly.
Shen Huan could no longer remember how long she had been running, she only knew that she kept running forward, from day to night.
Only a faint moonlight from the bushes illuminated a small part of the path, and she could hardly see anything.
She didn't know where she had run to in the mountains. The only sounds in her ears were the whistling wind and her own breathing.
Her heart was pounding and she was in pain, but she gritted her teeth and kept going.
Finally, Shen Huan had to slow down and take a breath.
She rested against a big tree, taking deep breaths as if her lungs were about to explode.
"They won't catch up with us again, right?"
She licked her cracked lips and wanted to sit down and rest for a while.
She was really hungry, tired and in pain. She felt like all the strength had been drained from her body and her vision was black.
Shen Huan suddenly heard someone shouting loudly.
"Chen Huan! Come back with us! We won't burn you to death, we'll just scare you. It's too dangerous for you to stay here overnight. There are a lot of poisonous snakes and beasts here, you know!"
Shen Huan didn't dare look back, with only one thought in her mind: she must not be caught.
"You've already gone deep into the mountains! Just go get yourself killed, but don't bring trouble to us!"
The pursuers are catching up again!
She could clearly hear the footsteps of the group of people.
Now that she's out, she can never go back, even if she dies outside!
Shen Huan secretly made up her mind and never looked back.
Shen Huan immediately stood up. Even though her legs were a little weak, she still gritted her teeth and continued to run away.
Sweat soaked her forehead.
Fortunately, those people had a disagreement, which bought her some time.
She heard the crowd behind her start arguing, as if someone wanted to give up.
"Uncle Zhang, why don't we just go back and let her fend for herself? If we go any further inside and run into a blind bear or a pack of wolves, we'll all be doomed."
"Yes, it's dark now, and we don't have torches. It would be worse if we get lost." They all obviously began to hesitate.
After all, they just came to help and didn't want to lose their lives here.
Usually they just hang around the edge of the mountain and rarely dare to go deep.
"No! Chen Huan is my son's future daughter-in-law! How can I explain to my son if she runs away? Do you want me to have no grandchildren in this life?" Zhang Fuquan's voice suddenly rose, and his tone was firm.
"Chase her quickly! Whoever catches her will get all my ten kilograms of flour!" Zhang Fuquan refused to give up. He picked up a sickle and chopped the bushes, thus clearing a path.
"Oh! It will take until dark at most!" Several villagers nodded helplessly.
"The sound is over there, go!"
They were all neighbors from the same village and some were relatives. With ten kilograms of flour as a reward, even though the mountain was very dangerous, everyone still gritted their teeth and continued to chase.
Shen Huan could still vaguely hear their heated voices, which meant they were still very close.
Her heart beat faster and her pace quickened involuntarily.
She bent over, covered her mouth, and moved forward carefully, trying not to make any sound.
It was pitch black all around, and the occasional rustling sound of wind through the bushes made her even more nervous.
But because she was too scared and tired, she didn't pay attention to the ground under her feet. She accidentally stepped on empty air and slid down the bushes and fell directly on the hillside.
At that moment, she felt her body being pushed down by an invisible force.
There were weeds growing everywhere below, and she didn't know how deep it was, nor was she sure if she would be in danger of her life if she fell in. Shen Huan didn't dare to scream, and desperately reached out to grab something, even digging her fingers into the soil and cutting her nails.
The sharp stones and thorns cut her palms, and blood was dripping.
Finally, she kicked a small stone and hit it directly on her forehead!
The intense pain was almost unbearable for her. She screamed "Ouch" in pain, then her eyes went black and she fainted, but her body slid to the bottom of the slope.
Just at this time, Zhang Fuquan and a few people found this place.
"She should be nearby, but she probably can't run now." They whispered as they walked.
Soon, one of them noticed a piece of cloth sticking out from the bushes.
Just step over the bushes and look down to see the unconscious Shen Huan!
At the critical moment, a tall figure quickly parted the grass and dragged the embarrassed Shen Huan into the cave!
The figure seemed to be very familiar with this area.
He moved silently in the darkness.
"There's no one here. Maybe he ran away. Hurry, don't waste time!" Zhang Fuquan led his men to continue searching in disappointment.
Although I am unwilling, I am afraid I will return empty-handed again tonight.
Those people left dejectedly one by one.
After an unknown amount of time, Shen Huan suddenly woke up, clutching her chest and yelling.
"Don't burn me!"
She suddenly opened her eyes, expecting to see the ferocious faces of the Zhang family, but what she saw was a cave.
Everything around her was very surprising to her.
A small fire was burning in the cave, emitting a faint glow.
Shen Huan tried to sit up, only to find that she was lying on a pile of clothes.
As she moved, the coat slipped off her shoulders.
Shen Huan realized that someone had covered her with clothes to keep her warm, but before she had time to think about where these clothes came from and who gave them to her, she heard some noise coming from the cave entrance.
Then a figure that looked very strong began to move slowly into the cave.
Because the light was quite dim and she was nervous, Shen Huan couldn't tell for a moment whether the person who walked in was a human or a beast.
For safety reasons, she kept her mouth shut and stared at the cave entrance with her big eyes.
"You're awake." The man gradually approached and spoke in a slightly hoarse but gentle voice.
Only then did Shen Huan notice that the person who came in was a tall man.
His right leg was wrapped in a torn shirt, and his exposed arms were muscular with obvious scars.
This strange man had a short hairstyle that was close to his scalp, and his angular face gave him a tough and handsome feeling.
He seemed to be emitting a powerful aura.
While speaking, he did not look towards Shen Huan in particular, but whispered softly while arranging some dead branches to start a fire again.
It was obvious that the man before him possessed extraordinary survival skills;
The two of them faced severe challenges of scarce water and insufficient food.
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