“Heavy snow will be here in a few days. Once the long snow season starts, it'll be hard to find any prey.”
“And with these strange things happening now, none of the households have much surplus grain. I don't know how we'll get through those days,” the old man sighed deeply.
After learning a bit about the recent situation in the village, Chen San took the opportunity to steer the conversation. “If you really run into any trouble, you can head up the mountain and find the people from our agency. We'll help within reason.”
As he said this, everyone's eyes flickered, observing the old man's expression.
The latter sighed again and shook his head. “We understand the principle that gifts make one beholden to the giver.”
“There's no sense in constantly seeking help. It would only make those lazy fellows get used to taking, thinking you owe us something. It wouldn't be good for future relations between our two groups.”
Xu Xiaoyou pondered. Hearing this, it seemed the man didn't know anything about the two missing personnel from the mountain outpost?
Chen San said, “To be honest, I went to the station this afternoon. Li Yin and A-Qing weren't there, and I haven't been able to contact them. Have you seen them lately?”
After a moment's thought, Chen San added, “Or have you heard any news related to them?”
“Let me think.” The old man adopted a thoughtful expression. After a long silence, he shook his head. “There have been too many strange things lately. I really don't know much about what happens on the mountain.”
“But my little rascals said that two adults have been stealing the prey they caught lately, taking over their hunting grounds. I don't know if that has anything to do with the two you're talking about.”
“I see...” Chen San nodded.
In his mind, this fit his impression of those two. They were impatient and couldn't stand the loneliness; it was very possible they had violated agency regulations to go hunting together.
Just as he was about to stop thinking about it, a sentence caught his attention.
'Say, maybe those two guys have already been swallowed into some beast's belly?'
Chen San, whose senses were quite keen, looked up sharply. He found the old man eating with a normal expression, while the woman was further away, cleaning the two guest rooms and dusting the ceiling with a duster.
No one else at the table noticed anything unusual. Including Xu Xiaoyou, they were all lost in their own thoughts while eating the food in their bowls.
If there really were an anomaly, with the alertness of the blonde girl across from him, it would be impossible for her not to notice. Yet she remained indifferent.
After a brief moment, he was certain that the sentence had only echoed in his own ears. Was it an illusion?
Chen San shook his head. It seemed he had been keeping himself too tense lately. The official capture operation would begin tomorrow; he couldn't allow any mistakes because of his own state of mind.
Unbeknownst to him, Xu Xiaoyou was observing his expression, her brow furrowing slightly.
“I'm full,” Tang Xin said, putting down her chopsticks.
“The rooms are ready. If you need more blankets, just let me know,” the woman said, walking over with thick, heavily patched quilts.
Xu Xiaoyou responded softly and also put down her chopsticks, leading Tang Xin toward one of the guest rooms.
In the living room, the old man seemed to remember something and instructed the woman, “Go get a few bottles of wine from the well outside. It's not often we have guests, and I haven't had a drink in a long time.”
“Tsk, I didn't think a small place like this would have wine,” Lin Xing said with surprise.
“Home-brewed, not very strong,” the old man chuckled.
Later that evening, the men started drinking in the living room. They became more familiar with each other, and their voices grew louder. The topics ranged from the snowfields to the city, then to a collective critique of Belvedere's personal conduct and the orphanage system. Finally, they touched upon Universal Heavy Industries and the more distant hive cities.
Even Chen San, who usually maintained a poker face, was now flushed with drink. He no longer resisted Lin Xing, who was happily draping an arm around his shoulder. He sipped the grain wine from his bowl, his thoughts unknown.
Xu Xiaoyou sighed helplessly and closed the door.
Turning around, she found Tang Xin sitting cross-legged. The girl's eyes were curved into crescents as she looked at her with a beaming smile. She held the quilt draped over her open like a monster with a gaping maw, looking as if she were about to pounce and eat Xu Xiaoyou.
Xu Xiaoyou smiled. Since getting to know Tang Xin better, the girl was no longer as reserved when they were alone. She showed a lively side, which was perhaps her truest self.
“It feels so good to be wrapped in a blanket like this. So warm.”
She also sat cross-legged beside the girl. After undoing her hair tie, her long blonde hair cascaded down.
“What are you thinking about, Yuzu?” Tang Xin turned to ask.
Xu Xiaoyou shook her head. “Things related to the puppeteer.”
“Don't sleep too soundly tonight. I feel like something is going to happen.”
Tang Xin nodded thoughtfully. The other girl's senses were always sharp in this regard.
She stood up quietly and, still draped in the thick quilt, sat back down in front of Xu Xiaoyou. With a smile, she reached out and poked Xu Xiaoyou's face a few times.
Xu Xiaoyou was amused by the gesture. “What is it?”
“I just feel that after leaving the city, your whole aura has changed. Sometimes you even feel like a stranger.”
“As I thought, you look better when you smile.”
“Since we aren't in the city, it's better to be cautious,” Xu Xiaoyou said, lowering her gaze.
Later in the night, the faint clinking against the glass window caught the two girls' attention. They stood up and went to the bedside. They saw a young girl jumping in the overgrown grass at the bottom of the slope outside. She was throwing small stones at the window; the clinking was the sound of the stones hitting the glass.
The two looked at each other. It was the young girl they had seen in the afternoon.
Seeing that she had caught their attention, the girl's eyes lit up. She hopped and clapped her hands to keep their interest, looking once again as if she had something to say to them.
The two stood up decisively and straightened their clothes. Before leaving the room, Xu Xiaoyou left the door ajar, ensuring a sliver of light from the room spilled outside.
They reached the living room. The men were now fast asleep, slumped over the table in various positions. Bottles rolled across the floor, and no one noticed the girls.
After leaving the stilt house, they went down the slope to where the refugee girl was. Upon seeing Tang Xin, the little girl burst into tears, threw herself into Tang Xin's arms, and began to sob.
“Sister...”
“Huh?” Tang Xin was at a loss. She looked at Xu Xiaoyou for help, but the latter simply shrugged.
Xu Xiaoyou thought that perhaps it was Tang Xin's gentle and approachable aura that children found so appealing.
“Um, you... did you mistake me for someone else?” Tang Xin whispered.
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