Chapter 22
In the dead of night, the once quiet village suddenly came alive with shouts: "Fire! Fire!"
Villagers kept arriving, banging gongs and drums, calling out to the sleeping families, and grabbing brooms and basins to help put out the fire.
At this moment, the thatched hut where Wei Luo and Shen Yao lived was engulfed in flames. Flames, carrying burning thatch, danced everywhere, crackling and popping. Even dozens of steps away, one could feel the scorching heat of the flames on one's skin.
Outside the thatched hut, the old woman had been rescued and was sitting in a chair, looking anxious and uneasy.
According to the plan, setting fire was the first step, and rescuing people was the second.
Outside, Zhao Liang and his younger brother Zhao Xian exchanged a glance, then, wearing wet cloaks, rushed into the sea of fire.
Inside the room, Wei Luo was coughing violently. He knelt on the ground and picked up the broken bamboo poles in front of him, removing them one by one with his hands. However, the fire was too big, the smoke inside was too thick, and there was not enough oxygen, making him dizzy and lightheaded.
"Chen Yao, wake up~"
Wei Luo crawled to Shen Yao's bedside and tried desperately to push her away, but Shen Yao had inhaled too much smoke and dust and was already unconscious.
Wei Luo was heartbroken and knelt on the ground in despair. His right leg was injured and he could not escape. At this moment, he could only pray to God that a kind person would come to save them.
Finally, the people arrived—two young, robust men. Wei Luo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Help!"
Seeing that there were still people awake, Zhao Liang was somewhat surprised and did not dare to waste any time. He gave his younger brother Zhao Xian a look, and the two of them took two people with them and fled the house that was about to collapse.
Everyone was rescued, and the villagers breathed a sigh of relief. The thatched hut was completely destroyed by fire. After paying their respects, everyone went home to sleep, except for the old woman, Wei Luo, and the unconscious Shen Yao, who were left homeless.
“I have a spare room at my house, young master, why don’t you stay the night?” Zhao Liang asked considerately.
Wei Luo looked in the direction of the voice, first expressing his gratitude several times, and then anxiously asked, "My cousin has been unconscious. Is there any way to wake her up?"
Shen Yao was now lying in his arms, her once rosy face now lifeless, her cherry lips tightly closed, weak and frail, as if she were seeing her mother for the last time.
"Please help us." His voice trembled with a sob that he himself didn't realize.
Zhao Liang squatted down, probed Shen Yao's nose, and pinched her philtrum tightly. After a few breaths, a coughing sound rang out.
"You're awake. Do you feel unwell anywhere?" Wei Luo asked hurriedly.
Shen Yao gently shook her head.
People were already awake. The night wind was cold, and the temperature was so low it was almost freezing. Wei Luo and Shen Yao still moved into the Zhao family's house.
Zhao Liang's wife was quick and efficient; she immediately arranged a room for the two of them, brought hot water, and some dried fruit to fill their stomachs.
Wei Luo thanked them one by one. Seeing that Shen Yao was now clear-headed, he took out another gold hairpin from her hair, a gold bracelet from her wrist, and a purse from her waist and gave them to Zhao's wife.
"We are deeply grateful for your help today, and we have no way to repay you. We can only offer these humble gifts to express our gratitude. Please accept them, Madam Zhao."
The golden object gleamed, and Zhao Niangzi swallowed hard, smiling but refusing, saying, "Saving someone from dire straits is already a blessing, how dare I offer thanks? Young master, please take it back."
Wei Luo smiled and said, "If it weren't for your life-saving rescue tonight, my cousin and I would have perished in the fire long ago. My family is quite wealthy, and if I can return home safely in the future, I will definitely bring gifts to thank you again."
He placed the items in his hand into Madam Zhao's hands, his eyes smiling, "Please accept these as my thanks today."
The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before Zhao Niangzi raised an eyebrow, grinned, accepted the gift, and left, telling her before she left that she should let her know if she needed anything.
After everyone left, Wei Luo quickly closed the door and bolted it shut.
Turning around, he saw Shen Yao with her black hair hanging down in front of her, staring blankly at him.
"Why did you give all your money to others? Without a hairpin, what will I wear tomorrow?" she asked, puzzled.
Wei Luo walked in and sat down next to Shen Yao on the edge of the bed, sighing, "You're about to die, and you're still thinking about money."
Shen Yao was even more puzzled.
Wei Luo explained, "The fire started so quickly today, it's very strange. They said it was caused by candlelight burning the bed curtains, but the fire clearly came in from outside. I've thought about it for a long time, and it must have been arson."
"Ah—" Shen Yao's eyes widened like saucers. "Why did they set the fire? We're new here, we don't know anyone, and we have no grudges against anyone."
Her mind went completely blank.
"He murdered for money," Wei Luo said firmly.
Shen Yao's heart suddenly raced, and she felt a chill run down her spine. She involuntarily moved closer to Wei Luo, frowning as she asked, "Then what should we do?"
"Offer money to save your life."
"Could it be that you're overthinking it?" Shen Yao still found it hard to believe.
Having recently come from modern society, she lacked understanding of the survival rules of ancient times, assuming everyone was kind and simple. Little did she know that Wei Luo was able to survive in the cannibalistic palace because of her keenness, caution, and the sense of danger she had developed since childhood.
He turned to look at Shen Yao. The woman looked flustered, and her fear was genuine. But to him, the real danger was her.
At that moment, she lay motionless on the ground. For the first time since his mother's death, he felt panic and fear. The helpless, suffocating feeling was like being tightly gripped by fate, driving him to the depths of despair and the abyss of terror.
"I have no idea."
I don't know why, when they were enemies not long ago, I've suddenly become concerned about her and unconsciously want to protect her.
"It's getting late, let's go to sleep." Wei Luo didn't want to say anything more.
The kang (heated brick bed) in Zhao Niangzi's house was very large, and it wasn't too many for three or five people to sleep at the same time. Having just gone through a life-or-death experience, the two of them didn't deliberately avoid each other. They covered themselves with their own blankets and lay down far apart.
That night, both of them were preoccupied with their own thoughts and neither slept soundly. The next morning, at the first crow of the rooster, Shen Yao woke up.
Wei Luo was still fast asleep, so Shen Yao made very little noise as she stepped out of the room. The courtyard was covered in snow, and the north wind made her nose red. Since the others were still asleep, Shen Yao strolled around the courtyard a few times before returning to the house.
Wei Luo also woke up. Seeing her return, he sat up and asked, "What did you go out to do?"
"I just wandered around and didn't find anything." She lowered her head, somewhat dejected.
Wei Luo chuckled and said, "What can you possibly discover? Would a bad person write 'I am a bad person' in the yard?"
"Can we go back to Beijing today?" Shen Yao asked.
"I'm afraid that won't work." He looked sadly at his knee, where it was throbbing slightly. "The road is too long, I can't walk it." After a pause, he looked up at Shen Yao, as if he had made up his mind, and said, "Otherwise, you should go back to the capital first."
Shen Yao was suddenly taken aback, slightly surprised.
Was he testing him?
Shen Yao suddenly realized, bit her lip, and replied, "How could I leave you and go by myself? If you don't leave, I won't leave either. I will always stay with you."
After spending these few days together, Shen Yao realized that, aside from certain moments of madness, Wei Luo was actually a soft-hearted person who was tough on the outside but soft on the inside. For example, even though he disliked her, he would still choose to save her when danger came.
He is kind by nature!
Therefore, it is precisely at times like these that one must express unwavering loyalty to one's master and a determination to follow him to the death in order to increase Wei Luo's favorability towards one.
Right now, he probably doesn't hate himself as much anymore.
Upon hearing this, Wei Luo slightly raised his eyes to examine her. The woman's eyes were clear and pure, and her expression was serious. She didn't seem to be joking. But could he really believe her?
The rooster crowed again, and at the same time, footsteps could be heard in the courtyard; someone was getting up.
Shen Yao was startled and quickly peeked through the crack in the door. She saw Zhao Niangzi sweeping snow in the yard, muttering something under her breath.
"She doesn't seem like a bad person."
Shen Yao frowned, full of doubts, and felt that she should go out first, find out more, and then draw a conclusion.
"I need to wash up, please bring me some hot water."
Shen Yao paused as she opened the door, then turned around and said "Oh".
"Young lady, you're awake?"
When the gold nugget arrived, Zhao Niangzi beamed with joy. She quickly put down her broom, dusted herself off, and kept praising, "It was dark last night, so I didn't see clearly. I didn't realize you were such a lovely girl. No wonder your cousin cherishes you so much."
"Huh?" Shen Yao suddenly felt a little dizzy, touched her head, wondering what this had to do with Wei Luo.
Zhao Niangzi laughed and said, "Last night you were unconscious, and your cousin held you and sat on the ground, so worried that he kept crying. If you ask me, if you had died, your cousin would probably have gone with you on the spot."
She suddenly sighed and exclaimed, "This is the first time I've ever seen a man treat his wife so well."
Shen Yao: "!!!"
"We are actually cousins."
Zhao Niangzi smiled broadly and exclaimed, "I know, I know, you two eloped. Your cousin told me last night."
Shen Yao's mouth dropped open in astonishment. She couldn't help but turn around and peek into the room. Wei Luo had actually said that!
Thinking she was shy, Madam Zhao stopped talking about it and instead pointed to the kitchen, saying, "There's hot water on the stove. You can wash up first, then we'll eat."
When Shen Yao brought the hot water into the room, Wei Luo was already wearing a cloak and sitting on a stool, tidying his hair. Seeing her return, he asked, "Did you find out anything?"
"No, Madam Zhao seems quite warm and friendly; she doesn't seem like a bad person."
Wei Luo scoffed, "Wait until the bad guys sell you out, and you'll be helping them count the money."
"So that's why you said that?" The two of them hadn't been quiet, so he must have heard them.
"Hmm." His tone was soft, like a dragonfly skimming the water's surface, leaving ripples in its wake. "They said you're one of my people, and if anything happens, they'll come after me."
Shen Yao was speechless for a moment, lowered her eyes and remained silent. Wei Luo had considered everything, and she felt like a fool, having to rely on him for everything.
Seeing her standing there in a daze, Wei Luo couldn't help but urge her: "Hurry up and wash up, there's a tough battle ahead."
The two women washed their faces and tidied themselves up. Meanwhile, Zhao Niangzi had already prepared the meal.
The table was laden with dried fruit, pastries, tender chicken, stuffed goose, and seasonal fruits and vegetables. A jar of wine had been opened, emitting a sweet, fruity aroma.
Shen Yao was astonished. Such a lavish breakfast so early in the morning—could it really be a den of thieves?
Seeing that the two were standing still, Zhao Liang smiled and said, "Why don't you sit down?"
Wei Luo was pulled to sit below him, and Shen Yao sat down next to Wei Luo. Zhao Liang picked up the wine jar and poured wine in front of the two of them.
"Is there something in the wine?" Shen Yao wondered. Just then, Zhao Liang picked up his porcelain bowl and said to Wei Luo, "Brother, it's not easy for us to meet, so let me toast you first."
Wei Luo's eyes flickered, and just as he was about to raise his hand, he saw Shen Yao take the bowl first and say to Zhao Liang, "Cousin is sick and cannot drink alcohol, so I will drink this bowl with you."
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