Jiang Cheng’s stomach growled. It caused Chen Xiaomeng’s suppressed hunger to come back. Other than the porridge they had in the morning, they hadn’t eaten anything for the day. The village head appeared to have forgotten about them. After all, they were just bait. It was unreasonable to waste so much food on them.
As Chen Xiaomeng planned to rest, Jiang Cheng went to his sleeping spot, rummaged under the blanket and pulled out two sweet potatoes. Chen Xiaomeng’s eyes widened in shock.
“Thankfully, I hid two last time.” Jiang Cheng held a potato in each hand and said with satisfaction. He carefully placed the potatoes beside the stove. He tossed bits of charcoal into the oven. He lit up the fire, and it warmed his body. Chen Xiaomeng swallowed twice and moved to sit down beside him.
They were not afraid of being ambushed by the villagers. It was already nighttime. The villagers would be hiding. Plus, Chen Xiaomeng and Jiang Cheng were at the Qian Family Courtyard. No one from the village would go there.
The fire crackled. Soon, the outside of the potatoes was toasted. Chen Xiaomeng didn’t say anything and grabbed one of them with her cloth-wrapped hand. She picked the one that was larger. Jiang Cheng was slower. Clearly, they were hungry. Chen Xiaomeng at least peeled the skin before eating. Jiang Cheng ate it with the skin. After Jiang Cheng finished his potato, he stared at half of the potato Chen Xiaomeng held. The latter immediately shoved everything into her mouth. As she munched on it, she rewarded Jiang Cheng with a victorious smile.
Thankfully, the villagers left them with a vat of water, or else they’d need to find water.
“When will we make our move?”
Chen Xiaomeng, who was sated, suddenly felt Jiang Cheng’s face didn’t look that annoying anymore.
“A bit later. At least until most of the villagers are asleep first.” Jiang Cheng poked the flame with a wooden stick. That way, the fire would last longer. There was no internet or phone in that era. The poverty was something normal people couldn’t imagine. There was not much to do at night but to sleep. The blackness in the sky was like an iron lid. It felt oppressive. The village in the dark was as silent as the cemetery. They had stayed in the village for days but hadn’t heard the sound of countryside animals like chickens or dogs.
When it was almost time, Jiang Cheng woke Chen Xiaomeng, who maybe was pretending to be asleep. They prepared everything and opened the door.
They left the Qian Family Courtyard. They followed the trail and returned to Hong Hong’s place. They were very careful and didn’t alert anyone.
Chen Xiaomeng appeared to have experience in espionage. When they reached Hong Hong’s family yard, she nodded at Jiang Cheng and told him that they were not followed.
The yard door was wooden and looked rough. It would creak whenever it opened or closed. Therefore, they decided to leap over the fence. The fence was low anyway.
Chen Xiaomeng easily leapt over with a running start. She was agile and quick. She landed softly. When she turned back to check on Jiang Cheng, the latter found a hole in the fence and wiggled through like a caterpillar. However, when he realised Chen Xiaomeng was looking at him, he instantly straightened up and patted away the dust on his clothes, pretending to be cool.
They slunk over to the house. There was a wooden door with light seeping through. They moved to peek through the gap.
The house was not large. It was very simple. A low wooden table was placed near the stove. An oil lamp sat on the table. A woman about 30 sat cross-legged. With the weak light, she was patching some clothes. Above the stove hung a basket weaved from bamboo. The basket held a pair of black iron scissors, needles, threads and some other stuff.
Perhaps it was the chill. The woman had a blanket around her lower body.
The warming stove was placed in the middle of the house. The spot around it was clean. That was a sign that the stove hadn’t been used for a while already. The only source of light and warmth was the oil lamp. Everything showcased the poverty in this family.
The woman should be Hong Hong’s mother.
They hadn’t seen Hong Hong and her grandmother. They should be asleep, considering the time. The house had more than one room, so they might be next door. Chen Xiaomeng placed her hand on the door when she felt a poke on her side. She turned to Jiang Cheng’s salacious face.
He pointed at himself and whispered, “Let me go in first?”
“Why?” Chen Xiaomeng asked with her eyes.
Jiang Cheng licked his lips. His face was red. “It’s not often I get to visit a widow at night. It’s quite spicy.”
Even through the night, Chen Xiaomeng could see the excitement on the man’s face.
The next second, Jiang Cheng shoved the door open. Before the woman could react, he rushed forward to grab the woman by her throat. The inertia knocked the woman back, crashing her body into the cupboard behind her. Thanks to the blanket, the collision sounded like a heavy book falling to the ground.
Chen Xiaomeng slithered in and closed the door.
Jiang Cheng didn’t let go. He watched the woman’s face turn pale from asphyxiation. His emotions didn’t waver.
The woman was so scared that her body kept shaking. She didn’t even think about resisting. All she could do was widen her fearful eyes.
“I’m going to ask you a few questions.” Jiang Cheng’s voice was cold and even. “You can either nod or shake your head. If you do anything else or call for help, I’ll kill you immediately, and then I’ll deal with your daughter, Hong Hong.” His face flickered in the light. “Do you understand?”
The woman was startled for a moment. Then, she nodded crazily.