Song Ning stared at them urgently, hoping to convey some information.
But Zhou Yuanhang reached out and pressed her head closer to his chest.
"I'm from Yangjue Village across the way. My father is Yang Dachuan, and I'm his third son!"
The man called Dazhong said, "Uncle Wu, these two are from your Yangjue Village. Identify them for our military comrades!"
"Yes, yes! That's Dachuan's third son and his wife!"
One of the soldiers pointed at Song Ning. "Lift your head. Let me see your face!"
Old Wu smiled. "The third son's wife is famously timid! She even blushes when she talks to people from our own village!"
Beside her, Zhou Yuanhang joined in with an honest, good-natured smile.
Dazhong said, "Uncle Wu is an old resident of Yangjue Village! If he recognizes them, there's no mistake!"
"All right! You can go!"
The two soldiers asked no more questions. They did not even give them another look, simply waving them through!
The ox cart creaked into motion again.
"Goodness! What's all this about? Why are they even checking us?" asked the woman surnamed Huang.
"Didn't you just say a vehicle exploded? Maybe they're looking for strangers!"
"That makes sense! But what's the use of checking us? Surely they don't think we had anything to do with that explosion!"
"Exactly..."
Two more bends along the winding mountain road would bring the ox cart to the stop used by several nearby villages.
This was a national highway, and passing long-distance buses would stop here briefly.
There were few services, but for these mountain villagers living deep in the wilderness, they were the only transportation out of the mountains.
After they rounded a hairpin bend, several earthen houses came into view in a broad clearing up ahead.
But Zhou Yuanhang checked his watch