Encountering Danger

Chapter 47: In Danger

"Grandpa Wu, how is my mother?"

The woman's eyes were slightly red, as if she had just been crying. She wiped the corners of her eyes. "Your Grandpa Wu said that as long as I rest for a while longer, I'll get better and better."

Hu Xiaocao's eyes lit up. "Really? That's great! I knew praying to the Mountain God would work."

Wu Yuan, standing nearby, looked at the overjoyed Hu Xiaocao with pity. He pursed his lips and looked at the woman's pleading expression, ultimately saying nothing.

However, Hu Xiaocao sensitively sensed something was wrong. "Mom, you're almost better, why aren't you happy? Are you lying to me?"

The woman forced a smile. "I'm happy, Mom is so happy she could cry. Besides, if you don't believe me, go ask your Grandpa Wu."

Looking into Hu Xiaocao's innocent, young eyes, Wu Yuan nodded with difficulty.

"That's great, I'll go make dinner then."

Hu Xiaocao skipped outside to gather firewood.

After she had gone far, Wu Yuan sighed. "You can't hide your condition forever. Xiaocao is a smart child; she'll find out sooner or later."

The woman wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes. "Let her be happy for a few more days. Xiaocao has suffered too much. Sigh, sometimes I think if I died, maybe Xiaocao wouldn't be so tired."

Wu Yuan's expression changed upon hearing this. "How can you think that way? Xiaocao already has no father; do you want her to have no mother too?"

The woman's clouded pupils suddenly shone with a spark of light. "Uncle Wu, don't worry. Even for Xiaocao, I will try my best to live. I still want to see her get married."

Wu Yuan left some herbs and gave a few more instructions before departing.

After taking the herbs with Moonpetal Grass as a guiding agent, the woman's condition improved for a while, but then it worsened. Every night, she would erupt in heart-wrenching coughs, barely sleeping through the night.

Her face was so pale it looked like she would fall over with a gust of wind. At these times, Hu Xiaocao would tightly grasp her mother's hand, afraid she would disappear in the blink of an eye.

After the small temple was built, Hu Xiaocao became even more diligent, going almost every day regardless of the weather.

Many villagers who passed by would see Xiaocao kowtowing and praying for her mother's recovery, their expressions filled with sympathy and pity.

"This Xiaocao is truly pitiful. I heard her mother's condition has worsened, and she's placing her hopes on the illusory Mountain God."

"Where is there any Mountain God? This is all feudal superstition."

"Speak softer. Don't let Xiaocao hear. The child has this one hope, and she even built a small temple. If you shatter it, won't that hurt her feelings?"

The villagers walked away, sighing. They only felt pity when they looked at Hu Xiaocao, and they would often help her out when they could.

One day, the kind neighbor Aunt Zhang brought a few eggs for the mother and daughter to supplement their nutrition. Hu Xiaocao ran home as if she had found a treasure, presenting them to her mother like an offering.

The woman shook her head and stroked Hu Xiaocao's dry, straw-like hair. "Mom doesn't like eggs. You eat them yourself."

Eggs might be common for some families, but for the mother and daughter, they were already extremely precious food. The eggs at home were saved to be sold for money.

Eating even one felt like a crime.

The mother and daughter couldn't bear to eat them. Hu Xiaocao felt like it had been a lifetime since they last ate an egg. Their daily meals consisted of rice and pickles, with no hint of meat at all.

An ordinary egg was already a rare delicacy for them.

Hu Xiaocao's attitude was firm. She held the eggs out, refusing to put them down. "No, Mom, you have to eat the eggs. Eating eggs will help you recover faster."

Unable to refuse Hu Xiaocao, the woman had no choice but to eat two.

There was one last egg left, but Hu Xiaocao made no move to eat it.

The woman asked curiously, "Xiaocao, why aren't you eating?"

Hu Xiaocao couldn't help but swallow. As if thinking of something, she said, "I'm going to eat it outside!"

Watching Hu Xiaocao run away, the woman smiled and shook her head. "This child, why does she have to run outside to eat an egg?"

Unbeknownst to her, Hu Xiaocao was running to the Mountain God temple with the egg.

"Mountain God, look what I brought for you."

Even though she knew the clay statue of the Mountain God wouldn't reply, Hu Xiaocao still talked to herself. Over the past few days, she had become accustomed to recounting what she saw and heard, as well as her worries.

It was as if the Mountain God statue before her could truly hear.

"Aunt Zhang gave me three eggs. To help Mom get better quickly, she ate two, and I brought the last one for you."

Hu Xiaocao chattered on, peeling the egg. Looking at the round, plump egg white, which emitted a faint aroma, Hu Xiaocao took a deep sniff and licked her lips.

With immense willpower, she managed to resist taking a bite of the egg.

"Mountain God, please eat my egg and make sure my mother gets better soon."

When people become powerless, superstition becomes their last hope. Hu Xiaocao was young and didn't understand the meaning of superstition; she was simply too filial.

Just as Hu Xiaocao was about to place the egg down, she heard footsteps approaching from behind. "Drip, drip."

Thinking it was just some villagers passing by, Hu Xiaocao turned around, only to see an unfamiliar man.

In a village, everyone knows each other. Hu Xiaocao recognized all the uncles and elders in her village, but she had never seen this man before.

She looked confused and was about to ask a question when a rag was pressed over her mouth and nose. She immediately smelled a pungent odor, and then Hu Xiaocao lost consciousness, the egg in her hand rolling onto the ground.

After the man finished all this, seeing no one around, he grabbed Hu Xiaocao and plunged into the nearby mountain forest.

Only the mountain god statue, made of mud, bore witness to it all.

The eggs, originally meant for offerings, fell to the ground, got covered in dust, and instantly became dirty, before finally being crushed by the man's footsteps.

Not long after the man entered the mountain forest, he encountered several other people.

One of them was quite sturdy, with bulging muscles, appearing to be a martial artist. His fierce eyes suggested he wasn't a good person.

Another was as thin as a bamboo pole, with a shifty, rat-like appearance. His yellowish eyes darted around, always giving the impression he was plotting something, making people feel uneasy.

In short, this group did not look like decent folk.

"Yang Cheng, you're quick to act."

"She was alone, and no one else was around, so it was a good opportunity to strike. I brought her back, considering it our opening success."

It turned out the man's name was Yang Cheng. They were all human traffickers, planning to abduct children and women in the nearby towns and sell them elsewhere.

Yang Cheng had been scouting the area and encountered Hu Xiaocao worshipping by the temple, so he took her along.

In fact, in towns and villages, smaller places were easier to operate in. Not only was there no surveillance, but reporting a crime required going to the town, which would often mean missing the best window of opportunity.

In big cities, there were surveillance cameras everywhere, and traffic police patrols were common, posing a risk of exposure if one wasn't careful.