Chapter 121: Small Hut

The squirrel's nervous chatter made Yu Sheng instinctively lean in to listen for sounds outside the small hut, but he only heard some distant, faint wind.

The flames in the fireplace crackled, and the wind outside the door and window was so faint it was hard to hear; these faint sounds instead made everything seem exceptionally quiet, a peaceful and serene atmosphere filling the small hut's candlelight.

The layout of the room was clear at a glance: upon entering, one could see a simple square table covered with a blue checkered tablecloth, and two chairs placed beside the table; opposite, against the wall, stood a wooden shelf holding many miscellaneous items, and a one-person-high wooden wardrobe; in the corner was a single bed with thick quilts, looking as if it would be very comfortable.

And on the wall to the left of the entrance was a window, reflecting the firelight from the fireplace and candlesticks, as well as the figure of that squirrel jumping back and forth.

Yu Sheng walked toward that window and cautiously looked outside; the old wooden floorboards creaked under his feet. He saw only the dense, boundless night scenery of the forest outside the window. The time must be that brief moment just after dusk and into night; the sky still retained a tiny bit of daylight, but the dense tree canopy blocked that limited light, and beneath the canopy lay shadows like a night curtain.

Whether it was a psychological effect or not, Yu Sheng always felt that countless cold, creepy eyes were hidden within those shadows; countless predators seemed to be hiding in the night, surrounding this small hut, waiting for some opportunity.

"Don't look, don't look; the more you look, the more afraid you'll get. Things you imagine will always crawl out of the darkness, and the only thing you can think of here is wolves," the squirrel said, clasping its paws behind its back and walking back and forth on the wooden table. "Oh, nuts!"

It suddenly spotted a plate of acorns on the table, immediately jumped over happily, picked one up with its paws, and looked back at Yu Sheng: "Want one? Good stuff!"

"No, thanks." Yu Sheng waved his hand; his attention was now more focused on observing this small hut—he noticed there were also those red rags and strings inside the hut, like some kind of protective decoration; red strings and cloth strips were tied to the doors and windows, hung under the roof, and some broken, torn cloth pieces and loose threads were messily piled in the corner.

The squirrel suddenly jumped down from the table, ran to the corner to rummage around, found a long red cloth strip, and then haphazardly wrapped it around itself.

"Good omen, good omen!" it let out a shrill cry.

Yu Sheng was somewhat curious: "What are you doing?"

"Doing some lucky things," the squirrel, wrapped in red cloth strips, looked ridiculous yet self-important. "Red is a lucky color; a squirrel needs its own lucky color—especially a squirrel as cute as me that's bubbling over with cuteness. Damn, why is there not even a drop of wine in this hut... I'm a bit thirsty."

It ran back to the table, picked up an acorn, knocked it hard on the tabletop, and began gnawing on it while looking down.

Yu Sheng thought for a moment, stepped over to the table, sat down on a chair, and looked at the squirrel gnawing the acorn: "Can you tell me about Little Red Riding Hood?"

"Which one? Which one are you talking about?" the squirrel lifted its head, candlelight reflected in its eyes. "Oh, I guess you mean the recent one, the one still alive... But why should I tell you? You, my lord, who barged in so inexplicably."

"... I am her friend; I want to know about her," Yu Sheng knew this squirrel was a bit neurotic and difficult, but he was also quite patient. "You just helped me; I think you must be a good squirrel. You might be willing to continue helping me and my friend."

"A good squirrel—you hit the nail on the head; I am a good squirrel," the squirrel looked very satisfied and paced twice on the table. "But I don't know where to start telling you... What's there to say? I don't know how she lived outside, nor do I quite understand what she was thinking. Anyway, I just remember when she first arrived, she was probably only about..."

As the squirrel spoke, it quickly glanced around the room, then lifted its paw and pointed to the nearby chair: "About this tall, just a bit higher than the chair back. Crying in the pitch-black forest, not knowing how to find the way, not knowing how to hide. I came out to talk to her, and she just kept saying she would never run around recklessly again. And then? Then she was quickly eaten by a wolf. In the blink of an eye; wolves are fast, and the more afraid you are, the bigger they get."

The squirrel waved its paw, seeming quite displeased about what had happened back then, but soon changed its tone.

"Her behavior at first was terrible, but later it gradually improved. She was caught by wolves many times, cried even more often, but soon she could run toward the light while crying alongside me. Later, she learned not to make a sound while crying. After that, she learned not to cry at all. And then, she said she had found the 'Organization.' I didn't remember exactly what she said, but anyway... she seemed to have learned many things."

The squirrel slowly stopped, as if lost in thought.

Yu Sheng waited patiently for a while; several seconds passed before he gently urged, "And then what?"

"Don't rush, don't rush; I'm just a squirrel; I have to think carefully... The Little Red Riding Hoods of the past seemed much the same, all much the same. Ah, yes, she learned many things, such as making traps while evading, how to quickly regain her humanity after being eaten by a wolf, how to lie in ambush and observe the patterns of wolf pack activities. Later, one day, she successfully caught a wolf, then a second one, a third one..."

"Wolves caught her; she caught wolves. Sometimes she succeeded, sometimes she was eaten. She gradually became part of this forest. Later, she could safely spend most nights here, but she also became more and more bound to this place. Sometimes, she would even become a bit like a wolf, growing claws and a tail, running in the darkness outside. Now, hunters occasionally appear by the paths outside, waking her with gunshots. And as hunters appear more often, sometimes she even feels like she is a hunter too..."

The squirrel spoke more and more slowly; a low atmosphere enveloped this small creature. Then it suddenly tugged at the haphazardly wrapped red cloth strips on its body, lifted its head, and stared straight into Yu Sheng's eyes.

Those eyes, reflecting the candlelight, actually shimmered with a light akin to humanity.

"You must help her. She... her condition has actually started to worsen. Other Little Red Riding Hoods are like this too; they gradually get used to this forest, gradually become them. The more times she turns into a wolf, the harder it is to return. That fiercest, most evil Big Bad Wolf is getting closer and closer to her. But for her, the most dangerous moment is never when the Big Bad Wolf opens its mouth, but when she herself grows fangs... You are her friend, right? You are her friend—you must help her!"

Yu Sheng quickly understood every word this squirrel said to him. He vaguely guessed many things, and suddenly asked, "Exactly what should I do? How do I help her?"

However, the squirrel suddenly became dejected. It stepped back two paces, its two paws struggling to twist together: "I don't know. I... I'm just a damn squirrel..."

Yu Sheng did not give up: "Would killing that 'evil wolf' work?"

"It's no use, no use; it will always come back," the squirrel shook its head sadly. "When Little Red Riding Hood came, the evil wolf came too. Everything in this forest is like this: as long as there is a Little Red Riding Hood, there will be wolves, there will be a grandmother, there will be hunters, there will be a long path. At the end of the path is a small hut that might be safe or might not be safe. Everything is set this way; killing them however many times is useless... Only when Little Red Riding Hood disappears will the forest be quiet for a short while..."

"Quiet for a while, until... a new Little Red Riding Hood appears."

"There have been many Little Red Riding Hoods before, right?" Yu Sheng finally asked the question he had wanted to ask just now. "When one Little Red Riding Hood dies, a new 'victim' comes in, correct? Which number is this one now? When was the very first one?"

"There are always new ones, always new ones, because the forest needs Little Red Riding Hoods," the squirrel said, suddenly shivering. "I, I can't remember the exact number. Don't ask me, don't ask. I'm just a squirrel... Talking too much will attract the wolves."

Yu Sheng felt the squirrel's reaction was a bit strange; it seemed not only to fear "wolves" but also to fear something else. But this neurotic little creature had already begun refusing to answer his other questions—it just kept spinning around on the table, as if trapped in some kind of stress response.

And just at that moment, Yu Sheng suddenly felt a movement in his heart.

Immediately after, he heard a faint calling sound.

The voice was very blurry, very far away, but when he concentrated his attention, the sound suddenly became clear—Irene was calling out from within his heart.

"Yu Sheng! Yu Sheng, where have you gone to sleep! Answer if you hear me!"

"Irene?" Yu Sheng was startled and immediately responded in his heart. "Wow, finally heard your voice... I was calling you just now, but you didn't respond either."

"Hey, hey, heard it, heard it! Finally found you!" The little doll's voice instantly carried excitement, rattling off a string of words. "I heard you just now, then immediately looked for you but couldn't find you. I couldn't find you in your dreams either. I clearly felt you were dreaming, but somehow couldn't contact your consciousness, like getting lost in a dream... Hey, Hu Li, stop shaking! Found your 'benefactor'—Hu Li is right here, been fluffed up for ages, shaking until I'm dizzy. She even wants to perform some soul-summoning ritual for you... We two are right beside your bed. Hey, don't say it doesn't look like we're paying respects to a corpse; you really do look peaceful lying there... Awooo, stupid fox bit me!"

The corners of Yu Sheng's mouth twitched twice; listening to the little doll's chatter, he felt a mix of emotions.

That annoying tone was truly as familiar as being struck by thunder and lightning.

(End of Chapter)