Chapter Ninety-Six: Memories of the Past

Half Summer and An Zi were racing their horses when they happened to reach a sloping descent. Half Summer was, after all, a little afraid, so she pulled on the reins, wanting to slow the horse down a bit. But in an instant the animal went wild.

Caught off guard, she knew one thing only: she must not be thrown. She clutched the reins with both hands, yet the horse only grew more frantic, lifting all four hooves and charging ahead. When An Zi noticed something was wrong, he hurriedly shouted, “Chasing Wind, stop—Chasing Wind!”

The horse paid him no heed at all. Its eyes had turned bloodshot, white foam flecking its mouth as it hurtled forward like a fury. Half Summer felt as though the reins were about to scour the skin from her hands, but she could not let go. Ahead, the animal was already about to burst out of the enclosure, and An Zi whipped his horse after her, but no matter how hard he urged it on, he could not catch up. After all, how could an ordinary horse ever compare to Chasing Wind’s speed?

Chasing Wind tore through the woods, plunging into a dark forest where the air was chill and the beat of hooves sent birds scattering into the sky. Pain reminded Half Summer that she could not go on like this. If she kept letting the horse run wild, sooner or later she would be thrown off and certainly die. She did not want to die.

She saw a sturdy branch ahead and thought of leaping for it when the horse suddenly stepped into a trap. With a long, piercing whinny, it violently flung her from its back and then thundered away.

Half Summer struggled to glance at the faint light filtering through the trees. So tired.

There, An Zi had only just reached the mouth of the woods following the tracks when Gan Sui caught up from behind. “Where is Half Summer?”

“Your sister was dragged into the deep forest by a mad horse.”

Gan Sui felt his mind in turmoil. In all the dangers he had ever known, none compared to the anxiety of this moment. He urged his horse into the woods, and An Zi wanted to follow, but Lu Ying stopped him. “Your Highness, it is full of danger in there. You cannot go in.”

“She is my sister! If lives can be traded for lives, I am willing.” With that, he spurred his horse into the forest.

Lu Ying had no choice but to follow. The woods were dim and oppressive. Gan Sui even thought he heard the cry of crows, and the air seemed to carry a thick, lingering smell of blood. He dared not think further. Frantically searching this way and that, he finally saw a scrap of Half Summer’s clothing snagged on a tree. Then, in the distance, he saw her lying in a pool of blood.

He rushed over at once. “Half Summer, don’t scare me. Half Summer...” He felt for her breath. Thankfully, though weak, she was still breathing. He could not panic. He had to take her out of here.

He lifted her into his arms and ran toward the edge of the woods. Along the way, she continued to bleed, yet he could see no obvious wound, so he could only quicken his pace. Half Summer, please, do not leave me.

“Sister...”

“She’s injured. Go back and call the imperial physician.” Holding Half Summer, Gan Sui ordered An Zi to return first.

Half Summer was settled into a small hut beside the grass field. She was in so much pain that cold sweat kept breaking out on her forehead, her brows knotted tightly, yet she never woke. Gan Sui carefully wiped the sweat from her face.

The wet nurse had taken the children to play on the other side. Half Summer had looked too bloodied when Gan Sui carried her back, and the children could not bear to see it.

An Zi returned very quickly, but Gan Sui felt as though each second were like a year. As soon as the physician arrived and took her pulse, he said, “The child cannot be saved...”

“What did you say?”

“This lady has been pregnant for a month and a half, but after such a fall, the child cannot be saved. As for why she has not woken, she must have struck her head when she fell. Still, it is better for her to sleep like this, so she need not endure the grief of losing her child.”

Gan Sui felt as though a bolt of lightning had split the sky. Though he and Half Summer had never imagined they would have another child, the quiet disappearance of this one still tore at his heart. How could Half Summer bear it...

An Zi felt even more agony inside. He wished Gan Sui would just hit him. “Brother-in-law, hit me... It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t taken my sister riding, if I hadn’t made her ride that horse, none of this would have happened...”

Gan Sui only patted his head. “Don’t say foolish things. This is not your fault. You were frightened today too. Go back, change your clothes, and rest.”

“I don’t want to. I want to stay here until my sister wakes.”

But Half Summer never did wake. By the time the lanterns were lit, the two children had played themselves wild and began looking for their mother, crying as though their hearts had been torn apart. Gan Sui was worried about his wife, yet he also had to summon all his strength to comfort the two little ones. He was utterly exhausted.

Half Summer did not not want to wake; it was only that her soul had left her body and drifted, she knew not where. She seemed to be walking endlessly through darkness, and after a long while she finally saw a faint light ahead. Half Summer quickened her pace and rushed toward it.

A tremendous force pulled her onward. When she woke again, she found herself somehow inside a little girl’s body. Where was this? Why was everything so bumpy? The moment she struggled, a hand slapped down on her. “Behave. If you keep wriggling about, you won’t get supper tonight.”

Only then did Half Summer realize she had been stuffed into a large burlap sack.

What was going on? Not knowing the situation, she did not dare move again. After what felt like more than half an hour, the person finally stopped and flung her to the ground. Fortunately there were weeds on the floor, so she was not hurt. The person opened the sack, and Half Summer then saw that she was in an empty farmhouse room. A dim yellow light shone over everything, and Half Summer squinted a little in discomfort. It had been so long, so long since she had seen light like this. Where was this place? Who was she?

“This little girl is strange indeed. She doesn’t even cry,” a woman said while eating porridge at the table.

“And she’s well dressed and neat-looking. Maybe we can sell her for a good price,” the man said as he sat down and ladled himself a bowl of porridge.

Fine. She had fallen in with human traffickers.

Half Summer looked around and saw there was another little boy in the room, his hands and feet tied, his face filthy, with scrapes on his arms. The woman seemed to notice Half Summer’s gaze. “Don’t even think about running. See him? He tried to run yesterday and got turned into that state. Let me tell you, little girl, once you fall into our hands, behave yourself. If I’m in a good mood, I might pick you a decent family. If I’m in a bad mood, I’ve got blood on my hands too, and not only from children.”

Half Summer understood the situation perfectly. She was small and weak now, so it was impossible to deal with these two adults. Thus she obediently said, “I’ll be good. Could you give me something to eat? I’m hungry.” If she ate her fill, she would have strength to run.

The woman simply tossed her a steamed bun. “Eat.”

Half Summer held the bun and, pretending to be frightened, went up to the other child. The boy was pitiful too, his stomach growling, yet he still tried to act tough. Half Summer pinched off a bit of the bun and offered it to him. “Here, eat a bite.”

The boy ignored her.

“You’re kind-hearted enough, little miss, but this brat hasn’t touched a bite since he got here. He’s awfully precious. Stinking little punk.”

“Pretty sister, does he feel uncomfortable because you tied him up? Could you untie him?”

“Untie him? This little imp is bold as anything. The moment you look away, he tries to run.”

“But you’re so capable, you’d definitely catch him right away. Please untie him. If the cords leave marks, he won’t fetch as high a price later.”

“You’re just a child, and you already know about selling for a good price. Fine. Anyway, these two little brats aren’t going anywhere.” The man finally spoke up and untied the ropes binding the little boy’s hands and feet. The child still did not speak, and even his gaze toward Half Summer was full of hostility, as though he thought they were all in the same gang.

Half Summer did not care about his look. She simply held the bun out to him, then leaned close to his ear and whispered, “If you don’t eat enough now, you won’t even have the strength to run later.”

The boy’s eyes flickered. Half Summer firmly pushed the bun into his mouth. Only then did he begin to chew in a dazed, wooden way.

One bun was certainly not enough for two. Half Summer shamelessly asked for another, and only then did she feel some strength returning to her belly.

“Pretty sister, I want to go to the toilet.”

“Do it in the corner.”

The woman was sleepy after eating and did not want to deal with her.

“But I need to do the dirty one. It’s too filthy.”

“You sure are troublesome. Pillar, take her to the latrine outside.”

“Alright, alright. Sleep, wife.” Pillar was the man who had captured Half Summer. She obediently followed him outside, quietly studying the surroundings. It was truly remote here; in the distance she could only see a stretch of forest.

“Go on!”

Half Summer obediently went to the toilet.

The man and woman locked the door with an iron chain, and only then did they rest in peace. Not long after, the room rang with their alternating snores.

Half Summer and the little boy curled up together. He had wounds on his body, and every slight movement made him hiss in pain. Since it was a summer night, the ground did not feel cold. Half Summer told him, “Don’t be afraid. We’ll definitely get out.”

“You want to escape?”

“Of course!”

“You can’t. It’s very dark outside. You can’t find the road.” That was how he had been caught back yesterday.

Half Summer looked around and saw a pile of farm tools and weeds in the room. “Where did you run from yesterday?”

The little boy pointed to the window. “I stepped on a stool to get up there. I twisted my ankle when I jumped down. I kept running afterward... but I couldn’t find the road.” It was pitiful. So small, and already prey to traffickers. They deserved to be cut into pieces.

“Then let’s do this...” Half Summer said to the little boy.

The man and woman were sleeping soundly when they suddenly heard a crash. The woman woke at once and kicked the man hard. “Stop sleeping. Those two little brats are gone.”

“What...” The man was jolted awake, still groggy.

Seeing his stupid expression, the woman pinched him hard. “The children ran off. Hurry up and look for them.”

Cursing, the two of them went out together.

Half Summer and the little boy were hiding amid the weeds. She let out a slight breath of relief and whispered, “Wait a little longer. When they’ve gone farther away, we’ll run too.”

After waiting another ten-odd minutes, Half Summer took the boy by the hand and ran. She had no sense of direction either, so she could only run toward the North Star. Two children hand in hand, in that terrifying darkness, somehow made things less frightening. When they grew tired, they sat beneath a large tree. Half Summer comforted him, saying, “Don’t be afraid. Once it’s light, we’ll find the way. Sister will definitely get you out.”

“You look younger than I am,” the little boy said, unwilling to admit defeat.

“Then who was it that led you out? I’m smarter than you, so what’s wrong with calling me sister?”

The boy refused. Half Summer tickled him, and he laughed.

“I think there’s a sound over there. Go take a look!” Half Summer heard the woman’s voice again.

Bad luck—they were about to be caught again. Half Summer grabbed the little boy’s hand and ran.

“You two little brats still want to run? If I catch you, I’ll skin you.”

Half Summer was frantic, but her legs had little strength. Her foot slipped, and she rolled down the slope, protecting the child all the while. The fall left her dizzy. From far away, she seemed to hear the wail of sirens.

It looked like she was going to be taken back again. What a failure.

“Don’t move! Police!”

Oh, thank goodness.

The next day, when Half Summer woke, she saw an old woman standing by her bed. “Serves you right for running around. You got caught by the kidnappers, and suffered for it, didn’t you? Let’s see if you’ll still disobey next time.”

“What about that little boy?”

“I’m here.”

The boy was actually in much better condition than she was—only his arm was fractured. When Half Summer looked at his washed face, she felt that it seemed very familiar.

“Thank you for saving me. My name is Gan Sui. The Gan in sweet, and the Sui in smooth and as wished...”

Gan Sui!

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