Back in the tiny, dilapidated room, Lin Wanxing urged Xiaoshi and Yaya to go to sleep immediately so they could regain their strength.
The two children had been exhausted after a full day’s work and soon drifted off.
But Lin Wanxing couldn’t sleep.
Lying on the bed, she listened to Yaya’s steady breathing beside her and Old Madam Lin’s thunderous snores coming from the next room. Her heart was filled with both anxiety and anticipation.
Quietly, she got up and packed all the supplies she had prepared into an old cloth bundle.
Then she gently woke Xiaoshi and Yaya.
“Big Sister… are we leaving now?” Xiaoshi rubbed his sleepy eyes and whispered.
“Yes. We’re leaving right now.”
Keeping her voice low, Lin Wanxing took the children’s hands and quietly pushed open the door.
She retrieved everything she had hidden inside the firewood pile before making her way toward the back gate of the courtyard.
Not daring to waste a second, she led the children outside, fetched the sack of white flour she had hidden behind the house earlier, and handed it to Xiaoshi.
“You two wait here behind the house,” she whispered. “Don’t move until I come back.”
Then she slipped quietly back into the courtyard.
The family’s remaining grain had long since been locked away by Old Madam Lin and Liu Cuihua inside the room where they slept.
Lin Wanxing crept into the kitchen.
By the faint moonlight, she looked around.
Besides a cracked iron pot, she found a lump of coarse salt.
There were only two chipped bowls left.
Without hesitation, she packed them away.
In one corner, she also found a rusty kitchen knife.
She stuffed the bowls, salt, and knife into a cloth sack she found nearby.
Then she filled the cracked clay jar with water, plugged its mouth with a rag, and slung it over her shoulder.
As for the cooking pot, she simply carried it on her back.
She was about to leave and rejoin Xiaoshi and Yaya when another thought occurred to her.
Setting her things down beside the back gate, she quietly approached Old Madam Lin’s room.
The old woman was an exceptionally heavy sleeper.
Before leaving, Lin Wanxing intended to take all the white flour and steamed buns.
Every movement was careful enough not to make a sound.
Using the sickle she carried, she gently pried open the wooden door latch.
She eased the door open just enough to squeeze her slender body through.
Her eyes quickly scanned the room.
Very soon, they landed on a cloth bag sitting on the table.
She tiptoed over and picked it up.
As expected—
It was filled with steamed buns.
Beside it was another bulging sack.
Judging by its weight, it contained supplies that would likely be useful on the journey.
She took that as well without a trace of guilt.
While searching for anything else worth bringing, the corner of her eye caught sight of a small wooden box beside Old Madam Lin’s pillow.
Carefully, she picked it up.
It was locked.
Suddenly, she remembered something.
The original owner’s mother had once possessed a family heirloom hairpin.
After her death, Old Madam Lin had seized it for herself.
If Lin Wanxing remembered correctly, it had been kept inside a small locked box.
This had to be it.
And the key…
Old Madam Lin probably kept it hidden in her clothing.
Looking more closely, Lin Wanxing noticed the end of a cord sticking out beneath the old woman’s body.
Holding her breath, she grasped it and gave it a careful tug.
Sure enough—
A small key slid out.
She was just debating whether she should also try to steal the remaining sack of white flour when Old Madam Lin suddenly muttered,
“Who’s there? Why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night?”
Lin Wanxing’s heart leaped into her throat.
She immediately froze, holding her breath as she flattened herself against the wall.
Several tense moments passed.
Nothing else happened.
Apparently, the old woman had merely been talking in her sleep.
Lin Wanxing finally let out a silent sigh of relief.
She no longer dared risk taking the flour.
Grabbing only the sack of steamed buns, she slipped quietly out of the room.
After collecting everything she had left beside the back gate, she hurried to reunite with Xiaoshi and Yaya.
The two children had been anxiously waiting.
The moment they saw her emerge, they both sighed in relief.
The three siblings immediately set off toward the deep mountains.
They had barely left the village behind when several mournful wolf howls echoed through the night.
The chilling cries startled all three of them.
Lin Wanxing’s heart pounded violently.
She glanced back.
The village entrance behind them was completely deserted, swallowed by darkness.
Yet the howls seemed to be drawing closer.
As though the wolves were right behind them.
“Big Sister… I’m scared…”
Yaya trembled all over, clutching tightly at Lin Wanxing’s clothes, her voice thick with tears.
Xiaoshi clenched his fists.
His little face was tense, but he forced himself to say,
“Big Sister, I’m not afraid! I’ll protect you and Little Sister!”
Lin Wanxing took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.
She bent down and lifted Yaya into her arms.
Then she reminded Xiaoshi to stay close before quickening their pace toward the mountains.
“Don’t be afraid. Big Sister’s here. We’ll reach somewhere safe very soon.”
She gently comforted Yaya, who continued shaking uncontrollably.
During her earlier scouting, she’d remembered that about half a kilometer inside the mountain entrance there was a patch of dense shrubs.
They could hide there temporarily and avoid being tracked by wolves.
But after running for only a short while, thick clouds drifted across the sky, completely covering the moon.
The already dark mountain trail was plunged into near-total darkness.
Only a few scattered stars provided enough light to barely make out the path.
Suddenly, Lin Wanxing’s foot slipped.
She nearly tumbled into a roadside ditch.
Yaya shrieked in fright.
“Be careful!”
Xiaoshi cried out.
Steadying herself, Lin Wanxing tightened her hold on Yaya.
But doubt crept into her mind.
She clearly remembered this stretch of road being flat.
Where had this ditch come from?
“Big Sister… did we take the wrong path?”
Xiaoshi asked uneasily.
Lin Wanxing stopped and looked around.
Towering trees surrounded them on every side.
Their swaying shadows blended together until every direction looked exactly the same.
Her heart sank.
This is bad…
We were running so fast that we’ve gotten lost.
Just then—
Rustle…
Rustle…
The nearby grass suddenly shook.
Something was moving inside.
Lin Wanxing instantly became alert.
She stepped in front of the two children protectively while her right hand quietly reached toward the sharpened hatchet tucked into her waist.
Holding her breath, she stared at the grass.
A thick green venomous snake, nearly as thick as an adult’s arm, slowly slithered out.
Its forked tongue flickered through the air.
Its cold eyes remained fixed on them.
“A snake!”
Xiaoshi cried out instinctively, retreating behind Lin Wanxing.
Yaya covered her eyes in terror, too frightened to look.
Lin Wanxing’s heart pounded wildly.
She had seen venomous snakes countless times in documentaries and books.
But this was her first real encounter at such close range.
Then she remembered a survival video she had watched.
Venomous snakes were afraid of fire and strong vibrations.
Gripping the hatchet tightly, she swung it hard against the nearby tree trunk.
Bang!
At the same time, she shouted,
“Xiaoshi! Gather some branches!”
Recovering quickly, Xiaoshi immediately crouched down, grabbed several dry branches from the ground, and handed them over.
Lin Wanxing took them before pulling a fire starter from inside her clothes.
She had secretly hidden it away while cooking the day before.
She hadn’t expected it to save their lives tonight.
Blowing gently on the tinder, she ignited the branches and raised the burning torch toward the snake.
Startled by the flames and vibrations, the snake retreated a short distance.
But it didn’t leave.
Instead, it remained coiled, watching them with deadly intent.
Lin Wanxing knew they couldn’t afford a prolonged standoff.
If the struggle attracted larger predators, the consequences would be disastrous.
Taking a deep breath, she waited until the snake’s attention wavered for the briefest instant.
Then she raised the hatchet and swung with all her strength at the snake’s vital point just behind its head.
But fear had weakened her.
The blade struck only its body.
Writhing in pain, the snake lunged straight at her.
Lin Wanxing stumbled backward.
Behind her, Yaya burst into terrified sobs.
At that critical moment, Xiaoshi suddenly grabbed a fist-sized rock from the ground and hurled it with all his strength.
Thud!
The stone struck the snake squarely in the eye.
The snake writhed violently in agony.
Seizing the opportunity, Lin Wanxing raised the hatchet once more.
Closing her eyes, she brought it down with every ounce of strength she had.
This time—
The blade struck true.
The snake convulsed several times…
Then lay completely still.