The old man returned.
Returning with him was Zhang Baocheng.
Zhang Baocheng’s face was already swollen on one side.
Seeing them, he appeared suspicious, mind restless.
Song Moting hurriedly supported Zhang Baocheng.
"Brother! What happened to you?"
Zhang Baocheng glanced at the old man, "I’m fine, those guys were just joking around with me."
Rubbing his cheek, these people really hit hard.
The old man sat down, picked up a bun, and handed one to Jiang Xiaoxiao.
Jiang Xiaoxiao obediently took it.
"Eat, it’s normal here, you’ll get used to it."
Ate without changing expression.
The three of them ate absent-mindedly.
Jiang Xiaoxiao couldn’t swallow!
On one hand, the food was terrible; on the other, she was anxious about how to escape.
After eating, they waited for over an hour, and those people’s meals were removed too.
Most of it was unfinished.
It was apparent they were not satisfied either.
One of them, a man with a beard, grabbed Song Moting and asked.
"Do any of you know how to cook?"
Song Moting was about to answer.
Jiang Xiaoxiao quickly shook her head, "We’re three men, how would we know? The most we can do is roast a rabbit or something, everything else my mom does. She said men shouldn’t go into the kitchen, or there’ll be bad luck."
Song Moting hurriedly nodded.
"Yeah, yeah, bad luck."
"Ma Laosan, just forget about it; none of us men can cook. We can’t even cook ourselves, how do you expect them to? Think about it, even for kids from the countryside, which parents let boys into the kitchen?
It’s our bad luck that you didn’t bring a lady along. At least she could cook for us. These days eating the old man’s cooking makes you never want to eat again.
Damn it. If not for his cooking, we’d have tossed him into the deep woods long ago; with his limp leg, going there means certain death.
Ate my food for two months, what’s this rubbish he made?"
Flipped all the food.
Song Moting pulled Jiang Xiaoxiao to hide quietly like quails in the corner.
"All right, Brother Hu Zi, stop getting mad. Let’s go play cards. Boy, go to the old man’s room and get us a couple of bottles of alcohol, and tell him to cook some meat. Actually, forget it, just get some peanuts, life is unbearable."
Ma Laosan instructed them, took his boss inside.
Song Moting pulled Jiang Xiaoxiao back.
"Looks like even the old man was caught by these people, who knows how he accidentally fell into their hands. We should be able to inquire about the situation."
Jiang Xiaoxiao shook her head, "Not now, let’s refrain from asking the old man; we haven’t figured out the situation. Who knows if it’s some trick? You know these guys don’t know much about us, yet dare to keep us here so boldly, not fearing that one of us might be tough?
Besides, mountain folks know the terrain well, move fast, don’t they fear us escaping?
Situation is unclear now, let’s wait; with this heavy snow, no one can leave."
Song Moting admired his wife, her mind was sharp.
"Don’t worry, they won’t touch us yet, either. They can’t see through our relationship; assuming we’re connected somehow. If one escapes, what about the other two?
They’re complacent. With this snow, anyone leaving dies; they’re not afraid of us running. But once it stops, things might change."
Two of them looked at the feathery snow outside, it kept falling, likely not stopping today.
Two returned to the room.
The old man already lay down, Zhang Baocheng sat in the corner silently hugging his knees staring outside, not knowing what he thought.
Seeing them return, he glanced once, pulled the blanket over himself, and lay down.
Song Moting delivered peanuts to those people.
Of course not, a huge bag of dry-fried peanuts they brought up the mountain.
Song Moting was a hundred times unwilling for his wife to lie beside Zhang Baocheng, but not lying there meant lying beside the old man.
He walked over and nudged Zhang Baocheng, who lifted his head from the blanket. Song Moting gestured for him to move to the middle of the bed.
Zhang Baocheng hesitated, grabbed his blanket, and lay next to the old man, instantly asleep.
Only then did Song Moting help Xiao Xiao arrange the bedding for them to lie down.
Jiang Xiaoxiao leaned against Song Moting, neither spoke nor moved.
No one could sleep, who knows what fate had arranged.
Even asleep, they heard the rowdy card-playing sounds from the next room.
Song Moting waited for the others to sleep, then he quietly slipped out.
As dawn approached, Song Moting stealthily returned, lying down.
Eyes closed but no sleepiness, pondering how they got all this food and prey down; surely there must be transport.
They couldn’t have carried it all up.
But he searched around outside and found no signs of cars or tractors.
Song Moting was a bit disappointed and found numerous traps around.
If not for his vast battle experience.
He’d truly be stuck by them.
Looks like the old man wasn’t lying about the traps, getting out wouldn’t be easy.
Easy for him alone, risky with Jiang Xiaoxiao and Zhang Baocheng.
Their transport should arrive at a set time; only then it appears.
Meaning someone else will meet them.
The snow outside was too big, over one day and night it buried their calves.
Snow hadn’t stopped, likely lasting at least two days.
If it kept up, the mountain would be sealed; these people couldn’t leave either.
It meant relative safety for the three, at least they weren’t worried about escape.
Relaxing their guard over them.
It gave them opportunity, escaping was a must.
But how to escape was the question.
Song Moting worried about them; trapped here too long they’d find entertainment, boredom leads to trouble.
Zhang Baocheng got hit already, likely they’d target him and Jiang Xiaoxiao.
Jiang Xiaoxiao’s identity must remain hidden; if discovered, high risk.
That’d mean a deadly showdown.