Rebirth: Ordinary Life and Living

Zhou Xinyue felt tired, especially her heart, which felt very tired.

I just want to go back to my room to rest. I don’t want to eat or talk.

Suddenly, several black-armored soldiers came in from outside the inn and shouted, "From today on, a curfew will be imposed in Cangdu City. The bell in the bell tower will be the date. Once it rings, no one is allowed to appear on the street. Anyone found will be killed on the spot!"

After saying this, these people left, and the atmosphere in the inn suddenly became tense.

Everyone was talking about it. Some people said, "I have lived for so many years and have never heard of such a rule in our country. The reason why Cangdu is so prosperous is that there are no rigid rules. Everyone is free. How can a curfew be imposed suddenly? It's really strange!"

Another person said: "Who knows? If this is suddenly implemented, I'm afraid something big will happen!"

Some people said: "Who cares? If there is a curfew, I won't do it. I will come out."

Zhou Xinyue felt uneasy. Some guests checked out and said, "Boss, I want to check out. I want to leave here."

Everyone in the inn was in a panic and had all kinds of speculations.

Zhou Xinyue also felt that something big was going to happen.

Zhou Xinyue didn’t want to think about these things anymore and just wanted to go back to her room to rest.

Jin Youyuan was discussing something with others in the study when someone ran in in a panic.

Jin Youyuan's face suddenly changed when he saw the man. This was the man he specially left in Ping'an Village to guard the village and protect them.

This person came back in a panic. Could something have happened in Ping'an Village?

Jin Youyuan said solemnly: "What's wrong?"

The person who came reported to Jin Youyuan truthfully that Zhou Xinyue was missing, along with the mute girl who changed her name to Fanxing.

Jin Youyuan immediately stood up from his seat and shouted in shock: "What?"

He Shi's heart skipped a beat and he immediately looked at Jin Youyuan in fear, feeling an ominous feeling in his heart.

He Shi hurriedly said: "When did you find out Miss Yue was missing?"

The man trembled and said, "We drank a lot of wine that day. When we asked Miss Yue to come out for dinner the next day, we heard that she was not feeling well. She drank too much the day before and needed to rest. So we didn't disturb her. But she didn't come out on the third day. When the village chief knocked on the door, it was not locked. When we opened it, all of Miss Yue's valuables were gone."

Jin Youyuan's mind raced as he said, "Then, you searched for a long time before you were sure she was no longer in the village, right?"

The man said hurriedly: "Yes, I rode here at full speed overnight. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Jin Youyuan's forehead was bulging with veins. He thought for a while and said, "You go out first. Where were you talking about just now?"

As soon as Jin Youyuan asked, the four people in the study room started talking at once and discussed important matters with Jin Youyuan.

Zhou Xinyue was lying on the bed, not eating or drinking, feeling sad. Unexpectedly, Fanxing came back from outside, quickly locked the door and shook her hard.

Zhou Xinyue frowned and closed her eyes and said, "Xing'er, I'm really fine. I just don't have an appetite. Go and have fun! Don't worry about me!"

Fanxing got angry and dragged Zhou Xinyue off the bed.

Zhou Xinyue said impatiently: "Xing'er, I'm really fine, why don't you believe it!"

Zhou Xinyue was pulled off the bed by Fanxing. She looked at Fanxing with a frown and a worried look on her face.

Unexpectedly, Fanxing was holding a piece of paper with portraits of the two of them on it.

Zhou Xinyue was surprised and asked: "What's going on?"

Fanxing gestured hurriedly, roughly meaning that there were many men in black outside holding portraits looking for these two people, and they would soon come to this inn and ask Zhou Xinyue what to do.

Zhou Xinyue was shocked and stood up immediately, saying: "He knows that I came to Cangdu, he must know that I already know that he is married, so he is looking for me. If he finds me, he will definitely ask for all kinds of explanations, all kinds of explanations. If I don't listen, I will definitely be placed under house arrest, just like in Ping'an Village. No, I don't want to live that kind of life. I don't want to listen to his explanations anymore. I don't want to be deceived by him anymore. Let's go, leave now!"

Zhou Xinyue muttered to herself, quickly packed her things and prepared to go out.

They noticed that the shopkeeper on the first floor was looking at the portrait, nodding and talking, his finger pointing at their room.

Zhou Xinyue was shocked and said, "Oh no, they know I'm here. Let's go out the back door, quickly."

Zhou Xinyue pulled Fanxing and hurriedly walked through the kitchen and saw the back door of the inn.

I walked through the backyard filled with junk, opened the door hastily, and saw a group of men in black at the entrance of the alley.

Zhou Xinyue was shocked and couldn't go out, so she could only go this way.

Who knew that Fanxing's gestures probably meant that there was no way out if we went any further, and there was a small river over there.

Zhou Xinyue said anxiously: "It's just a river, it's okay, let's go!"

Fanxing looked at Zhou Xinyue and ran after her with confidence. After a while, they found that there was no road.

Zhou Xinyue looked around the alley and saw clothes drying on bamboo poles.

Zhou Xinyue dragged two bamboo poles into the water, and pulled Fanxing, each holding a bamboo pole, to swim under an arch bridge not far away.

The two men hid behind a pile of weeds by the river, very secluded.

The two of them held onto the bamboo pole and floated in the water. Fanxing couldn't swim and was so scared that she held onto the bamboo pole tightly, afraid of sinking.

Zhou Xinyue was equally nervous and wasn't a good swimmer either, so the two of them exchanged eye contact and encouraged each other, trying not to sink.

After a while, someone on the shore really spoke: "Brother, there is no one here. It's a small river."

The other man said angrily, "How is that possible? Didn't the innkeeper say he just returned to the inn? How come he disappeared in just a moment?"

Another said, "Maybe he's still hiding in the inn, but we just haven't found him yet."

Someone shouted, "Go back to the inn and dig deep to find these two women. If you find them, there will be a huge reward."

Everyone hurried back to the inn to search for Zhou Xinyue and the others.

Zhou Xinyue and Fanxing pricked up their ears, as if someone was walking away.

Zhou Xinyue still didn't dare to act rashly, for fear that those people were still there.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhou Xinyue and Fanxing slowly grabbed the weeds on the river bank and swam in another direction. When it got dark, they dared to climb out of the water and go ashore.

Sure enough, after the curfew, there was no one on the streets.

Zhou Xinyue and Fanxing's lips were black and blue from the cold.

My lips were crackling from the cold.

The two of them walked quietly towards the deserted alleys. Sometimes when they passed through an alley, they could hear groups of black-armored soldiers patrolling the street.

Fanxing gestured and asked, what should we do now?

Zhou Xinyue pondered for a while and said, "Let's go find the lady who helped us the other day and stay at her place to avoid the limelight for a while."

Zhou Xinyue and Fanxing wore wet clothes and quietly shuttled through various dark alleys.

Occasionally, a black-armored soldier would yell, "What's that noise?"

Both of them would be scared to death.