The setting sun sank in the west, leaving a streak of afterglow across the sky and stretching the little figure's shadow long.
Hu Xiaocao was almost crushed beneath the basket on her back. Besides pig feed, it was filled with firewood.
She trudged along the mountain path, using a section of dead branch she had picked up as a crutch in her left hand. From time to time, she pushed aside the vines and plants blocking her way.
She carefully surveyed her surroundings. In her right hand, she held a sheet of paper, occasionally comparing it closely under the faint moonlight, as though searching for something.
The paper depicted a plant that looked somewhat like a queen of the night.
"Grandpa Wu said that I have to find this herb that blooms at night to treat Mom, but I've searched for so long and still haven't seen it."
Hu Xiaocao muttered to herself. The mountain path was difficult to travel, and with the dim, murky light of night, she stumbled all the way.
Even her hands and feet were covered in countless tiny wounds, all scratched by sharp plants bristling with thorns.
Yet Hu Xiaocao seemed not to notice the pain. Her gaze remained focused, and she failed to notice that her clothes had caught on a branch beside her.
"Riiip—"
In the silent night, the sound of cloth tearing rang out especially clearly.
Seeing the huge rip the branch had made in her sleeve, Hu Xiaocao could not help looking heartbroken. "I'll have to mend my clothes again when I get back."
Hu Xiaocao could not help sighing, feeling somewhat dispirited.
"I wonder where that herb Grandpa Wu said would bloom at night is."
The mountain forest at night was completely different from its daytime appearance, as though it had changed into another world. All things had two sides, yin and yang, without exception.
By day, it was lush and verdant, with green trees forming a canopy. But at night, everything was steeped in the thick ink of darkness, and the outlines of the towering trees gradually blurred.
They resembled monstrous shadows lying in wait, ready to strike, their eyes fixed hungrily on Hu Xiaocao below.
No matter how precocious she was, she was still only a half-grown child.
A chill crept up Hu Xiaocao's back. She suddenly remembered the stories of mountain spirits and monsters the village elders had once told her.
"If you don't behave, the spirits in the mountains will come and carry you away! They love snatching naughty, crying children the most!"
Words like these had originally been meant to frighten children into staying quiet and obedient.
But with the surroundings and the location, Hu Xiaocao was wearing thin clothes to begin with. When the night wind swept through the mountains, it felt as though someone were blowing cold air against the back of her neck.
The shadows of the trees swayed around her with a rustling sound, as though they were clapping their hands. Ghostly silhouettes seemed to fill the forest.
Hu Xiaocao could not help shivering, and began to lose her nerve. "Forget it. Maybe I should go back."
The moment that thought arose, Hu Xiaocao remembered her mother wasting away on her sickbed. Boundless courage immediately welled up inside her again.
She subconsciously clenched her little fists, her gaze filled with determination.
"No! I have to find the herb that blooms at night and bring it back to treat Mom. Then Mom can get better sooner and won't have to drink those awful medicines anymore."
Hu Xiaocao looked at the bright moon overhead and pressed her palms together in prayer.
"I've been so good and obedient, Grandpa Mountain God. You'll definitely bless me too, right? Grandpa Mountain God, since you're not saying anything, I'll take that as your agreement!"
Bathed in silver radiance, Hu Xiaocao resolutely moved forward. Her tiny body bore the entire burden of life.
Meanwhile, in Longyuan Village, at the farthest corner to the southeast, stood a dilapidated thatched hut.
The outside of the house was in terrible condition. It was practically open to the wind on all four sides, and even the windows were covered with pasted paper, as though the whole place might collapse with a single gust.
Inside, a bean-sized candle flame barely illuminated the surroundings. Apart from a broken bed, there were only several lopsided chairs missing legs and a few chipped bowls piled on the floor.
There was not a single other unnecessary item. The place could truly be called bare to the walls.
The room was permeated with a heavy medicinal smell. A brown clay pot simmered nearby, and the scent of medicine wafted out from within it.
A pale-faced woman struggled up from the bed and leaned against the doorframe, gazing outside again and again. Her face was filled with worry.
"Xiao Cao said she was going to cut pig feed. Why hasn't she come back yet? Could something have happened to her?"
"Cough, cough! No, I have to go take a look."
The woman took her crutch and had only just stepped outside when she ran into Wu Yuan.
Wu Yuan frowned when he saw her. "Why have you come out, miss? Didn't I tell you that with your condition, you need to lie in bed and rest properly?"
In his youth, Wu Yuan had learned some medicine from a barefoot doctor. He had acquired a fair amount of skill, and whenever anyone in the village suffered from a headache, fever, or other ailment, they would seek him out.
"Uncle Wu—"
"Cough, cough, cough!"
The moment the woman opened her mouth, perhaps because she had inhaled the cold air, violent coughing burst from her throat, as if she were about to cough out her very organs.
Wu Yuan hurriedly helped her back inside, then poured her a bowl of medicine from the clay pot. The brown liquid was thick and carried a strange smell.
The woman drank it without changing expression, clearly accustomed to it.
"I told you, your illness can't be exposed to the wind. If it worsens, there'll be nothing I can do."
After drinking the medicine, the woman's coughing indeed eased, but her complexion remained terrible.
She seized Wu Yuan's hand, her eyes full of panic. She was emaciated, looking as though a layer of skin had been stretched over her bones, with every vein standing out.
"Uncle Wu, Xiao Cao is missing. She went out today saying she was going to cut pig feed, but she still hasn't come back. Do you think something happened to her?"
Wu Yuan seemed to think of something, and his face abruptly changed. "Oh no! Could Xiao Cao have gone up the mountain?"
"A few days ago, she kept pestering me to draw the medicinal herbs for her. I thought she was only being curious like any child and didn't think much of it, so I drew them for her."
The medicinal herb was called Moonpetal Grass in traditional Chinese medicine. It belonged to the evening primrose family and bloomed at dusk or in the evening, which was how it got its name. Both its petals and roots could be used medicinally as an ingredient.
The medicine the woman was taking was missing precisely this ingredient. But Moonpetal Grass was rather scarce here, and Wu Yuan had none stored away, so he could only substitute something else.
When the woman heard this, her vision went black, and she nearly fainted. "You mean Xiao Cao went up the mountain to gather medicine for me?!"
With her emotions surging violently, the woman's chest heaved hard, and her eyes were already beginning to roll back.
Wu Yuan saw that something was wrong and hurriedly pinched her philtrum, then poured another mouthful of medicine into her. Only then did the woman improve somewhat.
The woman's eyes were red as she sobbed uncontrollably. "W-what are we going to do? The mountains are so dangerous. I only have Xiao Cao as my daughter. If anything happens to her, I won't go on living either."
Wu Yuan comforted her. "Don't worry, miss. I'll take people to find Xiao Cao right now. That girl is clever and quick-witted, and good people are protected by Heaven. Nothing will happen to her."
"Then I'm sorry for the trouble, Uncle Wu. We've caused you trouble again."
Wu Yuan waved his hand dismissively. "Don't say that. We're all neighbors from the same village."
The woman nodded through her tears and silently prayed for Xiao Cao.
(The end of this chapter)
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