This was probably a sleepless night for everyone, as the quiet of the small county town at night was so pervasive that it seed to sink all hearts into silence, minute by minute.
When dawn slowly arrived, a light drizzle began to fall on the small county town. On this sunless morning, the dust on the roads had sowhat settled.
At eight-thirty, a group of people left the inn, embarking on the journey to the little mountain village where He Zhilan spent her childhood.
The bus stopped at the entrance to the village. The mountain roads, after the rain, could almost be described as a mass of yellow slurry, with locals cycling out of the village even falling and getting covered in yellow mud.
For those who live in big cities, this was, to so extent, indescribably difficult.
"It’s fortunate that it’s only a light rain, not a heavy downpour; otherwise, we’d have to swim through this road," Grandma Gu joked with everyone, saying, "Back in the days when your grandfather and I were young, I don’t know how many such mountain roads we walked by foot. It kind of feels like we’re young again, except that your grandfather isn’t by my side, which I’m not used to."
Grandma Gu’s words made Lan Li swallow his other thoughts. Walking on the mountain road in the rain, with Grandma Gu getting on in years, hence, Lan Li was worried about her mobility, and she also suffered from rheumatism. Originally, he wanted Grandma Gu to return to the inn in the county town and wait for the news.
But then, he also thought that Grandma Gu had suffered hardships when she was young, accompanying Grandpa Gu on military campaigns through the South and North—what hardships had she not endured?
They didn’t arrive at any market town, so one could almost say there was no one coming or going on the village road; after winding along the mountain path for more than half an hour, there was still no sign of hos where villagers lived.
"The ancestors of this village really did a good job hiding from the war back then," Lan Li’s mother said with a light chuckle, but no one continued the conversation.
She understood that everyone was rely feigning ease.
After walking the mountain road for more than an hour, they finally saw houses and villagers.
"Lan Li, go ask how to get to the He Family’s house. If possible, ask them to lead the way. We kept this visit a secret from everyone. If the villagers ask, just say we are He Teng’s comrades-in-arms," Grandma Gu instructed Lan Li, then watched as he approached a villager to ask for the ho of the village chief.
Because the matter of the Gu Family’s daughter was no small issue, the Gu and Lan Families ca on this trip incognito. That’s why, even such prominent families as the Gu and Lan Families arrived in such a small place without a single person to receive them and had to walk to the village.
On hearing that they were friends looking for He Teng, the villager couldn’t have been more enthusiastic, although puzzled as to why He Teng’s friends were such a diverse group of young and old, n and won. Still, the villager led the way, while saying, "Why are you only coming to the He Family’s place now? He Teng and his wife left early yesterday morning. I heard from Old He that they went back to the military unit. If you’re looking for soone now, you won’t find them, only Old He and He Da might be at ho, and at this ti, who knows if they have gone out to the fields."
"He Teng went back to the military unit yesterday?" Lan Li was taken aback. Were He Teng and He Zhilan staying at their hotown beforehand, and not on a mission? Then why had He Teng’s military unit told him that He Teng was on a mission?
Lan Li knew that He Teng had participated in the capital’s affairs and was also one of the mbers in the National Day military parade. At this ti, when the military should be busier than ever, how could He Teng find the ti to bring He Zhilan back ho for a visit?
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