However, in the next instant, the two of them fell right back onto the ground, and the little boy they were supposed to be restraining was nowhere to be seen.
At this point, they felt inexplicably chills and tremors all over and realized with hindsight that the boy wasn't an ordinary person – not someone they could subdue with brute force.
Realizing this, they tried to flee. They exhausted all the strength they had in their lives and they desperately ran outside the cave entrance.
After exiting the cave, without even looking at the road, they rampaged, with sole aim to quickly escape far away – away from that person – away from that devil!
So whenever they saw flames, they immediately ran in the opposite direction.
Yet the shadow-like firelight teased them, appearing on the right and on the left, sometimes in front, sometimes behind.
Laizi and Ande were like two beasts trapped in an iron cage, struggling to fight.
When they were exhausted and could no longer run, they clearly saw where they were by the flickering yellow light of that slowly approaching fire in the distance.
The deepest woods of Luofu Mountain.
A place where even the most experienced hunters wouldn't dare to enter.
"Time for the game to end." The young voice rang out softly, sounding hair-raising and chilly in the empty moonlit deep forest.
The moment his voice trailed off, wolves howled.
The beasts' howls seemed to reverberate in all directions, blowing up the fear in their hearts infinitely.
The fear of extinction made them lose even the courage to flee.
"What are you doing? What the hell do you think you're doing? You devil!" Laizi pounded the ground and hissed at the boy ferociously, his eyes red.
Ande, who was paralyzed next to him, was completely speechless, shivering and discharging fetid water stains underneath him.
"You brought people up here during the day and deliberately misled them, just for now, right? Hahaha! You want us dead!" The beast was closing in, and at this moment, Laizi finally understood why they had gotten away during the day.
Axiu curled his lips, smiled, and with a flick of his wrist, the fire went out.
The surroundings plunged into darkness.
And within the darkness, pairs of lights glowed once more – countless glowing pairs, flickering brightly.
Pairs of glowing green – wolves' eyes.
Awoooooo —-
A long wolf howl.
What followed were bloody pounces, bites, and miserable screams.
These lasted for a long time.
The strong bloody scent filled the air, which slowly thinned and faded as time passed, until it finally disappeared without a trace.
When the first rays of morning light fell on that spot through the gaps between the ancient trees, there was no longer a wolf pack there.
All that remained were bloodstains all over the ground, and two eerie white bones.
From that day on, Axiu never waited for Shengsheng by the big boulder. Instead, he went directly to the ancient acacia tree at the entrance of the village. He picked her up there every day and sent her on the same spot every day.
The aftermath of Liu Yusheng's kidnapping didn't end there.
As the village chief of Xinghua Village, Liu Jinfu took this matter seriously.
A baby in his village was kidnapped by Xiapo villagers. Things definitely couldn't just end there, or else their Xinghua villagers would be treated as cowards.
Wouldn't anyone bully them as they pleased in the future by then?
However, in this matter, the Xiapo villagers played the rascal, claiming that the matter has nothing to do with them. It was a villager's individual act.
If Xinghua Village wanted to settle a score with someone, they should look for the head. They wouldn't meddle and shield anyone, and even less take responsibility for those two people.
Because the matter already involved murder and ransom, kidnapping and killing the hostage, it was impossible for them to get a lighter sentence if this matter reached the court.
Therefore, it was equivalent to saying that Xinghua Village had abandoned Ande and Laizi.
After some deliberation, the Liu family filed a lawsuit in court, demanding that they catch the suspects and punish them severely.
After receiving the lawsuit, the magistrate sent officers to Xinghua Village and Xiapo Village to investigate and collect evidence, and a warrant was issued for their arrest.
However, the two wanted men never appeared again.
Many people said that they were on the run and became bandits, while others said that they had become beggars.
With the passage of time, these two people gradually disappeared into the long river of people's memories, and very few people even think of them anymore.
Liu Yusheng resumed her usual routine. It was just that her family watched her more closely.
After nightfall, she was no longer allowed to go out with the group of young children if she wasn't accompanied by an adult.
The construction of the winery continued, and Qian Wanjin still hasn't appeared.
In the blink of an eye, it was the Mid-Autumn Festival, a day of celebration and reunion.
The Mid-Autumn Festival was also a big festival in the countryside. Just like the New Year, every family would prepare some sweets and handmade rice cakes on this day so that the little children at home could have some snacks.
This day was arguably one of the most popular holidays for kids, besides New Year's Eve – because of the little snacks and the hearty meal.
Farmers were poor, and if they wanted to eat something tasty, they had to wait until the New Year's Eve.
So early in the morning, peals of children's laughter could be heard everywhere in the village, cheerful and lively.
Liu Zhixia and Liu Zhiqiu didn't need to go to school this day. The two boys got up early and washed up, ready for a day out of crazy fun with their buddies.
"Grandma, are we still making black sesame rice cakes this year?" Liu Yusheng also got up and followed behind Grandma Liu like a little tail, twittering and asking.
"Of course, does Nannan like to eat rice cakes?" Grandma Liu asked with a smile.
"I like it! Grandma's glutinous rice cakes are the best!"
"Do you like it? Then I'll just make more and wrap it in the sweet fillings. Once you take a bite, it will fill your mouth with sweetness."
"Okay!" Liu Yusheng answered crisply, her eyes swirling. She hugged Grandma Liu's calf and said, "Grandma, can we make rice cakes this afternoon?"
"Why?" Grandma Liu was puzzled.
In the afternoon, she had to prepare tableful of food for the family. If she had to make rice cakes, time might not be enough.
But she didn't flatly refuse. Nannan was a child. She couldn't imagine what ideas were popping out of that little head of hers again.
Sure enough, the little baby smiled and said, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. The town must be very lively. I want to go to town with you, my parents, second uncle and second aunt, and my brothers, to go shopping.
Grandma usually takes care of the family, cooking, and housework. You've been tired and working hard, and have never had a good rest. I hardly saw you go shopping. Grandma, I want to take you to the streets and buy you a lot of good things, food and clothes. As long as you like something, I'll buy it for you!"
Grandma Liu looked down and couldn't control the heat in her eyes as she looked at the little girl, who was less than the height of her leg, hugging her calf.
Having worked for this family all her life, she has never felt tired or complained.
Because this was a woman's duty. Which woman in every household wasn't like her?
But just because she wasn't tired didn't mean she really wasn't.