Seeing the village head Liu Daniu and the sharp-tongued Aunt Cuihua standing at the courtyard gate, Lín Xiāoxiāo's heart instantly leaped into her throat.
Why were they here? Had they discovered Xuán Mò?
She subconsciously tightened her grip on the wild yam and chestnuts she was carrying in her clothes. Her fingernails nearly dug into the yam's skin. It was too late to turn and run; the two were clearly heading for her dilapidated hut.
Taking a deep breath, Lín Xiāoxiāo forced herself to calm down. She conjured a timid, slightly confused expression and walked out from behind the tree, slowly shuffling towards the courtyard gate.
"Grandpa Village Head, Aunt Cuihua, you... were you looking for me?" Her voice was faint, carrying the usual hint of timidity of the original owner.
Aunt Cuihua's eyes, like searchlights, swept over her in an instant, finally landing on the meager food she held. She pursed her lips. "Oh, Xiao girl, where did you get these? You've got pretty good luck."
Liu Daniu, his face stern, looked past her directly at the half-closed wooden door and said in a deep voice, "Xiao girl, we heard you've been... harboring a stranger?"
Just as she feared! Lín Xiāoxiāo's heart sank. It must have been reported by the owner of the footprints from last night!
What to do? Deny it outright? Judging by the village head's demeanor, she probably couldn't fool him. Confess? A severely injured man of unknown origin – she couldn't explain him at all.
In a flash, a thought crossed Lín Xiāoxiāo's mind. She looked up, her eyes slightly red, her voice trembling with tears as her acting skills took center stage. "Grandpa Village Head... I, I didn't mean to hide it... It's, it's my distant cousin who came to find me!"
"Cousin?" Both Liu Daniu and Aunt Cuihua were taken aback, clearly not expecting this answer.
"Yes," Lín Xiāoxiāo said, wiping away tears that weren't there as she quickly concocted a story. "A distant relative on my mother's side, named Lin Mo. His home was ravaged by disaster, and he's the only one who escaped. He begged his way here to find me... Unexpectedly, he ran into bandits on the road, was severely injured, and only managed to crawl here yesterday evening. He was almost, almost as good as dead outside..."
She cried with such heartfelt sincerity, portraying the image of a lonely, helpless young girl who had just found a relative only to face misfortune.
Aunt Cuihua's gossipy spirit ignited. She leaned closer to Liu Daniu and whispered, "Her mother seemed to have married in from out of town. It's possible she has distant relatives..."
Liu Daniu frowned, clearly not so easily fooled. He stared at Lín Xiāoxiāo. "Severely injured? What injury? How? Let him come out, I want to see."
Lín Xiāoxiāo felt immense distress. Xuán Mò's presence and his wounds certainly didn't look like those of an ordinary disaster victim!
"Grandpa Village Head, he... he's very badly injured, he can't get up. His wounds are frightening; I'm afraid it might upset you..." She tried to stop him.
"Can't get up?" Liu Daniu's eyes sharpened. "Then I must go in and see! If he dies in your house, it's not just bad luck, the village won't be able to explain it!" With that, he reached out and pushed open the broken wooden door!
The room was dimly lit, and the air still carried a faint scent of medicinal herbs and a subtle hint of blood.
On the adobe bed, Xuán Mò still lay with his eyes closed, his face pale as paper, his lips dry and cracked. The tattered outer robe Lín Xiāoxiāo had covered him with made him appear even more destitute and pitiful. He seemed disturbed by the commotion at the door, his eyelashes fluttering as he slowly opened his eyes.
At that moment, Lín Xiāoxiāo's heart nearly stopped. She was terrified that Xuán Mò would reveal his imposing gaze or say something inappropriate.
However, Xuán Mò's gaze first swept blankly over the strangers at the door, then landed on the pale-faced Lín Xiāoxiāo. He weakly, with a hint of dependence, called out, his voice hoarse and indistinct: "...Cousin?"
Lín Xiāoxiāo instantly breathed a sigh of relief, nearly buckling at the knees. This guy, so cooperative at a crucial moment!
Liu Daniu strode to the bedside and examined Xuán Mò carefully. Xuán Mò coughed weakly a few times, his breathing shallow, looking as if he might die at any moment. The bandages on his shoulder blade were soaked with dark red, further solidifying the claim of "severe injury."
Liu Daniu's gaze lingered on Xuán Mò's face and wounds for a long time. Although the young man was disheveled and injured, the contours of his features and the aura that, even intentionally suppressed, could not be hidden... a temperament unlike that of an ordinary farmer, made him suspicious. But the injury was clearly real, and it did look like a knife wound.
"Are you really Xiao girl's cousin?" Liu Daniu asked sternly.
Xuán Mò nodded with difficulty, his voice weak. "...Yes. My home... was flooded, and I am alone... I have come to seek refuge with my cousin... Thank you... for taking me in." He spoke intermittently, gasping for breath with each sentence, perfectly embodying what it meant to be "breathing like a thread."
Aunt Cuihua on the side clicked her tongue. "Oh, what a sin... injured like this..."
Liu Daniu was silent for a moment, seemingly weighing the situation. Finally, he looked at Lín Xiāoxiāo and said sternly, "Since he's here to visit relatives, the village doesn't forbid it. But his status requires a guarantor. Also, according to regulations, all adult males in the village must perform labor service."
"Labor service?" Lín Xiāoxiāo was surprised.
"Yes," Liu Daniu nodded. "In a few days, the authorities will conscript laborers to clear the river channel. Since your family has an additional man, he must go."
Clearing the river channel? That was strenuous work! In Xuán Mò's current condition, sending him to do labor service was no different from sending him to his death!
Lín Xiāoxiāo became anxious. "Grandpa Village Head, look at him, he can't even walk. How can he perform labor service?"
"That's your problem!" Liu Daniu's tone was irrefutable. "Either he performs labor service, or we'll treat him as an undocumented person and report him to the authorities!"
Report him to the authorities! These words struck Lín Xiāoxiāo's heart like a heavy hammer. With Xuán Mò's identity, if it were reported to the authorities, the consequences would be unimaginable!
"No! Grandpa Village Head, we'll do it! We'll perform labor service!" Lín Xiāoxiāo quickly agreed, but her heart turned to ice.
Only then did Liu Daniu's expression soften. He glanced again at the "dying" Xuán Mò on the bed and said to Lín Xiāoxiāo, "Take good care of him and help him recover as soon as possible. I'll try to delay the labor service for a few days, but he must start working within ten days at the latest!" After saying this, he left, carrying the hand.
Aunt Cuihua cast two more curious glances before following him out.
The dilapidated hut returned to silence.
Lín Xiāoxiāo's legs went weak, and she leaned against the mud wall, her back drenched in cold sweat.
Just as she caught her breath, she heard Xuán Mò's low, calm voice from the bed, with none of his previous weakness:
"Clearing the river channel... too many eyes and ears."
Lín Xiāoxiāo suddenly looked at him. She saw that Xuán Mò had opened his eyes, his gaze clear and sharp. He frowned slightly and continued:
"My enemies will not miss such an opportunity... for a search."
Lín Xiāoxiāo's heart sank again.
So, the danger was not only the arduous labor service itself.
**Chapter Five (End)**