《Lost Treasure》


 Chapter 1

    Chapter 1 ¨C Gold is Everywhere


    ¡°Gold is everywhere, simply waiting for the fortunate one.¡±


    At the crack of a dawn, a voice filled with despair could be heard crying this one sentence from a farmhouse in a nearby suburb north of Jinshi. The farmhouse was built in the traditional style and had a four-sided courtyard.


    Shen Yu suddenly got up from her bed in fright, cold sweat dripping down her forehead. After listening more carefully to that broken voice, she patted herself repeatedly on the chest and let out a sigh of relief. She could picture the way the disturbance looked: a nervous, old man in his fifties who only knew how to repeat that one line.


    ¡°Mom!¡± Shen Yu flailed her arms and legs as if she was swimming on the bed. ¡°Why did you let Uncle Li come out so early in the morning?¡± She had just gotten home for a well-needed break and was incredibly irritated that she still could not sleep in. Before she had left her childhood home, she had long gotten used to Uncle Li acting like a bizarre rooster. Like clockwork, he would always scream that same line over and over again at dawn. At least she never needed to spend money on an alarm clock. However, it had been many years since she had lived at home and she was no longer accustomed to this particular scene.


    Uncle Li was actually Shen Yu¡¯s grandfather¡¯s adopted son. For as long as she could remember, he was always a little cracked in the head. His reputation had become synonymous with being mentally unfit for the villagers. During college, when Shen Yu got into arguments, in the heat of the moment she would often curse them out by saying that they were ¡°like my Uncle Li¡±. Since no one knew what she actually meant, they were not offended. In fact, they actually felt that she was complimenting them because she was comparing them to the older generation.


    However, rumor on the streets was that Uncle Li, in his youth, was actually a highly talented individual. Apparently even his current mantra had roots in his past. It was said that Uncle Li used to be a part of one of the first geological expedition teams that the government established right after the Cultural Revolution ended. At that time, the nation had wanted to conduct a land survey to accurately map out its domestic resources. National expeditions were opened throughout the country. The government ended up investing a lot of manpower and resources, including airplanes, into this project. During his tenure, Uncle Li supposedly came across a geological map that showed a giant gold deposit near the Old Longtan district .


    The stories went on to say that Uncle Li left the geological survey team and recruited his own group to excavate the area indicated on the map. After digging continuously for about two years, they only had two objects to show for their efforts. One was a large crater, about one hundred meters deep, filled with water. The other was a large, white rock. After an additional two years, Uncle Li had exhausted his entire life savings and not a trace of the legendary gold deposit had been found. The project was at an end. During the cleanup, one of the workers threw the white stone into the water-filled pit. As it fell in, the surface of the rock cracked off and a large, golden dog head appeared. Everyone present was dumbstruck at the sight of the sparkling gold. By the time they came to their senses, it was too late. The gold had disappeared beneath the water. Numerous workers dove beneath the waves, searching for it furiously, but no one ever found it again.


    Uncle Li had a nervous breakdown on that day and never recovered. From that day on, he only knew how to say, ¡°Gold is everywhere, simply waiting for the fortunate one.¡± Occasionally, he would rave about a ¡°gold deposit¡± and ¡°the map¡±.


    That was the legend that was passed down by the villagers. However, when Shen Yu had asked her parents about it, neither of them gave much credence to the rumors. Her father had walked away with a gloomy expression and her mother only said, ¡°Don¡¯t listen to the drivel from other people, they¡¯re just making fun of the witless.¡±


    Since then, Shen Yu no longer believed the rumors about Uncle Li. Her parents were right. The neighbors loved to fabricate old stories for fun and it wouldn¡¯t be the first tall tale they told. Some of the villagers even tried to convince her that she was an adopted child.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming, I¡¯m coming!¡± Shen Yu¡¯s mother wiped her hands on her apron as she quickly walked into the room. Mrs. Shen urged her to go back to sleep and promised that Uncle Li would soon be locked up again.


    How can I go back sleep after being frightened half to death? ¡°Forget it, Mom.¡± Shen Yu yawned and lifted the quilt off of herself. ¡°I can¡¯t sleep anymore. I¡¯m going to go see Uncle Li; it¡¯s been a long time since I last saw him.¡±


    Guilt stabbed Mrs. Shen¡¯s heart. Her daughter had just gotten back home and couldn¡¯t sleep as much as she wanted. ¡°Your Uncle Li is stuck here for the rest of his life. Whenever you want to see him, he¡¯ll be here. Sleep a little more, sweetie. I know you work hard every day. You even have dark circles under your eyes!¡±


    Shen Yu beelined to the mirror to take a look. Young women all loved to look their best and she was no exception. Her dark circles were definitely more prominent than before. ¡°Mom, do we have any cucumbers in the house? I need to put some on my eyes now!¡±


    Mrs. Shen laughed. ¡°We have some, we have some! They¡¯re from our own garden, very tender and juicy! Let me go pick some for you right now!¡± Just as she was about to leave the room, Shen Yu¡¯s cell phone went off. Mrs. Shen subconsciously slowed her steps. She had a sinking feeling that her daughter¡¯s workplace was calling her to go back to work. Shen Yu hasn¡¯t even had time to rest properly. I was thinking of making some bone broth for her. Her dad just left this morning to get some nice bones for it.


    Unfortunately, Mrs. Shen¡¯s gut feeling wasn¡¯t wrong.


    ¡°Chief editor, didn¡¯t the senior editor give me three days of vacation? Why am I being called back before I even had the the first day off? I don¡¯t want to go back¡­¡±


    Mrs. Shen smiled and walked into the courtyard garden to pick cucumbers, relieved that her daughter wanted to stay at home. Just as she picked the first one, Shen Yu sped out of the room. ¡°Mom! The newspaper office called about an urgent matter! I need to go back into work!¡±


    ¡°Oh, honey¡­¡± Mrs. Shen turned around with one cucumber dangling in her hand and saw that her daughter had already went out the front door. She wiped the corner of one eye with her sleeve.


    Shen Yu¡¯s heart felt heavy as she went back to the office. Her original intention was to spend some quality time with her parents during her break but now she had to eat her own words. Her hands were tied since the editor-in-chief had personally requested she come back.


    Instead of feeling honored from getting attention from the executive editor, Shen Yu felt more perplexed at the situation. Ji Ruolan was the department beauty, it was odd that she didn¡¯t get tapped for this job. Favoritism was abundant in the newspaper industry and it didn¡¯t take long for Shen Yu to learn this lesson. Yesterday was a perfect example of this. After sniffing out a big story and painstakingly staking out the perfect shot, the managing editor immediately gave her a three day vacation. His reasoning was that she had been working there for over a year without a break and that it was finally time for her to get one. But Shen Yu knew the truth. He just wanted to give her story to someone else, someone he liked more.


    The managing editor¡¯s blatant partiality didn¡¯t bother her. Her mother had always told her, ¡°bad things are often blessings in disguise¡±, and she believed that saying. At the time, Shen Yu pretended to take his words at face value and thanked her manager for giving her time off to see her parents. She even bowed to him before she left his office and sang a cheerful tune as she left work. The senior editor was so shocked by her unexpected reaction that he thought she had lost her marbles in rage.


    When Shen Yu reached the outskirts of the small town, a black Mercedes sedan came over and stopped abruptly in front of her. The window rolled down and revealed a middle-aged man with balding hair with an ingratiating smile pasted on his face. Shen Yu¡¯s mouth almost dropped open. The person picking her up was the same senior editor who did his best to make her life difficult!


    Shen Yu suddenly felt a little faint. In her entire tenure at the newspaper, her manager was never this deferential to her. The sudden difference in treatment made her feel a little uncomfortable. As the car started moving, Shen Yu¡¯s mind teemed with thoughts about the situation. What status did this person have such that the senior editor would pick me up? Why did this person only ask for me to be the interviewer?


    The senior editor drove Shen Yu to a military district¡¯s guest house. Parked military vehicles filled an entire courtyard and she could see soldiers holding rifles guarding the main walkway. Shen Yu started to tremble. As a junior reporter she had never been present for something this official and the atmosphere intimidated her.


    Once they reached the entrance the two soldiers who were stationed there saluted Shen Yu but blocked the senior editor from going forward. A young and handsome officer greeted her and explained to her that his senior officer had been waiting for her for a long time.


    Her heart started pounding as she followed the officer upstairs. Did she hear correctly? Was there really a senior military officer waiting for her? She pinched her face to make sure she wasn¡¯t dreaming and yelped when it hurt. The male officer escorting her turned around and asked if everything was alright.


    Shen Yu shook her head furiously and mumbled under her breath, ¡°I guess I¡¯m not dreaming.¡±


    Although she tried to be quiet, her escort ended up hearing what she said. He revealed a smile that lit up his whole face.


    Shen Yu could feel her face flush. The more I look at him, the more handsome he seems.


    He led her to an elevator and they took it to the top floor of the building. While exiting the elevator, an army officer who looked about in his mid-fifties crossed their way. The young officer saluted him deferentially. ¡°Good morning, general.¡±


    After returning his greeting, the general smiled at Shen Yu. ¡°You must be the young lady that we¡¯ve been waiting for. Please proceed, the senior official has been waiting for you.¡±


    Shen Yu¡¯s eyes turned round with shock. The person waiting for her had to be of a very high rank in order for a general to be this deferential. Just what was she walking into?

 Chapter 2

    Chapter 2 ¨C She is Gold


    Shen Yu¡¯s mind went blank. It was hard for her to believe that someone that important would insist on having her be his interviewer.


    The young officer led her down the left side of the corridor. Just as they were about to go past a room, the door slammed open and three people suddenly rushed out. One of them would have ran straight into her had her escort not yanked her towards the wall.


    Shen Yu noticed that they were all wearing military uniforms. The officer next to her yelled down the hallway, ¡°Dr. Lin! What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°The senior official is not feeling well,¡± replied Dr. Lin as he continued to race down the hallway.


    Alarmed, her escort immediately started running after the other soldiers without bringing her along. Shen Yu hesitated, not sure if she should go after them or not. They had already disappeared around the corner and she was afraid she would get lost if she tried to follow.


    When he realized that Shen Yu was no longer with him, the young soldier quickly came back and grabbed her hand. ¡°Come with me quickly!¡±


    After arriving at another room, the officer started to walk in with her but they were stopped by one of the soldiers guarding the entrance.


    ¡°Oi, Lin Jiwen!¡± hollered an elderly man from inside the room. ¡°That girl should have already arrived! Why the f*ck won¡¯t you let me see her? If you don¡¯t get the hell out of my way now, you son of a bitch, I¡¯m going to f*cking kill you!¡±


    Shen Yu¡¯s face immediately turned paper white. Why does it sound like that old man had just met his sworn enemy and is ready to start slaughtering people?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, senior official, but your heart too weak and can¡¯t take any more strain,¡± came another voice from inside the room, likely the same person the old man had cursed out. ¡°Even if you decided to execute me, I still can¡¯t let you see that girl! You can see her after your condition stabilizes again. What are you in a hurry about? You finally found her, it¡¯s not like she will be going anywhere soon.¡±


    The fiery tempered old man swore another profanity. ¡°How many years did it take for me to find her?! She¡¯s finally in my grasp!¡± Shen Yu started to tremble, her face as pale as cotton. ¡°Do you realize what she represents? Gold! She is gold! A mine filled with gold! And if you don¡¯t let me see her now, you son of a bitch, I will f*cking kill you right now!¡±


    Shen Yu involuntarily took two steps back. There was something fishy about this whole situation. That old man had to be a human trafficker masquerading as military and his next target was her! He wanted to sell her for gold! I¡¯m not going to serve myself on a golden platter to him. She bolted before the officer next to her could react. She could hear him yelling her name as she ran for her life. Skipping the elevator, Shen Yu flew down the stairs to the first floor.


    But when she reached the entrance, the young officer was already there with an amused grin on his face. ¡°I¡¯m impressed. You have good speed. If you want to change careers to become a soldier, I¡¯ll put in a good word for you.¡± He flashed another smile at her.


    Shen Yu wanted to vomit blood. Become a soldier? Fat chance. The only thing she wanted right now was to be as far away as possible from that explosive old man. He had to be some kind of crime lord. If she went back up there that would be akin to her putting a gun to her head, and she wasn¡¯t that stupid.


    After having no luck in trying to convince her to go back up, the young officer called over a female soldier to forcefully carry Shen Yu back into the elevator. Her cries for help were ignored. Despite struggling the entire way, she was unable to break free from her captors.


    This time she was unceremoniously dumped into a chair in front of the old man. When she tried to get up, the female soldier immediately pressed her back down into the chair.


    The old man was dressed in the military¡¯s summer uniform. He had a heroic air about him which was emphasized by his stick straight posture. His face, however, had settled into harsh, unforgiving lines. His smiling visage looked more ferocious than friendly. One look at him was more than enough for her. Shen Yu did her best to keep her gaze away from him, her nerves stretched to their limits. The old codger stared at her like a fool for half an hour, and she could hear him occasionally muttering ¡°Gold! Gold! I finally found the gold!¡±


    ¡°Are you cold, girl? Why are you trembling so much?¡± He turned to the orderly standing right next him. ¡°Chen, go grab a blanket for her.¡±


    Without any question, an army issued blanket was wrapped around Shen Yu even though it was the hot June day. The temperature was scorching yet she was too scared to take the blanket off. When it became apparent that she was overheating, the orderly couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and took the blanket off of her and turned on the air conditioner.


    ¡°Grandpa!¡± exclaimed the young officer. ¡°What are you doing? She doesn¡¯t have malaria fever. She¡¯s shivering because you¡¯ve scared her half to death.¡±


    The hot-tempered old man¡¯s eyes lit up in realization. ¡°Now that makes sense! I was wondering why she looked so abnormal, sitting there with her head bobbing like she¡¯s having an epileptic fit! Alright, I¡¯m going to take my medicine now because if it waits for too long you¡¯ll have to find funeral clothes to wear! I can¡¯t die before the gold is found! I¡¯m counting on you, grandson, to make things clear for her.¡± He quickly left the room with his personal orderly at his side.


    Shen Yu let out a sigh of relief when she saw the old man leave. She cursed at him in her heart. Epilepsy? He and his whole family should get checked out!


    ¡°Alright, everybody leave.¡± The young officer emptied the room before turning back to Shen Yu, a smile on his face.


    When she first saw him smile, Shen Yu had thought that he was a very attractive man. Now every time she saw that grin she felt like it was the leer of a gangster. The brighter the smile, the warier she felt.


    ¡°What¡­what do you guys¡­want to do?¡± she stuttered.


    He revealed a grin that showcased his perfectly even teeth. ¡°Forgive my manners, I haven¡¯t even introduced myself. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Miss Reporter, I am Tang Can!¡± He took out his military identification card and showed it to Shen Yu. The card listed a string of words that denoted his military rank but, in the end, the only thing she could remember was his name.


    Reporter. She remembered she had been brought here for a reason. Both the editor-in-chief and senior editor had stated that she was needed to interview someone. Apparently that had only been an excuse to make her come in!


    ¡°What do you guys actually want to do? You guys lured me here with the prospect of an interview, but what are your actual intentions?¡± Shen Yu exclaimed. I knew it! I knew things were too good to be true when they called me in for this ¡°interview¡±!


    ¡°What interview? Didn¡¯t your office explain things to you?¡± Tang Can looked confused, as if he was the one who had been tricked instead of her.


    Shen Yu inspected his expression quickly and started to sneer. Who was the one telling stories now?


    Tang Can ignored her obvious contempt and smiled slightly. He pivoted around to grab a set of photographs and gave them to her. Yellow with age, the photos depicted people Shen Yu didn¡¯t recognize. After looking through them a couple of times, she quickly lost interest. ¡°Is there anything wrong with saying things clearly and out in the open?¡± She asked directly. ¡°For people who are supposedly from the military, why was there talk of exchanging me for gold?¡±


    Tang Can laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll explain everything to you. Please take a closer look at these photos first, they should contain two people who are linked to you. You may not recognize the woman, but do you recognize the man?¡±


    Shen Yu took a closer look at the pictures after being prompted by him. Suddenly, her face drained of color and she couldn¡¯t help but exclaim, ¡°Uncle Li?¡±

 Chapter 3

    Chapter 3 ¨C The Disappearing Gold Mine


    The man in the old photo looked like Uncle Li. Shen Yu carefully examined the yellowing photo several times before confirming that it was indeed Uncle Li in his youth.


    While she was looking at the photos, Tang Can had brewed two cups of tea and sat across the table from her. Shen Yu glanced at him, suspecting he was going to spill the beans on some old family history. Now this was a story she was interested in!


    ¡°Do you know what dog¡¯s head gold is?¡± Before she could reply, he continued to talk. ¡°This type of gold is formed naturally in outer space and not on Earth. The gold is shaped similarly to a dog¡¯s head. Hence, the name.¡±


    Shen Yu snorted and looked at him impatiently. ¡°Stop beating about the bush and get to the point. I don¡¯t need a recap of popular science.¡±


    Tang Can chuckled, not at all offended by her lack of courtesy. ¡°Please sit back and relax a bit. It can¡¯t be comfortable for you to be sitting in that position for too long.¡±


    Shen Yu was startled. It sounded like Tang Can wanted to explain every single detail of the past to her. She wasn¡¯t sure if she wanted to listen to a story that long, but when he started telling the tale, she found out it was more interesting than she had anticipated. The story entailed not only her Uncle Li, but also included aspects relevant to her life. The mysterious gold mine was also included in the tale.


    All of the events happened several years before Shen Yu was born.


    In 1978, the vice-premier of the country declared, ¡°Let the army go find gold!¡± The nation followed his proposal and formed a special military unit, the first of its kind in the world.


    The Gold Discovery Armed Forces quickly traveled throughout the country. Within a few years, they had covered the entire country and explored up to the borders.


    During one year, one of the squads from the Gold Discovery Armed Forces decided to team up with some geologists to make a preliminary expedition group. The group¡¯s purpose was to investigate the mysterious Lop Nor (a salt lake located in Xinjiang province of China, used as a site for nuclear testing) district. After two years of backbreaking work, the group had nothing to show for its efforts. Just as they were about to leave the site, they found that one of the geologists and two of his students were missing. Working together, the geologists and the soldiers searched the area for the three lost people.


    Two days later, the team finally found them but the missing people were on the verge of death. After giving emergency first aid, they managed to rescue the two students, but it was too late for the geologist. His heart had given out from stress. He left behind a camera and his knapsack. When the team opened the backpack, what they found inside shocked them. Besides the researcher¡¯s journal, there was also a large metal ore that weighed around two kilograms and about eighty percent of it was dog¡¯s head gold. Although it was not the first piece of dog¡¯s head gold found in the country, it was one of the largest.


    In order to commemorate his memory, the team sent the deceased researcher¡¯s belongings to the National Geological Museum. The museum employees did not expect the camera to contain anything interesting so no one looked closely at the pictures after they were developed. The journal and the photos were stored in the museum¡¯s storage vault and were forgotten. At the time no one knew that the photos contained clues to the world¡¯s largest mineral deposit.


    A few years later, the museum¡¯s manager was tidying up junk and rediscovered the geologist¡¯s belongings. Unfortunately, most of the camera¡¯s pictures had been destroyed by mold and only a few out of the original twenty were still usable. The images showed a mountain of gold sparkling in the harsh sun of the desert, shocking everyone who saw them.


    The excitement generated by these photos influenced people to flip through the deceased geologist¡¯s journal. The last couple of pages depicted the time when the geologist and the students were missing. It described in detail how they had found countless ores of dog¡¯s head gold and used their equipment to find the exact coordinates of the gold deposit. With those measurements, the geologist and his students were able to draw a map. In their excitement, they had miscalculated their supply of food and water. By the time they set off to go back to the expedition team, their supplies had completely run out. Only death awaited for them in the desert. The last of the entries ended just before the rescuers had found them.


    Despite frantically looking for the map that the journal mentioned, no one ever found it. It was not with the other belongings that were stashed at the museum. Even so, the government at that time was shocked by the news. Unfortunately, too much time had passed. The geologist had been dead for years and no one knew where his two students went. Tracking down people was not as easy as it was today.


    The commanding army officer of that expedition unit had always felt depressed about the whole situation. By letting the largest gold deposit in the world slip away, he had missed his chance to become immortalized in the history books. It was one of the biggest setbacks of his life.


    Tang Can let out a long sigh after he finished telling the story. His eyes were dark with emotion and evidence of moisture could be seen at the corners.


    As a reporter, Shen Yu was familiar with making deductions based on incomplete information. Tang Can was probably the son of that military officer. If she combined that with what she knew about Uncle Li, what was his role in all of this?


    She paused before slowly asking Tang Can. ¡°Was Uncle Li the student of the geologist?¡±


    He smiled with difficulty. The smile was just as attractive as before but his obvious discomfort made her feel uncomfortable. He nodded. ¡°You are very intelligent!¡±


    Shen Yu wasn¡¯t naive enough to take his words as a true compliment. Most of the facts had already been laid out. She would be a very poor reporter if she wasn¡¯t able to deduce this much.


    A frown crossed her face. She still wasn¡¯t sure how these past events were linked with her. Uncle Li had been crazy for as long as she knew him, and it was not as if she could have talked to him about his past. All she knew were the rumors passed down by villagers. Tang Can actually knew more about Uncle Li¡¯s past than she did! None of this explained why he and his men had sought her out.


    ¡°Since you guys were able to find me, then I assume you already know that Uncle Li is a madman. I wasn¡¯t even alive when he had left the expedition team. If you¡¯re trying to find out more about Uncle Li, I am not the best person to ask, you should go ask my parents instead!¡±


    Tang Can massaged his eyes and cleared his throat in an effort to control his reactions. Talking about his father¡¯s past seemed to draw out strong emotions.


    Shen Yu waited patiently for him to slowly calm down, understanding that this was a difficult topic for him. After regaining control of himself, Tang Can¡¯s face turned slightly red out of embarrassment, ¡°Please forgive me for my poor manners.¡±


    A warm smile graced her face. ¡°Your story was very interesting, but how is any of this related to me?¡± she reiterated.


    She thought about the unsettling events that occurred just a couple of hours ago. The old man was quite agitated when he saw her and she recalled exactly what he said. ¡°Gold! Gold! A mine filled with gold!¡± None of that made any sense to her.


    Tang Can ignored her question as if he never heard it. He inspected the tea in front of them and stated that he would get some fresh tea as drinking cold tea was bad for one¡¯s stomach. After smiling again at her, he stood up to switch out the tea.

 Chapter 4

    Chapter 4 ¨C The Affairs of the Shen Family


    Shen Yu furrowed her brows. The tight expression on her face betrayed the fact that she had reached the end of her patience. She watched resentfully as Tang Can poured out the lukewarm tea from the cups but did not say anything.


    The emptied cups were brought back to the table. Shen Yu reached out a hand to block Tang Can from pouring more tea.


    He chuckled gently, ¡°You don¡¯t want to drink any more tea?¡±


    She shook her head and glared at him. ¡°We¡¯re not at a tea shop and I¡¯m not a tea procurer! Stop making me drink tea!¡± Her voice was sharp with impatience. ¡°If you have something to say, just say it directly! I¡¯m just a lowly commoner and need to work to make a living. I don¡¯t have the time to waste spittle on you!¡±


    Tang Can smiled awkwardly at her outburst. Just as he was about to reply, someone knocked on the door and he went to answer it.


    Shen Yu couldn¡¯t see who he was talking to but Tang Can spent a significant amount of time with this person. Unfortunately, they were chatting at a volume too low for her to overhear. Her butt was getting sore from sitting for too long. She fidgeted around before noticing the stack of photos on top of the coffee table and picked them up. The top photo showed Uncle Li and some other men all sporting bowl haircuts. Despite knowing that it was fashionable at the time, she couldn¡¯t help but laugh at the picture.


    As a journalist, Shen Yu was well versed in analyzing the composition of photos. She noticed immediately that the photo had been deliberately posed. The image showed Uncle Li holding a magnifying glass as if he was inspecting something but the positioning of his eyes showed that he was looking at the photographer. The pictures also all included an unknown young woman. Shen Yu idly wondered if that woman was Uncle Li¡¯s girlfriend at the time. Based on the positioning of the lady¡¯s body and hands, it seemed like she did not want her picture taken.


    One particular photo showed Uncle Li holding onto that young woman. He was smiling brilliantly but the young woman had her hand covering up half of her face. Shen Yu noticed that the woman had on a silver bracelet with a little bell on it. She immediately lifted her left wrist to look at her bracelet. It was given to her by her mother and it looked very similar to the one in the picture.


    Other than the staged work photos, there were a couple of team pictures. A bunch of people managed to squeeze themselves into a small area. There were so many people that all of their faces were about the size of an ant and it was difficult to pick out individual features.


    Shen Yu focused on one of the group photos. She noticed that there seemed to be a familiar figure at the edge of that photo, even though the face was half covered up by a hat. The person¡¯s large, toothy grin was very similar to her father¡¯s, and the shape of his mouth and teeth seemed to match perfectly.


    After inspecting the photo carefully, Shen Yu concluded that the man in the photo had to be her father in his youth. But that didn¡¯t make sense! From her understanding, Uncle Li was the only one in the family who had a college education. Her father had been a farmer his whole life with his feet planted firmly in the mud. Even though he lived in the city for a couple of years, he had never left the province. Her father had accompanied her to college once and she remembered very clearly the awe he had when they sat on the train. He found it inconceivable that the engine could pull something so big. Shen Yu quickly rationalized that the person in the photo had to be a look-alike. When Tang Can came back, she put down the photos and stood up.


    His face was full of regret when he faced Shen Yu. ¡°I had originally wanted you to see someone today but I just got some news that the person had a relapse of an old illness and can no longer see visitors. It looks like it¡¯ll be a few days before that person is well enough again. I¡¯ll have some people send you home right now. I¡¯ll also talk to your newspaper office and have them give you a long vacation.¡±


    Shen Yu was not pleased with this plan. She had been dragged here willy-nilly against her will, had the life scared out of her by an old geezer and now they wanted to send her home without explaining anything! She tampered her temper down with difficulty and reminded herself that it was best not to offend those above her. Even the editor-in-chief had be polite to these people, let alone a small-time reporter like her. If they wanted her to wait, then she would have to wait.


    After taking a military escort home, Shen Yu sought out her parents to discuss what happened. She found them in the courtyard. Her mother was holding a basket of soybean sprouts and her father was silently smoking his pipe. As she was explaining the day¡¯s events, her mother accidentally threw the basket in the air. The soybean sprouts scattered all over the courtyard, covering the ground like a yellow carpet.


    ¡°You muddle headed woman, what in tarnation are you doing?¡± Mr. Shen lost interest in his pipe after seeing the mess. He continued to lecture Mrs. Shen on her shortcomings with exasperation.


    Her mother set the basket on the ground and quickly gathered up the sprouts, her face pale.


    ¡°A little extra dirt on the sprouts never hurt them,¡± Shen Yu said as she tried to relieve the awkward atmosphere for her mother. ¡°Aren¡¯t you trading them in for tofu? The extra weight from the dirt can get us more tofu!¡±


    Her father glanced at her and then silently walked out of the courtyard. She smiled as she helped her mother put the rest of the sprouts back into the basket. When she looked back up, there was no trace of her father. She had a sneaking suspicion that he had gone to his old haunt, so she walked to the back of the house. In the distance, she could see her father squatting underneath the willow tree next to a small pond as he started out into space. Wisps of smoke from his tobacco pipe formed a cloud around him.


    Shen Yu¡¯s father had always gotten mad whenever her mother committed a mistake, no matter how big or small. In her memory, her father rarely talked to her mother unless it was to scold Mrs. Shen. He had never been a talkative person and usually just ignored Mrs. Shen at home. Her mother, on the other hand, was always jabbering incessantly at him.


    Shen Yu¡¯s father would often leave the house without telling anyone, especially in the middle of the night. Whenever that happened, Mrs. Shen would always try to find him and the whole village could hear her call, ¡°Little Yu¡¯s dad! Little Yu¡¯s dad!¡± There were a couple of times when some of the neighborhood¡¯s little kids got scared from hearing her search for Mr. Shen. To make it up to them, she brought over some porridge and eggs and asked the village elders to comfort the children.


    As a child, Shen Yu didn¡¯t really understand her parents¡¯ relationship. When she grew older, she realized that they did not have a loving marriage. But this seemed to be an accepted norm in the village. Unlike people living in the cities, the villagers here did not view romantic love as a necessity when considering marriage. Most couples ended up together for the sake of settling down and raising a family. New ideas came slowly to the farming villages, and most farmers were preoccupied with making a living to feed their family.


    Their neighbors had once told Shen Yu that many years ago her grandfather, father, and Uncle Li had left the village to live in the city. They had a small shop there. However, when her grandfather¡¯s health collapsed and her Uncle Li became insane, they were no longer able to support themselves and had to come back. Luckily they still had a small plot of land that could grow enough crops to feed them and an old farmhouse with three rooms. After fixing up the old house, they were able to survive in the village. Although Shen Yu¡¯s father had grown up in the village, he never tried to socialize with the villagers when he came back. Shen Yu¡¯s mother was the one who had to make connections with their neighbors but not everyone welcomed her at first. Slowly but surely, her mother¡¯s relationships with the villagers improved and people were willing to help if they needed it.


    Because of that, the villagers liked Mrs. Shen a lot more than they liked Mr. Shen, especially since her personality was outgoing and friendly. Later on, some people told Shen Yu that her mother had also received a college education and was much more talented than most people.


    When she asked her mother about this, her mother laughed out loud. ¡°Stop listening to those gossips. I¡¯m an orphan! I was lucky that your father didn¡¯t hold that against me and still wanted to live his life with me. If it wasn¡¯t for your father, I likely would have died of starvation a long time ago¡±

 Chapter 5

    Chapter 5 ¨C Strange Things


    Shen Yu let out a long sigh. It was difficult for her to understand the lifestyle choices of the older generation.


    She walked towards the willow tree where her father was crouching. When he saw her, he silently took off his canvas shoes and gave them to her so she could sit on them instead of the dirt on the ground.


    Shen Yu¡¯s father continued to puff soundlessly on his pipe. The embers in the pipe¡¯s bowl flickered as strands of white smoke rose into the air. The spicy scent of tobacco slowly diffused into the air around them and Shen Yu started to sputter when she choked on the smoke. Her father twisted his head to glance at her and took the pipe out of his mouth. He flipped it over to dump the rest of the tobacco onto the ground and ground his foot on the smoldering embers.


    She flashed a smile at her father. Her father loved her and this was one of his ways of showing it.


    Silence reigned between them. Shen Yu could feel her legs going slowly numb and turned slowly towards her father. ¡°Dad, how much do you know about Uncle Li¡¯s past?¡±


    Her father acted as if he didn¡¯t hear her question and continued to stare blankly in front of him. His eyes were still like a dead person¡¯s and it was if his mind had wandered into a different world.


    Inwardly she sighed. It was a waste of her breath to ask him this question, but it wasn¡¯t out of character for him. After living twenty plus years with him as his daughter, she should have known better. The villagers called people like him ¡°closed mouthed gourds¡±, and her father¡¯s nickname in the village was Mr. Gourd.


    After she went back to the house, she asked her mom about Uncle Li again. Her mother smiled. ¡°By the time I was with your father, your Uncle Li was already crazy. You know your dad¡¯s personality, he¡¯s as close-mouthed as a clam! He never bothered to tell me anything that happened before we met.¡±


    Shen Yu didn¡¯t know whether she should laugh or cry. Whenever someone asked a question that no one wanted to answer in her family, the default answer was ¡°I don¡¯t know¡±. However, she was not discouraged. There were other methods to discover what she wanted to know. Bad news always traveled farther than good news and Shen Yu had a suspicion that the villagers knew more than she suspected. After all, gossip was the lifeblood of a nation.


    In the afternoon she went to the village square and squatted in the shade of the tree to chat with some of her neighbors. In her town, she was considered to be one of the more successful young ladies. For the youths who left the rural countryside, there were two general types. The first kind were those who came back and were not arrogant. They were praised by the villagers for remembering their roots. The second kind were haughty and thought highly of themselves for leaving. The villagers often cursed those people behind their backs. Shen Yu was the former type. Despite obtaining a college education and living in an urban environment, she never looked down at the ordinary farmers and workers of her hometown. Therefore it wasn¡¯t surprising that the villagers liked to socialize with her whenever she came back to visit.


    Without much effort, she learned that Tang Can and his team had stopped by the village a month ago. Apparently they went to the Shen¡¯s house to talk to her parents and check on Uncle Li. Unfortunately, no one knew what was discussed behind the walls. At the time, the more curious neighbors tried to scale the courtyard wall to eavesdrop but the local police shooed them away like they were swatting away mosquitos. The town secretary had commiserated with the soldiers before they left. According to him, the daughter of the Shen family was the only one with her head screwed on right, the rest of the members were either crazy or simple-minded¡­


    Shen Yu immediately felt better after learning this information. She had wondered why they sought out her and now she had the answer. Unfortunately for them, she knew less about her family¡¯s affairs than the secretary had thought! Even the neighbors knew more about her family than she did!


    After connecting all of the dots, Shen Yu sighed and felt a little dizzy. She was tired after spending all of that time with Tang Can and his men and listening to stories from the distant past. She was even supposed to meet someone face-to-face but ended up not being able to due to that person¡¯s health. Other than that bad-tempered old man, who else could it be?


    That night, Shen Yu could hear the chorus of frogs croaking in the pond behind the farmhouse. She had trouble sleeping after the day¡¯s events and decided to sneak out of the house. Stars carpeted the sky. She found a raised patch of dirt in the backyard and sat down, staring at the night sky. Her thoughts went back to that scary old geezer as she idly counted the stars. His reaction to her still didn¡¯t make any sense. Why did he did he see mountains of gold when he met her?


    An unknown amount of time passed when she suddenly heard some footsteps in the alley behind her. In the shadows, she could see two people walking, one much taller than the other. They stopped a distance away from the farmhouse and started talking in indistinct murmurs. The taller one left first while the other shadow stood there for a while before returning back to the house. Shen Yu¡¯s eyes widened when she recognized the smaller figure; it was her mother!


    Shocked, she stood up and started pelting towards the alley. The sound of the silver bell on her bracelet pierced the silent night, but Shen Yu didn¡¯t notice it. She had worn the bracelet every day for many years and was already used to its jingle whenever she moved. Her thoughts raced as she strove to catch up with that mysterious person. The larger individual was not her father, that much Shen Yu was sure about. So then who was that person?


    Just as she was about the reach the mouth of the alley, a stray cat suddenly darted in front of her. Shen Yu tumbled and fell face first into the mud, accidentally sandwiching the animal in between her legs. An ear piercing yowl shattered the peaceful night. Seconds later, Shen Yu could hear the cat scrambling up a nearby wall after it disentangled itself from her. Her chest throbbed with pain as she slowly picked herself up from the ground. By the time she got back on her feet, the person she was chasing had long disappeared.


    Shen Yu silently cursed as she looked down both sides of the street. If it wasn¡¯t for that stupid cat, I could have caught that person. From her left, she saw someone appear, walking slowly towards her.


    ¡°Little Yu, is that you?¡±, hollered the shadowy figure. ¡°Why are you out so late?¡±


    The sudden noise made all of her hair stand on end as if she had just met a ghost. The person calling her was no other than her mother.

 Chapter 6

    Chapter 6 ¨C The Disappearance of Uncle Li


    Shen Yu couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Her mother had clearly just walked back into the house, why did she suddenly appear on the other side of the road? A feeling of dread slowly creeped up, as if a spider was slowly spinning a web of unease into her heart.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep, so I thought a quick walk would help,¡± Shen Yu replied, trying her best to act normal as her mother stopped right next to her. It was never good to startle to object of your suspicions. ¡°Mom, where did you go?¡±


    Mrs. Shen smiled. ¡°I was at Aunt Wang¡¯s for a little bit! She wanted to talk to me about introducing one of her nephews to you. This one does some business in the city.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Shen Yu had nothing more to add and followed her mother back to the house. The front door squeaked open when she pushed on it. Shen Yu frowned. She had thought she heard the door being bolted shut just a couple of minutes ago. What was going on? Did she hallucinate everything that just happened?  Her head started to feel dizzy as she questioned herself.


    The next morning at dawn, she dragged herself out of bed and went over to her Aunt Wang¡¯s. Although it was early in the day, none of the villagers had the habit of sleeping in, so the metal door to her aunt¡¯s residence was already wide open when she got there. Her aunt was in the courtyard, cooing softly at the chickens as she scattered feed from a dried gourd. Next to her was Shen Yu¡¯s Uncle Wang, holding a hoe. From the looks of it, he was just about to go out into the fields.


    Uncle Wang smiled when he saw her. ¡°Hey! Little Yu came over to visit us!¡±


    ¡°Good morning, Uncle Wang. My mother accidentally lost her keys last night, so I¡¯m here to help her find them. Is that okay?¡± Shen Yu lied blithely as she walked into the residence.


    ¡°Sure, sure! Make yourself at home. Go ask your aunt to help you, I¡¯m going to fields right now!¡± He walked out of the front door jauntily.


    Shen Yu paused for a second when her uncle passed by her. Something about his tall figure reminded her of the mysterious shadow from last night.


    ¡°Little Yu, come inside!¡± Aunt Wang grabbed her wrist and lead her inside. Shen Yu quickly lost track of her thoughts as her aunt started chatting at her.


    Aunt Wang cheerfully helped Shen Yu look for her mother¡¯s so called ¡°lost keys¡± as she jabbered nonstop. She mentioned that Shen Yu¡¯s mother had come over last night to talk. Although that matched her mother¡¯s story, Shen Yu¡¯s vague feeling of discomfort increased. She wasn¡¯t sure what to think when the information she sought didn¡¯t give her any answers.


    When she got back home, she found her father in the courtyard sharpening the head of his hoe, the tell-tale screech of the tool filling the air. On the side, her mother was adding more wood to the stove that heated up a gurgling pot. The savory smell of rice wafted through the air.


    Shen Yu sat down at a nearby wooden bench and watched her parents silently as they did their chores. A strange sensation crept up her body as she slowly realized that, despite living with them for twenty plus years, she didn¡¯t understand her parents at all. Panic settled into her as that thought became more concrete.


    She continued to brood on those thoughts until her mother told her to get ready to eat breakfast. Shen Yu crossed the main courtyard and headed over the side courtyard where her Uncle Li lived.


    Unlike the city, where space was at a premium, the countryside had enough space for larger residences. Most of the farmsteads had houses with a main courtyard and side courtyard. The side courtyard was usually used by the villages to either store junk or house some farm animals. In her family, the side courtyard was reserved for Uncle Li.


    Mrs. Shen was a very diligent person and kept the side courtyard very clean and neat. A bamboo fence with a gate separated the two courtyards, and it was usually kept locked with an iron chain. There were only two, small rooms in the side courtyard. The rooms had lower ceilings compared to the main house but it was still habitable. Uncle Li usually lived in the inner room and was only let out for meals. Whenever someone came over to let Uncle Li out, he would run out and mumble continuously¡°I want to eat meat buns, I want to eat meat buns¡­¡±


    When Shen Yu reached the side courtyard, she found that the gate was slightly ajar and the metal chain was draped uselessly over the fence. She had a sinking feeling that Uncle Li was not inside.


    ¡°Mom, you must have forgotten to lock the gate yesterday!¡±


    Her mother rushed into the hallway, still holding a rice paddle.


    ¡°I must have forgotten when I came back late yesterday!¡± Mrs. Shen¡¯s face was pale. She started to chatter, as if she was trying to comfort herself. ¡°Your Uncle Li probably stayed inside, he¡¯s been very obedient these past couple of years. He¡¯s likely gotten used to staying in his rooms and wouldn¡¯t have run out because the gate was open.¡± She pushed the gate open and quickly walked into the side courtyard.


    Shen Yu followed her mother and they both entered the inner room. On the heated bed, other than some blankets were some half-gnawed cucumbers. There was no sign of Uncle Li.


    Mrs. Shen¡¯s face dropped. ¡°Oh no!¡± She turned to run out of the room but then quickly ran back in. She searched through the room frantically. ¡°Don¡¯t be naughty, Little Li, don¡¯t hide from me¡­¡± The blankets were pulled off of the bed and when only a straw mattress appeared, Mrs. Shen sat down on the dirt floor in shock. Her eyes were huge as she stared into space with unfocused eyes.


    Shen Yu knew then that Uncle Li was no longer to be found. The greatest responsibility lay on Mrs. Shen and she had an idea at the thoughts going through her mind. Her mother was likely worried about Uncle Li and was also worried about Mr. Shen becoming angry. Shen Yu bent down to support her mother up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mom. Uncle Li probably didn¡¯t run off for too far. He might be just getting some fresh air. Let¡¯s go find him right now!¡±


    Mrs. Shen was left with no other option and followed her daughter out of the room to find Uncle LI, her face as white as a sheet.


    Shen Yu was praying that Uncle Li had not fallen into any trouble while he was out free. If he did some minor damage to other people¡¯s property, her family could afford to pay reparations. As long as they found him safe and sound, everything else didn¡¯t really matter. Her prayer were in vain, however, as they were not able to find him even after searching for several days. Even the local police couldn¡¯t find any sign of him.


    During this time, Uncle and Aunt Wang also had problems. The neighbors told Shen Yu that Aunt Wang¡¯s nephew was not a good person and Uncle Wang disapproved of her plan to introduce him to her. Aunt Wang rowed with Uncle Wang about this and even scratched his face raw with her fingers. After the fight, she even left the Wang residence to go back to her parents.


    Aunt Wang¡¯s reputation in the town was not good, and many villagers considered her to be a shrew. Because she came from a well-off family, she often used her family¡¯s background to bully Uncle Wang. When they were young, they fought frequently and viciously. The only reason that they were able to stay together for so long was because Uncle Wang likely felt bad for her being unable to have children. Otherwise, they likely would have divorced twenty years ago.


    The villagers viewed all of this with a calm eye. Some even hoped that Mrs. Wang would stay with her parents and never come back!


    Shen Yu listened to the town gossip with limited interest. She had enough of her own issues to deal with and didn¡¯t feel like meddling in the affairs of others. Although Uncle Li was insane, he was still a member of the Shen family and his disappearance gnawed at her.


    Mrs. Shen became more and more depressed with every passing day. Although there were times she felt annoyed at her husband¡¯s mentally unsound brother, she had never wished him ill and felt terrible about his disappearance.


    Surprisingly, Shen Yu¡¯s father never yelled at her mother for her mistake. His days fell into a simple pattern. Every day he would go out and search for Uncle Li and only come back when it was late. At home, he puffed on his tobacco, his silent figure betraying his worry. This pattern repeated until one morning Shen Yu and her mother discovered that her father could not be awakened from his slumber. Despite all of their efforts, Mr. Shen remained unconscious. Frightened, Shen Yu and her mother sent her father to the hospital. At the hospital, the doctors could not find out what was wrong with Mr. Shen so all they could say was that the stress about Uncle Li likely overtaxed his body. That night, Shen Yu¡¯s father finally woke up. Seeing that he was doing okay, Mrs. Shen returned back to the village to make sure no one broke into the residence during their absence.


    Shen Yu stayed at the hospital until her father was finally discharged. When they returned to the town, she noticed that there was a piece of white paper pasted onto their wall. It was the custom of the village to paste white paper on a residence when there was a family death.


    They were quickly informed while Shen Yu¡¯s father was recovering in the hospital, Uncle Li had been found. Except, he wasn¡¯t alive when they found him. Apparently, Uncle Li had fallen into an old abandoned well and died from the impact. Because the weather had been so hot, by the time the villages had found him, his body had already started decomposing. The villagers had helped Mrs. Shen bring up his dead body and concealed the news from Mr. Shen as they were afraid his constitution could not take further stress. The police didn¡¯t bother to conduct an autopsy on his body because everyone knew that Uncle Li was a madman, so no foul play was suspected.


    The regrets of the living cannot resurrect the dead. Although Shen Yu felt sad about the whole situation, the case of Uncle Li¡¯s disappearance could finally be closed.


    Later on, Shen Yu accidentally overheard one of the townspeople discussing the situation. ¡°¡­I once heard that when people died, their bodies will shrink in size. Back then I thought that person was just pulling my leg but now I know it as a true fact! The idiot Li was about 170 cm when he was alive but when they found his body, apparently it had shrunken quite a bit!¡±


    That information shocked Shen Yu. What was going on?

 Chapter 7

    Chapter 7 ¨C Her Parents¡¯ Secrets


    There was something fishy going on, but she couldn¡¯t put her finger on it. Shen Yu could only say that there was a weird atmosphere right now and it was making it hard for her to breathe. The more she thought about it, the more anxiety she felt.


    Her life had gotten more and more complicated ever since she met Tang Can and his crew. Now it culminated with Uncle Li passing away in a freak accident. The villagers would say that Tang Can was the unlucky star in her life. As long as he had an influence on her, bad luck would continue to come.


    Shen Yu had been on ¡®vacation¡¯ for more than twenty days at this point, and yet Tang Can never came back to find her. Her workplace, the newspaper office, also never called her back into work.


    In this day and age, it was rare for anyone who worked for a living to have a vacation this long for no particular reason. Other people may consider this a blessing, but, to her, the situation was starting to smell a little bit sour.


    She had a sneaking feeling that she might need to look for a new job at this point. Since her father had mostly recovered from his health scare, she really didn¡¯t have a reason to stay here any longer. Shen Yu wanted to go back to the office to find out if she was going to be fired, and to collect her salary from last month!


    After giving herself a pep talk, Shen Yu told her parents her plans to stop by the newspaper office. She had only walked down one street before she could hear sounds of a scuffle in her parent¡¯s residence. Alarmed, Shen Yu turned around and sprinted back home. When she reached the front gate, her first instinct was to rush in and find out what was going on, but something inside her hesitated. After thinking quickly, Shen Yu decided to go to the back of the house.


    There was nothing but empty space behind the house, and most farmsteads only had one large window in the back. In the summer, most residences, including hers, kept the back window wide open to let the breeze through. The window was about a meter and a half above ground. Shen Yu measured about one hundred and sixty centimeters tall, so it wasn¡¯t difficult for her to have a clear view through that window.


    Shen Yu carefully hid herself behind the back wall as she peeked through the window. Inside she saw a scene that astounded her. Her father was pulling her mother¡¯s hair with his hand as he whipped her with a towel! Shen Yu fought down the desire to rush in and stop what was happening. She wanted to know what secrets her parents were hiding, especially since there were some unanswered questions about Uncle Li¡¯s death.


    As the fight continued, Shen Yu¡¯s father ended up pulling out a couple strands of hair from Shen Yu¡¯s mother. Her mother screamed in pain and pushed her father away. Mr. Shen stumbled back a couple of steps after being pushed, his eyes widening such that the whites of his eyes could be seen. He stood there, breathing heavily as he glared at Mrs. Shen.


    After an indeterminate amount of time passed, he resumed whipping the towel in his hand at his wife. ¡°You piece of shit!¡± he snarled, his voice trembling. ¡°How dare you fight back?¡±


    Mrs. Shen started to cry piteously. ¡°Stop hitting me, Shen Bai! We¡¯ve been together for so many years, can you forgive me? Those people are already at our doorstep, if you make a fuss now, wouldn¡¯t they find out everything? If they figure out exactly what happened all of those years ago, who knows what they¡¯ll do to us!¡±


    After hearing those words, Shen Yu¡¯s father immediately stopped what he was doing and staggered back a couple of steps, his eyes staring into space. The room became oppressively quiet as he stood there like a statue. Then, he glared at Mrs. Shen with murderous intent, and quickly walked over to her and slapped her face forcefully. ShenYu¡¯s mother did not try to dodge the blow, and a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of her math, her eyes were full of tears. Despite what happened, her eyes were gentle as she looked at Mr. Shen.


    Shen Yu could not watch anymore and moved toward the window. She quickly scrambled up the window sill and jumped into the room. The sudden movement frightened both of her parents, her mother¡¯s face was half red and half white.


    ¡°Dad, why did you hit mom?¡± Shen Yu asked plaintively as tears streamed down her face. This was the loudest tone of voice she had ever used towards her dad.


    Shen Yu¡¯s father¡¯s complexion turned gray and his lips curled a bit as if he wanted to say something. However, not a sound came out. His yellowing eyes lifelessly met Shen Yu¡¯s as he used his right hand to take a hand-rolled cigarette from the inside of his shirt pocket. His hand trembled as he lit the tobacco. He inhaled the smoke sharply, the spicy hot smell causing him to cough several times.


    Shen Yu¡¯s towering fury melted away when she saw that her father was still using old homework papers to roll his tobacco. The familiar sight caused her tears to fall down faster.


    Very few people nowadays rolled their own tobacco leaves to smoke. Even people who lived in the rural countryside had mostly abandoned that habit, but her father was different. When Shen Yu was a child, her father often used her graded homework papers to roll his tobacco. In her memory, she could still clearly see the red marks that her teacher left behind on the paper being twisted around the joint. Sometimes, her father would end up putting his mouth on the part that had ink on it and the red ink would dye her father¡¯s lips. When he licked his lips, he would swallow the red ink.


    When she first started working, the first thing she bought with her first check were two packs of factory rolled cigarettes. Her father had smiled in delight when she gave them to him, his whole face lit up in pleasure. But she found out later that he never used them. He sold them at the village thrift store for money and continued to roll his own tobacco. The paper he used now was from the next door neighbor¡¯s kid¡¯s finished homework.


    This type of father, did she have any qualifications to treat him poorly?


    Shen Yu glanced at her father, her heart aching, as she supported her mother to go to another room. She quietly inspected her mother¡¯s wounds and saw that her scalp had an angry red patch where the hair had been ripped off. They didn¡¯t have any rubbing alcohol at home so she had to find the liquor that her father drank. She carefully poured a little on her mother¡¯s scalp and used it to disinfect the area. The smell of cheap liquor filled the air as Mrs. Shen yelped quietly in pain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, sweetie, your dad is just in a bad mood. He feels very bad about the whole Uncle Li situation. Letting him vent his anger is good for him, otherwise he¡¯ll just fall sick again from the stress¡­this is all my fault too. If it wasn¡¯t for me, your Uncle Li wouldn¡¯t have escaped and fell down the well. Don¡¯t blame your father¡­¡± Her mother chattered on, trying to reassure Shen Yu.


    Shen Yu remained silent, her mind flipping through the scenes she had just saw. She couldn¡¯t help thinking about what her mother said to her father during the fight.


    ¡°Those people are already at our doorstep, if you make a fuss now, wouldn¡¯t they find out everything? If they figure out exactly what happened all of those years ago, who knows what they¡¯ll do to us!¡±


    Just what secrets were her parents hiding?

 Chapter 8

    Chapter 8 ¨C The Convict¡¯s Granddaughter


    What kind of family was the Shen family? What were the hidden pasts of her parents? On the surface, her parents were ordinary, law-abiding citizens, not much different from the other farmers in her village. However, still waters run deep, and Shen Yu was starting to discover that nothing was as simple as it seemed.


    Shen Yu kept up a calm facade in front of her parents and went to the village doctor to buy some antibiotics. After her mother took the antibiotics, Shen Yu told her mom she was leaving to go back to the office. Mrs Shen exhorted her to take care on her way there. Shen Yu nodded and walked toward the front hall, her normally clear eyes now dark as a murky pool.


    Shen Yu¡¯s father was in the living room smoking his tobacco. The spicy scent had permeated the entire room and the room was foggy with the aftermath. Shen Yu met his red-rimmed eyes as she walked through the room. When he saw her, he dipped his head down, as if he was a child who just got caught doing something naughty. Shen Yu bit her lip and did not acknowledge his presence. Although she loved her normally docile father, she couldn¡¯t forgive him for hitting her mother.


    Just as she was about to leave the room, she could hear her father softly say, ¡°Come back soon, honey.¡±


    Tears welled up in her eyes and she almost turned back to say something but she remembered how viciously her father hit her mother. Gritting her teeth, she left the house.


    Shen Yu took the taxi to the city but did not stop by the newspaper office, instead she made a telephone call to Tang Can. Her previously quiet life had turned topsy-turvy when he appeared and she needed some answers from her omen of bad luck.


    The call connected but Tang Can told her that he was still at work. He suggested that she first go to the military guest house and they would meet up for lunch to talk.


    With nothing else to do, Shen Yu went to the guest house. When she got there, a female soldier invited her in and escorted her to a private room. She was very friendly towards Shen Yu and was clearly trying to get into her good graces, but Shen Yu had no interest in reciprocating. The awkward atmosphere became too much for the female soldier, and she soon found an excuse to leave.


    ¡°Bah! Who does she think she is? Isn¡¯t she the granddaughter of the convict? Her haughty attitude makes me sick!¡± exclaimed the female soldier when she thought she was out of hearing range. Some other female soldiers murmured back as they walked down the hallway.


    Shen Yu stood up, her eyes wide with fury, and went out of the room. Unfortunately she hadn¡¯t been paying close attention to her escort when she came in. There were several women in military uniforms in the hallway and they all had the same short haircut. Shen Yu couldn¡¯t tell which one was the soldier who brought her in.


    Seething, she went back into the private room and kicked the table leg, causing the tea set to wobble and clink together.


    ¡°Why are you so mad? Did someone make you angry,¡± asked a soothing male voice behind her. Shen Yu turned around and saw that familiar, heroic looking face. It was Tang Can.


    She frowned and gritted her teeth. ¡°Who the hell are you guys and why did you find me? If you don¡¯t give me an explanation, I will¡­¡± Shen Yu was so worked up that she couldn¡¯t finish what she was trying to say. Her face had turned bright red and her large, dark eyes were fixated on Tang Can, as if he was a disgusting cockroach. She fumed and raged internally as she tried to get a hold of her emotions. ¡°¡­if you don¡¯t give me a rational explanation, don¡¯t blame me if I am rude to you!¡±


    Tang Can chuckled in amusement, clearly not offended by Shen Yu¡¯s lack of composure. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, you don¡¯t need to be too polite with me. Treat me as you would treat one of your close friends.¡±


    Shen Yu almost had an aneurysm at his words. Her eyes narrowed as she lamented silently. The man in front of her was shameless!


    ¡°Please sit! No need to be too polite!¡± he said in good humor. Tang Can¡¯s brilliant smile was wasted on her as she had no interest in being cajoled.


    A waiter came by to receive their orders. When Tang Can asked Shen Yu what she liked to eat, she pasted on a fake smile and said, ¡°Would you happen to have any manure? A bucket of that would be sufficient for me.¡±


    Tang Can¡¯s mouth dropped open and the waiter stared at her as he tried to stifle a laugh. In the end, the waiter couldn¡¯t hold it in and  had to let out a couple of snickers behind his hand.


    Tang Can quickly recovered his equilibrium and could tell that Shen Yu was displeased with him. He turned to the waiter and said, ¡°Please give us four dishes and a soup, please.¡±


    After the waiter left the room, Tang Can flashed a brilliant smile at Shen Yu. ¡°I had intended to find you and discuss matters with you, so it was perfect timing for you to come here today. A while back, my unit asked to borrow a reporter from your newspaper office and they recommended you! We were just recently able to complete the temporary transfer for you, so all you need to do is fill out some forms and you¡¯ll be able to work for our newspaper instead.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Shen Yu could not believe her ears. It was like he was speaking an entire different language from her!


    ¡°The unit that I¡¯m stationed with is lacking a reporter, so we asked your office to borrow you temporarily,¡± explained Tang Can. Shen Yu subconsciously noticed that the smile on his face had some weird undertones and she had a sneaking feeling that something was not right. She originally wanted to ask him why he didn¡¯t ask her opinion about this matter before conducting the external transfer but decided that this was a useless question for her to ask. Tang Can clearly would not give her a straight answer, the transfer was just a convenient excuse to get Shen Yu to work for him. She needed to figure out his true motives.


    ¡°Just what exactly do you need me for? I¡¯m telling you, I don¡¯t know anything about Uncle Li¡¯s past! Also, I need to tell you some bad news! Uncle Li unexpectedly died a couple of days ago!¡± Tang Can nodded as she told him the new, hinting that he already knew what happened. At first she was startled but she quickly realized that it wasn¡¯t surprising that he already knew about this. They had clearly done their research and likely had kept a close eye on her and her family.


    ¡°We already knew about this. I¡¯d like to express my sincere regrets for your loss,¡± he replied, appearing sincere. Shen Yu snorted and thought less of him for trying to fool her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be such a hypocrite, I have no interested in accepting your false pity,¡± she sneered disdainfully.


    Despite her obvious discontent, Tang Can kept up a friendly appearance. The gentle smile never left his face. He explained to her that they  had accidentally mixed up the people that they were looking for. Her Uncle Li was indeed a part of an expedition but he was not part of the research team that he was interested in.


    He then went on to say, ¡°This is such a fortuitous coincidence for us. I¡¯ve always wanted to have a temporary reporter for my unit and it turns out you¡¯re the perfect person for the job. So I recommended you to the higher ups. Because that horrible situation with your family, I didn¡¯t notify you immediately about the plans. But luckily, you contacted me today just when everything was about done. So all we need to do next is to finish filling out some forms, have you pack up some luggage at home, and then we can go out to work together!¡±


    Shen Yu listened to him talk attentively, as a smile full of contempt graced her face. Does really think I¡¯m that naive? That he can appease me with some candy like a three year old? After listening to that long-winded explanation that gave her no information, Shen Yu had lost her appetite for lunch and her dislike for him increased another notch.


    ¡°That¡¯s all well and good,¡± she said coolly, as if she was not annoyed with him. ¡°But could you explain to me why one of your soldiers said that I am the ¡®granddaughter of a convict¡¯?¡±


    Tang Can¡¯s face twisted in fury!

 Chapter 9

    Chapter 9 ¨C Old Longtan


    ¡°You must have heard wrong,¡± said Tang Can as soon as he recovered from the shock. From that reaction, Shen Yu knew that he would not admit to anything.


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± She smiled contemptuously at him. No matter how hard he tried to convince her otherwise, she no longer trusted anything that came out of his mouth.


    Since they no longer saw eye to eye, there was nothing more to be said. The rest of the lunch progressed without any mishaps. Although the food had all looked appetizing, Shen Yu picked at it without much interest. She didn¡¯t try to make conversation and acted as if everything was fine. But her eyes betrayed that she was not as calm as she seemed, and her smiles were strained.


    Tang Can was not lying about the job transfer. Under his direction, Shen Yu filled out the appropriate forms and, in a blink, an entire afternoon had gone by.


    A few days later, Shen Yu received her new proof of work certificate. She had been transferred to the army and was considered to be a part of the not on active duty civilian member division. In this division, civilians were able to work for the military without being an active soldier. Shen Yu was given a military uniform to wear but she did not have a specified rank or status within the army.


    Even though her mother knew that her army job was temporary, she was still very happy for her daughter. Her father was the same as always and did not have any reaction to her change in status.


    The whole village soon found out that she was now working for the military, and the town secretary even sent a group of people to beat the drums at the Shen family residence in order to commemorate this occasion. A certificate with ¡°Honor and Glory to the Military¡± was also hung at their house. Shen Yu didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry at this. She didn¡¯t consider herself to be a true member of the army but the villagers saw it differently. There was no use in trying to explain this to them so she thanked the townspeople for their time and felt embarrassed inside.


    The army¡¯s newspaper¡¯s editor-in-chief gave Shen Yu an assignment when she officially started working. Her first task was to conduct interviews within the armed forces. That was when she found out that Tang Can was not assigned to the local army division in her province. Her assignment required her to go with Tang Can¡¯s unit to place called Old Longtan, which was located at the border of the province. Apparently, that was where his unit was stationed at.


    The name ¡®Old Longtan¡¯ jolted Shen Yu¡¯s memory and she immediately thought back to the time when the neighbors were gossiping about Uncle Li¡¯s past. That was when she first heard the story of Uncle Li¡¯s disastrous geological expedition to find the dog¡¯s head gold. Uncle Li had lost his life savings and his sanity after he narrowly missed the object of his desire. At least, that was how the story went.


    Tang Can met up with Shen Yu at the army¡¯s newspaper office and quickly introduced the area to her. ¡°Old Longtan is at the edge of the province and the climate there is somewhat cold. Make sure to bring enough clothes for this trip. You don¡¯t need to bring general clothing as the army will give you standard issue.¡± He then told her that he would drive her back to her home to pack up some clothes.


    Shen Yu scowled. Ever since she found out that Tang Can was not a part of the local army, she felt like things were moving out of control, especially since she now knew that he wanted to bring her to Old Longtan. That was the place that was said to have that legendary space gold. She knew his motives in seeking her out were not simple but she couldn¡¯t find a hole in his explanations.


    Originally Shen Yu had planned on taking the bus home to get her belongings but Tang Can vetoed that plan, saying that it would take too long. He wanted to make haste and didn¡¯t want his unit to be delayed waiting for her. Since she didn¡¯t have a good reason to refuse his offer, she ended up taking him up on his offer to drive her back. He took her back to Sanlitun in his Jeep and ended up introducing himself to her mother. The two hit it off immediately and started to chat as Shen Yu packed up her belongings. When she came out, she noticed with astonishment that Tang Can was sitting on a wooden bench as if he belonged there.


    Shen Yu could feel her temper rising. This man was full of contradictions. Just a while ago he was telling her to hurry, hurry, hurry. And now he was chatting up a storm with her mother, as if he had all of the time in the world!


    ¡°The wooden benches at home must be very comfortable!¡± she said sardonically. ¡°It looks like you don¡¯t even want to move¡±. Tang Can glanced at her as he rolled up his sleeves to help her mother make dinner.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat dumplings tonight!¡± said Shen Yu¡¯s mother. ¡°Since Shen Yu is leaving home for a far away destination, it¡¯s best to send her off in style!¡± Originally her mother was not happy when she found out that Shen Yu had to travel far from home. The sad look in her mother¡¯s eyes made Shen Yu feel bad. Once again she was reminded that ever since Tang Can came into her life, things had been going poorly. He really was her bad luck charm!


    Tang Can surprisingly helped them wrap the dumplings. To her astonishment, he looked like to be quite the old hand at it too!


    In a short couple of hours, Tang Can had thoroughly charmed Mrs, Shen. At first, her mother was worried about a single girl traveling so far but now she felt like that with Tang Can at Shen Yu¡¯s side, there was nothing for her to fss about.


    Throughout dinner, Tang Can continued to remind Shen Yu to bring enough clothes on this trip. She was informed that she shouldn¡¯t bring any summer clothes as the climate at Old Longtan was not suitable.


    When Mrs. Shen heard that, she couldn¡¯t help but frown and say, ¡°Isn¡¯t Old Longtan located in the south? Wouldn¡¯t you need summer clothes in an area that hot?¡±


    Tang Can quickly asked Mrs. Shen. ¡°Sounds like Auntie also knows the area. Have you been there before?¡±


    Shen Yu¡¯s mother face blanched when she realized she made a mistake. She hemmed and hawed and avoided directly answering his question.


    Her father suddenly sighed and said, ¡°Little Yu¡¯s mom, please get me some dumpling soup. Dumpling soup tastes the best when made from fresh dumplings. Also, bring Comrade Tang a bowl too!¡±


    Shen Yu mother¡¯s quickly assented and went out to grab the soup for them.


    Tang Can smiled at Mr. Shen, ¡°Does Uncle Shen know the area around Old Longtan? Our country is very big and we have a lot of famous landmarks. In fact, I heard that there are several different areas in our country that go by the name ¡®Old Longtan¡¯. Shen Yu and I are going to the one located at the border of this province.¡±


    Her father met Tang Can¡¯s gaze dully and nodded his head slightly. He lowered his head and focused on eating his dumplings, silent once again.


    Shen Yu looked at Tang Can and then looked at her father. The look in her eyes was complicated but she continued to quietly eat her dumplings.


    After they finished the evening meal, Shen Yu and Tang Can left the residence together. Her mother and father escorted them to the outskirts of the village before they reluctantly walked back towards the family residence.


    Shen Yu watched until she could no longer see them in the dark night. ¡°What game are you playing?¡± she asked, furious from the day¡¯s events. ¡°You¡¯ve been acting all day, what the hell do you want to do?¡±


    Tang Can laughed. ¡°Nothing is going on! When my men came here last to investigate your Uncle Li¡¯s affairs, they all said that your Uncle Li had panned for gold in this province¡¯s Old Longtan. I¡¯m sure the villagers don¡¯t know as much as your parents, so I just wanted to asked them a little bit to confirm.¡±


    Shen Yu¡¯s expression turned black. She wanted to investigate Tang Can¡¯s true intentions but held herself back when she remembered her mother¡¯s words. She also remembered hearing the villagers talking about Old Longtan and Uncle Li but had never realized there were other places in the country that also had the same name. So she wasn¡¯t sure how her mother, who claimed to know nothing about Uncle Li, knew there were other Old Longtan¡¯s in existence.

 Chapter 10

    Chapter 10 ¨C Popular Custom


    Shen Yu stared at the night sky, her head cocked to the side as she sifted through her memories of the past couple of days. Her heart felt heavy as she tried to make sense of what happened recently.


    Tang Can noticed that she seemed a bit off and smiled at her. ¡°Are you feeling sad to leave your hometown?¡±


    She glanced at him but remained silent. Everyone around her had secrets they weren¡¯t willing to tell, even her own parents. Tang Can clearly had no desire to let her into the loop so she had to be more careful now and put the pieces together as best that she could.


    As she stared off into space, she thought back to her childhood and all of the questions that her parents had dismissed or deflected. She suddenly realized that they never gave her any details about Uncle Li¡¯s past. Shen Yu had always thought that the stories that the neighbors told her were just rumors but now she suspected that they held some truth. There was no smoke without a fire.


    For as long as she could remember, her family had lived in Sanlitun in the Northern Jinshi district. The differences between the rural countryside and urban city life had slowly decreased at the start of the 1990s. The younger generations had quickly embraced the modern lifestyle but the older generation, especially those living in rural areas, still kept their traditional ways of living.


    In the village, the Shen family was not considered a rich household and they were mostly able to make enough to keep their bellies full. Despite that, thieves loved to target their house. Break ins occurred every few days and the miscreants even dug holes in their courtyard. The local police was of no help and soon they didn¡¯t even bother opening up cases when they were reported.


    The thieves ended up stealing some household items, like chopsticks or bowls, because there was nothing else to steal. As a child, Shen Yu could never find enough implements to eat dinner with and often cried in frustration. She couldn¡¯t understand just how poor those thieves had to be to steal ordinary household items.


    At first, her mother had been worried about the thieves but later she got used to them. She even tried to comfort Shen Yu by saying, ¡°No thief likes to leave empty handed. It¡¯s just that our family¡¯s too poor, so the only thing they can steal are our bowls and chopsticks. Huh, there¡¯s nothing that we can do. Looks like being too poor can attract thieves too.¡±


    Being too poor made one a target for thieves? Mrs. Shen¡¯s attempt at comforting her daughter backfired as it only made her cry harder.


    Later on Shen Yu had heard the villagers say that her family had gold stashed in the house because her Uncle Li had dug up gold. Their poor facade was just an act!


    At her age, Shen Yu believed whatever other people told her. But she didn¡¯t really know what gold was. To her, it had to be something that was worth a lot of money so she really wanted to find it. She had ransacked the house and even dug a couple of holes in the courtyard. When her mom found out, she received a beating on her butt from the broom. Her butt was so tender from the spanking that days after she could only lay on her stomach on the bed to go to sleep.


    Their neighbor, Old Mrs. Li, visited Shen Yu after that and brought some eggs. When Mrs. Shen had stepped out, Old Mrs. Li secretly said to Shen Yu, ¡°You poor thing! Grow up quickly! When you¡¯re an adult you should go find your real parents and leave these cruel adoptive parents behind!¡±


    Later on, when Shen Yu was mad at her mother, she yelled at her mother ¡°I¡¯m going to run away and find my real parents!¡±


    When Mrs. Shen heard those words, she fainted. After she woke up, she grabbed onto Shen Yu and started bawling. In the heat of the moment, her mother went to find some rope to hang on the ceiling beam. Shen Yu was scared witless when she saw her mother¡¯s actions and promised her mother that she would never say anything like that again.


    After that, Shen Yu never mentioned what Old Mrs. Li said to her mother again. However, the villagers didn¡¯t stop. A while later, a man who was called Big Mazi came over their house to make a fuss. He smashed up the house and threatened to air the Shen family¡¯s dirty past. After hitting Mr. Shen and screaming at Mrs. Shen, he was surprisingly very gentle towards her and gave her a piece of candy. He observed her silently before saying, ¡°This little girl looks a lot like Professor Yu¡­¡±


    At that moment, Shen Yu¡¯s mother threw herself over to Shen Yu¡¯s side as she sobbed. ¡°The offenses of the old should not be taken by the young! Please don¡¯t make it hard for my daughter!¡±


    Big Mazi immediately started scolding Mrs. Shen again. Exactly what else was said, Shen Yu no longer remembered as it had been too long since it happened. She did recall that Big Mazi accused her parents of ¡°biting the hands that fed them¡± and that they had kidnapped a child to get some map¡­


    Thunk.


    Shen Yu¡¯s head exploded in pain as her whole body rammed into the windshield. The Jeep had suddenly braked and she wasn¡¯t wearing her seatbelt. Her eyes saw stars as she slowly picked herself up. All of the thoughts she had just painstakingly organized had just flown the roost, and she couldn¡¯t even remember what she had been thinking about.


    ¡°It¡¯s a rabbit!¡± exclaimed Tang Can, his heart still pounding after seeing that rabbit dart in front of the car.


    Shen Yu¡¯s expression changed suddenly. She asked Tang Can to hold on for a bit and he thought she needed to go to the restroom. He averted his gaze to give her privacy but was astonished when he saw her walk in front of the car and scatter some money on the road.


    After she came back to the car, Tang Can couldn¡¯t help but be curious. ¡°What were you just doing?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask. Drive on,¡± replied Shen Yu, her face taut with stress.


    For someone like Tang Can, who likely grew up in the city, he likely didn¡¯t understand the customs of the rural countryside. Shen Yu, however, was a born and bred farm girl. In the rural areas, there was a saying, ¡°The rabbit does not go empty¡±. Having a rabbit cross one¡¯s path at night was a bad omen and required one to throw some money to keep the bad luck away.


    After having too many of her urban peers laugh at her for being a superstitious bumpkin, Shen Yu no longer tried to explain these customs to outsiders. Even though she was educated, she also knew there were some things that science could not explain. For her, the peace of mind was worth it.


    She explained these thoughts when they arrived back at the army base. Contrary to what she expected, Tang Can did not mock her. He stated that he had met many travelers who also followed these rural superstitions. His tolerance and broad-mindedness improved her opinion of him.


    Tang Can then talked to her about the superstitions and customs of other areas he was familiar with. Shen Yu suddenly thought of something similar to this topic.


    ¡°Have you ever heard of people shrinking after they die? For example, like a tall man shrinking ot the size of an average women?¡± She asked Tang Can.


    Tang Can laughed and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s a bit of exaggeration, isn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t personally think that¡¯s true.¡±


    Shen Yu nodded along and the familiar feelings of discomfort arose again. She had actually never believed that rumor either but she had clearly heard the villagers talking about what happened to Uncle Li¡¯s body after he died. What was the cause of that?


    Shen Yu¡¯s expression suddenly changed as a thought a came to her mind. What if the body that was in Uncle Li¡¯s coffin was not actually Uncle Li?

 Chapter 11

    Chapter 11 ¨C Changsha


    Lost in her thoughts, Shen Yu barely noticed it when Tang Can stopped and parked the car. A female soldier waiting for them rushed up after they got out of the car.


    ¡°What took you guys so long?¡± Tang Can ignored the soldier¡¯s question and started asking whether the preparations for the trip had been completed.


    Shen Yu observed the two on the sidelines but was unable to make heads or toes of what they were actually talking about. It was only after other people came up to make their farewells did she realize that Tang Can meant to bring this female soldier along with them on the overnight flight leaving North Beijin.


    Shen Yu had never flown on an airplane before but she was not flustered at the prospect. Her experiences in college had already opened her eyes to the world, so her companions did not find out this was her first time on an airplane. The flight was scheduled for 11:20 pm. Shen Yu noticed that Changsha, a city located in the south central part of the country, was the destination on the ticket. Going there would take them farther away from Old Longtan, not closer!


    When Shen Yu brought this up with Tang Can, he merely smiled and said, ¡°We are going to Old Longtan, we¡¯re just going to the one in the South.¡±


    Flabbergasted, Shen Yu didn¡¯t know what else to say. She had thought the Old Longtan in her province was the only one in the world.


    As the plane steadily climbed into the air, Shen Yu looked outside the window. The lights of the nearby city glittered like tiny stars and had an ethereal beauty. Despite the view, a feeling of sadness washed over her and she wasn¡¯t quite sure where it came from.


    The female soldier¡¯s name was Zhang Fei and she was the same servicewoman who had escorted her in the military guest house earlier. Zhang Fei clearly held grudges as she was very cold towards Shen Yu but treated Tang Can with deference and politeness. Shen Yu had no interest in trying to please someone who disliked her and tried to limit her interactions with Zhang Fei as much as possible.


    The plane landed at Changsha Huanghua Airport after flying a couple hours. A military escort with two vehicles was waiting for them as they got off the plane. Shen Yu was seated into the rear vehicle and there was another person sitting in the car besides the driver. He was a soldier with a tall and broad physique and a friendly personality. At this point, she was so tired that it was difficult to keep her eyes open. Nonetheless, her seat mate persisted in introducing himself and his entire family tree! Foggy with exhaustion, Shen Yu tried in vain to pay attention to her talkative companion but it was of no use. The only thing she could remember because it made her laugh was that other people liked to call him Mazha [1].


    During the ride, Mazha offered her some water to help refresh her. Feeling rather thirsty, she gulped down the liquid before she realized that it didn¡¯t taste like water; it tasted like alcohol! The liquor burned her throat. She coughed continuously in an effort to bring some up but was unable to remedy her mistake.


    ¡°Why did you give me alcohol?¡± she lamented.


    Mazha slapped his forehead with his hand. ¡°I forgot, I forgot¡­¡± he repeated as he tried to apologize to Shen Yu. ¡°I¡¯m originally from the Mongol tribes and alcohol is a part of our daily lives. Army regulations do not allow active duty members to drink any liquor so I smuggle it in a water bottle. I accidentally gave you the wrong bottle¡­¡± He scratched his head sheepishly.


    Shen Yu didn¡¯t know whether she should cry or laugh but at least she was no longer tired. After the burning sensation in her throat subsided, she felt energized. The feeling didn¡¯t last for long before her face started flushing and heating up. Shen Yu rarely had alcohol but even people who frequently drank would find it hard to not feel the effects after drinking something that potent on an empty stomach.


    By the time they reached their destination, she couldn¡¯t stand properly and was seeing double. Unfortunately, the alcohol gave her a false level of confidence and she was under the impression that she was completely sober.


    When Tang Can saw Shen Yu, he couldn¡¯t understand what happened. After Mazha explained everything, he frowned so hard that Mazha felt chills run down his back. He scratched his head so hard that it turned his hair into a crow¡¯s nest.


    Zhang Fei sneered at the drunk Shen Yu, her eyes full of contempt. ¡°Is she an idiot?¡± she snorted disdainfully. ¡°She couldn¡¯t even smell or taste the liquor that Mazha accidentally gave her! Slowing us down, what kind of liability is she?¡±


    Ignoring the female soldier¡¯s obvious disdain. Tang Can instructed Zhang Fei to help Shen Yu get to her feet. Instead, Zhang Fei pushed Shen Yu away from her. Shen Yu stumbled and fell down hard.


    Tang Can expression turned black with fury. The only reason why he had brought Zhang Fei along was because, as a female, she could help take care of Shen Yu in certain situations. Since Zhang Fei had no interest in complying with orders, her presence was no longer necessary. He ordered her to return back to the main camp. The female soldier started throwing a tantrum and screeched at Tang Can. She demanded to know why he insisted on being kind to someone who caused caused the untimely death of his father.


    Although Shen Yu was as drunk as a skunk, she still retained some of her wits. Zhang Fei¡¯s shrieks reminded her that the woman had previously called her ¡°the convict¡¯s granddaughter¡±. Her heart sank as she realized that she still didn¡¯t have the whole picture. What other secrets were there?


    Mazha tried to smooth things over for Zhang Fei by cajoling Tang Can to let her stay. He thought that it would be awkward for Shen Yu to be stuck with a bunch of men and that having a woman along could make things more comfortable for her.


    After thinking it over, Tang Can had to agree with Mazha¡¯s reasoning and reluctantly let Zhang Fei stay. The female soldier¡¯s mood changed in a blink of an eye and regarded Shen Yu with a neutral expression. Although she clearly was not friendly towards Shen Yu, it was an improvement.


    Shen Yu quickly became more intoxicated and was no longer able to stand up on her own. When she woke up the next morning, she could only remember that Tang Can later brought her to a hospital room to meet someone. The hospital room had looked like it housed a high-end guest and it was guarded by many police officers. Inside the room was an old man. Shen Yu vaguely remembered that the old man had been crying when he saw her and had grabbed her hand tightly. No matter how hard she tried to remember, the rest of the details were too blurry and jumbled up for her to make any sense of them.


    After staying overnight at the district army¡¯s guesthouse, they set out for their journey. Seeing an opportunity, Shen Yu asked Tang Can to clarify what happened last night. He explained that he had originally wanted her to write a report about the old veteran they met the past evening. Unfortunately, shortly after they met him, the old veteran died from a recurring illness. There was no point in including him in the report anymore, so he advised that she should forget about him.


    Shen Yu glanced at Tang Can but did not say anything. She knew he wasn¡¯t telling her the whole truth. Uneasy, Tang Can avoided her gaze and instructed Mazha to pack Shen Yu¡¯s luggage into the car.


    Their final destination was somewhere up in the remote mountains. After traveling on the highway for more than an hour, their vehicle turned down a country road. From Mazha, Shen Yu learned that they were going to a place near the Hunan province border called the ¡°Chengbu Miao Autonomous County¡±, which was known in history as the ¡°Five Creeks Barbarians¡±.


    The Miao ethnic group located in the Hunan province were famous in history. The first thing that came to her mind was of the Miao group¡¯s legendary venomous insect. Out of curiosity, she asked Mazha if there was any truth in those legends.


    Tang Can interrupted their conversation. ¡°Those are just some rumors passed through history. Nowadays, the Miao are a very friendly group of people. In fact, we have several Miao tour guides in our division. They do have some unique customs, so take care when you meet them. I can remind you when the time comes. Get your notes ready, we¡¯re bringing you up the mountain to see how us soldiers pan for gold at the placer mines!¡± He directed a brilliant smile at Shen Yu. ¡°How about it? Are you excited right now? I bet you¡¯ve never seen people panning for gold!¡±


    Shen Yu was indeed intrigued. Wonder how much gold I¡¯ll find.

 Chapter 12

    Chapter 12 ¨C Panning for Bits of Gold


    As they traveled up the mountain, Tang Can introduced the area to her. She soon learned that their destination located within the Chengbu Miao Autonomous County and was at the confluence of two rivers between the Xuefeng and Nanling mountain ranges. The area was within the Zishui valley and was known throughout the country for its stores of dog¡¯s head gold. Other than dog¡¯s head gold, it was also rich in gold dust and other types of gold ore.


    Shen Yu saw the first placer mine after they traveled about ten kilometers into the mountains. The lush green canyon had a large crater about a hundred meters wide with a river running through it. Within that crater, she could see a high platform piled with white sacks. The platform supported a large sluice about three meters wide and ten meters long. At the sides were two forklifts and excavators moving piles of sand and dirt onto the platform. One of the excavators poured the dirt into the sluice, which combined water from the river with the dirt. The mixture was then divided along the chute into the green colored sluice boxes which captured the gold dust.


    Seeing gold panning for the first time in her life excited and intrigued her. The gold jewelry in the shops¡­I wonder if all of them were made from gold mined in this way? She felt some regret that she couldn¡¯t see the gold dust directly in the sluice boxes as they needed to make haste to get to their destination, which was further up the river.


    Tang Can reassured her that she could try gold panning herself when they reached the end of their journey. It would actually be a good experience for her since she would be able to describe it better in her report. Shen Yu looked forward to trying and could not hide her excitement.


    They continued to travel up, following the river. After traveling twenty more kilometers, Shen Yu was able to see the largest placer mine in the mountain range. The mine was a large operation, with dozens of excavators, forklifts, and dump trucks. Machinery parts were heaped into small hills surrounded the edges of the pitched tents.


    Shen Yu thought that they had reached their final destination but, to her surprise, the vehicle didn¡¯t slow down as it passed the area. They continued driving down the dirt road that lead deep within the mountains. After hours of being bumped on the gravel roads, Shen Yu felt exhausted. Her body ached from head to toe. She didn¡¯t dare complain as the others were all in great spirits, and she didn¡¯t want to be scolded for being weak.


    The car continued to chug along without stopping, and they ended up eating some sausage buns for lunch in the car. This was the first time Shen Yu had ever traveled into the mountains, and she had never known the mountains could be so vast. Although the off-road vehicle could not travel as fast as it could on the plains, it was still going at a decent clip. Shen Yu felt scared when she calculated how far they had already gone without stopping. If she got lost here, it was very likely she might not ever get out and starve to death. The thought was enough to give her goosebumps.


    At about four in the afternoon, the car finally stopped. Shen Yu¡¯s legs were numb from sitting for so long and she was unable to get out of the vehicle without Tang Can¡¯s help. Sensation in her limbs slowly came back as she carefully moved her body.


    They were at a small valley. Within the ravine was a cheerful little creek which gurgled as it flowed down. The water in the stream was muddy with silt. Along the sides of the river were several tents and she thought that she could see a car parked there.


    Just as they were about to set out, a yellow dog appeared, baying furiously. A pack of other dogs soon followed. As someone raised in the countryside, Shen Yu was not scared of dogs. Farmers often had dogs, and she could tell from their barks whether a dog was likely to attack people or not.


    Zhang Fei, on the other hand, was afraid of dogs. When she saw the dogs running towards them, she immediately grabbed a branch to defend herself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± said Shen Yu. ¡°These aren¡¯t stray dogs. If you don¡¯t attack them, they will leave you alone¡±. Her advice fell on deaf ears.


    When the yellow colored dog saw Zhang Fei¡¯s movement, it barked in alarm and stood still. The other dogs soon caught up and then they rushed towards Shen Yu¡¯s group.


    Mazha was from the Mongol ethnic tribes and grew up on the grassy plains. The Mongols loved dogs and often raised them, so he understood their characteristics. He knew that Shen Yu was right about the domesticated dogs. Domesticated dogs were not aggressive and as long as strangers didn¡¯t provoke them, they would not attack first. Unfortunately, Zhang Fei¡¯s actions had already alarmed the dogs. With the pack rushing to strike first, it was hard to predict just how much danger they were all in. Mazha had no choice but to ignore his sensibilities for his teammates. His first priority was to protect the females of the group. He crouched down, picked up a stone by his feet, and hurled it at the dogs.


    Zhang Fei¡¯s aggressive facade dissolved when she saw the dogs charging at her. She screeched and immediately hid behind Shen Yu, using the girl as a shield.


    Before Shen Yu could react, a black dog had rushed up to her to attack. Luckily, Tang Can slammed the dog away with a kick in the shoulder. Shen Yu watched speechlessly as the dog flew across and fell heavily. The black dog twitched its limbs from where it fell but could not get up. Tang Can had injured it heavily with his kick.


    The other dogs had been scared away when Mazha threw the rock. They all hid several meters away and barked furiously.


    At this point, a man hurriedly ran over as he blew on a whistle. The dogs all ran to him as if he was their savior. They hid behind the man¡¯s legs and continued to yelp in fear.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry!¡± exclaimed the skinny, middle-aged man of average height. He apologized continuously to their group while also berating the pack dogs.


    Tang Can walked towards the man. ¡°I also apologize, sir. I was the one who kicked the dog over there. I am more than happy to pay it¡¯s medical fees or pay for another dog should it not survive its injuries!¡±


    ¡°Comrade, don¡¯t be so polite,¡± replied the man hastily when he saw that all of them were wearing military uniforms. ¡°This is all my fault for not being faster. I consider myself fortunate that the dumb animal didn¡¯t bite any of you.¡± The man chattered nervously and was probably afraid that their group was there to investigate something. He pasted on a smile and offered some cigarettes over. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you are all here for today. Our group has gone through government approval to mine gold here, if you need to see any paperwork, I can bring it over!¡±


    Tang Can waved away the offered cigarettes and directed a friendly smile at the man. ¡°Thank you, sir, but I don¡¯t smoke. Please don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re not here to conduct an inspection. We¡¯re here to find Old Mr. Yun. Would you be able to bring us to him, sir?¡±


    The man immediately smiled and replied, ¡°Since you¡¯re an old friend, you¡¯re more than welcome here! Please come with me!¡± He invited them to follow him as he continued to scold the dogs. The group entered the valley behind him.


    In the distance, Shen Yu could see that there were many workers standing in the creek. In their hands were shovels that they used to bring up the silt and dirt to a small machine. I hope I get a closer look at that!

 Chapter 13

    Chapter 13 ¨C Disappointment


    When they reached the miners, Shen Yu saw that some of them were pouring the silt into the sluice while others used metal rakes to roughly separate the larger chunks of gravel from the smaller. Further along, other miners scooped the separated dirt into what looked like wicker baskets similar to what many farmers used to carry crops. However, the ones that they were using were a lot larger than the ones that she was familiar with. She later learned that these were gold pans used in gold panning. Shen Yu watched as the workers filled the pans with water and shook them. The agitation caused the water to flow out, carrying bits of dirt and silt away from the pan. In the end, what was leftover were bits of gold dust and other heavier minerals. Shen Yu felt excitement rise when she saw the little bits of gold glimmering in the sunlight. This was the first time that she got to see raw gold dust being mined.


    The people back in her village had previously talked about gold panning. They said that it was very simple process and didn¡¯t require complicated tools. All it required was strength, a source of water, and patience. Panning was very similar to rinsing rice. The dirt needed to be mixed with water and agitated, leaving behind scrapings of gold in the end.


    Based on that, she assumed that panning for gold was as easy as picking up dead fish from a dried up lake. Shen Yu had thought that it would be easy to get rich on just one night¡¯s work. After seeing the process in person, she realized that the gold yield from panning was very low. A miner may go through bucket loads of dirt to just get the smallest amount of gold.


    At this point, their guide called out to the person that they were looking for, telling him that some old friends were over.


    An old man came out from a distant tent. He had messy white hair and a beard like a goat¡¯s. He was neatly dressed in a gray buttoned up jacket, gray trousers, and had on some cloth shoes. Behind the old man followed a younger fellow with a tall and broad physique. He was dressed casually in a blue t-shirt and shorts which he paired with some tennis shoes. His dark eyes were lively and not a detail was missed by them. Even Shen Yu could tell at a glance that this man¡¯s background was not simple, he had to be someone who was well versed in martial arts. She wondered idly if this man was the old man¡¯s bodyguard.


    The old man smiled when he saw the group waiting for him, clearly recognizing Tang Can. He greeted Tang Can as his brother in the national language and had a strong Shandong accent [1]. Shen Yu raised an eyebrow. Tang Can was young enough to be this man¡¯s grandson and he was calling him his brother? Just from this one conversation, Shen Yu could tell that this old man was a wily old fox.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again, old man,¡± greeted Tang Can, his signature smile on his face.


    The two men hugged each other as if they were old friends but Shen Yu quickly noticed it was just for show. During the maneuver, she could see that the old man took the opportunity to whisper something into Tang Can¡¯s ear. Unfortunately, she was too far away to tell what was said.


    After slapping each other on the back and making some other small talk, they finally separated. The old man pointed his hand first at Shen Yu and then at Zhang Fei. ¡°Which girl were you referring to?¡±


    Tang Can glanced at Shen Yu and the old man immediately started grinning at her. He inspected her from head to toe. Shen Yu felt uncomfortable under his gaze. For some reason, she felt like she was about to be sold to the highest bidder and she couldn¡¯t shake that awkward feeling.


    The old man finally noticed the silver bracelet on her wrist and stared at it silently. After a while, he turned to her and asked, ¡°Girl! Can this old geezer take a look at your bracelet?¡±


    Shen Yu smiled. Without hesitation she took the bracelet off of her wrist and handed it over. ¡°Here you go!¡±


    After receiving the bracelet, the old man¡¯s expression changed, as if he was inspecting something very important. His eyes became huge and it was difficult to see what he was thinking. Shen Yu noticed the corner of his mouth started trembling and started to feel perplexed. It¡¯s just a bracelet that mom gave me, why did the old geezer react this way? It¡¯s not as if it¡¯s worth anything.


    Shen Yu watched the old man closely as he slowly got his emotions under control again. When he returned the bracelet to her, the expression on his face was bland, as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°Thank you!¡± he smiled at her and then turned towards Tang Can. He shook his head from side to side. ¡°You guys need to go!¡±


    Shocked by the man¡¯s sudden change in demeanor, Tang Can exclaimed, ¡°Old man!¡± He then walked closer to the man to discuss something quietly. Unfortunately, Shen Yu was out of earshot and could not hear anything. She did notice that Tang Can¡¯s face slowly lost its color and became pale.


    The old man had his back towards her so she couldn¡¯t see his expression. The only thing she could hear was, ¡°Tang Can, my brother, you guys should leave now while the sky is still light. Otherwise you¡¯ll have to camp in the mountains and this old geezer doesn¡¯t have any extra tents for you. I apologize for the inconvenience.¡± He flapped his hands at the group.


    Shen Yu stared at the two of them, unsure of what to do. In the corner of her eye she could see Zhang Fei and Mazha look at each other uneasily. Disappointment permeated the campsite.


    ¡°You guys should leave now,¡± warned the bodyguard. ¡°We have some Tibetan mastiffs here that we let out at night to guard us. They¡¯re not as well-behaved as those other dogs you saw earlier. They have a tendency to attack strangers. You need to leave this place now.¡± They watched in silence as the scruffy old man and his bodyguard went back to their tent.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± their guide said sheepishly as he spread out his hands. ¡°But I¡¯m sure you heard what the old man said. We don¡¯t let strangers stay with us, so I¡¯ll have to ask you guys to leave. ¡°


    Tang Can wrinkled his brows and glanced at the old man in the distance before making eye contact with Mazha and Zhang Fei. Finally he looked at Shen Yu and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The guide escorted them back to their vehicle. On the surface, the guide was accompanying them to show them the way out but Shen Yu could tell that he was actually there to make sure they left the campgrounds. When the car finally drove off, Shen Yu saw that the man was still standing there to ¡°send them off¡±. Only after had they driven a distance did she see that he finally turn back to the mining camp.


    Zhang Fei stared at Shen Yu with hostility before turning back to Tang Can. ¡°How is this possible?¡± she complained, a frown on her face. ¡°Did we find the wrong person?¡±


    He chuckled lightly. ¡°Maybe we did.¡±


    Mazha muttered nonstop as they drove away, cursing quietly under his breath. ¡°Isn¡¯t that old geezer trying to trick us? We¡¯ve been following his clues all along but when we finally find the person he pretends to not know anything. What the hell is that f*cker trying to do?¡±


    ¡°Ahem!¡± said Tang Can, looking Mazha in the eye. ¡°Don¡¯t swear here.¡±


    Shen Yu wasn¡¯t fooled by Tang Can¡¯s attempt at distracting her. She could tell his actual intention was to make sure Mazha didn¡¯t accidentally say too much.


    Didn¡¯t he say that I could try gold panning myself? Looks like that was a lie too. Mazha¡¯s wrong, the real f*cker is my smiling friend over there. She really wanted to give him a piece of her mind. Just what was going on behind that fake smile of his? Whatever it was, it wasn¡¯t good news for her!

 Chapter 14

    Chapter 14 ¨C Puppet


    Despite the change in situation, Zhang Fei didn¡¯t want to leave with their tails tucked behind their legs. She badgered Tang Can. ¡°Are we really just leaving like this? Really leaving?¡±


    Tang Can nodded. ¡°Gold miners have their own ways of doing things. If we don¡¯t leave now, they¡¯ll think we¡¯re trying to steal their gold at night. They may even try to kill us if they get too suspicious!¡±


    ¡°So then what are we supposed to do?¡± Zhang Fei pursed her lips and glanced back repeatedly at Shen Yu, a hostile look in her eye. Shen Yu could see her cheeks moving, as if she was quietly grinding her teeth.


    Fed up, Shen Yu mused that Zhang Fei had to be the most petty person she ever had the misfortune of offending.She makes me feel like I owe her a billion dollars and I¡¯m behind on payments. I want to sew her eyelids shut so she¡¯ll stop staring at me!


    ¡°Officer Tang,¡± interjected Mazha. ¡°Do you mean to say that we should keep our distance from them? But the mountains get cold at night. Not a big deal for guys like us, but I¡¯m afraid for our two ladies over here it¡¯s a different story.¡±


    ¡°Hm,¡± replied Tang Can. Before he could say anything else, Zhang Fei roared at Mazha. ¡°Eh? What do you mean ¡®it¡¯s no big deal for the guys¡¯? Huh?! Are you looking down at me? Did you forget that I¡¯ve been to the snowy mountains with Officer Tang?¡±


    Mazha sneered. ¡°Right, right, right! You¡¯ve been to the snowy mountains! And I¡¯m sure you believe that Deputy Li should feel gratitude for you for the rest of his life! He wouldn¡¯t have had to change occupations early if it wasn¡¯t for you! Too bad he had to get his leg amputated to save it from frostbite.¡±


    Zhang Fei raised a hand and slapped Mazha¡¯s face so hard that it took awhile for him to recover. Shen Yu froze in shock and felt sick to her stomach. Any good opinions she had towards Zhang Fei had immediately evaporated after witnessing her savagery. In her mind, there was no difference between this Zhang Fei and the historical Zhang Fei [1]. Both had volcanic tempers and were rude to boot!


    Zhang Fei looked as if she was about to cry, even though she was the instigator. She turned her head away and wiped away tears using the back of her hand.


    The conflict between his two insubordinates infuriated Tang Can. His face was black with anger, but he merely glared at Zhang Fei and Mazha, staying silent. Disgusted, Shen Yu mocked silently. What a pushover!


    Despite being the injured party in this conflict, Mazha showed no sign of being angry. Before he got slapped by Zhang Fei, he had been muttering unflattering comments underneath his breath. Now he was silent and somber, as if he was the one who committed a wrong.


    Shen Yu was an outsider in this group, so she kept herself out of this conflict and stayed a silent spectator to the whole event.


    After driving for another half hour, the car finally stopped.


    ¡°We¡¯re stopping here tonight,¡± said Tang Can. ¡°The ladies can sleep in the tent and us guys will sleep in the car.¡± He ordered Mazha to unpack the tent and find a flat place to erect it up.


    Although Shen Yu wanted to help, she knew she was too inexperienced in this area. Instead she decided to take a look around and get familiar with the surroundings. This was her first time up in the mountains and the unfamiliar environment made her nervous. She wanted to make sure she had some idea of where to run should danger arrive at night.


    Near the car was a small creek. After Tang Can set up the tent, he ordered Mazha to find some firewood while he set up some crude fishing spears. Using a standard military knife, he cut a couple of branches and formed wooden crosses, using woven rope to bind them together. After sharpening the points, the wooden harpoons were done. Astonished, Shen Yu complimented Tang Can on his skills.


    Tang Can smiled in delight. ¡°This is nothing special, just something I picked up from some more experienced soldiers while out in the wilderness.¡± He waved the spears around to test their heft and then turned towards her. ¡°Come with me to spear some fish!¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Shen Yu followed him with gusto in an attempt to get closer to him. Although she disliked him, she knew she needed to play nice with him. Maybe I can get him to talk more about his plans right now.


    Seeing Shen Yu and Tang Can interact, Zhang Fei came over and snatched away a harpoon and ran towards the stream on her own. Shen Yu wanted to avoid her as much as possible, so she told Tang Can she changed her mind and wanted to help Mazha collect firewood. Tang Can smiled and did not object, not wanting to deal with their pettiness.


    Mazha had an easygoing personality, so Shen Yu didn¡¯t mind being around him. He was also a chatterbox, and she thought she could pry some information from him. It shouldn¡¯t take too much to make him start talking.


    From him she learned that Old Mr. Yun wasn¡¯t as nondescript as he appeared. However, Mazha didn¡¯t quite know his actual status. All he knew was that it was not a good idea to get on his bad side, even the hot-tempered old geezer had to be respectful towards him.


    Shen Yu¡¯s head hurt. What hot-tempered old geezer? She really had no idea what he was talking about.


    Seeing that she was confused, Mazha looked around first before saying anything. After confirming that Tang Can was not in the area, he whispered, ¡°The old geezer I¡¯m referring to is Officer Tang¡¯s grandpa.¡±


    Shen Yu involuntarily sucked in some air. How could she forget that angry old geezer? Knowing that even he had to be polite towards Old Mr. Yun made her wonder. Just what sort of background did Old Mr. Yun have? Things were getting complicated fast.


    She smiled faintly. ¡°Then, how am I connected to Old Mr. Yun? Why did you guys bring me to see him?¡±


    Mazha guffawed. ¡°To interview him! You¡¯re a reporter, isn¡¯t that your job?¡± He laughed in amusement and then returned to collecting firewood.


    Shen Yu inwardly sighed. To think she had thought it would be simple to get information out of him. Since he didn¡¯t want to talk, there was nothing else that she could do. She changed the subject to see if she could get some information on what happened the previous night.


    ¡°Huh?¡± said Mazha, feigning ignorance. ¡°Why are you asking me about this? You don¡¯t remember what happened? I honestly don¡¯t know since only you and Officer Tang went into the hospital room that night.¡±


    She almost snapped. His words had hit a sore point. I was drunk out of my mind that night, no thanks to you! I can¡¯t freaking remember anything.


    Seeing that Mazha had no intention of telling her the truth, Shen Yu changed her tactics. She caught his eyes and mildly said, ¡°I was pretty drunk that night from your alcohol, so my memory¡¯s kind of fuzzy. All I remember is that there was an old man crying and telling me I should spend some quality time with him. The rest is all a blur. I feel quite embarrassed about it so I definitely need to make it up to the old grandpa when we get back.¡±


    ¡°This is really quite difficult!¡± Mazha replied immediately.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Shen Yu pretended to be shocked. ¡°What so difficult about that?¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°Old Mr. Xu is already in heaven! We can¡¯t really bring him back.¡±


    Shen Yu stared at him until he started squirming. Sheepish, he scratched the back of his head and giggled uncomfortably. She sighed. Looks like Tang Can already prepped this guy beforehand. Guess I can¡¯t trust what he says either.  It was clear that they all kept her deliberately in the dark. To them, she was just a puppet they could push and pull around.


    Fine. I can play that game. Just watch, I¡¯ll figure out everything.

 Chapter 15

    Chapter 15 ¨C Codename


    When Tang Can and Zhang Fei returned to the campsite, speared fish in tow, Shen Yu and Mazha were still collecting firewood. After hearing Tang Can call for them, they both quickly returned with their burdens. The smell of roasting fish soon wafted through the air.


    Their campsite was located in the valley and was surrounded on all sides by the mountains. People often said that the sunsets in these areas were very picturesque. Unfortunately, the peaks of the mountains blocked the view, so Shen Yu was not able to see it. Although there was not a cloud in the sky, she heard thunder rumbling. Looking up, she noticed that she could clearly see the stars twinkling in the night sky. Frightened, she wondered what was going on. The ground suddenly started shaking.


    ¡°What the f*ck are they doing?!¡± hollered Mazha.


    Seeing that she was confused, Tang Can explained to her that the noise she was hearing was from people detonating the ground to mine gold. Because the sound of the explosions were echoing down the valley, it sounded like thunder by the time it reached them. Aftershocks from the detonations caused the ground to vibrate.


    Judging from the direction of the noise, the activity was not from Old Mr. Yun¡¯s mining camp. ¡°Is this the work of the army¡¯s gold miners?¡± she asked Tang Can.


    Tang Can shook his head adamantly. ¡°No! They¡¯re using soil explosives at night. It must be people who are mining without proper authorization. No legit mining crew would do something this risky at night.¡±


    ¡°Soil explosives?¡± asked Shen Yu, perplexed by the unfamiliar term.


    ¡°Another name for homemade explosives,¡± explained Mazha. ¡°They use fertilizer containing ammonium nitrate and mix it with manure and some kerosene. The blast radius is quite impressive with these homemade explosives.¡±


    Shen Yu quickly lost interest in his explanation. She wasn¡¯t interested in how they made the explosives. What she wanted to know was why there were people doing this at night. It sounded dangerous. Weren¡¯t they scared?


    Mazha continued on the topic fervently. ¡°They¡¯re setting charges in the rock bed to get to the gold deposits below. Gold is often found between the cracks of the Earth¡¯s crust. By detonating explosives, they can bring up gold mixed with dirt and then use that to pan for gold. Since they are illegally mining gold, they can¡¯t bring in the heavy equipment that other miners use so they have to rely on explosives. Generally they find a spot by a riverbank and dig a crater about one meter wide and five to six meters long. Then they usually spread some canvas at the bottom and pile on some layers of rock to make a terrace, similar to the ones made for farming.¡±


    He rambled on, clearly excited by this topic. Irritated, Zhang Fei elbowed him hard, hinting at him to stop talking. Seeing that his commanding officer was listening with interest, Mazha ignored his fellow soldier¡¯s disdain and continued talking.


    ¡°After layering the rocks, they¡¯ll put the dirt containing gold sand onto the top terrace and wash it with water from the river. The heavier particles will settle between the cracks of the rock and they¡¯ll collect the leftover silt every couple of days. They¡¯ll wash it again and finally use a gold pan to sort the gold dust from the rest of the dirt,¡± he paused at this point, likely realizing that Shen Yu didn¡¯t have any experience with gold panning.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯ve probably never seen gold pans before,¡± said Mazha. ¡°They¡¯re the three-sided wicker baskets you saw earlier. Anyway, after you separate most of the impurities from the gold dust, you need to dry them with a hot metal pan over a fire. When it¡¯s dry, you can blow on the baskets gently and the dirt will fly away. What¡¯s the left behind is gold!¡±


    Tang Can continued the conversation from where Mazha left off. ¡°Other than illegal gold mining, these mountains contain other dangers. A lot of people want the mined gold, so they¡¯ll use the cover of the night to try to steal it. After stealing, there are some who try to hide in the mountains but get lost. The dead are left behind and the wounded are not taken care of by these people. These bandits are all bad people. That¡¯s the reason why the miners back at the camp are so suspicious of strangers, and they usually kill those they don¡¯t recognize at night. The corpses are then thrown away into the mountains, they¡¯re a dime a dozen!¡±


    After warning the group he then focused on Shen Yu. ¡°So you need to remember that if you ever lose your way, do not ask the miners for help. Other than the army miners, the rest of them will treat you like an outsider. Will you remember that?¡±


    Shen Yu felt cold sweat running down her body and nodded her head timidly. ¡°I got it. It sounds like we¡¯re spending a good amount of time in these mountains?¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± replied Tang Can.


    She immediately saw an opening to get some more information. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s just me, but it looks like Old Mr. Yun had no intentions of cooperating with us. I have a feeling that he doesn¡¯t want to be interviewed, so I¡¯m kinda at a loss at what to do here. Furthermore, since you say that this area is so dangerous, I¡¯d probably be a deadweight in this group. I¡¯m my parents¡¯ only daughter and I need to stay alive for them. How about you send me home tomorrow? How does that sound?¡±


    Tang Can reacted immediately. ¡°Not going to work!¡±


    After being silent throughout the whole conversation, Zhang Fei suddenly cursed at Shen Yu, mocking her for being a coward.


    Shen Yu pretended not to hear her and smiled brightly at Tang Can. ¡°Why not? Don¡¯t forget, the office wanted me to come with you guys to interview people in Old Longtan. But right now we¡¯re in the Hunan province[1], so I¡¯m not sure why I¡¯m here. I¡¯m not like you army people, my career is very important to me. If I don¡¯t work, I¡¯ll starve to death!¡±


    Mazha interjected. ¡°We¡¯re at the right place. This is Old Longtan!¡±


    Shen Yu could feel her temper rising. Did everyone think she was a foolish idiot? She sneered and replied sharply, ¡°Stop trying to trick me!¡±


    Tang Can laughed. ¡°No one¡¯s trying to trick you, we are actually at Old Longtan! It¡¯s just not called by that name by the locals around here. Your Uncle Li actually gave the name to this place way back then. He said that the river on the map looked like a moving dragon.¡±


    Shen Yu was not entirely convinced by his explanation. But since he mentioned her Uncle Li, she might as well play along. ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is, Uncle Li was looking for gold in this area? In this Old Longtan?¡±


    The young officer replied affirmatively, ¡°This exact place!¡±


    Hold on. Didn¡¯t mom say ¡°Isn¡¯t Old Longtan in the south?¡± earlier? Shen Yu remembered how her mother tried to avoid answering Tang Can¡¯s follow up questions. What was going on?


    Shen Yu slowly inhaled a breath, concealing her movements from the group to avoid alerting them to her mental distress. She knew her parents had many secrets. However, she had very little interest in trying to uncover them, despite her naturally curious nature. All she could remember was her mother crying tearfully to her father during their fight.


    Those people are already at our doorstep, if you make a fuss now, wouldn¡¯t they find out everything? If they figure out exactly what happened all of those years ago, who knows what they¡¯ll do to us?


    None of that sounded like good news. She would rather not know the full details! Some secrets were better kept hidden.


    However, she still wanted to know Tang Can¡¯s true motives. Tang Can and his soldiers were outsiders, and she didn¡¯t want to be tricked by them! She needed to take this chance and find out what exactly was going on! I can¡¯t let them just brush me off this time.


    Ignorant to her racing thoughts, Tang Can continued, ¡°Old Longtan encompasses this entire mountainous region. It was also the codename for the gold mine found that year.¡±


    Codename of a gold mine?

 Chapter 16

    Chapter 16 ¨C Wolves


    ¡°Codename?¡± asked Shen Yu suspiciously.


    Just as Tang Can was about to reply, a mournful howl echoed through the night, full of desperation. It came from the distance and sounded like it could be from a human or a wolf. Shen Yu swore in fright and even Mazha cursed after being startled into falling off the rock he was sitting on. Zhang Fei was even more scared. She screamed in terror and immediately ran towards Tang Can to hide her face in his chest.


    Although Tang Can was also startled, he recovered quickly. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared. This is a warning signal used by the miners. Sound travels far in these valleys and it¡¯s not uncommon for you to hear things that occur miles away.¡± He tried to stand up and clearly wanted to push Zhang Fei out of his arms. Zhang Fei refused to leave him and even grabbed onto his arm, making it hard for him to stand up straight. All throughout this, his dark eyes had never left Shen Yu and they glinted in the firelight.


    Shen Yu didn¡¯t pay much attention towards him. After being scared half to death, she still felt uneasy despite his explanation. Her heart pounded furiously.


    Mazha finally recovered from his fright and picked himself up from the ground. He cursed a few profanities and then said, ¡°These people are like ghosts! More scary than wolves! I could feel my soul leaving my body after hearing that sound!¡±


    Zhang Fei snorted and mocked him. ¡°I thought you¡¯ve killed wolves with your bare hands? Why are you so scared now? Looks like to me you were about to piss yourself!¡±


    Mazha choked in anger. ¡°You tomboy! Why is your tongue so sharp?¡±


    Seeing that his two subordinates were about to start bickering again, Tang Can preemptively told them to cut it out and focus on their duties. He then said, ¡°I think the sounds are coming from Old Mr. Yun¡¯s place, and I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on. Come with, Mazha, and we¡¯ll go take a look. Zhang Fei, stay here and protect Shen Yu!¡± The two men then went to the trunk of the car and grabbed some supplies. Using flashlights to light the way, they set off quickly in the direction of the mines.


    Zhang Fei clearly hated the idea of staying behind with Shen Yu. She muttered nonstop, whining about being stuck with a deadweight. After a brief moment, she suddenly stood up. ¡°Be a good girl and stay here. I¡¯m going to go help them!¡± She ran off quickly to catch up to the two men.


    After being abandoned by everyone, Shen Yu was at a loss at what to do. The surroundings were pitch-black and an uncomfortable feeling crept up on her. Nervousness settled in, causing the ends of her hair to stand up.


    She could no longer stay there on her own. I¡¯m in the only well lit area in this creepy valley. If a bad guy comes, I¡¯m toast! Shen Yu decided that the car would be a better place for her to sit out. She hesitated when another thought struck her. If she went into the car, she couldn¡¯t keep an eye on the fire. If the fire went out, wild animals would be more likely to cross this area.


    After thinking quickly, she added more firewood to the campfire. There were still fish roasting over the fire. Afraid that the the fire would get too hot and scorch the fish with the extra fuel, she decided to take the fish off the fire. As she took the roasting fish off, one of the fish slid off its wooden stake onto the ground with a thump. She felt guilt at the thought of wasting food, so she bent down to pick it up. A hairy thing darted over and grabbed the dropped fish. Shen Yu screeched in terror and bolted away, dropping the rest of the fish in her hands onto the ground. She tripped over something in her effort to get away and fell heavily. Stars erupted in her eyes.


    Frightened out of her wits, Shen Yu wondered if this was the end of her. Is that thing going to eat me? Is this the way I¡¯m going to die?


    Nothing came over as she slowly picked herself up. Gathering her courage, she looked behind her. The campfire gave off plenty of light but she couldn¡¯t detect anything. Did I hallucinate everything? Suddenly, in the distance, she heard the sounds of footsteps. Thinking it was the rest of the group, she felt better and walked back to the fire. The fish that she had dropped earlier was no longer there but the other fish still were, albeit inedible after getting a nice coat of dirt. It didn¡¯t really matter at this point. Shen Yu looked around in the surrounding grass to find clues. She wasn¡¯t sure exactly what she had encountered but she wanted to find out.


    ¡°Shen Yu? Shen Yu?¡± called someone in the distance. She turned around and saw that Tang Can was the first to come back. Abandoning her search, she explained to him the events that had just occured.


    Tang Can felt chills run down his back when he heard her story. By the time Mazha and Zhang Fei came back, he was furious. He scolded Zhang Fei for not following orders and lacking discipline. As punishment, he decided that she should leave the group and go back to where the rest of the soldiers were stationed.


    After being reprimanded, Zhang Fei held her head in hands and crouched on the ground, wailing like a baby. Shen Yu felt she was quite pitiful and tried to comfort her. Unfortunately, the female soldier did not appreciate her efforts and lashed out at Shen Yu, calling her a two-faced hypocrite.


    Mazha cajoled Tang Can. ¡°Officer Tang, don¡¯t let her howl anymore. She¡¯s going to attract all of the ghosts and monsters here soon!¡±


    Tang Can could feel a headache forming. He finally told Zhang Fei that if she was unable to control her emotions, she would have to leave immediately. Faced with an ultimatum, the female soldier instantly stopped crying.


    Shen Yu ground her teeth in irritation. She would have expected military women to have more pride! Instead, she got a front row seat to a shameless scene. Who would have thought that sobbing and making a fuss would work on soldiers too? After Zhang Fei¡¯s tantrum, she had no interest in trying to pry information out of Tang Can.


    The two men used flashlights to search the area thoroughly. After finding no sign of wild animals, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.


    Night had finally settled in, so Tang Can let the two women sleep in the tent while he and Mazha alternated shifts to keep a lookout. Shen Yu tossed and turned and could not find a comfortable area to rest. Finally, she decided that it was useless trying to sleep. She carefully exited the tent. Mazha was by the fire with his head drooping down on his chest. Closer inspection revealed that had fallen asleep. The campsite was peaceful and she could hear the sounds of the insects chirping in a cycle. It felt as if time had temporarily stopped.


    Just as she was about to wake Mazha and let him switch the watch with her, she heard activity in the nearby grass. Alarmed, she opened her eyes wide and carefully looked at her surroundings. She spotted a fuzzy yellow object slowly making its way towards the fire. Before she could wake Mazha, the yellow thing had made its way to the leftover fish and Shen Yu could see its mossy green eyes glint in the light.


    She screeched, ¡°Is that a wolf?!¡±

 Chapter 17

    Chapter 17 ¨C A Map


    Her screams of terror immediately woke everyone up. The wolf bolted into the surrounding darkness.


    Men generally had faster reaction times and Tang Can was no exception. He leapt out of the car as soon as he heard her scream and grabbed a metal rod. After asking where she saw the wolf run, he immediately took off after it. Mazha was close behind and also held a stick.


    Zhang Fei immediately thought to save her own skin. She squirmed out of the tent and into the car. By the time Shen Yu reached the vehicle, the female soldier had already locked the doors. Disgusted by Zhang Fei¡¯s petty actions, Shen Yu decided not to waste her breath in asking to be let in. Instead, she went back to the campfire and took out a piece of firewood with a flame burning at its end. If the wolf did decide to attack her, at least she had something to defend herself with.


    She stood there, alone, holding her stick like a samurai would hold his sword. Shen Yu thought for sure that the wolf had been scared away for good. A couple moments later, she once again heard the gentle swishing of the grass, telling her that the animal had come back. Who would have thought that it could be so persistent? Before she could react, the yellow creature darted across the fire and picked up another fish from the ground.


    She was able to get a closer look at the thief this time. When she realized what it was, she didn¡¯t know whether she should laugh or cry. The animal was a dog, not a wolf! Relieved, she went back to the tent to grab a flashlight. Carrying both the stick and the light, she followed the yellow dog. As someone who grew up on the countryside, Shen Yu knew a thing or two about dogs. Dogs were very loyal to their masters. This dog came back several times to steal food, more food than it needed to feed itself. She had a sneaking suspicion that the dog was bringing back food to its owner. The mountains were treacherous, so it was likely that the dog¡¯s master had met some misfortune and needed some help.


    After tailing the dog for a bit, Shen Yu found out that she had guessed correctly. The yellow dog was bringing food to someone else, but it wasn¡¯t for a human. It was bringing fish to a dying black dog. At first glance, the other dog seemed familiar. Shen Yu racked her mind swiftly and finally remembered that this black dog was in the pack of dogs that had attacked them earlier. At the time, Tang Can had kicked this dog forcefully in the abdomen.


    Dirt covered the black dog¡¯s coat and there was a hole in the ground next to it. She realized what had happened. The mining crew likely thought that this dog was a goner and decided to bury it alive. Afterwards, the yellow dog probably dug his friend out and they both fled the camp.


    When she tried to get closer, the yellow dog became more aggressive. She was not fazed. After growing up with all of the villagers¡¯ dogs, she knew how to handle them. A truly stray animal would be hard to tame, but these dogs had already been domesticated. Within moments, the yellow dog started wagging its tail at her.


    After convincing the yellow dog not to harm her, Shen Yu picked up the injured dog and took them both back to the campsite.


    Predictably, Zhang Fei was very upset when Shen Yu came back with two random dogs. The female soldier disliked dogs but the two men regarded them differently. Mazha liked dogs and Tang Can felt guilty about injuring the black one. The dogs were here to stay.


    The group stayed at this campsite for a few days. During the day, Tang Can went back to the mining crew to continue their discussions while Mazha and Shen Yu brought the two dogs to the nearby river. They bathed the animals and then sunbathed together. She gave names to the dogs. The yellow one she called ¡°Wheaty¡± and the black one she called ¡°Blackie¡±. Zhang Fei mocked her when she heard the names  Shen Yu had chosen and said that she was a country bumpkin for giving them such unimaginative names. Unfazed, Shen Yu ignored her.


    Wheaty was a female dog and understood how to interact with people. She also understood some basic commands. After becoming comfortable around Shen Yu, Wheaty followed her everywhere and became her little shadow.


    On the other hand, things were not going well for Blackie. Although Shen Yu had fed Blackie some antibiotics from their medicinal supplies, the black dog¡¯s injuries were not healing. Mazha had even went into the mountains to pick some medicinal herbs for the dog. Finally, he turned towards Shen Yu and said, ¡°Blackie¡¯s not going to survive. His injuries are just too severe!¡±


    Tears dripped down Shen Yu¡¯s face. Although Blackie had gotten injured by Tang Can for trying to attack them, she genuinely liked both of the dogs after getting to know them. She sobbed and hugged Blackie close to her. In her lap, Blackie blinked his eyes slowly and licked her hand, as if he understood her feelings.


    Irritated by the scene, Zhang Fei yelled at Shen Yu for crying over a dumb dog.


    That evening, Shen Yu kept a close watch over Blackie. Both Mazha and Tang Can felt bad and searched for ways to cheer her up. Mazha pulled a bunch of long grasses and used them to weave a nest for the dog. Tang Can grabbed some cushions for Shen Yu to lay on while she kpet vigil. He even built up the fire to warm the air and sat next to her for a bit.


    Zhang Fei turned green with envy when she saw how Tang Can treated Shen Yu. She muttered incessantly under her breath and, at first, tried to stick close to the young officer. After the mosquitos came out and proved to be too much of nuisance, she finally went into the tent for the night.


    Shen Yu fell asleep in daze, exhausted after the long day. After an indeterminate amount of time passed, she woke up when she noticed something was pulling at her. She opened her eyes and saw that Blackie was standing up and wagging his tail at her. Ecstatic, Shen Yu hugged him, ¡°Blackie! You¡¯re feeling better!¡±


    Blackie sniffed and licked her face before holding the edge of her pants in his mouth, as if he wanted to take Shen Yu somewhere. Flushed with happiness, Shen Yu felt as if her first born child had gotten over a dangerous fever. She was in the mood to do whatever Blackie wanted, so she followed his lead and walked towards the river.


    The human and the dog followed the river upstream. Above them, the full moon shined brightly. Based off that, Shen Yu estimated that it must be the 15th or 16th day of the month based on the lunar calendar. The further they walked, the narrower the stream became. The riverbank slowly became more sandy. Finally, Blackie stopped at a place by the river. In front of them was a ditch and next to the stream was a tall, dried up tree. Blackie went up to the tree and started barking incessantly. When Shen Yu looked up, she saw a bird¡¯s nest on one of the branches.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Blackie?¡± Shen Yu pet his head, trying to figure out why he continued to bark. Blackie dragged her leg, lead her to the tree, and continued to bark at nest. After thinking for a bit, she finally laughed. She stroked his head again and said, ¡°You little glutton, you want to eat some bird eggs? Am I right? You want me to go up the tree and get some for you, right?¡± As she gestured at the tree, Blackie licked her hand as if in encouragement. His whole demeanor seemed to show he was looking forward to the contents of the nest.


    She rolled up her sleeves. ¡°Getting some eggs are a piece of cake! As long as Blackie is feeling well, I can get you anything you want to eat!¡± She started to climb up the tree. Anyone who grew up in the countryside knew how to climb up a tree, and she was no exception. It didn¡¯t take much effort for her to shimmy up to where the bird¡¯s nest was located. Unfortunately, nothing was in the nest. Disappointed that she couldn¡¯t get something for Blackie to eat, she came back down empty handed. When Blackie saw that there was nothing in her hands, he started to bark furiously again, as if he wanted to go up the tree. Shen Yu had no choice but to go back up the tree and then bring the empty nest down to show the dog.


    When she brought the nest to the ground, Blackie tore at it fervently, ripping the nest apart. Dumbfounded, Shen Yu stared at the animal. I knew humans liked to throw things around when they got mad, who knew dogs were the same?


    Unexpectedly, when Blackie tore the nest apart, an old military canteen flew out. Shen Yu almost burst out laughing when she saw the canteen. Guess these mountain birds are keeping up with the times to hide a canteen in their nest. She soon came back to reality and laughed at her own folly. It was more likely that a human had found the nest and then hid the canteen in the nest. Shen Yu glanced at Blackie, a complicated look in her eyes. She noticed that the dog looked at the canteen steadily and realized that this was object that Blackie was looking for. She shook it and it clinked. There was something in it. After prying at the opening for a good amount of time, Shen Yu finally got the rusted canteen mouth open. An object fell out. Using the moonlight, she took a closer look at it.


    It was a map!

 Chapter 18

    Chapter 18 ¨C Dog¡¯s Head Gold


    The moon was very bright but the light it cast was still not enough for Shen Yu to read the small lettering on the map. Thoughts raced through her mind. She wondered if this was a secret treasure map to a pile of gold or something equally valuable. After a minute, Shen Yu calmed herself. Before she could make any assumptions, she needed to get back to the campsite and then spend some time studying this map.


    Blackie barked in excitement when he saw Shen Yu take out the map. He energetically started digging in the sand in front of him. Finally, he stopped in exhaustion and lay on his side, panting heavily. His breathing slowed and then¡­stopped. Shen Yu called his name several times but the dog did not react. When she bent down to pick Blackie up, she found that he lay limp in her arms. Blackie had died.


    Shen Yu felt devastated. She had no idea that Blackie was on the verge of death and was subsiding on a last burst of energy before he reached the end of his time. She wept as she put the map in her pocket, heartbroken. Who cares what this map is for? This is the last thing that Blackie gave me, I need to safeguard it.


    When she saw the hole that Blackie had dug, tears dribbled down her face. Who would have thought that his last act while he was still living was to dig his own resting place? Thinking of how thoughtful Blackie was only made her cry harder.


    She kept vigil over Blackie¡¯s body for half the night, weeping the entire time. Finally, she had to admit to herself that the dog would not be getting back up. She investigated the hole that Blackie dug. It was deep enough but it needed to be widened before she could bury him. There was also a large, lumpy rock about the size of two fists at the bottom. She continued to cry softly as she went to pull it out of the hole. She didn¡¯t want Blackie to lay uncomfortably in his final resting place. To her surprise, the rock was surprisingly heavy for its size, and must have weighed at least ten kilograms. Shen Yu had difficulty moving it and had to expend a lot of energy to haul it up. After lifting the stone, she used her bare hands to widen the ditch to make enough room for Blackie. She wanted to make enough space such that the dog didn¡¯t have to curl up in his final resting bed.


    She carefully laid the dog down and placed the military canteen in the hole. After filling the burial spot with nearby dirt, Shen Yu went to the riverbank to find a couple of large rocks to act as gravestones for Blackie. The idea was to use the the rock she found in the ditch as the headstone. It took quite a bit of effort for her to move all of the stones to Blackie¡¯s grave. By the time she finished transporting them, she had no energy left to cry. Unfortunately, the headstone she had painstakingly moved on top of the other rocks rolled down as soon as she took her hands of it. It tumbled into the riverbed. Shen Yu made a face. She no longer had any strength left in her to pick it up again. Forget it, Blackie¡¯s grave is fine the way it is. Shen Yu paid her respects to Blackie and said a couple of prayers before she went back to the stream to wash her hands.


    The moon was bright and the water in the creek was clear. As she rinsed her hands, Shen Yu noticed that there was something glittering in the middle of the river. She focused her eyes on the object. Water from the stream rushed around an irregular shaped rock about the size two firsts and she could see a faint, golden sparkle coming off of it. Stunned, she stared at it blankly. After gathering her wits, she reached out with a hand to grab the rock but it was too heavy for her to lift with one hand. Grunting with effort, she grasped the stone with both hands and lifted it out of the water. Something about it reminded her of the rock that had just rolled away from Blackie¡¯s grave.


    Shen Yu¡¯s jaw dropped when she got a better look at the rock. A strange feeling settled into her entire body, her heart started pounding and she could feel the sweat drip down her body. Is this the legendary dog¡¯s head gold?


    She flipped through her thoughts rapidly as she held onto the ore of gold. This is what Blackie was leading me to!She couldn¡¯t believe that the dog she fed and cared for the past couple of days would lead her to a treasure like this! Blackie truly understood the concept of repaying his debts.


    ¡°Wahhhhhh!¡± exclaimed Shen Yu, tears flowing down her face again. The sounds of her sobs echoed through the ravine.


    Finally, after getting ahold of her emotions, she turned towards Blackie¡¯s resting place and gravely kowtowed to the dog. Holding the sandy dog¡¯s head gold carefully in her arms, she slowly trod back towards the campsite.


    When she was about halfway back, she could hear Tang Can yelling for her. She hollered back and when she heard him reply, she sat down on the ground. Her arms were sore after carrying the heavy gold and she needed to rest before she got up again.


    Before long, Tang Can and the group found her.


    Predictably, Zhang Fei was the first to speak. She wrinkled her nose at the exhausted girl and sneered. ¡°Are you stupid or just slow in the head? Why the hell would you run off at night instead of sleeping safely in the tent? Why didn¡¯t a wild wolf just eat you? It¡¯d save us the trouble of worrying about you.¡±


    Shen Yu ignored the irate female soldier and stood up, holding the dirt covered dog¡¯s head gold in her arms.


    Tang Can came over and looked Shen Yu over, a perplexed look his face. ¡°Did you come here to pick up rocks?¡±


    Shen Yu felt as if she had a frog in the back of her throat. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Blackie and the ensuing misery made it hard for her to talk. She looked Tang Can in the eye, hinting at him to take a closer look at the rock.


    Tang Can grasped the rock that was offered to him. Within moments, he detected that something wasn¡¯t right. As someone who was a part of the Gold Discovery Armed Forces, he knew this wasn¡¯t any old rock. He turned towards Shen Yu and his voice trembled, ¡°Is this dog¡¯s head gold?¡±


    Shen Yu nodded her head. Mazha immediately came up to both of them, not sure whether to believe them or not. He took the mud covered gold from Tang Can and examined it.


    ¡°Oh my f*cking god!¡± he yelled in awe. His eyes were as wide as saucers and his voice started to shake. ¡°Oh god is this real? Is this really gold? Why is it so heavy? It¡¯s so big! Selling a piece of gold this size would give me enough money to buy a lifetime¡¯s worth liquor!¡±


    Zhang Fei sniffed in disdain. ¡°Dream on! Don¡¯t count your chickens before they hatch. Even if this piece of shitty rock is actually dog¡¯s head gold, it¡¯s not your property, it¡¯s the government¡¯s.¡± She grabbed the gold from Mazha, thinking that it was just a worthless stone. Unfortunately, she underestimated its weight and she didn¡¯t use enough strength in her hands. The gold ore dropped out of her hold and rolled into the nearby grass.


    ¡°What the eff?!¡± Mazha jumped up and complained. ¡°What the hell are you doing, man, dropping it like that?¡±


    Zhang Fei acted as if she did nothing wrong and snorted coldly. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a delicate porcelain doll, dolt! Dropping it will not cause any significant damage. Just pick it up again!¡±


    Although what she said made logical sense, reality proved to be different. Despite using flashlights to search the area, the group ended up empty handed. They passed over the grassy hill until every rock and branch was turned over. Still nothing.


    Tang Can felt so pressured that he could feel sweat dripping down his back. Because of his status as the commanding officer of the group, he masked his worry and pretended to not be fazed. He gritted his teeth and calmly said, ¡°Everyone open your eyes wide and search carefully! Gold attracts dirt easily, so don¡¯t rely on spotting a gold sparkle to find it! Focus on the large, irregularly shaped plods of dirt!¡±


    This piece of dog¡¯s head gold was an exceptional treasure! The gold ore that came from space contained a higher percentage of gold compared to gold ore found on Earth. It¡¯s composition was an unique rarity. Most countries displayed pieces like this with pride and considered them national treasures. Specimens like this were not a dime a dozen, and Tang Can could tell from his brief handling of it that this ore weighed at least ten kilograms. A piece that size could break the national record! Unfortunately¡­they had lost it almost as soon as it found it.


    Tang Can felt his stomach lurch as regret settled in!

 Chapter 19

    Chapter 19 ¨C Tang Can¡¯s Intuition


    Even though all of them saw the dog¡¯s head gold roll into a small patch of grass, none of them could find it. Not even a glimmer of gold could be found.


    Despite that, they searched until the light of dawn lit the campsite. Nothing. The gold had just disappeared into thin air!


    Exhausted by the events of the previous night, Mazha sat on the ground, grumbling angrily. Shen Yu could hear him muttering about the strange occurrence that night. Curses punctuated the air.


    At the side, Zhang Fei was also mumbling under her breath. The female soldier stole a look at Tang Can who was frowning slightly. Gradually, the volume of her voice increased until everyone could hear what she was saying. Predictably, she was holding Shen Yu accountable for this entire mess.


    ¡°If it was really dog¡¯s head gold, you would be able to see it instantly!¡± she snarled. ¡°But it was only in that one tiny area of that rock. Also, how come no one was able find it after it got dropped? Does anyone else feel that something fishy is going on? That stupid piece of rock was just a red herring! I personally think we¡¯re all getting tricked by the convict¡¯s successor! Blood will always tell!¡± She glared at Shen Yu.


    At first, Tang Can didn¡¯t quite understand what Zhang Fei was trying to say. Once he heard her trying to shift the blame onto Shen Yu again, he lost his temper. Who was the one who was actually responsible for losing the gold?


    He made eye contact with Zhang Fei, his eyes dark with fury. ¡°I was the one who said that it was dog¡¯s head gold. If you want to curse me out, Comrade Zhang Fei, that¡¯s fine. But don¡¯t think you can curse my grandfather¡¯s name without any consequences!¡±


    Zhang Fei¡¯s expression immediately changed. She replied instantly, trying to defend herself, ¡°I was not cursing your grandfather¡¯s name!¡±


    ¡°Uh huh, is that so?¡± said Tang Can frostily. His entire face showed his displeasure.


    When she saw that he was angry, Zhang Fei started to panic. No matter how she tried to explain things, her commanding officer did not change his stance. It got to the point that Zhang Fei wanted to start crying again. At this moment, Mazha stepped in and tried to say a few good words for her. Normally he liked to bicker with Zhang Fei but he somehow felt sorry for her. Regardless, both of their efforts were in vain. Tang Can ignored them, his face stoic with displeasure. He seemed to be focusing his attention on Shen Yu, who was sitting calmly at the side.


    Shen Yu sat in silence and kept still the entire time the other team members were bickering. She didn¡¯t even twitch when Zhang Fei had tried to blame her for the previous night¡¯s events. She was deep in thought, trying to remember exactly what the villagers¡¯ said about Uncle Li¡¯s mining efforts. If the stories were correct, when Uncle Li started his expeditions, he had actually found dog¡¯s head gold early on during the dig. Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t know it at the time. By the time he figured it out, it was too late. The gold that he was searching for had disappeared forever.


    Now, there was also that phrase that Uncle Li liked to holler when he was still alive. ¡°Gold is everywhere, simply waiting for the fortunate one.¡±


    Funny how last night¡¯s events seemed to follow what Uncle Li liked to say, Shen Yu mused.


    When Shen Yu started to pay attention to her surroundings again, she found Wheaty by her side. Wheaty was laying next to the rock that Shen Yu was currently perched on. The yellow colored dog whuffed quietly when she noticed Shen Yu looking at her. The dog seemed to have a sorrowful look on her furry face, as if she was grieving for something. Shen Yu felt a burst of pain in her heart. She held Wheaty¡¯s head in her hands and tears started to form again. She had a feeling that Wheaty knew that Blackie had passed away.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back!¡± Tang Can walked to Shen Yu and held out a hand to help her up. Shen Yu kissed Wheaty on the head before looking up. Ignoring the proffered hand, she got up and walked down the hill.


    Tang Can stood awkwardly for a second, his hand still in the air. He smiled bitterly and then followed Shen Yu silently.


    Subdued, Zhang Fei obediently followed them, her entire manner quiet and meek. Back at the campsite, she helped Mazha set up breakfast, which she had never done before. Her inexperience showed. Some of the food got burned and ash covered her face when she cleaned up the mess.


    Half of Tang Can¡¯s anger dissipated when he saw Zhang Fei¡¯s improved attitude. However, Shen Yu¡¯s continued moodiness made him feel uneasy. Ever since they got back to the campsite, all she did was sit under a tree and stay silent. Tang Can wanted to say something to raise her spirits but didn¡¯t know what to say.


    At the riverbank, Mazha was spearing fish. Wheaty followed him to join in on the hunt. The dog splashed in the water and somehow managed to catch a fish about a foot long. The fish dangled and struggled energetically in the yellow dog¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Good dog! You caught a big fish!¡± praised Mazha when he saw Wheaty¡¯s catch.


    At the side, Zhang Fei was waiting for Mazha to bring her fish so that she could finish cooking the meal. When she saw that Wheaty had caught the first fish, she snorted in disdain at Mazha¡¯s lack of skill. Even a dog hunted fish better than he did! She went over and tried to take the fish from Wheaty.


    Mazha straightened from his crouched over position in the creek. ¡°Let it go. Why do we need to fight to take food from a dog?¡±


    After thinking for a bit, Zhang Fei had to admit that his words made sense. She watched blankly as the dog dragged the fish over to the riverbank. The fish flopped and jumped on land, trying to escape. Wheaty casually swiped at the fish with a paw, but clearly was not in a hurry to start eating. Finally, the fish stopped moving and was dead. The dog slowly started eating in delicate bites as if it was a well bred lady.


    A faint smile crossed Shen Yu¡¯s face when she saw Wheaty eating. It was as if a bit of sunshine had suddenly peeked around the dark clouds. Relieved, Tang Can let out a breath, his eyes gentle as he watched Shen Yu.


    As they were eating their meal, Mazha started mumbling, ¡°What the hell is going on in Old Mr. Yun¡¯s head? He changes his mind too quickly.¡±


    Tang Can leveled a glare at the soldier. Sensing his commanding officer¡¯s displeasure, Mazha immediately shut his mouth and swallowed what else he wanted to say. He glanced stealthily at Shen Yu, nervous that she had detected something wrong.


    Shen Yu feigned ignorance. A cold smile quickly crossed her face.


    Tang Can smiled brightly at her. ¡°You should rest in a bit. Old Mr. Yun has invited you to go to the mining camp. Looks like you can finally try panning for gold yourself.¡±


    Shen Yu made a quiet noise in reply and continued to slowly eat porridge. Her expression was as bland and as expressionless as it was before. Zhang Fei hated this expression the most. The female soldier threw down her chopsticks in a fit of pique and no longer had any appetite to continue eating.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go feed Blackie,¡± said Tang Can. He stood up and ladled some porridge into a bowl. When he reached Blackie¡¯s nest, he noticed that the dog was nowhere to be found. Surprised, he came back to where the others were sitting and told them what had happened. Fat rolls of tears dripped down Shen Yu¡¯s face and into her bowl of food.


    Wheaty was laying down next to Shen Yu and seemed to understand what Tang Can was saying. The yellow colored raised its head from the ground and howled softly, as if in grief.


    Tang Can stared in shock for a second before all of the pieces finally came together. Shen Yu must have found Blackie was missing the previous night and gone off to find the dog. Blackie was injured seriously, so it was likely the dog had died. Her downcast mood was because she was grieving for the dog. He sat down next to her and opened up his cell phone. After selecting a photo stored on the phone, he showed it to her.


    Shen Yu was not in the mood to interact with anyone, but Tang Can had already shoved the cell phone in front of her. She took a glimpse at the photo. It was a picture of him frolicking with a black colored dog. On closer look, she noticed that the dog¡¯s coat alternated between the colors black and white and had a scraggly white beard like Santa Claus. The fur was also long and beautiful. Shen Yu had never seen a dog as stunning as this one. ¡°What kind of dog is this?¡±


    Tang Can smiled when he noticed that she was interested. ¡°This is a border collie that I¡¯m raising. A lot of people like to call it by ¡°Oreo¡± because its coat is black and white in color!¡±


    Shen Yu burst out in laughter, ¡°That¡¯s the name of a cookie!¡±

 Chapter 20

    Chapter 20 ¨C Small Clues


    The knot in his chest loosened when he saw Shen Yu laughing. It felt like a gentle ray of sunlight had touched him and it warmed him up. Tang Can¡¯s smile became more brilliant as he looked at her. ¡°I¡¯m just kidding. Actually, the dog¡¯s real name is Buck. In a couple of days, you¡¯ll be able to see him. If you¡¯d like, you can help me feed him.¡±


    Zhang Fei¡¯s expression suddenly changed. It looked as if she wanted to say something but then thought better of it. The female soldier puffed her cheeks up and sullenly went to hit the nearby brush with a stick.


    Mazha stared at his teammate with wide eyes as the female soldier hit the grass viciously. ¡°Did she suddenly lose her marbles? What did the poor grass ever do to her?¡±


    Shen Yu also saw Zhang Fei¡¯s exhibition of temper. The corner of her mouth lifted slightly to form a contemptuous smile. She picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks and carefully picked out its bones before feeding it to Wheaty. Although she continued to stay quiet, her mood was better than before.


    When she finished eating, Tang Can suggested that she should take a nap in the tent. Sleep proved elusive as thoughts whirled around in her head. Chief on her mind were the mysterious, disappearing ore of dog¡¯s head gold and the cryptic map she found in the canteen. She itched to pore over the map more closely but in an effort to keep it secret she could not look at it now. I¡¯ll take a closer peek at it when no one else is around me.


    Tang Can brought Shen Yu to the gold mine before it reached noon. Wheaty followed them as if she was Shen Yu¡¯s shadow. Shen Yu¡¯s eyes clouded over with sadness when she looked at the dog. Wheaty came from the gold miners and they would likely make her stay this time.


    ¡°We can¡¯t keep things that did not originally belong to us,¡± Tang Can said with a gentle smile on his face, correctly guessing Shen Yu¡¯s frame of mind. ¡°If you like dogs, when we return back to the army I will give you one!¡±


    Shen Yu¡¯s eyes lit up and nodded her head. A slight smile slowly spread across her face. Tang Can felt his spirits rise when he saw her expression. He raised his head and said, ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful day today!¡±


    She glanced at him, a puzzled look in her eyes, and then looked at the sky. A few dark colored clouds floated through the sky and the sunlight was weak and hazy. It doesn¡¯t seem like a beautiful day to me.


    A couple of the gold miners invited them over when they saw them arrive at the mining camp. Before they could be escorted to Old Mr. Yun, a miner working in the river suddenly had cramps and fell into the water with a loud splash. He swore a couple of oaths as he struggled mightily. Unfortunately his cramps had sapped his strength. Just as he was about to be washed downstream, Tang Can swiftly jumped into water and brought the man to shore. The worker was unable to express his gratitude before he involuntarily collapsed on the sand, twisting in agony. Other people watched him in dismay. No one could help him recover faster. Enduring was his only option.


    Tang Can¡¯s clothes were completely soaked. On the surface, Old Mr. Yun expressed gratitude towards him for his help but he soon directed the conversation down a different path.


    ¡°Us miners have spent too long in the mountains. We don¡¯t bathe and do laundry anymore, so we don¡¯t have any clean clothing for Brother Tang to change into. You should go back now, Brother Tang, before you catch a cold!¡± The implication was clear. He wanted them to leave the camp again.


    Tang Can chucked, ignoring the old man¡¯s obvious hint. ¡°No need to worry, it¡¯s a hot day today! Wet clothes will keep me cool.¡± Old Mr. Yun could try to push them but Tang Can had thick skin and didn¡¯t mind being stubborn from time to time.


    Despite her own mixed feelings about Tang Can, Shen Yu was on his side of this argument. Seeing the situation, she had to help him out. She smiled and said, ¡°Sir, it¡¯s best if you give Officer Tang a cup of hot tea soon. I¡¯ll give Mazha a call and have him bring a change of clothes for Officer Tang. With a car, the clothes will get here quickly. Officer Tang did a good deed today. The least you could do is let us stay a bit longer and not expel us at your first convenience!¡±


    Old Mr. Yun chortled. ¡°Girl, your words accuse me of lacking gratitude! Brother Tang saved one of my men and this a debt that I cannot repay. I would never try eject you guys out. I¡¯m just an old geezer with a mind filled with rust. I can¡¯t be as nimble as you, thinking up an idea that quickly.¡± He stroked his signature, goat-like beard with his hands. ¡°Haha, go make that telephone call to your friends and let them come. It¡¯s almost noon. If you don¡¯t dislike our crude surroundings, how about you guys take a meal with us?¡±


    What an old fox! Shen Yu groaned inwardly but kept a brilliant smile on her face. ¡°Sir, your invitation is too kind. We are overwhelmed with gratitude at the opportunity to dine with a gracious person such as yourself. Even if all you had to serve was sewer water, we would take it as the finest soup!¡±


    Old Mr. Yun laughed in delight and pointed a hand at her. ¡°You little flatterer, you. Such a sweet way with words you have! You¡¯ve gotten me all dizzy with your compliments! Girl, you and your sweet mouth are always welcome here!¡±


    Not only did Old Mr. Yun appreciate Shen Yu¡¯s way with words but Tang Can also felt admiration. She truly had a silver tongue! He had a long history with Old Mr. Yun and this was the first time he saw the old geezer treat someone so warmly!


    Old Mr. Yun guided Shen Yu and Tang Can to his tent, with Wheaty following closely behind. The bodyguard that always followed the old man took one look at the dog and said, ¡°How did this dog come back on its own? It¡¯s been missing for a few days, I thought it would had been eaten by the wolves in the mountains by now!¡±


    Shen Yu replied, ¡°Is this the camp¡¯s dog? A few days ago I saw it wandering around our fire. It looked like it was starving so I fed it. Afterwards it circled around a small grave and refused to leave!¡±


    Her casual words hid a hook that would lead her to more information!


    The bodyguard stopped and bent over to pat Wheaty¡¯s head. ¡°Is that so? The grave was for that injured black dog. This yellow dog is somewhat of a coward and was often bullied by the other dogs. The black dog helped it and protected it from the others. Who would have thought a dog could be so sentimental?¡±


    Shen Yu grabbed onto this line of conversation. ¡°Was that the black dog that Officer Tang kicked? Now that I think about it, it really was our fault that the poor animal got injured¡­¡± Shen Yu stealthily glanced at Tang Can and Old Mr. Yun. Judging that they were out of earshot, she continued, ¡°Although Old Mr. Yun never blamed us, I¡¯m sure he feels heartbroken over that dog!¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s quite unlikely. He wouldn¡¯t feel bad over some dog! Also, that black dog wasn¡¯t originally ours!¡±


    Shen Yu feigned astonishment. ¡°Huh? Was that black dog originally a stray?¡±


    The bodyguard looked at her as if he was reluctant to say more. Finally, he elaborated, ¡°Pretty much!¡± He walked away from her.


    Shen Yu watched the retreating bodyguard¡¯s back with half-lidded eyes. Although she wasn¡¯t able to get all of the details, she had enough to make a couple of deductions. Unfortunately, it left her with other questions that she still could not answer. Why was the canteen with the map hidden in a bird¡¯s nest? And why was that mysterious, disappearing ore of dog¡¯s head gold buried next to the riverbank?

 Chapter 21

    Chapter 21 ¨C Sifting Sand


    As a reporter, Shen Yu had a knack for understanding other people¡¯s temperaments and motivations. It was a useful skill to have in an occupation that required teasing information out of reluctant people. Furthermore, she had never been the department favorite at her old newspaper office. All of the difficult jobs were given to her, but those experiences toughened her resilience and persistence. As a result, she had a keen sense of when it was best to give away and when to stand firm. She was as flexible as a stalk of bamboo. Adaptability and a nimble wit rounded out her list of talents.


    At this moment, the bodyguard was her next interview target. She needed to ferret out all of the useful information she could from him.


    As soon as she had the opportunity to talk to him, she immediately could see a plan taking place. She needed to be as precise as a seamstress setting a first stitch into a new piece of cloth. Shen Yu knew that she could leverage the bodyguard¡¯s nostalgia for his hometown to worm her way into his good graces. Anyone familiar with journalists would know that all of them were experts in making people feel comfortable and about half of them were also experts in human psychology. Otherwise, how else would any one of them be able to sniff out breaking news?


    Shen Yu carefully arranged her expression to be as warm and welcoming as the sunlight on bright spring day. With a demeanor like the friendly girl next door, she asked the bodyguard, ¡°You must be from Shandong province[1.Coastal province in China. Considered to be a northern province.] right?¡±


    Originally, the bodyguard had disregarded Shen Yu, having concluded that she wasn¡¯t a threat. After hearing her mention his home province, he became more interested. ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m from there! Miss, you must also be a northerner! Judging from your accent, you must have come from a place near Shandong!¡±


    Shen Yu nodded and smiled sweetly. ¡°I¡¯m originally from a village close to Beijin!¡±


    The bodyguard instantly felt closer towards her as if he had just met an old friend. ¡°I had a feeling that we had some sort of connection! Looks like I wasn¡¯t wrong. We come from almost the exact same area!¡±


    Inwardly, she laughed in amusement. Homesick people were always desperate to grasp onto anything that reminded them of home. Funny how being thousands of miles away from home changed one¡¯s perspective. Their hometowns were actually hundred of miles apart, but the bodyguard made it sound like they were next door neighbors.


    Pressing her advantage, she cleverly complimented the people from Shandong. Shen Yu then steered the conversation towards Shandong¡¯s most famous piece of literature: Water Margin[2. Considered one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The other novels are Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, and Dream of the Red Chamber], a story set in the Song Dynasty about a group of 108 outlaws banding together to form an army. Ecstatic, the bodyguard conversed enthusiastically with her. In about a half an hour, the bodyguard, whose name was Wu Li, considered Shen Yu to be his adopted little sister.


    Shandong people were generally considered to be straightforward and honest. From Shen Yu¡¯s experience today with Wu Li, that stereotype was not wrong! She continued to chat boisterously with Wu Li, seemingly unaware that the other people around them had nothing to do. Mazha and Zhang Fei had arrived a while ago, which allowed their commanding officer to change into clean clothes. Tang Can and Old Mr. Yun had previously been talking in private but evidently the discussion had soured and they had nothing more to say to each other.


    The older man sat cross-legged on a straw mat and smoked a tobacco pipe which clattered rhythmically. From time to time, he would steal a glance at Shen Yu, which Shen Yu caught from the corners of her eyes. She knew the cunning old geezer had a suspicious nature and he was likely trying to eavesdrop on their conversation.


    However, even a sly fox like Old Mr. Yun would have never guessed that his callous act of burying Blackie alive would lead Shen Yu to find a piece of dog¡¯s head gold and half of an old map! Right now her entire focus was on retaining Wheaty. She had no desire to let the dog go back to a group as grasping and profit-oriented as these miners. As soon as Wheaty no longer had any value left, these people would get rid of the dog without any hesitation.


    The conversation slowly drifted and Shen Yu began to hint at what she truly wanted. Old Mr. Yun, listening on the side, picked up on it and realized that the girl had talked around in circles to figure out whether his group actually wanted the dog. He guffawed and quickly gifted Wheaty to her.


    Zhang Fei expression turned as dark as the crud burned on the bottom of a pot. Seeing someone she disliked receiving an animal she also disliked infuriated her. Her brows snapped together into a ferocious frown and she leveled a glare at Shen Yu. ¡°The army has regulations. No one employed by the army is allowed to take anything from civilians. You don¡¯t even know a simple regulation like this, what kind of soldier are you?¡±


    Unexpectedly, Shen Yu smiled sweetly at the soldier, not at all annoyed at being reprimanded. ¡°Then report me to the higher ups in the army. It¡¯s probably better that a troublemaker like me not stay any longer than I should, right?¡±


    Zhang Fei was at a loss for words. If it was anyone else, she would be able to discipline them immediately. However, she knew she could not touch Shen Yu. After gritting her teeth for a long moment, Zhang Fei decided she had to cut her losses now. The female soldier silently vowed to make Shen Yu¡¯s life hell in the future if the opportunity arose.


    Tang Can had been watching Shen Yu calmly during this entire time. He heard her entire conversation with Wu Li and noticed that the topic seemed to revolve around Wheaty and Blackie. He vaguely had a feeling that everything was not as simple as it seemed.


    At noon, Old Mr. Yun gave the group canned food to eat for lunch. Since the miners were taking this time to rest, he thought it would be a good opportunity for Shen Yu to try her hand at gold panning.


    ¡°Girl, we¡¯ll see if you have any luck today!¡± he said, as if he was granting her a big favor. ¡°Any gold you find will be yours as long as you get it before the other workers start mining again!¡±


    Shen Yu laughed instantly. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t regret your words, sir! I¡¯m going to start sifting the sand now!¡±


    Old Mr. Yun did his best to look gracious. ¡°Go now! Anything you pan from that sand is all yours!¡±


    In actuality, everyone who worked at the mine knew that the sand that he had directed her to had already been sifted by an industrious miner earlier. Anything valuable had already been taken away, so she had no chance of finding any gold. The miners were aware of the trick: Old Mr. Yun was just trying to give his guest something to play with.


    In order to complete the act, Old Mr. Yun went down to the river himself to show Shen Yu the technique. Shen Yu was able to grasp the concept in a glance. She was a farmer¡¯s child and had often helped her parents during harvest season to separate millet from dirt in the storeroom. The tools were the same, she was just switching millet for gold. It was not a difficult process for her to pick up.


    The tool used for gold panning was a finely woven basket made from willow branches. After filling the basket with a mixture of dirt and water, the water would slowly drain out between the woven reeds, leaving any bits of gold dust there were behind on the top. However, the process was easier said than done. The yield from gold panning was notoriously low. Furthermore, Shen Yu was panning baskets of sand that had already been sifted. Naturally she was unable to find even a speck of gold.


    Before long, her clothes became completely soaked with her sweat. Water-logged sand was not the same as millet and a basketful of it probably weighed several times more than grain! After a while, Shen Yu¡¯s arms started to feel sore. She didn¡¯t mind feeling tired, what she minded was that her efforts seemed to be fruitless. Each pan that she sifted ended up with the same outcome: nothing but dirt. It was starting to irritate her.


    ¡°Haha, girl! How¡¯s your yield so far?¡± asked Old Mr. Yun as he watched her sift. He was standing on the nearby riverbed and smoking his tobacco, the corners of eyes wrinkled with amusement.


    Shen Yu straightened her back and smiled helplessly. ¡°I now understand how hard it is to be a gold miner. Nothing is as easy as it seems.¡± She dumped the rest of the sand out of the basket and waded through the water. After she reached the shore, she found a rock to sit on and took off one of her shoes to clean it. Silty sand and water came out and fell onto a nearby piece of sandstone. She noticed something bright and shiny about the size of pebble on the rock after she finished pouring out her shoes.


    Before she could pick the glittering object up, Old Mr. Yun had already come up and taken it. He carefully put it on his palm and used his tongue to lick off every single speck of sand from it. After he had licked it clean, they could see its true shape: a piece of gold dust about the size of a corn kernel.


    Shen Yu stared at it with wide-eyed amazement. Her throat felt like it clogged up with dust, and she couldn¡¯t say anything.

 Chapter 22

    Chapter 22 ¨C Established Rules


    ¡°All clean now!¡± said Old Mr. Yun, a smile on his face. He placed his hand with the gold kernel in it in front of Shen Yu¡¯s face. ¡°It¡¯s yours!¡±


    After seeing the gold fall out of her shoe and then get licked by the old geezer¡¯s tongue, Shen Yu¡¯s stomach rolled at the thought of touching it. After almost vomiting up her lunch on the spot, she hastily shook her hand and rejected his offer.


    When he saw her refusal, Old Mr. Yun instantly took the piece of gold back. Reverently, he took out a small bag about the size of a tobacco pouch from his pocket using his other hand and he carefully pinched the piece of gold between his fingers. He fastidiously placed the metal into the pouch that was held open by his other hand. After closing the bag with exact movements, it was stored back into his breast pocket. Only after it was put away did his face relax into a pleased smile.


    He beamed at Shen Yu and said, ¡°Girl, take off your other shoe too!¡±


    Shen Yu was bewildered for a second before she suddenly realized what he was after. Goosebumps popped onto her limbs as she released her foot from her other shoe. Old Mr. Yun personally took the military issued shoe from her and turned it over, dumping out water mixed with silty sand. Using a finger, he examined every single grain of sand. Not a glimmer of gold could be seen. After confirming there was no gold hidden anywhere, he smiled and gave the shoe back to her and told her to put it back on.


    Shen Yu could feel her scalp tingle with uneasiness but she couldn¡¯t pinpoint why she felt this way After she finished putting her shoes back on, the feeling of disgust came back. She ran to a nearby clump of weeds and puked out her guts, her face green with nausea.


    After she finished vomiting, Shen Yu felt more comfortable. She avoided directly looking at Old Mr. Yun and quickly glanced at him. Just looking at him was enough to bring up the disgusting memory of him licking the piece of gold that came out of her shoe. It was enough to make her feel queasy again.


    ¡°Drink some water!¡± said Tang Can, holding out a bottle of water. Shen Yu wasn¡¯t sure when he came up behind her. She took the water he offered and rinsed her mouth before gulping down big mouthfuls. She felt much better after drinking the water.


    Seeing her calm down again, he smiled at her. ¡°There are all sorts of people in this world. Since you¡¯re a reporter, I¡¯m sure you already knew this!¡±


    His words were indeed true! The world had many types of people, but this was the first time she had ever personally met someone as greedy and avaricious as Old Mr. Yun. He seemed like the type to throw away his own life for money. She felt fortunate that she wasn¡¯t able to pan any gold earlier. Even if she did, it would have been a waste of her energy. With a personality that grasping, Old Mr. Yun was merely paying lip service earlier when he said she could take gold home. If she took his words to be true, he would have had an aneurysm!


    Tang Can continued, ¡°Gold miners are all people who love wealth more than they love living. Before any of the workers can stop for the day, they all need to prove that they¡¯re not secretly hiding any gold they found. The miners strip naked and undergo inspection. Their clothes are checked and ruffled through. Rain or shine, all of them must wash themselves in the creek from head to toe, including their mouths, nostrils and ears. Every orifice of their body is washed, including their butts. Only after proving their innocence under inspection are they allowed to put on clothes again, eat, and rest.¡±


    Shen Yu¡¯s mouth dropped open after hearing his explanation. She couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°How can these people be like this?¡±


    The officer shook his head sadly and replied, ¡°All gold miners have established rules like this. This helps establish discipline and proves to everyone involved that no one is taking a secret cut of gold for themselves. Only when everyone is proven clean can they all sleep easy at night.¡±


    Shen Yu looked at Tang Can briefly but had nothing more to say.


    Together they headed back to where Old Mr. Yun was standing. By the time they got back, the miners had finished their lunch break and had gone back into the stream to start working again. Mazha and Zhang Fei were both on their cellphones. When they saw the two return, they gathered around Tang Can and started talking to him, muttering quietly about something she couldn¡¯t hear. Shen Yu tactfully kept her distance from them. She swiftly glanced at Old Mr. Yun and his bodyguard. They were also whispering into each others ears. Everyone had secrets!


    Bored with her surroundings, Shen Yu went to go play with Wheaty.


    Shortly after, Shen Yu saw one of the miners holler that his stomach was hurting. Holding his belly in pain, he ran towards a grove of trees that were located a distance away from the river.


    Other miners yelled at him. ¡°Lao Li, why do you need to run so far for a bout of diarrhea?¡±


    The person called Lao Li continued to run, not looking back. ¡°Aren¡¯t there women here today? I feel embarrassed going to the bathroom in front of them!¡± He darted into the small bunch of trees.


    Shen Yu sat by the riverbank, idly watching the miners work. Lao Li got up several times to run into the small grove of trees. Each time he got up, he ran urgently and exclaimed in a thick Shandong accent, ¡°I must have eaten something that has gone bad! The pain in my tummy is driving me crazy!¡±


    A couple of steps away were Tang Can and Old Mr. Yun. They had their heads turned towards each other and were negotiating something. Wheaty had wandered off into the long grass, hunting grasshoppers in the grass and eating those that she caught.


    Shen Yu continued to relax and watch the men panning for gold. To amuse herself, she started counting the amount of times Lao Li came up to run into the trees to relieve himself. On his seventh run, Old Mr. Yun¡¯s bodyguard, Wu Li, followed him closely. Both of them entered the grove. Suddenly, she heard a man¡¯s voice screaming. Shortly after, Wu Li came out of the trees with Lao Li in front of him, twisted in the his grasp.


    Lao Li pleaded pitifully for forgiveness as he was forced to march towards the group. He sobbed continuously like a broken record, ¡°It was wrong of me! I was a scoundrel! I will never do it again! Please forgive me¡­.¡±


    The entire scene scared Shen Yu to her toes. The bodyguard¡¯s callous treatment of the man sent chills down her spine. Is he is even human? Does have any compassion left in him? How could he stomach being cruel to a man who was only trying to clear food poisoning?


    Wu Li harshly pressed Lao Li down to the ground and handed over a cloth bag to Old Mr. Yun. The old man slowly opened the bag in front of everyone. A layer of shining gold was exposed, allowing everyone to see what Lao Li was trying to do. Shen Yu suddenly realized that Lao Li had only been using food poisoning as an excuse to smuggle gold away. Lao Li had been hiding the gold he panned in his mouth and under his fingernails. Hidden by the grove of trees, he was able to transfer it in secrecy. Later on, he would have been able to take his stash of gold and sell it for his own uses.


    In front of Old Mr. Yun, Lao Li started begging for forgiveness. He knelt in the mud and knocked his head repeatedly on the stone as tears ran down his face. Soon after he started kowtowing, tell-tale purple bruises showed up on his forehead.


    Old Mr. Yun slowly smoked on his pipe as he watched Lao Li apologize to him. The pipe clicked its tell-tale ¡®bada bada¡¯ with every breath he took. He smoked until the remaining tobacco in the reservoir had burnt out. Only when he was finished did he deliberately tap out the ashes. He smiled and reached out a hand to gently pat Lao Li¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Punish him per the established rules!¡± he ordered.


    That one phrase caused Shen Yu¡¯s hair to stand on end. She knew that Old Mr. Yun¡¯s gentle facade was just a pretense. Deep inside she knew greedy people like him were capable of great cruelty. What did he mean by ¡°punish him per the established rules¡±? She had a sinking feeling that the ¡®established rules¡¯ were not something to be taken lightly.


    As expected, Wu Li immediately twisted Lao Li¡¯s arm cruelly and picked him up from the ground. The stone faced bodyguard dragged the miner towards a nearby grove of trees. Lao Li wailed and cried hysterically, begging Old Mr. Yun to show him mercy. He screamed that he had an old infirm mother with medical bills and that he was the sole provider for his wife and kids.


    ¡°¡­please have mercy on my worthless life! I¡¯ll spend the rest of my life working like a useless dog to repay your kindness! Spare me, spare me, spare me¡­¡± His cries for forgiveness became increasingly desperate.


    His miserable cries made Shen Yu¡¯s heart twist in pity. She couldn¡¯t help but walk towards Old Mr. Yun to say a couple of words for that miner in hopes of lessening his punishment. Before she could reach him, Tang Can suddenly came in front of her, blocking her way. She didn¡¯t have the chance to say one word before the young officer told her he needed to talk to her urgently and then dragged her away to a more private space.


    Tang Can immediately started talking. ¡°Were you trying to talk to Old Mr. Yun, to plead for leniency?¡±


    Shocked, Shen Yu couldn¡¯t react for a second but then smiled at him contemptuously.


    The young officer let out a bitter smile when he read the disgust in her eyes. He slowly continued to explain, ¡°Gold miners follow specific customs. Those who try to steal gold are considered thieves and are sent out to feed mosquitoes. Using rope, they bind up the person¡¯s arms behind their back and place a loop around their neck. Then the thief is tied to a tree and left there. If the criminal survives after being hung there for seven days and seven nights, it is considered to be the grace of the gods and he is set free. If he dies, then it was fate that he needed to die.¡±


    Shen Yu¡¯s face instantly drained of color and became as white as a sheet of paper. She held onto her anger with difficulty and questioned him, ¡°Since you know their customs, why don¡¯t you stop them? How can you just watch as they execute a man in cold blood?¡±

 Chapter 23

    Chapter 23 ¨C A Misunderstanding


    Tang Can looked her in the eye and then shook his head. ¡°Gold miners do not have any ties of affection with anyone and are a cold-blooded group. Even blood-related brothers wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill each other for gold. We are outsiders. If we blindly interfere with their rules and regulations, they will turn on us. The consequences will be a burden we cannot bear to have.¡±


    Shen Yu felt as if a ton of rocks had been sunk into the depths of her heart. She couldn¡¯t believe he refused to help. The army green of his uniform was now a thorn in her eye. Her thoughts were jumbled and she felt sick to her stomach.


    There was nothing more for her to say. She stayed silent for the rest of their sojourn at the camp.


    In the evening, Old Mr. Yun invited them to stay to eat dinner. Just as they were all about to start, Mazha suddenly had stomach pains. Tang Can snapped at the soldier and ordered him to conduct his business farther from the group, in order to not spoil everyone else¡¯s appetite.


    Mazha agreed to this condition and swiftly left. In the darkness, it was hard to see where he ended up going.


    A few minutes went by and Mazha came back to the group. Old Mr. Yun chuckled and told him to grab some food and start eating.


    Although Shen Yu ate without much appetite, that did not dampen the spirits of the others. Old Mr. Yun and Tang Can were both in a good mood. In their voices, Shen Yu could hear that they seemed to finally come to a tacit understanding. For some reason, the old geezer kept mentioning something about ¡°Changsha city¡±.


    After they finished eating, Old Mr. Yun predictably kicked them out of the camp unceremoniously. The only difference this time was that before they left, Old Mr. Yun and Tang Can hugged each other, as if they felt some emotion at parting.


    Shen Yu had no interest in trying to figure out their true intentions. She looked in the direction where Lao Li was being tied up and felt another pang in her heart. His punishment was as good as a death sentence. It was hard for her to believe that anyone would still be alive after seven days with no food or water. The severity of the punishment did not fit his crime. All he did was try to steal some gold for his own use. He never physically harmed another person. To kill him for the crime of greed was much too cruel.


    In the car, Shen Yu held Wheaty in her arms and continued to stay silent. Mazha sat next to her in the back of the car and tried to make conversation. She barely interacted with him and didn¡¯t say a word in return.


    After the car traveled for a good distance, Mazha finally opened his mouth and said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Reporter Shen! Lao Li will definitely survive his punishment!¡±


    Shen Yu laughed icily. He was trying to pull the wool over her eyes. It would be hard to convince her a person could still be alive after seven days with no food or drink. Too laughable.


    After seeing she had misinterpreted his intentions, Mazha hastily added, ¡°I didn¡¯t really have diarrhea before we ate dinner. I was using it as an excuse to go to the little grove where OLao ld Li was tied.¡±


    She sat up stick straight. ¡°Did you let him loose?¡±


    Mazha shook his head. ¡°Nope.¡±


    Shen Yu almost exploded in fury and managed to stop herself from cursing him to the moon. She glared at him venomously. Is he trying to play with me? Does he find it funny to joke about something like this?


    Tang Can tried to pick up this line of conversation and said one word before Shen Yu interrupted.


    She snarled, ¡°Pay attention to the road and keep your nose out of this!¡± Thoroughly scolded, the young officer stopped talking.


    ¡°You¡¯re a f*cking idiot!¡± snapped Zhang Fei who was sitting in the front passenger seat. Had it been any other time, Shen Yu would have ignored the female soldier. However, this time her temper had gotten the better of her so she didn¡¯t hesitate to meet this conflict head on. Shen Yu accused Zhang Fei of being an arrogant, cold-blooded person with no humanity left in her. She also mocked the female soldier for being a peacock with an upcocked tail: all flash and no substance.


    Shen Yu¡¯s agitated state of mind transferred to Wheaty, who also became irritable. When Zhang Fei tried to retort back, the yellow colored dog started barking fiercely at the soldier. Scared that the dog would try to bite her, Zhang Fei quickly backed down. The atmosphere in the car momentarily became chaotic and stifling.


    Shen Yu¡¯s temper was at the tipping point. In a pique of anger, she demanded Tang Can pull the car over so she could get out. If he didn¡¯t stop the car, she threatened to jump out while it was still moving.


    ¡°Why are you making such a fuss?¡± asked Mazha, his head spinning from what just happened. He could feel a splitting headache forming underneath his skull. He reached out to grab onto Shen Yu but she quickly slapped his hand away.


    After the car pulled over and stopped, Shen Yu immediately jumped out of the car. Tang Can also came out. He followed her, wanting to explain the situation to her.


    When Zhang Fei saw her commanding officer leave, she also wanted to follow them. The female soldier derided Shen Yu for acting like a crazy b*tch.


    Mazha grabbed onto Zhang Fei. ¡°What do you think you¡¯ll add to their conversation?¡± he asked as he kept on iron grip on her. Try as she might, she couldn¡¯t shake free of him.


    They struggled, one trying to break free, the other trying to hold on. By the time she finally managed to slip out of Mazha¡¯s grasp, it was too late. It was dark outside and she couldn¡¯t see any trace of Shen Yu or Tang Can. Frustrated,, Zhang Fei stamped her feet on the ground and hollered at Mazha, threatening to peel his skin off for hindering her.


    At about the same time Zhang Fei was throwing a tantrum, Tang Can had caught up to Shen Yu. She had been running in a flat out sprint away from the car but her speed was not enough to shake him off. Tang Can was not even panting hard as he lightly ran over to her. He even said that in the future she needed to toughen up more. As someone who now wore a military uniform, it was important to keep in shape and not make the army lose face.


    Shen Yu wanted to spit blood in fury. She screamed at him, accusing him of being a cold-blooded, ruthless coward. Tang Can stood there and took her abuse, listening obediently. When she finally ran out of steam, he slowly resumed the conversation.


    ¡°Believe me, Lao Li really won¡¯t come to any harm. Mazha left him a sharp dagger before dinner. He was instructed to wait until it got dark before trying to escape. Ideally he would cut himself loose when all of the other miners were sleeping and then escape from there.¡±


    Shen Yu didn¡¯t know if she could believe him but she could feel her anger slowly slipping away.


    Seeing that she had no intention in breaking the silence, Tang Can continued to explain. ¡°Actually, Old Mr. Yun is not as callous as you think he is. It¡¯s just that there were other people around so he had to act this way and follow their established rules to keep order within the group. The truth is he actually deliberately gave us the opportunity to help Lao Li escape. Why else would he invite us to eat dinner with them? Furthermore, he didn¡¯t even have anyone tail Mazha when he had to go to the bathroom. By letting us help Lao Li he achieves two objectives. The first is that he keeps a working relationship with us. The second is that he keeps his reputation with the miners. Since we¡¯re the ones who set Lao Li free, the miners can¡¯t complain about Old Mr. Yun becoming too soft.¡±


    After his explanation, Shen Yu no longer felt mad or betrayed. In fact, she started to feel remorseful. She acted before she understood the whole situation, and that was a potentially dangerous thing to do. She softly said to Tang Can, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t know any of this!¡±


    Tang Can laughed gently. She felt that it was too bad that it was too dark for her to see his smile. She knew that whenever he smiled, his whole face would light up in delight. It made his good-looking face turn into a face that was extraordinarily handsome.


    ¡°Are you feeling better now after you let off some steam? If you are, let¡¯s go back now!¡± he suggested in a considerate voice. It elicited warm feelings inside Shen Yu.


    Shen Yu made a noise in assent. After finding out that Tang Can was not as cold and unfeeling as she had thought, her mood had improved considerably. It was as if the warm sun had finally triumphed over a dark storm.


    They turned back to go back to the car. Zhang Fei heard their footsteps when they got closer and ran over to meet them. Despite their earlier alteracation, Zhang Fei did not spout any profanities and kept her manners polite. Maybe it was because the female soldier was still scared of Wheaty.


    The four of them went back into the car to get back on the road. After traveling a bit, they finally arrived back to their usual campsite in the valley.


    Before they went to bed, Tang Can informed Shen Yu that the plan was to set out when it hit dawn the next morning. They were going back to Changsha.


    Shen Yu felt happy at the thought. They had already spent several days in the mountains and she was tired of being a walking mosquito buffet. The novelty of camping in the rough wilderness had already worn thin and she didn¡¯t want to sleep in a tent anymore. Furthermore, it had been a hot couple of days and she missed being able to take a shower to clean herself. She thought she could smell a bad odor coming off of herself. It was an experience she could have done without.


    Shen Yu had a difficult time trying to fall asleep that night, possibly from the excitement of returning to civilization. After tossing and turning fruitlessly, she finally sat up in the tent and stared off into space. There were a couple of mesh windows in the tent and she used them to gaze at the night sky. The stars twinkled at night and Shen Yu started to think about her parents back at home.


    Time passed and she started to feel tired enough to try going to sleep again. Just as she was about to hunker down, she heard a weird noise. It sounded like it came from Wheaty. Alert and nervous, she looked out the tent. She could vaguely see a human figure in the darkness wrestling with the dog. She tried to arouse Zhang Fei quickly as she grabbed a flashlight and rushed out the tent.

 Chapter 24

    Chapter 24 ¨C Lao Li


    As Shen Yu rushed out of the tent, Tang Can and Mazha jumped out of the car. With two soldiers to apprehend the uninvited guest, the scuffle immediately turned into their favor. Mazha disarmed the invader and quickly made the person kneel on the ground with his arms forcefully pulled behind his back.


    The unknown man cried in pain on the ground. ¡°Please forgive me! I was wrong! Please spare my worthless life!¡±


    Furious, Mazha cursed the man. ¡°Did you think we were dumb sheep, just waiting to get sheared by you? Well guess what, we¡¯re not sheep, we can easily defend ourselves. Bet you regret it now!¡± He breathed heavily and tried to control his rage but still kicked the thief with his foot. The kick must have contained a decent amount of force as the thief shrieked when it connected.


    The intruder sniveled piteously and continued to sob in pain. ¡°Brother, can you please spare me? We¡¯re both from the same province, please forgive me on account of that!¡±


    Shen Yu observed the scene and thought that something felt weird when she heard the unknown man speak. She paid close attention to what the man said. Her reporter¡¯s intuition was tingling, and she had a good one. Otherwise, how would she survive in the field for so long with no support from her managers? A reporter who couldn¡¯t sniff out a good story when there was a whiff was a reporter who was out of a job.


    The person¡¯s words did not calm Mazha down. Instead, it made him more angry. He kicked the man with more force than he did the first time and barked, ¡°Who the hell is from the same province as you? I¡¯m from the Mongol tribes! That¡¯s hundreds, maybe thousands of kilometers away from Shandong!¡±


    The man continued to cry and wail, begging for forgiveness and acknowledging his faults and wrongs.


    At that moment, Shen Yu noticed that Wheaty was not feeling well. The yellow colored dog was laying on the ground and her bark sounded weak and painful.


    Shen Yu ran over to where the dog was lying down. Using her flashlight, she looked at the dog more closely. A long, jagged wound stained the dog¡¯s back. Blood flowed out of the injury, oozing faintly. Shen Yu felt a pang in her heart and her legs quivered. She sat down with a thump on the ground and, with shaky hands, tried to close the wound on Wheaty¡¯s back. The dog had lost a decent amount of blood. What if Wheaty lost too much blood? I wish I could put all of that blood on the ground back into her!


    After Tang Can noticed what happened to Wheaty, he immediately went to the trunk of the car and grabbed a first aid kit. He called out to Zhang Fei, asking her to help treat and bind Wheaty¡¯s wounds. Zhang Fei sniffed coldly and avoided him by walking to the side. She sneaked over to Mazha and helped the other soldier interrogate the intruder.


    To Shen Yu, Zhang Fei disobeying orders didn¡¯t affect her plans at all. She had no intention of asking the female soldier for help in the first place. She snatched the first aid kit from Tang Can and imperiously ordered him to hold a light for her. She opened the medical kit and took out the required supplies. Binding wounds was something that even she knew how to do. After inspecting the dog¡¯s wounds, she inwardly rejoiced that they were not severe. Although the cuts on the back were long and ugly-looking, they were only surface injuries and did not go deep into the flesh. She quickly stopped the bleeding and bandaged up the dog. By the time she was done, Mazha had figured out the identity of the intruder.


    It was the gold thief, Lao Li! The same Lao Li who had been sentenced to be mosquito bait for seven days and seven nights! In fact, the knife he used to harm the dog was the same military-issued dagger that Mazha had left him to help him slip his captors! Infuriated, Mazha took back the knife and used dirt from the ground to clean off the blood from the blade.


    Only now did Shen Yu realize that Tang Can was right about the gold miners. None of them were good people. Given a chance, they would all use unscrupulous methods to get ahead. Even though they saved Lao Li, he did not have any feelings of gratitude towards them. He even went so far to try to steal their vehicle to escape. He was truly an animal that bit the hand that he fed him!


    Mazha dragged Lao Li over to Shen Yu and Tang Can. With fire in his eyes, he told Shen Yu to do whatever she wanted to punish him, since she loved Wheaty the most. Shen Yu had the urge to beat Lao Li to death for what he did to the dog but, in the end, she managed to put her feelings of revenge away. She ground her teeth in frustration but had to conclude that hurting Lao Li would not lessen Wheaty¡¯s wounds. She turned to Tang Can and asked if they could bring Lao Li with them when they left the mountains tomorrow.


    Tang Can agreed to honor her request. For their safety, however, they would have to make sure Lao Li didn¡¯t have any way to harm them when they went back to sleep. They decided to tie the thief up again.


    When Lao Li saw Shen Yu pleading for clemency instead of hollering for his blood, his eyes welled up with tears. He had never thought that someone he had wronged would be kind to him and even let him be taken off of the mountain. He kneeled in front of her and kowtowed several times.


    ¡°Even if I get reincarnated into an animal in my next life, I will always remember your kindness.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± snapped Shen Yu. Lao Li flinched in fright and crouched down low, as if he was trying to kiss the ground. Shen Yu took a slow, deep breath and then continued, ¡°You are human. While alive, you should act like a real human, with humanity. Don¡¯t continue to live like a beast in man¡¯s clothing!¡±


    Lao Li nodded timidly and assented. He kept his head lowered in shame, as if it was weighted with a heavy stone.


    Shen Yu spent the latter part of the night next to Wheaty to keep the dog company. She could hear the dog quietly whining in pain. Every cry in pain made her heart clench with sorrow.


    Seeing Shen Yu so sad made Tang Can feel uncomfortable, as if he was breathing air that was too humid. However, he was the driver of the car tomorrow, so he needed to get some rest. After spending some time with Shen Yu and the dog, he went back into the car to go back to sleep.


    At the side, Lao Li shifted and turned, his arm sore with being bound so tight. It got to the point when he couldn¡¯t stand it. He raised his head and pleaded quietly to Shen Yu, ¡°The rope is too tight around my arms, it feels like they will snap in half soon.¡±


    Shen Yu pretended that she couldn¡¯t hear the man. Using a louder tone of voice, Lao Li repeated his request again, this time asking her to loosen his bonds. Once again, Shen Yu ignored him. Seeing that Shen Yu had no interest in helping him, Lao Li had to change his tactics.


    ¡°My stomach hurts so much when empty. Can you give me something to eat? I really can¡¯t stand it anymore,¡± he pleaded


    Finally, Shen Yu stood up and went to grab some bread and water. However, she still had no intention in loosening the man¡¯s ropes. She slowly fed the old man some bread and helped him drink the water. A breeze blew by, causing the silver bell on her bracelet to chime sweetly.


    The sound of the bell caused Lao Li to look at it in shock. He was so deep in thought that he didn¡¯t even notice Shen Yu offering him another piece of bread.


    After waiting for a bit with no response, Shen Yu impatiently asked, ¡°Are you going to eat this or not?¡±


    Lao Li instantly opened his mouth and swallowed the bread. After eating a couple more bites of bread, Shen Yu offered him some water to wash it down. After that, Lao Li lamented that Shen Yu reminded him of his own daughter. It had been many years since he saw his daughter and he missed her.


    Shen Yu asked, ¡°I thought you gold miners all rested in the winter. How come you didn¡¯t go home to visit when you had the time?¡±


    Lao Li forced out a bitter smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been divorced from my wife for a long time. After my ex-wife remarried she left with our daughter to move to another province where her new husband lives. I¡¯ve been living on my own for a while, and it had been going pretty well for me. But in the past few years I started to feel restless, not sure why. Been thinking about my daughter a lot. Last year, my daughter secretly sent me a letter behind her mother¡¯s back. She said that her stepfather is mean to her so she wants to come and live with me. I actually made a lot of money a while back when I was with the old geezer. But after living by myself for so long, I got lazy. I spent money when I shouldn¡¯t ,so by the time I got her letter, I was poor again. I don¡¯t want her to have a hard, poor life with me. So I went back with Old Mr. Yun to earn some more money, and then I could finally have my daughter live with me¡­¡± At this point, his voice became choked up with emotion.


    After hearing Lao Li¡¯s story, Shen Yu¡¯s heart tightened, and she couldn¡¯t help but feel some sympathy for him. However, she didn¡¯t let her feelings rule her mind. She distinctly remembered that earlier, during the day, Lao Li said he had an old mother, a wife, and kids to raise. At least, that¡¯s what he was hollering when he was begging for forgiveness. So how did his story change so quickly? Given his history of biting the hand that fed him, Shen Yu viewed his new story with a healthy dose of skepticism. Who knew whether this thief was saying the truth or not this time?


    The only part of the story that interested her was when Lao Li mentioned Old Mr. Yun. From what little she could pick from Mazha, she knew that Tang Can and Old Mr. Yun had some kind of business relationship going on, but she didn¡¯t know more than that. However, her intuition said that it definitely had something to with herself, so it made her feel very uneasy. Lao Li was not under Tang Can¡¯s thumb. This a perfect opportunity to get some more information about Old Mr. Yun. If she didn¡¯t take this chance, would she ever get another one?


    Shen Yu eyed her target candidly and deliberately started to steer the conversation. Pretending to feel pity for the miner, she said, ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve been following Old Mr. Yun for a long time. Why was he so callous to an old friend like you? If we didn¡¯t help you today, you probably would have died a slow, painful death!¡±


    Lao Li sighed and smiled bitterly. ¡°That old man? Those who know his reputation all know that Old Mr. Yun is as cruel as can be! This is the guy who could sacrifice his own blood, his own daughter, for his personal gain! No one working underneath him would even dare try to be friends with him.¡±


    Shen Yu raised her eyebrows, not sure whether she believed Lao Li¡¯s opinions. ¡°How could you say that? There is no father in this world who would deliberately harm his own daughter. Look at yourself. You were willing to sacrifice your own life to give your daughter a better life!¡±


    Lao Li groaned in exasperation. ¡°I¡¯m not lying! Old Mr. Yun¡¯s daughter had a sunny and kind personality. Back then, the other gold miners always bullied me but she always tried to help and protect me. That¡¯s why I liked her. When I heard her footsteps, I could hear my heart start pounding faster like it was going to pound through my chest wall. But I knew I wasn¡¯t good enough for her, so all I could do was admire her from afar. It wasn¡¯t just me. A lot of the other people working there also liked her. She was that good of a lady. But no one else liked her as much as I did. I was always the first one to know when she was about the come by. I trained myself to hear the sound of the little silver bell on her bracelet.¡±


    ¡°A silver bracelet with a bell?¡± she asked, feeling uneasy. Shen Yu suddenly remembered something that happened when she first came into the mountains. She remembered that Old Mr. Yun had asked her to take off her bracelet so he could look at it. She could not forget the weird expression he had on his face when he saw it ¨C  it was as if he just had the opportunity to see something rare and uncommon!

 Chapter 25

    Chapter 25 ¨C Digging for Information


    Lao Li let out a long sigh. ¡°Mhm, just as I said, a silver bracelet. In fact, the bracelet she had was very similar to the one you wear!¡±


    Shen Yu felt like her head was about to explode. She had an inkling of what might be going on but she didn¡¯t want to believe it. Impatient to confirm her thoughts, she bombarded Lao Li with questions. What was the name of Old Mr. Yun¡¯s daughter? Where was she now?


    However, the answers she received from him disappointed her. Lao Li told her that Old Mr. Yun¡¯s daughter¡¯s name was Yun Jin. The problem? Yun Jin had been dead for over twenty years after an unexpected car accident.


    Frustrated, Shen Yu no longer knew what to think. The bits and pieces that she had amassed seemed to be going nowhere. The silver bracelet she wore was something that her mother had worn for a long time. Shen Yu only got it after she reached her teenage years. If Lao Li wasn¡¯t lying, then Old Mr. Yun¡¯s daughter had been dead for decades. There was no way the silver bracelet could be from her. Coincidences were not uncommon in a world this big, so she didn¡¯t pursue that line of thought any further.


    The problem was that none of this explained why Tang Can went through the trouble of finding her and recruiting her into his division. He also dragged her up the mountains to meet Old Mr. Yun. What was he trying to do? The other detail that was bothering her was the old man she met when they first arrived in Changsha. He was in a hospital room yet there were guards all over the place, watching him. What was his link to her? No one wanted to tell her anything. Would she ever be able to figure out everything on her own?


    Despite the setback, Shen Yu persevered on. Using all of her wiles that she honed as reporter, she continued to ask Lao Li more questions, skillfully attacking her target from different directions. In the end, however, she obtained nothing of use.


    She was incredibly disappointed. Just as she was about to decide to stop her angle of attack and save some of her breath, Wheaty whuffed softly. It reminded her she had one more thing to clarify. Turning towards Lao Li, she asked, ¡°Oh right! The first day we were at the mines, there was a black colored dog that my commanding officer kicked. I didn¡¯t see that dog today. Is it too heavily injured from that day?¡±


    Lao Li moaned and groaned. ¡°No, that dog was buried alive!¡± he sighed sorrowfully. ¡°In the old geezer¡¯s mind, people are not as useful as dogs, and mongrels are not as useful as Tibetan mastiffs! The most important person in the mining camp is obviously Old Mr. Yun, but a close second is that damn Tibetan mastiff of his! It guards all of the gold and Old Mr. Yun loves it to death. Everyday, the damn dog eats the best that we have! That mastiff lives a life that is a thousand times better than mine. Whenever it gets sick, Old Mr. Yun becomes so worried that you would have thought he was stressing over his dad dying or something!¡±


    When Shen Yu heard Lao Li insult Old Mr. Yun, she almost wanted to start laughing. However, she had more important things to do than snicker at a corny joke.


    ¡°I heard that Tibetan mastiffs are very expensive,¡± she said, continuing the conversation. ¡°In fact, people pay anywhere from a couple hundred thousand to a million for one mastiff. You know how much Old Mr. Yun loves money, of course he would get worried whenever his dog gets sick! The mastiff has a much different fate compared to those other mongrels. Just like that black dog, right? The one that got buried alive?¡±


    Lao Li sighed again. ¡°That black dog was lucky to be able to die with an intact corpse. If it was any of the other mongrels, it would have been chopped up for dog meat. Old Mr. Yun loves to eat dog meat. He¡¯ll kill one of the dogs every couple of months so he can have a taste. The only reason why he didn¡¯t butcher the black dog was because it had some sentimental value for him. Otherwise it would have long disappeared into his belly.¡±


    Shen Yu suddenly felt chills all over and her whole body involuntarily trembled twice. Old Mr. Yun always had a smile on his face, but now it seemed more sinister. For some reason, she now feared the old man.


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that he used to like the black dog a lot?¡± Shen Yu said in an effort to hide her previous reaction.


    Lao Li replied, ¡°No way! The dog was not originally raised by him. In fact, the black dog had bitten Old Mr. Yun before in an effort to protect its previous master. Later on, his master died after falling off a cliff. The black dog actually stood in the spot that his master died and refused to eat, drink or move from its spot. It almost died. Old Mr. Yun admired its loyalty to its dead master, so he started to tame it. He¡¯s an old hand at training dogs. After he succeeded, he kept the black dog by his side.¡±


    Shen Yu¡¯s interest was piqued by this line of questioning and continued to probe Lao Li. She wanted to find out the identity of Blackie¡¯s original master because that was the person who left behind that incredible ore of dog¡¯s head gold and the map in the canteen. Although the gold had mysteriously disappeared, she still had the map in her hands. If the map had any intrinsic value, she could use it as a bargaining tool to get the information needed. She needed to figure out all of these secrets!


    Her eyes flickered as she rapidly thought up a convincing story to tell Lao Li. ¡°Officer Tang told me before that the black dog¡¯s original owner used to be in the army! Is that correct?¡±


    This lie was a long shot, but she fabricated it up based on what little she had. Just because she found a military issued canteen didn¡¯t mean that Blackie¡¯s old master was an enlisted soldier. After all, the army often sold its surplus supplies to civilians, so anyone could easily get a canteen. However, even blind cats can occasionally kill rats on accidents. This time, she had struck gold.


    Lao Li nodded his head. ¡°Yup, that person used to be a soldier. Actually, that¡¯s how the black dog¡¯s old owner learned how to train dogs in the army style. That black colored dog had been very well trained and was fierce! It had even killed wolves before! But the black dog is old now. Had it been any younger, Old Mr. Yun would have never let that dog off leash in the daytime. That dog would attack strangers.¡±


    Shen Yu¡¯s eyebrows slowly came together in a frown. Right now she didn¡¯t like anything that was associated with the army. Blackie¡¯s old master used to be in the military. It was likely that man had some contact with Tang Can and his crew, or at least the division that they were in. She continued to subtly pump Lao Li for information. Without much effort, she learned that Lao Li knew that Blackie¡¯s old master¡¯s nickname was ¡®Eagle¡¯. Unfortunately, Lao Li didn¡¯t know Eagle¡¯s real name and where his nickname came from.


    The clues that she was able to pry out of Lao Li¡¯s mouth didn¡¯t turn out to be too surprising or groundbreaking. Regardless, the more information the better! Shen Yu was actually quite pleased with the amount she managed to elicit from this round of investigation. She felt like she managed to recoup the cost of saving Lao Li, despite his appalling lack of morality.


    Time passed quickly and before she knew it, dawn had arrived. After talking for half the night, Lao Li was exhausted. His head drooped down to his chest and he could barely keep his eyes open. Shen Yu thought of another topic she wanted to ask. She had remembered that Lao Li had previously said that Mazha was from Shandong province, just like him. However, Lao Li¡¯s reply was too muddled for her to make any heads or toes of it. It sounded like he was talking in his sleep. Despite asking the same question twice, she was still unable to get a coherent answer from him. Lao Li started to snore. Shen Yu sighed and decided that it was worthless trying to continue. She might as well save her own breath.


    In the quiet of the dawn, she sifted through her tangled thoughts. Ever since Tang Can showed up, her previously peaceful and orderly life had been turned topsy-turvy. Her parents were no longer people she knew. Both her mother and father had a mysterious pasts that she didn¡¯t know existed until recently. Just thinking about it made her head hurt.


    She thought back to that fateful day when she saw her dad hitting her mom.


    ¡°Those people are already at our doorstep, if you make a fuss now, wouldn¡¯t they find out everything? If they figure out exactly what happened all of those years ago, who knows what they¡¯ll do to us!¡±


    She was deep in thought when Tang Can finally woke up. When he got out of his sleeping arrangement, he noticed that she was sitting next to Lao Li, as if they hadn¡¯t slept the entire night. He asked her why she didn¡¯t sleep the night before with a concerned look on his face.


    Before she could reply, Lao Li woke up after hearing the sound of Tang Can¡¯s voice. He started to cry and beg pitifully.


    ¡°Officer Tang, I¡¯ve been bound up all night! Can you please loosen the rope? My arms feel like they¡¯re about to fall off!¡±


    Since he was awake and it was light out, Tang Can saw no reason to continue keep the thief tied up. He untied the rope from Lao Li¡¯s body. Freed, Lao Li still looked miserable and in pain. After being forced into the same position for a whole night, the thief¡¯s arm was numb and Lao Li was too scared to try to move it on his own. Tang Can helped the man slowly massage the arm to let blood flow back into it. Lao Li cried out in pain a couple of times but he could finally move his arm again. Gingerly, he continued to exercise his limb gently.


    Shen Yu decided to loosen Wheaty¡¯s bandages to check on them after a long night. She tried to get up from the ground, but after sitting for an entire night, her legs were numb! Before she realized it, she had taken a stumble and was about to hit the ground face first!


    ¡°Shen Yu!¡± exclaimed Tang Can. He quickly stretched out a hand to catch her in his arms before she fell.

 Chapter 26

    Chapter 26 ¨C Departing the Mountains


    Feeling Shen Yu¡¯s soft, pliable body in his arms made Tang Can¡¯s heart start pounding. A rush of blood flowed through his body, causing him to momentarily feel faint and dizzy. His eyes and throat suddenly felt dry and scratchy. He couldn¡¯t help but stare at her face, which was awash with a faint pink tint.


    Shen Yu was ignorant to the thoughts running through the young officer¡¯s mind. She thanked him for catching her before she fell. As she struggled out of his arms, she didn¡¯t have the chance to see the expression on Tang Can¡¯s face.


    Although the person involved didn¡¯t notice Tang Can¡¯s reaction, that didn¡¯t mean that other people were not aware.


    ¡°Oh ho!¡± exclaimed Mazha quietly. His eyes danced, as if he noticed something amusing. He elbowed Zhang Fei who was next to him. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯ve ever seen our team leader¡¯s face turn as red as a monkey¡¯s behind!¡±


    When Mazha elbowed Zhang Fei, he didn¡¯t use much force. It was more of a gentle poke to get her attention. However, Zhang Fei took it differently. Jealous anger had already been building inside her, and the female soldier felt provoked when she saw Shen Yu briefly look at her as she stumbled out Tang Can¡¯s arms. In her mind, Shen Yu was deliberately taunting her. The more Zhang Fei thought about it, the more certain she became. Infuriated, blood rushed straight into her head. Since she was unable to release her temper on the people involved, Mazha had now become the unfortunate target of her anger. The female soldier jumped up, slapped her fellow soldier on the back of his head, and started yelling at him. The slap was so heavy that stars burst into Mazha¡¯s vision.


    ¡°You crazy, violent tomboy! Yout hit me again!¡± yelped Mazha. The noise that he made was enough to bring Tang Can out of his momentary daze. The young officer hastily calmed himself down.


    Zhang Fei kicked Mazha hard and then sulkily stomped off to the brook. Grabbing some stones from the riverbank, she threw them into the water one by one. Although it was her turn to make breakfast, she was rebelling and was not in the mood to help with the chores. Without complaint, Mazha picked up the task of cooking breakfast. As a young man in his prime, he was always hungry so it didn¡¯t make sense for him to bicker with the female soldier while his stomach growled.


    When Shen Yu saw Mazha adding wood to the fire, she ran over to help. He smiled good naturedly at her and told her that it wasn¡¯t necessary for her to do anything, she should just sit on the side and wait for breakfast. She sighed heavily. The people in the army were indeed different from civilians. All of the male soldiers knew how to cook and perform household chores. In the future, she should marry one and reap the benefits herself. Just as she was thinking about that, her mind involuntarily brought up Tang Can¡¯s handsome face¡­


    ¡°A penny for your thoughts?¡± suddenly asked the person she was just thinking about. She couldn¡¯t recall noticing when Tang Can had walked over. Her face flushed in embarrassment and she quickly grabbed a nearby piece of firewood. With her head lowered, she pretended to add fuel to the campfire.


    ¡°Go sleep for a bit! You must be tired after staying up all night,¡± said Tang Can as he sat down next to her and grabbed the branch she was about to hold. He broke the piece of wood in half and added it to the fire.


    Shen Yu gladly took the chance to stay out Tang Can¡¯s way and agreed to his suggestion. She stopped by to look at Wheaty. After resting for a night, the yellow colored dog had mostly recovered. Wheaty was no longer whimpering in pain and was able to get up and walk around. Shen Yu¡¯s mood improved greatly when she saw that the dog was feeling better.


    Now that it was day, Lao Li was feeling insecure about his situation. He was afraid that Shen Yu and the group would change their minds about bringing him down the mountains with them. A single person stranded in the mountains did not have many options. If the wild animals didn¡¯t eat him, then he would still likely die from either starvation or dehydration. He followed Shen Yu like he was her shadow, babbling constantly, trying to worm his way into her good graces.


    After enduring Lao Li¡¯s company for a bit, Shen Yu started to feel annoyed. ¡°Go sit there obediently and stop following me! If you don¡¯t do as I say, I really will leave you here!¡± she growled.


    Lao Li hurriedly went to comply. He sat on the ground obediently, like a discarded bag, and didn¡¯t bother Shen Yu. Only when the food was ready did he get up and help serve breakfast to everyone.


    Mazha hollered at Zhang Fei, who was still sulking by the riverside, to come back and eat. When the female soldier came back, she was clearly still in a bad mood. After taking one sip of the congee that Mazha made, she spat out the mouthful and said, ¡°What is this? It tastes disgusting!¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s that disgusting, then don¡¯t eat it!¡± scowled Mazha, offended by Zhang Fei¡¯s deliberate pickiness. Shen Yu and Tang Can ignored them. They both knew that Zhang Fei was just having another tantrum.


    Furthermore, Zhang Fei and Shen Yu were about as incompatible as water and fire. All Shen Yu wanted was to be as far as possible from the prickly female soldier.


    After eating and packing up, the group drove down the mountain, with Lao Li in tow. When they reached civilization again, they dropped the thief off. Where he ended up going, no one really cared.


    They traveled quickly on the highway and arrived in Changsha city before it got dark. Tang Can knew that Shen Yu had to be exhausted after traveling all day and was also aware that she didn¡¯t get along with Zhang Fei. When they reached the district military¡¯s guest house, he arranged for her to have a private room. After she left to rest for a bit, Tang Can notified Zhang Fei that he no longer required her services and requested that she go back to the main division. He had made his final decision, so even when Zhang Fei started making a fuss, he didn¡¯t change his mind. When Mazha opened his mouth to plead for her, Tang Can looked him straight in the eye and the look in his face frightened Mazha so much that he swallowed down his words.


    Sobbing hysterically, Zhang Fei wanted to run out of the room but Mazha grabbed onto her and stopped her. Tang Can sneered coldly and said, ¡°Why are you surprised? I¡¯ve seen the way you treat Shen Yu. Also who was the one who lost the dog¡¯s head gold? If my grandfather and your grandfather found out what happened, what do you think they¡¯ll do?¡±


    Zhang Fei immediately became quiet and lost confidence in herself. She pursed her lips as she quickly thought. Setting aside the fact that she treated Shen Yu poorly, losing the dog¡¯s head gold was a whole other matter. It was unlikely she could escape that crime. If their grandfathers really found out what happened, she would be flayed within the inch of her life. The dog¡¯s head gold was very important to everyone involved and was valuable enough to instantly become a national treasure. Her own grandfather had a notorious temper, almost as bad as Tang Can¡¯s grandfather, and he wouldn¡¯t hesitate the punish her mercilessly.


    Mazha whispered to Zhang Fei, trying to calm her down. Usually he was coarse in manner and action but this time the things he said made a lot of sense.


    He kept telling her, ¡°Sometimes you have to retreat to win, retreat to win¡­¡±


    Zhang Fei slowly cooled down and started thinking carefully again. She also had her little tricks. After calculating scenarios in her head, she had an idea that could work.


    When Tang Can was not paying attention, Zhang Fei slipped around him and went into Shen Yu¡¯s room. She shook the sleeping woman awake. Sobbing piteously, she begged Shen Yu to help her. She cried and said that if she was sent back in disgrace her grandfather would flay her to the high heavens.


    From her wails, Shen Yu learned that Zhang Fei and Tang Can had grown up together. Both were from military families who had good relationships with each other. It was obvious that Zhang Fei liked Tang Can romantically. Shen Yu started to feel uncomfortable. Furthermore, Zhang Fei was hinting that Shen Yu had provoked Tang Can into expelling her from the group. The female soldier¡¯s accusations stabbed with the sharpness of spear.


    After listening to Zhang Fei cry hysterically, Shen Yu felt like her head was going to explode. After not sleeping the previous night and enduring a long car ride, she was exhausted. All she wanted was to sleep until she felt human again. Fed up, she cracked open the door to Tang Can¡¯s room, which was right next to hers, and yelled at him. She said that if he persisted in expelling Zhang Fei, then she would immediately go back to Beijin city. His quest be damned!


    Tang Can¡¯s hands were tied now and he had no other avenue. All he could do was shake his head sadly and privately lament. In his mind, Shen Yu had far too kind of a heart and Zhang Fei was a slippery snake full of devious schemes!

 Chapter 27

    Tang Can promised Shen Yu that he wouldn¡¯t send Zhang Fei back to the regular army division. Despite Shen Yu¡¯s involvement, Zhang Fei was not grateful. She groused about Shen Yu¡¯s deficiencies behind their backs and ground her teeth silently. The only person who saw the female soldier¡¯s actions was Mazha.


    Mazha frowned deeply, disappointed by his colleague¡¯s actions. He grumbled under his breath, stating that Zhang Fei was an ungrateful, two-faced witch who didn¡¯t know how to repay good deeds. Although he tried to be quiet, evidently Zhang Fei heard him. She leveled a hard glare at him. Mazha sucked in his neck like a tortoise and rapidly shut his mouth. He didn¡¯t have the clout to fight with this petty woman and her military family.


    Tang Can saw that Shen Yu had been thoroughly awakened by Zhang Fei¡¯s underhanded methods. He sighed and suggested that Shen Yu quickly eat dinner right now. She could sleep more after she finished eating.


    Using a hand to cover her mouth, Shen Yu let out a long and loud yawn. With a voice still clouded with sleep, she asked Tang Can where he put Wheaty. The young officer smiled brightly and said, ¡°The dog is in the rear courtyard behind the guestrooms. Unfortunately, we had to provide slightly cramped quarters for her. Army regulations. We had to get a dog crate for her, so she¡¯s resting in that right now. I already had someone specializing in veterinary medicine look her over. Wheaty¡¯s wounds got re-bandaged and that person also gave her a shot of something. Don¡¯t worry about the dog!¡±


    Shen Yu nodded obediently. After she finished her dinner, she grabbed a couple steamed rolls from the table and ran out to find Wheaty. Tang Can followed closely behind her. Zhang Fei originally wanted to follow the two but before she could step out, Mazha stopped her.


    ¡°You still trying to cause trouble?¡± he asked. ¡°Are you trying to piss Officer Tang off? Again?¡±


    Zhang Fei stamped her feet, revealing her anger and frustration. She threw off the hand that Mazha had on her arm and swiftly turned to back to her room. Mazha watched her retreat and laughed uneasily.


    Shen Yu found the yellow colored dog in the rear courtyard. Wheaty lay dispiritedly in the dog crate, not used to being locked up. When the dog noticed Shen Yu was there, she jumped up and whined pitifully, as if she was a little housewife being abused by her evil mother-in-law.


    The young woman squeezed her hand through the bars and patted Wheaty¡¯s head gently, trying to comfort the dog. Wheaty soon saw that Shen Yu was holding steamed rolls, and the dog¡¯s eyes glittered with greed. After a bit, she got impatient and thrust her wet nose into Shen Yu¡¯s hand. Wheaty licked her chops and sat down, waiting anxiously for Shen Yu to do something. Shen Yu deliberately stood there and did nothing. Wheaty clawed at the kennel door at first but then stopped and stared at the woman, her large dark eyes looking sad and pitiful.


    If I don¡¯t feed her soon, it seems like I¡¯ll be committing some kind of sin or something. Despite those thoughts, Shen Yu inexplicably felt happy at this moment.


    Tang Can crouched next to the dog kennel. He watched Shen Yu and Wheaty contently, not saying a word. An evening breeze blew past them and carried the scent of some unknown flowers to them. Both of them felt pleasure and enjoyed the quiet night air.


    Finally, Shen Yu fed the steamed buns in her hand to Wheaty. She briskly wiped her hands clean of the remaining crumbs and stood up to go back to her room. Her body was extremely tired. After feeding Wheaty, she felt relieved about the dog. She wanted to go back, take a hot shower, and then fall into a dead sleep.


    Like a personal bodyguard, Tang Can followed Shen Yu back to the guest sleeping quarters. He followed her until they reached the door to her room. Before she could enter, he asked her to bring out her dirty clothes. While she showered, Tang Can planned on bringing them to the laundry facility and have one of the workers there wash the clothes.


    Shen Yu¡¯s head ached from exhaustion, her temple throbbing. Usually she enjoyed hearing Tang Can speak, his voice always sounded very smooth and resonant. However, this time, listening to him talk made her head pound more fiercely. She went into her room and changed out of her dirty outer clothes in an effort to get Tang Can to leave so she could go to sleep faster. In her haste, she forgot to check her pockets to take out anything that may be in them. She gave her discarded outer clothes to Tang Can and jumped into the shower, leaving her underwear with her. Those she could wash later in the comfort of her own bathroom.


    After realizing her oversight, waves of regret flowed over her. She had forgotten she had found a map while in the mountains. The map had been placed in her pockets and she forgot to take it out in her haste to get undressed. By the time she remembered and went down to the laundry room, it was too late. The laundry room staff brought her a plastic bag that was marked with a number. Inside the bag were the other items she had left in her clothing: keys, nail clipper, wallet, and cellphone. But there was no map.


    Shen Yu checked her wallet and found that not even a penny had been taken out of it. Where did the map go?When she asked the laundry attendant, the attendant said that everything that had been taken from her clothes were placed in the plastic bag, no exceptions.


    ¡°Is it something very important? I swear that I didn¡¯t see anything else!¡± said the laundry attendant, alarmed. She was a young girl, around sixteen to seventeen years of age. Her face turned white when she heard that Shen Yu had lost something at the laundry. She looked like she was about to cry.


    When Shen Yu saw the attendant¡¯s expression, she hurriedly tried to comfort her. ¡°It was nothing important! I¡¯ll go look elsewhere for it, don¡¯t worry about it. It probably dropped in the car earlier.¡±


    Shen Yu dropped the matter. She knew how the world worked. If anyone complained about losing items at the laundry, all of the workers would get punished. She had no desire to make life difficult for such a hardworking, young girl over a piece of paper that had questionable value. Even if the map did lead to a hidden treasure, what was she supposed to do with it? Go treasure hunting herself? She already had Uncle Li¡¯s example in front of her, and she really didn¡¯t want to become the Shen family¡¯s second Uncle Li. In her mind, living a simple and hardworking life was the only correct decision. There was no need to waste her life trying to chase down a mythical treasure.


    When the laundry attendant heard Shen Yu say that it was not a big deal, her expression relaxed and a smile came back. She had Shen Yu sign a paper and then gave the contents of the plastic bag to her.


    At this point, Shen Yu started to struggle with some mixed feelings. She remembered placing the map into the inner pocket of her clothes. How could it just drop out and disappear? Someone must have stolen it from her. Her number one suspect was Tang Can, especially since he was the only one who had access to her clothes. Shen Yu felt somewhat down. Although she had never completely trusted the man, she had thought he was a relatively upright and honest person. But he was the most likely suspect in the case of the missing map. Her impression of him worsened.


    Regardless, they were all going to stay in Changsha for a couple of days. At first, Shen Yu did her best to ignore Tang Can. When she couldn¡¯t ignore him, she treated him with distant politeness, pasted a smile on her face, and grunted to avoid speaking. Her smile was so obviously fake that it was painful to look at.


    At this point, Shen Yu realized she had inadvertently made Zhang Fei very happy. When Zhang Fei had saw that Shen Yu and Tang Can were no longer speaking to each other, the female soldier started humming a merry tune. Her face also had a self-satisfied expression on it.


    On the other hand, Mazha also sensed that there was something not right. In an attempt to repair their relationship, he kept bringing Shen Yu and Tang Can close together. In his mind, Mazha thought that there must have been a misunderstanding. As someone who liked to smooth relationships over, he did all that he could to release the tension between the two. But it was in vain. Tang Can had no issues with Shen Yu but Shen Yu was not willing to spend time with the young officer. In the end, Mazha got yelled at by Zhang Fei, who called him an idiot who liked to meddle unnecessarily in other people¡¯s lives.


    Shen Yu thought Mazha was actually pretty adorable. Even when he got scolded, he never got angry. He merely laughed and acted sheepishly. In her eyes, Mazha was a pure hearted person. Her impression of him had started off and remained very good.


    The next few days passed leisurely. Shen Yu had no tasks during the day, so she spent most of her time taking care of Wheaty. She was afraid that Wheaty would get sick and depressed from being locked up and ended up buying a leash for the dog. On leash, she took the dog with her to the military guest house¡¯s gardens for walks. Shen Yu didn¡¯t dare to take the dog to other places as she wasn¡¯t sure of their welcome in other areas. True to his nature, Mazha treated Shen Yu and the dog very well. Every day, while they walked and got their exercise, he used that time to clean the dog crate.


    As usual, Shen Yu took Wheaty out for walk this morning. When she came back, Mazha was still in the middle of cleaning the dog¡¯s living quarters. After walking a large loop, the dog was thirsty. Next to the kennel were Wheaty¡¯s dishes for food and water. The dog bounded over to take a drink but suddenly Mazha yelled, ¡°Wheaty, don¡¯t drink! There are rice sheep inside the bowl!¡± He grabbed the water dish and poured the water out on the ground.


    Mazha was doing a good deed by making sure the water was fresh enough for the dog to drink, but Shen Yu had an odd expression on her face. For a while after, she looked at Mazha with a weird look in her eyes. Every time Tang Can saw Shen Yu having a good time with Mazha, he could not help but smile bitterly, as if he had just swallowed something unpalatable. He suddenly noticed the young woman looking at him. His smile changed and became bright and happy.


    Shen Yu went over to talk to the young officer. She wanted to know where Mazha¡¯s old home province was.


    ¡°Mazha¡¯s a good fellow! Any woman who marries him will have a good life for the rest of her life!¡± exclaimed Tang Can, as if he was trying to recommend Mazha as a possible husband to Shen Yu.


    Shen Yu ignored Tang Can¡¯s weird comment and frowned. ¡°Is he really from the inner Mongol tribes?¡±


    Surprised, Tang Can stared off into space for a bit. He had a faint feeling that Shen Yu¡¯s question had more than one meaning. He observed her quietly and then slowly said, ¡°Mazha¡¯s file says so. It says he¡¯s a native from inner Mongolia. From Darhan Muming¡¯an united banner in Baotou, Inner Mongolia to be exact.¡±


    Shen Yu smiled sweetly at him. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you another question, Tang Can. Do you know what ¡®rice sheep¡¯ are?¡±

 Chapter 28

    Chapter 28 ¨C The Old Man in the Countryside


    Tang Can shook his head sheepishly, ¡°I have no idea! Are rice sheep what they sound like? Sheep that are the color of rice?¡±


    Shen Yu burst out laughing and praised the young officer. ¡°Not bad! I¡¯m sure you did very well in language and literature classes during elementary school!¡±


    On the surface Shen Yu was praising him, but Tang Can personally did not hear anything complimentary. Seeing the amusement on her face, the young officer knew that she was teasing him. He didn¡¯t take offense and quickly forgot the whole incident.


    The young woman changed the subject without explaining ¡°rice sheep¡± to him. ¡°The weather in Changsha is kind of unbearable for me,¡± she complained. ¡°It¡¯s so damp and humid here. I want to go back north.¡±


    Tang Can glanced at her and his lips quivered slightly as if he wanted to say something. After a moment, he decided to shelve his thoughts and merely smiled at her.


    Shen Yu didn¡¯t know why they were still staying in the military guest house as quite a few days had passed without any signs of moving. What were his plans?, she thought in frustration. A couple of days ago, Tang Can had been around. She had been actively avoiding him at that point but, at that time, it seemed like wherever she went, he was there. Now, she couldn¡¯t even find his shadow. She even went to the parking lot to check on the off-road vehicle they were using earlier. But it hadn¡¯t been touched. He must be in the vicinity somewhere, working on something. Just thinking about what he might be doing made her feel stuffy and irritated.


    That night, Shen Yu tossed and turned but couldn¡¯t fall asleep. Time seemed to have slowed down to a stop. She checked her cell phone several times in a row, but it was still around 10 pm.


    There was no point in trying to sleep more. Her head pounded fiercely and she hoped that a walk outside would help relieve it. She crawled out of bed and started to change into her clothes. Suddenly, she could hear footsteps walking down the hallway. Shen Yu had ears like a fox and could quickly tell that the footsteps sounded like Tang Can¡¯s. Soldiers walked differently compared to civilians, and Tang Can¡¯s steps were different from regular servicemen. At least, Shen Yu had the ability to differentiate them.


    As expected, in a couple of minutes, she could hear the footsteps stopping in front of the door to her room. It was Tang Can!


    Tang Can escorted Shen Yu out of the guesthouse, and they entered a military vehicle. Inside the car were two other people but neither of them were Mazha or Zhang Fei. The driver of the car was a young soldier who looked to be in his early twenties. Next to the driver sat a man who was older, possibly in his thirties. A look at the older soldier¡¯s collar revealed the insignia of a captain.


    The captain greeted Shen Yu before Tang Can could introduce them to each other. Apparently, the captain had already been briefed on who she was.


    ¡°Comrade Shen, it¡¯s nice to meet you!¡±


    Shen Yu smiled back and said a brief greeting to him. Tang Can then explained that this man¡¯s last name was ¡°Jin¡± and that she could call him ¡°Commander Jin¡± in the future. The soldier driving the car, he explained, was the youngest out of all of them and hadn¡¯t even reached his twentieth birthday yet. Shen Yu was told to call him by ¡°Xiao Qiu¡±. After she greeted him, Shen Yu kept quiet.


    At first, the car traveled at a slow and smooth pace. As they traveled, Shen Yu noticed that the streetlamps had slowly disappeared. The only light they had to see the road was from the Jeep that they were sitting in. The car¡¯s headlights shined a hazy yellow.


    Steadily, the road that they were driving on got more rough. The car was soon jolting with every turn of the wheel and it felt like they were sitting on a boat and not a car. Shen Yu started to feel like there was something knocking against her throat. Finally she couldn¡¯t hold back the urge anymore and hastily opened the car window with one hand with her other hand covering her mouth. Tang Can hastily asked Xiao Qiu to stop the vehicle. The car hadn¡¯t stopped completely when Shen Yu pushed open the car door and ran out. She vomited violently.


    Tang Can stepped out of the car and stood behind her, one hand gently patting her back. After she finished puking, he handed her a handkerchief to wipe her mouth.


    Shen Yu felt embarrassed. She didn¡¯t know she could get carsick because she never had an issue before. Back in the village, she traveled on oxcarts and donkey carts without problem. After thinking for a bit, she thought she might know the reason why she became nauseous today. She had eaten more food than usual that evening and the food had sat like a lump in her stomach. Being bumped around in the car made the feeling worse, so the food had to come up.


    After wiping her face with Tang Can¡¯s handkerchief, she held onto it. I can¡¯t just give it back to him all dirty. I need to wash it clean before I return it.


    ¡°Do you feel better now?¡± asked Tang Can, his voice was as warm and as gentle as the night breeze.


    Shen Yu nodded. She wasn¡¯t able to get a good look of their surroundings when she ran out of the car earlier but she took the time to look around her now. She was standing on an uneven dirt road that was scattered with potholes. Although it was very dark out with very little ambient light, she could vaguely see that they were currently in the rural countryside. Rice fields bordered the road on both sides and when the wind blew she could smell damp, fertile soil.


    A feeling of unease and discomfort settled into her. Why did Tang Can bring her to this place in the middle of the night? Despite the questions that peppered her mind, she didn¡¯t voice any of them and calmly went back into the car. She knew that it was useless to ask now. If he had wanted her to know, he would have told her earlier.


    The car started moving again. Tang Can asked Xiao Qiu to drive more slowly as he was afraid that Shen Yu would start feeling nauseous again. Xiao Qiu agreed to his request and slowed the vehicle down significantly. At this speed, it was no faster than an oxcart! Shen Yu felt that the ride had gotten more comfortable and settled in. The car rocked gently, and it felt like she was in a baby cradle. Lulled by the swaying of the car, Shen Yu fell asleep. She slept for a long time. When she woke up, she found that she had twisted her body around such that her head was cushioned on Tang Can¡¯s shoulder. Tang Can sat with a straight posture and barely moved. Shen Yu looked at him drowsily and her groggy mind almost thought that he had become a statue.


    When she realized what had happened, a red blush colored her cheeks and stained her ears. She found it embarrassing that she used him casually like a pillow. Some things were better left unsaid, so she pretended that she had just woken up. She stretched her body lazily, like a cat, and let out a long yawn.


    ¡°Are we there yet?¡± she asked the driver.


    Xiao Qiu laughed indulgently, ¡°Almost there, almost there. We¡¯ll be there soon!


    Commander Jin had also been sleeping in his seat. The sounds of Shen Yu and Xiao Qiu talking evidently woke him up. The older man stretched his arms briefly and turned around to face her.


    Smiling brightly, he said, ¡°Comrade Shen, you must have been exhausted!¡±


    Shen Yu smiled and shook her head shyly. She stole a quick look at Tang Can. The one who should be exhausted is him! But look at him, sitting so properly in the car. He hasn¡¯t relaxed this entire time. Is he a robot or does he have metal in his bones and joints?


    By the time the sky had lightened up to a light gray, they had reached their destination ¨C a rustic little village. Judging by the looks of it, the town was not very big. There were only a couple of houses sprinkled around the area.


    The roads inside the town were rough and not made for cars. After parking the vehicle right outside the village, they got out and proceeded by foot. Although it was a farming village, like the one Shen Yu grew up in, there were still distinct differences between villages in the north and those in the south. Shen Yu knew most of the obvious differences. Rain fell more frequently in the south, so the houses here were mostly tiled. Their roofs were almost more heavily sloped to help facilitate shedding water from the rooves.


    The four of them walked until they reached a house made of light green brick. From the outside, it looked like the dwelling had two rooms and no courtyard wall. An elderly man with messy hair that had all gone white sat on an old wooden chair in front of the building. Next to him was a crude wooden table with papers used to roll cigarettes on it. The man had a very dark, wrinkled complexion. A closer look revealed caked mud in the folds of his wrinkles. Shen Yu could also see that the man had lost most of his teeth. With eyes that were half open, the old man seemed to be looking at the rising sun in the east. It appeared that he had not noticed the four of them.


    Commander Jin gave Tang Can a look, and Tang Can squatted down next to the man. He smiled and lightly hollered, ¡°Grandfather.¡±


    The old man slowly moved his head until he was facing Tang Can. His eyes were dull and muddy as he looked at Tang Can¡¯s face. He slowly looked at the young officer from head to toe.


    Tang Can called out at the old man again, but the man didn¡¯t respond. It could be that he¡¯s deaf and he can¡¯t hear Tang Can, thought Shen Yu, bemused. The elderly man stared blankly into the empty space in front of him. A breeze came by and scattered the papers from the desk. Shen Yu quickly ran around, gathering up the floating scraps. When she bent down to pick up the ones that were on the ground, the silver bell on her bracelet chimed gently.


    The old man suddenly sat upright, as if he was frightened by something. He opened up his muddy eyes which no longer looked dull and emotionless. With eyes wide with shock, he stared at Shen Yu.

 Chapter 29

    Chapter 29 ¨C The Old Man¡¯s Past


    Tang Can was astute and noticed immediately that the old man reacted. He smiled and hollered ¡°Grandfather¡± again but was ignored again.


    The old man continued to stare at Shen Yu. His cheeks puffed up and then went down.


    Under his unrelenting gaze, Shen Yu felt the hair on the back of her arms rise. She had never seen a pair of eyes like his. They were a murky dark color and seemed to draw her in like a deep, dried up well. Involuntarily, she grasped onto her hands, as if she was trying to prevent herself from drowning.


    Tang Can was not discouraged and continued to shout at the old man. He took a box of cigarettes from Commander Jin, picked out one cigarette, and offered it to the old man. The hand holding the cigarette was deliberately placed right in front of the man¡¯s face to break his line of sight. The old man turned his attention away from Shen Yu. With hands that trembled, he carefully picked up the tobacco pouch which was on the wooden table and started to grab a bit of tobacco from it. His hands were shaking so hard that bits and pieces of tobacco and tobacco rolling paper fell to the ground.


    Seeing the old man with his tobacco pouch reminded Shen Yu of her father. Without a sound, she walked up to the old man and picked up a piece of tobacco paper. She took the bag from the man¡¯s hands and expertly poured some tobacco into the middle of the paper. After putting down the pouch, she slowly rolled up the paper with both hands until all of the tobacco was neatly wrapped into the paper. The two ends of the roll were pinched closed. With a twist of her fingers, she ripped the coarser end open and stuck it in front of the old man¡¯s mouth with a smile.


    The muscles on the old man¡¯s face twitched and he cracked open his mouth by a sliver to hold the cigarette. Tang Can hurried over with a lighter and flicked it on to light the paper.


    After the cigarette started burning, tears suddenly started to form at the corner of the old man¡¯s wrinkled eyes. However, the hazy tobacco smoke clouded his view of the people around him. The old man wanted to say something but his throat was dry and nothing could come out. He lowered his head and inhaled from the cigarette. Leisurely, he slowly let out a stream of smoke from his mouth. The spicy scent of tobacco slightly choked Shen Yu but also brought her a sense of familiarity.


    At this point, they suddenly heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Shen Yu and Tang Can both turned their heads toward the noise. A couple of middle-aged villagers hurriedly walked towards them as they talked to each other. The one in the front was man who looked to be around forty years of age and seemed to be the chief of the group. He wore a gray colored top and black trousers. One of the trouser legs was rolled up, showing a partly amputated leg. Within moments, the men reached their group. From the looks of it, all of them were familiar with Commander Jin. One of them quickly extended a hand to greet the commanding officer.


    After Commander Jin and the head villager exchanged greetings, the man smiled at Tang Can and welcomed him. When he smiled, Shen Yu could see a speck of green stuck between his teeth.


    Commander Jin introduced Tang Can to the villagers. The head villager was actually the government branch secretary, the highest ranking villager, of the town. When he found out Tang Can¡¯s qualifications, he immediately started talking in the Hunan dialect[1]. The awe in his eyes could not be concealed. This was the first time someone of Tang Can¡¯s rank had ever come to their village.


    Unfortunately, Shen Yu could not understand the dialect of the townspeople. Xiao Qiu stood next to her and helped her translate. However, he only selectively chose sentences to translate and left others unsaid. When the villagers started pointing their fingers at her and Tang Can, Xiao Qiu didn¡¯t tell her what they said.


    The village branch secretary and Tang Can chattered to each other like old friends. After a long while, the secretary walked towards the old man who was smoking tobacco. The secretary started talking continuously at the old man in the Hunan dialect. It was like hearing a foreign language for Shen Yu.


    Tang Can came over and saw that Shen Yu had no idea what was going on. He explained, ¡°That old man was a miner that your Uncle Li hired all those years ago to mine gold. In fact, he actually saved your Uncle Li¡¯s life once!¡±


    Shen Yu eyes flickered with interest. As soon as Tang Can mentioned Uncle Li, she had to know more about the old man. When she heard he had saved her Uncle¡¯s life, she instantly regarded him differently. He was no longer just a random stranger; he was now a lifesaving benefactor to someone in her family.


    Unfortunately, that was all she knew about the old man. Before Tang Can could tell her more, the branch secretary came by to invite their whole group to the town center. The building was just another set of old, run-down rooms. Other than some tables and chairs, the building had no other furnishings, not even a door frame or doors.


    Tang Can and the group sat around one of the tables. A couple of neighboring children came along, wanting to see the excitement. The villagers shooed them away as if they were annoying mosquitos. When the adults turned around, the children came scampering back like a swarm of bees.


    Tang Can laughed in good humor and stopped the villagers from shooing the kids away again. From his pocket, he took out a bit of loose change and divided it between the kids. Gleefully, the kids scattered off with their bounty, screaming in pleasure. When Tang Can finally turned back to the room, a handsome smile still on his face, he saw Shen Yu looking at him with admiration in her eyes. Tang Can suddenly felt that, despite being stuck in a damp and dusky room, it was a light and refreshing day!


    The whole group, soldiers and villagers, stayed in that worn room for a whole morning. Shen Yu gradually pieced together what was going on. All of the townspeople here were descendents of the Miao ethnic group but they had all sinicized and became proper citizens. The old man that they first saw in the village was called Song Geng. In Song Geng¡¯s youth, he was a famous silversmith in town. In the 70s and 80s, this village had a series of floods. Many villagers had drowned and those who lived did whatever jobs were on hand to survive. No one had spare money for jewelry, so Song Geng could no longer make a living as a silversmith. He left the village to find some other work.


    After he left, a long period of time passed before anyone got any communications from him. His remaining relatives still in the area thought he had died of starvation, far from home. Who would have thought that in a few years Song Geng would come back. When he came back, he was wearing clothes that hinted of prosperity and wealth. All of the villagers knew that he had found a way to survive and prosper. All it took were people who were willing to work hard to earn some gold. After a few days, Song Geng managed to recruit several other youngsters to go with him. Years passed again before any word came back. This time, when Song Geng came back, he came back alone. The people he had brought with him on the second trip did not come back.


    When the relatives of the villagers he took found out that Song Geng came back alone, they were furious. They all went to his house, hounding him for answers. In an effort to make amends, Song Geng gave them all many pieces of gold. In those times, a piece of gold about the size of a chicken egg was enough to keep a family comfortable for a whole generation. After receiving gold for losing a son or husband, the villagers let him go. Unfortunately, news of Song Geng giving the villagers gold spread throughout town. The public security bureau finally caught wind of this and arrested Song Geng on charges of stealing gold from public mines. His crimes landed him in prison for more than ten years. In fact, he was only set free a few years ago.


    In the years he spent in prison, Song Geng¡¯s wife had passed away and his daughter had married out of town and no longer had any contact with anyone at home. All of his other relatives severed their relations with him. By the time he got out of prison, he was considered a ward of the state. The house that he lived in now was actually a house loaned to him by the village branch secretary.


    All of this information was told to them by the branch secretary, with Xiao Qiu acting as translator for Shen Yu. At first, Shen Yu could not see any connection between her Uncle Li and this village. It was only after Tang Can started to explain things further did she start seeing the whole picture. When Tang Can and the group first brought Shen Yu to Old Mr. Yun, the old geezer refused to admit they had found the person he was looking for ¨C the person with the silver bracelet. However, Tang Can was persistent. He continued to pester the old man every day until Old Mr. Yun finally let it slip that they needed to find Song Geng. That was the reason why Tang Can brought Shen Yu to this village.


    Shen Yu finally realized an important fact ¨C the bracelet on her wrist was not any old silver bracelet. It was special for some reason!

 Chapter 30

    Chapter 30 ¨C Night Vigil


    From Tang Can she learned that the silver bracelet on her wrist was different from the ones available in the general market. The bracelet that she had was made by someone from the Miao ethnic group. The engraved design and the bell were all examples of fine Miao-style workmanship. Silversmiths who were not of the tribe would not be able to make something of that caliber. Furthermore, the metal in the bracelet was actually mostly copper and only a little bit of silver. This is a hallmark of Miao craftsmanship. Bells made out of different metals have distinctive types of tones. A copper bell would have a sharper and crisper tone compared to one made out of pure silver. That is why the bell on her bracelet always had a clear and sweet tone when it rang.


    Tang Can asked Shen Yu if she could take off her bracelet again so he could show it the the branch secretary. The middle-aged man inspected it carefully. After Shen Yu put the bracelet back on her wrist, she found out from him that her silver bracelet was actually crafted by Song Geng. The decorative designs on it showed the Miao ethnic group¡¯s signature totem butterflies. Embedded within the butterfly design was Song Geng¡¯s family name in the Miao script.


    The branch secretary explained to them that when Song Geng was still working as a silversmith, all of his creations contained that exact same name, to mark them as his. In fact, all of the people living in this village knew what it looked like. To prove that he was telling the truth, the branch secretary had his wife bring over a couple of silver bracelets and necklaces that were made by Song Geng. Shen Yu and Tang Can inspected those pieces and compared them to her bracelet. The same design showed up on all of the silver jewelry.


    What did all of this mean? Shen Yu¡¯s head started to spin but quickly settled down as she started to consider the impact of the new information. Her deductions quickly led her down new pathways. She now seemed to understand how her mom mysteriously knew about an ¡°Old Longtan¡± in the southern part of the country. Other curious facts became clearer. Her mother had always claimed she didn¡¯t have any living relatives, but perhaps that was not true. Shen Yu regarded her silver bracelet in a new light, it was no longer as ordinary as she used to think. This is the first good deed that Tang Can and his crew did for me. I might be able to find relatives that my family has lost touch with.


    Unfortunately, things were not as simple as Shen Yu had thought. Even though the branch secretary was willing to help them, the old man Song Geng still refused to say anything. One of the villagers mentioned that being imprisoned for so long must have scattered the old man¡¯s wits. Since he was released, the old man had never said a single word. Commander Jin and some people from the local public security bureau had actually visited this town earlier. It was supposed to be a simple trip, mostly to gather some information. However, the villagers all thought that they were there to lock up Song Geng again. Even the old man himself thought the same. When Song Geng saw the police officers he lost control of his bowels in terror. His trousers had gotten completely soiled with urine and feces.


    In an attempt to find out if the old man knew where his daughter went, Tang Can tried to talk to Song Geng again. However, it was like trying to find a needle in a haystack! The old man just refused to say anything.


    In the afternoon, Tang Can brought Shen Yu to visit the old man again. The young officer was not willing to give up. When they reached the house, they were greeted with a gruesome sight. Song Geng had hung himself on the pear tree in front of his house. Shen Yu noticed that that the old man had used a dirty, oil-covered cloth belt to do the deed. An old, lonely man had killed himself.


    Shen Yu felt her heart drop into an abyss filled with darkness. Ribbons of fear and shock wrapped around her. This was the first time she had ever seen a dead person that was not at a funeral. That night, she and Tang Can kept vigil over the old man. Silvery, cold beams of moonlight covered the village. Shen Yu could see shadows cast by the nearby tree on the ground. After her initial fright of seeing a corpse passed, Shen Yu felt sympathy for the old man. In front of her was not just a dead body frozen in rigor mortis, to her, it was the remains of an elderly man filled with despair and suffering. Unfortunately, Song Geng¡¯s premature death also meant that her link to her mother¡¯s family had also snapped.


    Tang Can blamed himself for what had happened. Had he not tried to push the old man to tell him the truth, Song Geng might not have committed suicide. It was clearly done out of despair, a last resort for the elderly man.


    Shen Yu sat calmly on a small wooden stool and methodically burned paper money for the deceased old man. Her thoughts went back to what happened that day. In the morning, she had rolled tobacco for him. Then, in the afternoon, the old man had closed his eyes for the last time, his mouth open in death. Death and life were strokes away from each other. To live is to die, to die is to live. There could not be one without the other.


    In the middle of the night, the branch secretary also came over to keep vigil. He talked to Shen Yu as he burned paper money for Song Geng. The middle-aged man thought that she was a kind-hearted and honest young woman. Shen Yu had to struggle before she could understand his heavily accented Mandarin. He told her that when people died, their souls were set free. Although the living could not see their spirits, their souls would wander wherever they wanted to go. He also said that the old man wouldn¡¯t close his mouth because he was probably eating roast pork and white rice somewhere else. When Shen Yu heard that, she didn¡¯t know if it was appropriate for her to laugh or not.


    After finishing his shift, the branch secretary left. Commander Jin and Xiao Qiu came over to take the next shift. However, Tang Can refused to let them stay the whole time. He wanted them to go back to the villagers whose homes they were sleeping in and get a good rest. Command Jin tried to convince Shen Yu to also rest. Before she could say anything, Tang Can looked her in the eye and intervened on her behalf. He told the commander that he didn¡¯t need to worry about her. Shen Yu smiled at him tiredly. It was startling that he understood what she wanted.


    The night in the village passed calmly yet restlessly. Occasionally, the quiet of the night would be interrupted by some distant dogs barking or chickens clucking.


    The house that Song Geng had lived in did not have any electric lights. Earlier that evening, the branch secretary had asked the local electrician to bring a power cord over from a neighboring house over and to install some electrical lights. The lights were hung from bamboo poles. When the wind blew, the lights swayed from side to side, causing their beams of light to also sway. The shifting lights made Shen Yu¡¯s eyes water. She raised her head to look at the dangling light bulb and was suddenly afraid that the light would smash into a wall and break into pieces.


    The room reeked of mold and dampness. As the night passed, Shen Yu could also detect the slight undertone of something rotting. She wasn¡¯t sure where it was coming from but suspected it arose because it had been so hot during the day. The smell combined with her run-down surroundings made her feel slightly ill.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go outside and walk a bit!¡± suggested Tang Can as he stood up. He offered a hand to Shen Yu to help her get up from her chair. Together, the two them brought out their wooden stools to the small garden.


    The night wind was slightly chilly, so Tang Can took off his army jacket and wrapped it around Shen Yu¡¯s shoulders. Although she tried to give it back, Tang Can stubbornly insisted she keep it on, and tied it tightly around her. Under the light from the stars and moon, she looked up at him. A smile slowly started to form on her face.


    Neither of them said anything. There was nothing for them to say. At first, Shen Yu was able to appreciate the view of the rural village in the night, but she quickly became sleepy. She cushioned her head on her arm, placed her arm onto her leg and, before she knew it, she fell asleep. She was only half asleep as it was not a comfortable position for resting. Shen Yu soon felt Tang Can slowly lifting up her head to bring it up to his shoulder. In her dreams, she could remember talking to herself, telling herself to not use him as a pillow. Before she could act on those thoughts, she fell into a deeper sleep. When she woke up, her eyes opened to the first rays of the sun peeking out during dawn and Tang Can¡¯s youthful face. Shen Yu could also feel the tell-tale signs of drool on the bottom of her chin.


    Whoa he really is quite good-looking! Shen Yu suddenly felt a shock zip through her entire body.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake now?¡± Tang Can had noticed that Shen Yu had woken up. He smiled, revealing a set of spotlessly white teeth.


    Surprised and embarrassed, Shen Yu sat up in a flash, and a strangled sound came out of her throat. She lowered her head, too shy to look at him. But her efforts couldn¡¯t prevent Tang Can from seeing a faint blush cross her pretty face.

 Chapter 31

    Chapter 31 ¨C Turning Pale With Fright


    Tang Can grinned knowingly. The two of them stayed silent, but there was a weird atmosphere between them.


    Most people would be tired after sitting for a whole night but Tang Can was different. He felt refreshed and energized, as if he had slept the entire night.


    After a brief moment, the branch secretary came over with a bunch of the villagers. Most of the villagers that came with him were men.


    Shen Yu was familiar with the rural customs. Although they were currently in the southern part of the country, many of the traditions remained the same. All funerals required sacrifices and the pertinent ceremonies in order to send off the dead properly to the afterlife. The townspeople that followed the branch secretary immediately started doing their duties.


    Tang Can, however, was not as comfortable with the countryside. He grew up in a military household and was not well-versed in the rural traditions. He watched the others prepare for the funeral, feeling oddly incompetent in this situation.


    Since Song Geng was a ward of the village, and Commander Jin and his compatriots agreed to pay for the costs, the villagers were willing to conduct the rites. All of Song Geng¡¯s property came from the village. The branch secretary said that whoever paid respects to the old man would inherit the piece of land and the house that Song Geng lived in. No one knew who spread the news but soon everyone learned that there would later be a highway built through Song Geng¡¯s lands. Whoever inherited them would get a large payout from the government. It was not surprising that many of Song Geng¡¯s relatives still in the area came out of the woodwork. Although they disdained the old man while he was still living, they clearly didn¡¯t mind profiting off of his death. The infighting was so bad that some of them almost had a fist fight.


    Birds will die for food, humans will die for wealth. People who lived in the countryside would all fight viciously if there was land at stake. Shen Yu had seen it happen many a time in her own village, so she didn¡¯t find it unusual. Tang Can, on the other hand, could not help but shake his head in disapproval and sorrow. Although he didn¡¯t say anything out loud, Shen Yu could easily guess what he was feeling.


    In the end, the branch secretary and the village elders managed to come up with a plan that they thought was acceptable. Based off of the silver bracelet, they decided to claim that Shen Yu was the daughter of Song Geng¡¯s daughter who had left the village years ago. Shen Yu had come to this village to finally get in contact with her old grandfather. The other relatives were not directly related to Song Geng, so her inheritance had precedence. Therefore, the land would not fall into the hands of the people who had treated the old man so poorly.


    Although it was a good thought, things didn¡¯t go as planned! The relatives who had sprung up clamoring for Song Geng¡¯s property were not easily dissuaded. They didn¡¯t want to believe the branch secretary¡¯s words, so they demanded proof. When the branch secretary saw how shameless they all were, he had no other choice. In a moment of desperation, he asked Shen Yu to take off her silver bracelet and showed it to Song Geng¡¯s female cousin. The old lady inspected the bracelet carefully. After a period of time passed, she finally returned the bracelet to Shen Yu and left without saying a word, her expression black with disappointment. Her children and grandchildren closely followed her. The people that were left looked at each other but had nothing more to say.


    After seeing all of this happen, Shen Yu felt uneasy. Her silver bracelet clearly had a link to old Song Geng. Otherwise, why else would his relatives agree to drop their claim to his land? She remembered that her mother had never liked to mention what her own family was like. Then she connected it to what she knew about the old man¡¯s past: Song Geng had left his daughter behind in his quest for a fortune. From this, she could slowly build a web of reasoning. In fact, she felt like she already had most of the pieces¡­but it made her heart feel as heavy as a chunk of granite! Thinking of how Song Geng died made her feel a little bit depressed.


    ¡°Sorry that we had to do that,¡± apologized Tang Can. The sky had slowly gotten dark as the sun set. The fading light of the sun hit his face and made it seem redder than usual. Golden flickers of light seemed to reflect off of his eyes.


    Shen Yu stood across from him, facing him, her eyes squinting against the fading light. Due to the difference in their height, she had to angle her head up to look at his face directly. In actuality, she was okay with what had happened as she could understand his motives in this scenario. He had allowed the branch secretary to go through with this plan such that old Song Geng could be buried and at rest sooner. This would also allow them to leave the village faster.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem,¡± she replied, her mood a little down from everything that happened. ¡°That poor old man had lived such a desolate and lonely life. It¡¯s only right that we spend some time making sure he gets sent to the afterlife properly¡±.


    The funeral arrangements for the old man turned out to be simple. According to the village customs, the traditional three day waiting period for the funeral was there to give time for mourners to come and weep. Since no one expected anyone else to come, they could move on with the rest of the rites. The branch secretary found some men in the village to help dig out a hole next to Song Geng¡¯s deceased wife¡¯s grave. After they finished digging, the men laid the old man down to rest next to his long-dead wife. After they finished burying Song Geng, there was nothing left for Shen Yu to do according to the customs. Although the branch secretary said that Shen Yu was to inherit the old man¡¯s belongings, that was only to fool Song Geng¡¯s grasping relatives from stealing the inheritance. Tang Can had already negotiated everything in advance with the secretary. The land that was Song Geng¡¯s was deeded back to the village to use.


    Shen Yu was not that naive or stupid. She grew up in a farming village and was very accustomed to events like these. She knew early on that the branch secretary was waiting for Tang Can to say exactly what he had just vocalized. Even though she knew their plans beforehand, she had no desire to cause trouble for either of them.


    Regardless, she had already made up her mind. Shen Yu would never tell her mother the events that had happened here today. There was no point. If her mother really was the long-lost daughter of Song Geng, it would only make her sad to find out what had occured. Song Geng was dead. There was no point in trying to make connections with someone who was deceased.


    Tang Can, Commander Jin and the branch secretary chattered on for hours, but Shen Yu didn¡¯t care to listen. She had no desire to eavesdrop on them. Instead, she went around the village and played with some of the children. Doing that helped to lift her spirits.


    In the distance, she could see the branch secretary¡¯s wife walking over with a bowl of eggs. The middle-aged woman was short and plump. When the kids, who were around five to six years of age, saw her, they ran over and extended out their grubby little hands. They wanted to steal the eggs in the bowl.


    The fat woman raised the green colored bowl high above the ground, to keep it out of reach of the children. The kids grabbed the hem of her jacket and held on, to keep her from moving forward. The secretary¡¯s wife cursed profanities at them and even extended out a hand to hit a boy who had hair as messy as weeds. Shen Yu couldn¡¯t understand what the woman said, but she could hear the impact of the hit when it connected to the boy¡¯s face. The slap sounded loud and clear. The little boy sat on the ground and started to wail. After being scared off by the secretary¡¯s wife, the other children ran off. When the middle-aged woman walked into the room and offered the eggs to the group to eat, Shen Yu thanked her with grave courtesy. She grabbed two eggs from the bowl and walked outside to the courtyard. She offered one of the eggs to the boy who was still crying on the ground.


    ¡°Go ahead, eat it!¡± Shen Yu squatted down and smiled at the little boy. She knew that the child couldn¡¯t understand what she said since she couldn¡¯t speak their dialect, but she wasn¡¯t talented enough to learn it in the short period of time she had been there.


    The little boy looked at her but didn¡¯t take it. All of the courage he had showed before the secretary¡¯s wife had completely left his body. Shen Yu cracked the two eggs against each other. The shells cracked open and she peeled one of them. She offered a freshly peeled egg to him, but the child lowered his head and wouldn¡¯t look at her. Instead ,he kept his eyes on his dirty feet on the ground. With a wicked glint in her eyes, Shen Yu deliberately pretended to shove the egg into her mouth. The little boy couldn¡¯t help but raise his head to look at the egg in her hand. She could see him swallowing the drool in his mouth.


    Shen Yu slipped the peeled egg into the little boy¡¯s hands but he tried to refuse it. The egg dropped onto the ground and a group of ants started marching towards it. The child hurriedly picked it back up and tried to use his mouth to blow away the dirt on the egg, but it was futile. He then used his sleeve in attempt to wipe the dust off. Even though the egg still had some dirt left on it, the kid opened his mouth widely and bit into it. One bite was not enough to finish it, so he took a second bite. The boy ate so quickly that at the end of his last bite, he choked. Shen Yu swiftly went into the room to grab a bowl of water for the child.


    After the little boy caught his breath, he stared with large, pitiful eyes at the other egg in her hand. Shen Yu smiled and slowly peeled the other egg. Although she knew that the child couldn¡¯t understand a word she said, she still told him not to let it drop on the ground. But when the kid took the peeled egg, he didn¡¯t eat it. Instead, he got up from the ground and ran off.


    At this point, Tang Can also came out of the room. He held the bowl that was half filled with chicken eggs. He hollered at the little boy, telling him to take the eggs in the bowl too. But it was too late. The child had run off too far and couldn¡¯t hear him.


    Shen Yu looked at the eggs in the bowl and snatched it from Tang Can. She bolted off after the little boy with Tang Can following closely behind her.


    They chased the boy to the outskirts of the village and saw the boy offering the egg from his hands to a little girl who was cutting wild grass. The young girl was probably a couple years older than the boy and was likely his older sister. Shen Yu could hear the two siblings talking but she couldn¡¯t understand what they were saying. The little girl used her hand to slap away the egg from the little boy. Her brother then sat on the ground and started to cry again.


    Shen Yu was just about to go over when Tang Can grabbed onto her hand. The grim look on his face was enough to scare someone.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Shen Yu, startled. Tang Can slowly let out a breath and then said something to her. The bowl with the eggs trembled in her hands and dropped to the ground. The eggs rolled out of the bowl and tumbled a good distance away.

 Chapter 32

    Chapter 32 ¨C A Fool


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat food from strangers, otherwise you¡¯ll end up like grandpa. He ate something that a stranger gave him and then he died¡­¡±


    That was what Tang Can had translated for her. It was what the little girl had said to her little brother when she had knocked the egg out of his hands.


    Shen Yu suddenly felt like she couldn¡¯t catch her breath anymore, as if there was something strangling her. Tang Can¡¯s face was also pale. When they tried to get closer to the two children, the older girl ran off, towing her little brother behind her. They escaped so quickly that the girl even left the harvesting basket behind.


    However, Shen Yu had acute vision. She could see that they didn¡¯t run off far and were hiding behind a nearby haystack. It was likely that they were waiting for a chance to pick up the basket again.


    Shen Yu and Tang Can looked at each other and communicated silently through their eyes. It was as if their hearts were on the same page. Apparently, there was something fishy about the way Song Geng died. But it was too late. The body had already been buried. The testimony of that little girl would not be enough to exhume his corpse and conduct an autopsy. If they tried to, the consequences would be too high for them. Furthermore, if they started pursuing this lead, it was likely the two siblings would get dragged into this.


    Tang Can¡¯s expression looked ugly. The space between eyebrows were furrowed deeply, as if he was under a great amount of stress. Despite his heavy thoughts, he kept silent as they walked back to the village.


    Shen Yu¡¯s thoughts were bleak. The recent events had tossed her into a quagmire and it made it difficult for her to find a direction to go. Why does it feel like everything on this trip has to become complicated?


    Her mind turned to funeral customs. In her hometown, it was customary for family members to surround a fresh grave three days after the initial rites. The purpose was to add dirt to the burial site, burn more paper money, and make more offerings to the deceased. For the following three years, no new dirt could be added to the grave. However, she wasn¡¯t sure if the villages here followed the same traditions. She truly suspected that she was related to Song Geng in some way, so she wanted to stay in the village until the full funeral rites were finished. It would be her way of paying her respects properly to him. When they got back to the branch secretary¡¯s office, Shen Yu decided to ask the man. However, it turns out that Tang Can was a step ahead of her. He had already posed that question.


    The branch secretary nodded and said that they did have this custom. However, times had changed. Most of the younger generation had moved out of the village to find work. Keeping a custom like this wasn¡¯t practical as most people couldn¡¯t take off work for that long. With fewer and fewer people able to keep the tradition alive, the village adapted by having it all done on the same day.


    ¡°Then I will have to bother you again, sir,¡± said Tang Can after the branch secretary explained the village¡¯s customs. ¡°Please accompany us as we properly finish sending Song Geng off the afterlife!¡±


    The middle-aged man hurriedly shook his hand and said, ¡°Not a bother, not a bother at all!¡±


    Shen Yu watched Tang Can calmly from the side. A faint smile appeared on her face. Her previous grudge against him regarding her disappearing map had dissipated after she saw his thoughtful actions today. As someone who considered herself to be honest and good-natured, it was important for her to keep an open mind, especially since she didn¡¯t have any concrete proof that Tang Can stole it. Furthermore, could she guarantee that the laundry attendant hadn¡¯t nicked it? It was possible that the girl working there was just feigning innocence and had lied to her.


    After they completed the funeral rites, Shen Yu started interacting with Tang Can more. Most of the day had passed and it was now early evening. It was too late for their group to set out, so they all had to spend an extra night in town.


    Dinner was at the branch secretary¡¯s house, so the group started walking over. Suddenly, a tall man came out of nowhere and rushed towards Shen Yu. The strange man grabbed her waist and pulled at her pants. Shen Yu screeched in terror and beat the man with her hands.


    The man had attacked Shen Yu from behind. Tang Can was walking in front of Shen Yu, so he was only alerted he heard her scream. His eyes turned red with fury when he saw the man, whose entire body was filthy, struggling with her. He marched over quickly and kicked the scoundrel away from her. Precise and forceful, his kick sent the man flying several meters away. On the ground, the attacker howled in pain and started crying like a child. He was babbling something but Shen Yu had no inkling on what he was saying.


    Tang Can wanted to continue disciplining the man but before he could walk over, the branch secretary grabbed onto his arm and restrained him. In the local dialect, the middle-aged man explained something to the young officer but, once again, Shen Yu could not understand what he was saying.


    Afterwards, Tang Can relayed to her what the man said. The man who had attacked her was a fool. Although he was physically around thirty years of age, mentally the simpleton was like a three year old. The fool would roam around the village all day, salivate at women stupidly, and giggle like a little child. In all other aspects he was stupid but the one thing he seemed to know was liking the opposite sex. He would try to pursue any woman he saw. Even the old grannies in their fifties and sixties were not exempt from him trying to pull down their pants. Everyone in the nearby villages knew his reputation, so all of the local women avoided him as if he were a rabid animal.


    Once he found out that Shen Yu¡¯s attacker was a fool, Tang Can decided to not pursue him. Otherwise, after seeing how scared she was, he would have followed up to give the man a beating he would never forget!


    Tang Can now felt like he needed to keep a close eye on Shen Yu. Even if she wasn¡¯t happy about it, he decided it was necessary for her own safety. He took ahold of her hand and didn¡¯t let go, as if he was afraid that another accident would happen if he didn¡¯t keep an eye on her. After being frightened by the village fool, Shen Yu no longer felt safe. Tang Can was now her protector and she had no desire to stray from him.


    The branch secretary asked two of the townspeople to take the fool back home. Once Tang Can was aware of the man¡¯s identity, most of his righteous fury had dissipated. During the simpleton¡¯s attack, he had kicked the man brutally in reflex. But now, he was not sure how much he injured the fool. He didn¡¯t want to go to the man¡¯s home himself since he wanted to protect Shen Yu, so he asked Commander Jin and Xiao Qiu to help him out. Tang Can took out five hundred yuan from his pocket and gave it to them. The idea was that they would go on his behalf and give the fool¡¯s family members the money as an apology for hurting the man. If the family still was not happy, then they could find him and he would negotiate as needed.


    When the branch secretary understood their intentions, he went along with Commander Jin and Xiao Qiu to help smooth things over.


    Shen Yu was finally able to calm herself down after being scared half to death. Anxious thoughts crowded her mind. Blackie had been injured severely after Tang Can kicked him, and she wondered if the fool had been hurt badly. It wasn¡¯t that she felt sympathy for her attacker. She was worried that the fool¡¯s relatives would cause trouble for Tang Can and make it difficult for their group.


    Shen Yu fretted over these thoughts until Commander Jin and Xiao Qiu came back. Luckily, the family was not angry at Tang Can. In fact, they were relieved that they didn¡¯t have to make reparations themselves. The fool¡¯s habit of harassing women had caused them a lot of trouble in the past. Usually they were the ones who had to apologize for his actions. This was the first time they had received an apology and reparations.


    Tang Can had also been worried that the money he gave would not be enough. However, after helping with Song Geng¡¯s funeral arrangements, it was all the money he had left for this trip. Had the family not been happy, he would have had to ask Commander Jin to loan him some more. Fortuitously, things had gone better than he had forseen. Relief flooded him.


    Commander Jin put his hand in his pocket and took out an object. He showed it to Shen Yu and said, ¡°The family of the fool found this in his pockets. Take a look at it. Is this something he stole from you when he attacked you?¡±


    Shen Yu looked at the object curiously. The expression on her face immediately changed!

 Chapter 33

    Chapter 33 ¨C Military-Grade Spade


    The object in Commander Jin¡¯s hand also caused Tang Can¡¯s expression to subtly change. However, he quickly recovered. He smiled at Commander Jin and said, ¡°Reporter Shen was just looking for that! She thought she had accidentally dropped it earlier. Who would have thought the stupid fool had taken it?¡± He looked at Shen Yu meaningfully.


    Receiving the hint, Shen Yu immediately composed herself. Instead of taking the object immediately, she first took out the handkerchief Tang Can had given her from her pocket. After spreading the handkerchief to cover her hand, she let Commander Jin place the object into the cloth. She carefully wrapped up the object into the handkerchief. She didn¡¯t want to leave any fingerprints on the object that could cover up crucial clues.


    Commander Jin didn¡¯t think anything was out of the ordinary. Many young women had phobias of touching dirty objects. It wasn¡¯t unusual to him that Shen Yu wanted to keep her hands clean. The branch secretary also wasn¡¯t surprised at her actions. In his mind, all of the young ladies who lived in cities liked to keep things clean. Only Tang Can knew her true intentions in using the handkerchief. His eyes were full of appreciation as he looked at her.


    After they finished eating dinner at the hospitable branch secretary¡¯s house, Commander Jin and Xiao Qiu went back to their families in the village to rest for the night. Shen Yu had trouble falling asleep so she asked Tang Can if he would accompany her around the village for a walk. The branch secretary thought that the two young people were a well-matched couple. If they wanted to spend some extra time alone, who was he to stop them? He grinned at the two of them. Since the village didn¡¯t have any street lamps, he asked his plump wife to find a flashlight for them so they could avoid tripping and falling in the dark.


    Tang Can smiled and thanked the man. He held the flashlight in his hand and left the house with Shen Yu.


    They had told the couple that they were planning on walking around the outskirts of the village, but that was a lie. Their true destination was Song Geng¡¯s house.


    After finding out that there was something fishy about Song Geng¡¯s death from the two siblings that morning, they needed to find more information. The clues that they had were not enough. They hoped they could find more information in Song Geng¡¯s house.


    However, neither of them had any big expectations. The funeral rites and arrangements had been conducted at his house. Many people had come into the building, so it was unlikely they could find anything obvious left over. It would be hard for them to find definitive evidence that someone had murdered the old man and then hung him to make it look like a suicide.


    When they reached the run-down, old house, Shen Yu could see that there was a light on inside the house. She grabbed Tang Can¡¯s arm and used her free hand to point at the room. Tang Can also noticed the light and motioned to Shen Yu, silently telling her to stay and not move from her location. He swiftly went to the front door and found out that the rusty lock on the door had been opened. The door had been left ajar. He carefully creeped towards the door and then forcefully kicked it open. The young soldier rushed inside.


    Standing outside of the house, Shen Yu could hear Tang Can yelling and the sounds of a fight. She hastily looked around her for something she could use as a weapon, like a thick stick, and contemplated running in to help him. Just as she found a suitable branch, she heard a loud clash that was followed by a noisy clang, as if something heavy had fallen. She could also hear Tang Can yelling again. As she pelted towards the house, she saw a human-shaped shadow crawl out of a nearby window and then disappear.


    Tang Can leapt out of the window and started to chase after the mystery miscreant. When he saw that he wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up, he turned around and went back to where Shen Yu was waiting. Shen Yu could see that he no longer had the flashlight in his hand, but he was holding something else. In the darkness, she couldn¡¯t make out the object clearly.


    ¡°I let him escape,¡± sighed Tang Can regretfully


    Shen Yu didn¡¯t think the entire trip was a loss. ¡°At least we know for sure that our suspicions are true!¡±


    Tang Can nodded and told Shen Yu to go into the room with him. The lights that were hastily added for the funeral had not been taken away yet. The young officer advised Shen Yu to be careful when going into the room and bent down to pick up the flashlight. He fumbled for the switch but soon found it. The flashlight turned on.


    The light in the room was not very high, and it cast a hazy, yellow beam. In the dim light, Shen Yu saw with surprise that there were several holes dug in the ground. The holes seemed familiar. In fact, they looked very similar to the holes that thieves had made in her house when she was a kid.


    ¡°Come look at this!¡± Tang Can showed Shen Yu what he was holding in his hand. Shen Yu could finally tell that he was holding a piece of cloth; he must of snatched it from the intruder earlier. She took it from him and examined it carefully. Her eyes opened wide with shock. It was a rough piece of cyan colored cotton with a bit of hand embroidery in the corner.


    ¡°Looks like they¡¯re not from the same group of people!¡± Shen Yu frowned, perplexed, and took out the object Commander Jin had given her. It was still wrapped in Tang Can¡¯s handkerchief. Inside the cloth was a lipstick made from a luxury, overseas brand. Just one of those lipsticks cost around four to five hundred yuan. Even Shen Yu thought that it was too expensive to buy for herself, let alone someone living in the rural countryside. The cosmetic was definitely not owned by someone living in this village. As to how it got into the fool¡¯s hands? That was simple. The fool probably ambushed the woman who had this lipstick just like he had attacked Shen Yu. During the ensuing scuffle, he stole it from her.


    One hand held the lipstick, the other held the crude piece of cloth. She brought them together and looked at them. A luxury brand cosmetic and a rough piece of fabric. The two did not go together so Shen Yu thought that the people who had them were unrelated to each other.


    Tang Can nodded when he heard her deduction. ¡°I didn¡¯t get a good look at the person I fought but I could tell that the clothes he was wearing were from this area.¡±


    ¡°He probably thought that Song Geng had gold so he came over to dig for it. A local thief!¡± Shen Yu carefully put the lipstick and piece of cloth into her pocket. These were pieces of evidence she had to keep safe.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s not.¡± Tang Can shook his head and walked further into the room. He went to one of the holes in the ground and picked up a short shovel.


    Shen Yu thought that it looked like an average old shovel. All villagers had shovels to do work with.


    Tang Can refuted her thoughts, ¡°This isn¡¯t a normal metal shovel. It¡¯s a military-grade spade!¡±


    Shen Yu perked her ears at the term. She had seen it before in a book of fiction she had read before. The story was about tomb robbers. The thieves had used a tool just like this one to steal from the dead. She summarily voiced her thoughts to Tang Can.


    Tang Can shook his head. ¡°This is not the tool that you are thinking of. The ones that the tomb robbers used were counterfeit copies of this. This is the real shovel that military engineers use.¡±


    To determine whether something like this was real or fake was not her area of expertise. The tools that engineers use were not something that a reporter would normally know about. Shen Yu cocked her head to the side and inspected the shovel. In her eyes, it still looked like any old spade that a farming family would have. Other than the shorter handle, there was nothing special about it


    Tang Can also knew that she didn¡¯t have much experience in this area. He slowly explained to her, ¡°Although the paint on this is mostly faded and you can no longer see the military green, you can still tell whether it is real or a fake by looking at the handle. Authentic military spades have a special turn in the handle. In terms of mechanics, this type of design is the most sturdy and avoids unnecessary bending. Furthermore, the shape of the shovel is very difficult to reproduce. The factories that make the counterfeits are unable to make something of this quality.¡± He used the light from the flashlight to inspect the shovel again. After he finished, Shen  Yu could see that he was scowling.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Shen Yu couldn¡¯t tell why he was so upset.


    Tang Can didn¡¯t reply immediately and carefully looked at the shovel again. Then he said, ¡°This is the first generation of military shovels. You can still see the name of the military factory on it. Judging by the serial number, if I¡¯m not wrong, this was made in my father¡¯s generation¡­¡±


    Shen Yu looked blankly at it, her mind slow to to react. She gasped and opened her eyes widely, as if a lightbulb had just lit up in her thoughts. She quietly said, ¡°What you¡¯re trying to say is¡­¡± Her voice drifted off at the end.

 Chapter 34

    Chapter 34 ¨C Photos


    Tang Can nodded at her. The two of them looked at each other; a common understanding had been reached between them.


    Shen Yu¡¯s eyes were as deep and fathomless as a well. On the outside she seemed to be very calm but she was actually hiding turmoil deep within her heart.


    Using the specially engineered shovel, Tang Can filled in the holes that were dug in Song Geng¡¯s house. Shen Yu helped by using her feet to stamp the earth down after they were filled. The work went quickly, and they finished in good time. The holes were filled and stamped until the repaired areas were smooth with the rest of the floor. Both of them had a lot going through their minds and Shen Yu herself had many questions. In an effort to clear things up, she asked Tang Can his thoughts but he did not cooperate. Instead, he played dumb and gave her the run around.


    Anger started to bubble in her veins. Their relationship had gotten better recently but this was a step back. As they left the abandoned house, Tang Can held the shovel in one hand and attempted to grasp Shen Yu¡¯s hand in the other. However, Shen Yu stubbornly refused his offer because she was very miffed with his behavior. Tang Can proved to be just as obstinate as her and grabbed her hand in a tight grip, refusing to let go. After that simpleton¡¯s attack on her earlier that day, he was afraid something would happen to her again, especially now in the dark. Even if it wasn¡¯t the middle of the night, just thinking about the vast amounts of people following them around made anxiety filled sweat drip down his back. To relieve his concerns, he ignored her protests and held onto her hand.


    After trying to throw him off several times and failing, Shen Yu¡¯s innate muleheadedness started to show. Tang Can¡¯s grip on her hand was tight and she really wanted to stay away from him. In a pique of temper, she attempted to bite his hand. Although her teeth on his finger hurt, Tang Can endured the pain and continued to hold on. Both of them were as stubborn as mules. In this case, whoever had the patience to endure would be the ultimate winner. In the end, Shen Yu gave up first. She had bitten down with as much force she could muster and  she knew it must have hurt. She could see his arm trembling with effort. However, Tang Can¡¯s strength of mind was astounding, and she had to bow down to his will.


    The two of them continued to walk, but the atmosphere was awkward. After abiding for a bit of time, Shen Yu could no longer take it. She looked at him peevishly, ¡°My bite must have hurt you, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Not at all!¡± Tang Can chuckled. In the dark of the night, Shen Yu was not able to physically see his brilliant smile but she could see it clearly in her mind¡¯s eye.


    Shen Yu suddenly thought that she was being too petty, but she didn¡¯t want to apologize to him. She vowed to help him disinfect the wound she gave him with some alcohol when they got back to their lodge.


    Medical care was hard to get in the rural countryside, especially in the middle of the night. Furthermore, it was unlikely that any of the villagers had any antibiotic ointment on hand. Farmers were not as concerned about cleanliness as city people were. As long as they weren¡¯t severely ill, most of them didn¡¯t even see the point in finding a doctor to get treated.


    After they got back, Shen Yu asked the branch secretary if he had any alcohol around that they could use. When the branch secretary found out that Tang Can had gotten injured during their walk, he became extremely alarmed and worried. A spew of words came out of the man¡¯s mouth but Shen Yu couldn¡¯t understand anything he said in his thick accent. It was as if he was talking to a deaf person. In the end, Xiao Qiu had to translate for him.


    ¡°The branch secretary wants to know if Officer Tang got bitten by a dog earlier.¡±


    Shen Yu almost choked on her own saliva at the question. The expression on her face was tight and dark with displeasure. She uncorked the bottle of alcohol and walked towards one of the bedrooms.


    It didn¡¯t take long before she could hear Tang Can and the others moving from the bedroom facing north to one on the other side. She could vaguely make out Xiao Qiu laughing quietly, as if he had just said a joke to Tang Can. Immediately following that was Commander Jin¡¯s voice. He was scolding Xiao Qiu for making fun of Tang Can and said that he thought that Reporter Shen was a nice, young lady. Commander Jin then voiced his hope that Tang Can would be able to settle things and move his life forward with her¡­


    Tang Can chuckled gently and didn¡¯t follow up to explain anything. Appalled, Shen Yu wanted to burst into the room right now to clear things up. We don¡¯t have anything going on between us!


    The three men continued to laugh and make jokes. The topic of the conversation still revolved around Tang Can and Shen Yu¡¯s supposed relationship. Shen Yu could feel her temper rising again and decided to clothe herself properly before barging in. After she finished changing, she hesitated. It would be incredibly rude of her to burst in and demand them to stop talking about them. They were just having a bit of fun, who was she to take it all so seriously? It was not as if she didn¡¯t realize how the world worked. Many aspects of life were more complicated than they needed to be. It¡¯s not like I did anything to be ashamed of¡­I don¡¯t need to explain myself. It¡¯ll just make them think that there really is something going on between Tang Can and me!


    After thinking it through, her mind involuntarily brought up an image of Tang Can¡¯s attractive smile. Her heart started to thump furiously.


    That night, Shen Yu found it hard to fall asleep again. The next morning, she woke up with dark circles underneath her eyes. When Xiao Qiu saw her, he was startled to see her panda-like face. ¡°Were you not able to sleep well last night?¡± he loudly asked.


    Shen Yu pasted a fake smile on her face. ¡°Yeah I guess not.¡±


    Nearby, Tang Can was ladling water from a bucket into a shallow basin used to wash people¡¯s faces. When he overheard Shen Yu and Xiao Qiu¡¯s conversation, he paused briefly. After a moment, he set the ladle back down into the bucket, picked the basin up and set it on a wooden stool. He then called out to Shen Yu, telling her to wash her face.


    Shen Yu came over willingly but the awkwardness between them was perceptible. She didn¡¯t want to speak to him, and Tang Can deliberately kept himself out of her way.


    After they finished breakfast, the branch secretary started talking to them. Through his thick local accent, Shen Yu could vaguely understand that he was sending them off. She followed the other men as they slowly left.


    In order to leave the village, they had to bypass Song Geng¡¯s old house. As they walked past it, Shen Yu could see a couple of the local villagers taking apart the walls. They all stopped to look at the process. The branch secretary explained things to Tang Can and his group. Apparently the town hall needed to get repaired in some areas and needed more wood. The lumber from Song Geng¡¯s house would be perfect for the village¡¯s purposes.


    Tang Can laughed and continued to bring the group past the house, as it did not concern them. Suddenly, before they could leave, they heard a loud crash and clatter. The group stopped to find out what was going on. Behind them, the building had collapsed. The branch secretary immediately ran towards the mess and the rest of them followed closely.


    Once again, Shen Yu could not understand anything that was said but, given the circumstances, she could mostly guess what had happened. When the building fell, it must have collapsed on some people. She followed the rest of the group.


    Her prediction was spot on. One of the villagers had been crushed by the falling debris. Shen Yu briefly saw that the unfortunate person¡¯s head had been smashed into a bloody mess. Frightened by the sight, she turned her head away from the scene, to avoid getting another look at the gore.


    Tang Can and the others quickly helped the other villagers lift up the scattered pieces. They carefully hoisted the injured person away from ruined building. The person¡¯s injuries were quite severe, so they had to carry the person into the nearby military vehicle. The car soon drove off to the county hospital, with Commander Jin and Xiao Qiu in the front.


    Since the vehicle didn¡¯t have enough seats for everyone, the branch secretary and other villagers rode on bikes to go to the nearby city. But Tang Can didn¡¯t go with the others. He stayed behind to watch over Shen Yu.


    After seeing resulting mess, he was afraid that more debris would fall and hit the young woman. He urged her to go back to the village, where it was safer.


    Unfortunately, Shen Yu¡¯s feet were not stable when she tried to walk. She tripped on a nearby brick and pitched forward onto some broken tile. The fall had caused her to skin her knees and elbows, and it hurt quite a bit!


    ¡°You¡¯re injured!¡± exclaimed Tang Can, his voice full of worry. He helped her get up from the ground. Shen Yu tried to reassure him that she was okay but the sharp pain made her grit her teeth involuntarily. As she tried to stand up, she noticed that she had fallen on an old, broken picture frame. The cracked glass had sliced open her knees. Scattered around her were some yellowing pictures and some of them had drops of her blood smeared on them. She glanced at the photos and her eye suddenly caught on one! The image she saw shocked her to her bones!

 Chapter 35

    Chapter 35 ¨C Running Into Trouble


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do your legs hurt so much that it¡¯s hard to get up?¡± asked Tang Can when he noticed that Shen Yu had her head down. His eyebrows came together in a frown as he tried to look more closely at her injuries. He was afraid that she had been cut to the bone!


    Shen Yu snapped out of her thoughts and managed to squeeze out a thin smile. Although she said she was okay, her forehead was covered in cold sweat and her face was as white as paper. It did not make a convincing sight.


    ¡°Hold onto my arm, we¡¯re going to the tree where you can rest a little!¡± instructed Tang Can after one look at her face. He could see a frazzled look in her eyes, and they did not look like the way they normally looked. However, he was more worried about her injuries and was not able to detect that she was trying to conceal her emotions.


    Tang Can helped Shen Yu hobble away from the remains of the building. Shen Yu didn¡¯t seem to have much strength left in her legs, and her feet dragged on the ground as they walked. The tips of her feet were soon covered in dust and dirt. Some dirt from the tips of her toes transferred over onto the photograph that Shen Yu was looking at earlier. It covered the image completely.


    The village didn¡¯t have a health clinic or doctor¡¯s office but the townspeople said that a rural doctor lived a few kilometers away. Most of the villagers went to that doctor for more serious ailments. Tang Can looked at Shen Yu¡¯s injuries with a frustrated scowl on his face. He shook his head and decided they had no other choice but to clean her wounds with some alcohol. Neither of them had an easy method of transportation now so it didn¡¯t make sense to travel so far to see a doctor.


    As someone who grew up in the countryside, Shen Yu did not consider herself to be a delicate young lady. She smiled gently and reiterated that her injuries were nothing serious; she had only broken a little bit of skin. When she was younger, she had gotten injuries similar to this with no lasting harm done.


    Tang Can looked at her with an odd expression on his face, as if he didn¡¯t know how he felt. Blood had oozed profusely out of the scrapes on Shen Yu¡¯s elbows and knees. He couldn¡¯t believe that the young woman in front of him thought that it was not a big deal. However, he knew he was overreacting a bit over skinned knees and elbows. In fact, female soldiers in the armed forces often got similar injuries when they trained. It was common for them to treat and then continue to train, as if nothing had happened.


    Although the village branch secretary was not at home, his plump wife was available. She gestured towards the two after finding some alcohol for them to use to disinfect Shen Yu¡¯s injuries.


    At this point, Tang Can received a phone call from Commander Jin and Xiao Qiu. Although they were able to bring the injured villager to the hospital, they were unable to come back immediately. They told him that they needed to wait on the status of the victim. Once the injured man¡¯s status was stable, they would be able to come back with the car. Halfway through the phone call, Tang Can could hear the branch secretary hollering at him. He quickly realized that the man wanted him to give the phone to his wife so he could talk to her.


    The young officer handed the cell phone over to the middle-aged woman. The lady said something to Tang Can in the local dialect. Later, when Tang Can translated for her, Shen Yu found out that the branch secretary¡¯s wife was commenting on his phone. Apparently the fat lady had said that she had seen cordless phones before and said that as an official¡¯s wife, she also had the opportunity to use modern devices like a cell phone.


    Her attempt at trying to convince him that she wasn¡¯t a country bumpkin was in vain because she held the cell phone upside down while trying to talk in it. She raised her voice to a loud volume to speak into it and when she couldn¡¯t hear anything, she hit the phone a couple of times. The branch secretary¡¯s wife then turned towards Tang Can and asked why it was broken. Speechless, Tang Can showed her how to hold the device in the correct position. Only then was the lady able to talk to her husband through the phone.


    Evidently the branch secretary had told her to take good care of Tang Can and Shen Yu. After she hung up, she bustled quickly out to the courtyard to where the chickens were kept and gathered some eggs. It was almost lunchtime, and she needed to get the food ready.


    Shen Yu sat quietly on the wooden bench and stared at Tang Can, trying to convey her intentions silently to him. She didn¡¯t want their host¡¯s wife to go through too much trouble for them. Unfortunately, her attempt at telepathic communication was not successful. In fact, when the middle-aged woman asked Tang Can to help her catch a chicken, he did so gleefully. Like an eagle spreading out its wings, Tang Can stretched out his arms and chased one of the old hens that the branch secretary raised. Shen Yu mouth dropped open in shock as she watched the odd sight.


    When they were finally able to talk in private, Shen Yu accused him of being shameless. This village was poor, and they had spent many days in the company of these people, living off of them like freeloaders. It made her feel uncomfortable taking more from those who had so little.


    Tang Can chuckled. ¡°People of the Miao ethnic group are welcoming and full of hospitality. When you enter a village, it is important to follow the local customs. Receiving their good will is also a sign of good manners and respect. I know you feel uncomfortable taking so much from these people. When we leave, we can give them some money to compensate them. That will also be proper behavior!¡±


    Shen Yu smiled and nodded her head.


    Before their hostess could pluck the newly slaughtered chicken, a villager hurriedly came in, looking for the branch secretary. Apparently, someone had dug up Song Geng¡¯s grave.


    It was a shocking event! Even people who were not a part of the Miao ethnic group would find such an act to be worthy of disgust and hate.


    The branch secretary¡¯s wife waddled briskly after the villager who brought the news. Tang Can didn¡¯t have enough time to wash his hands, so he grabbed some dirt and used that to rub the chicken blood off of his hands. He turned back briefly to say, ¡°Wait in the house!¡± before he ran after them.


    After hearing what had happened, Shen Yu could not wait docilely in the house. Her injuries no longer hurt and the events had perplexed her. She chased after Tang Can, her thoughts all in turmoil as she ran towards the village cemetery.


    By the time she got there, the cemetery was filled with people. Men, women, and children all grouped up in a small space. Shen Yu squeezed through the mass of people. In the center of all the people was freshly dug up dirt with a red coffin that still looked relatively new peeking through the soil. Around it was an older coffin, its lid was pried up with its grisly contents scattered around. She could see that the newest coffin also had a cloth that peeked out of it. Shen Yu didn¡¯t dare to look more closely at the contents of the coffins. Part of her view was also blocked by other people from where she stood.


    Shen Yu remembered what the villagers had said during the funeral. The older coffin had to be the grave of Song Geng¡¯s deceased wife. Tang Can noticed Shen Yu¡¯s presence and moved next to her. Using a hand, he pulled her over to the side, away from the dug up graves.


    The expression on his face was dark and ugly with anger, enough to scare people with milder constitutions. Shen Yu thought that the frown between his brows was so prominent that she didn¡¯t think a hot iron would be able to smooth it away.


    ¡°It looks like the grave digger wanted to get at Song Geng¡¯s wife¡¯s coffin. Am I right?¡± she asked. It was the most logical deduction she could make after seeing the scene.


    Tang Can nodded. Although he liked to play dumb, for some reason he decided to be more frank with her this time. He slowly replied, ¡°Or you could say that the reason why Song Geng died was so that someone could find where his wife was buried!¡±


    Shen Yu quivered and then controlled herself. This was a very important clue! It helped her understand a couple of things. She looked at Tang Can in the eye and said, ¡°So they¡¯re trying to find something in her coffin?¡±


    ¡°From the looks of it, they already found it!¡± Tang Can replied, nodding his head.


    Shocked, Shen Yu asked, ¡°How can you tell?¡±


    Tang Can¡¯s expression was blank. ¡°Just a feeling.¡±


    The young woman twisted her head to look at the graves and then turned back to look at Tang Can. She nodded her head surreptitiously at him.


    For an event like grave robbing to occur in this village was something unthinkable to most of the people who lived here. Even though Song Geng didn¡¯t have any living relatives who acknowledged him, it was still a slap in the face for the villagers. Unfortunately, the branch secretary was not here to handle the issue. In his absence, a couple of the more hot-headed villagers started to make trouble and encouraged other people to do so.


    Because she thought she had some status in the village, the branch secretary¡¯s wife tried to be authoritative. She hollered at the short-tempered hot heads and ordered them to calm down and not cause trouble before they understood what had truly happened.


    At first, the villagers tried to give her some respect because she was a woman and also the wife of the village branch secretary. Later on, the hotheads¡¯ urgings were too hard for some people to resist. The branch secretary¡¯s wife was unable to control people from there.


    When Tang Can saw the atmosphere turning sour, he immediately called Commander Jin and instructed him to bring the branch secretary back. Afterwards, he grabbed Shen Yu¡¯s hand and quickly took the two of them far away from the cemetery. Shen Yu couldn¡¯t understand the local dialect, but he could. He could hear that the troublemakers were Song Geng¡¯s nephews who only announced their tie to him after his death. They were trying to direct the village sentiment against Shen Yu as revenge for taking away what they considered to be their ¡®true inheritance¡¯. They never stopped to think why they got tricked out of it. Had they not tried to be so greedy and grasping, they may not have landed in the place they were today.


    However, he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day! Tang Can understood their circumstances well. The villagers didn¡¯t care about his status or rank. Right now he didn¡¯t have the power to cow them as needed. They needed the branch secretary to handle things like this! The most important thing for them to do was to find a safe place to hide while they waited for their ally to come back.


    It was a good thing he had judged the crowd correctly. Right after they left to go back to the village, the angry townspeople rattled out of the cemetery. Unfortunately, there was nowhere in the village for them to hide, so they had to retreat into the fields. The problem was that Shen Yu was injured. It was difficult for her to move quickly. As soon as they ran out of the village, they could hear angry footsteps close behind them.


    The patty fields were still a distance from them. In desperation, Tang Can grabbed Shen Yu and jumped into a deep ditch in front of them. Unexpectedly, they had company: there was a little girl cutting grass!Shen Yu recognized that little girl ¨C it was the same child she saw the other day. The older sister of the little boy who had eaten hard boiled eggs from her. The same little girl who viewed her as an enemy. Shen Yu wanted to cry. We¡¯re screwed!

 Chapter 36

    Chapter 36 ¨C To Save Someone


    Tang Can also recognized the little girl. He hesitated at first before rapidly calming down. Pretending to not see the child, he motioned to Shen Yu, instructing her to hide in the grass. If they were able to dodge the villagers, that would be best. If they weren¡¯t, then he would have to use force to protect himself and Shen Yu. At this point, that was all he could do. Fear and hesitation would only be hindrances right now.


    The little girl had also noticed to the two of them. At first, she froze in fear. Shen Yu could see the frightened expression on the child¡¯s face. Surprisingly, the girl didn¡¯t do anything. She continued to cut the grass in front of her like nothing had happened. The only thing that betrayed her emotions was that her speed in harvesting grass increased perceptibly. Her bamboo basket filled very quickly and the pile of grass formed a little mound.


    The little girl raised her arm to wipe the sweat on her forehead and settled the basket full of grass on her back. Slowly, she climbed up the steep incline. When she reached the top, she didn¡¯t walk far. Instead, she set the basket down on the ground and started cutting grass in the surrounding area.


    Anxiety and nervousness swirled around in Shen Yu. She was afraid that the little girl would betray them to the angry villagers. If the mob caught them, they would be eaten whole! Who knew what a group of infuriated people could do to them?


    However, Shen Yu knew that it was futile to be scared in this situation. The only thing she could do is plan and hope for the future. Hopefully she could think of something to do should the people find them.


    Tang Can used one hand to grip her hand and the other he placed over her, like a protective wing. Their eyes met briefly as they strained their ears to hear what the villagers were doing.


    From the sounds of their footsteps, the angry mob was very close to them. She could hear someone asking the little girl but she couldn¡¯t hear the child replying. A couple of minutes later, the sounds of people arguing appeared and then many footsteps pounded away from them.


    That little girl didn¡¯t rat us out? Shen Yu couldn¡¯t believe that was what happened, but in a little bit, she found it to be true. When they decided it was safe for them to leave, they climbed out of their hiding spot. By the time they reached solid ground again, the little girl had already left. They could see her in the distance walking slowly with the basket on her back.


    Shen Yu sighed heavily in relief. Cold sweat soaked her clothes entirely and they clung clammily to her skin. It was an uncomfortable feeling, to say the least.


    After their near-miss with the angry mob, neither of them felt it was safe for them to go back to the village. However, the villagers were searching in the rice paddy fields, so they couldn¡¯t stay here either. By following the trees that lined the edge of the village, they were able to travel from the eastern part of town to the western border. This side had a bunch of small ponds linked together by channels. The water was bordered by tall growing reeds and she could see there were small boats at the edges. Tang Can hollered at her, telling her to go into one of them.


    Shen Yu had grown up on a farmland in the northern plains, but it wasn¡¯t as if she had never encountered pools of water. As a child, she had learned how to doggy paddle in the pond behind her house. However, this would be the first time she had ever went on a small boat. Foolishly she had thought that stepping on a boat would be as steady as stepping on the ground. Unfortunately, as soon as she stepped on, the boat lurched in the water. She screeched in terror and used her arms to hug Tang Can¡¯s waist to catch her balance.


    When she finally calmed down, she was dismayed to find that she had clutched onto him that tightly. To make things worse, Tang Can was observing her quietly, his eyes bright with amusement and some other emotion. Shen Yu could feel her face instantly flush red. In an attempt to get out of this situation, she hurriedly released her death grip on the young officer. Her movement caused the boat to rock again and she quickly grabbed onto Tang Can¡¯s arm.


    Tang Can smiled at her. ¡°Sit down slowly and don¡¯t make any jerky movements. I¡¯ll maneuver the boat into the reeds over there and they will provider some cover for us. We should be safe for now.¡± He helped her slowly sit down on the boat and then he sat at the stern of the craft. Using the oars beside him, he slowly rowed the boat across the pond.


    No reeds grew in the middle of the pond, but they flourished on the banks. At this time of year, the reeds were covered with green leaves and grew to be about half a man¡¯s height. They were more than tall enough to hide a couple of people.


    When he found a clump of greenery that would be able to hide both the boat and them, Tang Can stopped the boat from moving and let the anchor down. The boat swayed gently with the waves from the pond. The rocking motion made her feel dizzy and she could feel sleepiness creeping in on her. She was not only a little bit seasick but was also tired from the previous night.


    The young officer soon noticed her sleepy state. He smiled and said, ¡°Your body really is much too weak! In the future, we will have to toughen it up a bit!¡±


    Shen Yu glared at him slightly but didn¡¯t say a word. Suddenly, they heard a weak cry for help. Both of them raised their head to look in the direction of the noise. Not far from them, they could see a small black thing bobbing in the water.


    ¡°Oh no! Someone is drowning there! Stay in the boat and don¡¯t move! I¡¯m going into the water to save them!¡± Tang Can barked as quickly stripped off his shoes and outer jacket. Plop! He jumped into the water.


    Shen Yu wanted to follow him to help but she hesitated. With her skills, she wasn¡¯t sure whether she¡¯d be a hindrance or of any help to Tang Can. If it was the former, she would only make his work harder. She reluctantly decided to stay in the boat.


    Tang Can cut through the water like a professional swimmer, and made it across to the drowning person with good speed. He quickly hauled the person up and pulled as he swam back to the boat.


    After a closer look, Shen Yu realized that the person he had saved was the little boy from yesterday! It was the same little boy who she had given the hard boiled eggs to and was brother to the little girl they saw earlier!


    Tang Can managed to save the little boy shortly after he fell in, so the child was out of immediate danger. The boy choked and coughed up the water he had inadvertently swallowed earlier. His eyes were wide with shock as he heavily breathed air into his lungs. It took awhile for the boy to calm down and relax after being rescued.


    The child looked gratefully at Tang Can and said a couple of things. Shen Yu sighed inwardly. She really had difficulty understanding the local dialect, so once again, she didn¡¯t know what the boy had said.


    She could guess that the boy was telling Tang Can how he fell into the water. Her eyes were sharp and quickly noticed that the child¡¯s left foot was injured. It looked like there was a very deep wound in the foot but she wasn¡¯t sure what had caused it.


    Tang Can didn¡¯t bother to explain what the boy had told him. He merely told her to sit steadily in the boat and started to row the boat to shore.


    They reached the shore shortly thereafter. When all of them were on solid ground again, Tang Can pulled his clothes and shoes back on. After he finished dressing himself, he told Shen Yu that the little boy they rescued said that his family had invited them over to stay for a bit. She looked at him with a funny look on her face. She knew that he knew what had happened before with the two siblings, he was there!  It would be hard for her to forget what the little girl had said regarding Song Geng¡¯s death.


    Earlier, the older sister of the little boy had regarded them with hostility. Now that they had saved her younger brother, she was no longer as cautious around them.


    The house that the two siblings lived in was a very plain and humble looking place. Inside the house also lived their grandfather who was paralyzed. The elderly man was laying on the sofa when the group came in. In an effort to be polite, Shen Yu tried to greet their grandfather when she first entered the house. But the old man merely smiled at her deliriously and didn¡¯t say anything. He had a dull, lifeless look in his eyes as well.


    Tang Can had a better idea of their circumstances. He managed to obtain a decent amount of information from the two children. Apparently, their grandfather was not right in the head and was a simpleton. After learning that information, Shen Yu no longer tried to interact with the old man.


    After talking to the two children, Tang Can evidently obtained more information. However, he didn¡¯t explain anything to Shen Yu before he took a call from Commander Jin on his cell phone. Shen Yu could see that he was hiding something, as his eyes were as dark and fathomless as the ocean. She had a feeling that if she was not careful, the secrets in those eyes would drown her!


    Shen Yu frowned deeply. Just what did he find out from those kids? It doesn¡¯t seem good from the look on his face.


    Sorry about late post, I didn¡¯t schedule it correctly last night!

 Chapter 37

    Chapter 37 ¨C Getting Injured


    Tang Can stayed silent as they left the house where the two siblings lived. He was clearly deep in thought.


    Commander Jin and the branch secretary had finally come back to the village. When they arrived, the branch secretary¡¯s wife immediately told her husband what had transpired while they were gone. As soon as he found out what happened, the man became angry and almost lost his temper. He ran to the town hall to summon the villagers.The horn souded for a long time.


    Shen Yu didn¡¯t care to find out what the branch secretary was planning to do with the townspeople. Since Commander Jin and Xiao Qiu had come back, she thought that they could finally leave this village. Security issues and other problems were no longer within their scope to control or investigate.


    The others talked for almost half a day. Shen Yu had thought they were communicating that they were going to leave the village, but, in the end, she found out that was not to be the case. Tang Can had to translate and explain to her what they had decided.


    ¡°We can¡¯t leave right now, not after what happened,¡± he said quietly. ¡°Since Song Geng¡¯s grave got defiled, we need to make sure things settle down before we leave.¡±


    Since Tang Can and the others had already agreed on this course of action, she couldn¡¯t reject their consensus. That evening, things became rowdy at the branch secretary¡¯s house. Commander Jin had reported the desecration of Song Geng¡¯s grave to the local police. Not only did the local police come, but the deputy district chief and someone from the district army also came along. They all treated Tang Can with trepidation and respect. Shen Yu watched the scene with wry amusement. She suddenly felt like she was watching a scene from the imperial times. Tang Can was the Imperial Chancellor making his rounds and inspections, and the other people were the local officials bowing and scraping before him.


    It was within Tang Can¡¯s expectations that the district office got notified.. Although he didn¡¯t want make such a fuss about things, the events had already gone out of his control. Even though the crime got reported, they were still unable to catch the grave robbers. In fact, the police came with so many other people that the whole fiasco had become an unholy mess. Tang Can felt like his head was about to explode. He started to regret meddling with this village¡¯s doings.


    The most important factor was that all of the clues had been destroyed in this crime. The villagers had trampled all over the scene of the crime, so the police were unable to extract anything useful.


    The only valuable piece of information that came from this whole investigation was something that the experienced detective deduced. From his experience, grave robbers were never people from the villages themselves. In fact, judging from the tools used in this crime, it looked like the criminals responsible for this desecration were professionals.


    After hearing the old detective speak, Tang Can and Commander Jin exchanged a look. It was hard to say if they were on the same page, but afterwards, the two of them talked privately to each other.


    Shen Yu felt like her presence was unnecessary throughout all of these proceedings. The branch secretary had initially asked his wife to take care of Shen Yu. Unfortunately, neither of them spoke the same dialect, so they simply sat together with awkward smiles on their faces. After sitting for a while, Shen Yy¡¯s smile had been frozen on her face.


    Time passed and the evening had arrived. The branch secretary¡¯s two children were making a lot of noise and havoc. Their mother yelled at them and ordered them to go to sleep. When that proved fruitless, the branch secretary¡¯s wife then grabbed a broom and started chasing them around the room. The room quickly exploded into chaos again.


    Shem Ui couldn¡¯t sit any longer with nothing to do. It felt like she had a lump underneath her throat. Without a word to anyone, she slipped out of the living room with a flashlight in her hand. Before long, she was out of the house.


    Without any hesitation, she walked down a street that lead her south of the branch secretary¡¯s house. After making a couple of turns, she was in the outskirts of town, where Song Geng¡¯s old house was located.


    Shen Yu looked at the ruined house and tried to recall where she had fallen that morning. She had fallen on glass earlier and she could still recall how it felt when it cut into her. It was pitch-black outside and in the dark, it was difficult to see things. The ruins that seemed so straightforward in the day had turned into a maze at night. The light from her flashlight didn¡¯t do much to help her pick out specific objects.


    Luckily, the house wasn¡¯t big. and the villagers had stopped taking it apart when the accident had happened. After the grave robbing incident, no one else had come to this area. Shen Yu walked around the site a couple of times and used her feet to kick aside bits of broken glass. She bent over and picked up a wooden stick. Using the stick, she sorted through the ruins and yellowing photos slowly came out from the dirt.


    She could feel her heart pounding heavily as she squatted down to pick up the photos. Each photo was inspected individually, but she could¡¯t find the image that had scared her so much that previous morning. Before she could search more, she heard Tang Can in the distance hollering her name.


    She quickly threw the pictures down on the ground frantically to hide what she was doing. She threw fistfulls of dirt on them to cover them up again. In her haste, her left hand accidentally brushed against a piece of broken glass and a cut opened up. She ignored the pain and continued to work quickly. By the time Tang Can came over, she was holding her hand carefully as she stepped out of the ruins in a couple of steps.


    ¡°Why did you come here?¡± asked Tang Can, full of worry. He looked disheveled, as if he had run all over the place looking for her.


    Shen Yu¡¯s finger on her left hand pulsed with pain. The injury had to be of a decent size but she gritted her teeth and tried to endure it. ¡°I was bored so I wanted to walk around a bit.¡±


    Tang Can didn¡¯t try to lecture her, ¡°In the future, if you want to walk around, give me a holler first! I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll run into trouble by yourself.¡±


    Without knowing why, Shen Yu felt her heart tremble slightly, as if something had slipped in. In the darkness, she stared at Tang Can for a bit before finally lowering her head. Her cheeks felt hot and red.


    Tang Can reached out to grab her hand, as if in habit. He managed to hold onto her injured left hand. Involuntarily, Shen Yu squirmed out his hold and yelped in pain. It hurt so much that she could feel cold sweat dripping down her forehead.


    ¡°What wrong?¡± asked Tang Can, his voice full of concern. He used a flashlight to inspect her hand. When he saw the long, jagged cut on her middle finger he tsked in sympathy. The light also showed shards of broken glass in her wounds. Seeing her injured again made his heart twist in pain.


    When they got back to the branch secretary¡¯s home, Tang Can asked the man¡¯s wife if she had any sewing needles and candles. The plump women quickly came back with the items that he requested. Using the needle, the young officer carefully picked out the small pieces of glass out of her finger. Shen Yu tried to writhe away from him at first, the pain from the pricking needle was agonizing, but he grabbed onto her wrist with force and dragged her hand down. No matter how much she yelped in pain, Tang Can kept her in his iron grip as he methodically picked out all of the glass from her hands. Picking out the debris was just the first step for him. He then grabbed some alcohol and poured it onto her wounds to disinfect them. Shen Yu almost jumped through the roof when it touched her. She screeched, ¡°Oh my god that hurts so much!¡±


    Tang Can held her wrist with a vice-like grip and calmly used a clean cloth to bind her injury closed.


    ¡°It hurts¡­¡± sobbed Shen Yu pitifully. She cried like a child and clear mucus dribbled out of her nose.


    Tang Can let out a long sigh as he slowly relaxed his frown. He smiled and tried to comfort her, ¡°It¡¯s okay, be good, it¡¯ll only hurt a little more!¡±


    He wiped away her tears and snot with a clean handkerchief. Afterwards, he gently pulled her into his embrace.


    Muffled laughter came through the nearby window, but only Tang Can heard it. He raised his eyes to look at the window. Immediately, he could hear the sounds of someone scampering away.


    When he was sure that the person spying on them had left, Tang Can started to get ready to leave the room. He planned on having Shen Yu rest in the room for a little bit. He bent down his head to look at her one last time. Under the bright, yellow incandescent lamp, Shen Yu looked delicate and soft. Her eyebrows curved as gracefully as the ones found in paintings and her neck looked tender and white. Entranced, he stared at her for a bit before he came back to himself. It felt like he had just received a full body shock and his chest felt heavy, as if there was something stuck there¡­

 Chapter 38

    Chapter 38 ¨C Having Something to Worry About


    Tang Can turned away quickly, embarrassed that he had been staring at her for so long. He told her to rest well and then left the bedroom.


    Shen Yu slept fitfully. She wasn¡¯t sure if the glass bits had all been fished out, but her wounds ached the entire night.


    The next day, she woke up early. She felt as if she hadn¡¯t slept all night as she stumbled out of her room. Tang Can and the others had been up for a while, and Xiao Qiu walked in from the outside, holding a bag with military issued canteens in it. They were a gift for the branch secretary¡¯s two children.


    The branch secretary smiled in pleasure and took the gifts from the young soldier. His wife took an old black hen from their coop and handed it to Tang Can. She said that they should use the chicken, when they had time, to make some chicken soup for Shen Yu. Drinking it would help her heal her wounds.


    Shen Yu smiled awkwardly. Per the countryside customs, old hens were used to help women recover strength from the blood lost during their menstrual cycles. The cuts on her hands were just trifling wounds. To use an old hen to help her build up blood for something this trivial made her blush in embarrassment.


    The branch secretary and his whole family came out to the village gate to send them off. Before they could leave, Xiao Qiao suddenly exclaimed that he had forgotten something back in the house. When he came back, Shen Yu could see that he was holding a faded, yellowing photo that measured six inches across in his hand.


    ¡°Whose photo is this?¡± Tang Can asked casually. Xiao Qiu flipped the picture over and showed it to the young officer. Craning her head, Shen Yu tried to take a peek at it.


    At first, not much happened. Within a couple of minutes, the expression on Shen Yu¡¯s face changed and the color on her face turned yellow and sallow, about the same shade as the photo itself. Shen Yu started to tremble from head to toe, as if there was a strong wind blowing against her body.


    Commander Jin replied, a hint of rebuke towards Xiao Qiu in his voice. ¡°This youngster is such a forgetful ball of trouble. Everywhere he goes, he manages to lose something! Hopefully that¡¯s everything you need, Xiao Qiu! I don¡¯t want to hear you complaining you left something here when we¡¯re a thousand leagues away!¡±


    Xiao Qiu scratched his head sheepishly and smiled, ¡°That¡¯s everything, I swear!¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go!¡± said Commander Jin.


    When Shen Yu didn¡¯t immediately move, Tang Can said with a gentle smile on his face, ¡°Let¡¯s follow them, Shen Yu!¡±


    ¡°Oh, sure,¡± she replied, slightly dazed. With an ugly expression on her face, she followed Commander Jin and Tang Can as they left the village.


    They said their final farewells to the branch secretary and the rest of the village. Before they piled into the car, Xiao Qiu handed the old picture over to Commander Jin. The older man sat in the shotgun position, and he carefully placed the photo down.


    Shen Yu stared at the photo fixedly, an ugly expression on her face. Her hands and feet were as cold as ice. The picture was the one she was trying to hide earlier, but she wasn¡¯t able to find it the previous night. How did it end up in Xiao Qiu¡¯s hands?


    Shen Yu pursed her lips in thought and an odd feeling crept up on her. She turned her head to look at Tang Can quietly for a moment and then said, ¡°It¡¯s a little stuffy in here.¡± She opened the window next to her and smiled at Commander Jin. ¡°Whose picture is it? Can I take a look at it?¡±


    Without any hesitation, the older man handed the photo over to her. He smiled gently, ¡°Don¡¯t be too startled! The picture shows someone who¡¯s recently died! In fact, it¡¯s a photo of old Song Geng!¡±


    Shen Yu was in the process of taking the picture from Commander Jin when she heard him explain the picture¡¯s origins. A frightened and shocked expression crossed her face and her hand shook. The photo slipped out of her grasp and flew out of the car window.


    ¡°Oh no!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°The picture flew out! Stop the car!¡±


    Commander Jin ordered Xiao Qiu to disregard the lost picture and to continued driving. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Shen Yu. It doesn¡¯t matter that we lost the photo. We just wanted to bring it to Old Mr. Yun and let him look at it, to see if we found the right person. But since the person in question is deceased, does it really matter if Song Geng was the person he was looking for? It¡¯s not like we can bring him back from the dead.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± said Shen Yu as she laughed dryly. There was nothing she could say to that statement.


    As their journey progressed, Shen Yu participated in a conversation with Commander Jin and the others. However, it was blatantly obvious to anyone paying attention that there was something bothering her.


    Tang Can observed Shen Yu closely. When she finally became tired and closed her eyes to rest, Tang Can eyes met Commander Jin¡¯s for a second. Commander Jin then flicked his gaze over to Shen Yu and smiled briefly. He turned his head back to the front of the car and spoke to Xiao Qiu, ¡°Drive more smoothly. We don¡¯t want to jostle Reporter Shen too much.¡±


    ¡°Okie dokie! I got it!¡± replied Xiao Qiu brightly, his eyes curving up with amusement.


    Shortly thereafter, the ride became more even and smooth. Shen Yu closed her eyes to go over the thoughts in her mind. Before she knew it, exhaustion creeped up on her and she quickly fell asleep.


    Her head angled back and was cradled by the seat. As the car gently swayed, her head started to lean in one direction and caused her neck to bend down in an angle. Tang Can thought that it was an uncomfortable position for her to be in, so he leaned in to her and softly brought her head down to his shoulder. Tang Can frowned slightly as he watched her sleep. The wrinkles in his skin crumpled around his eyebrows like the folds of a dumpling.


    Commander Jin was able to observe everything that happened in the back seat using the rearview mirror. After looking at Tang Can¡¯s expression, he gently cleared his throat and started to sing.


    ¡°All those in the revolutionary army must remember to keep the Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention[1. A military doctrine issued in 1928 by Mao Zedong for the Red Army, which included a number of injunctions demanding high standards of behavior and respect for civilians during wartime]. The first thing to remember is to listen to orders, only when we are united can we triumph together¡­¡±


    When Tang Can heard those lyrics, the expression on his face immediately changed and his face quickly lost color. It was now the color of a piece of paper.


    Xiao Qiu had a pure heart and didn¡¯t sense the underlying reason behind the song. He turned briefly to Commander Jin and said, ¡°Commander, your singing voice is really bad! It sounds like you¡¯re banging some old pots around. You should really stop singing before you frighten Reporter Shen out of her nap!¡±


    Commander Jin leveled a glare at the young soldier and scolded, ¡°Brat! What do you know?¡± After he finished lambasting poor Xiao Qiu, he took another look in the rearview mirror. From the look on Tang Can¡¯s face, it seemed like his song was not in vain. His feelings were soothed, so his mind turned back to the unflattering comment Xiao Qiu made about his singing voice. Feeling his temper rise again, he pointed his finger at the soldier and said, ¡°Hmph, you¡¯re not afraid to laugh at my voice, brat! Just watch what I¡¯ll do to you when we get back!¡±


    ¡°Aw, Commander!¡± shouted Xiao Qiu, scared by his commanding officer¡¯s threats. ¡°It was a slip of the tongue! You¡¯re such a good guy, don¡¯t hold a grudge over a small person like me! ¡±


    Commander Jin smiled treacherously. ¡°It¡¯s too late to try to flatter me, brat! Just watch me. When we get back, I¡¯ll make sure to take good care of you!¡±


    A bitter and suffering expression showed up on Xiao Qiu¡¯s face. He turned to Tang Can and begged for help. ¡°Officer Tang! Please help me! Don¡¯t let Commander Jin punish me when we get back!¡±


    In actuality, Tang Can knew that the two of them were just playing around. If it was any other time, he wouldn¡¯t mind joining in and having some fun. But he wasn¡¯t feeling it right now. In fact, he was worried that their antics would wake Shen Yu up.


    The young woman¡¯s eyelids fluttered gently but Shen Yu didn¡¯t wake up. When he saw that her eyelashes also trembled afterwards, he knew that she was already awake and that she was just pretending to still be asleep.


    Although Xiao Qiu continued to implore Tang Can to help him, he noticed that Tang Can didn¡¯t react at all. A look at the rearview mirror showed that the young officer seemed to be in a gloomy mood. Xiao Qiu tried to make a joke to cheer him up. But he miscalculated. His joke not only made Tang Can more upset but also shocked a sleeping Shen Yu awake!

 Chapter 39

    Chapter 39 ¨C Dog Meat


    The look on Shen Yu¡¯s pale face haunted Tang Can. His heart throbbed in pain, as if someone had pinched it. A bitter taste rose in his mouth. However, there was nothing that he could say that could explain things to her.


    Xiao Qiu was ignorant to the chaos that he caused by his statement. Ahead of them was a tollbooth, so he slowed the car down to a stop. After the car passed the booth and got up to speed on the highway, he didn¡¯t pick up that thread of conversation again. He focused on driving the car.


    Shen Yu retracted her gaze and seemed to be tired. Tang Can watched as she closed her eyes to go back to sleep. He noticed that she had a set of long and thick eyelashes. They caught his eye and he stared at them, mesmerized. For a moment, he felt like he was lost in them.


    By the time they got back to Changsha, it was already dark. Xiao Qiu was exhausted after driving the car for the whole day. After parking the car in the assigned lot next to the military district¡¯s guest house, he blurted out, ¡°So tired!¡±. The young soldier jumped out of the car and in his haste he forgot to take out the vehicle¡¯s keys.


    As Commander Jin grabbed the keys, he turned towards Tang Can and said, ¡°I know Xiao Qiu¡¯s a little rough, but he really is a good fella. Other than his poor ability to keep a handle on his mouth, he¡¯s good in all other aspects He¡¯s a model soldier, but I feel like he¡¯s wasting his talents staying with me. If you feel like he¡¯d be a good successor for you, please take him into your service!¡±


    Tang Can smiled slightly but declined to say anything in response. When he saw the enthusiastic look on Commander Jin¡¯s face, he commented, ¡°I¡¯ll think about your proposal¡±.


    Commander Jin let out a sigh of relief and turned to smile at Shen Yu. ¡°Reporter Shen, you must be exhausted! You should go to your room and get some rest!¡±


    Shen Yu smiled and nodded her head at the older man.


    Commander Jin left before the other two and made sure to lock the dar. Shen Yu glanced at Tang Can for a moment before she walked towards the guest house. Tang Can caught up with her in a couple of steps. ¡°Let me bring you to the infirmary to treat your injuries! I want to make sure they¡¯re healing well!¡±


    Shen Yu had long forgotten she had gotten wounded on her hand. Had Xiao Qiu not said his previous statement, she would have felt grateful towards Tang Can for being so protective over her. With the memory of Xiao Qiu¡¯s stinging words prickling into her, she merely looked at Tang Can coldly.


    In the infirmary, the cuts on her hand were carefully treated again. Zhang Fei showed up before Shen Yu could go back to her own room. The female soldier hollered at Tang Can, scolding him for disappearing with Shen Yu without a word and making her worry while they were gone.


    Since they didn¡¯t have a good relationship, Shen Yu gladly took the opportunity to leave for her room. She had no desire to ask for more trouble from the female soldier.


    While walking back to her room, Shen Yu suddenly thought about Wheaty. She made a detour and went to the dog¡¯s kennel. Unfortunately, the dog was nowhere to be seen. Frightened, she ran over to Mazha to find out what had happened.


    With an apologetic expression on his face, the male soldier said, ¡°We don¡¯t know where Wheaty went!¡± His eyes were shifty, and he avoided directly looking at her.


    Shen Yu didn¡¯t believe what he said but there was no use. The dog was clearly gone. In her heart, she hoped that the dog had temporarily run off and that she could find Wheaty again. She vowed to start looking for her tomorrow.


    As she walked back to her room, she met Zhang Fei in the hallway. The female soldier was carrying something as she entered Tang Can¡¯s room. Shen Yu caught a whiff of dog meat in the air.


    Shen Yu had no desire to meddle in the relationship between the two but for some reason, she didn¡¯t move from her spot. She stood there, staring at Tang Can¡¯s room.


    Shortly thereafter, Zhang Fei came out again and looked angry. Her hands still held the bowl that she had been holding previously. Shen Yu could hear her mutter under her breath ¡°so he doesn¡¯t want to eat¡­¡±. When the female soldier noticed her standing in the hallway, she grimaced and yelled, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± before she started to stomp away from Shen Yu.


    Reflexively, Shen Yu chased down Zhang Fei. When she caught up with the female soldier, she asked, ¡°What are you holding?¡±


    Zhang Fei glared at the young woman and said with malicious delight, ¡°Dog meat! What¡¯s wrong? Do you want some?¡±


    The expression on Shen Yu¡¯s face instantly changed and it was clear she was having trouble grasping her emotions. Without any thought of the other guests in the hallway, she screamed at Zhang Fei, her eyes red with emotion, ¡°Is that Wheaty in your bowl?? Did you kill my dog for meat???¡±


    Zhang Fei stood there, flabbergasted. At first she looked as if she was being accused of something she didn¡¯t do but when the female soldier saw the pain on Shen Yu¡¯s face, she suddenly felt pleasure. With a malicious look on her face, she said, ¡°The dog meat in this bowl is very fragrant! Smells delicious, doesn¡¯t it? Are you sure you don¡¯t want to try some?¡± She shot a provoking look at Shen Yu, grabbed a piece of meat between her fingers, and sucked it into her mouth.


    Shen Yu almost exploded into fury. The motto that she lived by, the one that her mom told her, about turning the other cheek, no longer applied to her. She flipped the bowl out of Zhang Fei¡¯s hands and slapped the female soldier viciously in the face. Shen Yu¡¯s eyes glittered with unshed tears.


    Zhang Fei was a soldier and had undergone the harsh training that all recruits went through. At first, she didn¡¯t try to defend herself. However, after being hit by Shen Yu, Zhang Fei retaliated. The female soldier pushed the young woman to the ground and started pounding on her. If Tang Can had not heard the commotion in the hallway, Shen Yu might have been dead meat.


    Tang Can was unexpectedly calm when he saw what was going on. With a well-placed kick, he slammed Zhang Fei away from Shen Yu and didn¡¯t punish the female soldier further. Despite that, Zhang Fei lay on the ground and did not get up for quite a while. The female soldier howled and sobbed.


    After being pounded by Zhang Fei, Shen Yu naturally felt that she was the wronged party in this conflict. But she was more upset about Wheaty and how she died. She had never thought that by leaving for a couple of days that the dog would turn into food for Zhang Fei¡­


    ¡°Wheaty¡¯s dead! She was killed by Zhang Fei¡­¡± Shen Yu sobbed repeatedly, heartbroken.


    Despite Tang Can¡¯s efforts in trying to comfort her, Shen Yu continued to cry. She wept until she was exhausted and fell into a fitful sleep.


    Tang Can watched her sleep. Although the young woman clearly slept poorly, at least she was still resting. He left her in the room, his eyes full of worry, as he went to go find Zhang Fei to settle things between them.


    Earlier, when Zhang Fei had brought the dog meat to him, she had told him it was one of the special menu items at the guest house today¡­


    Tang Can found Zhang Fei¡¯s room and knocked on her door for a long time. There was no response. He knew that the female soldier was afraid of his rage and was hiding from him. It was the middle of the night and he didn¡¯t want to wait longer. He would have to solve the problem the next day.


    That night, Tang Can¡¯s stomach hurt and he was unable to get a good night¡¯s rest. Although he was distressed over Wheaty, he was more concerned over Shen Yu. He found it hard to banish the image of her crying face from his thoughts. His heart felt sore just thinking of it.


    Unable to stop his racing thoughts, Tang Can was not able to sleep a wink the entire night. He had a suspicion that the female soldier also did not sleep well as she was also in pain.


    He was correct. Except, her type of pain did not come from her heart, but from her legs. When he kicked her legs earlier, he had almost shattered her bones. The female soldier sobbed for an entire night. Tang Can had never treated her this poorly before.


    While she cried the whole night, Mazha tried to comfort her. In between sobs, Zhang Fei told her fellow soldier that Tang Can used to treat her very well. When they were younger, she often got into fights with him. Even though she hit him hard then, he would always smile at her and say that it didn¡¯t hurt at all¡­


    In fact, she felt like she was the wronged party in this fight. Earlier she had found a couple of the chefs in the guesthouse privately making some dog meat for themselves to eat. She had heard that Tang Can had just come back from a long journey and wanted to give him something nourishing to eat. She had to swallow down her own pride and beg those two people to sell her a bowl of the stew. It also was true that Wheaty had disappeared for several days. But Mazha had been watching the dog for Shen Yu, so it had nothing to do with her. She only said that the meat in the bowl was from that dog because she knew how much it would hurt the stupid young women. Zhang Fei hated Shen Yu, so she took any chance she got to make the other person feel bad. This time she succeeded in her aim but she also ended up suffering for it. When Tang Can had kicked her away, she had sensed he had put all of his force behind it. Why else would it still hurt hours after the incidence? Her knees had almost been shattered by him! But, more importantly, she felt like her heart had been bruised by him too.


    Zhang Fei had cried out almost all of her energy and was snivelling when Mazha suddenly opened his mouth. ¡°You don¡¯t think there¡¯s something odd going on?¡±


    ¡°What sort of problem?¡± she asked in return, rolling her tear-swollen eyes with a free hand.

 Chapter 40

    Chapter 40 ¨C Sister-in-Law


    Mazha seemed to have something gloomy on his mind. He let out a long, heavy sigh and didn¡¯t answer Zhang Fei¡¯s question. Instead, he posed his own query, ¡°You really can¡¯t tell? Officer Tang has changed!¡±


    Zhang Fei opened her eyes wide and a complicated look passed through them. She lowered her head, tightened her lips into a pout, and didn¡¯t deign to reply. Mazha could hear the sound of her fist clenching and unclenching at the side.


    At dawn, Zhang Fei finally fell asleep from exhaustion. Even in sleep, she would moan or sob occasionally.


    Mazha shook his head and left her room. When he came out of the female soldier¡¯s room, he coincidentally saw Tang Can coming out of Shen Yu¡¯s room.


    ¡°Zhang Fei¡¯s doing alright?¡± asked Tang Can, his voice dry and scratchy. The young officer quickly glanced at the female officer¡¯s room.


    Mazha smiled and said, ¡°Officer Tang, do you no longer care about Zhang Fei anymore? Last night you were pretty cruel to her. I thought we were comrades who had experienced life and death scenarios together. Who could be more important to us than each other?¡±


    Tang Can raised his head and looked at Mazha expressionlessly. Not a word was said in return. The young officer left Mazha alone in the hallway.


    Mazha watched speechlessly as his commanding officer entered his own room. The male soldier let out another long sigh and went back to his assigned room to rest.


    Although none of them had the habit of sleeping in, they all ended up sleeping until noon due to their lack of sleep the previous night. Sleeping so much had its benefits. They could skip breakfast and eat both breakfast and lunch together at once.


    Mazha woke up the earliest. By the time Tang Can came down, Mazha had already finished eating.


    Tang Can went to the cafeteria to order some food and then went back up to wake Shen Yu. When he opened her door, he found the young woman sitting lifelessly on the bed. Her eyes were red and swollen. Tracks of fresh tears lined her face.


    Emotions always get the better of women, thought Tang Can. They¡¯re all like Lin Daiyu from the Dream of the Red Chamber, always crying over something. He shook his head and sighed. As he tried to think of ways to comfort her, he suddenly saw that in her arms was a golden-colored fur pelt. He started at it in shock for a long time before he could find the words to say anything.


    The fur pelt had to be from Wheaty! Tang Can recognized it came from the missing dog, even though he was not as familiar with the dog as Shen Yu was. Previously, Wheaty had been cut deeply on her back by Lao Li. After the wound healed, there was a long, ugly-looking scar leftover in the fur. The pelt had the same scar.


    ¡°Where did you find that?¡± aske Tang Can, his voice trembling. His first thought was that whoever had killed Wheaty had to be completely devoid of humanity. Not only did that person eat an animal that was loved by someone else, but that person also left the dog¡¯s pelt where it could be found by the owner!


    ¡°It was left on the doorstep¡­¡± Shen Yu said as another bout of tears overtook her. She sobbed piteously, as if she was a little child who had gotten bullied.


    The pelt in her hands had not been dried completely. A horrible stench wafted from it.


    Ignoring Shen Yu¡¯s protests, Tang Can snatched the fur from her and turned to walk out of the room. When she asked him where he was bringing the fur, Tang Can replied that he was going to bury it. As for where he would bury it, he would not say.


    Zhang Fei was Wheaty¡¯s murderer. That was a known fact to Shen Yu. The female soldier was now her archenemy.


    Under the current circumstances, Tang Can could no longer let the female soldier stay in the group. He was pretty sure that Zhang Fei wasn¡¯t the person responsible for Wheaty¡¯s death. After all, the two of them had grew up and fought together. It was easy to tell a person¡¯s true nature by how they fought. Although Zhang Fei had a dominating personality, she wasn¡¯t a bad person at heart. However, it puzzled him that there was someone out there who would want to kill an innocent dog. What type of person was it?


    When it was time for Zhang Fei to leave, the female soldier shot a splintering glare at Shen Yu. It was so full of hostility that the young woman felt her whole body itch and tremble.


    Although Shen Yu heavily disliked the female soldier, she still came out to send Zhang Fei off. Surprisingly, Mazha was not there. Normally he was the one who defended and comforted the female soldier, but no one knew where he went. After Shen Yu looked for a while, she finally found him hiding behind some columns. Mazha was watching the rest of them in secret.


    Tang Can reached out a hand to grab a suitcase from Zhang Fei¡¯s grasp, but the female soldier refused to let go. In the end, she was unable to avoid his help. She twisted her face and let him take her luggage from her and place them into the waiting trunk. She gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and entered the car. The car started to move, but then suddenly stopped. Zhang Fei pushed the door open, ran out of the car to Tang Can¡¯s side and started sobbing loudly. She sat on the ground next to the young officer and threw a tantrum like a toddler. Tears and streams of mucus flowed down her face.


    Tang Can looked at her expressionately and didn¡¯t say a word to comfort her. Finally, Zhang Fei went back into the car. Shen Yu observed the two with interest and noticed that although Tang Can acted tough, the red rims around his eyes betrayed his true emotions.


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, Shen Yu ran after the car. No one could tell what thoughts were running through the young woman¡¯s mind, but the car had stopped to let the two women talk. After they finished talking, the car quickly came back. It stopped in front of Tang Can, and Zhang Fei hopped out with a smile on her face. The female soldier hugged Tang Can warmly.


    At this point, Mazha finally appeared. He ran over to his two colleagues and embraced them in a giant bear hug, turning the group around in a circle. Finally, the three people turned to go back to the guesthouse.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Tang Can sincerely to Shen Yu.


    An uncertain smile crossed the young woman¡¯s face. She turned around and was startled by what she saw. A large car procession had just entered the courtyard.


    When the cars finally stopped, a whole bunch of men in army uniforms came out of the vehicles.


    Tang Can suddenly exclaimed, ¡°My god!¡± and walked towards the team of people.


    Shen Yu continued to stand in the same place. She could hear a gust of laughter coming from one of the cars. It sounded familiar, as if she had heard it before.


    After thinking for a bit, she suddenly remembered where she had heard that laugh before. It was from that old man who had shouted in glee, ¡°She is gold, gold!¡± when he saw her. It was that fiery tempered old man!


    Now they¡¯re going to sell me off! Shen Yu thought as she shuddered inwardly.


    ¡°Grandpa, why did you come here?¡± asked Tang Can, his voice full of surprise.


    The old man hollered, ¡°If I didn¡¯t come, by  the time you found that gold mine, I¡¯d probably be dead! They¡¯d be burying my bones already!¡± Tang Can¡¯s grandfather¡¯s voice was so loud that an echo could be heard in the yard.


    At this point, a group of soldiers came out to greet the hot-tempered old man. ¡°Welcome, senior officer!¡± they greeted in chorus and then escorted him into the guesthouse.


    Shen Yu had never knew that rank that the old man held. Of course, she had figured out earlier that he was Tang Can¡¯s grandfather.


    For the next couple of days, Tang Can accompanied his grandfather. Zhang Fei had finally found her sponsor. She orbited around Grandfather Tang and they seemed to be closer than blood relatives.


    Shen Yu was ignored by the others. Previously, Grandpa Tang had fought through his heart problems to see her. Now, she was no longer the favorite. Bored out of her mind and left to her own devices, Shen Yu went to burn some time in the large courtyard. She let her rich, dark hair fall free to her shoulders. Strands of her hair danced in the light breeze.


    ¡°This female soldier is quite beautiful!¡± exclaimed an army officer in his thirties as he stood in the doorway of the lobby. He pointed a hand at her in awe.


    The guard next to him glanced at Shen Yu and said, ¡°She should be a part of the civilian division! I¡¯m not sure which office she¡¯s from. Did you want me to go over and ask her?¡±


    ¡°No need, no need. She is a part of my team. You can call her Reporter Shen.¡± Neither of the soldiers knew when Tang Can appeared. The young officer had his trademark smile on his face.


    The other officer immediately smiled, ¡°Perfect timing, Officer Tang! Can you call her over and introduce me to her?¡±


    Tang Can grinned and nodded his head. ¡°Alright, I¡¯d be happy to introduce you to your future sister-in-law!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± The other officer looked incredulously at Tang Can, his eyes wide with surprise.

 Chapter 41

    Chapter 41 ¨C A Quarrel


    Tang Can smiled brightly and his eyes curved up. He yelled in the distance to Shen Yu. The young woman acknowledged him and started to walk over.


    ¡°You little brat! You sure move fast! Last month there was no word about any of this!¡± The other officer laughed and patted Tang Can a couple times on the shoulder. He observed Shen Yu from head to toe as she came up to them and then complimented Tang Can on his good taste.


    Before Shen Yu could voice her confusion, the other officer said he had other affairs to attend to and left.


    ¡°What did you guys say about me earlier?¡± asked Shen Yu, frowning. The expression in the other man¡¯s eyes was odd when they had briefly met.


    Tang Can chuckled. ¡°We didn¡¯t say much! I came over here to find you for something!¡±


    Shen Yu looked at him suspiciously. Since he had no desire to tell her to truth, she knew it wasn¡¯t worth her time to investigate more. So, she shelved her questions.


    ¡°What did you need me for?¡±


    A smile briefly crossed his face. Unlike his other smiles, this one seemed unnaturally forced. ¡°You should get some rest earlier tonight. We¡¯re headed out bright and early tomorrow!¡± Apparently, they were all headed to Lop Nor, a famed salt lake in the province of Xinjiang.


    She later found out that, as expected, Grandpa Tang was a force to be reckoned with. Previously, Old Mr. Yun used all types of excuses to avoid working with them. Now that the fiery old geezer was here, he immediately sent out a division of the army¡¯s Special Forces to ¡°ask¡± the other old geezer to help them. Naturally, all of the soldiers in the Special Forces brought their submachine guns along to complete this task. Apparently the gold miners were so frightened at the sight of these men that they almost peed their pants! Old Mr. Yun was of a different caliber. He had seen similar sights previously. However, under these circumstances, he knew it was better to relent than to refuse. The two old men had known each other for almost a lifetime, so they understood the ins and outs of their individual personalities.


    Usually Old Mr. Tang would not go out of his way to embarrass Old Mr. Yun, but when he really wanted something, he could get testy. Old Mr. Yun obviously knew how far he could push. If he tried to be recalcitrant now, he might as well go grab a cup of tea with King Yama in the afterlife.


    Tang Can didn¡¯t try to conceal any of his knowledge regarding Old Mr. Yun¡¯s affairs from Shen Yu. In fact, she learned that the old geezer actually had half of a treasure map. The map was believed to lead to a fabled gold mine. Apparently, it was made by a researcher who went on an expedition to Lop Nor and ended up tragically dying.


    Old Mr. Tang wanted to look at that half of the map. However, Old Mr. Yun adamantly refused to hand his portion over. He stated that he was willing to bring people along with him but he would never allow anyone to look at it!


    Tang Can¡¯s grandfather flipped out when Old Mr. Yun voiced his refusal. He even took out a gun and pointed it at the other old man. He called Old Mr. Yun a senile old fool and threatened to shoot him if he didn¡¯t comply with his wishes.


    But Old Mr. Yun merely guffawed and stroked his scruffy long beard. In reply, he said, ¡°Hey old fella, if you shoot me and I die, who will regret it more? Will you be able to die peacefully, with your eyes closed, later on?¡±


    Old Mr. Tang almost blew a blood vessel after being provoked by Old Mr. Yun. His hands had trembled, and he almost couldn¡¯t hold the rifle upright. When his grandson saw his shaking hands, he immediately went over and took the gun from him. If Old Mr. Tang really accidentally shot Old Mr. Yun, they would have lost more than they gained.


    ¡°You f*cking son of a bitch! You piece of shit¡­¡± screamed Old Mr. Tang as he stomped around the room in anger.


    Old Mr. Yun didn¡¯t respond. He continued to slowly sip at his tea and stayed calm. He had the upper hand in this situation!


    These two had to be a couple of old frenemies. Shen Yu thought wryly after she heard Tang Can¡¯s story.


    Tang Can didn¡¯t explain their history together in complete detail. In summary, the two men had been friends but then they had a falling out. Apparently, both of them had been soldiers many years ago and developed their original friendship then. They had been closer than blood brothers and were willing to die for each other. Unfortunately, during the Cultural Revolution, Old Mr. Tang had betrayed Old Mr. Yun in some matter. Old Mr. Yun had been locked up by the authorities during that dark time. After the calamity finally ended, Old Mr. Yun¡¯s and Old Mr. Tang¡¯s relationship was never the same.


    Tang Can¡¯s grandfather had felt guilt over that entire incident. Because of that, he kept silent over the gold mine map for many years. But his patience had its limits. He wanted to find that long lost gold mine for the country; it would become a national treasure! So now he had to treat Old Mr. Yun with less respect.


    The truth was this whole situation was not just Old Mr. Tang throwing his weight around, forcing Old Mr. Yun to follow his wishes. It was more complicated than that, at least, that¡¯s what Tang Can¡¯s grandfather claimed. In fact, Old Mr. Yun was the one who originally reached out by sending a letter to Old Mr. Tang. The letter had said that Old Mr. Yun wanted to help Old Mr. Tang finally resolve his life¡¯s regret. However, when push came to shove, the wily old geezer changed his mind! If Old Mr. Tang didn¡¯t teach Old Mr. Yun a lesson, who would?


    ¡°That gold mine is the property of our country! You son of a bitch, do you understand? Our country¡¯s property!¡± Old Mr. Tang paced circles around Old Mr. Yun while he cracked his knuckles. From an outsider¡¯s point of view, it looked like the fiery tempered old man was getting his hands ready for a fight!


    Old Mr. Yun had finished drinking his tea and was now focused on smoking his pipe. The pipe clicked and clacked as he inhaled the smoke. When a hot-tempered person met a cool and collected person, it usually drove the hot-tempered person crazy. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if the hot tempered person died from being infuriated by the other person.


    It was said that the two old geezers talked and wheedled for a whole night. In the end, Old Mr. Yun¡¯s resolved had crumbled. He had decided to compromise. Tang Can¡¯s grandfather had been thrilled and laughed heartily as if he had won a great victory.


    Old Mr. Yun had tapped his tobacco pipe, defeated but not beaten. He then said that as a cultured person, he refused to work with those who were crude.


    Scholars cannot win against soldiers. That is a lesson that was passed through many generations. Shen Yu was not surprised that Old Mr. Tang was able to tame the old fox that was Old Mr. Yun. It was well within her expectations!


    They needed to go to the infamous Lop Nor, where many people had perished. Tang Can exhorted Shen Yu to call her family back at home. He told her, ¡°It is a mysterious and enigmatic place. Who knows what will happen when we go there? It¡¯s better to plan for the worst while we can! Don¡¯t leave any regrets!¡±


    His words discomforted her and it felt like she walking into a dangerous situation. Did he want her to leave words to comfort others when she had died? Wouldn¡¯t it cause anguish to her parents to hear them?


    ¡°I refuse to go there!¡± said Shen Yu in a pique of temper. Her cheeks puffed up with anger.


    Tang Can laughed dryly. ¡°So you want to be a deserter instead?¡±


    Shen Yu raised an eyebrow and coldy replied, ¡°You must have amnesia! I¡¯m not actually a part of the army!¡±


    ¡°Then do you want to know your true family history?¡± asked Tang Can, flustered beyond reason. He spoke without thinking and he immediately felt regret at what slipped out.


    Shen Yu shook her head. ¡°Not interested!¡± She turned and went back to her room to finish packing her things. She wasn¡¯t Old Mr. Yun and could be intimidated easily. Even if that old geezer pointed a gun at her she wouldn¡¯t care. They all lived in a lawful society. No one had the power of life and death over her!


    ¡°Now, what if by going to Lop Nor you can help wash the guilt off of those most dear to you? They would no longer be sanctioned by the law,¡± said Tang Can casually. The young officer was leaning against the door frame and had his arms wrapped around his shoulders.


    Shen Yu trembled slightly and her face turned pale. She pretended not to understand what Tang Can had said. ¡°What nonsense are you saying now?¡±


    ¡°Some things are better left unsaid! You know exactly what I mean!¡± Tang Can left without trying to convince her more.


    The young woman sat in her suddenly stuffy room and contemplated Tang Can¡¯s words. After a while, she stood up and kicked her suitcase with her foot. She wasn¡¯t going to leave anymore.


    But now Tang Can had become her newest enemy! That smug bastard!


    That night, the young officer came by her room to drop of some food. In a pique of temper, she dumped all of the food into the garbage can and refused to eat. She didn¡¯t have an appetite and there were many things that were on her mind. It frustrated her to be confined by the schemes of Tang Can and the others. Her parents clearly had a very big secret that could lead to their demise. She was the most innocent one here, yet still had to deal with this mess. It just wasn¡¯t fair!


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to eat, that¡¯s fine. No one died from skipping a couple of meals,¡± said Tang Can when he witnessed her sulky actions. It was clear that the young officer didn¡¯t make much of them. Instead, he once again urged her to give a phone call back to her family.


    After contemplating his advice for the rest of the night, Shen Yu reluctantly called home the next morning. She told her parents that she was going to Lop Nor and didn¡¯t add any details.


    ¡°What?¡± exclaimed her mother over the phone, her voice full of fear. ¡°Lop Nor? Why are you going there?¡± Shen Yu could tell her mother was scared, even though she couldn¡¯t see her face.


    Shen Yu smiled bitterly. She didn¡¯t want to think her mom was hiding anything, but it was very unlikely at this point!

 Chapter 42

    Chapter 42 ¨C Left Behind


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m just following the army to interview some people, I¡¯ll be back very soon!¡± Shen Yu tried to comfort her mother but the smile on her face was more bitter than herbal medication.


    She wasn¡¯t sure why it was important for her to go to Lop Nor but she knew it had to be crucial to their mysterious plans. Otherwise, why else would Tang Can, who loved to play dumb, threaten her family to make her go. He would never give more information than he had to, but he had to have been desperate this time.


    ¡°Ah¡­yes¡­¡± her mother stuttered. Nothing else came out, which was out of the ordinary for her. Usually, her mom had a lot to say.


    Tang Can snatched the cell phone from Shen Yu, ignoring her outraged protests. ¡°Relax, Auntie! I will take good care of Shen Yu!¡± he promised. Before the young woman could get the phone back, he ended the call.


    Shen Yu glared at him but didn¡¯t say anything. The expression on her face spoke volumes on how she felt.


    ¡°Did you wash your face yet? Move faster! Everyone is waiting for you!¡± Tang Can chuckled, ignoring the disdain on her face.


    It was difficult for her to fathom his true personality. No matter what expression she showed, he was always unaffected, like an eternally smiling Buddha.


    Everyone was ready to set off. Shen Yu had been assigned to the last military Jeep in the compound. Other than herself, there was only the driver. She sat in the front seat and introduced herself to him. The driver¡¯s name was Xiao Chen and he looked to be a fairly young and new recruit. He drove at a slow and steady pace. The rest of the vehicles in the group had long disappeared into the horizon but he drove patiently.


    Although he was young, Xiao Chen was not a shy person and was actually very talkative. When Shen Yu saw that they were being left in the dust, she urged him to drive a little faster. Unexpectedly, this unleashed a torrent of words from him. He explained that it was more important to drive with safety in mind. Driving too quickly could lead to accidents and safety was number one in his mind. Speeding to cut down travel time by one minute wasn¡¯t worth it if it lead to a loss of life situation.


    He talked and talked until Shen Yu¡¯s head felt dizzy. She stared blankly at the ceiling of the Jeep, at a complete loss for words.


    On the highway, it was easy for them to find their way. Turn offs were marked appropriately and directions were clear. However, once they got onto the country roads, things were different. Xiao Chen knew they had to get back onto the highway after the first transfer but he didn¡¯t know where the turn was.


    ¡°How about you call the people ahead of us and find out which way to go? It¡¯s better to take some time to get directions then to drive until we¡¯re completely lost,¡± suggested the young woman out of kindness.


    Xiao Chen scratched his head, ¡°We don¡¯t need to go through this much effort! I¡¯ll use my nose to sniff out the way!¡±


    Shen Yu wanted to explode in fury. She twisted her lips and inwardly cursed at him. Do you really think you¡¯re a dog, huh?! You think you can just smell the right way?


    However, since Xiao Chen was the driver, Shen Yu had no choice but to sit obediently. Wherever he took her would be where she ended up.


    As dusk came, it became very apparent that they had lost their way. They had driven so far that the only roads ahead of them were not even properly paved and were made of dirt. When Xiao Chen stepped out of the car to look around, he was flabbergasted.


    ¡°No worries! All roads will lead to Rome eventually. As long as there is a road, we can definitely catch up to the others!¡± Xiao Chen said optimistically. At this point, Shen Yu had been annoyed for so long that she had already given up. The soldier clearly had no idea where he was going but somehow managed to remain so sunny about everything.


    Seeing that the sky was rapidly turning dark, Shen Yu calmly suggested that Xiao Qiu find a nearby village so they could rest that night. If they could find one, at least there would be people to ask where to go the next day. Continuing on their current route was not a good idea. They might get stuck in a ditch or get even more lost.


    When it rained, it poured. Xiao Chen found out that the car would not start up anymore when he tried to resume driving again. Then, when he tried to fix the car, a snake had unexpectedly bitten him.


    Shen Yu reacted quickly when she saw what happened. She immediately called the emergency services but when the person on the other side asked her where they were, she was caught by surprise. She had absolutely no idea where they were! If she did, she wouldn¡¯t need to call for help! The young woman burst out into noisy sobs, despairing inside.


    Xiao Chen had passed out on the ground after his encounter with the snake. After trying everything else, Shen Yu was out of ideas and options. Out of desperation, she climbed up to the roof of the car, sobbing. She started screaming for help in all four directions, hoping against hope that someone out there would find them. Perhaps a farmer in the field would hear her cries and help her.


    She hollered for help for what felt like an eternity. Her throat had started to feel sore and hoarse. Just when she was about to give up from despair, a sign of help appeared!


    In the distance, a group of people travelled towards her. The group contained four people: two men and two women. They all looked to be in their late twenties and their voices carried a bit of the Beijing accent. When they found out that someone had been bitten by a snake, they immediately went to go help. The men went to fix the car and the women took out medical supplies to treat the unconscious Xiao Chen. Pills were given to the young soldier and they also helped to disinfect the bite.


    By the time the car was fixed, Xiao Chen had started to wake up.


    The two women had their hair done in different styles. One had it up in braids, and the other combed her hair into a ponytail. They were average looking at best but seemed to be full of energy. The one with the ponytail seemed to know a lot about snakes. After looking at the bite wound, she consoled Shen Yu, ¡°He just got bit by a very common venomous snake. Not enough poison to kill someone. As long as we¡¯re able to get him to a hospital soon, he will be fine!¡±


    At this moment, Shen Yu thought that these people were an answer to her prayers! They had all been of great help to her.


    The six of them all squeezed into the now fixed Jeep. A man with his hair cropped short lumbered into the driver¡¯s seat and started the car. Using a cell phone¡¯s navigation system, they followed the directions for an hour and finally reached the nearest town hospital.


    During the ride, Shen Yu had taken the time to introduce herself to everyone. The group of four were all backpackers from Beijing. They were on a journey to tour the entire country and had travelled to the south. Originally, they planned on finding some friendly Miao people to spend some time with them. On their way there, they had coincidentally bumped into Shen Yu stranded on the road.


    The two men were brothers, the older one¡¯s name was Li Fang and the younger one Li Yuan. The two women were their respective girlfriends. Li Fang¡¯s girlfriend was called Fang Rui and Li Yuan¡¯s girlfriend was called Yin Xuan. All of them, including Shen Yu, were around the same age. After receiving their help, it was easy for her to become fast friends with them.


    The two couples had kind and pure hearts! Fang Rui told Shen Yu that, during their trip, they had also encountered a lot of difficulties. Sometimes they got sick, other times they got lost. In every situation they had either met a kind local or someone from their home province who had enthusiastically helped them. Now that they were able to help Shen Yu, it was like paying it forward for other people!


    Although they had helped her in a bad situation, Shen Yu couldn¡¯t tell them the truth about her journey. She could only tell them the bare basics. She said that she was a reporter who came to Xinjiang to interview the armed forces. Unfortunately, she had fallen behind and quickly became lost.


    When she heard Shen Yu mention Xinjiang, Yin Xuan started talking dreamily about Xinjiang¡¯s local grapes and Hami melons.


    With a face full of regret, she said, ¡°I first visited Xinjiang when I was in college. Their Hami melons are truly very sweet and tasty. All of the ones in the supermarket are fakes compared to those, not delicious at all! Also, their special flatbread, nan, which is made with butter and sesame seeds, is to die for!¡± She sighed in reminiscence.


    Li Yuan looked at his girlfriend¡¯s face, noticed her wistful expression, and immediately suggested that they should change their plans and go to Xinjiang first. His reasoning, beyond his desire to please his girlfriend, was solid. In the summer, the weather in Xinjiang was still warm enough to enjoy all of the sights and things to do. If they traveled there in a different season, it would be too cold to do anything fun.


    Li Fang agreed instantly with this plan and smiled with approval. ¡°In any case, our plan was to travel through the whole country to see everything! Going to Xinjiang first is a fine idea. After we finish traveling there, we could head over to Tibet and then from Tibet we could go down south to Yunnan. We could reach Yunnan just in time for Songkran, the Thai New Year, festivities!¡±


    Since the two brothers were in agreement, Fang Rui and Yin Xuan clapped their hands in excitement. Fang Rui flung her arms around Shen Yu and bubbled, ¡°That¡¯s perfect! We can go to Xinjiang together, Shen Yu! I¡¯m so excited to make a new friend like you and now we don¡¯t even have to go our separate ways too early!¡±


    Shen Yu felt warm inside. Everyone needed friends to make their lives happier, especially after this particular trip she had been on. With Tang Can¡¯s group, she constantly had to figure out their secrets and true motives. Other than that, she also had to deal with Zhang Fei¡¯s disdain and hate. She had finally met a group of people who could be real friends to her.


    As for Xiao Chen, he had no objections to their plans. His life had been saved by them, so he naturally felt grateful towards the group. With their help, he probably wouldn¡¯t get lost again trying to go to Xinjiang.


    The six of them found a hotel to stay the night. At this moment, Shen Yu¡¯s cellphone rang ¨C it was Tang Can calling her. It was almost midnight, and Tang Can said that they had just noticed that Shen Yu had been left behind now. They were trying to look for her and Xiao Chen.


    Shen Yu explained what had happened to him. When he found out that she was safe, he let out a sigh of relief. He told her that the rest of the team had already exited the Hunan province. After he discovered that she had been lost, he contemplated going back to find her. Now that she was back on the road, he didn¡¯t need to search for her. He instructed her to follow them and that they will meet up when they reached Hami city in Xinjiang.


    This plan seemed good to Shen Yu. While traveling with the group, she could temporarily forget the true purpose of her trip and just enjoy the sights with friends. She could play happily while traveling to Xinjiang.


    After she told him everything, she had nothing else to say to him. Although both of them implied they were going to finish the call, in reality, neither of them hung up. Because of this, Shen Yu was able to hear Tang Can and a woman talking¡­

 Chapter 43

    Chapter 43 ¨C Xiao Chen


    Shen Yu¡¯s heart lurched when she heard their voices. The woman didn¡¯t sound like Zhang Fei. So, who was she? That night, she slept poorly.


    The next morning, Shen Yu soon found herself leaving her bad mood behind. Her new group of friends were all lively and boisterous people. As they traveled, they all laughed and talked about interesting topics.


    When they were able to without losing too much time, they admired the scenery of the cities and towns they passed through. All of this made her spirits rise. What made her happier was that whenever they encountered difficulties, the two Li brothers were always able to find some other backpackers who could help them out. Because of their friendly natures, by the time they reached Xinjiang, the original group of six had expanded by adding around ten more other people.


    Originally, Shen Yu had believed that Fang Rui and the others wanted to eat the famed Hami melon in Hami city. However, a couple of backpackers who were on their way to the Tianshan mountains convinced them otherwise. They said that the Tianshan mountains had a beautiful lake, Lake Tianchi, and also a mysterious valley.


    At the east gate of Hami city, Shen Yu had to depart from Fang Rui and the others. Shen Yu and Xiao Chen needed to go further west to get to their destinations. The other four were headed northwest to get to the Tianshan mountains.


    Separations were always difficult and the three women sobbed and cried when they had to part. Shen Yu felt intensely sad at having to leave her new friends.


    The two brothers and Xiao Chen had also become close after traveling together. Before Li Fang left, he decided to exchange gifts with Xiao Chen. People traveling rarely had room to carry around random gifts, so they could only give what they had on them. It turns out that both of them gave the other their outer jacket. Li Fang left, wearing Xiao Chen¡¯s military jacket, and Xiao Chen put on Li Fang¡¯s sport jacket.


    Because Xiao Chen had changed his wardrobe, Tang Can didn¡¯t recognize him at first when he and Shen Yu finally arrived to where the armed forces were waiting. Even though Xiao Chen just went by with a couple of suitcases, Tang Can still asked Shen Yu, ¡°Eh? Where is Xiao Chen?¡±


    Shen Yu paused for a second, confused, and replied, ¡°Didn¡¯t he just walk by you with the suitcases?¡±


    Tang Can looked startled. ¡°He did? I didn¡¯t see him!¡±


    Shen Yu thought that there was something wrong with his eyes. Maybe he was shortsighted and needed glasses. In actuality, Tang Can had focused most of his attention on Shen Yu and had not been paying attention. Xiao Chen was just an afterthought for him.


    For the next couple of days, Shen Yu was still able to see Xiao Chen from time to time. He had already changed into a new military uniform and had gone back into his assigned troop. When he saw her, he would smile brightly to greet her.


    During that time, Tang Can refused to let Shen Yu out of his sight, as if he was afraid she would get left behind again. Shen Yu was under the impression that his grandfather also came along with them to Xinjiang. It turned out that she was wrong. Grandfather Tang had gone back to the military command complex. However, Old Mr. Yun was still here. Apparently, before Old Mr. Tang left, he had given orders that Old Mr. Yun would lead the expedition here. By doing that, e had set a fox among the chickens. Old Mr. Yun happily used his new power to make things difficult for everyone here, including Tang Can.


    Even Zhang Fei couldn¡¯t escape the old geezer¡¯s torments. At night, he asked her to help him wash his feet. When his disgusting, old feet came out of his shoes, the odor that came with them was enough to fell an adult man. Naturally, Zhang Fei could not tolerate it and scampered away, hiding from the old man.


    Once again, it was the kind and good hearted Mazha who stepped in to take over the job. Washing Old Mr. Yun¡¯s feet had become his assignment. During each session, the old geezer would smoke his tobacco pipe and praise Mazha for being almost as good as a professional foot washer. Was he complimenting the soldier or making fun of him? It was hard to tell.


    The group had reached Ruoqiang County in the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, which was located in Xinjiang province. After entering the county, they would soon reach Lop Nor, as it was not a long distance away. Lop Nor was actually located in the north-eastern part of Ruoqiang County.


    The best time to enter a desert was in the summer. However, it wasn¡¯t as simple as Shen Yu had originally thought. When they entered Ruoqiang, they stopped for several days and didn¡¯t proceed. Tang Can explained that going into a desert required making preparations first. They needed to find a guide and rent camels to ride before entering.


    Additionally, they were waiting for some other people to arrive. They needed some expert miners to join the team as well as the Gold Armed Division¡¯s engineers. These people had set out from Tang Can¡¯s headquarters earlier and were about three-quarters of the way there. In a couple of days, they would be able to join up with the rest of the team.


    Tang Can emphasized that it wasn¡¯t a simple manner to enter a desert, especially since they weren¡¯t there to sight-see but to find minerals and precious metals. He advised her to get ready as it was possible they may have to stay here for two to three years to explore everything. Shen Yu immediately started complaining. She had originally thought that it wasn¡¯t possible that they would have to spend a lot of time in the desert. It¡¯d be like shopping at a mall, if you didn¡¯t find what you liked, you¡¯d leave. She had never suspected that Tang Can would insist on taking so much time out of her life!


    Seeing the ugly look on her face, Tang Can tried to comfort her, ¡°In the fall and winter, we can¡¯t enter the desert. So don¡¯t worry, in the winter, we¡¯ll give you some time off so you can go home and visit family.¡± He smiled sweetly at her.


    His words did little to console her worries. Shortly thereafter, Tang Can overheard Shen Yu talking to her family on the phone. The conversation lasted for a couple of hours. Afterwards, it was apparent that her parents had not elicited any complaints over this plan of his. When she hung up the phone, her mood had improved perceptively and she even talked to him a little bit. He did notice that she was able to smile slightly, but it wasn¡¯t the most sincere smile he had ever seen.


    Tang Can proposed that they walk around about. Since they had nothing better to do, they might as well take the time to do something. At first, Shen Yu thought that Tang Can was trying to take care of her, and felt pretty happy about the whole situation. Later on, after the visited a small village, she found out that she was being naive again! Tang Can clearly had another purpose in mind. She had eavesdropped on his conversation with the old geezer and found out he was asking the old man if they were at the right place!


    The village was called Aketiqi and Old Mr. Yun had led the way. As they walked, the old geezer had mentioned it had been more than twenty years since he last stepped foot in this area. But Shen Yu knew better. She had seen that the old man had not hesitated one step when he brought them around the area. The old fox had to be lying again.


    More than twenty years had passed since the 1980s. Even though rural villages developed slowly compared to bustling cities, it was unlikely a place could stay exactly the same over a couple of decades. There were always people dismantling old homes and building new ones.


    Shen Yu and Tang Can exchanged a look but didn¡¯t say anything. Tang Can was not stupid and he obviously noticed the same details she did. He merely smiled at her.


    This time, they brought Mazha along with them. Although Zhang Fei threw a horrible tantrum, she was still left behind. Tang Can adamantly refused to bring her along. At the time, Shen Yu was in the back of the group as they left. Sulking, the female soldier had thrown something at her back. It had smashed into pieces at her feet and pieces of glass cut her ankle. The wounds hurt but were not serious.


    Tang Can had gone black with fury but he didn¡¯t scold Zhang Fei for her actions. The female soldier had immediately started sobbing with fat rolls of tears streaming down her face. Men had their arms to defend themselves, and women had their tears. Zhang Fei had mastered this weapon. Every time she did something wrong, she could always avoid being criticized by crying.


    As they were about to enter an Uyghur family¡¯s home, Tang Can¡¯s cellphone started ringing. Someone from the military guesthouse back in Changsha was calling him. They wanted to know if he was missing any soldiers from his command. Apparently, they just had a homicide case occur. In one of the storage closets, they found the corpse of a male soldier. He was wearing military issued underwear, and they estimated he was around twenty to twenty-one years of age. Unfortunately, his face had been gravely disfigured so they couldn¡¯t identify him. The guesthouse had already started looking at the records of who stayed there for the past month. They needed Tang Can to help them figure out who was missing.


    After receiving the call and agreeing to their request, Tang Can called Zhang Fei to have her look into this. He needed her to investigate the backgrounds of everyone that came with them. Although Zhang Fei was still angry and acted huffy towards the young officer, she couldn¡¯t disobey his commands. Almost twenty minutes passed before she returned his call. She said that there wasn¡¯t any problems with anyone¡¯s backgrounds and she couldn¡¯t figure out who might be missing.


    Tang Can hung up the phone and immediately gave the guesthouse a call. After he told them that nothing was out of the ordinary here, he suddenly remembered Xiao Chen. He frowned and asked Shen Yu, ¡°Are you sure that Xiao Chen came here with you?¡±


    Shen Yu looked at him with wide eyes, confused.

 Chapter 44

    Chapter 44 ¨C Abu Lizi


    In Tang Can¡¯s memory, he could not recall seeing Xiao Chen the day ¡°he¡± and Shen Yu arrived at Hami city. But Shen Yu had insisted then that Xiao Chen was with her that day. However, given that Zhang Fei also agreed that there was nothing wrong with their people here, Tang Can was willing to let the matter drop.


    Under Old Mr. Yun¡¯s direction, they finally found an old guide in the village who had known the old geezer twenty-some years ago. When the old man saw Old Mr. Yun, he became quite emotional. Unfortunately, his body was not as sprightly as Old Mr. Yun, even though he was younger than the old geezer by at least a decade. He required someone to help him walk around. Judging by his appearance, someone could easily make the assumption that he was the older man.


    At this moment, Shen Yu realized that they had another problem on their hands. Old Mr. Yun had to be in his sixties. No matter how healthy his body was, it would still be difficult for him to travel to Lop Nor through a desert. Would the old man survive such a journey?


    In the end, Tang Can had to explain the situation to her. Apparently, the old geezer would not be going with them through the desert. The only reason why the old fox was here in the first place was because he refused to let his half of the map out of his grasping hands. Additionally, Old Mr. Yun had many former acquaintances here. Generally, a lot of problems could be solved with the help of the local army division. However, this was a special trip with special requirements. Finding a guide and camels to ride was not something the army had much experience with. Old Mr. Yun was the perfect person to help make those arrangements. Furthermore, traveling to the deadly Lop Nor was a risky thing at best. If they could not find someone trustworthy to rely on, their chances of survival would plummet deeply.


    The old geezer brought them to a man called Abu Lizi. Tang Can said that this man was known as a ¡°living map¡±. Twenty years ago, he had guided many expeditions safely into Lop Nor.


    Shen Yu didn¡¯t quite understand the need to find a person to guide them. Hadn¡¯t technology advanced enough such that they didn¡¯t need to use people anymore?


    Tang Can shook his head and smiled ruefully, ¡°Lop Nor is a mysterious place. Birds flying through there will often lose their way. Airplanes have the same problem. Many years ago, people said that spirits haunted the area. Now that we¡¯re in a more scientific age, we know that Lop Nor has a special magnetic field that surplants the earth¡¯s own magnetic field. It interferes with scientific instruments. Under these circumstances, a person is more reliable than navigation machines. Furthermore, in a desert, the most important thing is to find water and shelter from sandstorms. Our current instruments can¡¯t help us with either of those!¡±


    Shen Yu finally understood their situation after hearing his entire explanation.


    Without much effort, the group was able to find the correct person. The guide they found looked to be in his mid-forties under Shen Yu¡¯s assessing eye. He was of middling stature but his eyes were alert and full of energy. Tang Can secretly told her that apparently the man had looked exactly the same back when Old Mr. Yun first came here. Shen Yu was incredibly shocked and thought that he was pulling her leg. How could it be possible that someone could look the same after twenty-odd years had passed?


    She asked him suspiciously, ¡°How do you know about events that happened twenty years ago?¡±


    Tang Can laughed with amusement and pointed his hand at a picture hanging on the wall. ¡°I looked at this photo from that time period!¡±


    Shen Yu followed his hand and looked up. The photo was encased in an old-fashioned frame with other old photos, and they were all yellowing with age. She was standing too far away to clearly make out all of the details. From this, she could tell that Tang Can was not nearsighted. However, it made her start to wonder why he didn¡¯t see Xiao Chen the other day.


    The young woman wanted to walk closer to the wall, so she could get a better look. Before she could, Tang Can grabbed her arm and told her, ¡°Wait a second.¡± He then respectfully asked Abu Lizi if they could see his picture frame.


    The other man nodded in assent. His expression was solemn and serious. In fact, not a single smile had crossed his face the whole time they had been here. At first, Shen Yu thought that the man was displeased with them. Later on, she observed how he interacted with everyone else. The man had actually prepared a platter of fresh fruit and candy for them. When Abu Lizi talked to Old Mr. Yun, his eyes showed signs of tearing after talking about past events. It was then that she knew that the other man wasn¡¯t unhappy, he was just someone who didn¡¯t laugh very often.


    A feeling of familiarity arose when she saw the pictures. People who grew up in rural areas all had great love for their own families. Photos were often taken right in front of their homes. Shen Yu carefully inspected every single image in the frame. She noticed that the house in the background of the photos slowly changed from old to new. Abu Lizi¡¯s clothes were different in each photo, but his physical appearance stayed constant.


    While Shen Yu was looking at the pictures, Old Mr. Yun was negotiating something with Abu Lizi. They were speaking in the Uyghur dialect, which she didn¡¯t understand. However, she wasn¡¯t curious about the topic of their conversation. She focused on looking at the pictures and noticed that the man had taken a few pictures with some people from the military. There was even a date written on the border of the photos. Although there were quite a few copies, the photos were all old and slowly losing their image. It was easy to spot Abu Lizi from his clothing, but the rest of the people were all in military uniform. Under their helmets, it was difficult to tell even the male and female soldiers apart.


    Shen Yu felt disappointed. The object she wanted to find wasn¡¯t here. She sat down again and unconsciously moved some hair way from her face. When she raised her hand, the bell on her silver bracelet chimed gently. It sounded pure and sweet. The sound caught the attention of Abu Lizi. His eyes, normally dull and lifeless like a dead fish, focused on her bracelet and rounded with shock. In fact, he opened up his eyes so wide that she thought they were going to fall out of his head.


    The expression on the man¡¯s face frightened Shen Yu and she could hear her heart pounding from anxiety. Subconsciously, she scooted closer to Tang Can.


    Old Mr. Yun was not surprised by the other man¡¯s reaction to her bracelet. He looked contemplative and used a hand to smooth his scraggly beard.


    Who would have guessed what happened next? Abu Lizi suddenly twisted his body to face due south and started chanting something. He flung his body into a deep kowtow.


    Tang Can was unnerved by the other man¡¯s odd display and was just as unsure as Shen Yu on what to do. The leisurely air around the old fox had disappeared too. In its place, his face had during sallow and grey, as if he had just seen a ghost.


    A woman who had been hiding in the other room also came out after hearing Abu Lizi¡¯s shouts. Similarly, she started to kowtow in the same direction.


    Old Mr. Yun sat there, shocked for a long time, before he finally hollered at them to leave the man¡¯s house.


    They all left hurriedly, as if they were running away from something. After they were outside, Mazha couldn¡¯t help but swear in fright, ¡°What the hell! Did they all go crazy? No one had died, why did they need to start kowtowing?¡±


    Old Mr. Yun leveled a glare at the soldier and used the end of his pipe to rap Mazha on the head. ¡°You little bastard, what the hell do you know?¡± he snarled.


    Mazha looked at him with innocent looking eyes. He muttered to himself, ¡°What did I say wrong?¡±


    Next to him, Shen Yu suddenly asked him, ¡°Aren¡¯t you from the Mongol tribes? I thought Mongols followed the same religion? Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Mazha suddenly felt as if he had put his own foot in his mouth. His face reddened in embarrassment.

 Chapter 45

    Chapter 45 ¨C The Desert Fox


    ¡°I must have been scared silly. Who knows why that uncle suddenly had to kneel, as if he had seen a ghost or something¡­¡± Mazha mumbled quickly, obviously trying to cover up something.


    Shen Yu smiled but didn¡¯t pursue the matter. From the expression in her eyes, it was clear she was thinking deeply about something. No one could tell exactly what was turning around behind her large eyes though.


    A bit further away, Tang Can was asking Old Mr. Yun why the Uyghur man suddenly became frightened. The old fox unexpectedly frowned worriedly and took a quick glance at Shen Yu. He stepped closer to Tang Can¡¯s ear and whispered a couple of sentences. Like storm clouds crossing a clear sky, the young officer¡¯s expression turned dark. Shen Yu could barely hear his quiet reply: ¡°Then what should we do?¡±


    The old geezer let out a profound sigh and contemplated for a bit before he slapped his thigh and said, ¡°Actually, this might be a good thing!¡± The rest of the conversation went unheard as Old Mr. Yun lowered his volume such that only Tang Can could hear. The young officer nodded his head repeatedly in approval.


    Shen Yu observed the two men from the side, making sure to watch their every action.


    Although they found the person they were looking for, they didn¡¯t have much to show for it. The next day, Tang Can and the old fox went to the same village again. This time they left Shen Yu behind. She spent the entire morning staring blankly at her silver bracelet, as if it would tell her secrets if she looked at it enough!


    The weather suddenly changed that afternoon, and the villagers said it was the first rain of the season. The rain barely covered the ground before the temperature dropped sharply as if it had been fall instead of summer.


    ¡°Wear a fur coat in the morning, switch to cotton in the afternoon, end up eating watermelon around a coal brazier.¡± This was a common saying for the locals in Xinjiang, and they used it to describe the province¡¯s unique weather patterns. Despite how cold it was in the morning, Tang Can persisted in taking Shen Yu out that day.


    Although Old Mr. Yun didn¡¯t go with them, Mazha and Zhang Fei came along with them. Later on, Shen Yu found out that the armed forces had been divided into three groups. One group would stay with the old geezer in the small village within the Ruoxiang county. OlYun claimed that the local donkeys were quite unique, and he wanted to take a closer look at them. Shen Yu snorted in amusement when she heard his outrageous statement. If the old man had to lie, couldn¡¯t he find a more believable one?


    The rest of the soldiers had already set out the previous night, but Tang Can didn¡¯t deign to tell her where exactly they went. Then again, he also didn¡¯t enlighten her on where they were going next either.


    Xinjiang is a large but sparsely populated area. Because of that, the vast highways that were present everywhere else in the nation were not common here. However, the military off-road vehicle they drove was well able to handle the rougher roads of Xinjiang. A light touch on the gas pedal would cause the car to lurch forward and the engines didn¡¯t labor more than usual. Mazha repeatedly praised the car for its performance, and he seemed very enthusiastic. It was obvious the male soldier wanted to test drive it himself.


    By now, it was more than clear that Shen Yu and Zhang Fei did not get along. However, they were somehow both assigned to sit in the back seat together. The two of them ignored each other and plastered their bodies as close to their respective sides as much as possible. Shen Yu deliberately kept her face to the window and watched the outside scenery. As they drove, she could see the lush green landscape disappearing into a desolate desert scene.


    Mazha was still irritated by the recent events. The young man grumbled under his breath incessantly. He complained about traveling from Hami to Ruoxiang county to find the Uyghur old man, only to find that the person wasn¡¯t able to do anything for them. After all that trouble, they still had to travel on their own. From his perspective, it would have made more sense to travel directly from Hami to Lop Nor instead of making such a  lengthy detour.


    His whining continued for quite some time and he seemed akin to a perpetually, dissatisfied sourpuss. Even Shen Yu started to feel annoyed at the soldier. Finally, Zhang Fei snapped at him heatedly and commanded him to ¡°Shut up!¡±. Only then did the male soldier fall silent.


    The car continued to move steadily forward through all of this until Tang Can received a phone call. Afterwards, he smiled at Mazha and said, ¡°Okay, you¡¯ve complained enough. Calm down and things will be better soon!¡±


    ¡°What will be better?¡± asked Mazha, suddenly excited. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t get the young officer to enlighten him with more details. Mazha danced around in his seat and scratched his head furiously in his desperation to know.


    After traveling for approximately another thirty minutes, the car finally slowed down to a stop. Without stopping to take the keys from the ignition, Tang Can jumped out of the car. Mazha quickly followed him, snarling, ¡°What the hell! Looks like that bastard is here!¡±


    Shen Yu was completely bewildered at this turn of events. She was given no context and thing seemed to be rapid changing. Only after she got out of the car did she finally have an inkling what was going on. The soldiers who had left earlier were right here. They had surrounded the Uyghur man, Abu Lizi.


    Ever since Shen Yu and the others visited the man, the older man acted as if he was facing an unexpected catastrophe. Earlier, when the group went back to pack their belongings for a trip, Abu Lizi had snuck him and his family out of the village and run away. Now, the soldiers had found him with a small donkey. But his family members were not with him.


    One of the soldiers remarked to Tang Can, ¡°We actually really need to thank Abu Lizi¡¯s donkey here. If it wasn¡¯t for the donkey¡¯s large head, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to spot them so quickly.¡±


    The old man was kneeling in front of them on the ground. From Shen Yu¡¯s perspective, she could see the Uyghur man continuously kowtowing and mumbling something. Exactly what the man was saying, she couldn¡¯t tell.


    Mazha rushed up in fury and, in a couple of steps, reached Abu Lizi. He kicked the old man viciously in the butt and cursed at him, ¡°You old bastard, stop pretending!¡±


    The old man sobbed and cried in the Uyghur dialect but the words he said were not understandable. After being screamed at by Mazha, Abu Lizi curled up into a ball on the ground and trembled incessantly. No other words came out of the old man¡¯s mouth.


    Mazha snarled, ¡°You bastard! You¡¯re such a wily Desert Fox! Speak to us in the Mandarin dialect, I know you can!¡± Abu Lizi had been frightened out of his wits by the barbaric actions of the young soldier and didn¡¯t dare to speak anymore.


    Shen Yu watched from the side in complete puzzlement. Only after Tang Can explained the situation to her did she understand what was actually happening.


    Apparently, Abu Lizi was not actually from the Uyghur tribes and was actually a descendant of the people who fled into Xinjiang in the sixties to escape famine and unrest. His father later died and his mother ended up marrying someone from the Uyghur tribes in order to survive. That was how Abu Lizi ended up with a name from the Uyghur tradition. In terms of age, the man was only in his early fifties. As for why he still looked the same as he did decades ago, it could be explained that he was born naturally to look a bit worried. Now that he was older, his looks matched his age.


    Looking at his wretched appearance now, Shen Yu could only feel that this contrasted too much with how the man presented himself earlier. Abu Lizi was not an honest man. Those who too easily changed their appearances were not good people.


    The young officer continued to explain the events to her. In the late seventies and early eighties, many gold-crazed explorers poured into Lop Nor to find legendary treasures and wealth.Abu Lizi, had travelled in and out of Lop Nor on several trips then and was a well seasoned traveler. The reasons for his trips differed. Sometimes it was for the sake fame and getting television coverage. Other times, he guided expedition groups to the mysterious salt lake for pay. Tang Can¡¯s details became more hazy but Shen Yu got a general gist of the idea. The Desert Fox was the nickname Abu Lizi earned through all of these years. From that name alone, she had a good idea of what his character was actually like.


    Mazha was able to force Abu Lizi to start talking in Mandarin, albeit with a Xinjiang accent. When she heard him speak, she wanted to laugh with amusement. However, the next sentence he said quickly wiped any trace of a smile off her of her face!

 Chapter 46

    Chapter 46 ¨C Memories


    ¡°Pali Zati, Pali Zati, help me please! Help me please! I know your mother and father¡­we are old friends¡­¡± stuttered the old man.


    Shen Yu¡¯s expression suddenly twisted, as if something sharp was biting down on her heart strings. Before she could ask a clarifying question, Mazha kicked the man on the bottom again. The soldier couldn¡¯t make head or tails out of what the old man said and thought he was saying nasty things. He growled, ¡°Speak in a way that normal people do! We can¡¯t understand a single word you¡¯re saying!¡±


    The Desert Fox sobbed, ¡°I was talking to the little fairy! Don¡¯t you see, we¡¯re old friends!¡±


    Mazha rebutted the man immediately, ¡°Who the hell are you trying to schmooze? We only recently just met! Just who is an old friend of yours?¡±


    Shen Yu grasped the soldier on his sleeve and dragged him away from the Desert Fox. She bent down and thrust her left arm into the old man¡¯s face. ¡°You recognize my bracelet?¡±


    The old man nodded and asked to speak with her alone. Shen Yu instantly stood up and requested that Tang Can and the others give them some space to talk.


    Mazha protested. He said that it was silly of her to trust such a wily old fox. The young woman glared pointedly for the first time at both the soldier and his commanding officer. The unfamiliar expression on her delicate face looked tight and sent chills down their backs.


    Seeing that, Tang Can ordered everyone to give her some space. They now stood at least ten meters away from Shen Yu and the old man. Although he had assented to her request, he was clearly uneasy. His eyes drifted towards Shen Yu again and again, but he was too far from her to hear what she was saying to the old man.


    After making sure everyone was out of earshot, Shen Yu squatted down to hear what the Desert Fox had to say. The old man had a long, rambling story to tell. He started off with a sob story of his own history and background. In 1963, he was still in his mother¡¯s womb. Apparently, that year, there was a huge famine and, to survive, his whole family left for other provinces to find food to eat. At that time, the family consisted of his grandfather, his father and his pregnant mother. His grandfather ended up getting dysentery and slowly started to resemble a bag of bones. In the end, the old man shriveled up and died on the side of the road. Naturally, his parents were devastated and cried piteously while burying his grandfather. The dead can only turn into dust, leaving the living to dry their tears. In the end, those who survive can only grit their teeth and move on.


    The two of them could not return to their old home, and, so they traveled on to find a better place. His father, in an effort to give more food to his mother, starved until he was as scrawny as a thin, wooden pole. The man was around 1.8 meters in height but scarcely weighed more than a piece of paper. A gust of wind would have been able to blow him down. Even walking taxed his body. Despite those difficulties, both of them somehow made it to Xinjiang. When they reached Xinjiang, his father laid down under a tree and said he needed to rest for a bit. Except, he never woke up again. In grief, his mother lost her will to live for herself. But, for the sake of her unborn child, she persevered and buried her husband and moved on. In the end, she remarried, to a man more than ten years older than her, to get enough food to eat. A few months later, her child was born.


    After marrying the Uyghur man, his mother¡¯s life improved drastically. She was able to eat three meals a day. However, after she gave birth to him, a problem appeared: she was no longer able to have children. At first, the Uyghur man treated both mother and child very well. After five to six years passed, things changed. His stepfather now knew that his mother would no longer be able to become pregnant again. That was when the mistreatment and abuse started. By the time he was seven, the Desert Fox had been forced to learn how to steal. Successful heists would lead to less abuse from the Uyghur man.


    After he grew up, his life became better. His stepfather had passed away, but it was hard for him to let go of his habit of stealing things. Later on, a squadron of soldiers had appeared near his village. He had heard rumors that the army came with delicious rice and large, white bread rolls. That night, he set out in his donkey cart and snuck into the courtyard where the soldiers had been living. From the storeroom, he stole their food and placed it into his cart.


    In the past, when he stole, he targeted the regular people in the village. Even if they found out, the consequences would not be too bad. Although they would disdain him, they were still from the same village. This time, however, he had targeted the army. He had thought that the same unspoken rules applied in this case. He soon found out he had bitten off more than he could chew.


    The soldiers very quickly discovered the identity of their thief, and a fierce, higher-ranking officer pointed a gun at him in fury when they confronted him. At the time, he was so scared that he had wet his pants. Luckily, another officer, a young and handsome young man, intervened. The other officer said that only food was stolen, and that he had also heard that Abu Lizi knew the way to Lop Nor. The officer proposed that Abu Lizi could guide them to the salt lake to atone for his crimes. If the trip was successful, the theft of army goods would be wiped away from his record.


    So the Desert Fox became a guide for the army. At first, he only did it to avoid punishment and imprisonment for his crimes. He never would have guessed that he would gain fame from this trip. Later on, many other teams asked him to be their guide, and even a tv station came out once. For every trip he guided, he always received ample rewards at the end. After working for a bit, his bad habit of stealing had finally disappeared. Because of that, he was especially grateful to that officer that he met years ago who gave him a second chance. For several years in a row, that particular officer would come back every year to travel to the lake. Each time, Abu Lizi would be his guide. Before long, the two of them became friends.


    On the last year the officer came back, the man had brought his newly wed wife with him to the Ruoqiang County. She looked very clever, and it was said she was from one of the minor ethnic tribes in the country. Exactly which tribe she was from, such as Miao or Hui, the Desert Fox never bothered to ask. Rumors said that she previously had a difficult life. Her mother had passed away, and her father had been locked up in prison. Luckily, the officer truly cared for his wife and took good care of her. She also adored him and wanted to birth a son for him.


    Unfortunately, the heavens had other plans and they ended up having a girl. However, for some reason, the officer thought that they had a son. He happily came back from his trip from Lop Nor but on the way he was in a bad accident. With one foot in the grave, the officer gritted his teeth and clung onto life as he wanted to see his son before he died. His wife hadn¡¯t seen in for more than half a year, and now her husband was at the brink of death. In order to let him rest easily, she borrowed a young infant boy from someone else and presented the child to him. The soldier smiled and said he had a son now who could take care of her when he was gone. He shortly died afterwards.


    After his death, his widow could not bring herself to cry. Other people pointed their fingers at her and cursed her for being a cold-hearted woman. Unfortunately, no one knew she had fallen into despair. By the time the officer¡¯s other colleagues came over, it was too late. The woman ended up successfully killing herself with one of late husband¡¯s guns.


    The dead soldier¡¯s commanding officer had seen with his own two eyes that his subordinate and his subordinate¡¯s wife were no longer in this world. The man wept in pain. Afterwards, he vowed to raise the couple¡¯s son as his own and took the child after their funeral rites were finished.


    Later on, Abu Lizi had heard that the officer¡¯s true daughter had passed away from neglect. For a while, in the wilderness next to the village, they could hear the sounds of a child crying. It was said that it was the ghost of the child who died after losing both of her parents!


    After the officer died, the army no longer came back to Lop Nor. Expeditions also decreased, and so, Abu Lizi no longer had people to guide into the desert. When it was easy for him to earn money, he had learnt bad money spending habits. After his source of income disappeared, he quickly became bankrupt. So he went back to a life of crime. Unfortunately, he got caught almost instantaneously and his would-be victims beat him viciously and also trashed his home. Even his wife and kids were attacked. Because he didn¡¯t have money to pay for medical expenses, he almost didn¡¯t survive his injuries. His beloved son was less fortunate. His wounds had gotten infected and he died.


    Devastated, he vowed to get revenge for his deceased son. But he didn¡¯t have the ability to exact vengeance on the people who beat him and his family up. He remembered that the officer had been buried with a gun and decided to do something dishonorable. That night, he went out to dig up his old friend¡¯s grave. When he opened the coffin, he discovered that he had uncovered the officer¡¯s wife coffin on accident instead of the officer¡¯s. Under the light of the moon, the woman looked half alive and her large eyes seemed to stare at him. Abu Lizi was frightened out of his wits by the sight of the dead woman¡¯s eyes and decided to forgo looking for the gun. He scampered off and went back home, shaken to his soul. Later on he became very ill and had to stay in bed for a whole month before he could recuperate.

 Chapter 47

    Chapter 47 ¨C Getting Lost


    All of these events happened more than twenty years ago, and Abu Lizi didn¡¯t think of them for a long time. Until recently. About two months ago, an old friend told him that the deceased officer¡¯s little girl hadn¡¯t died all of those years ago and was coming to take revenge on him. Somehow she had learned that he had seen with his own two eyes who had harmed her father and never intervened. Because of Abu Lizi¡¯s cowardice, the officer had passed away, and the crime committed against him had never been revealed.


    Old Mr. Yun was also an old friend of his. For the past decade, the old geezer had come over many times to bother him because he thought that the Desert Fox knew something about the treasure map. Furthermore, the old fox believed that Abu Lizi knew the location of the gold mine. Because he had gotten used to seeing Old Mr. Yun throughout the years, he had thought that this time was the same. So Abu Lizi didn¡¯t pay much attention to the other people that came with the old man. Then he heard the sound of the bell and everything changed. Shen Yu looked like a carbon copy of the dead officer¡¯s deceased wife and seeing her reminded him of everything that had happened decades ago. He also remembered what his other friend had said and, in an effort to delay the inevitable, pretended to be stupid.


    His children had grown up throughout the years and were living good lives on their own. All he wanted was to keep his family safe, so he had them pack their things that night and move secretly. He was old, and he didn¡¯t mind what happened to him next but his children still had many years before them. He didn¡¯t want his crimes to fall upon their heads. Regrets about his past actions stabbed at his heart. Had he had the chance to go back and say what he was supposed to say, he would do it in a heartbeat. But he couldn¡¯t change the past. Instead, he vowed to the gods: as long as his family could avoid disaster, then he was willing to give her 10,000 kowtows asking for forgiveness! He begged Shen Yu to let his family go.


    The Desert Fox had finally finished his story. Shen Yu pressed for more details. She wanted to know the identity of the officer¡¯s wife and the Desert Fox¡¯s old friend who came by to talk to him. Unfortunately, he adamantly refused to say more and simply kneeled in front of her, crying for forgiveness.


    Shen Yu debated for a long time whether to believe this old man¡¯s story. Clearly this Desert Fox had an appalling lack of morality, so it was questionable he was telling the whole truth. However, he was willing to admit his own guilt, so parts of it had to be true. To her, it didn¡¯t matter exactly what was true. The important point that she grabbed on was that mysterious old friend of his. If she could find out this person¡¯s true identity then she could get closer to the real story.


    The old man continued to beg for forgiveness from her. Shen Yu was about to let him go when the Desert Fox threw a handful of sand at her face. The sand blinded her, and she tried to rub it out of her eyes. Before she knew it, the old man had grabbed onto her neck and held her in a threatening position.


    By the time Tang Can and the others noticed that the Desert Fox had Shen Yu in his grasp, it was too late.


    At this point, Shen Yu no longer believed anything the old man said.


    ¡°I should have mended my ways years ago to live a peaceful and uneventful life. Why did you guys have to come and bother me? Girl, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m already in a tough spot by telling you all of this! Just take it as a repayment and let me go!¡± After he finished, he continued to threaten Shen Yu¡¯s life, in hopes of getting Tang Can to give him the car to escape.


    Under these circumstances, the young officer had no choice but to let the man go. The group watched helplessly as the Desert Fox took Shen Yu into the car and drove away.


    ¡°F*ck him and all of his ancestors!¡± cursed Mazha as they all chased after the disappearing vehicle.


    Everyone ran as if their life depended on it. The Desert Fox did his best to keep the distance, but his pursuers were persistent. Unfortunately, before long, the criminal had gotten lost. As for his chasers, they had long gotten lost in this unfamiliar terrain.


    In the end, the old man had driven into the Gobi desert. Shortly thereafter, the car had fallen into a sand ditch. The more he tried to make the car move, the deeper the car went into the ditch. Out of options, the Desert Fox jumped out of the car in an attempt to run on foot. But Tang Can¡¯s group caught up to him quickly. Mazha restrained the old man and wrenched his arm back sharply. The Desert Fox cried out in pain and kneeled on the ground.


    Only after Tang Can confirmed that Shen Yu was not harmed did he command Mazha to let the Desert Fox go. Mazha was clearly unhappy at these orders but Shen Yu already understood the young officer¡¯s intentions. They were all stuck in the god-forsaken Gobi desert. Without someone to guide the way, they would all die there!


    As Tang Can relayed the terms to the Desert Fox, Shen Yu kept a close eye on him. The old man rolled his eyes a couple of times when he agreed to the officer¡¯s request, which made her feel very suspicious.


    The old man claimed that even he was lost in this area but, as expected, no one believed him.


    At first, Mazha argued that they didn¡¯t even need the old fox and that he could use his cell phone to navigate them out. But when he opened up the GPS, he discovered that there was no signal available. He slapped his forehead and began cursing again. He had forgotten that there were cell towers in the Gobi desert. Without the towers, how would he get a signal?


    Mazha was ranting so loudly that Shen Yu started to feel irritated. She clamped her hands onto her ears and yelled at him to stop complaining and do something productive, like figuring out if everyone was here. They needed to find out if they had lost anyone else along the way.


    Her reminder also prompted Tang Can to recall his duties. He commanded the soldiers present to count off. But Shen Yu already knew they had people missing. There was someone very obvious who was not with them. How was it possible that the others hadn¡¯t noticed already?


    ¡°Aw f*ck, where¡¯s Zhang Fei?¡± Mazha growled, his temper almost getting the better of him when he finally realized who was missing. Even though it was obvious she wasn¡¯t there, he didn¡¯t want to believe it at first. He looked at everyone present, grabbing their arms to get a good look at their faces. The expression on his face was angry and sullen.


    He called out as he searched, ¡°Oi, Zhang Fei! Come out now! Stop playing around! This joke isn¡¯t funny!¡±


    Shen Yu unexpectedly felt a surge of jealousy at the missing soldier. How could someone with a crappy personality like Zhang Fei elicit so much concern from her fellow colleague? Regardless of what trouble she got into, Mazha always defended her. The female soldier didn¡¯t know just how lucky she was!


    Tang Can looked furious at this point. They had lost almost half of the group. When he included Shen Yu and Mazha, they only had fourteen people here.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± cried Mazha in despair. At that moment, a Shandong accent slipped out of him. Although it only came out just once, it elicited suspicions in Shen Yu. She had long had a hunch that Mazha wasn¡¯t exactly who he said he was¡­


    But a hunch was just a hunch. Shen Yu couldn¡¯t put a finger on why she suspected the young soldier. It wasn¡¯t as if he had done something egregious or something, but maybe she just had a more suspicious nature. Shen Yu knew she had a stubborn personality and that, for her, there were clear lines delineating between right and wrong. If people tried to make something that was wrong into something right, it didn¡¯t sit well with her. Regardless, there was nothing she could do right now. The more important matter to focus on was to how to get out of the desert in one piece. Once they were out of danger, she could focus on less pressing matters.


    It was already noon, and everyone was hungry and thirsty. Unfortunately, they had not planned on visiting the Gobi desert when they set out earlier, so they didn¡¯t bring the right supplies with them. Mazha and three other soldiers took out the food and water they packed from the car. They had a couple crates of water available, but not much food.


    Tang Can made his decisions and sent down his orders. They were all to conserve the water and eat some food first. Who knew how much time they would have to take in order to get out of the desert?


    A female soldier helped to take care of Shen Yu. Tang Can also wanted to give her half of his rations. Shen Yu smiled gently and refused his portion. ¡°Don¡¯t try to treat me differently here. All of us are under your commander, if you treat me too differently, there will be problems later on.¡±


    After declining his food, she split her portion and gave some to the Desert Fox. When Mazha saw her give the old man some food, he became indignant, ¡°Why the hell are you giving him food to eat? If it wasn¡¯t for him, we wouldn¡¯t have lost our comrades! Why else are we stuck in this shitty desert? He should starve to death!¡±


    Shen Yu side-eyed the soldier and ignored him completely. They were all stuck here and the Desert Fox was likely the one person who had an inkling on how to get out of there. If he starved to death, the rest of them were likely condemned to the same fate.


    The old man had long been ravenous. When he saw the young woman giving him food to eat, he snatched it out of her hand and wolfed it down.


    Mazha ground his teeth as he watched the old man eat. He hated the Desert Fox for making them separate from Zhang Fei and the others. After thinking for a bit, an evil glint showed up in his eyes and grinned at the Desert Fox before he said something¡­

 Chapter 48

    Chapter 48 ¨C Lost in the Desert


    ¡°I¡¯m impressed, old man! You¡¯ve got guts eating food from those who hate you to the bones!¡± Mazha raised his hand and gave the Desert Fox a thumbs up. The old man became frightened after seeing the young soldier¡¯s actions. He threw away the rest of the food in his hands and put a finger down his throat. Vomit came out and a disgusting odor started wafting around them. Shen Yu couldn¡¯t stand the smell and hurriedly covered her nose.


    Afterwards, Shen Yu stomped over to where Tang Can was sitting and glared at him. She snapped, ¡°You¡¯ve got some great subordinates here!¡±


    Tang Can smiled helplessly and walked over to Mazha and said a couple things to the soldier. After getting lectured, Mazha ran off to the side and started kicking the sand in rage. The sand flew across the rest of the group who were still eating. The other soldiers of started to complain and yelled at the young soldier.


    Tang Can finally lost his grasp on his patience and flipped out at Mazha. The young soldier was sullen afterwards and the relationship between the two became strained. Mazha eyed the old man like he was his prey. When he had the opportunity, he started to torment the Desert Fox. He smiled an ugly smile at him and patted the Desert Fox¡¯s shoulder, claiming that he saw some dirt on the man¡¯s shoulder. But everyone could see his true intentions. The soldier¡¯s ¡®pats¡¯ were full of force, so much force that the old man almost doubled over into the sand!


    Most of them could understand Mazha¡¯s irritable mood. No one was happy to be stuck in the Gobi desert. Furthermore, the farther they walked, the fewer rocks they saw. The little bits of green area soon disappeared and more sand dunes appeared. All of them were facing the imminent prospect of death in the future and none of them could escape fate.


    Shen Yu had continued to observe the Desert Fox while they walked. She had watched him this entire time. From when he first drove the car, to when the car fell into the ditch, to when they had to abandon the car, she had kept an eye on him. She had a sneaking suspicion that the Desert Fox had a plan. When Tang Can asked the old man how much further they had to walk before they could get out, a cold smile graced his face. Shen Yu believed that a woman¡¯s intuition was very good. Even though there was no published evidence behind it, she always trusted her own instincts.


    They were no longer at the edge of the Gobi desert and seemed to be in the deep desert. It was now rare to see any rocks around. Shen Yu hollered at Tang Can. Since she didn¡¯t have much energy left, she stood where she was and waited for him to run over.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you tired? If so, we can all rest for a bit!¡± His first thought was that she was tired, so he wanted to have everyone stop for a break. Shen Yu shook her head in response. Everyone else had to be more tired than her, since all of the soldiers were carrying something. She didn¡¯t want the others to think her as weak.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let the Desert Fox drink any water!¡± Shen Yu whispered to him.


    Tang Can looked surprised. He had always thought she was the most kind out of all of them, why did she suddenly change her way of thinking? ¡°Why?¡± he asked, perplexed. He wasn¡¯t a parasite in her stomach, and he couldn¡¯t read her mind.


    Shen Yu continued in a quiet voice, ¡°I have a feeling that the Desert Fox is deliberately leading us into the deep desert! When we¡¯re all exhausted, he will probably try to escape. So, we can¡¯t give him water. When he¡¯s thirsty, he¡¯ll have to lead us to a water source!¡±


    Women always paid attention to the fine details! Tang Can also never trusted the old man but he never thought that the Desert Fox could have such a scheming mind! After hearing Shen Yu¡¯s advice, he almost wanted to slap himself for being so stupid!


    Tang Can immediately started to follow her advice. The desert was blistering hot at noon, and it was easy for people to sweat under these conditions. Before long, the Desert Fox was thirsty beyond belief. He asked the soldiers for some water but everyone ignored him. He persisted, continuing to beg for water. But no one paid any attention to him. Finally, his face sullen, he licked his cracked lips and ground his teeth silently as he continued to lead them forward.


    Shen Yu¡¯s idea had great results! After everyone persisted forward for another couple of hours, they finally saw an oasis ahead of them. Ecstatic, everyone went forward, energy renewed at the sight of hope. A cluster of shrubs soon showed up.


    When they got there, Shen Yu didn¡¯t see any water and was disappointed. Tang Can and Mazha, however, were old hands at this and knew what to do. They guided the other soldiers to take out some shovels and start digging in the sand around the shrubs. After they dug about four to five meters deep, water slowly appeared. Later on, Shen Yu learned that the oasis was formed around some groundwater filtering up through the sand, which made the available water very clear. However, most of the water that came up was heavily salted due to evaporation. So it was necessary to desalinate before they could drink it. Desalination can be done via different methods and the different methods required different types of technology. One way would be to use a series of filters to conduct reverse osmosis. Another was to distill the water using soil to separate the salt.


    Right now they didn¡¯t need to use soil to filter as they still had some desalinating agents with them. Those who had to stomach to drink the water drank it down, the rest of it was stored in their canteens for later.


    It was now dusk and the sun was setting. The oasis not only had water but also had vegetation around. The vegetation had a benefit of blocking the wind and sand in the area.


    Tang Can ordered them to dig a ditch for them to settle into for the night. The walls of the ditch would be able to block more sand and wind from them and provider some shelter. The shrubs in the area proved to be invaluable. They poured some gasoline over the branches and tried to light them on fire. At first, they refused to burn. But after the moisture evaporated from the branches, the fire started. Everyone crowded around the fire as it became cold in the desert at night. No one was divided anymore in an effort to get comfortable. Even Mazha sat next to the Desert Fox without a word in complaint.


    Shen Yu sat next to Tang Can and neither of them said anything. The rest of soldiers joked merrily around the fire.


    She wasn¡¯t sure when she fell asleep but in the middle of the night the cold woke up her up. Mazha suddenly started yelling as well.


    The Desert Fox had run off! Mazha¡¯s curses peppered the area like firecrackers and she felt like the sky would start trembling soon!


    Before they settled down to sleep, Mazha had tied up the Desert Fox using his shoelaces and belt. Unfortunately, it was in vain as the old man had still somehow escaped! When the old man ran, he not only took a lot of food and water, he also took Mazha¡¯s shoelaces and belt with him. The soldier no longer had a belt to hold up his pants and had to hold them up with his hands. Tang Can took off his shoe laces and joined them together. He gave the combined laces to the soldier for him to use in place of a belt. The string was too thin to work well as a belt. If he tied it too loose, his pants would fall down. If he tied it tightly, it would cut into his skin and cause him pain. Mazha was so frustrated that his face had turned as red as a tomato. He ranted complaints throughout this whole time. The soldier vowed to find the Desert Fox again and to skin him as punishment!


    Finally Tang Can couldn¡¯t take the noise anymore and ordered Mazha to stop. It was useless to continue complaining.


    Shen Yu looked at Tang Can and then looked at the vast desert around her. A feeling of helplessness crept out and panic started to settle into her heart. Was she really doomed to die in this desert?


    Without the Desert Fox to guide them, Tang Can could only do his best in directing them. Using his intuition, he decided to go east. In the day, it was easy to find directions in the desert using the sun. They went in the direction of the rising sun to go east.


    At noon, Mazha suddenly hollered and said that he saw footprints in the distance. Maybe they had found the others! Everyone was overjoyed at the prospect of getting out of the desert. However, after following the footsteps for a while, they didn¡¯t meet up with anyone. Shen Yu looked at the footprints and started to think that they seemed familiar. She stepped into the footprints and they matched her foot completely. Everyone realized that they had been walking in circles!


    ¡°We hit a ghost wall¡± hollered Mazha suddenly.

 Chapter 49

    Chapter 49 ¨C The Storm, Pt. 1


    ¡°Don¡¯t say stupid stuff like that!¡± Tang Can rebuked Mazha severely. The younger soldiers in the group were already feeling unsure and restless. If they let Mazha¡¯s superstitions get to their head, they would all panic.


    One of the men named Dongzi commented, ¡°Actually, in my hometown, we do have ¡®ghost walls¡¯. My grandfather has encountered them before. One time, when he was working at the district county office, he left work to go home in the fog. He didn¡¯t live that far away from the office, maybe about ten blocks or so. He rode his bicycle and couldn¡¯t figure out why he never got home. The next morning, he found out he had ridden in circles the entire night!¡±


    Another soldier named Guoqing cried out in shock, ¡°Oh my god! There really are phenomena like that! Have we met a ¡®ghost wall¡¯ right now?¡±


    Seeing that the rest of them were about to start panicking, Shen Yu interjected, ¡°The ancients often used the activities of ghosts and spirits to explain something they didn¡¯t understand. Nowadays, with modern science and rationale, we know there are actual natural laws affecting many things. The same is true for ¡°ghost walls¡±. In fact, it is very normal for any organism to travel in circles if they don¡¯t have a set landmark in mind when they¡¯re moving. If you don¡¯t believe me, try walking straight with your eyes closed and using your intuition. You¡¯ll think you were walking in a straight line but in actuality you would end up going in circles.¡±


    Dongzi didn¡¯t immediately believe her words, so he took out a handkerchief to cover his eyes and started taking large steps forward. The rest of the team watched the man and found out that he actually did travel in a large circle. Some laughed while others were incredibly intrigued. The soldiers pestered Shen Yu to explain the occurence to them!


    Tang Can thought that this would be a good time for them to rest and allowed the soldiers to sit for a bit. The men sat in a circle around the young woman and waited patiently for her explanation.


    Shen Yu smiled. ¡°It sounds mysterious but there is a very simple reason why this happens. None of us have legs that are exactly the same length. Furthermore, there is a different in strength and tone between them as well. We¡¯re all asymmetrical. Because of those minute differences, we actually walk forward different distances with each leg. For example, let¡¯s say your left stride is longer than your right. When you add up several paces for each one, you¡¯ll slowly end up moving in a circle because of those different lengths!¡±


    Dongzi still looked confused and asked, ¡®Then why is it that when we have our eyes open, we don¡¯t walk in circles?¡±


    Shen Yu smiled brilliantly. ¡°That¡¯s because we¡¯re using what we see in our eyes as cues. Our brain corrects for our asymmetry and allows us to walk straight. We do it automatically. Now, in our case, we don¡¯t have a sense of direction anymore because we¡¯re lost. Since that is the case, our brain can¡¯t correct our steps so we think we¡¯re walking straight when in actuality we¡¯re just going around in the natural circle!¡±


    Some of the soldiers felt gratified after her explanation and said that they were now educated on the ways of rational thought and would no longer give into superstitions. Others were still morose. They sighed with despair and asked what they should do now. What if they were stuck here and doomed to die?


    Shen Yu thought carefully before she let out a smile. ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure, but I think we actually encountered a good thing today!¡±


    Everyone was mystified by her statement. They couldn¡¯t figure out what ¡®good thing¡¯ they met today.


    Shen Yu lightly cleared her throat and profoundly said, ¡°I guess no one knows this anymore. But, in fact, the ancients were much wiser than us modern people. The Fengshui masters of the past had long discovered this interesting phenomenon. They knew that people generally used landmarks to guide their way. When there are no reliable landmarks around, people start wandering in a circle without realizing it. The more lost they are, the more likely this happens. Using this concept, the ancients deliberately designed their emperor¡¯s tombs to take advantage of this. Those who went into the burial sites would find themselves wandering around in circles. Superstitions would overtake them, and they would think they were stuck in a ghost wall. Once the rumors got out, fewer people would try to rob the tomb. More likely than not, since we are currently lost right now, we¡¯ve probably somehow stumbled into an old mausoleum that¡¯s causing us to lose our way!¡±


    Mazha grumbled at the side, ¡°What the hell are you saying then? How is this fortunate?¡±


    Before Shen Yu could retort, one of the soldiers suddenly discovered something buried in the sand near him. It looked like part of a bowl was sticking out of a dune.


    After he had a some time to think, Mazha exclaimed, ¡°Oh damn! We really have stumbled into a fortunate situation!¡±


    One of the men swiftly ran by to lift the bowl from the ground. Everyone inspected it and soon found out it wasn¡¯t something manufactured in modern day. In fact, it looked more like ceramic pitcher for something.


    Shen Yu was shocked. She had only casually said a couple of words in hopes of lifting everyone¡¯s spirits. It was never within her expectations for someone to find an ancient artifact so quickly.


    Tang Can carefully looked over the piece, taking a close look at the decorative design of flowers. He noticed that the pitcher did not have any tell-tale puddling of the porcelain glaze. He looked up and said, ¡°I¡¯m not an archaeologist but this looks like something that was made more than 5,000 years ago!¡±


    Several of the soldiers cheered. Everyone immediately took out their military-issued shovels and started digging the surrounding sand dunes. The whole group thought that they had hit bank. Even if it wasn¡¯t an old tomb, they could have also found the remains of an ancient city. Regardless, it was unlikely that the old pitcher was the only artifact around.


    Compared to the others, Shen Yu was relatively calm and collected. She carefully observed the site and noticed that there were several sand dunes around them. The ground was higher in some places than others but she didn¡¯t see signs that they were in the ruins of an ancient city.


    She approached the young officer and murmured, ¡°You should make sure that the team saves some energy for later. You need to think up a plan to get us out of the desert.¡±


    However, Tang Can was a military officer. Those who served in the country¡¯s forces always had the country as their first priority. If they could find a long-forgotten city, they would be able to add onto the illustrious history of their nation. For him, this would be a great honor and achievement, so he wanted to continue to excavate.


    Seeing that he had no intention in taking her advice, Shen Yu sighed and walked a bit away. It had reached noon, and the intense sun beat down on her tender skin. The desert was too hot for her. Suddenly a breeze whipped by a nearby dune. She could see ribbons of sand lifting up and flying in the air towards them. Alarmed, she twisted her head around to avoid getting particles stuck in her eyes. After the dust passed her, she turned back around to look head on into the wind. Near the horizon, the sky had turned a dark, yellow color. It seemed like it was spreading towards them. She cried out in shock, ¡°Everyone, look! What¡¯s that in the distance? West of us?¡±


    ¡°Holy f*ck!¡± screeched Mazha, the first to identify the object. ¡°It¡¯s a sandstorm!¡±


    Tang Can reacted quickly and ordered, ¡°A sandstorm is coming our way! Everyone, jump into your ditches!¡± Although he knew the holes they dug would not provide perfect protection against a sandstorm, some shelter was better than none. The odds of survival were definitely better in a ditch than out in the open.


    Shen Yu was trying to decide where to hide when Tang Can yanked her towards a nearby trench and shoved her into it. Before she could protest, the young officer lay on top of her, pressing her body down as deeply as he could manage. She struggled for a bit, trying to throw him off, but Tang Can yelled into her ear, ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡±


    The sun had been shining brightly but within a second of Tang Can¡¯s command, the sky swiftly turned dark. It was as if someone had thrown a blanket over the sun. The wind picked up speed until it was whipping through the group. Even though Shen Yu was sandwiched firmly under Tang Can, she could still feel sand hitting her viciously. Before long, sand had migrated into her ears, nostrils, and the back of her neck. For a moment, she choked and had difficulty breathing. She quickly covered her face with her hands and tightly shut her eyes.


    Now that she couldn¡¯t see, she concentrated on listening to the frenzy. The winds wailed and howled around her, like starving beasts looking for prey. Normally she wasn¡¯t scared by storms, but this time it was different. A chill went through her as sand poured over her like rain. At first it was painful being pelted with dirt but soon her whole body became numb. She became dizzy and lightheaded. Slowly, the world became confusing, and she felt like she was suspended in an odd dream.


    Without any way to keep track of the time, Shen Yu started to think that she would never wake up from this living nightmare. Her soul seemed to be drifting out of her body and she was in a dreamlike state. Suddenly, she could hear someone yelling, ¡°Oh god! A gold mine¡­¡±

 Chapter 50

    Chapter 50 ¨C The Storm, Pt. 2


    Shen Yu groggily opened her eyes. The sun was shining again, and the wind had slowed down.


    She shook her body, dusting sand off of herself, and stood up in the ditch. There was no one around her. Even Tang Can had disappeared.


    For a moment, she felt scared at the prospect of being alone. Then she heard the voices again. They were yelling ¡°gold mine, gold mine¡± just like earlier. The sound seemed to be coming from somewhere closer to her. Shen Yu turned around and almost screeched in fright when she saw a pillar behind her. The dust on the ¡°pillar¡± soon fell off, and she could see a military uniform. She quickly calmed down after identifying the person in front of her.


    Everyone around her was looking at where a soldier was pointing. About ten meters in the distance, there was a pile of gold, glittering underneath the sun.


    ¡°It must be a mirage!¡± exclaimed Tang Can, who had suddenly reappeared. He skeptically shaded his eyes and tried looking at the site from a different angle.


    ¡°Impossible! If the sandstorm didn¡¯t recently go by, I would also think that was an illusion. But because the storm went by, the temperature surrounding us has gone down. It¡¯s unlikely for a mirage to form under these circumstances,¡± retorted a soldier called Guo Pingan. He carefully wiped his eyeglasses with a handkerchief, but when he put them back on his face he found that his vision was worse with the glasses on. Earlier, the sandstorm had pummeled the lenses, leading to fine cobweb cracks forming. Because of that, he was unable to see the shocked and excited expressions on everyone¡¯s face.


    Shen Yu knew that, out of all of the soldiers here, Guo Pingan was the only one who had a college education. She searched back in her memory and decided that the young soldier¡¯s conclusions were correct. Mirages only appeared when there was no wind or other moving air in the area. Anytime there was something to mix the air, it would make it difficult for rays of light to reflect perfectly. Any image that had formed before then would quickly disappear.


    After Mazha heard Guo Pingan¡¯s explanation, he fervently shouted at the other people, ¡°Comrades, what are we waiting for then? That¡¯s the gold mine we were looking for right there!¡±


    At this moment, another blustering wind blew up and started picking up loads of sand. Tang Can hurriedly ordered, ¡°Forget it! It looks like another sandstorm is forming!¡±


    Right after he finished his commands, the storm started raging quickly. Sand filled the air, and the sky soon became dark again. Tang Can grabbed onto Shen Yu and pushed her down into a nearby ditch. Next to them, Mazha and another soldier came along. In the thick of the mess, the young woman managed to hit her nose on somebody¡¯s head, but she couldn¡¯t see who she had struck. Blood dripped out of her nostrils but under these circumstances a small injury like that was nothing to be concerned about. The rest of the team huddled together as close together as possible. Unfortunately, two soldiers, who had run out earlier, came back too late. The winds from the storm lifted them into the air. A couple of frightened screams tore the air but soon even that disappeared.


    For the first time in her life, Shen Yu tasted despair at the back of her throat. Ever since she entered the Xinjiang province, she had been inundated with stories from other people about the hazardous desert storms. Sandstorms were more deadly than the demons under King Yama, the overlord of the afterlife. Wherever they blew, they consumed life indiscriminately. The only thing left from their passage would be a pile of bones. The animals living in the desert would cow in fear, with some just waiting to die. After they got consumed, their skeletons preserved their last kneeling position. The grisly sight reminded her of sinners receiving their punishment!


    By the time this sandstorm rolled over, the group had lost several soldiers. Other than the two who were blown away in the beginning, other people had been lost after being buried alive by sand.


    Shen Yu and her smaller group had been buried by tons of sand. Luckily, the three men were only under a shallow amount and their heads were not suffocated. Tang Can, Mazha, and another soldier named Xiao Xiao managed to struggle their way out of their sand coffins. When the young officer didn¡¯t see Shen Yu around, he became frenzied, as if he was a mad man. In an effort to protect her, he had pushed her down as deep as possible. In this case, that might have harmed her more than he had anticipated!


    Tang Can¡¯s eyes were red as he desperately dug in the sand around him. Xiao Xiao and Mazha helped him. The three of them worked grimly to excavate the buried woman from the ground. Finally, they found her, but she had already stopped breathing. Her body lay limply on the ground. No matter what Tang Can screamed or hollered, there was no reaction out of her.


    ¡°Wake up! She¡¯s dead! We can¡¯t spend all of our time on her, we need to find our other comrades!¡± hollered Mazha after he saw Tang Can¡¯s crazed state. In an effort to bring him back, the male soldier slapped the officer hard on the face. Tang Can rapidly calmed down after getting hit. Gritting his teeth, he reluctantly helped Mazha look for the other soldiers. The three of them were able to save three more people before their luck ran out. No matter how hard they tried afterwards, it was of no use!


    With heavy spirits, they continued to yell and dig methodically in an effort to rescue more people. But everyone¡¯s hearts were clear, there would be no more survivors from this storm. Anyone else they found would likely have perished earlier!


    Mazha stumbled to the ground with a loud thwack and kneeled in front of a newly formed sand dune. He howled pitifully, ¡°Comrades¡­¡± Soon after that, fat tears rolled down his eyes as he screamed in despair. The other surviving soldiers were influenced by the crying soldier and started sobbing with him. They kneeled in front of the mound of sand, slapping their hands on the ground.


    All of them were hoping beyond hope that someone would pop out from the sand dune and laugh, ¡°Why are you all crying? I haven¡¯t died yet!¡±


    But this type of hope was like life in the deep desert, it was dead!


    Who would have thought that their friends, who had been laughing and joking with them a short while ago, would all perish in the storm? They couldn¡¯t even find any remains left over!


    Thinking about all of this started to drive Mazha crazy. In a fit, he screamed, ¡°We can¡¯t leave our dead brothers here alone! Even though they¡¯re dead, we must find their bodies and bring them out of this forsaken desert!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± exclaimed the other soldiers.


    ¡°A falling leaf must return to its roots! We can¡¯t leave our friends to this cold, deadly desert. All of their family would be heartbroken knowing they were left here!¡± Mazha¡¯s words touched all of the hearts of the surviving soldiers. The exhausted group soon found new energy to continue searching and digging.


    Tang Can had long recovered and was able to think clearly again. His eyes were dry when he stared fixedly at Shen Yu¡¯s prone body on the ground. He tightly grasped his hands together in a fist and some moisture started forming at the corners of his eyes again. However, he gritted his teeth and pushed his sorrow down. He stood up from the pile of sand and stumbled at first before he finally caught his footing. Now steady, he ordered the rest of the soldiers to stop what they were doing.


    The dead were dead, but the living must go on! All of them had already used up too much energy and their bodies were weak. In this situation, they were all lucky to still be alive. However, they weren¡¯t completely safe yet. They still didn¡¯t know how to get out of the desert. How could they possibly bring dead people along when they didn¡¯t know whether they would survive or not?


    Mazha yelled at Tang Can, accusing him of being cold blooded. Inside the dune was their brothers, the soldiers who had gone through tribulations together with them!


    However, the rest of the soldiers had already accepted the truth of Tang Can¡¯s words and stopped working. Mazha was the only one who was unable to face reality.


    Mazha continued to stubbornly dig until he ran out of strength. He lay down on the sand, exhausted, his eyes filled with despair. After resting a bit, he regained a bit of energy and looked up. When he saw Tang Can cradling Shen Yu¡¯s body in his arms, fury rushed to his head.


    ¡°You don¡¯t care about our dead comrades, but you care about that dead woman? What is the matter with you?¡± he screamed.


    Tang Can showed no reaction. After a long period of time passed, Mazha angrily asked him again. Only then did he raise his head to look at the other man, a bitter and mournful smile on his face¡­

 Chapter 51

    Chapter 51 ¨C Facing Death


    ¡°You guys leave first!¡± said Tang Can unexpectedly.


    Mazha almost couldn¡¯t believe his own ears. He raised his voice and demanded that the young officer explain his thoughts.


    ¡°Those of you who can go should leave right now!¡± exhorted Tang Can again, a brilliant and bright smile on his face. He took his canteen off and threw it at Mazha. ¡°There¡¯s still some water in this, bring it along when you go back.¡±


    Mazha no longer cared about Tang Can¡¯s rank or background. He punched his commanding officer in the stomach and yelled, ¡°I need to hit some sense into you, you crazy bastard! Why are you throwing your life away for a shitty woman? I need to slap your head back around¡­¡±


    Like an ox driven into a frenzy, Mazha pummeled Tang Can with his fists. Had the other soldiers not intervened, he might have killed the Tang Can!


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any food left among us. The only thing that could save your lives is having enough water to get out. Instead of all of us dying here, it¡¯s better if at least some of us survive!¡± Tang Can did his best to explain his reasoning to Mazha. He was the commanding officer. He should sacrifice himself so his beloved soldiers could survive. It was the right thing for him to do, and he didn¡¯t mind dying here along with his other comrades.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing this because of that woman!¡± snarled Mazha as he stared at Tang Can with red-rimmed eyes. Never had he thought that someone as incredible as his commanding officer would be willing to die such an ignoble death. Dying at the hands of an enemy, that was heroic. But choosing to throw away his life for an unrelated woman? That made absolutely no sense! The fact that a man would have a weakness for a beautiful woman was not uncommon, but this woman was dead! Why did he persist despite that? Mazha couldn¡¯t wrap his mind around it.


    Other than the food that the Desert Fox stole earlier, the rest of the edibles were buried under mounds of sand. Water was the only lifesaving resource they had left. It was their only treasure.


    One of the youngest surviving soldiers couldn¡¯t take it anymore. After seeing his best friend getting blown away by the storm and other comrades getting buried alive under the sand, he desperately wanted to survive this journey. He blurted out, ¡°I can¡¯t die here¡­I¡¯m the only son in my family¡­I¡¯ve never dated anyone¡­I haven¡¯t had a taste of the good life¡­I just can¡¯t die here!¡± He bent over to grab the canteen that Tang Can threw down earlier and bolted away.


    Mazha yelled after the deserting soldier, commanding him to come back, but it was too late. The young man ran too fast and, before long, he disappeared into the distance behind some sand dunes.


    After witnessing the example of one of the soldiers, the others started to get the same idea. No one wanted to die a slow death from starvation or dehydration in the desert. At this point, they didn¡¯t care about the team anymore. It was every man for himself.


    Mazha screamed profanities at the deserters until his voice gave out, but it was of no use. Facing death, many of the surviving people lost their courage and wanted to save their own skins. The draw of comradeship was not enough for them.


    ¡°Stop wasting your breath!¡± commanded Tang Can. ¡°You can¡¯t blame any of them for what they¡¯re doing. You should leave yourself!¡± The young officer looked Mazha in the eye. After their many years together, just thinking about parting forever sent a twinge to his heart but he persisted in his plan.


    Mazha¡¯s throat was dry and scratchy after his attempts to bring the others back. He stepped back a couple of steps and held out his arm for balance before he fell heavily onto a sand dune. Sitting there helped him recover a bit of his strength.


    He then laid back on the sand and commented, ¡°F*ck it, I can¡¯t leave. Inside here are so many of my fellow soldiers. There¡¯s no way that I could just abandon them!¡± Finishing that thought, he reclined back and raised his two legs up in the air.


    ¡°Officer Tang, you should bury Reporter Shen!¡± A voice suddenly sounded, causing both Tang Can and Mazha to twitch in fright. Mazha actually jumped up from the sand dune and ran a bit away.


    At the side, Guo Pingan wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve. The sleeve had a lot of sand sticking to it, so the soldier ended up with a large smear of dirt on his face.


    Tang Can suddenly noticed that the other soldier had dug a hole a ways off. It was in preparation for Shen Yu! The young officer felt overwhelmed for a second and reached out to hug Shen Yu¡¯s body closer to him. His actions reminded the others of a lost child searching for comfort.


    Mazha stood back up and pushed at Guo Pingan roughly. ¡°What the hell, man, why didn¡¯t you leave? Why the hell didn¡¯t you leave?¡± he demanded crossly.


    The other soldier stood there and chuckled lightly. Tears rolled down Mazha¡¯s face as he grasped the other man into a deep bear hug. He sobbed quietly, ¡°My comrade, my brother!¡± This man was an example of a true comrade-in-arms!


    The two men laughed and cried while embracing each other. With great difficulty, they finally managed to calm themselves down and exchanged a knowing look. Both of them then walked towards Tang Can and started to take Shen Yu from his arms.


    ¡°It¡¯s better to do the difficult things first!¡± exclaimed Mazha after he steeled his own heart. ¡°When we¡¯re finally out of this horrible desert, I swear I¡¯ll introduce you to some pretty girls back where I live!¡± He couldn¡¯t let his good friend stay heartbroken over a dead woman. If they buried her, her dead body could no longer torment him. Maybe Tang Can would finally come back to his senses when she was out of sight.


    The two soldiers struggled with Tang Can, but, for some reason, they were unable to take Shen Yu away from him. Tang Can himself didn¡¯t know where he got his strength from. He stubbornly held onto her body and refused to let go. All he knew was that he wanted her. Even her dead body.


    Guo Pingan pulled with all his might on Shen Yu¡¯s arm. Suddenly, he heard the tell-tale sound of a bone moving. He shouted, ¡°Oh f*ck! I must have dislocated her arm! Does anyone know how to fix that?¡±


    Mazha snorted in laughter and yelled at the other man in exasperation. ¡°She¡¯s dead, idiot! Does it even matter at this point?¡±


    Guo Pingan pondered the other soldier¡¯s words for a bit. At first, he thought Mazha¡¯s reasoning made sense but after thinking a bit more he ultimately rejected the idea, ¡°It¡¯s still better to re-attach it properly. Otherwise, if she goes into the afterlife with a busted arm, how would she be able to get reincarnated properly?


    Mazha exploded and mocked the other man for being crackbrained. This was why he didn¡¯t hang out with nerds, they made everything more complicated than it was worth! Despite his irritation, he waved his arms a couple of times and said, ¡°Fine fine, let me try to pop her arm back into her socket. You stand over there and keep quiet. I don¡¯t want to hear any complaints on how I do it.¡± He grabbed Shen Yu¡¯s arm and examined it a bit. Before he could try to relocate the joint, he detected a quiet moan. It sounded like a woman¡¯s voice groaning in pain!


    ¡°Oh shit! The corpse is moving! She¡¯s a zombie!¡± exclaimed Guo Pingan as he jumped up in fright. He swiftly ran a bit away, his face sallow with shock.


    Mazha had also felt cold chills running down his back. In all of his life, he had never seen the dead move. This was the first time he lent credence to those old wives¡¯ tales. Scared to his toes, he dropped Shen Yu¡¯s arm and wanted to run away, but his feet felt like they were stuck to the ground. He couldn¡¯t even move one step!


    ¡°It hurts!¡± Shen Yu¡¯s voice was much more apparent now. Tang Can stared at the woman in his arms, his eyes huge, in astonishment. For a short period of time, it felt like his mind had gone completely blank. After he recovered, he cleared his throat and cried, ¡°Shen Yu, you¡¯re alive aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re alive?¡±


    ¡°Hurts,¡± sobbed Shen Yu lightly. The young woman barely managed to open her eyes slightly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my arm? Did it get blown away from the storm?¡± She was slightly delirious from all of the pain and wasn¡¯t able to fully understand what was going on.


    Thank the heavens and the earth! Tang Can¡¯s heart sang in joy and his head felt hot from a rush of blood. Giddy with joy, the young officer no longer had any control over himself. He covered the young woman¡¯s face with several kisses. There was sand on her face, and she soon had muddy kiss prints plastered all over her face.


    Shen Yu was alive! But actually, in truth, she had never been dead in the first place! For a brief moment in time, she was insensate from near suffocation. Only after her arm got dislocated did the pain rouse her from her stupor.


    Mazha and Guo Pingan now understood the full situation. Shen Yu was not a zombie who had formed after dying a horrible death. She had actually been alive this entire time! Mazha pointed at the trench that had just been dug. ¡°It¡¯s a pity! All of that work for naught!¡±


    Guo Pingan glared at the other man, ¡°Do you want to rest in there then?¡±

 Chapter 52

    Chapter 52 ¨C Searching for the Gold


    ¡°You bastard, can you at least say something that actually makes sense?¡± retorted Mazha. He shook his fist to the other man in an attempt to seem angry but the smile on his face belied his pretense.


    After seeing one survivor, the young soldier wished for more miracles. Although he knew it was folly, he desperately hoped that all of the soldiers buried under the sand dune would pop up, one by one, and curse him out for thinking they were dead. He could imagine them scolding him, ¡°Oi, dumb Mazha! We¡¯re all still breathing. Get off your lazy bum and lend us a hand¡­¡±


    On the other hand, Tang Can stared at Shen Yu for a long time before he could get himself to believe that she was alive. He soon realized that it wouldn¡¯t be good to leave her arm in its busted condition and hastened to reassure her, ¡°Let me try to pop your arm back in. Hold on for a bit, it will probably hurt a lot!¡±


    Shen Yu gritted her teeth and nodded. She turned her face to the side so she wouldn¡¯t be able to see Tang Can¡¯s work. For a brief moment, she felt jaw aching pain but then it was over. The young officer then asked her to try to move her arm a little. If she wasn¡¯t able to move it, he would have to dislocate it again and reattempt the attachment. Shen Yu felt cold sweat drip down her back at the thought of having to go through that again. She cautiously moved her arm a little, found it wasn¡¯t difficult, and let out a sigh of relief.


    Shen Yu turned towards Tang Can, ¡°Looks like it¡¯s back on.¡±


    Since they were stuck in the middle of the desert with no reliable medical care, Tang Can treated her like a princess. Better to be cautious now than to discover ill results later on. He slipped her shoelaces off of her feet and used them to create a makeshift sling for her injured arm.


    By the time he finished, Mazha had come down from the sand dune and was asking him about their next steps. Tang Can looked at the time and found that it had already reached four in the afternoon. He still thought that heading due east was the best choice they had. He looked at his watch and decided to go in the direction of the 9 on it.


    Shen Yu still remembered seeing a pile of gold during the sandstorm and asked, ¡°Did we really see gold earlier?¡±


    After losing so many soldiers, the rest of them had long forgotten about the gold.


    Mazha reacted strongly to her question, ¡°Who cares about the gold deposit? We¡¯ve lost so many comrades just for some shitty gold!¡± The most pressing detail to him was that he still didn¡¯t know what had happened to Zhang Fei. Was she alive or dead? That thought, and the fact that so many other soldiers died, rankled at him.


    ¡°The wheel of fortune is constantly turning. Sometimes you may have all the luck in the world. Other times, you may not have anything,¡± opined Guo Pingan philosophically. From that statement, they could all perceive that he was a well-educated man.


    ¡°Wheel of fortune? Who the hell cares about stupid shit like that?¡± growled Mazha, irritated by the other man¡¯s cryptic words and wanting to pick a fight. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s of any use to us now!¡±


    ¡°I only think¡­¡± Guo Pingan trailed off before he could finish his thought. He pushed his glasses up on his face in a long practiced gesture before he remembered his glasses were busted beyond use. He shook his head in exasperation and then continued, ¡°What I was trying to say was: we don¡¯t have any food or water right now. It¡¯s questionable whether we can get out of this desert alive. If we¡¯re going to die all the same, why don¡¯t we try to die more heroically? If we can find this deposit of gold, our names will be remembered throughout history!¡±


    After hearing the other soldier¡¯s thoughts, Mazha had nothing more to say. Deep within his heart, he knew the other man was right. It would be unlikely for any of them to survive under these circumstances. He thought for a bit longer before finally agreeing with Guo Pingan. ¡°If we¡¯re actually able to find the gold, all I ask is that all of our elders back home regard us as heroes in the future. That would be enough for me.¡±


    On the other hand, Tang Can was more concerned about the national prestige and fame they could bring by finding the gold. Earlier he had watched with open eyes as Zhang Fei blatantly lost the dog¡¯s head gold that Shen Yu found. The memory still elicited deep regrets within him. Now that they had seen a glimpse of a more gold, he needed to find where it was, even if it meant sacrificing his own life!


    The three men had reached a common goal. Even though Shen Yu was a woman, she had enough courage to best any man. When Tang Can asked her whether she would be okay with searching for the gold, she had nodded vigorously in assent. Life was fragile in this world; that was a fact she had just faced today with the sandstorm. If she was meant to die here, she wanted to do something meaningful before that happened. On the other hand, she also had a selfish thought driving her. If they really were able to find the legendary gold deposit, that would be doing the country a great favor. Wouldn¡¯t she be considered a martyr for the rest of history? The nation would definitely take care of her parents then. It could be considered her last act of a filial daughter. Regardless, the powers of fate were at play here. Whether they succeeded or not was up to the gods!


    The sun still shone brightly in the sky, and they used it to find their bearings in the desert. They pooled their minds together and did their best to comb through their memories. With the four of them working together, they managed to piece together a working plan.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s head in the direction towards 5 pm!¡± ordered Tang Can after he decided the right direction. The directions he gave were given in military terminology. 5 pm corresponded to the northwest direction.


    All of them gathered their energy to head out. Before the sandstorm had hit this area, there were only some gentle slopes of sand. After the storm had passed, large dunes appeared, making it more difficult for them to walk. Every step they took sunk a bit into the sand.


    Tang Can supported Shen Yu with every step they took. He was afraid that if he didn¡¯t help her, she would end up tumbling down from a large hill. They had already encountered enough bad luck earlier, they didn¡¯t need more unfortunate things happening now!


    The team struggled heavily to go up a sand dune but going down proved to be much easier. Mazha and Guo Pingan simply sat down and slid down the hills. Tang Can refused to let Shen Yu try. He didn¡¯t want her to accidentally get jostled in her injured arm and end up with permanent damage. It was better for her to go down slowly than to risk another accident.


    At this moment, Shen Yu suddenly thought of little kids playing in the sand. Children loved to build hills and then destroy them. She had a sudden feeling that the desert winds were similar to children. Sometimes they would build up sand hills, other times they would flatten them out. It was all random.


    Another thought struck her: the desert was always moving! She wasn¡¯t even sure if they would be able to find the lost gold. Earlier they had watched helplessly as the desert consumed several soldiers such that even now they couldn¡¯t find a trace of those people!


    They were currently in the deep desert with no landmarks to help. In these conditions, it was very easy for them to incorrectly judge their surroundings. Before they had encountered the storm, the team had been walking around in circles without encountering any gold. The first time the storm appeared they were able to find the gold, but now, it was hard to say exactly where it went.


    The doubts that she had in her heart were all said out loud by Guo Pingan.


    ¡°Lop Nor is most famous for its Tarim mummies. They were first discovered by a Swedish explorer¡¯s expedition team. Not only did they find a large burial complex but they also discovered the ¡®Smiling Princess¡¯. However, when they came back another time to Lop Nor, they were no longer able to find it anymore. Another seventy years passed before they reappeared again. The mysterious Smiling Princess showed herself again. I feel like the gold we saw earlier is of the same ilk! It¡¯s constantly getting hidden and uncovered by the desert. I sincerely hope that we will be able to see it again and not have to die before it is found again!¡±


    ¡°You brat, can¡¯t you say something more encouraging?¡± snarled Mazha, a little annoyed by Guo Pingan¡¯s pessimism. Finding the gold again was the only him driving him on. If they really couldn¡¯t find it again, they were pretty much all destined to die a slow, painful death. It would be more merciful for another sandstorm to appear and kill them off if that was their ultimate fate.


    Tang Can had stayed silent this entire time. The young officer bent down to scoop up some sand from the ground. Under the sunlight, the grains of sand seemed to be glittering faintly¡­

 Chapter 53

    Chapter 53 ¨C Seeing Gold with Their Own Eyes


    Shen Yu was not familiar with Lop Nor¡¯s native minerals, and she only had a vague impression of Xinjiang in general. In her mind, the area was known for having the desert basin, the remains of the Silk Road, and for producing Hami melons and raisins.


    When she saw Tang Can looking carefully at the grains of sand in his hand, she sidled over to take a peek. Her brief glance didn¡¯t show anything particular. All of the sand looked the same to her. But she didn¡¯t realize that there was something different.


    Everyone knew that there were particles of gold dust mixed in with regular sand. Sand from both the rivers and oceans had it. However, the amount of gold contained in the sand was miniscule, not enough to be worth much. Furthermore, it was very difficult to extract the gold from the sand, so it wasn¡¯t worth the time and effort trying.


    ¡°Do you think there¡¯s something different about the sand here?¡± Tang Can raised a fistful of sand towards Mazha. He smiled at Shen Yu gently, knowing that she had very little knowledge in this area.


    After hearing his commanding officer mention it, Mazha scooped up a bit of sand. He carefully examined it and then said, ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s not the same as other sand!¡±


    Out of curiosity, Guo Pingan followed Mazha¡¯s lead and also conducted his own inspection of the sand. Ultimately, he ended up agreeing with the other soldier.


    Shen Yu looked at one of them and then the other. She also picked up some sand to look at it. After staring at it for a long time, she still couldn¡¯t figure out what they were talking about. To her unpracticed eye, all she noticed was that the sand here was not pure sand, around half of it was mixed with some kind of dirt. It was different from the sand she was used to in her life.


    At this time, Guo Pingan voiced his inexperience, showing the young woman that she wasn¡¯t the only one lost in the dark here. He asked Tang Can inquisitively, ¡°Officer Tang, what is it? What is it that you see is different?¡±


    Mazha chuckled and an expression of superiority crossed his face. ¡°You¡¯re still too green! Both Officer Tang and I have eyes like eagles! Anywhere there is a speck of gold, we can both spot it!¡± He boasted proudly.


    Guo Pingan wanted to discount the other soldier¡¯s obvious boastings, but he still believed in his commanding officer.


    Seeing the mysterious expressions on their faces, Shen Yu had to ask more. However, both Mazha and Tang Can merely smiled secretively and refused to divulge further details. So, Shen Yu deliberately exercised some reverse psychology on them.


    ¡°Stop trying to make us believe your ridiculous stories!¡± scoffed the young woman. ¡°I¡¯ve always thought the stories of gold in Lop Nor to be a foundless rumor. Lop Nor definitely is the site of many old civilizations, so how could it be possible that there is still gold here? The more I think about it, the more I think all of those hearsays about the gold are false!¡±


    But Shen Yu¡¯s efforts were all in vain. Neither Mazha nor Tang Can had any reaction to what she just said. In fact, Guo Pingan refuted her earlier comments, ¡°Reporter Shen, this just means you¡¯re not fully up to date on things here. We¡¯re trying to find dog¡¯s head gold! Around 4 billion years ago, there was a meteor shower that lasted for 200 million years. The meteorites that hit the earth brought over lots of gold and platinum into the earth¡¯s crust. All dog¡¯s head gold comes from outer space and is buried into the earth. It¡¯s hard to predict where this gold may end up. It can be found in the rivers, oceans, on mountains or in valleys!¡±


    Shen Yu nodded her head silently, but inside she was more confused than before. She wasn¡¯t sure what to believe now and all these thoughts made her head spin. It was too easy for her opinions to be pushed from one side to the other with incomplete information.


    Guo Pingan had found a topic of his liking and continued on, forgetting that talking too much could get him into hot water. ¡°Gold can run around! It¡¯s long been said that ginseng can run around, but no one has ever been able to get to the bottom of that phenomenon. However, the fact that gold migrates has been proven to be true!¡±


    Shen Yu was astonished. She had never heard of something as odd as this!


    The young soldier subconsciously tried to push up his glasses again and, once again, his hands touched air. He repeatedly muttered, ¡°I forgot I forgot. I¡¯m not wearing my glasses now¡­¡± After he finished, he grinned at the young woman and picked up the conversation, ¡°Gold is several times more dense compared to dirt. When it¡¯s buried beneath the soil, it will slowly sink. Rain will exacerbate this process. Because the dirt around it is not always of the same density, the gold will not move in a straight direction. Differing levels in water from rainfall can vastly change the landscape. Thus, it is possible to dig for gold in one place and have it move later on! This has all been vouched for by science!¡±


    The explanation seemed to open a whole new world to Shen Yu. She now understood what they meant by gold ¡°running¡± away. Although there was very little rainfall in the desert, sand was very light compared to other types of dirt. Therefore, it was easy for gold to sink into sandy ground. When sandstorms blew over, they could end up uncovering the gold that had sunken earlier!


    After listening to Guo Pingan¡¯s long-winded explanation, Mazha realized that although this man was a relatively new recruit, this soldier had a broad and vast knowledge in many subjects. He was a man to be reckoned with! However, in terms of experience, Guo Pingan could not compare to either Tang Can or himself. Therefore, Mazha interjected somewhat snobbily, ¡°Alright, alright! Look at you, explaining things all dry and boring like a textbook. Let¡¯s look at something practical okay? I want you guys to look closely at the sand and tell me if there¡¯s something unusual about it.¡±


    Guo Pingan asked in disbelief, ¡°What is there to look at? Isn¡¯t this just ordinary sand?¡±


    Mazha guffawed. ¡°You amateur! Don¡¯t look down on sand! You can learn a lot from something so ordinary!¡± He flicked his hands, clearly uninterested in trying to talk to someone who was not knowledgeable in this area.


    Guo Pingan thristed to find out exactly what he was missing. He clung onto Mazha like a tick and hounded the other soldier. Just what piece was he not getting?


    Shen Yu was also curious but she could also tell that Mazha kept them deliberately in suspense. She glanced at Tang Can, waiting for him to enlighten them.


    Tang Can smiled brightly but granted the chance to show off to Mazha this time. The young soldier slowly explained, ¡°This is the expertise that comes from experience! Haven¡¯t you heard of the stories of tomb robbers? Some of those thieves often had a saying that they could sniff out a burial site by relying on their nose! Although they were exaggerating a bit, they weren¡¯t completely lying. They relied on their experiences. What did the builders of these mausoleums follow? They adhered to Fengshui. In order for us to find gold, you need to look at the sand! Look closely at the sand again. The color of this sand is slightly deeper, around a red-yellow color, and it also seems to sparkle a little, right?¡±


    Shen Yu snatched a handful of sand and looked at it. Earlier, no matter how hard she looked, she still couldn¡¯t see anything. Now that she heard from Mazha what to look for, she was able to see the difference. However, like before, she didn¡¯t understand the point. She asked him, ¡°If this was gold, wouldn¡¯t the sand look more yellow and not red since gold is yellow? I thought only copper was colored red.¡±


    Mazha pointed a finger at her. ¡°Amateurs will always remain amateurs! The gold that you¡¯re talking about has been purified, so of course its color is completely yellow. However, the raw gold you find outside is often mixed with other metals and minerals. Most gold comes in ores mixed with copper or quartz. Only dog¡¯s head gold and rarer gold ores have a higher percentage of gold in it. In those forms, gold may shine yellow. In all the other types, it shines red!¡±


    Her eyes widened as she tried to digest everything the soldier just explained. She had very few encounters with gold in her everyday life, so obviously she would not be able to tell that the sand here had bits of gold in it. After listening to the whole nine yards, she felt kind of dizzy and overwhelmed.


    Tang Can came a bit closer to her and smiled. ¡°Actually, the reasoning is quite simple. The composition of the sand will tell you whether there is any gold in the area. What you¡¯re looking for is quartz. Quartz is considered a rock-forming mineral. This type of mineral appears in areas where volcanoes come together to form mountains, and it needs heat to form. If it appears in the desert, it means something else happened there to form it. That would most likely be a meteorite hitting the earth!¡±

 Chapter 54

    Chapter 54 ¨C Water


    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry up and look around,¡± urged Mazha. ¡°It¡¯s almost dark now. While we¡¯re still alive, we should try to find the vein of gold. If another sandstorm blows up this evening and buries us alive, being able to see it will still allow us to die with no regrets.¡± The soldier pursed his lips. He was already thirsty beyond belief and now regretted wasting so much of his spittle on talking.


    Guo Pingan noticed his discomfort and immediately unhooked his canteen from his belt and handed it to him, ¡°Deputy, I still have some water!¡±


    Mazha was ecstatic after seeing he had water to drink. He swiftly unscrewed the cap and gulped some water down. When he was about to take a second drink, he suddenly saw Shen Yu twisting her head around, as if she was trying to avoid seeing him drink water. Sheepish, he remembered that they still had a woman among them and that he should take better care of her. He offered the canteen to her.


    Although Shen Yu took the proffered water, she didn¡¯t immediately take a sip. Instead, she offered some to Tang Can. ¡°You should drink some first!¡±


    Tang Can shook his head in refusal. In these circumstances, how could he casually drink their already dwindling water supply. After recently feeling strong emotions when he thought she was dead, he was afraid of something happening to her again. The one who was last standing was the one who was tormented the most. He would rather die earlier if they were all fated to perish.


    Seeing Tang Can and Shen Yu both hesitating, Guo Pingan patted his bulging abdomen and said, ¡°Go ahead and drink some! I still have another canteen full here.¡±


    When Mazha heard the good news, he almost jumped in joy. He grinned and jokingly cursed at the other man, ¡°You little brat, you¡¯re pretty sharp! Why did you bring an extra canteen along?¡±


    Tang Can, seeing that Guo Pingan had extra water, turned to Shen Yu and said, ¡°Stop refusing to drink the water, we have enough for now. Everyone should drink some to wet their throat!¡±


    Shen Yu finally nodded and assented.


    After they all had a drink of water, Tang Can twisted the canteen closed and gave it back to Guo Pingan. The four of the continued to journey up and down the sand dunes. After they passed a large hill, Tang Can looked at the sand closely before he decided that this the most likely place. All of them started to dig into the sand with the enthusiasm of young children playing in a sandbox.


    At this point, Shen Yu no longer had much strength left in her body, but was afraid that the young officer would notice. She persevered on and continued to excavate the sand with her hands, keeping one eye on Tang Can. Whenever she noticed the young officer not paying attention to her, she stopped to rest and catch her breath.


    Tang Can and Mazha were in deep concentration. Soldiers were often more fixated on honor and duty than civilians, and these two did not want to lose their chance to bring glory to their country. The young officer continuously analyzed the sand they dug up and used that information to direct them where to dig next. The sand was soft and easy to bring up, so using hands instead of shovels did not slow down their progress immensely. However, the longer they worked without tools, the more likely their hands would be rubbed raw at the end. After a period of time passed, Tang Can was about to issue an order for everyone to rest. Before he could, he heard Shen Yu cry out in astonishment. The young woman had fallen into a ditch! At first glance, he could still see half of her body above the sand but she quickly sunk deeper into the hole.


    ¡°Not good! This is a quicksand pit!¡± exclaimed the young officer as he swiftly reached over and grabbed onto Shen Yu¡¯s arm. Once he got a grip on her, he quickly commanded her to stop moving and to calm down.


    ¡°Oh f*ck!¡± screamed Mazha when he noticed what was going on. He leapt forward along with Guo Pingan to grab onto Tang Can¡¯s legs. Neither of them wanted their officer to also fall into the quicksand. They were desperately hoping that the pit wouldn¡¯t widen enough to drag them all into it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move and relax, Shen Yu!¡± said Tang Can, trying to reassure her. ¡°It¡¯s the same thing as falling into a bog. The more you struggle, the more you¡¯ll be sucked in. If you continue to go down, not even a god could save you!¡± Although his words were meant to calm her, they hid his inner panic. He was afraid that she would fall under the sand, and he would never be able to see her again!


    Shen Yu slowly calmed down and stopped moving her body. Sure enough, she no longer continued to sink further into the ground.


    The three men used up a tremendous amount of strength to drag her back onto dry land. All of them lay around the pit, exhausted after the effort, and panted heavily. After narrowly escaping death, the four of them all had uneasy feelings in their hearts.


    Once the immediacy of danger was over, the young officer quickly bounced back. Tang Can continued to be optimistic and exhorted the rest of them to look on the bright side. Where there was quicksand, there was water. There was likely a source of water below the quicksand, they just had to find it.


    Guo Pingan heaved a sigh of relief once he heard the good news. ¡°That¡¯s very good! We finally have water again!¡± With that, he said a prayer in thanks. Mazha cursed him out for being religious. He thought that as soldiers who were a part of the Revolutionary Army, they shouldn¡¯t depend on religion or gods to see them through.


    Shen Yu side-eyed Mazha after his comment. It was now even more unikely that Mazha was actually from the Mongol tribes. The ethnic minority tribes here all believed in some type of religion. Even if the member wasn¡¯t particularly zealous, he or she would never reject the concept of religion at all. However, they were all in a precarious situation, and it wasn¡¯t guaranteed that any of them would leave this place with their lives still intact. Because of more pressing matters, Shen Yu soon placed her speculations about Mazha to the back of her mind.


    Under Tang Can¡¯s direction, all of them tried to search for water in the area around the sinkhole. They temporarily shelved the task of finding gold behind the need to find water. Without water, they would all die. If they died, how could they find the treasure?


    By the time it reached the night, they still hadn¡¯t found any water. A sandstorm also blew through. Unlike their previous two encounters, this storm was relatively mild and didn¡¯t bury any of them. After the storm passed, the group huddled together sleepily and trembled throughout the night until dawn arrived again. The next morning, they were all subjected to Mazha¡¯s curses again!


    More sand dunes had popped up around them, and it looked like more sand had been dumped on top of them. The previous quicksand pit had already been stuffed full and was no longer visible. None of them tried to find water now. If one of them fell into the quicksand again, there would be no guarantee that they could escape easily.


    It felt like they were in a perverse storybook. They had to dig the sand with their bare hands and then, in the night, the furious winds would send more sand than they had moved! Even Tang Can was starting to lose confidence in this endeavor. The most important thing was that they were out of both food and water. Without a source of either, their days among the living were numbered. Soon, they would run out of energy to move, let alone dig.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go find some water!¡± Tang Can ordered reluctantly. He knew that as long as they stayed in this area, it was highly likely they would be able to hit gold. As soon as they left this place, they would probably never find it again. However, they needed to find water or else they would all need graves soon. It was difficult to say if anyone would ever find this place again!


    Mazha had just finished drinking dry one of the canteens. He wanted to force Guo Pingan to hand over his other water but the other soldier hemmed and hawed. Ultimately, Guo Pingan refused to give the other canteen to Mazha, despite Mazha¡¯s increasingly crude threats and pleads. In their circumstances, having water was power. Although Mazha cursed the other man for being a selfish person, it wasn¡¯t surprising that Guo Pingan was acting this way. They were heading towards their graves, being selfish could mean the difference of living longer or dying!


    At this point, Shen Yu was so weak that she fell down after taking a couple of steps. She couldn¡¯t get up again. Tang Can blamed himself incessantly for their dismal condition. Had he not wasted precious time earlier trying to find gold, he might have been able to bring the people he was responsible for out of this hellhole. He should have spent more time trying to figure out how to get out of the desert!


    He told Shen Yu to rest for a bit on one of the sand dunes while he and the others split up to find some water. Hopefully, one of them would be able to find the shrubs that had sheltered earlier. That place had water, and if they could get back there, they would be able to spend several more days in the desert. In fact, it was highly possible that an expedition group would loop by there and save them!


    At noon, Tang Can had not been able to find the shrubs again but he did stumble across a small creek. The creek ran through a dried up riverbed of a much larger river. The amount of water left was not very much but there was enough to save them all. He hastily gulped down some water from the creek and filled his canteen. After finishing that task, he headed back.


    Earlier, he had left behind trail signs to help him get back to where Shen Yu was waiting. When he got back, he found out that Mazha had already gotten back. The young soldier was lying on top of the dune and was so still that he couldn¡¯t tell if he was still breathing. Tang Can was alarmed until Shen Yu informed him that the other man was just sleeping. The young officer let out a sigh of relief and then let both of them drink some water while he stood on top of the dune to look for Guo Pingan.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave Comrade Guo some water,¡± shouted Shen Yu hastily when she saw Mazha gulping down all of the water.


    ¡°Hmph! He still has some water on him! Why should we leave some for him?¡± sneered Mazha. The soldier pretended to not hear Shen Yu and flipped the canteen over his mouth. The last drop of water from the bottle landed into his mouth.


    Tang Can spotted Guo Pingan from the top of the hill. The other man was only about a hundred meters from where they were and seemed to lying down on the ground. The three of them pelted over and found that Guo Pingan was already unconscious.


    ¡°Water!¡± ordered Tang Can when he saw the cracked and bleeding lips on the prone soldier. He wanted Mazha to give the canteen to him.


    Mazha was still holding a grudge from earlier. He grumbled under his breath that the other man clearly had some water on him.


    However, when Tang Can pushed away the unconscious man¡¯s clothing, they didn¡¯t see another canteen! In fact, the bulky object on his waist was a spare helmet, not a canteen!


    When Mazha saw the truth, he screamed in horror, ¡°Comrade! I can¡¯t apologize enough to you!¡± With a loud thunk, he knelt in front of Guo Pingan and hung his head..

 Chapter 55

    Chapter 55 ¨C Survival of the Fittest


    It was too late for regrets. Guo Pingan had reached the last stage of dehydration. His unmoving eyes stared upward at Shen Yu, as if he was trying to say something to her. In the end, his lips remained still and nothing came out.


    One can always see a person¡¯s true character in the face of adversity. Guo Pingan had let his comrades drink his last half canteen of water and went without himself with a smiling countenance. In the end, he died face up in the desert, forever still.


    Shen Yu wept silently. In these past two days, she had already seen too much death. Nature was much too cruel. The weak flames of life often could not withstand nature¡¯s brutal winds.


    Mazha sobbed loudly and hit himself in the chest continuously. Had he had known the truth earlier, he would have left some water in the canteen for Guo Pingan. In fact, maybe that bit of water would have saved his life!


    But it was too late.


    Tang Can silently flipped through Guo Pingan¡¯s remaining items. The deceased soldier only had a small notebook and ballpoint pen. Inside the notebook were Guo Pingan¡¯s daily writings about what he had seen or encountered. The last entry was dated for today. In addition to his journaling, there was a portrait drawn in ballpoint pen of a young woman. The fine details clearly depicted that the subject of his art was Shen Yu!


    The young officer¡¯s heart trembled. He suddenly remembered that Guo Pingan looked at Shen Yu in his last living moment. Seeing that the young woman was still quietly crying and hadn¡¯t noticed the dead man¡¯s journal, Tang Can hastily hid it away. He turned towards Shen Yu and Mazha and said, ¡°No matter who survives out of the three of us, whoever is able to get out of this desert alive needs to make a trip to Comrade Guo¡¯s hometown. We need to make sure his belongings get back to his family!¡±


    Mazha vigorously nodded his head in assent and swore an oath to Guo Pingan¡¯s corpse, ¡°Brother! Close your eyes in peace now! If I am able to get out of this desert alive, I swear to you that I will view your mother and father as my own parents!¡±


    After hearing the soldier¡¯s promise, a weird feeling crept up on Shen Yu. Although his words were touching, their futures were all still uncertain. Hopes were always optimistic. But it was hard to say if any of them would be able to survive their trip in the desert!


    The three of them dug a hole with their bare hands and buried Guo Pingan after they conducted a small ceremony. They stood in front of his grave afterwards, all unwilling to move away. All of them knew that as soon as they left, it would be saying farewell forever to him. There was likely no way for them to find their way back in a year to add more dirt to his grave. The desert was a harsh place and finding an unmarked grave would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack!


    Regardless of their sensibilities, they all had to eventually leave, if only to find water. They dried their tears reluctantly and set off again while it was still light. With the sun still shining and no storm in sight, they likely would not get lost again!


    Where there was water, there was life! Next to the tiny creek was a small tree. Tang Can said that this creek was probably running on a new bed. When the water was running through earlier, it must have deposited a seed of this tree down. The seed sprouted next to the bank of the creek and grew from the water nearby. However, because streams often migrate in this area, it would be difficult to tell if the creek would still be close to this tree in future years. However, this type of tree was tenacious and often found ways to hang on. Even if it had to wait a thousand years for the water to come back, it would still hang on.


    Shen Yu immediately understood what Tang Can was trying to say. He was trying to hint that people should be like the tree. He hoped that they, like the tree, could be resilient and patient in  the face of adversity!


    Mazha was less refined compared to the other two. Half of the profound meaning in Tang Can¡¯s words went over his head, and he had no interest in thinking more on it. Instead, his eyes shone as he stared at the running water. ¡°I wonder if there are any animals who come here to drink water?¡± he wondered idly.


    Shen Yu knew what was on Mazha¡¯s mind: he wanted to eat! He was hungry. In fact, she was also hungry.


    That evening, some birds flew down to drink some water from the stream. Seeing the birds, the male soldier let out a sigh of regret. He said that it was a pity that he didn¡¯t have a sling with him. Otherwise, he¡¯d be able to shoot down the agile birds with some rocks, and they¡¯d have some meat to eat! With meat, they could gather their strength and extend their lifespans in the desert by a couple of days.


    No other animals came by later that night. Just as Shen Yu was about to give up from disappointment, she suddenly heard an unfamiliar sound in the distance. Mazha had sharp eyes and was able to pick out what was making the sound.


    ¡°It¡¯s a desert fox!¡± whispered the soldier.


    Shen Yu squinted and tried to see what it looked like, but she couldn¡¯t spot it at all. However, the two men were able to see the fox. They signaled each other with hand signals and split apart to stalk their prey.


    Before long, Shen Yu could see the two men tussling with something in the distance. Within moments, they had a sand-colored fox struggling in their hands. The fox had large, wide ears and it yelped incessantly. Its cries echoed through the desert air and punctured the relative silence.


    Tang Can later informed Shen Yu that the fox they caught was called a Fennec fox, and it was a specific type of desert fox. They were often seen in the Tengger Desert, but he had never thought that they would live here too.


    Mazha added that desert foxes were considered to be very clever and nimble little animals. Had this fox not been relatively young and inexperienced, it wasn¡¯t likely they¡¯d have been able to grab it so easily.


    Her heart felt weak at the thought of killing a juvenile creature. Shen Yu wanted to plead with Tang Can to let the animal go.


    However, the young officer refused her request and had Mazha take the animal away to the side to be butchered. He gently explained, ¡°Now is not the time to be merciful! We need to eat in order to survive!¡±


    Shen Yu naturally understand their circumstances but she still felt sad at the thought of killing something so young.


    ¡°Desert foxes live in areas with food. There must be other creatures in the area!¡± Tang Can suddenly said. Using his military knife, he started to dig in the sand around them, as if he was looking for something in particular.


    Shen Yu couldn¡¯t figure out what he was doing. ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked, perplexed by his actions. What was he looking for?


    ¡°Desert foxes are very agile and can run faster than dogs bred for hunting. In the sand, they¡¯re one of the best hunters. Birds, lizards, snakes, gerbils, spiders, scorpions and insects ¨C they¡¯ll eat anything! They also have a particular habit: they like to store their food, kinda like dogs burying some treats for later. They¡¯ll dig holes in the sand and bury their prey in there for later, when there is a famine. So, if we look around, we will likely be able to find some caches of meat for us!¡± Tang Can explained as he continued to search.


    The young woman frowned. ¡°Even if we find what the fox has buried, is it really safe four us to eat that meat?¡±


    Tang Can replied, ¡°The desert is very dry. Most animals will dry up very quickly after death, and without moisture, it can¡¯t rot. The meat should be fine!¡±


    After searching a bit, the young officer managed to find some buried caches of food. His loot: a couple of dead birds and dead snakes. At first, the corpses of the dried up snakes scared Shen Yu. However, she was only squeamish for a brief moment. After spending so much time in the wilderness, she had more courage than before. She readily helped Tang Can peel the skin off of the dead snakes so they could eat them. The desert epitomized ¡°survival of the fittest¡±, and it would be folly to think otherwise. As long as they could survive longer, all of them would be willing to do almost anything.


    With the meat from the fox, birds and snakes, the three of them managed to ekk on longer. A few days later, they had finally stumbled across an oasis. In the oasis, there were lots of other animals congregated there, including a herd of wild camels.


    Where there were creatures, there was food! Tang Can and Mazha utilized their strengths and slowly sneaked up on the wild camels that night. They wanted to grab a few and use them as modes of transportation. However, the animals were more fierce than expected. During the fight, the camels kicked both Tang Can and Mazha heavily. In rage, Mazha angrily stabbed one fighting camel a couple of times with his dagger. With that, they no longer had a mode of transportation left, but they ended up with plenty of food. The meat from the camel would last for a few days!


    They skinned the camel and let the hide dry out in the desert. At night, they were able to use the camel¡¯s hide as a warm blanket.


    After spending so many days in the desert, cut off from the modern world, Shen Yu felt like she was slowly turning into a desert savage. While she was praying one morning, asking to be led out of this desert sooner, Mazha somehow came across a wooden crate in the sand. The soldier hollered in shock, and excitedly told Shen Yu and Tang Can to come to where he was!

 Chapter 56

    Chapter 56 ¨C Getting Rescued


    Mazha explained that he had found the suitcase in a desert poplar tree which had likely lived for a millenia. It was wedged within a crevice in the tree.


    Although the paint had faded and was peeling from the outside, Shen Yu could still make out that it had originally been a bright green color.


    Tang Can also noticed that and stated that the suitcase was probably issued from the army many years ago. Mazha agreed with his commanding officer¡¯s insight. ¡°More likely than not, this is a suitcase left behind by previous soldiers who had come to Lop Nor for expeditions. It¡¯s likely a supply cache!¡±


    At first, after hearing it was a suitcase filled with supplies, Shen Yu spirits rose. But soon reality sunk in. Even if it did contain food and water, how good could the food still be? She had no idea how long the box had been out in the desert and, after so many years, any food likely would have rotted or become as a hard as a rock.


    Neither of the two men were too concerned with the details. Tang Can and Mazha used their knives to pry the chest open. When he saw the contents, Tang Can was even more convinced that this box came from the military. Inside were papers with the army¡¯s letterhead on it, a map, and an old fashioned compass. Apart from those objects, there was no other objects in the box.


    Shen Yu could see that the paper seemed to have a lot of writing on them. However, the words were gibberish, and she couldn¡¯t make head or tails of it. On the flip side, Tang Can understood the contents with one glance. He chuckled, ¡°This really is something that our previous troops left here. In fact, it was left by soldiers in the Gold Discovery Armed Forces.¡± Shen Yu could see that the young man was very excited at the sight of these objects. Maybe Tang Can¡¯s father had led troops here decades ago and this was one of the places they had passed.


    Out of curiosity, she picked up the compass and asked Tang Can, ¡°Can this still be used?¡±


    Mazha replied, ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the value of this compass! This is a piece of equipment issued by the military and has been verified to be accurate after many years of use! Of course we can still use it! This is a very valuable tool. Also, this map had to be hand-drawn, look at all of the details on it. It marks oasis¡¯ and sources of water and even has the distances between them laid out!¡±


    Tang Can interrupted, ¡°Mazha, stop looking at the map for now, we need to find some good stuff first!¡±


    Excited, the soldier asked eagerly, ¡°What sort of good stuff?¡±


    ¡°The notes on the paper are all written in our division¡¯s secret code. It says that in the vicinity there are at least three supply caches. Although some of the food in those caches are probably no longer be edible, but they still hold gasoline, clothes, and equipment used to purify water. These are all supplies that we need!¡± explained the young officer.


    Mazha became extremely happy after hearing the news. Having a supply of fuel around would be a stroke of good luck! In the previous few days, they were only able to eat raw meat because they had no way to cook it. Sooner or later, one of them would have gotten sick from eating meat that way. Now that they had fuel, they could once again cook their food, killing any pathogens in the food.


    Naturally, Shen Yu was also pleased with this turn of events. She followed Tang Can and Mazha as they followed the instructions laid out on the paper. After a few hours of searching, they managed to find three supply chests and a bucket full of solid fuel.


    One of the boxes contained food. The food was all supplied in the dried and compressed form. As expected, the food had dessicated in the dry desert air and had become as hard as rocks. The other two chests had clothes in them, exactly as described in the notes. Mazha cheered in joy when he saw them, ¡°This is awesome! Now we won¡¯t freeze to death at night!¡±


    The desert had two faces. In the daytime, it was as hot as hell. At night, it cooled down to uncomfortable temperatures. Under these circumstances, having some extra layers was a godsend. The rest of the supplies contained water purifying tablets, a cast-iron pot, and a couple of bowls.


    The male soldier was so ecstatic at the sight of all their supplies that he exclaimed that he needed to give a few kowtows in gratitude to the people who left them here. They were their saviors!


    Tang Can also mentioned that with the map in hand, leaving the desert was no longer a problem anymore.


    Ever since they reached this oasis, Shen Yu felt like their luck had changed. They could follow the directions on the map and leave the desert. Although it was likely that some of the waterways and sources of water had migrated or disappeared over the years, the map was still a priceless treasure. Using it, they could find the right direction to go. Their chances of surviving this journey had increased immensely.


    Days had passed since they first entered the desert, and Shen Yu no longer had any sense of time left in her. Here, the days seemed to pass like years. One day, the three of them had walked for hours without finding a place to stop for water. They collapsed down, thirsty beyond belief, and reclined on the ground to take a rest.


    Suddenly, Mazha exclaimed, ¡°Aw man! There must be something wrong with my eyes right now! I¡¯m suddenly seeing some of our dead comrades in the distance!¡±


    Shen Yu turned her head to look in the direction that the man was pointing. She could see some camels and some soldiers. ¡°That must be a mirage! There¡¯s no wind today and it¡¯s really hot right now. These are the perfect circumstances for mirages to form!¡±


    Tang Can retorted, ¡°Then how come I¡¯m seeing Zhang Fei right now?¡±


    The moment he heard Zhang Fei¡¯s name, Mazha jumped off the sand dune. ¡°The gods have eyes! They¡¯re giving me a chance to see a mirage of Zhang Fei before I die!¡± he waxed emotionally.


    Tang Can burst out into the laughter. ¡°You dummy, that¡¯s not an illusion, that¡¯s the real, alive Zhang Fei! The rest of our soldiers have finally found us!¡± He assisted Shen Yu in getting up from the ground and started hollering at the soldiers in the distance.


    When the troops in the distance saw them, they hurried over. Shen Yu and the men were finally saved!


    Before they left the desert, Shen Yu had been trudging along, awake and alert. However, as soon as they left the desert, she became deathly ill. Tang Can and Mazha soon followed her. The issue was that they had eaten raw meat in the desert while trying to survive. Along with the random assortment of animals they had eaten, it had precipitated problems in their bodies.


    The two men had strong foundations and their bodies were resilient. After resting for a couple days, they had recuperated almost completely. Once he was better, Mazha frisked around energetically and exclaimed that he wanted to go back into the desert because they had finally found the lost deposit of gold. In addition to that, he also wanted to find the remains of his dead comrades. He intended to bring their bodies out of the desert so they could be sent home for burial.


    Shen Yu¡¯s condition was much more critical. In the desert, she had survived through sheer force of will and stubbornness. Her will to survive had driven her to persevere and allowed her body to stomach all of the harsh conditions. Once she got out, she had relaxed completely. Her body had quickly fallen in weakness.


    In critical condition, she drifted in and out of consciousness for several days. When she finally woke up, she found that she had no strength left in her body. She couldn¡¯t get out of bed and couldn¡¯t eat on her own. She was completely reliant on getting her nutrition from an IV bag.


    Before they left, Tang Can had spent several days in the hospital keeping her company. He repeatedly encouraged her to get better. By the time he came back out of his second trip to the desert, he hoped that she could make a complete recovery, so that they could ride camels together. The young officer had remembered that Shen Yu commented on wanting to ride a camel when they came across the herd of wild camels!


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget what we talked about earlier!¡± said Shen Yu, her face as pale as paper. She struggled to smile at him. The two of them had reached an unspoken understanding after their ordeal together. She could feel that things had changed between them, but she was reluctant to voice out the truth at this point.

 Chapter 57

    Chapter 57 ¨C Pulling in the Net


    ¡°I remember every single word you¡¯ve ever said to me!¡± Tang Can replied in a profound and earnest manner. Shen Yu¡¯s cheeks soon became flushed with a light, rosy color.


    The young officer chuckled gently, his heart warm with happiness. Before he left, he asked Shen Yu to write up an article about their experiences in the desert. The discovery of gold was of great importance to the nation, but, more importantly, they had lost many friends along the way. This would be a way to record their sacrifices and allow people to remember their deeds.


    Shen Yu nodded. Her thoughts wandered back to the events in the harsh desert. Thinking of how Guo Pingan gave his water to his comrades made her want to sigh in sorrow. The noble soldier ended up dying of dehydration. Because of this, she also believed it was important to write the article. They had left so many adorable friends dead in the desert, and there was very little chance for them to bring them back out. All they could do was hope their ghosts would wander back to their hometowns and make sure everyone at home remembered their deeds!


    Several days later, she saw her finished report on several major news outlets, and it elicited a weird feeling inside of her. Right now she was a military reporter and it was unusual for any articles she wrote to be published by the outside media. At most, the army would post her report on the army¡¯s newsletter. How did it end up in the civilian news?


    When she asked the female soldier who was taking care of her, the soldier also said that she was in the dark about this matter. Anything else she asked received pretty much the same answer, so she quickly tired of asking the female soldier for more information.


    On the day when she was supposed to get discharged, the female soldier asked her to wait a bit before leaving the hospital as there were people coming to pick her up. Shen Yu felt excited at the prospect as she thought it meant that Tang Can had come back from his second journey into the desert. Surprisingly, the people the female soldier brought to her were not Tang Can and the other, they were her parents!


    Only now did she find out that before Tang Can left, he had especially asked someone to bring her parents here to help take care of her. However, because her condition was initially so critical, he ordered the people to only bring her parents when she got better, in order to avoid worrying them too much. That way, by the time she got discharged, she had her parents there to help her out. Her parents would also be able to see their daughter mostly recovered, and they would not have to be too anxious.


    Shen Yu felt immense gratitude at how thoughtful Tang Can was with the whole process. All of her previous grievances towards him were now wiped away. The only thing she felt for him was just how much she missed him.


    After reuniting with her parents, Shen Yu felt a bit confused. She had a feeling that her parents had somehow changed, but she couldn¡¯t put a finger on exactly what was wrong with them. Her father was about the same. He had always been a taciturn person so that was nothing out of the ordinary. Her mother, on the other hand, was different from before. She seemed to be more absent-minded than usual and was unusually interested in the gold deposit that they had found. Shen Yu found herself being dragged frequently to the side by her mother to talk more about this subject.


    Because of Tang Can, she already had some suspicions regarding her parents. Now she believed even more that her parents were still hiding something from her. She wanted to use this time as an opportunity to sit down for a long talk with the both of them.


    The three of them had been given quarters at the military guesthouse after Shen Yu was discharged from the hospital. Whenever they wanted to eat something, there was always someone at the guesthouse willing to bring their food to their rooms.


    Earlier, the female soldier named Wang Yi had this particular responsibility. But today, the person had changed to a male soldier. In fact, this soldier was someone that she was already familiar with. It was Xiao Chen! The same man who journeyed with her when they left Changsha to go to Xinjiang.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t go with the other soldiers into the desert?¡± She asked with a smile on her face. There was no hidden meaning behind her words as she was only making conversation with him.


    Xiao Chen laughed. ¡°I didn¡¯t go. I had another assignment given to me.¡± He was also very friendly to her parents and treated them warmly.


    Shen Yu invited the soldier to come eat with them but Xiao Chen smiled graciously and declined. He explained that he had already eaten earlier, and that he¡¯ll wait for them at the door. When Shen Yu and her parents finished eating, they could let him know and he¡¯ll come back to tidy up the dishes.


    Shen Yu nodded and gestured to her parents to start eating.


    However, before they had finished half of the meal, Shen Yu felt unwell. Before she knew it, her vision started to turn black. There was something wrong but it was too late for her to do anything!


    When she woke up again, she found that she had been locked in a dark room with her hands bound behind her back. After waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim light that shone through the tiny window, she could vaguely see that she had been brought to an ordinary townhome in the village.


    Just when she was about to try to go find her parents, she heard the sound of her father¡¯s voice from outside the room. ¡°Let that child go! She¡¯s innocent of all of this!¡±


    Shen Yu almost jumped in shock and immediately decided to not try to cry for help. Instead, she plastered her body against the door and tried to listen to the voices outside.


    ¡°The map must be on you, isn¡¯t that true? You said the map had been taken away by Song Geng and was probably hidden in his wife¡¯s coffin, but I had already looked there! There was nothing in that coffin!¡± said a middle-aged man. Shen Yu started to sweat bullets when she recognized the voice. It was from her Uncle Wang in the village! She also noticed that he had said the name ¡°Song Geng¡±. He had to be referring to the Song Geng of that Miao village. Shen Yu finally understood exactly what had happened in the village. Song Geng¡¯s death, the desecration of his wife¡¯s coffin, it all made sense now.


    Shen Yu had long known that her father, Shen Bai, had a murky past. However, she had never suspected that Uncle Wang would also have a nebulous background!


    ¡°Where¡¯s my son?¡± asked Shen Bai, not bothering to answer Uncle Wang¡¯s question. He seemed agitated, a marked departure from his usual taciturn self.


    This time a woman¡¯s voice replied. When Shen Yu heard it, she almost fell over limp with shock. That sound was from her mother!


    ¡°Serves you right! Even after we swiped your son as a hostage, you still gritted your teeth and refused part with the map! But now the plot has been exposed and your enemy¡¯s son has come to find you to take revenge! Are you still not afraid? Are you not afraid that everything from all of those years ago will be exposed? Are you not afraid of the gun that¡¯s against your head?¡±


    Mom! Mom! MOM! Shen Yu shrieked in her heart. Just what kind of person are you?


    ¡°Well, what about your son? Have either of you ever thought about where he might be?¡± Shen Bai replied sneeringly.


    Mrs. Shen suddenly burst into noisy sobs and screamed, ¡°You f*cking asshole, Shen Bai! I trusted you so much back then but you had to kidnap my son! Where did you hide him? Give him back to me! Give him back¡­¡± She cried as if her heart was breaking in two. Shen Yu felt tears run down her face. She now knew for sure that she wasn¡¯t a part of the Shen family!


    ¡°Hmph! Had I not first taken your son, wouldn¡¯t both my son and I be dead right now?¡± Shen Bai replied in an icy, cold voice.


    Suddenly there was a muffled sound. It sounded like someone had viciously hit Shen Bai but he had gritted his teeth and endured the pain.


    ¡°Don¡¯t cry, Yun Jin! Our son has to still be alive! Why are you so sad? We¡¯ve already endured so many years, all in an effort to get that map! The gold deposit has once again shown itself in the desert, and the armed forces are already searching for it. If we don¡¯t do something now, then the gold will never be ours! Once we have money, won¡¯t we have plenty of ways to find our son?¡± Uncle Wang yelled her mother¡¯s name in an effort to comfort her.


    Shen Yu¡¯s vision blackened, and she swayed on her feet. All of this was almost too much for her. It took everything she had to keep herself from passing out from shock.


    If she hadn¡¯t found the picture of her dad in a military uniform back in Song Geng¡¯s house and found out that her dad had a questionable past, all of this would have caused to lose half of her life! These secrets were changing everything she knew about her own life!


    But now she had a better understanding of the truth! Her mother was actually Old Mr. Yun¡¯s supposedly ¡°dead for years¡± daughter, Yun Jin. She thought back to the old photos of her Uncle Li that Tang Can had shown her. The pictures all showed partial images of a young woman obscuring her face and who had a silver bracelet! Those were all pictures of Yun Jin! Shen Yu also knew that the bracelet she wore was handmade by Song Geng himself. Now, if she wasn¡¯t Yun Jin¡¯s or Shen Bai¡¯s daughter then she¡­


    She suddenly recalled what the Desert Fox had told her before they entered the desert¡­

 Chapter 58(End)

    Chapter 58 ¨C The End


    Time passed as Shen Yu¡¯s heart rattled with emotions. Slowly, she managed to grasp all of her turbid feelings and reel them in. Now was not the time to let her heart overrule her head.


    Outside of her room, the conversation continued. Shen Yu kept one ear cocked towards the door. Half of her mind made sure to process what she heard while the other half organized all of the information she obtained before today.


    She more or less had the whole picture now. All it took was half of a map to turn her life upside down. Because the Desert Fox had tried to kidnap her, she had originally decided to believe that his entire story was made of lies. However, now she knew that the story he told her was true.


    The Desert Fox had talked about the officer who had given him a second chance. That man¡¯s wife was most likely Song Geng¡¯s daughter. At the time, the Desert Fox had mentioned that he knew she was from an ethnic minority tribe, but he didn¡¯t know which one. However, if you combined all of the facts that he did know: the silver bracelet, the wife¡¯s mother dying, and the wife¡¯s father being in prison; the sum of those fact seemed to point towards Song Geng¡¯s daughter. The backgrounds of the two women were almost exactly the same, so they had to be the same person.


    Shen Yu was uneasy to fully commit herself but she now had an idea who her real parents were. At least, she was about ninety percent sure.


    Additionally, she now knew for certain who had desecrated Song Geng¡¯s deceased wife¡¯s grave in the Miao village. It had to be Uncle Wang. As for how he found out Shen Yu and the others were going to the village? That had to be the work of Yun Jin. She was Old Mr. Yun¡¯s daughter and was also Uncle Wang¡¯s lover. With that connection, it wasn¡¯t surprising that Uncle Wang showed up in that village to search for the map.


    Shen Yu also recalled that Tang Can had found a military-issued shovel on the night he tried to apprehend the thief in Song Geng¡¯s house. Thinking about it made her frown for a moment. Then she realized that Uncle Wang likely had been enlisted in the army previously.


    As she continued to eavesdrop on the conversation, Shen Bai said something that especially piqued her interest.


    ¡°That other half of the map really isn¡¯t in my hands anymore. I gave it to Eagle. At the time he had agreed to use that part of the map to make an exchange and help me get my son back. However, it has been many years since I last had word from him. He¡¯s most likely in the grave now. I bet Yun Zhuo was the one responsible for his disappearance! If Yun Zhuo doesn¡¯t have that half of the map, then you guys should go visit King Yama in hell and find Eagle for it!¡±


    She felt like she had just been hit by another shock and her body trembled. She could remember that night, when she found the bird¡¯s nest with the map and the piece of dog¡¯s head gold¡­


    When they were in the mountains, Old Li had told her something! The same Old Li who had tried to harm her had told her an important clue! He said that Blackie¡¯s original master was a man called Eagle!


    The young woman didn¡¯t quite know how to feel at this point. The map that the people outside of the room had been frantically searching for had been inadvertently found by her! Unfortunately, she no longer knew where it was. It was lost to them forever.


    Right when she was about to sigh with regret, she heard a bit of noise by the tiny window of her prison Curious beyond belief, she twisted around to look and saw a few people outside trying to pry the window open. Before she could shout for help, she saw a flashlight shine across a person¡¯s face. That person was Tang Can himself!


    Pure, ecstatic happiness poured through her body. Within seconds, the people outside were able to open the window. The young officer leaped in and helped Shen Yu untie her restraints. Outside, she could hear the sound of sirens screaming, followed by the noise of many people rushing into the building.


    Shen Yu cried tears of happiness and wailed Tang Can¡¯s name over and over as she flung herself into his arms. She had never expected Tang Can to be the one to rescue her from this place.


    She later found out that Shen Bai and the others had all been caught. They were all restrained and brought out by the special forces.


    Tang Can had stayed behind to comfort Shen Yu.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay!¡± soothed the young officer. His voice was warm and soft.


    Shen Yu continued to sob, heartbroken by all of the dirty secrets she had just overheard.


    ¡°Sweetheart, it¡¯s okay! I¡¯m here now!¡± Tang Can gently continued to comfort her.


    Out of nowhere, Mazha suddenly appeared. ¡°Enough of the sappy stuff! Let¡¯s go back to the house first and then you guys can continue to coo as much as you want!¡±


    ¡°Get out of here!¡± snarled Tang Can. Mazha grumbled and resentfully left to give them space.


    Shen Yu wanted to ask Tang Can why he had growled at the other man. But before she could open her mouth, she found herself already occupied.


    Tang Can had kissed her!


    Her mind went blank and she felt like she floating on cloud nine. Sweetness trickled into her, temporarily soothing away the hurts she had received earlier. For a moment, Shen Yu forgot everything that had happened and focused on the present.


    Minutes passed before Tang Can released Shen Yu. When they went back on the road, Tang Can finally revealed the truth to her. Apparently, the Gold Discovery Armed Forces had never gone back into the desert. Instead, he and his group had hid themselves to wait for their trap to be sprung.


    And that trap had been set long ago. Tang Can had laid the foundations for it on the first day he met Shen Yu.


    The young officer had already knew Shen Bai¡¯s true nature. He also knew that Shen Bai had been the one responsible for causing Tang Can¡¯s father¡¯s death. His father was a stellar commanding officer of the Gold Discovery Armed Forces ¨C Yu Danqing! The reason why they never apprehended Shen Bai for his murder was because the affairs of the nation trumped the desires of an individual. They needed to find the lost map that lead them to the buried gold!


    Finding out that she had been used by Tang Can this entire time proved to be a bitter pill for her to swallow. Shen Yu was angry and didn¡¯t want to talk to him any longer.


    Tang Can had predicted she would react this way, so he came prepared. Before he told her the truth, he made sure to kiss to her to assess her feelings.


    ¡°You shameless bastard!¡± yelled Shen Yu. She found it hard to believe that she had been a chess piece in his hand this whole time. It made her feel used.


    ¡°I know you hate me right now but it¡¯s too late to cry over spilt milk. Won¡¯t you give me a chance to make it up to you? Let me live the rest of my life to atone for my crimes to you!¡± The words that came out of his mouth on the surface sounded like he was admitting defeat, but in actuality, he had never let go of Shen Yu. Even when she bit him on the arm he still refused to let her go. Since she had already experienced this earlier, she knew the outcome already. So this time, she begrudgingly took the loss.


    ¡°I had half a piece of a map on me earlier, was it you who took it from me?¡± Shen Yu had long known that Tang Can was the one who stole the map away from her. However, she deliberately deceived herself and told herself that it wasn¡¯t him. Now that she knew everything, she wanted to cry at how foolish she was earlier!


    ¡°Yes, it was me,¡± admitted Tang Can.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to see you anymore!¡± hollered Shen Yu in a loud voice, infuriated beyond belief. She used all of her strength to push the young man away from her but he kept a death grip on her and refused to budge.


    ¡°Like I said earlier, if you want to hate me, that¡¯s fine! Just let me be by your side and atone for my crimes!¡± Tang Can had somehow pulled out a ring out of nowhere and, without explanation, put it on her ring finger on her left hand. He pulled Shen Yu tightly into his embrace and planted a passionate kiss on her lips.


    Shen Yu felt her blood heat up. Time passed in that dreamy state until she slowly managed to calm herself down. Feelings of love could pull down all barriers and Shen Yu was not an exception to that fact!


    At last, she got a good look at the jade ring on her finger. Panting with anger, she snapped at Tang Can, ¡°Who the hell proposes marriage like this? Do you think you¡¯re a dictator? That you can just pull whoever you want to marry into your car and then drive away?¡±


    Tang Can laughed. ¡°Who says I¡¯m pulling you away? I think it¡¯s the opposite. I¡¯m trying to stick myself onto you so you can take me away! The ring on your hand is a priceless heirloom that has been passed down in my family for generations. I put that treasure in your hands, so you can take it and go wherever you wish!¡±


    Shen Yu found herself stuck between feeling simultaneously exasperated yet tickled at the same time. The man in front of her was just too much sometimes!


    The next day, she found herself curious as to what would happen to Shen Bai and Yun Jin. Even though they were criminals, they had been her adoptive parents for her whole life. They had truly showed love to her. To her, they were still her true parents, and she loved them despite their mistakes.


    Tang Can had a solemn expression on his face when she asked him. He stayed silent for a moment before he answered, ¡°In front of the law, all people are equal. I understand your feelings towards them, but you need to understand that people who commit wrongs must face the consequences of their own actions. Please prepare yourself for the worst. It¡¯s entirely possible that in the future the only way you¡¯ll meet them is behind bars. Shen Bai has an old criminal case and Yun Jin and Uncle Wang also committed crimes. A while ago, the local police back in your village finally discovered your Uncle Li¡¯s real corpse. The body they buried earlier had also been exhumed and an autopsy was conducted. The results came back showed that it was actually Aunt Wang¡¯s body that had been mistaken for your Uncle Li.¡±


    Her heart sank after she realized the enormity of the situation. All of the events that happened before and after her Uncle Li¡¯s disappearance had clicked together. At the time, none of it seemed linked but now she could see the truth in a glance. A price must always be paid, especially if there is murder involved. However, it was hard for her to reconcile her feelings. Despite Yun Jin¡¯s faults, she had still been Shen Yu¡¯s foster mom for more than twenty years and had treated Shen Yu well.


    ¡°There is one thing that I must tell you. It might help you feel a bit better!¡± Tang Can added as he gently patted her on the shoulder.


    She raised her head to look at him. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°We know where Shen Bai¡¯s son is now!¡±


    ¡°Eh? How did you find him?¡± Shen Yu asked, feeling pleasantly surprised.


    ¡°Think of it as you repaying Shen Bai for taking care of you for all of those years!¡± Tang Can said obliquely. Shen Yu felt confused and didn¡¯t quite understand what he was trying to say.


    The young officer continued, ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me a while ago? About Mazha¡¯s hometown? You had asked me if I knew what ¡®rice sheep¡¯ were. At that time, I had no idea, but later on I realized what it was! ¡®Rice sheep¡¯ are actually ¡®ants¡¯, the term ¡®ants¡¯ just sounds like ¡®rice sheep¡¯ when it¡¯s said in a Shandong accent!¡±


    At this point, Shen Yu truly felt some admiration towards Tang Can. She had merely shot him one sentence, and yet, he made sure to investigate it thoroughly. People had been dispatched by him to conduct a full inquiry into Mazha¡¯s background. They not only found Mazha¡¯s true background but also his involvement with Old Mr. Yun.


    ¡°Now, does Mazha know about this?¡± She knitted her eyebrows when she realized that Mazha had been Old Mr. Yun¡¯s double agent in the Gold Discovery Armed Forces this entire time.


    Tang Can shook his head. ¡°No, I haven¡¯t told him yet. There just hasn¡¯t been the time to talk about these things.¡±


    Seeing the disappointed expression on her face, Tang Can tried to comfort her, ¡°It¡¯s not that important, don¡¯t worry! It¡¯s not as if Mazha did anything truly bad. Old Mr. Yun was using him by pretending to be close with him. He didn¡¯t know that the old geezer was planning on making him the fall guy. That old fox is only loyal to his blood family.¡±


    Shen Yu immediately felt better. Shen Bai had been looking for his son all of these years and now he had a chance to see him, should Mazha decide to acknowledge the relationship.


    She suddenly thought of another issue. Words hurriedly stumbled out of her mouth, ¡°Then, what about Xiao Chen¡­¡±


    Tang Can interrupted before she could finish, ¡°I already knew. If it wasn¡¯t for him, this play wouldn¡¯t have finished so nicely.¡± The young officer nodded his head.


    Although she already knew the truth, Shen Yu still looked like she had something more to say. Her mouth opened and then closed. Tang Can noticed that something was off with her and asked her what she wanted to say. She let out a small smile but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Actually, she wanted to tell him what the Desert Fox had told her all those days ago, that she might be Tang Can¡¯s father¡¯s, Yu Danqing, true daughter. Other than the old man, she was the only one who knew this fact. It also explained why her name was ¡°Yu¡± as well¡­[1]


    The reason why she kept silent was because she didn¡¯t want Tang Can to feel how she was feeling. He would have to acknowledge that the people he thought were his parents weren¡¯t actually his biological parents. It would be a hard thing to swallow. Shen Yu didn¡¯t want him to feel horrible too. Knowing the truth would only hurt him. Furthermore, her biological parents had already died, so it wasn¡¯t like she could meet them now either.


    All of the people who needed to be caught were now caught, but there was still one more person they needed to see. It was the person who had the other half of the map, but Tang Can and his group couldn¡¯t do anything to that man. It was Old Mr. Yun. Not only the old geezer have powerful friends but he also didn¡¯t do anything that broke the law. It didn¡¯t matter that he was hiding something, no one could lawfully force him to let that piece of the map go.


    The only thing that Tang Can could do was to continue to see Old Mr. Yun over and over again, and hope the old man would finally relent.


    In the end, the old geezer finally offered a deal for his half of the map: release Yun Jin from prison.


    But that was impossible!


    The young officer felt as if he had met an impasse and was about to leave the negotiations again when his cell phone rang. He exchanged a look with Shen Yu, then walked out to take the call.


    Shen Yu noticed that Old Mr. Yun¡¯s teacup was almost empty, so she got up to fill it with more tea. While she was pouring the beverage, the old geezer inadvertently looked at her hand and noticed the jade ring on her finger. His eyes opened so wide that it looked like they could fall out his head at any time. Shocked, he looked at the young woman and, with a voice that trembled, said ¡°That ring¡­¡±


    Her first reaction was to think that the old geezer wanted it. She knew how greedy he was, but this ring was a symbol of her engagement to Tang Can, she couldn¡¯t let him have it.


    The old man mumbled, ¡°That¡­ring¡­rii-¡­.-ng¡­¡± He seemed to be a state of shock and couldn¡¯t complete a full sentence.


    ¡°This is the engagement ring that Tang Can gave to me! I can¡¯t give it to you!¡± The expression on his face frightened her to death. He can¡¯t be THAT shameless, can he? What kind of low-life would want someone else¡¯s engagement ring?


    ¡°Tang Can?¡± The old man exclaimed, his face warping with emotion. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes and his voice wavered, ¡°Grandson¡­my grandson!¡±


    Shen Yu was flabbergasted!


    And that¡¯s the end! Thank you for reading!