Translator: Cinder Translations
--------
"Gururu."
Jiang Cheng's stomach made an embarrassing sound, awakening the hunger that Chen Xiaomeng had been trying to suppress. Apart from having some porridge in the morning, they hadn't eaten anything the entire day.
It seemed like the village chief and the others had completely forgotten about them, after all, they were just tools to shield them from danger, not some experts.
Wasting food on them wasn't worth it.
Just as Chen Xiaomeng was about to rest and wait for the night to take action, she saw Jiang Cheng walk to his sleeping spot, fumble around under the blanket for a while, and then pull out two large sweet potatoes.
Chen Xiaomeng was so surprised that her eyes widened.
"Fortunately, I hid two last time," Jiang Cheng said, holding one of the sweet potatoes, looking quite satisfied.
Carefully placing the sweet potatoes by the stove, Jiang Cheng added a few more broken pieces of charcoal and then sat near the stove, basking in the warm fire. The warmth from the fire enveloped him, making him feel comfortable.
Chen Xiaomeng swallowed and then walked over to sit next to him.
The two didn't worry about a surprise attack from the villagers.
It was nighttime now, and they would be the ones caught off guard. Plus, don't forget, this was the Qian family courtyard, where the ghost had already killed who knows how many people.
The fire in the stove was strong, and soon the sweet potatoes were roasted to perfection—crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Chen Xiaomeng didn't need Jiang Cheng to prompt her. She wrapped her hand in a cloth and picked up the better-looking sweet potato, leaving Jiang Cheng one step too slow.
Clearly, both of them were starving. Chen Xiaomeng managed to be a bit more refined, eating the sweet potato flesh cleanly from the skin, while Jiang Cheng ate the skin along with the flesh.
Once he'd finished his sweet potato, he eyed the half-eaten one in Chen Xiaomeng's hands.
Realizing this, Chen Xiaomeng stuffed the rest of the sweet potato into her mouth, puffing out her cheeks as she chewed, and looked at Jiang Cheng in a victorious manner, as if to say, "You can forget about it."
Luckily, the village chief had left them half a jar of water, or they'd be parched by now.
"When are we heading out?"
Full and satisfied, leaning against the wall, Chen Xiaomeng no longer found Jiang Cheng's face as irritating.
"Let's wait a little longer, until the villagers are all asleep," Jiang Cheng said as he poked the charcoal inside the stove with a stick, loosening it up so it could burn more efficiently.
In this era, there were no phones, no internet, and night life was nothing like what modern people could imagine. After tossing and turning in bed long enough, the only option was to obediently go to sleep.
The black sky overhead felt like a heavy, upside-down iron pot, and after staring at it for too long, it became suffocating.
The village under the night was eerily silent.
They'd been in the village for so long, yet had never heard a rooster crow or a dog bark.
In this old mountain village, known as Xiao Shijian Village, it seemed like there were only people who lived in constant fear, barely hanging on.
When they thought the time was right, Jiang Cheng woke Chen Xiaomeng, who was pretending to sleep—or maybe had actually fallen asleep. After checking their belongings, they quietly pushed open the door.
Leaving the Qian family courtyard, they followed the path they took earlier in the afternoon, quietly arriving at the outside of Hong Hong's house.
They walked cautiously, not disturbing anyone or making a sound.
Chen Xiaomeng, who seemed to have experience in tracking and counter-tracking, nodded seriously at Jiang Cheng when they reached the gate, signaling that no one was following them.
The gate was made of wood, rough in texture, so it made a squeaking sound when opened or closed. So, they decided to scale the wall instead.
It wasn't much of a wall, really—just a low fence.
With a quick run-up, Chen Xiaomeng gripped the fence and jumped over, moving swiftly in mid-air, landing almost silently.
When she looked back at Jiang Cheng, she saw that he had found a section of the fence that was broken and, with his face nearly touching the ground, was wriggling through it.
But when he noticed that Chen Xiaomeng was looking at him, he immediately stood up, dusted himself off, and straightened his back, as if he had also jumped over.
They tiptoed to the door of the room. There was another wooden door, and a faint light was visible through the crack.
The two of them leaned closer to the gap, peering inside.
The room was small and simple, with a low wooden table placed near the bed. On the table, there was an oil lamp, and a woman, looking to be in her 30s, was sitting cross-legged on the bed, sewing some clothes by the dim light.
There was a large bamboo woven basket on the bed, containing a pair of black iron scissors, needles, thread, and some fabric scraps.
Perhaps because it was cold, the woman was half-covered by a blanket.
In the middle of the room, there was a stove for heating, but the area around it was clean, suggesting it hadn't been used in a while.
Everything in this room indicated the family's poverty.
The woman was probably Hong Hong's mother.
They hadn't seen Hong Hong or her grandmother yet, but since it was so late, they should be asleep. Moreover, there was more than one room in the yard, and they could be in the next room.
Chen Xiaomeng rested her hand on the door, her eyes slightly shifting as she prepared to charge in.
Suddenly, she felt a finger poke her.
Turning around, she found Jiang Cheng's mischievous face.
He pointed to the room, then to himself, and silently mouthed, "Let me go in first."
"Why?" Chen Xiaomeng signaled with her eyes.
Jiang Cheng licked his lips, blushed slightly, and leaned over, whispering with excitement, "It's my first time breaking into a widow's house at night. It feels kind of thrilling."
Chen Xiaomeng: "…"
In the dim light, Chen Xiaomeng could clearly see the excitement on Jiang Cheng's face.
The next moment, with a swift motion, Jiang Cheng pushed open the door and, before the woman could react, rushed forward and grabbed her throat.
The momentum of the attack even carried the woman's entire body backward, crashing into the cabinet behind her.
Thanks to the blanket cushioning her fall, the sound was muffled, almost like a dictionary hitting the floor.
As Chen Xiaomeng entered, she quickly closed the door behind her.
Jiang Cheng didn't loosen his grip. He looked down coldly at the woman's face, which was turning blue from lack of air, showing no expression.
The woman was terrified, her body trembling uncontrollably. She had lost all strength to resist or think, only able to stare at Jiang Cheng with wide, horrified eyes.
"I'm going to ask you a few questions," Jiang Cheng's voice was flat and cold. "If it's the truth, nod. If not, shake your head. Any unnecessary movements or attempts to scream, and I'll stab you to death, then kill your daughter Hong Hong," he raised his chin, his face flashing in the flickering flame, "Understand?"
The woman paused for a moment, then frantically nodded.
(End of the Chapter)
---
Read (NS) ahead on (pa treon . com / CinderTL) – Chapter 232. (+4)
Early access starts at $1. Your support keeps this going!
Use Code CINDER2025 to get 50% first month discount on TUR and TUP Tiers. Valid Till 15Jan2025. \(^O^)/
$1 for this novel, or two novels for just $5, RDC/FF/MF Tiers. ;)
Translated 4 Series, 1.5K+ Chapters and 1.78M+ Words.