Chapter 1, A Joyful Encounter (1)

"No, no!" Gui'er waved her hand, "I am not talking about that, I mean..." Her voice suddenly paused, and she reached out to pinch his little face, "It's alright, Yuanbao did the right thing, we won't take his things."

Yuanbao blinked and tilted his head in thought, then nodded and said: "Uncle Dagui has returned from the county. Mother, you know he is quite peculiar. As soon as he entered the village, he brought a lot of things and said he wanted to give them to me. I listened to Mother and didn't take them, so he left in a rather displeased manner"

Only after the footsteps of several people had completely faded away did a slight movement occur on both sides of the crevice's cliff walls. Subsequently, a dust-covered face emerged from the tangled grass.

According to the villagers, the couple arrived in this village three years ago with a gold ingot. However, not long after, her husband accidentally fell off a cliff in the mountains. The villagers only knew that his surname was Han, but did not have the time to inquire about his full name, so they had no choice but to refer to him as "Mr. Certain".

She cautiously looked around, reached out to hook onto the long vine at the edge of the cliff, nimbly leaped up, took a moment to catch her breath, and then quickly ran down the mountain

If a villager were to see this moment, they would surely marvel at her agile skills. To climb a tree so cleanly and swiftly is something even the most nimble young man in the village might not be able to accomplish

In the end, the little girl, despite her feeble resistance, was violently thrown back onto the bed by her own mother. This time, wrapped in a warm blanket and holding her warm son, the vague and terrifying images from her dreams finally ceased to disturb her, allowing her to sleep soundly until dawn.

Just as she was about to make her escape, she did not know which branch beneath her feet was too fragile, producing a faint cracking sound

The little doll couldn't help but take a step back: "No, Mother, there are bugs on you!"

In that case, it would be better to act as if one is unaware

Her pace was swift, completely unlike that of a peasant girl. Those people clearly noticed this as well, and someone immediately shouted, prompting a group to encircle her and give chase.

She could not explain how she and the *picture* book came to this village, nor what she had done before arriving, her husband's name, his appearance, or her son's name

The sound of footsteps came from all directions, reaching Gui'er’s ears without missing a single sound

Her heart instantly sank, as she fervently hoped that the robbers had not heard. Unfortunately, reality is always cruel; a loud shout immediately came from beneath the tree: "Who is there?"

Mother, where have you gone?

She had no idea how long she had slept. When she woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky, and the surroundings were quiet, completely devoid of people

Unable to fend off her torment, Yuanbao could only helplessly whimper, "Mother, you are making me so sad..."

She is still very young, but unfortunately, she has developed amnesia

Before she had the chance to contemplate whether to stay or leave, her body had already made an instinctive response—she turned, leaped, grasped a low-hanging branch, and then scrambled into the dense shade of the large tree using both her hands and feet

This is Gui Er's secret

Only when Gui'er saw her round son sitting on the threshold, resting his chin on his hand in a daze, did she let out a long sigh. She hurried over in a few steps, disregarding the mud all over her body, and embraced her son tightly, rubbing against him vigorously.

Madam Jia said: "Just now on the mountain, I saw you sleeping soundly, so I walked a little further away by myself. Who would have thought that when I returned, you were already gone? I thought you had gone down the mountain first, but when I went down, I saw you hadn't returned yet. Little Bao said he was hungry, and I was just preparing a meal for him."

"The child is talking nonsense." Gui'er stretched out another paw and grabbed the other side of that tender little face, forcibly pulling it into a flat, white pancake shape: "If you keep talking nonsense, I will punish you by not allowing you to eat!"

The little girl looked at her hands, which had a few strands of cobwebs on them, and turned her head away in disgust: "Mother has nightmares every day, Mother is lying."

Forget it if you must; it is beyond our control. She and her family are left with only each other, and there are no deeply significant matters to hold onto. As long as she can still remember the yuanbao, know where her chicken coop and vegetable garden are, and the books... As long as she continues to live quietly in this small village, then even if she forgets the past, it is not a big deal.

The woman wiped the sweat from her forehead and casually reached out to pinch his exquisitely sculpted face, saying, "I was just startled and frightened by a nightmare..."

This illness is incurable, and even the doctors at the local clinic in the nearby town are at a loss. They merely suggest that perhaps there are skilled practitioners in Fengluo City of Zixu Kingdom who could provide treatment. However, how could she afford to go to Fengluo City for medical care? She has not even been to the nearest Yanzhou.

Intuition told her that being different was not a good thing

As she blissfully envisioned how to command her daughter-in-law, Yuanbao's faint protests were simply ignored

Although dreams are made every day, today was particularly frightening. Gui'er glared at him, clapped her hands, and stood up: "Yuanbao, come here and keep your mother company while she sleeps"

She is different from them—able to rely on the long vines on the cliff to climb the precipice, taking a breath to swim from the village entrance to the village end... At the rise and fall of the sun and moon, she can always feel a deep, enduring breath within her body that seems almost endless

What troubled her was that the group of people was sitting under the tree where she was hiding

Could it be that she has already gone down the mountain? She was momentarily stunned, just as she was about to pack her things and leave, a faint sound emerged from the bushes behind her

After passing a few old trees, a large stone blocking the way appeared before her. She took a deep breath and leaped forward, her figure flashing between the crevices of the stone, and in an instant, she vanished from sight

"Yuanbao is also concerned about you!" A familiar voice came from behind the house. Aunt Jia was holding a bowl of soup at the door, smiling as she sighed, "Gui'er, living alone must be quite hard for you, right?"

The snake herb grows in the shaded areas of the deep mountains. Gui'er had just gathered half a basket when she felt her eyelids grow heavy, and her limbs felt leaden; she was indeed fatigued. It must be due to the disturbance from the nightmare she had last night, and she had yet to regain her strength. She called out to the old lady and then leaned against a tree to rest alone.

It is unclear when https://m.hetushu.com began, but Gui'er can only remember events from the past year; any memories prior to that are nothing but a blank, as if someone had wiped them away with a cloth, leaving it clean and thorough

It is unknown whose yellow dog was startled, barking a few times in confusion, only to be hit by a worn-out shoe thrown out of the window by its owner, whimpering and falling silent. In the second-to-last small house at the eastern end of the village, a faint light flickered on, and a childish voice, thick with sleepiness, said

Gui'er hurriedly ran away, yet her mind involuntarily assessed the strength of her pursuers. After running only about ten steps, she realized that it was impossible to evade their tracking and descend the mountain alone. To escape, she had to find another way.

She called out "Auntie" several times, but the only response she received was the sound of the wind in the mountains and fields

No one noticed that on one side of this mountain wall, there was a small hole barely large enough for a person to hide in, covered outside by long vines and weeds. If it weren't for the last time when Gui'er accidentally stepped into the void while passing by, this place might have only been discovered by the occasional birds that lingered here.

She woke up again, disturbed by the knocking sound from the neighbor, Mrs. Jia.

Here, here! A young woman is calling softly as she uses both her hands and feet to crawl out from under the narrow bed

Ahーーー

The pursuer suddenly lost sight of the target, unable to stop in time, nearly stepping into empty space. However, behind the stone, amidst the tangled branches and weeds, there lay a deep crevice, beneath which the stream flowed rapidly, splashing water, unfathomable in depth

Three people on the left, three people on the right, and four people behind

She is capable of many things that others cannot achieve. However, in the eyes of the villagers, Gui'er is merely a frail woman who lacks the strength to even carry two buckets of water, taking a long time to do so.

Gui Er thought for a moment, when the aunt came to find her, it must have been during the time she was being chased by that group of bandits. Such a dangerous experience is better left unspoken. She chuckled softly, embraced Yuanbao, and walked into the house, saying as she walked: "Aunt, I am not struggling at all. You see, in two years, when Yuanbao grows up, he will be able to serve me. When he is a bit older, I will arrange for him to marry two wives. At that time, the three of us will serve me together; I can't even imagine how wonderful that will be..."

Gui'er released her son, ignoring his protests, and asked, "Yuanbao, did any strange people come to the village just now?"

There are several villages at the foot of the mountain, but it is unclear which one they are referring to. The content of their conversation is quite obscure; it sounds as if these people are searching for something and have set fire to numerous cottages and fields. As the conversation continued, Gui'er could no longer contain herself, feeling anxious and restless. She slowly moved her body, eager to find an opportunity to leave quickly.

Gui Er thought it made sense and nodded, saying: "Then, Auntie, please wait a moment. I will light incense for my husband and then leave."

No ... ...

These individuals cooperate effectively, are well-trained, and are certainly not ordinary robbers

This is her husband's spirit tablet, but unfortunately she can no longer recall what the character "certain" actually is.

This time, Aunt Jia did not stop her. Watching her turn around and light the incense, she could not help but let out a soft sigh.

As the light resembling a bean slowly approached, a small child, wrapped entirely in an old cotton-padded jacket with only their face visible, was rubbing their sleepy eyes. They looked down at a woman who had already crawled halfway on the ground and said with a tone of considerable helplessness: "Mother, you have rolled quite far this time; even the ingots cannot find you."

Yuanbao, Yuanbao, you must not have any issues!

She is not foolish; she understands that an ordinary girl could never immediately discern whether the person who used an old firewood knife is left-handed or right-handed. However, this remarkable ability is evidently not as useful to her as actually finding a firewood knife to chop wood.

In the quiet of the deep night, a sudden, mournful wail echoed through the village

"Yuanbao, my unfortunate son..."

On the offering table at the eastern end of the room, there was a worn-out tablet. Gui'er lit incense and offered a prayer, then placed the incense in a censer that was missing a leg

The tablet is carved from discarded wood, and the characters have become somewhat blurred due to prolonged exposure to smoke and fire. It is inscribed in a crooked manner with the words www.hetushucom.com "The position of my husband, Han..."

Yuanbao, while tugging at her paw, mumbled: "Mother... Uncle Dagui... does he want to marry you?"

Come here, you little rascal!

Among them, at least five possess exceptional lightness of foot, and two have prolonged internal energy, allowing them to catch up with her in less than half an hour

The footsteps behind her grew closer, just as she had anticipated, with two people leading the way and three following behind

Gui'er got out of bed and opened the door. Just as she was about to turn around to wake her son, Aunt Jia pulled out two steaming buns from her bosom and placed them on the table, softly saying: "Let Yuanbao sleep a little longer; why trouble the child? It is still not fully light outside, and this is the perfect time to gather the snake fairy grass. We must not miss it."

Such a secluded mountain gorge is known only to those who reside here regularly. The five individuals cursed a few times in frustration, then conferred briefly with those who caught up to them, deciding to find a way down nearby and follow the stream in search of Gui'er.

The footsteps in the distance gradually approached. She looked out through the gaps in the branches and leaves, and saw a group of people dressed in tight-fitting attire, wielding swords and knives, emerging from the thicket and finding a clearing to sit down and rest

Madam Jia knocked on the door while calling out: "Gui'er, it's getting late, we need to head up the mountain!"

Gui'er had no time to think; she lightly leaped onto a tree branch about one zhang high and quickly dashed into the forest

"Aunt?" Gui'er was taken aback, "When did you come back?"

That was the sound of footsteps deliberately slowed down, at least a hundred steps away. There were five people approaching, and they were not Aunt Jia.

She glanced around at the terrain and quickly changed her direction, instead running up the mountain. Before long, the surrounding thickets became sparse, and the sound of rushing water reached her ears

It was only then that she remembered she had made an appointment with Aunt Jia to go up the mountain today to gather snake fairy grass, which, when dried, could be used as a medicinal herb to repel insects and mosquitoes, and could be sold in the city for money

Although they deliberately lowered their voices, the conversation still inevitably reached her ears. Gui'er listened for a moment, unable to suppress her shock and fear—what these people were discussing was how they had broken into the village at the foot of the mountain to commit their crimes