Chapter 129: Waiting for the Rabbit

He Yuzhu looked at the dejected appearance of the group, wiped the rainwater from his face, and said, "I'll go into the village to find two oxen, pull the car to a farmer's house, and we'll rest for two days before moving on."

Zhao Ying smoothed her soaked hair and nodded in agreement, "Let Zhao Ming guard the car, and we'll go ahead to find a family to stay with. If we keep traveling in this overcast rain, we'll surely get sick from the cold."

The four of them trudged into the village with uneven steps; the small village was quite prosperous, and the streets were paved with bluestone slabs.

Damp moss crawled up the low walls on both sides, and occasionally the sound of chickens could be heard from the courtyards, which, mixed with the sound of the rain, seemed exceptionally desolate.

They hadn't walked far when they caught sight of a house with a spacious courtyard gate; through the low wall, they could see a large wooden cart covered with a rain tarp parked in the yard.

"Let's go with this one!" Zhao Meiting said.

Zhao Ying stepped forward and knocked on the wooden door. With a creak, a four or five-year-old boy opened it. He wore his hair in a topknot, his round eyes darting around as he stared at this group of soaked, unfamiliar people, "Who are you looking for?"

"Little friend, are the adults in your house home? We have something to ask them." Zhao Ying softened her voice, trying her best to look kind.

The boy turned and ran into the house. Before long, a young man of about thirty wearing a dark blue cotton robe walked out. His brows and eyes were as gentle as a teacher in an academy, and he asked, "Is there something you need, everyone?"

Zhao Ying hurriedly stepped forward to explain their purpose: "Hello, sir. We are passing through the village, but the rain is heavy and the road is slippery, and our car can't move. We would like to borrow a room for the night at your house, and we will pay for the accommodation."

The young man looked at the fine, silk-like rain outside the door and stepped aside to clear the entrance: "Come in."

Zhao Meiting said: "What is your surname, sir?"

"My name is Su Qing," the young man said.

He Yuzhu spoke up: "Mr. Su, do you have any oxen in the village? I would like to borrow one to pull my sedan out of the mud; the wheels are spinning and it won't move."

"I have one at home. Once you are settled, I will go with you," Su Qing said, then led the group toward the living room.

After settling the others, Su Qing led a water buffalo out from the Houyuan and followed He Yuzhu toward the village entrance.

Just as they reached the village entrance, they saw a group of half-grown children surrounding the sedan. Some were standing on tiptoe to look into the car windows, while others reached out to touch the raindrops on the car body, chattering away.

When the old ox was harnessed with a Rope and strained to pull the car forward, the children all laughed. The look of envy from before vanished, and they all ran along behind, laughing heartily.

A mischievous child shouted loudly: "The little sedan, stuck in the mud, the wheels are spinning, there's really no way..."

The other children joined in the teasing, their shouts drifting far away, mixed with the sound of the rain.

Amidst the laughter, the sedan was finally pulled into the courtyard, leaving two muddy tracks on the bluestone slabs.

He Yuzhu walked around the house and, seeing that the Su family's furnishings were simple and guessing there probably wasn't any good food, he wanted to go out to purchase some supplies.

Zhao Ying insisted on following, and the two had not gone far out of the village.

He Yuzhu discovered that several people were following them, looking somewhat out of place.

He lowered his voice and said, "Xiao Ying, we are being followed."

Zhao Ying instantly tensed up, her hand subconsciously reaching toward her waist: "How come I, who have received training, didn't notice, but you could?"

"You're used to following me and think I'm omnipotent, so you got careless," He Yuzhu teased.

"You're just bragging anytime, anywhere," Zhao Ying curled her lip.

The two walked behind a small dirt slope, and He Yuzhu said: "We need to hide in the water ditch."

"That's not necessary, is it? There are only six of them, we..."

He Yuzhu ignored her and jumped directly into the knee-deep water to hide.

Zhao Ying had no choice but to jump in as well.

He Yuzhu handed the Telescope to Zhao Ying and said: "Look, they are wearing uniforms underneath their ragged clothes."

Zhao Ying took the Telescope from He Yuzhu. She looked carefully for a while and also discovered the flaw: "These people are carrying guns."

"Also, look at the way they are leading the donkeys; staying that far apart is simply not normal."

"Do you think my parents might be in danger?"

"I can't be sure of that either, let's deal with these few people first!" As soon as He Yuzhu finished speaking, he pulled two Submachine Guns from his backpack and handed one to Zhao Ying.

"When they are 50 meters away, you open fire from this side, and I'll go to the water ditch on the other side," He Yuzhu said, then crouched down and quickly jumped into the water ditch on the other side.

The few people following in the distance discovered they had lost their target and were immediately thrown into a panic—they didn't even want the two donkeys they were leading anymore, and pulled out their guns to charge forward.

"Bang, bang, bang..." A burst of gunfire suddenly rang out.

Before long, the few enemies had all fallen into the mud, their fresh blood mixing with the rainwater and seeping into the soil.

He Yuzhu walked up and finished off those who weren't quite dead, his movements crisp and efficient.

"It seems your family has completely offended the Military Statistics Bureau this time. I suspect they have arranged people on the road from here to Hong Kong," He Yuzhu said to Zhao Ying, who was following behind him.

"At the time, we were only thinking about running and didn't expect them to predict our movements," Zhao Ying said with annoyance.

"They are 'Party-State Elite' after all. This time, even the Bureau Chief is dead; it would be strange if they didn't go for the kill," He Yuzhu said with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

Zhao Ying was anxious in her heart, constantly worried about her parents' safety, and urged: "Let's hurry back and discuss it with my father!"

"No need to discuss it; we only have one path to take, and that is to openly repair the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang."

"You mean we should suddenly kill our way back to Shanghai? And board the ship directly at Shiliupu Wharf using the original tickets?" Zhao Ying reacted immediately, her voice rising a notch.

"That's exactly what I mean. However, the time might be tight, but never mind that; let's get a good rest for a day and leave at night."

Zhao Ying tugged at his arm: "I think these people are the advance guard; there might be more people behind them."

"Then we'll just wipe them all out before we leave," He Yuzhu said.

"You go back first, I'll handle the scene!" He Yuzhu said.

Zhao Ying nodded and turned to run toward the village. In her panic, her foot slipped, and she fell into the mud, covering half her body in filth.

He Yuzhu quickly collected the corpses into his space and used tree branches to clean up the blood at the scene before quickly catching up to Zhao Ying.

Upon returning to their lodging, Zhao Meiting saw that the two looked strange and were soaked through, and asked: "Did something happen?"

Zhao Ying told him everything about being followed and He Yuzhu's plan to return to Shanghai.

Zhao Meiting sat on a chair and pondered for a moment, then slammed the table: "This method is good! The enemy thinks we are going to Hong Kong, but we will go back to Shanghai instead. Let's do it!"

"You all should eat and rest well; driving at night will depend on you. I'm going to the village entrance to keep watch," He Yuzhu stood up and started to walk out.

Zhao Ying wanted to take turns with him, but was stopped by He Yuzhu: "You rest well and save your energy for driving at night."

He Yuzhu took two sweet potatoes from the table and left.

He Yuzhu circled the small village and discovered there was only one road leading into it.

He set up a tent in the small grove at the village entrance, right against an old camphor tree, where he could see the stone slab bridge leading into the village.

The rain was still falling, and water droplets from the leaves dripped onto the tent, making a pattering sound.

Before long, a few children wearing patched clothes gathered around, holding several small fish skewered on a twig.

A bold boy poked his head in to look at the tent and asked, "Big Brother, where did you buy this thing? It looks like a little house; it's quite useful on a rainy day."

"I bought it in Shanghai. Do you know Shanghai?" He Yuzhu asked in return, pulling a few candies from his pocket and handing them to the boy.

The boy took the candies, quickly stuffed them into his mouth, and nodded, "I've heard my dad talk about it; it has many tall buildings and cars that run super fast."

"What are your names?" He Yuzhu asked.

A sturdy-looking boy chimed in eagerly, "My name is Erniu, the older one is my big brother Daniu, and that one is my cousin Erlyu!"

He Yuzhu suddenly had an idea and asked, "Erniu, do you three know everyone in the village?"

"We do! We know everyone in the village!" the three children answered in unison.

"How about you do me a favor?" He Yuzhu took out two jin of fruit candies and shook them in his hand. "You help me watch the road, and as long as it's someone not from the village, wake me up immediately. When it gets dark, the tent and the candies will all be yours."

The children's eyes lit up instantly, and Erniu leaned forward, "Are you telling the truth? No lying?"

"Of course I'm not lying." He Yuzhu extended his pinky finger, "Let's pinky swear: pinky swear, no backing down, it won't change for a hundred years."

He Yuzhu cautioned them, "If you see a stranger, you must call me; don't get distracted by play and forget."

The three children nodded vigorously, tucked the candies away, and ran off to the stone bridge in the distance, earnestly acting as "sentries."

Time passed minute by minute, the rain gradually eased, and He Yuzhu was fast asleep in the tent.

Around three in the afternoon, the three children ran back in a panic, their footsteps making a rustling sound on the muddy ground.

Erniu shook He Yuzhu's arm hard, though He Yuzhu had actually been woken up by their hurried footsteps long ago.

"Erniu, what's wrong? Why are you so panicked?"

"Big Brother, a very large vehicle is coming from the distance, heading this way!" Erniu gasped for air, pointing his finger toward the road outside the village.