Chapter 54: The Night of Terror

"Who are you?" Aunt Hua asked.

The man gave no answer. Wearing a straw raincoat, he barged in, stood inside Old Man Hua's house, brushed the snowflakes from his shoulders, and kept shouting that he was starving.

Old Man Hua's house happened to be where Grandpa Gou was at the moment. Seeing someone enter and mistaking him for a guest, Grandpa Gou stood up, offered a seat with elaborate friendliness, and even stepped close to brush the snow off the man's coat. All he got in return was a resounding slap across the face from the stranger.

Grandpa Gou dared not move again. Now sitting beside the hearth and staring into the fire, he fell silent, much like the quiet snow falling outside.

Beyond the desolate village, someone began beating a gong, as if warning the residents that bandits were prowling the deserted settlement, that venturing out was strictly forbidden, and that everyone should remain safely locked inside their homes.

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room understood the situation, yet no one dared to drive the intruder away. The man unstrapped a sharp dagger from his back and placed it on the table. He ate his meal while casting wary glances outside, terrified that someone might burst in to capture him or slash him a few times.

Seeing the bandit eating, Grandpa Gou threw aside his pride. When the bandit suddenly choked on his food, Grandpa Gou abandoned all thoughts of escape, hurried over, and gently pounded the man's back—as gently as humanly possible. Touched by this unexpected kindness, the bandit decided to overlook the earlier presumption of having the residual snow brushed off his clothes.

Meanwhile, outside in the desolate village, people were murmuring anxiously, too restless to stay inside their homes. They gathered in groups to whisper about the bandit, unaware that the real bandit was right inside Old Man Hua's house.

"Father," Old Man Hua suddenly called out to the bandit. Though the bandit was much younger than him, Old Man Hua shamelessly addressed the man as his father.

Hearing himself addressed this way, the bandit chuckled, tucked his dagger back into his pocket, let out a loud belch, and moved closer to the hearth to warm himself. Perhaps he was simply too cold; sitting by the fire, he shivered uncontrollably. Seeing this, Grandpa Gou lost much of his fear.

Grandpa Gou sat in silence within the room. Perhaps due to the chill, the bandit began to cough. Hearing that cough reminded Grandpa Gou of Shaoqiu, and instantly, the man no longer seemed terrifying. Then, right in front of everyone, the bandit stripped off his shirt, revealing two massive pectoral muscles right in front of Aunt Hua. The sight was so startling that Aunt Hua felt she could no longer stay in the room—yet where else could she possibly go?

"You, come here," the bandit barked, pointing straight at Aunt Hua.

Aunt Hua had been cowering far away. She knew full well who this was—none other than the man the villagers were whispering about outside—yet she did not dare to throw him out. She lacked the courage. She feared the sharp dagger in the bandit's pocket; naturally, no one could face such a weapon without terror.

Reluctantly, Aunt Hua stepped closer. Perhaps the bandit was still freezing, for he buried his head straight into Aunt Hua's bosom, a place that, in his mind, promised absolute warmth. Unwilling to submit, Aunt Hua did something unprecedented: she raised her hand and slapped the bandit across the face.

At that exact moment, Old Man Hua dropped to his knees, kowtowing frantically to the bandit. Moved by Old Man Hua's pleading, the bandit, who had instinctively reached for his knife, abandoned the thought of murder. Seeing how easily bullied the bandit was, Grandpa Gou cast aside his hesitation, stepped forward, and landed a slap on the bandit's face as well.

Stunned by the blow, the bandit staggered and fell, but immediately scrambled back to his feet, lunged toward Grandpa Gou with flailing fists, ready to beat anyone in sight. But Grandpa Gou had already wrenched open the door to Aunt Hua's house and bolted outside, vanishing into the night like a gust of wind.

Infuriated by the slap, the bandit would have slaughtered everyone in the room had Old Man Hua not continued to kowtow so desperately. Seeing Old Man Hua's forehead bruised and bleeding profusely, the bandit finally gave up his murderous intent, stormed out of the house, and vanished like the wind.

Seeing the bandit emerge, Grandpa Gou stood a short distance away and began hurling curses at the man's ancestors. Protected by the cloak of night, the bandit could not see him clearly, only hearing the relentless stream of insults. Just as the bandit moved to chase down Grandpa Gou, a dozen torches flared to life, and enraged villagers rushed forward. The bandit had no choice but to flee; otherwise, the flashing blades would make short work of him.

Grandpa Gou stood on the sidelines, laughing heartily. He didn't even care if the bandit heard him; even if the bandit charged back at him right then, Grandpa Gou wouldn't have been afraid.

However, the moment he caught sight of the glinting dagger, Grandpa Gou's courage failed him. He retreated into the pitch-black shadows and disappeared without a trace.

Facing the sea of torches closing in from all sides of the desolate village, the bandit dared not linger a moment longer. He ran for his life under the cover of darkness, while snowflakes swirled down amidst howling, fierce gusts of wind.

After the bandit fled, Grandpa Gou returned to Aunt Hua's house. The fire inside was still burning brightly, keeping the room warm and cozy. Outside, the heavy snow fell even thicker. Under the moonlight, the tips of the willow branches and the piles of jagged rocks were blanketed in bone-chilling snow.

Grandpa Gou sat cozily in Aunt Hua's house, listening to Old Man Hua spin delightful stories. For some inexplicable reason, Aunt Hua's hips jutted upward invitingly. Grandpa Gou stole a glance at her hips, then lowered his gaze to watch the flickering flames.

For reasons unknown, sitting by the hearth beside Aunt Hua filled Grandpa Gou with a deep sense of contentment. When he glanced at Old Man Hua, he saw that the old man had already fallen fast asleep. After warming himself for a little longer, Grandpa Gou decided it was time to leave; the night was deep, and lingering any longer might invite trouble.

Grandpa Gou stepped outside and walked back to his own dwelling.

As he passed by Shaoqiu's house, he paused to glance inside. Shaoqiu was likely still up reading, which brought a brief smile to Grandpa Gou's face. But then he stopped and listened intently. Grandpa Gou had always harbored a lingering fear of Shaoqiu's existence, worrying that one day Shaoqiu might seek vengeance against him. Rather than waiting to be exacted, he thought, wouldn't it be better to strike first?

Creeping up to Shaoqiu's window, Grandpa Gou peered inside. Seeing Shaoqiu deeply engrossed in his book, looking nothing like a man bent on revenge, Grandpa Gou smiled faintly once more and walked away.

Meanwhile, trapped within the four walls of his room, Shaoqiu wrestled with a mountain of worries, completely at a loss as to what to do. Of course, he knew Grandpa Gou was standing outside; he also knew Grandpa Gou wanted him dead. It seemed he could no longer remain in this desolate village. Yet, at the mere thought of Xiaohua's peach-blossom face, Shaoqiu found himself utterly unable to bear the thought of leaving.