Fake Divorce Turns into Murder Case (16)

Chapter 68

Old Lady Yuan knew Huixiang wasn’t dead. Having worked at the reservoir for so many years, she had developed that much intuition.

Yet she had still fished out Huixiang’s clothes and delivered them back to the Yang family with the sole purpose of making them believe Huixiang was dead.

If they thought she was dead, they naturally wouldn’t come looking for her anymore.

That way, Huixiang could take her children, flee far away, and start a new life.

Still, the old lady couldn’t help but worry. Huixiang’s situation was different from her own back then. When she had run away, she didn’t have children; being alone made it easier to survive.

But Huixiang had two children with her, and one was only a year old. How would they manage out there?

The weather was exceptionally cold. At night, ice formed in the water vat nearby. She smashed the top layer of ice and scooped out some water.

This weather, sigh.

With so much on her mind and her advanced age, she looked out at the reservoir and let out a long sigh.

She had trouble sleeping at night. In the beginning, two people had guarded the reservoir together.

It was a paid job, and though the wages weren’t high, it was a coveted position in the village. Some people thought guarding a reservoir was easy work and were quite willing to do it.

Back then, Old Lady Yuan had a lighter load since there were two of them.

But the good times didn’t last. Someone drowned in the water. During that recovery, neither of them had any experience. As they tried to drag the corpse from the water onto the boat, they couldn’t get it up no matter how hard they pulled, and eventually, the boat flipped over.

By the time they finally got the body up, both were plagued by nightmares, and the other person fell seriously ill afterward.

People in the mountains were superstitious about such things, and her partner refused to work there anymore.

After quitting, whenever others asked, that person would say the place was cursed. Consequently, no one else was willing to take the job.

So, she guarded it alone.

She had been on guard here for many years now.

Old Lady Yuan sighed, but soon, she heard the sound of footsteps.

The dog stretched its neck and looked toward the other side, but it didn’t bark.

Old Lady Yuan knew then it was someone familiar.

She quickly grabbed a torch and walked toward the main road on the other side.

Sure enough, it was a familiar face. Yun Song and the others had returned with Huixiang and the two children.

“Grandma Yuan-“

Before Yun Song could ask to stay the night, Old Lady Yuan spoke up: “Where are you all coming from? It’s so cold, get inside quickly.”

Yun Song’s original plan had been to find a place to stay in this village for the night because the walk to the streets of Tonglin Town would take another three hours, and they were simply too exhausted to continue.

Old Lady Yuan’s house wasn’t large, but fortunately, she had extra beds.

Huixiang and the two children stayed with Old Lady Yuan, while the other police officers went to find lodging in the village below.

Old Lady Yuan didn’t think much of it. To her, it wasn’t a big deal, just letting some people stay for a short while.

Huixiang felt very uneasy; she wasn’t used to imposing on others.

Consequently, she woke up very early the next morning. Yun Song and the others had carried over her sweet potatoes for her.

Huixiang started a fire, washed the sweet potatoes, and began to boil them. When the little puppy in the house saw her light the fire, it immediately crouched down beside the fire pit.

In the inner room, the old lady and the police officers were still sleeping.

Once the sweet potatoes were cooked, she set the iron pot directly into the hearth stones.

She didn’t wake anyone. Outside, the wind whistled and howled.

She opened the door and stepped out.

The house wasn’t far from the reservoir; she could see it after just a few steps.

This was her first time seeing the Great Reservoir during the day. Shortly after she had married into the village, she knew there was a massive reservoir above them that supplied water to the entire Tonglin Town.

She had always wanted to come and see it, but she never had the chance. She had only been here twice, and both times were at night.

Now, as the horizon turned white, she stood in the cold wind with the Great Reservoir to welcome the sun.

When Yun Song woke up, she saw Huixiang sitting by the door watching the sunrise.

She pulled up a stool and sat down beside her.

Looking toward where the sun was rising, Huixiang couldn’t help but say, “This is the first time I’ve watched the sun come up.”

In the past, she had never waited for the sunrise so earnestly. This was also the first time she had woken up and prepared a meal without knowing what to do next or what her future held.

Sitting beside her, Yun Song said, “It’s also my first time watching the sun over the reservoir.”

The sun finally broke free from the distant hills, climbing into the sky bit by bit. The forest surrounding the reservoir was dyed an orange-red, a color that slowly spread until it covered both Yun Song and Huixiang.

In that moment, they became the same color as the reservoir.

As Huixiang felt the sunlight fall upon her, her heart became incredibly peaceful, as if the light were being spread evenly across her soul.

Yun Song simply stayed by her side in silence, not wanting to disturb this moment.

Once Old Lady Yuan woke up, they all ate breakfast together.

“I’m going back to the village in a bit to continue investigating the case. You all shouldn’t go back for the time being.”

Upon hearing this, Old Lady Yuan immediately said, “I found your clothes at the reservoir yesterday and took them to the Yang family. Now the Yangs think they’re all gone.”

In Old Lady Yuan’s mind, this was the best solution. If they didn’t know Huixiang was alive, they wouldn’t come looking for trouble.

“Eventually, she will have to return to the village. Yang Laosan’s house and land should be inherited by Huixiang.” Yun Song had spent the entire night thinking about how to outwit the Yang family to help Huixiang get what was rightfully hers.

Getting it wasn’t the hardest part; the hardest part was Huixiang’s life afterward.

“That family certainly won’t stand for it,” Old Lady Yuan warned.

“I’ll go to the village and find a way,” Yun Song said. “You stay here at the reservoir. With two children, you must be careful.”

Huixiang nodded.

After breakfast, Yun Song left for the village, leaving only Huixiang, her two daughters, and Old Lady Yuan in the house.

Old Lady Yuan understood Huixiang’s current state of mind. She had no home to return to, and her heart was filled with panic and fear.

Old Lady Yuan couldn’t help but say, “As long as you don’t mind it here, you can stay with me. Don’t be a stranger.”

She knew that if she didn’t let Huixiang do anything at all, Huixiang would feel too embarrassed to stay for long. So, Old Lady Yuan added, “It just so happens that I’m getting older now, and guarding the Reservoir is a bit much for me. You can help me look after it.”

Huixiang wanted to help, but she said, “But I… I don’t understand how to do that.”

“It’s very simple. Every day, take a bamboo pole and walk along the path around the Reservoir. If you run into anyone, chase them out.”

“Usually, you also need to check if the iron fencing on the side has been damaged. If the fence is broken, it needs to be repaired.”

“If you see any dead squirrels, rats, or wild pheasants floating on the surface of the Reservoir, you have to fish them out immediately.”

Standing nearby, Huixiang’s eldest daughter listened and suddenly spoke up, “Mom will definitely love this job.”

“What?”

“Chasing people away with a bamboo pole the moment you see them,” Huixiang’s eldest daughter said. “Mom, you’ll definitely love it!”

Huixiang paused for a moment, then pictured the scene in her mind.

Walking along the Great Reservoir every day, with nothing but trees along the way. The moment she encountered a person, she would take a long bamboo pole and drive them away one by one.

She really would like that.