Chapter 22

In the mountains, Xia Jinyuan commanded the soldiers to stop the search through the headset.

That lass, seriously… Letting her hide properly and there she went leaving by herself without even notifying them. Was it that difficult to say goodbye before leaving?

“Captain Xia, shall we send someone down to the village to take a look if she has returned home safely?” After receiving the order, Liu Bing felt a little concerned. There were wild boars in the mountains… Hopefully, she was not injured by one.

Xia Jinyuan heard the voice through his headset. Looking at the sky that had already darkened, the edge of his lips hooked a little upwards to reveal a grin and he laughed, “No need. A clever fox will survive regardless of any environment. Return at once!”

“Return, return! Recover, on the double!”

There was no way of reporting back from the mountains orderly like when they were in the field. After the squad strength was accounted for, Xia Jinyuan led them to the direction of the military base under the sky which was gradually becoming darker.

The sun had already set in the west when the last golden ray traveled through the forest, casting a shadow of the man leading in the front. His figure was exquisite, just like a deity who had descended from the heavens.

His pace was steady, and every step he took would bring chills down the spine of any creature in sight. That was the twenty-year-old Xia Jinyuan, and on this very day, he met the fourteen-year-old Ye Jian.

For those two people, the encounter was nothing but an accident.

The forest in the mountains finally turned dark, and the village lights were switched on dimly.

In the nineties, even though the village might have been poor and lacking in technology advancements, they were the first village to tap into electrical power because of the support from the military.

The nights during the spring were still a little cold, but that did not deter the villagers from heading to Auntie Qiu’s house to watch television after putting on a thick coat.

Being the only family in the village to have a black and white television, her house would become very lively the moment when evening came.

While the villagers watched television, they would chat with one another.

Sun Dongqing’s behavior became a topic of criticism that night after a whole day of baking. Fortunately, she was not around, otherwise, she would have jumped to create a ruckus by now.

The owner of the television, Auntie Qiu, spoke in annoyance in front of the villagers, “That Sun Dongqing truly is a bad egg! If not for me being around, that Jian lass won’t even have a uniform to wear to school on Monday. And her school books were all locked by that woman in a room.”

” You all might not have seen that Ying lass, but she jumped at me and softly called me a meddler. I’ve already seen it coming; that lass is too powerful. Wouldn’t you say that someone like Jian lass who’s passive and reserved is definitely not someone who can take on the mother and daughter on her own?”

While Ye Jian listened, she closed her eyes and revealed a slight grin on her face. In this life, everything will change from here on.

Although the sky was dark, the lights in Old Man Gen’s house were not switched on. And other than him in the house, there were visitors.

“It’s good that they were caught. I’ll keep an eye on the village so all your attention can be put on those of utmost importance.” Sitting comfortably on a chair in a dimly lit room, Old Man Gen’s eyes were like a torch as he spoke deeply and slowly, “I’m old now, and I wish to find a successor after me.”

“As for that, I’ve someone in mind, so there’s no need to trouble the team.”

Some audible breathing could be heard to have gone to a halt, and someone spoke respectfully, “It’s good then. If you need anything from the team, you’re free to contact us. It isn’t early anymore, so we won’t be staying any longer and disturb your rest. Goodbye.”

After the speaker stood up, a luster in the dark could be seen coming from something gold on his shoulder. “Tomorrow, the team shall await your guidance.”

“There are villagers trapping bamboo rats at the back of the mountains, so the lot of you should avoid heading anywhere near there.” Old Man Gen did not stand to send them off but gave them a quick reminder. Once there was no one else in the house, he then stood quietly.

Ye Zhifan’s house was becoming more and more inhospitable, as such, he had to head over to the village head’s house.