Chapter 81

“Yan Xiaoe, can I pet your cat?” Little Dogzi asked Yan Yu.

“Go ahead, I’m holding it. Don’t be afraid,” she said openly.

She added a reminder, “But if I’m not around, don’t try to pet it. This cat is still wary of strangers—be careful, or it’ll scratch you.”

What she was actually worried about was some naughty kid pulling its fur.

If it ended up with bald spots, it wouldn’t grow back easily, and fixing its coat would be a hassle.

The children all nodded obediently, and more than a dozen little hands squeezed together, each taking their turn to pet the cat.

Every child left satisfied.

Their laughter bloomed like flowers.

Yan Yu was infected by their bright and pure smiles, grinning as she called out, “Let’s run forward and see who’s the fastest!”

“I’m the fastest! Yan Xiaoe, you’ll definitely be last.”

Yan Yu refused to accept that. “Last time, I was third to last! There were two behind me—why am I last this time?!”

“Hmph! This time, we won’t go easy on you.”

Yan Yu lifted her chin. “Who needs you to go easy?”

To keep things fair, Big Dogzi didn’t join the race. Instead, he stood at the side to give the starting signal.

“Run!”

At his shout, seven or eight kids dashed forward.

Yan Yu ran with all her might, her little legs moving rapidly.

Each time she passed another child, her confidence grew. Having the mind of an adult gave her one major advantage—she could endure physical exhaustion.

Most kids ran without a clear goal; they’d stop whenever they got tired, and their final position was wherever they happened to stop.

Yan Yu was determined to move up from third to last to third place. Look, there was Sister Xiaoxi, who was a year older—she was about to give up! Ahaha!

“Er Tie, how about we run too?”

The older boys watching the little kids race felt the urge to join.

Especially those who had already given up on running, now standing at the back, enthusiastically shouting, “Run faster, run faster!” Their sharp, crisp voices echoed through the valley, creating an energetic atmosphere.

Even the adults quickened their pace, smiling as they checked to see how their own kids were doing.

Er Tie had no objections. He gathered a few of his buddies and pointed to the barely visible valley exit. “Let’s run to the end. The last two will be ‘donkeys’—agree?”

‘Jumping Donkey’ was a game where one person bent down, allowing another to vault over their back.

In this version, they needed two ‘donkeys’ since they had to jump over two people.

These half-grown boys were all around the same age, having run wild in the village since they were young. Their stamina and speed were similar, so who would come in last depended entirely on their condition and luck that day.

Once again, Big Dogzi called out the signal.

“Run!”

With a howl, a dozen boys charged forward.

Yan Yu quickly noticed the commotion behind her. She glanced back—oh no! The big kids were charging forward!

They quickly caught up, then overtook her. Some even circled around her, laughing wildly. Their teasing made Yan Yu so angry she could almost see smoke coming out of her head.

These rotten boys!

She simply stopped running. The race was ruined by those older kids—it was no fun anymore.

Looking ahead, she saw that even the leader, Little Dogzi, had been affected. The younger kids all stopped as well, panting and standing still, watching as the older boys ran further and further away.

Er Tie and San Tie were the fastest.

Er Tie had always been the undisputed champion, but ever since San Tie left home, he’d been eating well, sleeping well, and walking as many hours as the adults every day. His stamina had improved, and now he could keep up with Er Tie.

The two brothers left the others far behind.

But the closer they got to the exit, the more something felt off.

“Second Brother, something’s not right up ahead,” San Tie said.

Er Tie suddenly grabbed his arm. “They’re holding sticks. Quick, run back and warn everyone!”

San Tie’s scalp tingled.

He still remembered what happened on the official road that day. In times like these, even good people could be forced into doing bad things.

He didn’t believe that a group of people blocking the exit while holding sticks had good intentions.

The brothers turned around and ran back, stopping the other kids from running forward. They shouted, “Turn back! Run back! There are bad people ahead!”

Hearing this, everyone bolted in the opposite direction.

When they caught up with Yan Yu and the younger children, the older boys quickly crouched down, scooping up the little ones onto their backs before running full speed.

Yan Yu was dazed as she suddenly found herself on San Tie’s back.

The bumpy ride left her speechless.

Once they reunited with the adults, Er Tie and San Tie finally caught their breath and explained what they had seen.

That was when everyone realized that a group of people was blocking the valley exit, holding sticks—definitely not a good sign.

Yan Xiangheng saw that Er Tie and the others were exhausted and handed them a few bamboo tubes filled with water.

The boys were so thirsty that they quickly thanked him and gulped down the water, draining the bamboo tubes dry.

Yan Yu’s little face was flushed red, her hair a bit messy. Her mother, Li Xuemei, pulled her aside and asked softly, “Did you see anything?”

Yan Yu shook her head. “No, I didn’t run that far ahead. Er Tie and San Tie saw them first, then they turned back and carried us to safety. San Tie must be exhausted from carrying me.”

Of course, he was exhausted. No matter how strong-willed he was, he was still just a child.

Li Xuemei nodded in understanding. She didn’t rush to express gratitude—right now, the most pressing issue was the people blocking their way.

“Scholar, should we send someone ahead to check?” Village Chief Luo asked.

They had been walking through this valley for two days. If they had to turn back and take a detour, who knew how far they’d have to go? Climbing over the mountains wasn’t practical either—the terrain on this side was steep and difficult to traverse. Since the exit was so close, they had to at least try.

The village’s strongest men stepped forward, each carrying a club or a bow and crossbow slung across their backs. They didn’t speak; their actions alone made it clear—they were ready.

Yan Huaiwen scanned the group, his gaze landing on his nephew Tianyou, who was dressed the same as the others and was already unloading the ox cart. His lips twitched.

That was fast.

After some thought, he said, “Half of you come with me to check things out.”

The village elders grew anxious. “Scholar, you mustn’t take risks. Let them go instead.”

“It’s fine. My ox is fast.”

No one could argue with that. They had to admit, the Yan family’s ox was indeed strong and swift.

“If they really are bandits, we’ll turn back and take another route.”

Yan Huaiwen thought to himself: That was just to comfort the villagers.

Just by looking at the natural terrain of the valley, it was obvious—this was an easy path forward but a difficult one to retreat from.

The cliffs on both sides were steep, making climbing impossible. The opposite side, however, was much easier to traverse. If the people ahead had ill intentions, they could easily chase after them from the other side and gain the high ground, where they could throw rocks down…

Yan Lao’er said nothing. He simply helped his elder brother onto the ox’s back and strode forward with the village men.

—End of Chapter—