Chapter Ninety-Six: Warning

Yun Niang opened her eyes almost at the same instant as Gou Ye. A choking wall of thick smoke sent them both into a fit of coughing. Gou Ye sprang up at once. “Yun Niang, grab the things Aunt left for you. I’ll go get the black box from the room.”

Fortunately, they were already dressed, so there was no need to scramble for clothes.

“Take it and go straight downstairs. Don’t worry about me. Hurry!”

“Gou Ye, then you—”

“Don’t hesitate. Take the things Mother left for you and run.”

With that, Gou Ye leaped down from the bedside, not even stopping to put on his shoes. He dragged Yun Niang along with him. The moment he opened the door, a surge of thick smoke hit him full in the face, so suffocating that he could barely open his eyes. Seeing that smoke was billowing up from downstairs, he thought the fire must not yet be too large. He told Yun Niang to run out on her own, then hastened back into the room. Through the dim outlines, he found the hidden chest, pulled out a small wooden box, and hurried back outside.

In no time at all, Gou Ye could see faint tongues of flame rising from below. Though he had covered his mouth and nose with his sleeve, he still inhaled plenty of smoke. Tears streamed down his face, and he felt faint and dizzy. Just then, the Guo brothers rushed up. When Guo Bingjin saw Gou Ye, he shouted, “Young Master!”

Seeing Gou Ye swaying unsteadily, looking nearly out of his mind, Guo Bingjin did not have time to think further. He scooped Gou Ye up and ran downstairs, while Gou Ye still did his best to clutch the wooden box in his arms. By the time the two of them got outside, the fire had already begun to rage.

The villagers all heard that Gou Ye’s house was on fire, and each of them came hurrying over with buckets in hand. There were many people in the village, but buckets were few, and the water supply was limited. The water they managed to pour on the blaze was little more than a drop in the bucket.

Yun Niang, with Gou Ye lying in her arms, kept watch over him while tears spilled down her cheeks as she stared at their home swallowed by a sea of flames. There were still many relics left behind by Mother that they had not yet had time to save. At the thought of it, Yun Niang’s grief deepened almost beyond bearing.

The whole village was in chaos. Gou Ye could only dimly make out figures rushing to and fro, and vaguely hear the cries of the people around him. After a long while, he finally regained a bit of clarity. Touching Yun Niang’s cheek, he said, “Don’t cry. It’s enough that everyone is safe.”

Then he turned to look at the house engulfed in fire, and a wave of pain struck his heart. This home had been built with so much of his labor and care; it was also the first home he had known since arriving in this age. To him, it was the place where his heart could rest. Whenever he suffered a setback or encountered a problem, all he had to do was return here and see Yun Niang, and he would feel immeasurably at ease. But now, this home had been reduced to ashes in a single blaze.

The fire burned through the entire night. It was only near dawn that it seemed to finally die out, whether because the villagers had doused it or because there was nothing left to burn. A few scattered embers still struggled weakly among the ruins. The whole house stood blackened. Fortunately, because it was made of stone, the structure itself had not collapsed. Seeing that, Gou Ye still managed a faint, relieved smile.

He held Yun Niang in his arms. Both of them had been wrapped in blankets given by the villagers, while Xiao Die stood nearby, quietly sobbing. After Guo Bingjin finished pouring the last bucket of water, he hurried over and asked, “Young Master, what happened here?”

Gou Ye shook his head and forced a brave smile. “I don’t know either. Xiao Die, do you know what happened?”

Between sobs, Xiao Die answered, “Young Master, I got out of bed to answer nature’s call, and I saw faint firelight coming from the dining hall and study. When I went down to look, I found the fire had already started. Right away I called for the Young Master and Miss to come down quickly. I truly don’t know why this happened. Waaaaah.”

Just then, a villager suddenly ran up from the crowd and handed a letter to Gou Ye. “I don’t know him. Someone at the village entrance just stopped me and asked me to give this to you.”

Gou Ye opened it. Everyone could see the message inside: This time you kept your life. Next time it will not be so easy. Stop investigating. Do not court death!

Guo Bingjin let out a roar after reading it. “I’ll go catch him.”

“Stop. Come back.” Gou Ye immediately held him back. “If he was able to deliver this letter to us, then he must have been watching us all along. He’s surely long gone by now. There’s no way to catch him. No need to guess—this must be someone sent by Magistrate Qin again.”

Gou Ye gave a cold snort and said the word “good” three times, each one heavy with fury.

This only made Gou Ye more certain that the Blackwater Village affair was something Magistrate Qin feared deeply. It also made him understand that this must be Qin’s Achilles’ heel. As long as this matter was thoroughly investigated, Qin would surely be finished. As for the threat in the letter, Gou Ye tore it to pieces without the slightest fear and prepared to pursue the matter to the end.

Then he said to the Guo brothers, “You two take your weapons and some dry rations, and head to Blackwater Village at once. Whoever means harm to the villagers, you may kill without mercy. But remember to protect yourselves as well. If you can’t beat them, run. A man must know when to retreat in order to fight another day.”

The Guo brothers answered at once and hurried off to fetch their horses. Gou Ye thought to himself that since the investigation had already been exposed, the villagers of Blackwater Village might well be in danger. Protection was necessary, and for the moment, the only people at hand who could do it were the Guo brothers. Once they reached the county seat, he would ask Gu Shen whether more men could be sent.

Then Gou Ye looked at Xiao Die again. “Xiao Die, this afternoon I’ll be going with Yun Niang to the county seat. You should come with us too.”

Xiao Die shook her head. “Young Master, Miss, I’m afraid I can’t go with you. Before Da Li left, he asked me to look after Aunt. If I leave, no one will be there for her. Their family still has a place to stay, so I’ll go to Aunt’s house for now.”

Hearing this, Gou Ye said no more. Afterward, Li Zhi brought Gou Ye and Yun Niang each a pair of shoes and invited them into the house for a steaming bowl of noodle soup.

Li Zhi asked, “How could the fire have broken out for no reason? The house certainly can’t be lived in now. What are the two of you planning?”

“Who knows?” Gou Ye replied. “I’m planning to stay with a friend for a while with Yun Niang. Once some time has passed and the house has cooled down, we’ll come back and sort things out. Fortunately, the house itself is still standing—only the things inside were burned. We can buy them again.”

He did not tell Li Zhi about the letter. First, he did not want to worry him. Second, if Li Zhi knew too much, it might put him in danger.

After that, Gou Ye and Yun Niang got into the carriage. Fortunately, the horses at home had been kept in the stable and had not been touched by the fire. Sitting in the carriage, Gou Ye looked at Yun Niang and gave a wry grin. “If you survive a great disaster, there will surely be blessings afterward. Don’t worry, Yun Niang. What we’ve lost will all come back someday. It’s just that right now we really have less than a hundred taels left. Looks like this time we’ve truly been sent back to square one. Ha ha.”

Yun Niang smiled faintly and gazed out the window, lost in thought.

Would what had been lost really come back?