Chapter 12

Jiang Dazhu slammed the table. “Then let’s lock up Lian Laidi.”

“No.” Jiang Aiguo objected. “Locking her up for no reason—how would we explain it if people start asking?”

Lan Xiruo agreed, “We can’t just lock her up. She hasn’t done anything yet. If we imprison her just because of our suspicions, it won’t hold up no matter how you explain it.”

“Then what should we do? That woman, Lian Laidi, runs her mouth like a Red||Sleeve||Badge.

If she spills the beans, people will come swarming in. Before the officials from the capital even arrive, the Red||Sleeve||Badge will have gotten here first.

By then, no matter what we say, no one will believe us.” Sun Lanhua was so anxious that she had forgotten her previous fear, pacing back and forth in the room.

Lan Xiruo lowered her eyes and thought for a moment before making a decision. “I just remembered a perfect place to hide things.

Give them to me. Even if Lian Laidi really calls the Red||Sleeve||Badge over, we won’t have to worry about them finding anything.”

“When did you discover such a place?” Sun Yuqing asked skeptically.

Lan Xiruo had anticipated her doubt.

After all, she and Sun Yuqing were practically together all the time. And during this period, she hadn’t gone anywhere alone.

She smiled sheepishly. “Did you forget that when I first arrived, I wandered around everywhere because I wasn’t used to the place?

I found the spot back then. But I won’t say where it is—the fewer people who know, the safer it’ll be.”

Hearing this, the others recalled those early days.

When Lan Xiruo first arrived in the countryside, she looked like a delicate young lady. No one had expected her to change so much in less than a year.

Seeing that everyone believed her, Lan Xiruo slung the skull onto her back, picked up the wooden bucket containing two porcelain bottles, and walked out the door.

As she left, she said, “I’ll go hide the items now while there’s still some daylight.”

She stored the valuables in her personal space. Let’s see who has the skills to find them now.

—

The next morning, before anyone had woken up,

someone quietly left the high-stilted hut, paddling a small boat away from the port toward Wangyang Commune.

By the time Lan Xiruo and Sun Yuqing woke up, it was already five o’clock.

The fishing boats had long since set out to sea.

Only their group was still in bed because their boat was broken and hadn’t been repaired yet, allowing them to sleep in.

But even then, they could only sleep until five. Today, they had to mend the fishing nets and gather firewood from the island’s slopes.

After tidying up quickly, they drank the leftover porridge and ate a piece of sweet potato from the stove. Lan Xiruo sighed, realizing she’d have to wake up early the next day to cook and wouldn’t get to sleep in.

At their worksite, breakfast duty rotated among the three female educated youths, while the male youths fetched water and chopped firewood.

When Lan Xiruo and Sun Yuqing arrived at the shed where their fishing nets were stored, Uncle Jiang He glanced at everyone and said,

“Everyone’s here.

Since the weather is still cool, let’s gather firewood on the island first. We’ll mend the nets in the shade once the sun comes up.”

They usually made two trips to the island each month, collecting enough dry branches to fuel the fishing boat’s stove for half a month.

After Uncle Jiang He gave his instructions, the four men shouldered their sharpened carrying poles and ropes, while Lan Xiruo and Sun Yuqing took a flat yoke, machetes, and water before setting off.

The island was about a forty-minute walk from their shed.

It was home to banyan trees, pines, and many large, unfamiliar trees with deep roots and towering canopies.

The trees had weathered many storms, leaving some branches broken and dried, scattered across the ground.

Islanders often collected these fallen branches for firewood.

Upon reaching their destination, Lan Xiruo and the others immediately began gathering wood without pause.

The strong typhoon from the other day had knocked down many branches. In less than an hour, they had gathered four full loads plus an extra bundle of firewood.

A’Dong looked at the sky, then turned to Uncle Jiang He with a fawning smile.

“Uncle, there’s still plenty of time. Why don’t we look around the mountain and see if we can catch a rabbit to eat?”

“You glutton.” Uncle Jiang He scolded lightly, but seeing everyone’s eager faces, he relented with a huff.

“Fine! You get half an hour. Whether you catch anything or not, you come back to mend the nets.”

“Alright! Uncle, you’re the best!”

“You flatterer!” Uncle Jiang He scolded playfully, then walked off with his hands behind his back.

A’Dong cheered and pulled a slingshot from his pocket. “Let’s split up and search.

Would the two educated youth ladies like to come with me, or go with Heiyu and Dazhu?”

A’Dong was considerate and didn’t suggest that Lan Xiruo and Sun Yuqing separate.

The two exchanged a glance. Seeing that Sun Yuqing didn’t mind, Lan Xiruo said, “We’ll go with you.”

So the three of them followed A’Dong into the forest.

—-

On the way, A’Dong boasted endlessly about his slingshot skills, sounding like an overgrown child.

Which wasn’t surprising—he was, after all, only sixteen.

“Lan Zhiqing, Sun Zhiqing, if we see a rabbit, just stand still. I’ll shoot it with my slingshot, and you can go pick it up afterward.”

Hearing his serious tone, Lan Xiruo and Sun Yuqing struggled to hold back their laughter and nodded.

They thought A’Dong was just bragging—until he proved them wrong.

After walking about fifty meters, A’Dong suddenly shushed them, swiftly loaded a stone into his slingshot, and fired toward the base of a tree.

With a sharp “thud,” the stone struck a rabbit’s head. The animal staggered a few steps, hit the tree, and collapsed unconscious.

“No way?” Lan Xiruo and Sun Yuqing gaped in astonishment.

“Well, ladies? I wasn’t lying, was I?”

Lan Xiruo gave him a thumbs-up. “You’re seriously impressive!”

“A’Dong, you’re amazing! Can you teach me?” Sun Yuqing’s eyes sparkled.

If she could learn to hunt rabbits with a slingshot, she could send some meat to her parents.

“No problem.” A’Dong, thrilled to be praised by a girl for the first time, unconsciously straightened his back.

Lan Xiruo chuckled. “Slingshots take both skill and luck. But I’ll teach you an easier method.”

“What method?”

“Smoking out rabbit dens.” She pointed to a slope nearby. “Start searching from the south-facing side of that slope. You’ll definitely find rabbit holes.”

Sure enough, within five minutes, Lan Xiruo found two rabbit dens. After confirming there were no others, she instructed,

“Gather semi-dry twigs and pile them here. You two block the other entrance.”

A’Dong and Sun Yuqing, confused but obedient, followed her instructions.

The two holes were seven meters apart.

Lan Xiruo quietly took out a lighter from her space and lit the dry branches, fanning the smoke into the burrow with large leaves.

Soon, rustling sounds came from inside.

“Get ready! The rabbits are coming out—catch them!” she called.

The moment she finished speaking, a rabbit darted out and was swiftly caught by A’Dong.

One by one, the rabbits bolted from the smoke-filled burrow, and A’Dong and Sun Yuqing managed to grab three each.

Lan Xiruo beamed internally but feigned amazement. “Wow! You two are really skilled!

I thought you’d only be able to catch two or three at most.”

Sun Yuqing scoffed, “Sure, let’s pretend you ‘forgot’ to tell us. Now come help us grab a couple more.”

“Cough, okay.” Lan Xiruo smirked and picked up two rabbits.

By the time they returned with their seven rabbits, Uncle Jiang He’s group wasn’t back yet.

Lan Xiruo tied the rabbits with vines and hung them on the woodpile before sitting down to rest.

But in her mind, she was preoccupied with thoughts of her past life—

And the man who had once rescued her from a cellar…