C1 There Was Someone Hiding in the House

Mountain Peach Village was nestled among mountains, its access to the outside world severely limited. At high noon, the sun blazed down mercilessly. Halfway up Peach Mountain, three houses with green-tiled roofs stood, and not far from one house's entrance, about five to six meters away, a majestic Big Peach Tree spread its lush branches, so wide that it would take two people to embrace its trunk. Yet, the tree bore no fruit.

Beneath the tree sat a man with unkempt hair, clad in a green military coat, amusing himself with a mixture of mud and urine. His name was Shen Yong, a twenty-four-year-old with the mental capacity less than that of a toddler. But Shen Yong hadn't always been this way. He was once the pride of Mountain Peach Village, the first to leave for university. However, during his freshman year, he enlisted in the military without informing his family and vanished for five years, leaving no trace behind. When the army finally returned him home, he had lost all sense of himself, no longer able to grasp even the simplest of sums.

"Shen Yong! Hurry over and come play at your sister-in-law's house!" The door of one green-tiled house swung open, and a young, attractive woman, Zhang Chuntao, peered out cautiously. After ensuring they were alone, she called out to him with a gentle voice that carried a hint of bravery.

"Oh." Shen Yong's voice was simple and he rose to his feet, making his way toward the woman.

Upon entering, Zhang Chuntao quickly secured the door from the inside, her heart racing at the thought of being discovered.

"What are we going to play?" Shen Yong inquired, his voice tinged with innocent curiosity.

"You're all dirty. How about sister-in-law helps you clean up with a bath, okay?" Zhang Chuntao suggested, her lips curling into a soft smile.

"Okay," Shen Yong agreed, his reply as guileless as his demeanor.

Zhang Chuntao had become part of Mountain Peach Village just two years prior through marriage. Tragically, on her wedding day, her husband, in a drunken stumble, had fatally injured himself on a stone table. Zhang Chuntao, her marriage unconsummated, was left a widow. Since then, her life had been a series of trials, with the village's lecherous old bachelors frequently knocking at her door in the dead of night. Despite their persistence, Zhang Chuntao fiercely guarded her virtue, never allowing any man to cross the threshold of her home.

It wasn't that she lacked the desire to do it; rather, she was too afraid to act on it.

She feared the repercussions if a gossipy man let the secret slip; the village would surely wag their tongues, and she'd be the target of their sharp words.

Just days ago, upon seeing Shen Yong returned to the village, a clear objective formed in her heart. She was determined to win him over.

After all, Shen Yong was not only robust and handsome.

Above all, he was simple-minded, a fool so profound that he couldn't even recognize his own parents.

Whatever happened, he was guaranteed to keep it to himself.

This realization set Zhang Chuntao's heart ablaze with possibility.

She spent her days distracted, consumed by thoughts of Shen Yong.

Yet inside, her emotions were a tangled mess, as if cat claws were teasing her insides, leaving her with an unbearable itch.

Today, peering through a crack in the door, Zhang Chuntao spotted Shen Yong loitering near her home. She couldn't let this perfect chance slip by; it would be a lifelong regret.

After a lengthy internal debate, she finally summoned the courage to invite Shen Yong inside.

In the house, Zhang Chuntao had a tub of bathwater ready.

"It's sweltering out, why are you still in that military coat? Take it off!"

"Oh."

As Shen Yong shed his coat, Zhang Chuntao was taken aback by the sight before her.

Even in his military green undershirt, his chiseled muscles were unmistakable.

Zhang Chuntao marveled silently:

"To think such a stunningly beautiful fool exists in this world! To have him fall into my lap is surely the fortune of a past life!"

She swallowed hard, her cheeks flushed with heat, her body temperature climbing, hormones racing.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

A sudden flurry of knocks on the door sent a shiver through Zhang Chuntao. She hugged herself tightly, barely daring to breathe.

"Who's there?"

She feigned composure, her voice a whisper.

"It's me! Sister Chuntao!"

Recognizing the voice, Zhang Chuntao knew it was the village bully, Zhao Dabiao.

"Wait just a second!"

At that moment, Zhang Chuntao was seething with rage. The opportunity she had longed for was finally within reach, only to be disrupted by Zhao Dabiao, the local thug.

She scanned the room frantically; there was nowhere to hide.

If Zhao Dabiao caught them when she opened the door and the story got out, she'd be ruined!

"Open up! Open the door, now!"

Zhao Dabiao hammered at the door, bellowing.

"Dabiao, hold on! I'm coming!"

Zhang Chuntao stalled for time.

Then, she spotted the large bathing vat and quickly urged Shen Yong to jump in and conceal himself.

"Stay put in here, Shen Yong. Don't come out until I say so!"

Zhang Chuntao whispered, pressing her finger to her lips in a hushing motion.

Shen Yong, bewildered, nodded and crouched in the vat, his nose just above the waterline.

Zhang Chuntao covered the vat, took a moment to steady her nerves, then slid the bolt and cracked the door open a sliver.

"Chuntao, why'd it take you so long to answer? You hiding someone in there?"

Zhao Dabiao, reeking of booze, nearly made Zhang Chuntao gag as he spoke.

"Dabiao, you're wasted! Better head home and sleep it off."

Zhang Chuntao deftly steered the conversation away.

"I'm just in a good mood today, had a couple extra drinks. Got thirsty passing by and thought I'd ask for a glass of water."

Zhao Dabiao's gaze was fixed on Zhang Chuntao's alluring figure, his throat parched.

"Fine! Just wait outside, and I'll fetch you some water."

She said, attempting to close the door once more.

But Zhao Dabiao, growing impatient, shoved the door wide open with a forceful push.

Zhang Chuntao couldn't hold him back; she stumbled two steps backward, crashing against the kitchen stove, nearly tumbling over.

"So you won't open the door at night, and now you won't even let me in for a drink of water during the day? You think you're too good for me?"

Zhao Dabiao was already stepping into the house as he spoke, making his way unsteadily toward the water vat.

"No, no one's looking down on you!" Zhang Chuntao responded verbally, though her mind was racing with anxiety. She feared that if Zhao Dabiao lifted the vat's lid, her secret would be exposed.

Instinctively, Zhang Chuntao's hand found the rolling pin next to the stove, providing her with a sense of security.

If Zhao Dabiao dared to remove the lid, she was ready to knock him out with the rolling pin.

"Sister Chuntao, where's your water ladle?" Zhao Dabiao inquired, leaning on the rim of the vat.

"Oh! Yes, right here!" Zhang Chuntao snapped back to reality, hastily setting the rolling pin aside and handing him the water ladle nearby. "There's water in the ladle; you can drink straight from it!"

"No, I want the water from the vat—it's cooler," Zhao Dabiao insisted, tossing aside the water from the ladle and reaching for the vat's cover.

"Wow! Found it!" Shen Yong's sudden exclamation startled Zhao Dabiao as he emerged from the vat.

Zhang Chuntao, seizing the moment, swung the rolling pin down hard on Zhao Dabiao's head.

Her intention was to knock Zhao Dabiao out cold with a single blow.

But, holding back to avoid a fatal strike and missing his vital spots, the rolling pin failed to render him unconscious. Instead, it sobered him up.

Zhao Dabiao whipped around with a glare that sent a chill through Zhang Chuntao. Her grip faltered, the rolling pin clattered to the floor, and her legs buckled, sending her crashing to the ground.

Ignoring Zhang Chuntao, Zhao Dabiao's anger pivoted to Shen Yong.

"Shen Yong!? The person you were hiding was you, you big oaf!"

As Zhao Dabiao glowered at Shen Yong, his frustration boiled over. He never imagined that Chuntao, the object of his long-held desire, had been claimed by someone he considered a fool.

"Get out of here now!"

Zhao Dabiao yanked Shen Yong out and tossed him to the ground, delivering a brutal kick to his body.

"Ah! That hurts like hell!"

Shen Yong, simple-minded as he was, didn't know how to retaliate after the kick, but he certainly felt the pain. Crying out, he quickly scrambled to his feet and dashed for the door.

"You think you can run? I'm gonna beat the life out of you, you big idiot!"

Zhao Dabiao gave chase, sprinting a few steps before launching a kick at Shen Yong's back.

"Thud!"

Shen Yong lurched forward, crashing headfirst into the Big Peach Tree by the doorway. Blood gushed from his forehead, his eyes shut, and he collapsed to the ground.

"We've got a dead man here! Zhao Dabiao! You're a murderer!" Zhang Chuntao cried out in alarm.

In that instant, her own reputation was the last thing on her mind.