Chapter 112: When Fellow Villagers Meet

Chapter 112: Chapter 112: When Fellow Villagers Meet

"Who’s there?"

Ji Huan sat up abruptly, spreading her arms to shield Dabao behind her as she stared intently at the cave entrance.

’It doesn’t sound like a wild animal. Don’t tell me someone else rolled down the slope?’

However, Ji Huan didn’t dare lower her guard. Sometimes, people weren’t any safer than wild beasts—they could be even more dangerous.

The cave was already dark, and even straining her eyes, she couldn’t see clearly. She could only vaguely make out what was definitely a human figure.

The last sliver of light from the entrance was blocked as the person seemed to bend down and enter.

Ji Huan’s heart leaped into her throat. Her entire body went taut, like a fully drawn bowstring. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say a chill ran down her spine.

’I must have cursed myself ten thousand times,’ she thought. ’Why didn’t I think to bring a weapon for self-defense?’

’If I run into a villain here, wits won’t win against brute force.’

"Stay where you are! Who are you?"

With Dabao right behind her, Ji Huan had no room to retreat. She could only muster her courage and demand an answer.

But the faint tremor in her voice betrayed her tough facade.

The person at the entrance actually stopped, and a soft chuckle escaped from the darkness.

"Ji Huan?"

Though it was phrased as a question, it sounded strangely certain.

’He knows me?’

Ji Huan had been on edge for so long that her mind felt sluggish. She only felt that the voice sounded vaguely familiar.

"S-Song Jing?"

The moment the words left her mouth, she was almost certain it was him—Song Jing.

A great weight lifted from her heart, and Ji Huan nearly burst into tears on the spot.

No wonder they say, "When fellow townspeople meet, their eyes well with tears." Strictly speaking, she hadn’t left her home and hearth, but seeing a familiar face in this wretched cave was still unbearably moving.

"May I come in now?" Song Jing asked politely from where he stood, a hint of suppressed laughter in his voice.

Ji Huan nodded, then remembered that he was blocking all the light. He wouldn’t be able to see her nod.

She cleared her throat and said, "Come in. It’s not like anyone was stopping you..."

’Was it someone else, then, who just acted like she was facing a great enemy and sternly told him to stop?’

Song Jing was kind enough not to bring up the past and readily walked inside.

Only then did Ji Huan notice that he had been stooped over the whole time, his upper body bent at nearly a ninety-degree angle to his legs.

It was a wonder he could maintain that posture while exchanging so much nonsense with her. Ji Huan felt uncomfortable just looking at him.

The space inside the cave wasn’t large. Ji Huan’s bedding was half underneath her and Dabao and half wrapped around them, leaving only a small empty patch of ground to the side.

Song Jing walked straight over, shrugged off the bedroll and bundle from his back, and sat down on the spot.

Before, when he’d blocked the entrance, she couldn’t see a thing. Now that he had moved aside, the cave finally brightened a little.

Ji Huan sized him up. Seeing she wasn’t the only one in a sorry state, she felt a little better.

"Did you roll down from up there, too?"

Song Jing, who was straightening his clothes, paused at her words and grunted in affirmation.

Ji Huan burst out laughing, pounding the bedding as she did. "A big guy like you, how could you not watch where you were going? You actually fell down here? You’re really something else..."

Song Jing chuckled and reminded her, "We’re two of a kind, down on our luck. The pot shouldn’t call the kettle black."

Ji Huan choked on her words, then tried to defend herself. "I’m different from you! I was carrying Dabao on my back, and someone bumped into me..."

Song Jing’s gaze fell on the little boy in her arms, who was staring at him with a taut expression. "For him? You took such a huge risk running into the mountains?"

The past was too painful to recall. Right now, Ji Huan just wanted to turn the page on this whole affair.

"He’s my brother. Who else would I do it for? Besides, I heard from Aunt Xie that they even took five-year-old boys last time, so I didn’t think twice."

Song Jing didn’t make fun of her. "Actually, there’s no need to be so nervous. They probably won’t be conscripting men this time."

Ji Huan didn’t know why he was so certain. ’Does he have some inside source of information?’

Song Jing shook his head.

"It’s just a guess. Different rulers have different policies. I’ve asked around about General Kou, who’s leading the army this time. During his time stationed in Liaodong, he never conscripted men, relying only on the service troops dispatched annually by the court. Moreover, his tactics are unorthodox. He doesn’t rely on numbers, and he’s won countless battles where he was outnumbered."

After hearing his explanation, the last trace of worry in Ji Huan’s heart vanished.

"That makes sense. A large army is valuable, of course, but a commander who only knows how to use human-wave tactics is either mediocre or an idiot."

She was, of course, talking about that General Nie.

He clearly had no idea how to fight a war, yet he dared to take up his father’s mantle. His reckless commands didn’t matter to him—after all, it was other people who died. Later, desperate to save face after repeated losses, he caused batch after batch of men to fall on the battlefield.

How many sons of the Northern Pass died because of his incompetence?

Ji Huan couldn’t help but get angry just thinking about him.

Song Jing clearly felt the same way.

"While Old General Nie was alive, he could at least maintain the situation. His son, however, nearly ruined the entire Northern Pass. The ridiculous thing is, the Emperor didn’t punish him at all. He just summoned him back to the capital and sent someone else to clean up this mess."

’It’s more than just a mess,’ Ji Huan thought. ’It’s a hot potato.’

They were short on troops and supplies, yet the court demanded both speed and a decisive victory.

’We’ll just have to wait and see.’

’If this war is lost, the blame will certainly fall on Kou Changqing. But if it’s won... well, that’s another story.’

Ji Huan almost felt sorry for Zhen Jili and his General Kou. With a whole nest of useless teammates, how frustrating must this war be to fight?

She let out a heavy sigh of frustration and asked Song Jing, "Since you knew they wouldn’t be conscripting, why did you run into the mountains, too?"

Song Jing sounded a little helpless. "It was my mother..."

He had told Mrs. Meng everything he just said, but no matter how he explained it, she refused to believe him. She cried and begged, insisting he had to go into the mountains with everyone else, and finally, she practically forced him out of the house.

Song Jing had no choice. To put her mind at ease, he could only do as she said.

Ji Huan sighed wistfully. "A child with a mother is a treasure."

Song Jing lowered his lashes, then raised them again a moment later. Ji Huan didn’t notice this subtle change in his expression.

"But even if they were conscripting, you scholars wouldn’t have to be afraid, right?"

Although you only become exempt from taxes and corvée labor after passing the exam to become a Scholar, it seems students are also exempt from military service—especially a child student like him.

"That was before. After General Nie took command, none of the rules were rules anymore. Children could be taken, so students were naturally no exception. My mother is just like Auntie Xie—she’s been traumatized by it all, which is why this time..."

Song Jing’s expression had returned to normal. He gazed at Ji Huan with a half-smile. "I thought you’d be scared to tears. Seeing you like this, it seems I was worrying for nothing."

Before he arrived, Ji Huan had indeed been terrified.

She had felt utterly lost, with no one to consult, and she couldn’t show a hint of her fear in front of Dabao.

Of course she was afraid. Afraid of dying. Afraid that this second chance at life would come to an abrupt end. Afraid that, in the end, she still wouldn’t be able to protect Dabao.

Ji Huan truly understood the taste of panic.

But then, Song Jing had suddenly appeared.

Ji Huan couldn’t deny that the moment she recognized him, an indescribable feeling had bloomed in her heart.

The feeling was because of him, yet it also seemed to have nothing to do with him.

She felt that even if Dahuang had shown up at that moment, she would have had the same reaction.

’Besides, crying in front of my little brother? Don’t I have any pride?’

Ji Huan huffed. "What, are you disappointed I didn’t cry?"

Song Jing put on a look of mock regret. "A hero with no chance to be heroic. Of course I’m disappointed."