Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper! Chapter 615: Nightcat Village

This is a small village nestled among three large mountains. Entering from the fork of the official road, the path winds upward, and after reaching the top of the slope, it winds downward again.

If the roadside of Liu Family Village can be called a ditch, then the right-side road of Wildcat Village can be called a cliff.

The road is suspended on a steep mountainside, and as the carriage passes by, Yin Le doesn’t dare to look much at the cliff on the right. She focuses straight ahead, her heart racing and her breathing quickening.

During the dayti, it’s still manageable here, but at night, even riding a horse is dangerous, let alone a carriage.

In the pitch dark, if the road isn’t visible and one falls off the cliff, that’s the end of this life.

In fact, when they reached this narrow cliff road, Liu Ji, Yin Le, Da Lang, Second Lang, and Si Niang all began to feel subtle regret.

Yet, the people of Sheng Country are fiercely proud, their mouths are the toughest, even if crossing the cliff makes them tremble with fear, they dare not express any regret.

They can only comfort themselves with reasons like doing a good deed for the day, treating it as an experience, or considering that the child is quite pitiable.

In contrast, Qin Yao, riding alone at the back, can still calmly appreciate the majestic mountains, alleviating much of her inner irritation.

Seeing thorn branches with wild berries on the roadside, she breaks a piece, eating while walking. The sweet and sour taste quenches her thirst.

Upon descending from the mountain, Wildcat Village appears.

The place is small, with little farmland. To make the most of every available land resource, the slopes are covered with terraced fields carved by hand.

Strangely, these fields are all lush green with grass. During the spring plowing season, there isn’t a single farr busy in the fields.

"It’s so quiet," Liu Ji observed, looking around. Not even the bark of a dog or the crow of a rooster could be heard, nor any human voices.

Just as they were wondering why there were no human voices either, the sound of running suddenly erged from where the houses were clustered ahead.

Soon, a woman appeared, leading a staggering little boy. They were covered in patches, and the woman had a head of greasy hair wrapped in a blue cloth.

The boy’s hair was tied neatly, but his clothes seed even more tattered than the woman’s. Ill-fitting long pants tripped him, and the woman kept her focus forward, not looking back.

The woman shouted excitedly, "Gouwa!"

Sitting in front of Liu Ji, Gouwa also beca excited. Liu Ji quickly dismounted, placing him on the ground.

"This lady..."

"Brother!"

Just as Liu Ji began to speak, Gouwa ran out, and the woman grabbed him in a hug. After a brief embrace between mother and son, he broke free to help the little boy who had fallen.

It seed the woman only just noticed the boy’s fall. She exclaid in anxiety, rushing forward to grab one hand of each brother, gratefully leading them to Qin Yao and others.

"Thank you all for saving my eldest son. His grandmother and I were worried sick. Our household just has these two boys, and if soone had taken them, our family couldn’t live on..." Speaking excitedly, the woman shed a couple of tears, her eyes turning red.

The two children’s skin was dark, but hers was fair. Since she was crying, a healthy flush graced her face, softening her otherwise ordinary appearance.

Liu Ji thought to himself how fortunate they were to have brought the child back. Otherwise, this woman might have cried herself to death.

"Benefactors, please co to my ho to sit and have so tea. It would also give a chance to cook a al to thank you," the woman sincerely invited.

The sun was already leaning westward, and any further delay would an they couldn’t reach An County town. Liu Ji was about to refuse when the woman sohow had led the two brothers to the carriage.

"Oh, there are more kids! Co to my place, take a break, and have a bowl of sweet water before moving on."

Yin Le waved his hand politely, "No, no, we’re in a hurry to get to An County. Otherwise, we’ll be sleeping in the wild tonight."

Gouwa’s mother asked in surprise, "Were you going to stay in An County? Most of the villagers have gone out for business. My house has several empty rooms. Why not stay the night? Although the house is humble, I clean it every day, and it’s very tidy."

Liu Ji thought to himself, so that’s why the farmland is deserted; everyone has gone out for business. No wonder the village is so quiet.

Gouwa’s mother looked towards Liu Ji, "Please, benefactor, co to my ho. If you just leave, my conscience won’t be at ease. I’m afraid I won’t sleep well or eat well, and Gouwa hasn’t even had a serious cup of tea with you yet..."

She then glanced at Yin Le on the carriage, "You can save a lot of silver coins. Since there are ready empty rooms at ho, why waste it?"

Only then did they notice Qin Yao stopped behind the carriage. It was Liu Ji and Yin Le who turned to ask her opinion, and Gouwa’s mother finally saw her, surprised as she walked a couple of steps back, seeing there was another person, startled.

This woman, silent and unnoticed, barely seed like a living person existed there.

Tears in her eyes, she cautiously smiled at Qin Yao, "I didn’t realize Madam was there at the back. Please forgive my lack of manners, Madam, don’t be angry."

"No problem, my wife is generous and won’t get angry, right wife?" Liu Ji chuckled and winked at Qin Yao.

Seeing their expressions, Qin Yao understood they wanted to stay.

This Wildcat Village indeed has beautiful scenery, and it’s not far from An County. Staying for the night and departing in the morning would an they wouldn’t have to go into An County, just continue the journey onward.

She nodded, "Let’s go, but fair is fair, the room fee must be paid." They could save on the al cost.

As their hosts were willing to accommodate, they didn’t want to take advantage unduly, especially seeing the modest appearance of Gouwa and his brother, suggesting their family wasn’t well-off.

Gouwa’s mother was about to refuse, but Liu Ji stopped her and asked about the remaining villagers as he glanced at the many houses, though they looked old.

Gouwa’s mother led the way, hand in hand with the two children, explaining, "Only about twenty people remain, mostly the elderly or children, taking a nap at ho during noon." That’s why it was so quiet.

Liu Ji expressed a bit of envy, still able to nap at noon—indeed, a leisurely life.

Upon entering the village, an old bent woman appeared, seemingly with poor vision, leaning on a cane while lifting her head and squinting as if seeing blurred figures ahead, she tentatively called out:

"Is Gouwa back?"

Gouwa’s mother quickly answered, "Yes, he’s back, the benefactor brought him. This troubleso kid only knows to run around wildly, he should learn a lesson now."

She shook the hands of the two boys, and the brothers softly called, "G-grandmother."

Their voices carried a subtle tone of fear.

Liu Ji found the old lady a bit strange, squinting to get close and look at you. Though suspected of being blind, upon seeing the unmatched Liu Junren, she revealed an impressed expression.

Liu Ji lightly coughed to mask the upward curl of his lips.

"Bring the carriage to the courtyard," Gouwa’s mother removed the threshold, guiding the group inside.

Their courtyard was presumably the largest in the village, spacious but barren, with only a few farming tools against the wall.

Yin Le let the children down and parked the carriage by the wall, casually glancing at the farming tools, noticing the thick layer of dust upon them.

It seems business here is lucrative enough that they forgo farming and let the tools gather dust.