Chapter 020 - Encounter with a Tiger
Night fell. The massive draft roundup had finally ended. Some families wailed, some families mourned. There were gray-haired parents sending off their children, couples torn apart by tragedy...
All of Little Ink Village sank into a heavy silence.
Yan Yu blew out the candles early and stood guard by the back door, peeking outside from time to time, her heart full of worry and hope.
Her eyes were puffy and red, not just for show. The entire village was in mourning; who wouldn’t be brokenhearted under such circumstances?
Around midnight, a ghostly figure suddenly appeared at the back door. A hand rose and knocked six times in a pattern of light, light, heavy, heavy, light, and heavy.
Yan Yu leaned in, and a voice came from outside:
“It’s me.”
She recognized it immediately and, overjoyed, rushed to open the door. She pulled the man in with a tight embrace, her hands roaming restlessly as if starved for his touch.
Only after a good while did the commotion in the room settle.
Li Yuan said quietly, “Aren’t you bothered by the smell?”
“I don’t smell anything,” Yan Yu answered softly, her voice gentle and weak, but she held on to him as though letting go would mean losing him forever. After a light sigh, she finally let go and murmured, “I’ll get some water ready so you can wash up.”
“Better not. If the neighbors see smoke, they might get suspicious,” Li Yuan replied. “Besides, I already washed in a mountain spring. But I could use a bit of soap and a change of clothes for when I head back.”