Someone nearby chuckled, "Young Master He, who would dare to snatch a woman you fancy? In Xiaozhen Town, your stomp makes the ground tremble."
He Zhen laughed heartily, "That's not how it should be. I must make her willing to marry me."
"Hah, if you ask me, Young Master He, just tie her up, carry her to the bridal chamber, and make it a done deal. No matter if she's engaged, she'll be your woman."
Upon hearing this, He Zhen mused for a moment, then flicked his whip, "Let's go, time for hunting first."
...
Winter arrives quickly, and the sun sets early.
Chen Xiaobei and his group had just reached the Mountain God Temple when the sky began to darken.
From here to Hulu Valley, it would take at least another half an hour's walk.
Liu Rumei glanced at the Mountain God Temple and tentatively asked, "Brother Xiaobei, perhaps we could stay here for the night..."
Chen Xiaobei shook his head resolutely, "No, we must hurry. Before it gets dark, we need to get into Hulu Valley. It's much warmer there."
The promise of "much warmer" gave everyone immense hope.
Liu Rumei's confidence immediately returned. She urged everyone to move quickly before nightfall.
The path from the Mountain God Temple was not easy to navigate, with some stones covered in a thin layer of slippery ice.
Seeing this, Chen Xiaobei was slightly surprised. Logically, at this time of year, the mountain winds should have dried everything. Why was there still so much moisture?
But this was not a problem he, Chen Xiaobei, could dwell on. His immediate concern was reaching Hulu Valley.
Fortunately, at this season, the trees had shed all their leaves. Even with some trees around, the visibility was still acceptable. Rushing and hurrying, they finally managed to enter the woods outside Hulu Valley before complete darkness.
As soon as they entered the woods, everyone clearly felt that the chill was no longer bone-piercing. The temperature had risen slightly compared to walking on the mountain path.
Liu Rumei was the first to notice this change and couldn't help but exclaim with a smile, "Everyone, do you feel it? It's indeed much warmer here."
Liu Ziming and Liu Ziliang immediately echoed, "Yes, yes, it's warmer, it's warmer."
Chen Xiaobei stopped and gestured to their surroundings, "There are many pine trees here. Let's cut some pine branches to use as torches. Further inside, as we enter Hulu Valley, there will be fewer trees."
Everyone immediately split up and, before long, returned carrying large piles of pine branches.
Liu Ziming gathered some dry leaves from nearby. Using a fire starter, he lit them, and then ignited the pine branches, creating makeshift torches.
With the pine branches for illumination, their progress significantly quickened.
The dry leaves underfoot crunched with every step, a sound that, in the darkness, felt slightly eerie, causing Liu Rumei to clutch Chen Xiaobei's sleeve tightly.
After walking for about two li, they finally reached the entrance of Hulu Valley.
Standing at the mouth of the valley, everyone felt a warm breeze blowing out from within, caressing their faces with a feeling of indescribable comfort.
Liu Rumei was about to dash inside when Chen Xiaobei pulled her back.
"Don't rush. I haven't been here for a few days. We still need to be careful."
Before he finished speaking, Liu Ziming and Liu Ziliang stepped forward almost simultaneously, blocking Chen Xiaobei and Liu Rumei. "Young Master, Miss, please stay back. We will go ahead."
Liu Rumei, obediently, took Chen Xiaobei's hand and stepped back a good distance.
Chen Xiaobei handed them the pine branches he was holding. "Once inside, the path can be winding. Don't panic, just keep moving forward. I've been here a few times before, and there shouldn't be any fierce beasts."
Then he turned to look at the people behind him. "Everyone, I haven't been here in a while. Please keep up, and those at the back, be careful."
Liu Ziming and Liu Ziliang, holding the torches, led the way. As soon as they entered Hulu Valley, everyone immediately felt a warm breeze on their faces, even warmer than outside, like a gentle spring breeze.
Walking another half li deeper, they could vaguely see lush green plants and grass along both sides of the path.
After walking a bit further, everyone started to feel that their cotton-padded clothes were becoming too warm. Liu Ziming and Liu Ziliang, in particular, couldn't wait and had already taken off their fur coats, tying them around their waists.
Estimating the distance, Chen Xiaobei knew that if they walked another mile or two, they should reach the dogwood grove.
Although the dogwood trees weren't towering, it was still a grove, and spending the night there would be better than sleeping in the open.
With this thought, Chen Xiaobei called out loudly to everyone, "Let's pick up the pace. There's a grove not far ahead. We can spend the night there."
Hearing this, everyone became elated, and Liu Rumei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Liu Ziming and Liu Ziliang, leading the way, were even more excited, their steps quickening.
After hurrying for about a li, they heard the two of them shouting from ahead, "There is indeed a grove! There is indeed a grove!"
Upon reaching this dogwood grove, Liu Rumei sniffed the air and blurted out, "It smells fragrant."
Chen Xiaobei also took a deep breath. Indeed, a faint aroma, refreshing and pleasant, filled the air. He sensed it was the scent of flowers.
The group spontaneously dispersed, searching in different directions.
Before long, they heard the shouts of the village guard members Chen Daqiang and Chen Sanliang from ahead, "Look! A large patch of flowers here!"
Hearing the shouts, everyone rushed over. Before them lay a vast expanse of wildflowers, at least half a mu in size, their colors vibrant and beautiful.
Upon closer inspection, they were small, unknown wildflowers, no taller than two or three inches, with petals about the size of a fingernail. Their faint fragrance was emanating from them.
Liu Rumei squatted down, picked a few, and brought them to her nose, her face filled with delight. "Hmm, how fragrant! I remember these wildflowers appearing outside the city in previous years, around the time the peach blossoms start to bloom."
Hearing her words, Chen Xiaobei finally felt relieved. Although he didn't know their names, Liu Rumei's recognition of the flowers at least indicated that they were non-poisonous.
While Liu Rumei and Xiaoqing were happily picking flowers, Chen Xiaobei called the others back to the dogwood grove to start a bonfire and prepare dinner.
To Chen Xiaobei's surprise, Liu Ziming had arranged for someone to bring a pot. Although the pot wasn't very large, being able to boil some water to drink was much better than drinking cold water.
By the time dinner was ready, Liu Rumei had also returned. She and Xiaoqing each held large bouquets of fresh flowers, and they distributed some to everyone.
With these flowers, and a few mouthfuls of hot soup and rice, everyone's mood significantly improved.
Liu Ziming asked with a smile, "Son-in-law, how much further is it inside?"
Chen Xiaobei shook his head. "Once, I walked about seven or eight li inside and still didn't reach the end. I didn't dare to go further and came back."