Chapter 20: The Secret Hut

After a long and tiring journey, they finally arrived at the hut halfway up the mountain. Just as Dazhuang had said, it looked exactly as described.

The area in front of the thatched hut was overgrown with knee-high weeds, and the hut itself looked flimsy. It was simply supported by a few wooden sticks that held up a roof made of wood. There was no door, just a piece of faded cloth covering the entrance.

The cloth didn’t even serve its purpose. The hut had holes all over, and one could easily slip through any of them.

Cui Ju looked at the hut in front of her and softly said, “It really seems like an abandoned house.”

Bai An agreed, “No wonder Dazhuang kept calling it a thatched hut instead of a wooden hut. I feel like it’s going to collapse any second.”

Dazhuang, still beaming proudly, laughed beside them, “How’s it? Should we make this our secret base from now on?”

“What about the previous secret base?” Cui Ju asked.

“That place wasn’t as hidden as this one.” Dazhuang looked at the wooden hut with longing in his eyes. “Once we pull out the weeds in front and I make the hut sturdier, we can even decorate it. This could be our home.”

Bai An and Cui Ju couldn’t help but feel a little excited by his words. They almost wanted to get to work immediately and clean up the hut to make it look just like they imagined.

Dazhuang tore down the cloth covering the door, and Bai An leaned her head to look inside.

It was just an open space with a rickety table similar to the hut, a small bed, and a few low stools.

One, two, three.

Three stools, just enough for each of them.

Dazhuang threw the torn cloth aside and looked at Bai An, asking, “Bai An, have you had breakfast?”

Bai An paused for a moment before replying, “Not yet.”

When Cui Ju heard Bai An hadn’t had breakfast, she felt a bit guilty. Before leaving, her mother had told her they didn’t have much food left at home, otherwise, she would’ve invited Bai An to stay and eat with them.

“Then why don’t you have some eggs?” Dazhuang urged.

But Bai An waved her hand and said, “I have food with me. Let’s finish fixing the hut first, then we can sit down and eat together.”

Dazhuang thought for a moment. “Alright, then we’ll hurry up.”

There wasn’t much to clean up. Dazhuang pulled out the weeds in front of the hut and found a few sturdy branches to make the hut a little more stable. Bai An and Cui Ju simply wiped down the furniture.

Once they had finished, Bai An mysteriously said to Dazhuang and Cui Ju, “Wait for me a moment, I’m going to get something.”

When Bai An returned, she was carrying a large bag of food.

Dazhuang’s eyes widened in surprise as he asked, “Bai An, are these the delicious things you mentioned?”

“So much!” Cui Ju’s eyes also widened, and she asked, “Bai An, when did you bring these up?”

Bai An, feeling a little guilty, looked away and muttered softly, “I brought them up just now, when we came up together.”

As soon as Bai An opened the bag, Dazhuang and Cui Ju couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

“Wow!”

It was rare to see such luxurious snacks in the village. Dazhuang looked up at Bai An, his eyes filled with longing for the food.

Bai An smiled and said, “Help yourselves.”

“Thank you, Bai An.”

Dazhuang and Cui Ju each took a piece of fruit cake and began eating, their hearts overwhelmed with happiness, especially since they were used to going hungry. Now, seeing the abundance of food, they felt their happiness almost overflowing.

After Cui Ju finished the piece of cake in her hand, she looked at Bai An and said, “Bai An, actually, I really envy you.”

“Ah?” Bai An blinked in confusion, “What do you mean?”

Cui Ju spoke softly, “I don’t know why, but looking at you, I feel like you’re really happy.”

“Your face is fair, your hands are soft, and even though your clothes are the same style as ours, you can tell at a glance that the cotton inside is thick and good quality.”

“This year’s harvest has been bad, and every household is running low on food. Everyone’s face is filled with worry and anxiety.”

“But Bai An,” Cui Ju looked at her and said, “Your family is completely different from ours. It feels like you’re from a completely different world. You seem to live in the world that we long for.”

Dazhuang chimed in, “Yeah, Bai An, you even have so much good food to share with us.”

“You’re really such a good person.”

Cui Ju rolled her eyes at Dazhuang’s silly expression, then turned to Bai An, saying, “So, Bai An, you should be careful.”

Bai An became increasingly confused and asked, “Why do you say that?”

Although Cui Ju still looked like a child, her expression now had the maturity of an adult. “Who would like to see others living better than themselves?”

Bai An was stunned for a moment, then understood.

When everyone is supposed to be on the same level, any sudden rise will become a thorn in the eyes of others.

Bai An had thought her family was hidden well, but she never realized that the life she considered simple was actually a luxury in the eyes of others.

Human nature is the hardest to understand.

You can live well, but you can’t live better than others.

“Cui Ju, why are you telling me this?” Bai An felt like the food in her hands no longer tasted as good.

Cui Ju paused, thinking, then said, “Maybe it’s because your family is too special in the village.”

Dazhuang continued from the side, “My mom says Bai An’s family is rich, living better than anyone. As long as we go to Bai An’s house, we can get a full meal. My mom even wants Bai An to marry me.”

As he spoke, Dazhuang’s face turned red. He lowered his head and peeked at Bai An shyly.

Cui Ju couldn’t stand it anymore. She hit Dazhuang on the head and scolded, “You’re eating the food Bai An gave you, and you’re still shamelessly saying this. Aren’t you embarrassed?”

Dazhuang covered his head and said with grievance, “What’s embarrassing? Bai An is so nice. Why can’t she marry me?”

“Look at you and see if you’re even worthy,” Cui Ju shot him a scornful look before turning to Bai An and saying, “We won’t tell anyone that you gave us this food.”

“Why can’t you say? You can’t even tell your mom?” Dazhuang asked.

Cui Ju restrained her temper, “You can say it, but you can leave right now.”

Bai An had never seen such an angry Cui Ju. She was momentarily stunned and could only whisper, “I got it.”

Cui Ju didn’t want to say these things to Bai An, but Bai An’s appearance made her feel like she was easy to deceive, so she had to remind her again.

“Bai An, you’ve been too well protected by your family. Not everyone is kind-hearted.”

Having grown up in an orphanage, Bai An naturally understood the flaws in human nature. She had tried her best to act like a normal child, like the ones she had imagined, but she had also forgotten that when she was this age, children weren’t as innocent as she had thought.

As long as someone is living happily enough, it’s impossible to hide it. Anyone can see it.

And she had also underestimated the nature of people in this era.

In her heart, she had believed that in this time, everyone’s hearts were pure and kind.