Miss and farmhand

Huang Chu and the others were upstairs when they initially heard only the sound of running footsteps and commotion downstairs, but they didn't know exactly what was happening. It wasn't until Huang Xingtong returned that they learned the door had been sealed off.

There was no time to think about anything else; the most important thing was: "What about Xiaolin? We agreed to meet at 1:15 AM, but now they can't get out. It's not just that they've waited all night for nothing, but there won't be another chance to contact us to pick them up!"

Huang Xingtong also looked worried: "That's the problem. If we miss tonight, we'll really be stuck at home."

"They said they'd seal off the gate, but have they sent a lot of people? Is there any chance...?"

"There were guards at all the gates, and wooden beams were nailed to the side and back gates. There were also people patrolling in shifts. I don't know what will happen after that, but the first two days will definitely be the most heavily guarded."

The room fell silent for a moment.

After thinking it over, Huang Xingtong said, "If it really doesn't work, then forget it. I wasn't comfortable sending Shi Tou out at this time anyway. How could his body handle it? It's definitely best for him to recover at home. While he's recovering, we can observe more closely and see if we can figure out the guards' and patrols' schedules. Once Shi Tou is healed, we might have a more reliable plan, and escaping will definitely be easier then."

His words seemed to convince both Huang Chu and Huang Muyun.

Unexpectedly, the person who objected was Stone, who was lying in bed.

"This is absolutely not going to work. I have to go," he said weakly.

"How can you walk like this? You need help even to get out of bed!"

"If they hadn't sealed the gate today, I could have held on for a couple more days to recover from my injuries. This shows that even if the authorities have suspicions, they are still conservative and afraid of your reputation, so they dare not act rashly. But now that they're demanding your surrender and sealing the gate, they definitely have other tricks up their sleeves. Who knows, maybe tomorrow, or maybe tonight. If I don't leave now, not only will I suffer, but you will all be implicated as well."

His words to me were like tearing away my self-deception and complacency.

They still didn't have enough time. They didn't get a chance to get out before Shen Jingzong. They should have sent Shi Tou out while they could still leave, but they wasted time going back and forth and couldn't get out. They've already lost once, and if they don't learn from their mistakes, the situation will probably be even worse than Shi Tou predicted.

Ultimately, given Shi Tou's physical condition, even without the gates being sealed, he couldn't go very far on his own.

If the most fundamental problem is not solved, everything else is just pointless worry.

They left Shitou to rest and went downstairs to inspect the house. The servants were somewhat relieved to see their masters, but they were still afraid and kept asking questions, which made their masters have to take the trouble to appease them.

Just then, someone from the kitchen came to say that the mistress of the next room had sent in food and said that she would be in charge of the household's food and supplies from now on. The servants, upon hearing this, cried out in gratitude to Luo Shutao. They weren't particularly concerned about the real situation; if their masters were truly in trouble and were to be punished, they wouldn't be implicated. Their biggest worry was simply the most basic necessities of life—food and drink. With someone guaranteeing responsibility, they could finally relax and not worry about anything else, content to live this life of confinement. After all, what difference was there between their lives as servants and being confined?

After everyone left, Huang Chu felt a little helpless, but then he saw Huang Muyun looking thoughtful.

"What are you thinking?"

They went back upstairs, and in front of the stone bed, Huang Muyun said, "I know a way out that might lead to the stone. But the stone can't manage on its own; only I can take it with me."

Huang Xingtong asked, "What other roads are there? I don't even know my own home?"

Huang Muyun was referring to the section of wall in the courtyard near the bamboo grove. A section of the wall had been pushed open by the growing bamboo roots. Originally, this section of the wall, being against the back hill, was purely decorative and included windows—a set of variegated windows for enjoying the view—but this made the structure even more unstable. Now, the base of those windows, from fan-shaped to peach-shaped, had been pushed up, with the bottom of the peach-shaped windows being the most severely hollowed out. The lower half of the wall had been completely removed. The gardener inspected it once and said it wouldn't work; the roots would grow back even after being cut. He said the brickwork under the bamboo wasn't done properly and it would have to be completely removed and rebuilt next spring. Bamboo grows fastest in spring, so it wouldn't affect the landscaping. Therefore, that section is currently partially filled with blue bricks; it looks sealed, but the pit and windows together are tall enough for a person to pass through.

Huang Xingtong blinked. He had no idea that his bamboo had caused such a problem.

"...Why didn't the gardener ever tell me this?"

Huang Chu said, "I did tell you. When the garden was first being built, the gardener told Father it was best not to plant bamboo there, because it would cause problems. But Father didn't listen, thinking the gardener was trying to be lazy, and he even called him over and gave him a lecture. He hasn't mentioned it since, because he doesn't dare to offend you."

"..."

Huang Chu comforted him, "It's alright. We're only able to count on Father's stubbornness this time, otherwise there would have been no hope at all."

Huang Xingtong glared at her, then asked Huang Muyun, "How did you know that? Oh, right, you spend a lot of time in the garden in the summer."

Huang Muyun hesitated for a moment, "I didn't know at first either. It was Luo San... the lady next door. I only found out when I saw her walk by once."

Huang Xingtong didn't know why he hesitated, but Huang Chu immediately realized it was because of the time Luo Shutao, despite being ill, went to the academy to find Huang Xingyu. At the time, Huang Chu had blamed Huang Muyun for not stopping her from doing something foolish when she was clearly in the garden. He hadn't expected that Luo Shutao had intentionally avoided him; he had only seen her back.

They went to check the area once. It was surrounded by a bamboo forest, providing cover, so even if patrollers walked this way, they wouldn't easily notice the problem with the base of the wall. Moreover, because of its location, it bypassed the steepest part of the mountain, and the path was relatively flat after leaving the bamboo forest. It was a little longer than going up the mountain to the main road, but still easier and less strenuous than the stone steps built at the back gate.

They told Stone about the situation, and they immediately decided that they should leave that very night.

Stone was very excited. "As long as there's a path, I can walk on it myself! Don't look at me now—cough cough cough!"

Huang Muyun sighed, "Don't try to be a hero now. You're all alone. Even if you get out, how will you get to the mudflats? Do you even know who Xiaolin's people are? Save your energy. We don't have a car. I'll carry you; that'll be faster. Otherwise, you won't get there even by dawn."

"No, if anything unexpected happens and someone sees us together, you'll be implicated along with me—and that will drag you down with you too—"

"Say less, and I'll walk faster so no one will see us. I'll drop you off and come back, without anyone noticing. Don't bring up the issue of collective punishment; we're all in this together now. You and Xiaolin didn't go to sea to have a good time; we're still stuck here, and you need to find a way to help us."

These were just words of comfort. The Huang family's predicament was beyond the help of Shi Tou and Xiao Lin; it was Shen Jingzong who was targeting them. But giving Shi Tou something to hold onto, allowing him to leave with peace of mind, was enough.

With the plan set, all that's left is to wait for nightfall.

Huang Xingtong also needed to comfort his wife and explain the situation to Shen Xuying to put her mind at ease, so he stayed in Shen Xuying's room the whole time.

Huang Chu and Huang Muyun sat facing the stone, unable to say anything. They had already packed their things and could only sit there awkwardly.

Even Stone couldn't stand the atmosphere. He chuckled and cried out, "Are you here to keep vigil for me? Please leave, let me rest a little longer. You're making me feel unwell, I really can't sleep."