“What’s wrong? Are you unwilling?” Jin Ze asked, feeling somewhat disappointed.
“No, no, that’s not it. It’s just that, Big Brother Jin, I’ve been used to wandering around alone since I was little. I’m afraid… I’ll cause you trouble.”
Meng Ping’an was also a little conflicted about whether she should escape with him.
Qingcheng had already fallen, and the abandoned temple might no longer be safe. If the enemy soldiers discovered it, where would she go if she were alone?
“I have two younger brothers at home. My eldest younger brother is fourteen, two or three years older than you. My second younger brother is eight, so he’s probably younger than you. How about you come live with us?”
Afraid that she might refuse, Jin Ze continued, “Don’t worry. They’re both good boys and won’t bully you. We may not be able to give you a wealthy life, but our family has a few rooms and two mu of land. You won’t have to worry about food or shelter.”
“Then… if you don’t mind me being a burden, Big Brother Jin, I’ll go home with you.”
Meng Ping’an felt that, given the current situation, it was safer to find someone reliable to depend on.
And Big Brother Jin seemed like a pretty good choice.
From the way he looked, he knew martial arts and had real abilities. Following him was definitely better than hiding alone in the abandoned temple.
If someone discovered this place, constantly hiding and running around wouldn’t be a long-term solution.
“Then it’s settled. Once I’ve rested for another two days and recovered a little more, I’ll take you out of the city and back home.”
“Big Brother Jin, the city gates are guarded by enemy soldiers, so we can’t leave through there. I know a small path that can take us around the mountain behind here and directly outside the city to Shijun Mountain, about twenty li away.”
Meng Ping’an remembered the small path she had accidentally discovered.
The last time she followed it, she had eventually reached Shijun Mountain outside the city.
Later, she had secretly returned along the same route.
The journey was less than half the distance of the route from the city gate to Shijun Mountain.
“Really? That’s great! My home happens to be right next to Shijun Mountain. If we can’t stay in the village anymore, we’ll have to flee into Shijun Mountain with the other villagers.”
After saying that, Jin Ze glanced at Meng Ping’an with some concern, unsure whether she would be willing to enter the mountains with them when the time came.
“Okay. Wherever you go, I’ll go too. From now on, you’re my big brother.”
Meng Ping’an knew that nowhere was safe during wartime.
For a child of around ten years old like her, surviving alone would be even more difficult.
Although she had a space, she couldn’t guarantee that she would always be safe.
It was better to have someone to look after each other.
Although she hadn’t met Big Brother Jin’s two younger brothers yet, judging from his character, they should probably be easy to get along with as well.
And so, the two of them stayed in the abandoned temple for another two days.
Jin Ze’s injuries had recovered by seventy to eighty percent, and he could now walk without any problems.
“Big Brother Jin, should we rest for another day? We’ll have to climb the mountain and walk for more than an hour. Are you sure you can handle it?” Meng Ping’an asked worriedly.
“It’s fine. I’ve almost completely recovered. I feel full of energy. I have to say, Ping’an, the medicine you bought is incredible. If I had suffered an injury like this before, I wouldn’t have been able to move for at least a month.”
“Ah, really? Haha, maybe that old miracle doctor was just exceptionally skilled!”
Meng Ping’an quickly brushed it off.
“Let’s go! Do you have anything else to take?”
Jin Ze looked at the bamboo basket beside Meng Ping’an’s leg.
Inside were only a clay pot, a medicine stove, two blankets, and a mattress.
She also had a bundle on her back.
“No, I only have this much.”
Meng Ping’an had already put everything she actually wanted to bring into her space.
What remained were just a few things to make it look as though she was carrying something.
Jin Ze looked at her with pity.
“It’s all right. Once we get home, I’ll have your second brother make you some new clothes!”
With that, he picked up the basket from the ground and took Meng Ping’an’s little hand.
“Let’s go!”
Meng Ping’an followed Jin Ze toward the mountain behind the city, occasionally turning around to look at the abandoned temple.
“Can’t bear to leave?” Jin Ze seemed to notice the reluctance in her eyes.
“Mm. I’ve lived there for such a long time.”
“It’s all right. Once things are peaceful again, Big Brother will bring you back.”
“Huh? Come back to live in the abandoned temple?”
Jin Ze was amused by her question.
“Come back to take a look. How could I let you keep living in an abandoned temple? Don’t worry. I’ll work hard to make money and buy a house in town. Then we’ll live in town.”
“Oh.”
Meng Ping’an put away her reluctance.
While guiding the way, she followed Jin Ze toward the outskirts of the city.
Around noon, the two finally emerged from the mountain and arrived at the foot of Shijun Mountain.
“It really is a shortcut. If we had taken the route from the city gate, we might not even have made it out of the city by now.”
Jin Ze looked back at the narrow path.
“Don’t tell anyone about this path, understand?”
Jin Ze spoke to Meng Ping’an in a serious, hushed voice.
“Oh, okay!”
Meng Ping’an didn’t know why he was being so serious, but she simply nodded in agreement.
“Let’s go. We’re going home!”
Home?
What an unfamiliar word.
Yet somehow, it filled her with longing.
Was she going to have a home now?
Meng Ping’an suddenly felt a little excited.
She wondered what Big Brother Jin’s home would be like.
The two walked for another hour and a half before finally arriving at a small village.
The village wasn’t large, with only around a dozen households.
From time to time, they encountered elderly men and young men working in the fields.
“Ze, you’re back!”
“Uncle Liu! Second Grandfather! Third Granduncle!”
Jin Ze greeted each of them in turn.
“Who is this child?”
Several people looked at Meng Ping’an curiously.
“This is my younger brother whom I brought back from town. From now on, he’ll be the third son of our family. I hope all of you elders will look after him.”
“Of course, of course! Hurry home. Your two younger brothers have been waiting for you for a long time. They keep running to the village entrance whenever they have nothing to do, waiting for you to return.”
The oldest of the group smiled warmly at Jin Ze.
“All right, Second Grandfather. We’ll head home first!”
Meng Ping’an also smiled at them in greeting.
“He’s quite a well-behaved child. What a pity he’s a boy.”
The old man sighed regretfully.
“Yeah. It would have been wonderful if he were a little girl. Their lives would be easier in the future.”
“Second Uncle, you worry too much. Ze is so capable. Are you really afraid he won’t be able to find a wife someday?”
“Exactly! Second Uncle, stop worrying about him. How about your grandson? How is the marriage proposal with Cui from Zhang Village going?”
“Don’t mention it. Qingcheng has fallen, and Cui’s husband-to-be went to a neighboring county and took her with him. My grandson’s engagement was broken off.”
The old man shook his head.
“What?”
“Ah, what a shame! It took so much effort to arrange that marriage, and now it’s fallen through…”
The two men sighed gloomily.
“Exactly. My grandson was miserable for several days. He only started feeling a little better these past few days.”
“Try to persuade the child not to take it too hard. Once things outside settle down, we can find him another good match.”
“Easier said than done. Anyway, we’ll just take things one step at a time. Staying alive is what matters most right now.”
One of the men chimed in, “That’s right. Yesterday, the village head said that if the enemy comes this way, we’ll all have to flee deep into the mountains.”
“Exactly. We have to prepare in advance. We should take the grain we want to bring with us into the mountains ahead of time, so that if fighting really breaks out, we won’t run out of time.”
The old man nodded.
“That’s right. Go home and start getting things ready.”
“Let’s go!”
The three men chatted as they walked back toward the village.
Meng Ping’an followed Jin Ze to a small courtyard at the end of the village, nestled against the foot of the mountain.
“Ping’an, we’re home!”
Jin Ze lowered his head and smiled as he looked at the person beside him.