Shen Xiaoyan discussed with Luoluo, and it was decided that Luoluo and Hua Diandian would watch the children for the day.
Yue Qingxin and Sima Han, aware of Luoluo's capabilities, felt completely at ease. As for the nannies, their care was always meticulous, leaving Shen Xiaoyan with no cause for worry.
The four of them walked on foot, without servants. Thus, Zheng Wei and Sima Han each carried a bamboo basket as a disguise.
Chatting and laughing, they had just crossed the bridge when they saw two figures slowly moving ahead. As the four were walking quite fast, they caught up in no time. As Shen Xiaoyan approached, she realized the two figures were Madam Pan and Madam Liang.
“Auntie Liang, Auntie Pan, why have you come here?” Shen Xiaoyan asked after they had exchanged greetings.
Because Baiyun Peak was home to many fierce beasts, the people of Baiyun Village rarely made a living by hunting. Consequently, it was unusual for anyone to come here.
“It’s just that the crops have been harvested, and we had nothing to do, so we thought we’d come to the foot of the mountain to gather some mushrooms,” Madam Pan said with a smile. She glanced at the bamboo baskets on Zheng Wei and Sima Han's backs and asked curiously, “Why are you also going into the mountains? Why didn’t you call your servants? Has something happened?”
Seeing that Madam Pan had overthought, Shen Xiaoyan quickly explained, “Nothing’s wrong, Auntie, don’t worry. We just want to take a stroll in the mountains to relax.”
Only then did Madam Pan nod with relief.
Since they all had the same objective, they decided to travel together. Along the way, Shen Xiaoyan noticed Madam Liang and Madam Pan looking as though they had something to say but hesitated. She surmised that they must have something on their minds. She deliberately gave Zheng Wei a signal, telling him and the other two to go ahead, while she stayed behind, walking slowly with Madam Liang and Madam Pan.
“Auntie and Mama, do you have something to tell me? Why aren’t you saying it? What’s our relationship, that you’d hesitate like this?” Shen Xiaoyan said softly, her tone carrying a hint of reproach.
“It’s not…” Madam Pan quickly waved her hands, unsure of how to continue.
It was Madam Liang who thought for a moment before speaking, “Xiaoyan, it’s not that we don’t want to tell you, it’s just… we’re afraid of scaring you.”
“Scaring me?” Shen Xiaoyan was greatly surprised. What could possibly make them hesitate so much and fear scaring her?
Madam Liang gritted her teeth and decided to be direct. “Since we’ve come this far, I’ll just say it.”
“Did you hear any strange noises last night?”
Strange noises? Shen Xiaoyan was a little confused. She didn’t recall hearing any strange noises.
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan’s bewildered expression, Madam Pan quickly added, “It was a woman’s scream.”
Only then did Shen Xiaoyan realize what they were talking about. “Yes, I heard it.” Shen Xiaoyan nodded, thinking to herself, could she have *not* heard it? She had even seen something.
“And then, did you hear a woman crying?” Madam Pan followed up immediately.
Before Shen Xiaoyan could answer, Madam Liang said, “That sound only stopped when it was almost dawn.” Shen Xiaoyan knew this too; she hadn’t slept well because of it. She wondered how Madam Pan and the others knew about it, as the village was quite far from here.
“Did everyone in the village hear it?” Shen Xiaoyan asked directly, her thoughts turning to this.
“Not everyone, no. We heard it from someone. He had gone to the county and was returning late. He heard it then. At first, he thought he was tired and hallucinating, so he stopped by the roadside and listened for a long time before confirming it was real.”
“Yes, it scared him terribly. His wife said his face turned ashen from fear,” Madam Liang added.
Madam Pan looked at Shen Xiaoyan worriedly. “Xiaoyan, could this be something… unclean? You live here, and there are no neighbors. Don’t…”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Madam Liang nudged Madam Pan lightly and then said to Shen Xiaoyan, “Xiaoyan, don’t listen to your Aunt Pan’s silly talk. I’ve lived half my life and have never heard of anything unclean here. Even the elders never mentioned it. You can rest assured.”
Madam Pan realized she shouldn’t have said that and quickly tried to amend, “Yes, yes, Xiaoyan, don’t take it to heart. It’s just that I wanted to remind you. If you ask me, it’s better to move back to the village. With all the servants you have at home, you wouldn’t need to fear anything.”
Shen Xiaoyan found it amusing inwardly but maintained a neutral expression, knowing they were genuinely concerned for her. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have said anything.
“You can rest assured, I understand. Perhaps last night someone was beating his wife, and he misheard,” Shen Xiaoyan fabricated.
“Right, right, let’s go. Let’s go,” Madam Pan and Madam Liang echoed Shen Xiaoyan’s words, and the three of them quickened their pace to catch up with Zheng Wei and the other two. Madam Pan and Madam Liang thought that ghosts and spirits were all just self-inflicted fear, and it was best to know and keep it to oneself.
When the group reached the foot of the mountain, they indeed found many mushrooms in the woods. Because very few people came here usually, these mushrooms had been able to grow undisturbed. Shen Xiaoyan and the others helped Madam Pan and Madam Liang pick the mushrooms. After seeing them off, they prepared to ascend the mountain.
“What were you talking about just now?” Yue Qingxin asked Shen Xiaoyan on the way up the mountain about her conversation with Madam Pan and Madam Liang.
Shen Xiaoyan recounted what Madam Pan and Madam Liang had said, then added, “I didn’t expect it to be such a coincidence that someone heard it. This will probably scare quite a few people.”
“It’s fine. They didn’t see anything, and they didn’t hear it directly. Rumors spread like wildfire, and it will fade away in a few days.”
“That’s right, A’wei is correct,” Sima Han nodded in agreement.
“Indeed, keeping these people at home is like a ticking time bomb,” Shen Xiaoyan muttered to herself.
“Ticking time bomb… what is that?” Yue Qingxin asked, puzzled. She hadn’t heard of such a thing.
“Oh, I meant that keeping them at home is a hidden danger.”
“Yes, I agree with that statement.” Yue Qingxin understood now and agreed with Shen Xiaoyan. Shen Xiaoyan pondered how to deal with the matter as they entered the mountain.
It was already autumn, and the leaves in the mountains had begun to fall. As they walked on the leaves, they made crunching sounds. Not long after walking, they encountered the chestnut trees again. The trees and the ground beneath were still covered with chestnuts. Seeing this, Shen Xiaoyan felt happy. Since no one had come to pick them, she could do it herself. Otherwise, letting these chestnuts go to waste would be a shame.
Zheng Wei glanced at Shen Xiaoyan, seeing the bright sparkle in her eyes as she gazed at the chestnuts on the trees, and knew what she was thinking. Usually, when Shen Xiaoyan thought of something, it was about food.
“Let’s pick all of these and take them with us. They’ll be wasted if left here anyway,” Shen Xiaoyan said, looking at the three of them. Although it sounded like a question, it was a statement of fact. As soon as she finished speaking, she began putting them into her spatial ring. Seeing her actions, the three of them helplessly shook their heads and joined the chestnut-picking team.
The four of them had been wearing their spatial rings for about a year, but they hadn't had much use for them. However, just in case, they had stored various healing medicines, bandages, clean clothes, money, and weapons inside. Since Shen Xiaoyan had discovered that the space could preserve freshness, she had also put in some fruits and snacks. These items took up very little space, so their spatial rings were mostly empty.
It took them about half an hour to collect all the chestnuts. They didn’t need baskets or bags; they simply picked them up and put them away, which was incredibly convenient. After collecting the chestnuts, they continued to move forward. This time, they ventured into a deeper, unexplored area. The reason they went there was that Yue Qingxin had seen a cute white ferret running by, and she wanted to follow it, so Shen Xiaoyan and the other two followed her.