Chapter 579: Chapter 579: Drop the Handkerchief

Zhen Yubai apologized to Gongliang Liao and Qi Xian, bowed courteously, and hurriedly supported the blood-covered Bai He while leading the remaining Black Cavalry members away.

Not a single horse from Ma Qin Yao could be moved; Zhen Yubai could only carry the nearly unconscious Bai He on his back, rushing him to the barefoot doctor in Liu Family Village for treatment.

Having lost all their equipment, the Black Cavalry, now only with their light, unencumbered bodies, even if they wished to find a better doctor for Bai He, could only rely on two legs to walk.

Borrow a cart from the villagers?

That was absolutely out of the question!

If they disturbed the villagers here, the female village chief of Liu Family Village would surely kill them.

To serve their master loyally is one thing, but surviving and avoiding unnecessary risks is another matter altogether, a fact well understood by the Black Cavalry.

In this snowy weather, without the aid of tall horses, every step in the snow required twice the effort than usual.

That short stretch of village road seemed so distant, as if it would never end no matter how far they walked.

At Lotus Courtyard, the crisis was temporarily averted.

But except for Liu Ji, still complimenting Qin Yao, nobody could muster a smile.

Qin Yao brushed aside Liu Ji as he approached, gave him a cold glance, and successfully silenced Liu Ji’s chatter.

She came up to Qi Xian, patted the young man on the shoulder apologetically, "I’ll have someone rebuild the courtyard wall later. Fortunately, this side isn’t facing the north wind, so temporarily blocking it with wooden boards will suffice to get through the winter."

Qi Xian took a deep look at the ruins. The intelligent youth had grasped the intended withdrawal behind the woman’s words.

Though he felt some reluctance and loss, he introspected: if the Crown Prince were to hold them accountable, could he protect them?

The answer was — absolutely not.

At that time, he was just an ordinary person with a scholar’s title. If not for the protection of a Prime Minister grand ancestor, leaving aside the Crown Prince, even the lowest-ranked White Crane Warrior could kill him a hundred times over.

"... I’m sorry." Qi Xian looked up at Qin Yao, whose bright black eyes offered him a faint encouragement that made him feel ashamed.

"This has nothing to do with you," Qin Yao gently patted the young man’s head, "Come to my home for a meal."

Qi Xian nodded heavily, "All right."

They handed over the horses, weapons, and soft armor of the Black Cavalry to the Qi Family’s guards for safekeeping, then followed Qin Yao and her husband back home.

The children, worried, came out to greet them. Seeing the adults unharmed, they considerately asked no more questions and went back to their rooms.

Only Da Lang remained. He noticed that Qi Xian’s emotions seemed off, the look in his eyes carrying a faint sadness.

Seizing a moment when the adults were brewing tea and resting, Da Lang made a "psst" sound at Qi Xian outside the hall.

This was a secret signal between the two. Upon hearing it, Qi Xian turned his head toward the door, saw Da Lang beckoning, and smiled brightly before half-bending his waist to sneak out.

In fact, the adults inside had already noticed the little gestures of the two boys but pretended not to see them.

Qin Yao maintained an unnervingly calm composure about major matters, and Yin Le assumed that the Master would be finished after reaching home.

Unexpectedly, the Master did not intend to hold anyone accountable; he merely arranged for Gongliang Liao to be seated by the indoor stove and handed him tea, comforting him silently.

They both understood that the crisis was merely postponed, not resolved.

The White Crane and the others had not left Liu Family Village. The heavy snow had caused the school to suspend classes, and Zhen Yubai arranged for the Black Cavalry to stay in the school.

Bai He needed to recuperate for at least half a month from his injuries, and Gomgliang Liao only had this short period to catch his breath.

If they couldn’t come up with a better strategy during this time, leaving would not change anything.

It was unclear whether Liu Ji hadn’t thought about this or hadn’t grasped the severity, as he was boastfully recounting Bai He and the others’ disheveled state and his wife’s bravery.

Gongliang Liao merely smiled, though his gaze, scanning the surroundings, hid reluctance and cherishment.

Yin Le went to the kitchen to help prepare dinner. After slightly comforting Gongliang Liao, Qin Yao headed out to the village, intending to explain the situation to the villagers and to check the stationery factory’s production progress, reminding Song Yu to devise a plan for the snow season.

The second batch of Lady’s Boxes was about to be delivered, and no mistakes could occur at this critical juncture.

Song Yu nodded in agreement and inquired about the situation with the Black Cavalry.

When the incident occurred at Lotus Courtyard, the entire village, young and old, followed the village chief’s instructions to hide inside their homes, only hearing a loud crash sound from the collapse.

Afterward, they saw Mr. Zhen leading the Black Cavalry hurriedly to Doctor Liu’s house, but the specifics were unclear.

Uncertainty breeds fear, and Song Yu’s worry was shared by the entire village.

Almost every household in the village had someone working at the stationery factory, so Qin Yao shared what she could divulge with the workers, allowing them to take the news home and reassure the villagers.

"They came to invite the great scholar out of reclusion and had some minor conflict with the Qi Family, but everything is settled now. However, they might still stay in the village for some time, so everyone should avoid them to prevent further complications."

Upon hearing this, the workers secretly breathed a half-relief, nodding to express their understanding.

Qin Yao waved, "Everyone, continue with your work. With the cold weather, be careful when using fire to keep warm."

After settling the issues at the stationery factory, Qin Yao returned home. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The timing was perfect; dinner was ready, and Ah Wang, along with Yin Le, was serving the dishes on the table.

The sneaky Da Lang and Qi Xian returned, following the aroma of the food. Qi Xian held a grass-woven grasshopper in his hand, his spirits lifted, completely different from earlier gloom.

Da Lang went to call out his younger siblings, and the two families sat around a large round table, eagerly eyeing the bountiful dishes.

Qin Yao nodded to Gongliang Liao, who smiled, picked up his chopsticks, and first placed a piece of braised pork onto the plates of Qi Xian and Liu Ji sitting on either side of him.

"Eat." Gongliang Liao told the Da Lang Brothers and Sisters across the table, amused.

As soon as the children heard this, their eyes lit up instantly, and they eagerly picked up their chopsticks to grab their favorite foods.

At Qin Yao’s house, there were not too many restrictions and rules; as long as one was hygienic and didn’t disrupt others, they could do as they pleased.

Initially, Qi Xian had a hard time adapting when he arrived in the village, but now he integrated perfectly, chatting with Da Lang’s group while eating, saying something in low voices that made the children burst into laughter.

Everyone enjoyed this dinner greatly.

After the meal, everyone gathered again to listen to Qin Yao’s instructions and, under her guidance, played the "Drop the Handkerchief" game.

Those without a handkerchief did not need to move, so Gongliang Liao could also participate. If the old man was tagged, as he couldn’t run, he gleefully accepted the penalty.

Immediately after, he eagerly pushed his wheelchair in search of the next unfortunate player.

The game was childish and didn’t require any thought, yet the different people involved created a wonderful chemistry.

That night, the laughter from North Mountain lasted until late at night.

This left those monitoring the area baffled: could the blood and collapsed ruins witnessed during the day be fake?