The girls chattered away, their laughter echoing along the riverbank in the early morning.
Xu Xinghe listened quietly as she slowly rinsed the clothes.
The fact that Yi'an could frequently go hunting at Black Wind Ridge shows that she is no ordinary person.
Black Wind Ridge has a complex terrain. If an outsider like her were to trespass into it, she would not only easily get lost, but she might also expose her identity. If she could use Yi An's whereabouts to figure out the way in the mountains, or simply let him be her guide, the exploration would definitely be much smoother.
The girls had almost finished washing their clothes and started packing up the wooden tubs in preparation for leaving.
Xu Xinghe also wrung out the last piece of clothing, folded it into the basin, and got up to follow behind them.
The girls noticed this and quickened their pace. The girl with the braided hair even turned around, her face showing some impatience. "Your name is Su Xiao, right? Don't follow us. Wait here for a while. We'll go first, and then you can go."
Xu Xinghe understood; they disliked her and didn't want to be with her.
She didn't argue, but simply nodded obediently, stopped, and stood there watching the girls chat and laugh as they walked away quickly.
Only after their figures turned the corner ahead did he pick up the wooden basin and slowly follow them.
As soon as I entered the main road of the village, I saw that the girls had not gone home at all, but were gathered under an old tree, chattering to a man.
Xu Xinghe slowed her pace and watched from a distance.
He was a tall, thin young man with dark skin from years of sun and rain. He was slender but not thin at all. He had straight shoulders and long limbs, and every move he made exuded a sense of agility and strength, which was obviously the result of years of hunting.
He was indeed good-looking, with clean and sharp features and a high nose bridge. However, his brows were always slightly furrowed, and his eyes were calm. He looked a little fierce, but it didn't make people dislike him.
This person was none other than Yi'an, whom the girls were talking about.
He was carrying a grayish-brown rabbit, which was tied with a rope, its ears drooping, and it didn't look very energetic.
"Brother Yi'an, is this the rabbit you just hunted?" The round-faced girl leaned forward, her voice coquettish. "Are you selling it? I want to buy it to help my father recover."
“Not for sale.” Yi An’s voice was low and her speech was slow. “This rabbit is female; I want to take it home to breed.”
"Oh? Is that so..." The girls all looked regretful.
One of the girls, still not giving up, secretly tugged at his sleeve and shook it when no one was looking, "Brother Yi'an, when are you going to catch rabbits again? I want to buy one too."
"I won't go for now." Yi An gently pulled her hand away, her tone calm. "It's not safe in the mountains lately, let's talk about it again in a while."
After saying that, he picked up the rabbit and prepared to leave.
And the direction he walked was exactly the same path that Xu Xinghe had come from.
Xu Xinghe didn't dodge, but subconsciously moved closer to the side of the road, lowered her head, and pretended to make way for the other person.
The two quickly came face to face, and Yi An's gaze lingered on her face for a brief moment.
Unlike the other villagers, he didn't show any disdain or disgust, nor did he scrutinize her for long. He simply glanced at her calmly, then immediately looked away and walked straight past her without stopping.
He didn't say a word from beginning to end, his expression indifferent, as if she were just an inconspicuous weed by the roadside.
Xu Xinghe watched his figure disappear into the distance, lost in thought.
This Yi'an is quite different from other young people in the village; she is aloof and doesn't seem to fit in well.
Moreover, he mentioned that things weren't peaceful in the mountains, and considering the girls said he often hunted in Black Wind Ridge, perhaps he also sensed something unusual.
She pulled down the brim of her hat and continued walking toward Uncle Li's house.
She had only walked a few steps when she saw that the girls who had been surrounding Yi'an had also dispersed and were heading home in twos and threes. When they passed by her, they deliberately kept a safe distance, as if they were afraid of getting any bad luck.
Xu Xinghe didn't care at all and quickly returned to Uncle Li's house.
Uncle Li had already packed up his farm tools and was sitting at the gate of the yard smoking. When he saw her come back, he grinned and asked, "All done washing? Nothing happened, right?"
"It's fine, nothing's wrong." Xu Xinghe smiled, placed the wooden basin in the yard, and began to hang the clothes to dry.
She didn't mention the girls' gossip, nor did she bring up Yi'an's matter.
There are some things she should keep to herself for now.
After hanging up the clothes, Xu Xinghe returned to the house and quietly entered the space.
She walked to the spring, scooped up half a bowl of clear spring water and drank it all in one gulp. The cool spring water slid down her throat, instantly dispelling the fatigue from washing clothes in the morning, and even invigorating her spirits.
She didn't linger. After confirming that the birthmark on her face hadn't faded, she adjusted her headscarf and quickly walked out of the space.
As soon as she entered the main room, she saw Uncle Li already standing at the gate of the courtyard with a hoe on his shoulder, waiting for her. "Xiao girl, let's go, go to the field to weed. Take advantage of the morning sun so you can get more work done."
"Okay." Xu Xinghe replied, picked up the small hoe from the corner of the wall, and followed Uncle Li to the fields outside the village.
The fields were already bustling with activity by morning, with many villagers busy weeding, fertilizing, and watering – a scene of great activity.
Uncle Li's field is on the east side of the village. It's a small cornfield, just half a person tall, but there are quite a few weeds in it.
"Just weed around here, don't go any deeper," Uncle Li instructed, before shouldering his hoe and heading deeper into the cornfield.
Xu Xinghe pulled at the weeds, but her gaze inadvertently swept around her surroundings.
Not far in front of her, in another field, a familiar figure was working diligently.
It was Yi'an, the hunter she had met that morning.
He was clearly helping with household chores; he wasn't wearing hunting gear, just a simple coarse cloth jacket with his trousers rolled up to his knees, revealing his muscular calves.
Yi An worked exceptionally fast, wielding his hoe quickly and steadily, precisely uprooting the weeds from the ground with each stroke. His movements were swift and efficient, and the sweat that beaded on his forehead slid down his cheeks, but he simply wiped it away casually, showing no sign of stopping.
Xu Xinghe's gaze unconsciously fell on him.
Yi An often hunted in Black Wind Ridge, so he must have been very familiar with the terrain on the other side of the river. Moreover, he mentioned that the mountains were not peaceful, so he might have really sensed something.
The best way to explore Black Wind Ridge now is to make contact with him.
But he's aloof and doesn't seem like a talkative person. How can I start a conversation without seeming abrupt?
Should I just ask for directions?
No, that's too deliberate and will easily arouse suspicion.
Pretend to strike up a conversation by accident?
But he's too lazy to even deal with the girls' attempts to please him, so he probably won't care about his own ugly appearance.
Xu Xinghe frowned, mechanically pulling weeds while staring at Yi An's back, pondering a solution. Her gaze unconsciously drifted off into a daze.
She didn't realize that her gaze lingered for too long, too intently.
Yi'an, having hunted for many years, was exceptionally sensitive to the movements and gazes around her, almost instinctively so.
Just as Xu Xinghe was deep in thought, Yi An, who had been engrossed in her work, suddenly stopped, turned around abruptly, her gaze piercing as she stared directly at her, her voice sharp, "Why are you looking at me?"
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