Chapter 31: Both Hot and Hard

Su Jianjun slipped the flashlight into his pocket.

The three of them stepped outside.

Su Jianjun was quite familiar with the old Su family mansion. If Su Jianwei planned to transport the grain up the mountain, he would definitely choose the back door.

Using the back door meant they wouldn’t have to worry about running into villagers; the front door was too risky—they certainly wouldn’t take that chance.

They hid outside the old mansion for about fifteen minutes.

Then they saw Su Mao sneakily peek out from the back door, look around, and step outside. After standing there for about five minutes, he went back inside.

Soon after, they came out pushing a wheelbarrow.

Su Wanwan observed clearly—this was truly the household of a wealthy family!

There were actually two wheelbarrows; the one they had just used to haul grain was still at their house.

Su Jianwei pulled the wheelbarrow at the front, while Jinhua and Su Mao pushed from behind.

They pushed the wheelbarrows all the way down to the foot of the mountain, then unloaded the grain, placing it beneath a large tree.

She saw Su Jianwei and Su Mao pushing the wheelbarrow back again, while Jinhua stayed by the tree to watch the grain.

After about ten more minutes, Su Jianwei returned with the wheelbarrow, unloaded more grain, then began carrying sacks on their shoulders, heading up the mountain.

Each of the three carried a sack, making their way uphill.

She thought to herself, moving dozens of sacks of grain up the mountain was no small task; these three would probably be working until dawn.

Good—let them be exhausted.

Once the three had climbed the mountain, the three of them quietly emerged and crept toward the spot where the grain had been left.

Su Jianjun saw that there really were many bags—dozens in total—and whispered, “Let’s follow them.”

Su Wanwan had originally thought about putting all the grain into her space, but now she decided against it; those people deserved the hardship of carrying each sack up the mountain.

Not long after they began ascending, Su Wanwan heard the sound of snapping branches behind them.

A chill ran through her. She pulled her father close and whispered in his ear, “Dad, you follow them up first. I think I heard something behind us. Brother and I will check it out here. Don’t act rashly when you get to the spot.”

Su Jianjun glanced back but heard nothing. With his son nearby, he felt no need to worry about his daughter’s safety, so he headed up alone to follow.

Su Wanwan pulled her second brother to a stop and whispered the same instructions in his ear.

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Su Heng hadn’t heard anything behind them either; how did his sister hear something?

Su Wanwan was quite frightened by the pitch-black surroundings. Once their father had gone a bit ahead, she whispered, “Brother, could it be a ghost?”

Su Heng tapped her head lightly. “With your courage, how did you dare come up the mountain with us? There are no ghosts.”

She rubbed the spot where he tapped. “I just heard something from that direction,” she said, pointing toward where the sound had come from.

To ease her fears, Su Heng walked toward the spot she indicated.

Su Wanwan hid behind her brother, clutching his clothes tightly with both small hands, and softly called out toward the noise, “Come out, we see you.”

Though she was just guessing.

At that moment, Xie Beishen had just finished bathing and was descending the mountain when he happened upon a few people skulking about. Curious about who would be climbing the mountain so late, he approached.

It turned out to be Su Wanwan and the others. He had only stepped on a small branch, but the girl immediately heard it—her ears were extremely sensitive, still as afraid of the dark as ever.

Such a coward.

Just as Su Heng was about to ask who was there, a shadow suddenly appeared beneath the tree, causing him to tremble reflexively.

Su Wanwan immediately hugged her brother’s back; whenever danger arose, she’d bring him into her space.

When Su Heng realized it was a person, he exhaled in relief. “Who are you? Don’t scare people like that—it’s deadly serious.”

Xie Beishen switched on his flashlight and shone it toward them. “It’s me, Xie Beishen.”

Su Heng quickly stepped forward. “Turn that flashlight off.”

If anyone saw it, they’d be exposed.

Xie Beishen complied, quickly turning off the light.

Hearing it was Xie Beishen, Su Wanwan’s uneasy heart instantly relaxed. “You scared me just now. What are you doing here?”

Her voice was soft, tinged with a hint of grievance. It stirred an inexplicable emotion in Xie Beishen’s heart.

“I just came down after bathing and ran into you all. Where are you headed so late? Not afraid of wild animals?”

Su Heng answered first, “That’s none of your business. Just go back down.”

Xie Beishen replied, “I’m not interested in your affairs. There are many wild animals up here—I’ve encountered several myself. You should head home soon and not take risks.”

Hearing this, Su Heng realized it was indeed unsafe to bring his sister up the mountain. “Sis, I’ll take you home first, then go find Dad.”

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At that moment, Su Wanwan’s ears twitched again. She heard another sound.

She quickly “shushed” her brother and, grabbing his hand, moved closer to Xie Beishen. With her other hand, she linked onto Xie Beishen’s arm. “Crouch down quickly. I think I hear something.”

In the darkness, Xie Beishen froze as if paralyzed, daring not to move.

The soft, delicate hand resting on his skin, the subtle fragrance lingering near his nose, made his ears burn and his body temperature rise sharply.

Because they were so close, this time he sensed not perfume but a sweet, pleasant scent—very alluring.

Hearing Xie Beishen say there were many wild animals on the mountain, Su Wanwan grew worried about her father. She glanced at her brother and whispered, “Brother, I think someone is coming this way. You quietly go find Dad. I’m worried something might happen to him. Don’t worry about me; this place isn’t far from the foot of the mountain.”

Mainly, with Xie Beishen here, she felt more at ease. Still, she truly feared that their father might be discovered by those men.

Su Heng and Xie Beishen looked in the direction Su Wanwan pointed toward.

“Who’s there? I don’t hear anything,” Su Heng said softly.

Xie Beishen moved his ears. “I don’t hear anything either.”

Su Wanwan thought it might be because she had drunk the spirit spring water; now she could hear sounds from far away.

The diluted water was for the family’s use, but she thought it best to find a chance to let them all drink the undiluted version.

She looked at her brother. “I’m sure I heard correctly. Someone is coming this way. You hurry up the mountain to find Dad. I’m worried about his safety. If Dad is discovered by Su Jianwei, what do you think they’ll do to him?”

Su Heng’s expression turned grave. They would surely kill their father and find a place to bury him. He grew worried. “Alright, I’ll go now. What about you?”

Su Wanwan said, “I’ll hide here and see what those people intend. You go quickly. Don’t worry about me.”

“Okay, I’m going.” Su Heng said, “Xie Beishen, please watch my sister for me. Thanks in advance.”

After saying this, he headed up the mountain.

He was truly worried about what would happen if their father were found and silenced.

Su Wanwan knew her hand was still linked with Xie Beishen’s arm; she had no intention of pulling away. She wanted to see his reaction.

To be honest, his arm was warm, while her hand was cool. The gentle rubbing felt quite pleasant.

Why did she feel his arm growing warmer?

Warm and firm.