A piece of Japanese incense

Tingzhu keenly noticed that after he went out and came back, the atmosphere between Ah He and Yu Tuan had quietly changed.

Yu Tuan's words were trivial and deliberately flattering, while Ah He changed his usual behavior, avoiding her gaze and abruptly changing the subject. Something was wrong, very wrong.

Ting Zhu asked softly, "Ah He, are we heading back to Sanchuan tomorrow?"

Zhi Yihe said, "I'm not going back."

Ting Zhu asked, "Then where are we going? What about my brother?"

Zhi Yihe leaned against a coarse pillow stuffed with chaff behind him and said calmly, "We'll go southwest. Aban and Yuzhu...someone will come to pick them up."

Zhi Yihe heard faint sobs, and guilt welled up in his heart: "The road ahead will be very dangerous. You should not come with me. I will send someone to escort you..."

"No! I just want to follow you. I don't want to be alone in a strange place. Someone wants to harm you. I have to stay and protect you!"

"Yes! I also swear to follow you until death! And protect you!" Yu Tuan suddenly interrupted.

Zhi Yihe was almost amused by Yu Tuan's sudden confession of loyalty, but he still maintained his aloof demeanor and just responded with a faint "hmm".

In the darkness of the night, a noisy and chaotic sound of voices suddenly came from far away.

The noisy sound, mixed with the chattering, the sharp cries of children, and the rough and ambiguous local accent, approached the low earthen house with great momentum.

The old woman who had been busy in the kitchen suddenly changed her expression. She wiped her hands hastily and came in through the curtains. Her cloudy eyes were filled with panic: "Outside... there are a lot of people outside! I'm afraid most of the village is here!"

Before he could finish his words, the wooden door was slammed loudly. The thin door panel trembled under the impact, as if it would shatter at the next moment.

Begging, crying, urging, and even complaining with hidden dissatisfaction:

"Open the door! Is the noble man inside?"

"My dear lady! Please be kind!"

"My child is burning with fever, please help me!"

"My father's leg was hit by a rock, and he's been bedridden for three months!"

"Please be kind, my dear Lord, and give me some money to get by!"

……

Yutuan struggled to sit up from the straw mat in the corner. The remaining color on his face faded away completely. He looked at the crumbling door in horror.

Ting Zhu trembled violently and subconsciously grabbed Zhi Yihe's wrist.

Zhi Yihe looked at the wooden door that was banging against the wall, and the crack in the door was filled with crowded and swaying figures.

"Grandma," her voice was not loud, but strangely it overwhelmed the clamor outside the door, "Open the door."

The old woman looked at her in surprise and doubt, gritted her teeth, and pulled the bolt.

The moment the wooden door opened, a stagnant air, mingled with the scent of sweat, dirt, and some kind of livestock, rushed in. Outside, a dense crowd of people filled the room. Men and women, young and old, all staring anxiously and greedily at Zhi Yihe.

"My dear lady!" An old man with gray hair and a hunched back was pushed to the front, tears in his eyes. "Please be kind and give me some money to buy some medicine! My little grandson..."

"My dear! Look at my house first! My man is almost dying!"

"My family can't make ends meet!"

"And me! My family..."

Countless hands reached out, skinny, dirty, and with thick calluses from work, vying to reach out to Zhi Yihe. The threshold of the simple earthen house was stomped on with a thud, forcing the old woman to retreat again and again. Ting Zhu shrank into the corner in fear, and Yu Tuan was so anxious that his face turned pale. He wanted to get out of bed but tore his wound and almost fainted from the pain.

Zhi Yihe smelled the strong odor of cheap alcohol and the sour smell of long-standing lingering liquor on several of them. His stomach churned, and a feeling of nausea rose in his throat.

At this moment, a sharp cry rang out: "Don't touch me! What are you doing!" It was Tingzhu!

In the chaos, several hands stretched out from nowhere and grabbed her wrist tightly, snatching the jade bracelet from her wrist!

Tingzhu's tears welled up instantly, and she reached out in vain to grab the bracelet: "Give it back to me! My brother gave it to me!"

"Stop!" Someone's elbow slammed into Zhi Yihe, who was trying to protect Ting Zhu. The coarse cloth wrapped around his head instantly stained a glaring red!

Zhi Yihe groaned in pain, her body swayed, and the back of her head hit the hard edge of the earthen kang with a dull thud! Blood quickly dyed the coarse cloth red and flowed down her neck.

"Let's go see Mayday~ Wakaka! ~ Yahoho! ~"