The coal-burning train was full of soot. Zhao Nuanyue ran her hand along a surface, getting it completely black. She then smeared the grime on her face a few times. Her once fair and pretty face instantly became a dirty one, making her look much uglier.
Smearing it just on her face wasn't enough. Zhao Nuanyue also remembered to rub some onto her neck, then used the train window as a makeshift mirror to see if she had coated herself evenly.
Zhao Nuanyang didn't understand. He looked at his sister, who was acting so strangely. 'Why would she make her pretty face ugly?'
'He didn't like it!'
Zhao Nuanyang frowned and reached out, about to wipe the black grime from his sister's face.
Zhao Nuanyue smiled and explained in a hushed voice, "Nuanyang, we're about to go to a strange place. It's not safe for me to be too pretty. If I'm not pretty, I'll be safe. This will be our little secret, okay?"
Zhao Nuanyang was quiet, but he wasn't stupid. He quickly understood his sister's reasoning and nodded.
Zhao Nuanyue led Zhao Nuanyang out of the station. At the entrance, they spotted the village chief from Nianqiao Village. Carrying her luggage and holding her brother's hand, Zhao Nuanyue walked right over. Just as she expected, she found her and her brother's names on Miao Cunzheng's list.
Miao Cunzheng was a man in his forties. From what she knew from her past life, he was an upright person and a respectable elder.
"You two go ahead and sit on the ox-cart. I still need to pick up three more people," Miao Cunzheng said with a warm smile. "If you're hungry, there's food and water on the cart. Just say the word, and someone will get it for you!"
"We're not hungry," Zhao Nuanyue said, shaking her head. She would wait for everyone else to arrive before eating; she couldn't be impolite. No one, whether from the city or the countryside, liked people with no manners.
A short while later, Miao Cunzheng had picked up two more girls—one was Wang Yuan, whom Zhao Nuanyue had met on the journey, and the other was named Li Qiong. There was also a man named Yang Guanghui. 'Still five people, but not the same five as in my past life.'
After gathering everyone, Secretary Miao went to the commune to handle the handover. Then, he led the five young people onto the ox-cart to head back to the village.
The mountain road was long, and they couldn't afford any delays. If they didn't reach the village before dark, it would be extremely dangerous.
As they traveled, Miao Cunzheng ate and explained the situation in the village to the young people.
Zhao Nuanyue already knew all of this, but she listened with great interest, chiming in occasionally to agree with Miao Cunzheng.
Yang Guanghui was having a hard time adjusting. The jolting of the ox-cart made him dizzy and miserable.
Wang Yuan and Li Qiong weren't faring much better.
"Miao Cunzheng, can we slow down?" Wang Yuan asked, looking miserable. "I'm going to be sick."
Miao Cunzheng shook his head. "We can't slow down. If we don't make it to the village before nightfall and we run into wolves on the road, you won't just be feeling sick—you'll be dead."
Miao Cunzheng meant well, but his words didn't earn him any gratitude from them.
Yang Guanghui frowned and clutched his chest. "What are the chances of that?"
"Heh, you may not be scared, but I am!" Miao Cunzheng said. "Just last month, someone traveling at night was eaten by wolves. Only bones were left. I'm not just trying to scare you."
Hearing Miao Cunzheng's terrifying story, the three of them fell silent.
Zhao Nuanyang got scared and gripped his sister's hand tightly.
"Miao Cunzheng, we're new here, so please forgive us if we do something wrong," Zhao Nuanyue said. "You're the local here and you know best. We'll listen to you."
Hearing Zhao Nuanyue's words, Miao Cunzheng felt a bit better. The other three were rather pampered. He hadn't expected this sister and brother duo to be so unpretentious and able to handle the bumpy ox-cart.
"You're not much older than my own kids, so I'm not going to hold a grudge," Miao Cunzheng said, effectively letting the matter drop. The unspoken message was clear.
As long as they behaved, they would have an easy life.
But if they didn't follow orders, the hard times were yet to come!
Those who had still been feeling resentful were scared into silence after hearing the cries of monkeys and the howls of wolves along the way.
It turned out Miao Cunzheng hadn't been lying. There really were wolves on this path—and quite a few of them, at that.
But since it was broad daylight, and they were deterred by the hunting rifle in Miao Cunzheng's hands, the wolves didn't dare approach. That was how they were able to make it back to Nianqiao Village unharmed before nightfall.
Nianqiao Village didn't literally mean there were twenty bridges in the village, but rather that it had many bridges of all sizes.
The small village was built on the water's edge, with small rivers and canals connecting the houses. Getting around on foot was actually less convenient than by boat, so every household owned a small boat.
If Zhao Nuanyue hadn't been here in her past life, she would never have believed that a place like a water-town of Qian Nan could exist deep in the mountains.
Miao Cunzheng brought the five of them to the Dragon King Temple at the entrance of the village. The side chambers in the east and west wings had several rooms, which had already been cleaned by the villagers, so they could move in right away.
Each person's monthly ration of ten jin of flour and twelve jin of rice had already been delivered and placed at the head of their respective beds.
"This is where you'll be living from now on. We're a small place, so these are the best conditions we can provide," Miao Cunzheng said. "I hope you don't mind. All right, you've had a long journey and must be tired. Get some rest."
After saying their piece, Miao Cunzheng and Big Pillar, the cart driver, left.
Yang Guanghui, Wang Yuan, and Li Qiong were at a loss, looking at each other in dismay. They knew the countryside would be rustic, but they hadn't expected it to be this dilapidated—to be housed in a temple, a symbol of feudal superstition.
Zhao Nuanyue quickly claimed a large room that had a partition inside, making it suitable for her and her brother. She moved her things in immediately.
By the time the other three realized what was happening, Zhao Nuanyue had already occupied the large room. Though they were unhappy about it, they couldn't really say anything. After all, they barely knew each other, and it was a matter of first-come, first-served. Besides, they had all sensed that something was off about Zhao Nuanyang, and Yang Guanghui certainly didn't dare to share a room with him.
Perhaps because they were exhausted, or perhaps because it was pitch-black, Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuanyang didn't eat. They just made their beds, took a quick rinse, and went to sleep.
Zhao Nuanyue had no time to pay attention to the complaining voices of the other three outside.
'I need to rest. Tomorrow, I have to get to work.'
When they woke up the next day, it was already bright daylight.
Zhao Nuanyue got up, and Zhao Nuanyang woke up as well. He got dressed in the inner room and came out to follow his sister outside to dig for wild vegetables. They then made two bowls of dough-drop soup. By the time the siblings had eaten their fill, the other three were just getting up.
Zhao Nuanyue picked up a pair of scissors and cut herself thick, long, straight-across bangs. They hung over her eyes, obscuring half of her delicate face. 'Making myself ugly is another way to protect myself.'
Sometime during the day, Miao Cunzheng came by to check on them. Seeing that none of the five were having trouble acclimatizing, he told them they would be going up the mountain to pick mushrooms the next day.
The other three, who were aching all over, started grumbling nonstop after the village chief left.