When her younger sister was mentioned, Yi'an's eyes softened.
He remained silent, his gaze fixed on the cracks in the mud on the ground, lost in thought.
The surroundings fell silent instantly, and only Yi Nian's soft cough could be heard from inside the room.
Li Bo didn't urge her; he knew Yi An was weighing her options.
On one hand, there's the urgent need for her younger sister's medical expenses and a stable life; on the other hand, there are the unknown dangers in the mountains. She has to think it over.
After a long while, Yi An finally raised her head, a hint of struggle in her eyes. "The mountains have been rather unsafe lately. A few days ago, I encountered something strange while hunting. It's a bit eerie. It's too dangerous to go there now."
“I know it’s dangerous, but this money…” Uncle Li sighed, “Niannian’s illness can’t be delayed any longer. The sooner she gets better, the less she will suffer. I only dared to come to you because I know Xiaoya doesn’t have any bad intentions.”
Yi An clenched her fists.
My younger sister was frail and sickly from a young age, and she suffered a lot because of him.
His greatest wish is for her to be healthy.
One hundred yuan could indeed solve his biggest problem right now, and could even allow his sister to live a good life for a long time.
If he could use this money to do something, perhaps he wouldn't have to risk his life in the mountains against wild animals anymore.
"Let me think about it." Yi An finally spoke after a long pause. "Uncle Li, I'll give you an answer first thing tomorrow morning."
Uncle Li nodded, this was already the best outcome. "Alright, then I won't bother you taking care of Niannian any longer. I'll come see you again tomorrow."
After saying that, Uncle Li gently closed the door, and his footsteps faded into the distance.
In the courtyard, Yi'an stood there, stunned for a long time, before turning around and going into the house.
He sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), reached out, and gently touched Yi Nian's burning forehead.
My younger sister is currently ill, and we don't have much money left at home.
He might really have to go on this trip to the mountains...
Meanwhile, in Uncle Li's yard, Xu Xinghe was sitting on a stool waiting.
The night was slightly cool. She pulled her coarse cloth clothes tighter around herself, her gaze fixed on the courtyard gate, her heart pounding with anxiety.
A moment later, the door opened, and she immediately stood up and hurried to meet it. "Uncle Li, how did it go? Did Yi'an agree?"
Uncle Li sighed and shook his head. "He neither agreed nor refused directly. He said he would think about it and give us a message first thing tomorrow morning."
He patted Xu Xinghe on the shoulder, "Alright, stop thinking about it. Let's eat first, then get some rest so we can be well-rested for what comes next."
Xu Xinghe nodded, but her heart remained heavy.
She really didn't have much of an appetite, and forced a smile. "Uncle Li, I'm not hungry, I'll go back to my room and sleep."
Back in the west room, Xu Xinghe lay on the earthen bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
It wasn't until late at night that exhaustion finally overcame her anxiety, and she drifted off to sleep.
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, the sound of roosters crowing shattered the tranquility of the village.
Just as Li Bo got up, he heard a soft knocking on the courtyard gate.
A thought struck him, and he quickly went to open the door. Standing outside was Yi An.
"Yi'an? You've arrived so early."
Yi An nodded, her expression still indifferent, and went straight to the point, "Uncle Li, I need to see Su Xiao first."
“Okay, come in and sit down.” Uncle Li stepped aside to let him in and led him into the living room. “She’s not up yet. I’ll go call her. You can sit and wait for a while.”
Yi An responded and sat down on the bench in the living room.
The room was filled with a faint smell of tobacco, the smell of the tobacco that Uncle Li had been smoking for many years.
He wasn't used to it, so he got up after sitting for a while and prepared to go out into the yard for some fresh air.
At the entrance of the west wing.
Uncle Li raised his hand and knocked on the door. "Xiao girl, wake up. Yi'an is here. She said she wants to see you first. She probably wants to talk to you about going into the mountains in person."
Xu Xinghe was fast asleep when she was startled awake by the knocking on the door, her mind still a little dazed.
There was no need for her to put on a pretense in front of Uncle Li, so she simply pulled her pajamas tighter and casually opened the door.
Without the dark powder covering her face, her cheeks were fair and delicate, her eyebrows and eyes were exquisite, and the deliberately drawn birthmark on her face had disappeared, leaving only a hint of languor from just waking up.
"Yi'an is here?" Xu Xinghe instantly woke up, and the last bit of sleepiness vanished. "Uncle Li, please have him wait a moment. I'll get ready and come over."
"Okay, no rush, take your time tidying up." Uncle Li smiled and agreed, turning to walk towards the living room.
This scene was witnessed by Yi'an, who had walked to the side of the courtyard.
His pupils contracted sharply, and a storm raged in his heart.
Who is this?
Isn't Su Xiao that ugly girl with a birthmark on her face and dark skin?
How could the fair-skinned and beautiful woman in front of me be the same woman from yesterday!
Hearing Uncle Li's footsteps approaching, Yi An immediately realized what was happening. She turned around without making a sound, quickly returned to the living room, sat back on the stool, and pretended that she had never gone out.
He appeared calm, with his hands on his knees and his back straight, but his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of his chest, and his fingertips were slightly numb.
"The girl just woke up and needs to get ready. Please wait a little longer," Uncle Li explained with a smile as he walked in.
“Okay.” Yi An nodded, her voice revealing nothing unusual.
He never expected that the woman with a birthmark on her face, who was ridiculed for being ugly, was actually pretending to be ugly on purpose!
Why did she do that?
A girl from out of town deliberately disguised herself to come to Lijia'ao and insisted on going to the dangerous Black Wind Ridge. What is her real purpose?
A series of questions swirled in Yi An's mind. He suddenly felt as if a layer of fog had appeared before his eyes, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
About twenty minutes later, the door to the west room was opened again.
Xu Xinghe had tidied herself up, her face was re-applied with dark powder, and the birthmark was clearly visible. She had wrapped a headscarf around her head and had returned to her shy and timid country girl appearance.
She walked into the living room and immediately saw Yi'an sitting on a stool.
Yi An raised his head and stared intently at her face.
Although skin color and birthmarks are disguised, facial features cannot lie.
He was certain that the Su Xiao in front of him was the fair-skinned woman who had just come out of the room.
She was definitely pretending to be ugly on purpose!
Yi An's gaze grew even deeper. He didn't speak immediately, but simply looked at Xu Xinghe quietly.
The atmosphere in the living room instantly became a little strange.
Xu Xinghe was also a little surprised. When he had met him before, he would only glance at him and then look away.
Today, however, he kept staring at her, showing none of the politeness he used to have.
Uncle Li sensed something was amiss and quickly said, "Xiao girl, Yi'an came specifically to talk to you about going into the mountains. You two chat, I'll go get you some water."
Xu Xinghe met Yi An's gaze. Although she was a little surprised by his look, she took the initiative to speak first, "Yi An, thank you for coming today. As for the reward, it's the one hundred yuan I mentioned before. As long as you can safely take me to Black Wind Ridge and Eagle Beak Cliff, and then safely bring me out, I will give you the money all at once."
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