Afternoon

Liu Qian hid in the small house with a blush, a mix of sweetness and annoyance in her heart. The sweetness came from her secret being guessed, meaning her beloved likely knew. The annoyance stemmed from how quickly they spoke of such things, barely days after her arrival, as if she were too easily swayed.

Though Liu Qian's face burned and annoyance simmered, she was also confused. From her interactions over the past few days, her grandmother seemed like a very reasonable person. Why would she embarrass her so openly? Still, it wasn't impossible. Old people could get confused, a fact Liu Qian could understand. But how was she supposed to go out and face them now?

Outside, everyone felt similarly. Looking at the grinning grandmother, Zhang Xiaohua was speechless. There was nothing he could do; it wasn't appropriate for him to go in at the moment. Guo Sufi thought for a moment, then pinched Zhang Xiaohua's ear. "It's all your fault. Go, go call Liu Qian out."

Zhang Xiaohua rubbed his ear and scratched his head, muttering, "What does this have to do with me?"

Guo Sufi smiled and pushed him, saying, "If you hadn't told your grandmother about your Eldest Brother and Liu Qian, how would she have known?"

Zhang Xiaohua said, "So you guys knew." After saying that, he had no choice but to get up and walk towards the house, wondering what to do as he went.

Liu Qian was in the house, her face flushed, when she saw Zhang Xiaohua enter. Zhang Xiaohua happily ran up to Liu Qian, taking her hand and saying, "Sister Liu, it's boring staying at home. Come with me to see my cultivated land and the well we dug."

Liu Qian said, "Okay, I've heard your Eldest Brother talk about the land you opened up yourself. I've always wanted to see it. Let's go, we'll go today."

With that, Liu Qian took Zhang Xiaohua's hand and walked out of the small house.

Zhang Xiaohua followed behind Liu Qian. As soon as they were out of the house, he shouted, "Mom, Dad, I'm taking Sister Liu to see my land on the slope. We'll be back soon."

Guo Sufi said, "Then go early and come back early. Hurry back for dinner, Xiaohua. Protect your sister."

Zhang Xiaohua grinned and said, "No problem, Mother."

Liu Qian walked up to Guo Sufi and whispered, "Auntie, I'm going out then."

Guo Sufi smiled and said, "Go early and come back early."

And so, Liu Qian and Zhang Xiaohua walked out of the Zhang family's small courtyard.

Walking on the small paths of Guo Village, familiar villagers greeted them from time to time. The village wasn't large; any small matter in a household was immediately known to everyone. Even more so, when the usually low-key Zhang family suddenly had a beautiful young lady like Liu Qian. The neighbors who had gone to Baligou with Zhang Xiaohua had been instructed by Zhang Cai not to reveal Liu Qian's situation. They were told to say she was a relative's child who had come to stay for a while to care for the sick and injured family. Of course, Zhang Cai was the one who was sick, and Xiaolong and Xiaohu were injured from being mischievous. Although they were past the age for mischief, it was common for mountain folk to get injured, so everyone didn't suspect anything else.

It was no wonder Zhang Cai was cautious. The lesson from the neighboring village was a prime example. It was better not to be too ostentatious.

Although the explanation of being a relative was reasonable, it seemed very telling to the villagers. A girl more beautiful than all the young ladies in the village had come to care for Zhang Xiaolong. Everything could only point to a secret everyone knew but no one spoke aloud. Looking at Liu Qian, the way they greeted her was tinged with ambiguity. Liu Qian had come out to escape embarrassment, but the village paths only brought more of it.

Fortunately, the path wasn't too long, and they soon reached a small bridge. Liu Qian was very fond of streams; she liked how the stream's water flowed carefree, ever onward. She asked Zhang Xiaohua, "Xiaohua, when you went to our Baligou, did you see the small river in our village?"

Zhang Xiaohua scratched his head and said, "I didn't notice. At that time, I was focused on how to find your home and didn't pay attention to anything else."

Liu Qian smiled and said, "The river in Baligou is much larger than yours. There's also more land along the river. Even our family has a decent-sized plot of land by the river, but unfortunately, no one in our family cultivates it, so we rent it out to others."

Zhang Xiaohua said, "That's a shame. If our family had that piece of land, we wouldn't have to clear wasteland on the slope."

As they spoke, they crossed the bridge, and a winding path led up the slope. It wasn't a real road, but rather a path that had formed on the gentle slope from people walking on it. Liu Qian walked nimbly on this path, her grace like a dancing musical note. Zhang Xiaohua couldn't help but praise, "Sister Liu, you walk so beautifully."

Liu Qian smiled faintly and replied, "You little rascal, hurry up."

In the winter, a rare warmth permeated the mountainside. As the two walked, they didn't feel the cold or desolation; it even had a spring-like feel. The newly cleared farmland on the slope lay there, lonely, its owner hadn't visited it in a long time, and it remained the same.

Liu Qian looked at it and said in surprise, "Xiaohua, did you clear this all by yourself? That's a very large piece of land."

Zhang Xiaohua lifted his small head proudly and said, "Yes, Sister Liu, I did it all. Eldest Brother and Second Brother also helped a bit."

Liu Qian praised him, "You're truly extraordinary, a capable child."

Then, she naturally saw the giant, bed-like stone under the big tree and asked in surprise, "Such a stone is quite rare. It's so neat and so large. It's rarely seen even on our mountains."

Zhang Xiaohua asked Liu Qian, "Sister Liu, guess where this stone came from?"

Liu Qian smiled and said, "How could I guess that? You didn't dig it up when you were clearing the land, did you? Did you carry it all the way from the river?"

Liu Qian walked to the large stone and sat down, resting her hand on it. Only then did she realize that the stone wasn't as she had imagined; it was somewhat warm. If not for the unsightly color of the exposed stone, she might have thought it was a large piece of jade. She thought to herself, "Strange."

Zhang Xiaohua hadn't paid attention to the details of the stone. When they moved it, he had been exhausted, covered in sweat. Who knew if it was warm and smooth? Moreover, it had just been left there, and he hadn't paid attention to it since. Even when sitting on it, he attributed the warmth to the sun.

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and said, "Since Sister can't guess, I'll show you something."

Then, he led Liu Qian down the slope to the well at the foot of the slope. Liu Qian looked at the huge well opening and couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that the stone had been dug out from here. She had never seen anyone dig such a large well opening.

Zhang Xiaohua said, "Sister, that stone was dug out from this well. It took a lot of effort back then, and the well almost didn't get dug."

Then, using tools by the well, he drew some water and handed it to Liu Qian, saying, "Sister, try it. The water is really good, sweeter than river water."

Liu Qian took it and sipped it. Her eyebrows rose. Xiaohua was right; the water was indeed sweet, much better than the spring water she used to fetch from the mountainside. If she used it to make tea, Father would definitely like it. Thinking of this, she chuckled inwardly. If Father knew, he would probably refuse to leave the Zhang family, drinking fresh spring water tea every day. At the very least, he would take a few barrels home.

Liu Qian asked again, "Is all the spring water here this delicious?"

Zhang Xiaohua shook his head and said, "No. The spring water on the mountain isn't this sweet."

Liu Qian said, "Could it be because it's a well dug at the foot of the mountain?"

Zhang Xiaohua shook his head again and said, "The neighboring village also dug a well on the south slope. I don't know if it's good to drink, but no one cares about that anymore."

Liu Qian asked curiously, "Why?"

Zhang Xiaohua then recounted what happened at Mr. Wu's house in the neighboring village. Liu Qian listened with a somber expression.

After a while, Liu Qian looked at the setting sun on the mountainside and said, "Xiaohua, draw some water. We'll drink tea tonight."

Zhang Xiaohua happily said, "Is it the same kind I drank at your house? It didn't taste very bitter, did it? I tried the one from Old Guo's house at the east end of the village, and it was too bitter."

Liu Qian said, "I haven't seen the tea you drank, but it should be. I brought some this time and haven't taken it out yet. Let's try it today."

Zhang Xiaohua enthusiastically drew a bucket of water from the well, carried it, and followed Liu Qian up the slope, heading home.

As they walked, Liu Qian asked, "Xiaohua, why do you think Mr. Wu in your neighboring village, with such good luck, ended up with a bad outcome?"

Zhang Xiaohua thought for a moment and said, "He got something good, and bad people found out. He didn't have the ability to hold onto it."

Liu Qian said seriously to Zhang Xiaohua, "Yes, Xiaohua, you must remember, 'An innocent man is guilty only because he possesses a treasure.'"

Zhang Xiaohua asked in confusion, "Sister, what does that mean?"

Liu Qian explained, "It means that a person might be living a perfectly good life, but if they possess a beautiful jade or something valuable, it can bring disaster. Xiaohua, you are still young, perhaps you don't understand, but actually, the most unpredictable thing in the world is human nature. It's hard to guarantee who won't covet your jade after seeing it. Mr. Wu's mistake was that although he dug up the treasure, people found out. Those who are greedy will come to snatch it. If no one saw him digging it up, others wouldn't know he had the treasure, and naturally, they wouldn't come to steal it."

Then, Liu Qian said jokingly, "In the future, if you, Xiaohua, get any rare treasures, you must keep it a secret. Don't let anyone know. Only then can it truly be your treasure."

Zhang Xiaohua smiled and replied, "I will, Sister. If I get a treasure in the future, I won't tell anyone else, okay? I'll only tell you."

Liu Qian replied, "No, that's not good. With secrets, if you tell me, you might think it's okay because only I know. But I might accidentally tell someone else. And I might think it's okay to tell just one person, and then that person might think the same way. If that happens, don't you think many people will end up knowing?"

Zhang Xiaohua nodded, "Mm, Sister is right. It spreads from person to person, and then everyone knows."

Zhang Xiaohua then asked, "Then, Sister, if Great Hero Wen was the one who dug up the treasure, would it be alright?"

Liu Qian replied, "That situation would be different."

Zhang Xiaohua asked curiously, "How would it be different?"