Chapter 16: Swiftly Entering the Mountains

The next morning, having enjoyed the rare luxury of sleeping in, Fang Yu suddenly remembered something very important—washing up.

Strictly speaking, people fleeing famine didn’t have the luxury of staying clean, but it only just struck her that after being here for so long, she hadn’t even washed her hair once.

As for bathing—she didn’t dare think about it. Being able to wipe herself down even a little was already considered a luxury.

No wonder the Chen family guarded the village well so obsessively. That single village well was what kept everyone’s lives hanging by a thread. The water was nearly gone, and saving every drop mattered.

So, she didn’t dream about bathing. She just thought that before they set out today, she’d at least wash her hair properly. After all, she and her father had already packed everything they needed—it was the kind of load they could just sling over their shoulders and leave with.

After getting up and tidying, she and Old Man Fang filled their water gourds to the brim, setting aside some for cooking later. With half a jar of water left, she discussed with her father that they could use it to wash their hair.

Ever since he accepted that they were going to flee, Fang Yu’s father’s adaptability had only grown stronger. Whatever she said, he went along with—without a single objection.

Very soon, the water was boiling, and they began washing their hair…

While father and daughter were busily occupied and in high spirits, the Chen household at the entrance of the village was steeped in gloom.

Chen Dashan’s most beloved son, Chen Ping, was missing.

Last night, when it was already dark and his second son still hadn’t returned, he had mobilized the whole village to search for him, but it was all in vain.

What was even stranger—no one had seen where he went.

This son he treasured most had suddenly vanished. Coupled with the strange things he had noticed in town during the day, Chen Dashan’s heart burned with anxious dread.

Unfortunately, his reckless eldest son only knew how to shout empty words, never offering any real ideas.

Chen Dashan’s brows furrowed tightly into a deep crease as his eyes swept across the room. “Search, keep searching! I refuse to believe that a grown man could just vanish into thin air. There must be someplace we’ve overlooked!”

The people in the room gradually dispersed. Watching their retreating backs, he sank into deep thought, convinced that he had missed something.

When he had left yesterday, his second son hadn’t mentioned going anywhere, so it was very likely his range of activity was still within the village.

He went through every relationship and household in the village one by one in his mind, yet still couldn’t find anyone suspicious.

Unconsciously, he started wandering around the village.

When he came near the Fang household, he happened to see Fang Yu and her father washing their hair at the doorway. At this moment, the girl seemed to have just finished, using her fingers to comb through her hair.

She was sitting sideways in the courtyard, sunlight spilling over her, as though outlining her in a soft glow.

From a man’s perspective, there was no doubt that this girl was beautiful.

His eyes flickered, and he suddenly recalled that time when he and his sons had been waiting outside Fang’s house for tax collection—he had accidentally caught sight of his youngest son’s gaze.

He hadn’t thought much of it back then, but now, thinking carefully… could it be possible his son liked her?

He remembered again when the girl had come down from the mountain sick with fever. He had originally planned to send her to Ma Fu to curry favor with him, but—wasn’t it his youngest son who had volunteered to do it instead?

As he pieced together these little details, everything seemed to fall into place.

But… could his son’s disappearance really have something to do with this girl?

Since he was already here, he decided to test the waters: “Fang family girl, what are you busy with?”

Fang Yu glanced at Chen Dashan’s forced smile and replied casually, “Since the weather’s good, I’m washing my hair with my father. Uncle, what brings you here—come to collect taxes?”

It was better not to mention taxes. As soon as she did, Chen Dashan recalled the miserable business he’d faced in town yesterday. Forcing down his irritation, he probed, “My Pingwa didn’t come home last night. I wanted to ask if you might have seen him?”

His eyes shifted back and forth between Fang Yu and Fang Fusheng, trying to read any clue from their expressions.

To his disappointment, the father and daughter both looked equally startled.

“Huh? Brother Pingwa is missing? Have you searched for him?”

Chen Dashan nodded. “We searched late into the night and still couldn’t find him, so I came to ask around, see if anyone saw him yesterday.”

“We went out foraging yesterday, didn’t see him at all!” Fang’s father even sounded quite concerned.

Fang Yu’s heart sank. Sure enough, in the very next moment, Chen Dashan started pressing for details about exactly where her father had gone looking for food the day before.

Fang Yu couldn’t explain why, but she instinctively felt that Chen Dashan had set his sights on her and her father.

As she calmly combed through her hair, she was already considering—should they enter the mountains earlier than planned?

She hadn’t bothered to hide Chen Ping’s corpse. In weather like this, it wouldn’t take long for a body to start rotting. No matter how remote, the foothills weren’t that big; a thorough search would eventually turn it up.

With Chen Dashan’s love for his son, once he discovered the truth, it would surely mean a fight to the death. She didn’t want to take that risk.

She quickly made up her mind. Her gaze remained steady as she listened to her father giving directions about where to search.

Meanwhile, Chen Dashan was indeed thinking along the same lines. His instincts locked straight onto Fang Yu.

Because only now did he realize—ever since that fever she had after coming down from the mountains, the girl’s behavior had been unusual.

She carried herself with too much confidence, as though no matter what happened, she always had something to rely on.

He couldn’t help but wonder—was that reliance somehow connected to his son’s disappearance?

Regret burned in him. Why hadn’t he noticed this earlier? Now that he finally had a lead, he felt no joy at all.

If his suspicions proved correct, then his son’s fate was likely grim…

After leaving Fang’s house, he immediately returned home with a dark expression and ordered his eldest son to keep a close watch on Fang Yu and her father.

But what he didn’t know was that, the moment he left, Fang Yu pulled her father back into the house. She strapped all their packed belongings onto him, left her hair still loose and wet, and together they slipped quietly out of their home, heading straight for the foot of the mountain.

Perhaps because everyone in the village was still out searching for Chen Ping, the path toward the mountain was almost deserted.

On their way, they deliberately passed by the Xu household, gave a low whistle at the door, and without pausing, continued into the forest.

They raced toward the hidden stash they had prepared earlier, Fang Yu dragging her father swiftly into the back mountain.

Not far behind, the Xu family too entered the woods in small groups, retrieving their hidden supplies without a word, dividing them up anew, then hurrying with their whole family deeper into the mountain.

The two families acted quickly and quietly. By the time Chen Dashan’s men had spent half the day watching Fang’s house without spotting a soul, they finally realized something was wrong.

When Chen Dashan was led back to the Fang household, he saw it emptied and spotlessly cleaned. At once, he knew his son’s disappearance was tied to the Fang father and daughter.

He cursed himself bitterly for his carelessness. He should have stormed in and seized them on the spot instead of merely keeping watch.

By now, all the Chen clansmen who had been out searching gathered back. Chen Li’s face flushed with anger as he demanded, “Father, just tell us what to do! If Fang’s father and daughter really had something to do with my brother’s disappearance, then even to the ends of the earth, we must drag them back!”

Chen Dashan swallowed his pain. If things had come to the point where the Fangs had fled, then his son’s chances of survival were slim indeed…

“Tell me—aside from the mountains, where else have you searched? The cellars nearby? Did you check them all?”

“Father, we checked them all. Nothing. Only the mountains…”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward the vast mountain range. Chen Dashan’s heart clenched. He recalled how often the Fang pair had been going into the mountains these past days. A terrible premonition weighed on him.

Grinding his teeth, swallowing the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, he gave his order: “Search the mountain. Inch by inch. I refuse to believe we can’t find them!”

“Father, what about Fang’s father and daughter?”

“Find your brother first. If it really was them, then we’ll chase them down and drag them back!”

What he didn’t say aloud was that he already knew where their escape route must be. The Fang family hadn’t paid their tax silver and they had no travel passes. Where could they possibly flee?

They had no choice but to hide in the mountains, hoping to avoid pursuit.

Hmph!

Not a chance.

With a clear target, he wasted no manpower. All efforts were concentrated on scouring the mountain.

As the sun began to set, his anxiety grew unbearable.

Finally, in the late afternoon, the search party rushed down the slope, shouting that they had found him.

Stumbling after them up the mountain, Chen Dashan’s world went black when he finally laid eyes on his son’s ruined corpse. Tears of blood burning in his eyes, he ground out a final order to the villagers:

“Search the mountain!”

Then, collapsing from grief, he fainted on the spot…