Clear
“What… What sound? How did I not hear it?”
As she spoke, a loud wolf howl suddenly echoed in the mountains and forests, rising and falling, sending shivers down one’s spine.
This was the first time Duan Cheng had heard the howling of this animal up close, a creature he had only seen on television and in zoos. It gave him goosebumps.
With the sound of the wolf howls, there was also a rustling noise in the nearby woods.
Lin Yan calmly reached for the mechanical baton at her waist.
Song Yuhang pulled her back and loaded a bullet, crouching as she moved forward, saying, “I’ll go check it out.”
Lin Yan tried to hold her back but failed, feeling both anxious and frustrated. “Song Yuhang!”
Song Yuhang, with a flashlight in hand, disappeared into the woods without looking back.
The rest of the people remained in place, anxiously waiting. The rain was getting heavier, and Lin Yan stood there, her words catching in her throat. She wiped the rain from her face, tightly gripping the mechanical baton in her hand, and kept a close eye on the direction she had gone.
The rustling sounds in the woods grew louder, and the flashlight beam swayed back and forth. After a distance of about several tens of meters, the trees obscured her figure, and Lin Yan heard her say something before the flashlight abruptly went out.
Lin Yan shot out like an arrow released from its bow.
“Song Yuhang!” she shouted, raising her voice.
Song Yuhang, struck by rainwater and tree branches, wiped the mud from her face. The flashlight revealed Lin Yan’s anxious expression above.
She picked up a stone and hit a tree to make a noise to get her attention. “I’m here; there’s a villager trapped here with me. Go get help.”
Lin Yan lowered her flashlight, revealing an elderly woman in her arms, who was around seventy or eighty years old, along with a goat.
The recent commotion was probably caused by this woman and the goat, and they had mistaken it for wolves.
Lin Yan was genuinely tempted to scold her, “Do you think you can mind your own business and not get into trouble?”
The buffer platform was small, and one step backward would mean falling into a bottomless abyss.
Song Yuhang just kept on smiling, “I’m fine now, please go quickly.”
A rope was quickly brought over. The elderly woman was hoisted up first, followed by the goat, and finally Song Yuhang.
Lin Yan initially didn’t want to reach out to help her, but seeing that she was struggling with the rope, she reluctantly extended her hand.
(Originally translated on littlepandatranslations.com, let's go!)
Song Yuhang used her strength to climb up, and the recoil caused both of them to step back a few paces, almost as if Lin Yan was holding Song Yuhang or Song Yuhang had stumbled into her arms.
Their heartbeats echoed like a downpour.
Lin Yan pushed her away with both hands and turned to walk away.
“Hey, Lin Yan, listen to me,” Song Yuhang patted her holster to make sure her sidearm was still there, breathed a sigh of relief, and saw her walking away, quickly catching up.
The elderly woman muttered in the local dialect, leaving everyone puzzled, including the police officers who couldn’t understand a word of it, scratching their heads.
She went back to Song Yuhang and handed her the rope tied to the goat, muttering a few more words.
Song Yuhang understood, “Are you asking us to follow you?”
The elderly woman nodded at the uniform Song Yuhang was wearing and gave a thumbs-up. Song Yuhang raised her foot to signal the rest of the group to follow.
The locals were familiar with the terrain, and after walking in the rain for a short while, the terrain became more level. They passed through a bamboo forest and arrived at the elderly woman’s home, a small thatched hut.
With their group being quite large, the elderly woman felt a bit embarrassed. She continued to speak and bow, and Song Yuhang helped everyone to their feet.
“Thank you for taking us in, or else we would have had to spend the night outside in the rain.”
Song Yuhang herded the goat into a fence and closed the wicker gate.
The elderly woman, being elderly and somewhat unsteady on her feet, limped her way back from the house with a towel and handed it to Song Yuhang, gesturing for her to wipe her face.
The towel was so dirty that its original color was barely recognizable, but Song Yuhang didn’t mind. She took it, intending to wipe her face. However, she suddenly thought of something and handed the towel to Lin Yan.
Lin Yan took a step back, showing her disdain, “You can wipe your own face.”
Song Yuhang didn’t get upset. She wiped her face, and then ran her fingers through her short, wet hair. Her wet, black hair hung neatly behind her ears, and her uniform clung to her body, accentuating her curves and muscles.
The elderly woman lit an oil lamp in the room, started a fire, and gestured for them to come inside and sit down.
The room was not large, and it had openings on all sides, allowing for ventilation. Outside, there was a small table for dining, also dark and covered in soot. They found a few places to sit, but there were no extra chairs. The elderly woman brought in some dry straw for them to sit on.
The group sat on the floor and warmed themselves by the fire.
The elderly woman stammered for a while, then walked out. The group didn’t understand her intentions, so Fang Xin, feeling uneasy, followed her outside. After a while, she returned and said, “Someone come help with the fire.”
They suddenly realized what she meant. Duan Cheng rolled up his sleeves and followed, saying, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it.”
After a long day of travel and a rainy mountain climb in the evening, the group was already exhausted. However, when they heard there was food, they became excited, even Lin Yan had a slight anticipation.
But when the food was brought in, she was dumbfounded. She stirred the unappetizing rice porridge with a ladle, finding bits of leaves and ingredients she couldn’t name floating in it.
“Pig feed?”
Duan Cheng gave her an indescribable look but still picked up a bowl.
Song Yuhang took a sip and commented, “Try it, it tastes pretty good.”
Lin Yan sat back and said, “No, you go ahead and eat.”
As soon as she spoke, her stomach let out a timely growl.
Lin Yan turned her face away, and Song Yuhang shook her head, slightly helpless.
The elderly woman, seeing that Lin Yan wasn’t eating, became somewhat anxious. She circled Lin Yan, muttering inaudibly, and Lin Yan paid her no attention.
The elderly woman served another bowl and handed it to Lin Yan, her hands trembling due to her age.
Lin Yan was growing impatient and pushed the bowl away with a slap, saying, “I said I’m not eating. Take it away!”
Song Yuhang took the bowl from the elderly woman and steadied her, saying, “Lin Yan, why are you acting like a spoiled princess? If you don’t want to eat, then don’t eat. Is that necessary?!”
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Lin Yan held her breath and didn’t respond, while the elderly woman turned to Song Yuhang and tried to persuade her, “Ah… ah…”
Lin Yan reluctantly sat back down and silently drank the porridge.
Unhappily, Lin Yan took her baton and went to the door to listen to the rain.
After a while, Song Yuhang accompanied the elderly woman to the kitchen to tidy up the dishes and cutlery. They talked at the door, and the elderly woman pointed to the hill behind. Song Yuhang then took a sickle and went outside.
Lin Yan leaned against the door, holding her baton, and didn’t want to engage with her. She also didn’t notice when she had returned.
After about half an hour, the male detectives had all crowded into the woodshed to rest. Lin Yan reached into her pocket and found that her cigarettes were all wet, making them impossible to light. She listlessly toyed with her lighter.
Song Yuhang came over and pulled her, saying, “Come with me.”
As they entered the kitchen, it was warm and cozy. The elderly woman was squatting by the hearth, using tongs to sift through the ashes and pulled out two golden-roasted sweet potatoes.
A sweet, glutinous aroma wafted from them.
Lin Yan swallowed her saliva but didn’t step forward.
The elderly woman had the sun-exposed highland red on her face, her hair wrapped in cloth, her skin wrinkled, and she was thin, with her bones showing. Even her front teeth had gaps. Despite her plain appearance, her smile was so sincere and lovely. In the dim candlelight, there was a warmth similar to that of an elder looking at a child.
Lin Yan felt increasingly embarrassed.
Seeing her hesitate, the elderly woman held the roasted sweet potatoes and made a gesture of peeling them, making “tsk tsk” sounds with her mouth.
Song Yuhang pushed Lin Yan over, took the roasted sweet potatoes from the elderly woman, and rolled them back and forth, saying, “Ouch… it’s hot. Do you want me to peel it for you, or will you do it yourself?”
Lin Yan snatched it from her hand, and her fingertips turned red from the heat. She jumped, and Song Yuhang and the elderly woman both watched her and laughed.
Lin Yan sat in the kitchen, nibbling on the roasted sweet potatoes bit by bit. Song Yuhang sifted through the remaining ashes in the hearth, and the elderly woman was at the door, collecting wet firewood to dry.
Song Yuhang glanced at the elderly woman and said, “What we’re eating today might be half a month’s worth of rations for the elderly lady.”
Lin Yan was taken aback, and even the sweet and delicious sweet potatoes became hard to swallow. She held them at a distance and asked, “Where did you get these?”
“They were dug from the field behind the mountain. The elderly lady grows them to sell but can’t bear to eat them herself.”
As the elderly woman continued to sift through the ashes, Lin Yan looked at her chopping firewood at the door.
“Is there more?”
Song Yuhang retrieved some from the earthen stove and handed it to Lin Yan, saying, “Is this not enough?”
Lin Yan picked it up, not minding the heat, and placed a layer of straw on her way to the door, where she put it on the elderly woman’s apron.
“Eat.”
She uttered just one syllable, and the elderly woman didn’t understand at first, trying to hand it back, saying, “You eat… you eat…”
This time, Lin Yan understood.
But she was never good at arguing or reasoning with people, and she was growing impatient.
“I said eat it!”
Song Yuhang couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Lin Yan shot her a cold, disdainful look and forcibly put the roasted sweet potatoes back in the elderly woman’s arms. After taking a few steps, she turned around, took out all the money from her pocket, and handed it to the elderly woman.
The elderly woman became even more frightened when she received this wet money, her face expressing pure fear.
Song Yuhang stood up to reassure her, “It’s okay, please accept it. She has plenty of money; she won’t miss this small amount.”
Lin Yan didn’t say a word, crouching on the ground and burying her head in the sweet potato, like a child who had done something wrong but refused to admit it.
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Song Yuhang found it amusing. How could someone be so stubborn, so contradictory in words and actions, and yet so adorable?
After the elderly woman left, Lin Yan’s heart warmed. She offered the only short stool in the kitchen to the elderly woman, indicating that she should sit. Lin Yan herself crouched down in front of her.
Their eyes met at the same level, and Song Yuhang raised her gaze to look at Lin Yan. The pupils of her eyes had a shallow hazel color, like translucent gems, and her fuzzy head was close to Lin Yan’s. Her smile was gentle and serene.
For a moment, she even felt that this person had been born as the wrong species and should have been some kind of large dog.
Song Yuhang hesitated, then asked, “Is it delicious?”
Lin Yan lowered her gaze, avoiding her eye contact, and mumbled, “Yes.”
“I’m not full,” Song Yuhang honestly said, “You gave my portion to the old lady.”
“……”
Lin Yan hesitated and then extended her arm, passing over half of the sweet potato she had been eating, saying, “I’m full.”
Song Yuhang’s gaze was still lingering on the sweet potato.
She couldn’t help but smile at the scene. She accepted the offered portion without further protest, and Lin Yan opened her mouth, not saying a word, and reluctantly swallowed her pride.
“Here, I’ll give you half, so now it’s fair,” Song Yuhang said, but unexpectedly, she also split the sweet potato in half and handed it to Lin Yan.
Lin Yan was taken aback, her lips curled up, and she wanted to laugh but held it back.
Song Yuhang stuffed the half piece of sweet potato into her hand and said, “When will you be a bit more honest?”
Lin Yan nibbled on the soft sweet potato flesh, experiencing physical satisfaction on a cold and rainy autumn night. Perhaps because she was so gentle and understood her well, Song Yuhang tolerated her stubbornness and all her bad temper, making her feel emotionally content with someone like that by her side.
Unconsciously, she wrinkled her nose slightly, revealing a playful side, with a hint of sweet potato crumbs at the corner of her lips.
“As for me, didn’t you say it yourself? The words ‘honesty’ don’t exist in my life dictionary…”
Her trailing tone was cut off by an unexpected action.
In Lin Yan’s pupils, that face grew larger and larger, until a gust of wind extinguished the candlelight, leaving everything in silence.
Her lips were touched in a lightning-fast motion, and the tiny sweet potato crumb had vanished.
Song Yuhang blushed, and even someone experienced in the matters of love couldn’t help but blush.
“Lin Yan, I’ve thought it over. How about you?”
LP: Song Yuhang, so bold! If Lin Yan rejects her, Song Yuhang can be mine (｀ω´)