268. Kind Grandparents
The little dumpling didn't know how much time had passed, only that all it could see was white, and occasionally it would see a different color in the distance, perhaps a village.
But the sled dogs pulled her along like madmen, giving her no chance to stop.
The assassin behind them had been shaken off without them even realizing it.
The wind was cold, and it stung her delicate skin.
She was terrified, curled herself into a small ball, and vaguely lost consciousness.
When she woke up again, she found herself lying in a dilapidated mud-brick house, covered with a thick, patched quilt.
Someone fed her spoonfuls of warm rice porridge.
She opened her eyes and saw an old woman with gray hair sitting by the bed, holding a chipped rough porcelain bowl in her hand.
"Child, you're awake?" The old woman's voice was gentle as she reached out and touched the child's forehead. "It's good that you're awake. Don't be afraid."
The little dumpling looked around blankly.
The room was small, with earthen-yellow walls and some hay piled in the corner, making it look very dilapidated.
"Grandma, where is this? Did you save Yue'er?" the little dumpling asked softly.
“This is my home, just the two of us, my husband and I. My husband went up the mountain to collect firewood and found you lying in the snow, so he carried you back. You had been unconscious for a day and a night, and we were so worried.”
She lovingly fed the little dumpling the rice porridge. The little dumpling drank it in small sips, and the warm liquid slid down her throat, making her feel much better.
She recalled her experience of being taken away by sled dogs, and then thought of Bai Qingzhong, her eyes welling up with tears: "Grandma, did you see the boy with Yue'er? And the sled dogs?"
The old woman shook her head and sighed, "I haven't seen them. The snow is so heavy, everything is white, maybe they went somewhere else. Don't worry, when the snow lightens up, my husband will help you look for them."
Just then, the door was pushed open, and an old man wearing a coarse cotton-padded coat walked in, carrying a few dried herbs in his hand.
"Old woman, is the child awake?" He saw the little dumpling and a kind smile appeared on his face. "It's good that he's awake. I just went to pick some herbs to treat colds. I'll brew them for the child to drink, and he'll get better faster."
The two elderly people had no children and made a living by chopping firewood and growing some vegetables. They lived a very poor life.
"Grandpa and Grandma, thank you so much," the little dumpling said earnestly. "When Yue'er comes home, she will definitely repay you."
"Silly child, what's there to repay?" The old lady smiled and patted her head. "Everyone has their difficulties when they're away from home. Take good care of yourself, and when the snow stops, have your grandfather go to town and ask around. Maybe he'll run into someone who knows your family."
"But..." The little dumpling hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Grandpa and Grandma, where exactly is this place? Is it far from the capital? Yue'er wants to find her family as soon as possible, and... and she wants to go to Qiuhe City to find Brother Xie."
"You're from the capital?" The old woman was taken aback, then sighed. "This is Baicao Village, on the outskirts of Qiuhe City, in the territory of the Prince of Zhennan. It's quite a distance from the capital."
"Qiuhe City?" The little dumpling's eyes lit up suddenly. "Then do you know Lord Xie?"
The old man coughed and shook his head: "We've heard of Lord Xie, he's a good official. But we heard a few days ago that something happened in the city and he went missing... Alas, my wife and I are too weak to help you. My cough makes me breathless after just a few steps, and my wife's legs hurt terribly, she can't even go to town."
The little dumpling felt a heavy weight in her heart, yet she still clung to hope: "What about the villagers? Does anyone know a way to get to the capital?"
The old man thought for a moment and said, "I'll go ask for you tomorrow."
"Okay, thank you, Grandpa."
-
the next day.
Sure enough, the old man, leaning on his cane, went from house to house knocking on doors.
pity……
"Who's knocking? You old geezer, get out of here!"
"...It's so chaotic right now, we can't worry about others."
"Don't drag us down with you! This winter is already tough enough!"
The old man returned dejectedly. The little girl looked at his hands, which were red from the cold, and felt a pang of sadness in her heart: "Grandpa, don't go anymore. It's Yue'er who has troubled you."
“Silly child, don’t say it’s troublesome,” the old man said, sitting on the doorstep in the not-so-warm sun. “Wait a little longer, when the snow gets lighter, maybe we’ll run into people going to town and I can hitch a ride on their oxcart.”
But before the snow could subside, danger struck.
In the afternoon, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar, growing ever closer.
The old man quickly peered through the crack in the door, his face instantly turning pale: "It's the Prince of Zhennan's scouts! They've come to steal our things!"
The old lady panicked and pulled the little boy under the bed, saying, "Child, hurry up and get in! No matter what you hear, don't make a sound. We'll go out and deal with it!"
She carefully hid the little dumpling before she and the old man shakily opened the door.
The old woman leaned against the door frame, her legs trembling as she watched the five scouts in black burst into the yard.
The leader was Sun Weicai, an advisor to the Prince of Zhennan.
He ordered all villagers to assemble outside, with the threat of execution for those who disobeyed.
Naturally, no one dared to disobey.
Upon arriving at the meeting place, Sun Weicai first gave a speech, which mainly praised the Prince of Zhennan and warned everyone that if they discovered Xie Wenling's whereabouts, they must report it immediately.
Immediately afterwards, he sat down in a chair and ordered the other scouts to loot the villagers' belongings.
The little dumpling hid under the bed and heard unfamiliar footsteps.
However, since the old lady and grandpa's house was really bare, the scouts muttered a few words like "really poor," searched it casually, and left.
The little dumpling escaped unscathed.
At the assembly point...
Sun Weicai looked at the inventory report compiled by the scouts, then turned to the old man and woman with a hostile expression: "Old folks, where's the grain and money? Hand it over now, don't waste my time!"
The old man gripped his cane tightly, coughed twice, and said in a hoarse voice, "Sir, there really isn't any left. The snow came suddenly and heavily a while ago, which caused our last batch of crops to fail. We only have some sweet potatoes left, and they were mostly eaten by rats a while ago..."
"Damn it, so poor!" Sun Weicai cursed. "Is this all the junk you have? Are you trying to starve me to death?"
He grabbed the old man by the collar, holding a curved knife to his neck: "Tell me! Were you hiding?"
The old man was panting, his face flushed red: "No... really no... my wife and I rely on this little bit to get through the winter..."
"Still being stubborn!" Sun Weicai tightened his wrist, and blood immediately seeped from the old man's neck.
The old woman screamed and lunged forward, trying to push the scout away, but was kicked in the chest by another scout and fell to the ground in the snow.
"Don't hit him! Don't hit him!" The old woman got up, hugged the scout's leg, and cried, "I'll find him for you! I'll find him again!"
She staggered as she tried to run home, wanting to take out the silver bracelet that had been part of her dowry; it was the only valuable thing she owned.
Before she could even take two steps, she was grabbed by the collar and pulled down.
She turned around and saw the old man lying in the snow, with Sun Weicai stepping on him.
"Old hag, you won't listen to reason, so you'll have to suffer the consequences," Sun Weicai spat, then looked at the old woman with a fierce gaze, "Since you can't come up with anything, then make up for it with something else!"
-
Sun Weicai left with the scouts and the looted goods.
After a while, a rustling sound came from the assembly area.
Several villagers peeked out and, seeing that the scout had indeed left, they dared to speak loudly.
"Do you think those old couple, who were taken away, are still alive?" a villager asked first, without a trace of sympathy in his voice.
"They must have been forced into hard labor. With their age and physical condition, how could they possibly survive?"
“Perfect timing, they have an iron pot at home, my pot cracked a couple of days ago.”
"I'll take that cabinet! It's a bit old, but it can still be used after some repairs!"
As the villagers talked, they rushed into the old couple's house and began moving things.
More and more villagers rushed in, grabbing bowls and plates, taking clothes, and even carrying away the firewood from the stove, creating chaos inside and outside the house.
The little dumpling under the bed didn't know what was happening, but she could hear the chaotic footsteps clearly, and she felt both scared and anxious.
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