Chapter 62: Bao Yi

Chapter 62: Bao Yi

In the darkness, a series of dense footsteps, not belonging to humans, shattered the tranquility of the village.

Qiu Huanian held his breath, listening carefully, as if he heard the sound of wolves baring their white teeth and panting heavily.

The thick door was knocked several times, and the door latch clanged loudly. The brick frame and sturdy door panels of the gate blocked the uninvited guests.

Outside the courtyard wall, there was a spine-chilling scraping sound, as if something was climbing.

Qiu Huanian clutched nervously at Du Yunse's sleeve. Du Yunse shielded him with one arm and grabbed the long stick by the door.

Qiu Huanian recalled something urgent and quickly ran back to the main room to retrieve the Fushu Sword that Sixteen had given him, gripping it firmly in his hand.

The two stood on guard behind the gate for a long time. The wolves outside, smelling the scent of humans but unable to find a way in, gradually lost patience and moved on.

Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse remained uneasy and stayed outside.

This night would prove to be a sleepless one for Du Village.

The cold, biting wind spread the howls of the wolves, transforming them into echoes that sounded like wailing.

Qiu Huanian barely made out cries in the wind.

"Yun Se, do you hear that?" Qiu Huanian whispered.

The sound rose and fell, growing closer and more distinct, unlike an auditory hallucination.

"My child, my child! Yun Ying, help Yun Ying!"

The woman's desperate cries approached the gate. Qiu Huanian finally made out the words, and his eyes widened in shock.

"It’s Cun Lan’s mother, Aunt Taohong!"

"Step back, I'll go out and check."

Du Yunse signaled Qiu Huanian to hide behind the door and went out with the long stick.

Qiu Huanian drew the Fushu Sword, nervously watching the pitch darkness outside, ready to rush out and help if anything went wrong.

Fortunately, the wolves near their courtyard had lost patience and left, so there were few wolves around. Soon, Du Yunse returned with Ye Taohong.

Qiu Huanian lit a candle and saw that Ye Taohong was still wearing thin clothes, shivering in the freezing cold.

Her hair was disheveled, her eyes swollen, filled with despair and panic.

"Aunt Taohong, there are wolves everywhere outside. Why did you come out? What happened to Yun Ying?"

Ye Taohong, trembling and crying, said, "I was in the kitchen with my sister-in-law, sewing by lamplight. Cun Lan was sleeping with Yun Ying in the side chamber. Cun Lan got up to relieve herself, and suddenly Yun Ying was gone!"

"I hurried to tell my father-in-law, and he sent my eldest and third brothers to look for her. I was too anxious to stay put, so I came out to search for her too."

"Suddenly gone?" Qiu Huanian frowned.

Yun Ying was only three years old, just able to walk steadily. How could she have gotten up in the middle of the night and quietly run away?

"She's just gone, in the blink of an eye. We searched everywhere in the house, but it's pitch black outside, and there are wolves in the village. What if, what if..."

Ye Taohong couldn't continue. She covered her face, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Bao Yi, where are you? Please come and save us, your wife and children!"

Du Yunse sighed, "Brother Hua, help Aunt Taohong into the house to get warm."

Ye Taohong wanted to refuse; she still hoped to continue searching for her child.

Qiu Huanian understood Du Yunse's intention and persuaded, "Auntie, in your condition, running into wolves would be certain death. What if the child is safe, but something happens to you? Wouldn't that be a tragedy? Stay here and wait; let Yunse look for you."

"This, this..."

"Yunse will surely find her quicker than you. You still have Cun Lan and need to wait for Bao Yi. Don't be so stubborn now."

Qiu Huanian coaxed the distraught Ye Taohong into the main room and handed the Fushu Sword to Du Yunse.

He opened his mouth, countless worries caught in his throat, "Be careful, and make sure you come back safely."

"Don't worry, I'll come back safe and sound." Du Yunse gently kissed Qiu Huanian's forehead.

"I'll wait by the door. Just call, and I'll open it."

"Alright, take the hand warmer; don't let yourself freeze."

After seeing Du Yunse off, Qiu Huanian shut the main gate tightly, securing the latch firmly to prevent the wolves from returning.

The noise in the yard woke Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng. Qiu Huanian explained to the children what had happened. Unable to sleep, the children insisted on staying with Qiu Huanian near the door.

Jiu Jiu fetched the hand warmer and added more charcoal. The three of them took turns holding it to stay warm.

In the northeast winter nights, the outdoor temperature was freezing. Staying still for too long would freeze the body, so they didn't sit but walked back and forth, keeping warm through the heat generated by movement.

The howls of wolves, near and far, echoed continuously. It was unclear whose livestock was in danger or whose family was under attack.

Jiu Jiu bit her lip, trying to stay calm. Chun Sheng's eyes were brimming with tears, but he stood firm.

Their elder brother was in danger outside, one of the few relatives they had left.

If something happened to Du Yunse, the remaining three would be devastated.

But with Ye Taohong heading into danger and young Yun Ying missing, Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse couldn't just stand by.

Qiu Huanian inhaled the cold, harsh air, desperately pushing away dark thoughts, forcing his mind to focus on happy memories.

But all the happy things in his world were related to Du Yunse.

Qiu Huanian didn't know how long he had been standing, perhaps just a quarter of an hour, or maybe an hour had passed. His feet were already numb, leaving only a slight swelling and itching sensation, instinctively pacing back and forth behind the door.

Suddenly, there seemed to be some different movement outside the door. Chun Sheng's eyes lit up, and he rushed to the door.

Qiu Huanian's heart was still tense, calling out to him, "Don't rush to open the door, ask first."

The next second, Du Yunse's voice came from outside, "We're back, Brother Hua, open the door."

Chun Sheng quickly pulled the latch, and Qiu Huanian instinctively wanted to run over. Just as he took a step, he lost his balance and fell forward.

A figure flashed through the door crack, catching Qiu Huanian before he fell, a large hand tightly gripping his waist.

Du Yunse still held the Fushu Sword in one hand, breathing heavily and tired. Qiu Huanian, held in his arms, smelled not only the familiar crisp scent but also a strong smell of blood.

"Where are you hurt? Let me see." Qiu Huanian struggled anxiously, his frozen feet unsteady, almost falling again.

Du Yunse held him even tighter, his warm breath brushing against his ear. "It's wolf blood. I'm fine. Don't worry, Brother Hua."

Qiu Huanian groped in the dark, roughly checking Du Yunse from head to toe, and only relaxed upon finding no obvious wounds.

Only then could he finally notice other things around him.

Du Yunse hadn’t returned alone; he had brought back four people. Besides the missing little Yun Ying, there were Bao Ren, Yun Cheng, and Bao Yi, whom Qiu Huanian almost didn’t recognize.

Qiu Huanian, still in Du Yunse’s arms, made eye contact with them, realized belatedly, and blushed deeply.

Yun Cheng, being young and unmarried, shyly turned his head away, but his heart warmed at the thought of his own Brother Ling.

Bao Ren laughed heartily, gesturing for Qiu Huanian not to be shy, as it was natural for young couples to be affectionate.

Bao Yi, whom they hadn’t seen for a long time, had changed a lot. Back in Du Village, although Bao Yi was a hunter, strong and somewhat impulsive, he was essentially a simple and honest country man. After serving several months of corvée labor, he had acquired a cold, menacing aura, and it was unclear what he had been through.

Bao Yi held Yun Ying in his arms. Fortunately, the child was unharmed, wrapped in a coat taken from Bao Yi, sleeping peacefully in his father’s arms, with tear stains faintly visible on his face under the moonlight.

Ye Taohong, hearing the commotion, rushed out and stood frozen in disbelief upon seeing Bao Yi by the door.

"Taohong, I’m back," Bao Yi said hoarsely.

He took two steps forward, out of the shadow of the door, and Qiu Huanian saw a dangerous long scar on his face, nearly reaching his eye.

Ye Taohong burst into sobs.

Bao Ren advised, "Luckily, everyone is safe. It’s cold; let’s go inside and talk. Don’t stand outside."

Bao Ren and Yun Cheng were dragging something heavy, and as they moved into the light, Qiu Huanian saw that they were the bodies of three gray-furred wolves.

No one felt like dealing with them, so they were temporarily piled up in the yard.

Qiu Huanian staggered, so Du Yunse simply picked him up horizontally. With the earlier awkward scene at the door as a prelude, Qiu Huanian’s face had temporarily thickened, silently telling himself, "They can’t see me; I’m just a big pillow," and allowed Du Yunse to carry him.

Du Yunse carried Qiu Huanian to the main room and set him down, then took a bundle of firewood from the basket and put it into the stove. Entering the warm room, Qiu Huanian finally began to thaw out, and the intense pain in his feet, which had been numb from the cold, belatedly set in.

Everyone knew he was frail and told him to take care of himself first. Except for Du Yunse, everyone else went to the east wing where Chun Sheng lived.

Qiu Huanian fumbled to remove his small leather boots, but his feet were swollen, and every movement was painful.

Du Yunse brought a foot basin, poured hot water from the stove, adjusted it to a suitable temperature, and carried the basin and a towel to squat beside Qiu Huanian.

Qiu Huanian, embarrassed, tried to pull away, but Du Yunse firmly grasped his slender calf.

"Brother Hua, just bear with the pain; it’ll be over soon."

Qiu Huanian, blushing, lips pursed, looked down as Du Yunse removed his small boots. His feet, washed before bed, were clean but swollen from the cold, with delicate skin covered in red marks, like white jade streaked with red, looking pitiful.

Qiu Huanian instinctively curled his round, crystal-clear toes, too shy to meet Du Yunse’s eyes.

Du Yunse dipped the towel in the slightly hot water and, with some force, wiped Qiu Huanian from top to bottom. Qiu Huanian shivered, gasping.

It was unbearable—painful, itchy, swollen, with his ankle, held firmly by Du Yunse’s large hand, burning intensely.

Du Yunse said with a mix of concern and reproach, "Now you know it hurts. Why didn’t you wear your socks properly then?"

Qiu Huanian, knowing he was wrong, wiggled his foot slightly, pretending not to hear.

At that time, with the wolves outside, Qiu Huanian was in a hurry to check the situation at the courtyard gate and didn’t have the patience to put on socks properly, just slipping on his small boots and rushing out.

Later, Ye Taohong arrived, and Du Yunse went out to look for Yun Ying. Qiu Huanian was so consumed with worry that he forgot he wasn’t wearing socks. He only just noticed his feet were swollen from the cold.

"You’re always so eloquent lecturing Jiu Jiu and Chun Sheng, yet you’re so careless with yourself," Du Yunse sighed, carefully and tenderly helping Qiu Huanian alleviate the pain in his feet.

Young men’s bodies are generally more delicate than grown men’s. Qiu Huanian’s feet were no bigger than Du Yunse’s palm, and cradled in his hand, they felt like a finely carved jade ornament.

Du Yunse’s eyes darkened, his throat bobbed, and his grip tightened slightly.

Unaware, Qiu Huanian, as soon as his feet felt better, eagerly asked about what was happening outside.

"How did you bump into Uncle Bao Ren and the others? Where was Yun Ying found? How did Yun Cheng come out? And how did Bao Yi return?"

Du Yunse patiently answered his series of questions.

"After I went out, I figured Yun Ying, being a child, couldn’t have gone far, so I searched near the clan leader’s house and found him up in a big willow tree."

"A big willow tree?"

"Yun Ying was about eight or nine feet up, clinging to the trunk and trembling, too scared to make a peep. The clan leader’s family might’ve passed under the tree but didn’t spot him. It was only because I’d seen kids climb trees during my travels, and their families couldn’t find them, that I thought to look up."

"Thank goodness you found him. In this cold, Yun Ying wouldn’t have lasted long before freezing and falling. Even if he was lucky enough to survive the fall, there are still wolves in the village..." Qiu Huanian sighed in relief. "But Yun Ying’s only three. How’d he get up there?"

Everyone knows that a three-year-old child can't climb a tree eight or nine feet high, so Bao Ren and the others had instinctively overlooked the tree when searching.

"I don’t know. Yun Ying was too scared to talk. We’ll have to wait till he wakes up to ask."

The swelling and redness in his feet slowly subsided. Du Yunse dried Qiu Huanian’s feet with a clean cloth, tucked him into bed, and let the warm kang do the rest.

"So you’re the one who found him? How’d you run into the others? And what about those three dead wolves?" Qiu Huanian's questions came one after another.

Du Yunse poured the water outside and answered while washing his hands, "After I got Yun Ying down, I was going to take him straight to the clan leader’s house, but then three wolves showed up and surrounded us."

"Three!" Qiu Huanian gasped. Even though Du Yunse was safe now, the thought of how dangerous it had been made Qiu Huanian’s heart clench.

Du Yunse sat on the edge of the kang, soothingly stroking Qiu Huanian's smooth, silk-like hair.

"I’m strong and know some martial arts, but I’m no expert fighter. Three wolves were no easy feat. Luckily, the court granted some laborers leave to return home for the New Year. Uncle Bao Yi rushed back to the village nonstop, just happening to pass by our area. He drew his knife and helped me take down the three wolves."

"Afterward, Uncle Bao Ren and Yun Cheng, who were searching nearby, heard the noise and came running. Uncle Bao Yi heard Aunt Taohong was at our place, so he said he’d come by to get her first."

Qiu Huanian still had some questions, but he was too tired. He subconsciously yawned, and his consciousness gradually drifted away from his body.

"There’s still a couple of hours till dawn. Get some rest. Don’t overdo it with your health the way it is. I'll go out and check on them."

Qiu Huanian reached out to grab Du Yunse and remind him of something, but as soon as his fingertips peeked out from under the blanket, he fell asleep, his slender and beautiful hand softly resting on the pillow.

Du Yunse tucked his hand back under the blanket and kissed the red mole on his forehead.

"Always worrying, Brother Hua..."

Du Yunse swallowed the second half of his sigh, helplessly and lovingly tucking the blanket around Qiu Huanian. Only by becoming stronger himself could he better protect the person before him...

...

Subconsciously concerned about the events, Qiu Huanian woke up not long after dawn the next day.

Du Yunse didn't go to the study to read today. He stayed in the main room to watch over him, making sure he dressed properly and wrapped himself up tightly before letting him go out.

During their conversation, Qiu Huanian learned that last night, Bao Ren and his son had rushed home overnight to reassure their family. Since Yun Ying was already asleep, Ye Taohong and Bao Yi, fearing the child might catch a cold, stayed overnight at Qiu Huanian's house.

The family of three lived in Chun Sheng's east wing, and Chun Sheng spent the night in the same room as Jiu Jiu.

Qiu Huanian pressed his throbbing temples and went out to the kitchen, where Ye Taohong was cooking, her face lit up with a happy smile.

"Is Brother Hua awake? Go back and sit down. You're not well, and you must have been hurt last night. It's my fault; I was so scared that I forgot to urge you to go back inside and warm up."

"I made porridge and stir-fried pickled veggies with lard. It will be ready soon."

Ye Taohong often visited Qiu Huanian's house. She helped pickle this year's cabbages, so she was very familiar with what was in Qiu Huanian's kitchen.

Qiu Huanian found bowls and chopsticks, ladled the porridge into a large basin, and brought it to the table for everyone to help themselves.

The family now had plenty of rice and flour, with several bushels of grain stored in the back room, so there was no need to ration each person's meal as before.

In addition to the pickled veggies stir-fried by Ye Taohong, Qiu Huanian also found the leftover lard cracklings, sprinkled them with a thin layer of salt, and used them as a side dish for the porridge. These cracklings weren't greasy at all, with the chewiness of lean meat, and were crispy and fragrant, even tastier than regular meat.

They set up the dining table in the main room. Qiu Huanian's family was small, so there was plenty of room for two or three more people. After everyone helped set the table, Yun Ying, who was being held in Bao Yi's arms, finally woke up, still sleepy.

The child opened his sleepy eyes, and when he saw Bao Yi's scarred face, maybe out of fear or something else, he suddenly burst into tears.

Ye Taohong quickly took the child over, hugged him, and calmed him down. Yun Ying finally stopped crying.

Bao Yi touched his face, feeling a little off.

"He hasn't seen you in months, so he's just shy," Qiu Huanian comforted him.

After eating for a while, Yun Ying also drank half a bowl of porridge to fill his stomach and finally calmed down enough to interact with others. Ye Taohong took the chance to coax him into explaining what had happened the previous night.

Although the child had been found safe and her husband had unexpectedly returned, Yun Ying ending up in a tree outside was still a thorn in Ye Taohong's heart. She couldn't relax without knowing what happened.

The others also wanted to know what had happened and subconsciously slowed down their eating.

"Yun Ying, sweetie, how did you end up in the tree last night?"

Yun Ying opened his big, grape-like eyes in confusion, "Tree! Climb tree!"

"Yes, climbing the tree. How did you climb up? Why did you go at night without telling an adult?"

Yun Ying clapped his little hands and said, "Climb tree! Play!"

A three-year-old child could already speak some sentences, but kids this age usually take the easy way out. Unless specifically guided, they preferred to use words rather than bother with full sentences.

Ye Taohong, eager to get a clear answer right away, ended up making Yun Ying unsure of how to express the real situation.

Qiu Huanian grabbed a piece of crackling to tease him, "Yun Ying, how did you know climbing trees was fun? Have you climbed a tree before?"

Yun Ying reached for the crackling and answered as Qiu Huanian prompted, "Brother Yun Zhe said it's fun! More fun at night!"

Ye Taohong's hand tightened suddenly, and Yun Ying struggled in pain before she quickly let go.

Qiu Huanian took a deep breath, keeping his tone calm, and continued guiding, "So Yun Ying wanted to climb the tree at night because Brother Yun Zhe said it was fun?"

Yun Ying had been frightened the previous night, and the child's memory protection mechanism made him selectively forget what had happened. After being repeatedly questioned, he began to remember bit by bit.

Yun Ying suddenly clung tightly to Ye Taohong's neck, crying his eyes out.

"Brother Yun Zhe took me to climb the tree, pulled me up, and then disappeared. Brother said not to cry, not to shout, or bad people would come and take Yun Ying. Wuwu, Yun Ying waited and waited... wuwu..."

"Slap!—"

Bao Yi suddenly stood up, his hands clenched tightly, his entire body trembling uncontrollably, the chopsticks and porridge bowl in his hands snapped in half.

"Fine... fine..." his voice was gritted through his teeth, filled with a terrifying anger.

Ye Taohong, while holding Yun Ying and comforting her, cried out to Bao Yi, "Last night you told me that you had made a contribution at the border and had secured a position as a military officer, which would allow us to hold our heads high at home. I think holding our heads high is the least of our concerns now; it would be good if the wicked souls in this family don't end up killing us all!"

Bao Yi took a trembling breath, his raised fists slowly lowering, the fire in his eyes growing fiercer. The months he had been away had truly changed him.

Suppressing his fury, he forced out the words through clenched teeth, "Don't worry, I have a plan for this matter."

"Brother Hua, I apologize for the broken bowl and chopsticks. I'll make it up to you later."

Qiu Huanian waved his hand, "It's nothing, don't sweat it. Who could hold back after hearing such a thing?"

Qiu Huanian knew that the third son's branch of the family had always been at odds with Ye Taohong's branch. The third son's family, relying on having many sons, had won the clan leader's favor, which Ye Taohong had often complained about.

Later, when the village was conscripting for border duty, it should have been the third son's turn according to seniority, but the third son's wife was pregnant and making a scene every day, so the clan leader sent the second son, Bao Yi, instead. Bao Yi used this opportunity to secure a chance for his daughter, Cun Lan, to study, allowing her to openly study with Jiu Jiu and others under Du Yunse.

Previously, the third son's family had wanted their eldest son, Yun Zhe, to also study under Du Yunse, but Qiu Huanian had directly refused. Since then, whenever they met in the village, there had been nothing but icy glares.

It could be said that the conflict between the third son's branch and the second son's branch of the clan leader had been completely escalated and brought into the open after Bao Yi went to the border for conscription.

But Qiu Huanian had never expected that Yun Zhe, a child just over ten years old, could be so heartless as to deceive his three-year-old cousin and secretly harm him.

Regardless of whether there was any adult behind this, Yun Zhe had certainly taken action.

If it weren't for Du Yunse, if it weren't for Bao Yi's timely return to the village, the three-year-old Yun Ying would have surely died on that cold winter night, and his parents and sister might never have known who the real culprit was.

Bao Yi, suppressing his voice, said, "Yun Se, Brother Hua, I will be forever grateful for your kindness. For the sake of Cun Lan and her mother, could you please come home with me... just this once?"