Chapter 82

Han Ying listened to her complaints, only smiling.

Xu Mo was far away, but he heard their conversation despite their low voices and responded, "The water at the source of the stream partly seeps out from the rock crevices. It’s excellent natural mineral water, clean and good to drink. You can get water there."

"Wow! This guy’s ears are really sharp. We were speaking so softly, and he still heard us from so far away. We shouldn’t whisper in front of him," Geng Yanli was startled, her face full of disbelief.

It was no wonder she was so surprised. After all, Xu Mo was at least fifty to sixty meters away, and she and Han Ying had been speaking quietly. For Xu Mo, this was just a trivial matter, but for ordinary people, it was quite astonishing.

"Yes, his ears are really sharp," Han Ying smiled, finding it somewhat incredible but only praising him without saying more.

Geng Yanli nodded, "Since there’s clean water available, that’s fine." She suddenly changed the topic, "Sister Ying, let’s set up the tent first, have a meal, and then start looking for that thing, okay?"

Han Ying smiled, "It’s been so long already, a little more time won’t matter. We’ve been walking for half a day, everyone is tired. Let’s rest after eating, and we can search tomorrow."

Geng Yanli laughed, "Sister Ying cares for us, what more can we say? If it were another employer, they would have paid and would be urging us to work. Alright, Sister Ying, you’re wet, go change into clean clothes first, then we’ll set up the tent together. After the tent is up, I’ll cook and let you taste my skills."

Han Ying agreed and walked into a tent that was mostly set up to change her clothes. Then she came out to help the two set up the tent.

Gong Lei and Geng Yanli were a couple and shared a tent, so they only needed to set up two tents. With the preparations mostly done before finding Xu Mo, it didn’t take long to set up the tents.

After setting up the tent, Gong Lei took out a military shovel and started digging a cooking pit near the tent. Han Ying and Geng Yanli carried a bucket, preparing to fetch water from the place Xu Mo mentioned.

Xu Mo, after washing off the dirt, came out of the lake with two carp over a foot long, their gills still fresh and lively.

Geng Yanli, seeing the carp, was delighted and shouted, "Don’t move, let me clean them."

Gong Lei stopped his work, looked at the carp, and praised, "Caught by hand? That’s impressive!"

Xu Mo smiled, but for him, catching fish underwater was a small matter, and he didn’t need to boast.

Gong Lei continued, "Xiao Li’s cooking is good, she can cook the fish for us..."

Just then, Geng Yanli interrupted him, displeased, "Hey! Hey! What do you mean by good? I won an award in the city’s housewife cooking competition, you know?" She sounded very proud.

"Yes, yes, I’m wrong," Gong Lei seemed a bit afraid of his wife and quickly apologized, "Xiao Li is the second place winner in the city’s housewife cooking competition."

Geng Yanli’s anger turned to joy.

Han Ying laughed, "I’m in for a treat, let’s see Xiao Li’s skills."

Geng Yanli frowned, regretfully, "Unfortunately, the conditions are limited, I can only steam the fish. Sister Ying, do you prefer a light or strong taste?"

Han Ying smiled, "I’m fine with anything. Do what you think is best, don’t worry about me."

Gong Lei put down the shovel and handed Xu Mo a set of old clothes and a pair of shoes, "Buddy, change your clothes and come help me dig the cooking pit. To be honest, the soil here is really hard."

"Sure," Xu Mo agreed, took the clothes and shoes, and planned to find a secluded spot to change.

"Wait!" Han Ying suddenly called out.

"What’s wrong?" Xu Mo turned around, puzzled.

Han Ying returned to her tent and quickly brought out a clean towel, handing it to Xu Mo with a smile, "Dry yourself off before changing. The wind is strong on the mountain, be careful not to catch a cold."

Her tone was very caring. After saying this, she didn’t wait for Xu Mo’s response and went with Geng Yanli to fetch water.

Xu Mo held the towel, smelling a faint fragrance, clearly Han Ying’s own. He was deeply moved.

He was well aware of his current appearance: long and messy hair, a scruffy beard, almost looking like a wild man. Although Gong Lei and Geng Yanli were willing to help out of a sense of duty, they subconsciously kept their distance from him.

But Han Ying didn’t mind at all, even giving him her personal towel. He thought, "She saved my life, that’s one thing, but treating me like this now is truly touching. From what I heard earlier, they came here to find something, but I don’t know what. This thing is hard to find; she’s been looking for years without success. When she comes back, I’ll ask her clearly and help her no matter what."

He walked to one side, dried himself, changed his clothes, put on the shoes, and returned to help Gong Lei dig the cooking pit.

After they finished digging, Han Ying and Geng Yanli had already returned with the water. Geng Yanli took the carp to the lake to clean them, while Xu Mo helped Han Ying and Gong Lei gather some dry branches and start a fire in the cooking pit.

They boiled some water first, then started cooking. While cooking, Han Ying took out a small pair of scissors, looked at Xu Mo, and smiled, beckoning him, "Come here, I’ll help you cut your hair."

Xu Mo, wanting to repay her kindness, didn’t refuse her offer. Besides, her tone was warm and her smile gentle, making it hard to refuse. He walked over.

Han Ying brought a folding stool, walked with Xu Mo to the lake, and had him sit on the stool facing the water. She put a clean towel around his neck to prevent hair from falling into his clothes, then picked up the scissors and carefully trimmed his hair.

She was both gentle and meticulous. While trimming his hair, she held the scissors in her right hand and always kept her left hand below to catch the falling hair, preventing it from landing on Xu Mo. Whenever hair clung to his neck, she would promptly blow it away or pick it off to avoid discomfort.

After trimming his hair, she also trimmed his beard.

Both were very quiet during this time, not saying much. Han Ying was naturally quiet and wouldn’t ask more if Xu Mo didn’t speak.

Xu Mo appeared cold on the outside but was very passionate and emotional inside. He wouldn’t take the initiative to approach others, but if someone was good to him, he would be even better in return. For example, when he was in trouble, he wouldn’t have taken the risk to investigate Xiao Man’s father’s whereabouts with Luo Ci if not for Xiao Man’s help.

After escaping by chance, he wouldn’t have impulsively agreed to be Xiao Man’s father. He also wouldn’t have sneaked into Liu Guohua’s house to kill him for Xiao Man before leaving the city, knowing it would bring him great trouble.

Today, Han Ying saved him, gave him her towel, and carefully trimmed his hair and beard. No one, except his mother, had done such things for him. Plus, living alone in the mountains like a wild man for over two years, the loneliness and isolation were beyond what others could understand.

He was deeply moved but didn’t say anything, so they remained silent.

When Han Ying finished trimming his hair and beard, his appearance changed dramatically, making him look like a different person. He felt incredibly refreshed.

But when Han Ying took the towel off his neck and looked at his face, she suddenly froze.

Xu Mo, seeing her expression, was startled and couldn’t help but ask, "What’s wrong?"

Han Ying was stunned for a moment, then said, "You... you look a lot like a friend of mine."

Xu Mo said, "Oh," and smiled, "Someone has said that before." Thinking of Xiao Man, he wondered if the friend she mentioned was Xiao Man’s father.

He asked, "By the way, what’s your friend’s name?"

Han Ying shook her head, "I don’t know!"

"How can you not know your friend’s name?" Xu Mo was surprised.

"He..." Han Ying hesitated, "He... isn’t really my friend. I only met him once."

"When did you meet him? By the way, does he have a bite mark on the back of his right hand?" Xu Mo, not giving up, asked again, this time for Xiao Man.

Han Ying looked at the back of Xu Mo’s right hand, her expression suspicious.

Xu Mo raised his right hand, pointing to the back of it with his left index finger, explaining, "Someone mentioned a person who looks a lot like me, but he has a bite mark on the back of his right hand."

"Oh!" Han Ying shook her head again, looking apologetic, "I didn’t notice if he had a bite mark on his right hand." She thought for a moment, her face showing a look of reminiscence, "I met him about eight years ago."

"Eight years ago? Xiao Man is only seven and a half years old, so it was before she was born. When Han Ying met him, he might not have known Xiao Man’s mother yet. So finding clues about his disappearance here is almost impossible." Xu Mo’s face showed disappointment, which he didn’t hide.

Han Ying looked at him, seeing his expression, and couldn’t help but ask, "I’m sorry! I don’t know much about this person. Is he important to you?"

Xu Mo smiled, "Not really important, just asking for someone else. If you don’t know, it’s fine." He paused, then changed the topic, "By the way, I overheard your conversation earlier. You came here to find something. What are you looking for? Can you tell me?"

——

PS: Finally, we’re about to leave the mountain.

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