A Strange Encounter
Later that night, after dinner, as the children finally drifted off into peaceful sleep, Yiling sat by the faint embers of the hearth, mending clothes by the flickering light.
Her thoughts wandered back to the tracks. Boars weren't uncommon, but something about today felt off. Had it been just a boar—or was there someone else watching from the forest?
A quiet knock startled her out of her thoughts.
Yiling stiffened. It wasn't loud or urgent, just a soft, deliberate rapping on the wooden door. Her hand instinctively went to the hunting knife on the table.
Who would come at this hour? Most villagers were asleep by sundown, and strangers rarely ventured this deep into the mountains.
She rose cautiously, knife in hand, and approached the door.
"Who's there?" she asked sharply, keeping her voice low.
No answer. Only silence.
Heart pounding, Yiling hesitated. Finally, she cracked the door open just enough to peer outside. The moonlight illuminated an empty yard. No one.
But just as she was about to close the door, something glinted in the dirt near the threshold. Yiling bent down slowly, never taking her eyes off the treeline.
It was a single gold coin, shiny and clean as if freshly minted.
Her brows furrowed. She picked it up, the cold weight unfamiliar in her hand. There were no wealthy villagers nearby—so who had left this? And why?
As she shut the door, bolting it securely, a thought crept into her mind. The mountains had secrets. Old ones. Dangerous ones. Whatever she had stumbled upon today might be tied to more than just wild herbs and boars.
Tomorrow, I'll go again, Yiling thought, placing the coin into a hidden drawer. But I need to be ready. For whatever—or whoever—is out there.