On the mountain, Xia Jinyuan was talking through his earpiece to instruct his soldiers to stop searching for the girl.
I told this girl to hide. I can't believe she left without telling me. Is it so hard to say farewell?
"Captain Xia, should we send someone to inquire about her in the village, to see if she's back home safe?" Returning from the search mission, Liu Bing was a bit concerned about her safety. There were boars in the mountain.
An order had come from the headset. It's time for them to return to the military camp. Looking at the dimming sky, Xia Jinyuan gave a subtle smile and said, "No need. An astute fox can survive anywhere. Assemble the team!"
"Assemble! Assemble! Stand at attention! At ease!"
When in a mountain, it was impossible to make the team standing as neatly as on the training field. After confirming everyone was back, Xia Jinyuan led the patrolling team back to the military camp.
As if gilded with a pale layer of gold, the rays of the setting sun crossed through the forest and sprayed on the handsome guy in the front of the team, making his physique look increasingly taller and stronger, like a deity from another world.
His steps were very steady. Every step he took, he gave out a formidable vibe that would make every creature subject to him. Today, the 20-year-old Xia Jinyuan encountered the 14-year-old Ye Jian.
And it was an accident that brought them together.
As the mountain finally darkened, dim electric lamps were lit up in the village.
In the 1990s, though this village in the mountain was poor and remote, thanks to the army, it was one of the earliest villages to establish an electric power grid.
It was a bit chilly in the evening of the warm spring. The villagers put on overcoats and headed to Aunt Qiu's house to watch television.
Because her family was the only household in the village equipped with a black and white television, it was always crowded and noisy at her home at night.
The villagers talked to each other while watching TV.
What Sun Dongqing did during the day had culminated in a criticism session against her. Lucky for the villagers, she was not there. If she were, she would have made a scene.
Aunt Qiu, the proprietor of the television set, said to the villagers with indignation, "That Sun Dongqing is a real bastard! If I had not bumped into her, Ye Jian would not even have clothes to wear for school on Monday. Her clothes, as well as her textbooks, would be locked in her room."
"And her daughter Yingying. You didn't see her, but she jumped out and whispered to me, telling me to mind my own business. And that's when I realized she is actually a bully. Ye Jian is silent and introverted. How can she fight against them?"
While listening to these conversations, Ye Jian closed her eyes and smiled gently. Her current life would start to change from here.
Although it was dark outside, Grandpa Gen didn't light up his house. Someone was with him inside the house.
"Good to hear that you have caught the criminals. You should transfer the information soon, and I will keep an eye out for suspects in the village." Grandpa Gen's eyes were glowing. Sitting in his chair in the dark room, he said slowly in a deep voice, "Now that I am aged, I want to find a successor who can assume my role from time to time."
"I already have someone in mind. No need to bother the army."
A few people cleared their throats very gently. Their breaths were almost imperceptible. Someone talked to Grandpa Gen with respect, "We will leave that up to you. Contact us at any time if you need help from the army. It's getting late, we should not disturb you from your rest. See you."
"We will be in the camp tomorrow, waiting for your instructions." the man who was speaking stood up. In the darkness, there were metallic sheens flickering on his shoulders.
"Some villagers are trapping bamboo rats in the mountain. Don't let them see you." Grandpa Gen reminded them to be careful without getting up to send them off. He didn't get up in silence until the several people in his house were gone.
Ye Zhifan's family was getting outrageous. He needed to visit the village leader.
The village leader Zhang Defu was in the middle of his dinner when he saw Grandpa Gen arrive. A bit nervous, he ran outside his house and greeted him. "Grandpa, you can send me a letter if you want to tell me something. You don't have to walk all the way here."
"I want to talk to you about Jian." Hands behind his back, the 70-year-old Grandpa Gen walked into the yard. He had carried cannons and survived fatal battlefields. The authority he acquired from being a soldier had been entrenched into his blood. Even when he had turned old, he was still intimidating.
The villagers didn't know how, but they felt that Grandpa Gen was awe-inspiring, and they respected him.
Zhang Defu invited Grandpa Gen into his house and asked his wife to leave. He sighed, "I'm afraid that Ye Jian has been suffering numerous grievances about which we don't know for all these years."
"Grandpa, it's my fault. I thought it was inconvenient for you to take care of a baby girl. It would be better if her aunt could take care of her. Sun Dongqing is her mother's biological sister, as well as her mom's sister-in-law. Who would have thought that Sun Dongqing…"
Grandpa Gen slowly raised his hands and said in a deep voice, "It's not your fault. We just couldn't see Sun Dongqing's true personality. This morning, Ye Jian decided to come back and stay in her own house."
"As I said, I was not in the position to make decisions for her when she was little. Now that she has made up her mind, we have to get this thing done."
"That child is as intelligent as her parents, and she will be a talent if she receives a decent education. I won't visit Ye Zhifan myself. On Monday, after you drop Ye Jian off to school, go to see Ye Zhifan and tell him everything his wife has done!"
When he said the last sentence, Grandpa Gen's deep voice was as cold as ice, making Zhang Defu's heart race out of fear.
He promised Grandpa Gen quickly. "All right, all right. If Ye Jian wants to come back, there is no reason to stop her. Grandpa, it's just that, all these years…" It seemed like something was preventing him from finishing his words.
"I have not retired. I venture inside the mountain from time to time." Without taking a sip of tea, Grandpa Gen stood up and adjusted his clothes habitually. Eyes glowing, he looked at Zhang Defu and said in a deep voice, "If Ye Zhifan disagrees, tell him to come back and see me. He will send Ye Jian back to me, safe and sound, just as I sent her to his family years ago."
Zhang Defu felt his forehead dripping with sweat. The anxiety was killing him. He stood up, bowed, and said in a panic, "Grandpa, rest assured, I will take care of it." Oh my God! It was the second time that he had seen Grandpa Gen lose his temper over the years.
The first time was when Grandpa Gen saw Ye Jian's mother returning home pregnant. And the second time was today, as Sun Dongqing threw Ye Jian out of her house.
Zhang Defu saw Grandpa Gen off. Without finishing his supper, he swept the cold sweat from his head and dialed the phone number of Ye Zhifan, who was still in town. He could not afford to face the consequences if Grandpa Gen became angry.
Before he answered the call, Ye Zhifan had no idea that his wife and daughter were on their way to see him. After learning what had happened, he was infuriated. "Brother Defu, I will apologize to Grandpa Gen in person when I come back tomorrow. But the thing about Ye Jian, I hope you can be a peacemaker and help me deal with it."
"My dear deputy town mayor, please don't give me a hard time. It is not up to me. As Grandpa Gen said, you should send Ye Jian back to her house, just like the way he sent her to your home in the old days."
Zhang Defu had decided not to meddle with this stuff. How dare he? It was Grandpa Gen that he was talking about!
Since Zhang Defu was the village leader, he was aware of what happened in the old days. The army came to the village quietly and presented a banner to Grandpa Gen.
It was Sun Dongqing who had caused this trouble. Zhang Defu would stay out of it.
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