Not giving up hope, Jin Yao went to the dirt path on the slope to search for footprints. While gathering some firewood to carry back to the front of the small wooden cabin, he suddenly noticed a gray cloth bag sitting by the side of the house.
Putting down the firewood, he squatted down to inspect the cloth bag and found that it seemed to contain rice.
Opening the bag, sure enough, he saw half a bag of rice inside. He pinched a bit and smelled it—there was no sign of mold; it was completely edible.
Standing up, he looked around the cloth bag for a moment, noticing a few footprints roughly the same size as his own, seemingly left by cloth-soled shoes.
However, after following the tracks for a few paces, the footprints vanished completely.
Jin Yao looked up and noticed that the toes of the last footprint pointed directly toward a large tree ahead, causing his brow to furrow slightly.
After a moment’s thought, Jin Yao picked up the cloth bag and returned to the front of the cabin.
“Dujuan, do you know when this cloth bag appeared beside the house? There’s half a bag of rice inside.”
Surprised, Liu Dujuan turned around to glance at the spot and shook her head, “I don’t know. It wasn’t there at noon yesterday—I had gone over there to gather firewood.”
Jinjin and Little White also came over to inspect the half bag of rice.
“Daddy, could Uncle Yang and the others have brought it over quietly?” Jinjin asked curiously.
Jin Yao shook his head. “These are thousand-layer cloth soles. It’s not them.”
Yang Hu, Zhao Yun, and the others wore straw sandals in the summer instead of cloth shoes. Cloth shoes were worn only when they made trips to town.
Little White slithered over, coiled around the cloth bag, and took a turn inspectively.
*Jinjin, there’s a faint rust smell on the handle of the bag. That means the person carrying it frequently handles iron tools.*
Jinjin let out a couple of “ohs” and translated Little White’s words to her parents.
Jin Yao squatted down and sniffed the handle; sure enough, he could faintly smell a metallic rust scent.
Jin Yao said in a deep voice, “People with a rust smell on their hands are usually blacksmiths or individuals who constantly wield weapons. Ordinary people rarely come into contact with iron long enough for the smell to linger.”
Yet as Jin Yao ran through his mind, he couldn’t recall anyone he knew who constantly held weapons.
“Wow, Daddy is so amazing! You can figure out who sent it just from that? Could it be the person who made those footsteps last night?” Jinjin praised Jin Yao with starry eyes, voicing her question.
Jin Yao nodded.
“It’s possible. I noticed that the footprints vanished right before reaching that tree. Perhaps last night, the person realized I was back and quickly climbed up the tree to hide. Unfortunately, my mind was in turmoil, so I didn’t notice anyone up there.”
“If you put it that way, everything aligns. A martial arts practitioner who carries weapons all day and possesses lightness skills could easily leap up into a tree,” Liu Dujuan added in a low voice.
Jinjin nodded vigorously, agreeing that her parents’ deduction was entirely spot-on.
Still, who on earth was this person?
She studied Jin Yao with suspicious eyes—could her father be like characters in short dramas, possessing one identity at home and another out in the world?
Little White also rolled around in front of Jin Yao, praising him: *Wow, two-legged beast daddy is so capable!*
Unfortunately, Jin Yao couldn’t understand what Little White was saying, so Jinjin translated it for him.
Jin Yao looked bewildered. “What is a two-legged beast daddy?”
“One day, Little White said it didn’t have parents, so I told it that my parents could be its parents too. It then called you and Mommy ‘Daddy’ and ‘Mommy’ and recognized us as family.”
Jin Yao and Liu Dujuan froze in astonishment.
“It calls us ‘two-legged beasts’ because we walk on two feet. Those four-legged animals and legless creatures all call us two-legged beasts,” Jinjin explained to her parents with a giggle.
Once Jin Yao and Liu Dujuan understood, they burst into laughter. So without their knowledge, they had gained a snake son?
“Since Little White has accepted us as its parents, let’s make a nest for Little White at home in the future. Ask Little White what kind of nest it likes,” Jin Yao looked at Little White and said to Jinjin.
Jinjin looked toward Little White, her eyes inquiring.
Hearing its two-legged beast daddy say that it could sleep inside the house from now on, Little White opened its snake mouth and hissed with a happy grin.
*Hiss, hiss! I want a golden nest!*
When Jinjin translated this, Jin Yao’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Little White, you’d better not take me as your dad after all—I can’t afford to raise you! You’re much harder to raise than Jinjin. Even our Jinjin never asked for a golden nest!”
*Hiss, hiss! Two-legged beast daddy is so stingy!* Little White flicked its tongue at Jin Yao and turned its snake head away in a huff.
Hearing Little White’s huffy response, Jinjin giggled until she trembled against Liu Dujuan.
Hahaha, Little White sure knew how to ask—demanding a golden nest!
Even if they sold their entire family, it wouldn’t be enough to make a golden nest for Little White.
Liu Dujuan asked her what Little White had said, and Jinjin translated it.
Watching Little White’s gestures and expressions, Jin Yao and Liu Dujuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud as well.
Breakfast ended amid the family’s joyous mood.
After the meal, Jin Yao and Liu Dujuan intended to head up the northern mountain slope to find the spot where Jin Hua was buried. Unwilling to leave Jinjin at home alone, they brought her along as well.
However, after digging all around that crabapple tree, they failed to find any remains whatsoever.
It appeared that old man Jin’s claim about burying the body beneath this tree was just another lie.
Although they didn’t find any remains, they did manage to loosen all the soil around the fruit tree.
“Dujuan, how about we dig this tree up and bring it back?” Jin Yao asked Liu Dujuan, looking at the tree.
“It’s fine, but with it being so large, will it survive if we move it?” Liu Dujuan looked up at the tree; it was so big that after hauling it back, there was no telling if it would live.
“Let’s give it a try—we’ll keep all the soil around the roots intact.”
In the end, the remaining work turned out to be the most grueling part. The couple dug for a whole morning and afternoon before finally excavating the tree with its ball of soil intact.
During the process, Jin Yao fetched water several times to moisten the soil around the root system, making the digging somewhat easier.
Finally, since the two of them couldn’t carry it back on their own, Jin Yao returned to the village to call Yang Hu, Zhao Yun, and a few others to help haul it home, planting it beside the large stone.
Because the tree was large and its roots were encased in soil, the hole Jin Yao had dug earlier was a bit too close, so he dug another hole two paces further away.
Around noon, while Jinjin was squatting on the northern slope watching her parents dig up the crabapple tree, Liuliu’s voice suddenly rang out in her mind.
*Host, I’m back!* Liuliu’s voice carried a hint of excitement.
Jinjin’s eyes lit up, and she quickly spoke to Liuliu in her mind.
“Liuliu, you’re finally back! Where did you go yesterday?” Jinjin had so many things she wanted to say to Liuliu.
*Ahem, I’m sorry, Host! I already know everything that happened from yesterday up until today.*
*Back then, I wanted to warn you to watch out for your eldest aunt, but because I violated the regulations, I was placed in confinement for a day and couldn’t help you in time. I’m deeply sorry!*
Fearing Jinjin might cry, Liuliu quickly apologized to her first.
Huh? Liuliu was placed in confinement?
Frowning, Jinjin asked hurriedly in her heart, “Liuliu, is it because the system doesn’t allow you to warn me to guard against my eldest aunt?”
Liuliu paused. *It’s not that it’s forbidden, but rather that knowing beforehand might alter the natural progression of events and affect your future path in life.*
Jinjin’s large eyes rolled about as she grinned, asking Liuliu in her heart, “Liuliu, my bowl was broken by that bad woman. Did you know that?”
*I know!* Liuliu answered with those two words.
He could already feel what scheme was brewing in the little girl’s mind, so he could only answer her questions with caution.