After fleeing the famine, my older sister and I married the brother next door.

Looking at his two daughters-in-law, Mr. Chen felt a little more at ease, but he still reminded them, "You two sisters, please be careful. Stay home during the day and keep the doors and windows closed at night. Don't open the door if strangers knock, and call the neighbors if anything happens."

Su Xiaoyin nodded: "I understand, Dad."

Chen Xiaohe suddenly said, "Dad, this person can travel all the way from such a far place, so he must be quite capable. I hope he leaves this area as soon as possible and doesn't linger. It would be best if he disappeared into the deep mountains and forests and didn't harm the people."

Chen Dashan nodded in agreement: "The checks in the county town are much stricter. Today when I came back from the shop, I saw several more constables at the city gate, checking everyone coming in and out. They're even checking oxcarts, saying they're checking if anyone is hiding there."

Mr. Chen sighed, "It's a good thing the investigation is strict. The sooner they catch the person, the more at ease everyone will feel. Brother De said the government has sent a lot of people out to search, so it should be soon."

The family talked for a while longer before going back to their rooms to rest.

Chen Dashan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), thinking about tomorrow. Firewood needed to be chopped, livestock needed to be fed, the shop needed to be opened—everything had to be arranged. He glanced at Su Xiaoyin; she was still awake, her eyes open, lost in thought.

"Don't worry." He reached out and took her hand. "I'm here."

Su Xiaoyin hummed in agreement, leaned closer, and whispered, "Dashan, do you think that person might come to our village?"

Chen Dashan thought for a moment and said, "Probably not. Our village is remote, and there aren't any wealthy families here. What would he be doing here? Besides, everyone in the village is on guard, and Brother De has told everyone to keep some able-bodied men here. If he dares to come, the whole village will gang up on him. What are we afraid of?"

Su Xiaoyin smiled, feeling a little more at ease.

Outside the window, the moon was obscured by clouds, and the courtyard was pitch black. A few barks came from afar, then gradually subsided.

Early the next morning, Chen's father packed his things and drove the mule cart to the county town. The cart was loaded with several bags of grain, a bundle of firewood, a pot of braised meat specially made by Su Xiaoyin, and a basket of jujube cakes.

Chen's mother greeted him at the house and was somewhat surprised to see him: "Why are you here?"

Mr. Chen told her about the wanted criminal. After listening, Mrs. Chen's face changed, and she said repeatedly, "Good thing you came, good thing you came. These past few days, I've been really worried about the children."

Mr. Chen said, "I'll stay with you for the next few days. Dashan and Xiaohe are in the village, they'll take turns going to the shop. You don't need to worry."

Chen's mother nodded, feeling relieved.

When the children came home from school and saw their grandfather, they excitedly surrounded him. Shi Tou, holding Chen's father's hand, asked, "Grandpa, why did you come? Did you miss us?"

Chen's father smiled and patted his head: "Yes, I missed you all. Grandpa will come and stay with you for a few days."

Li An stood to the side and obediently called out, "Grandpa Chen." Chen's father looked at him and thought to himself, "This child is sensible. I wonder how his father is doing at home alone."

That evening, Mr. Chen checked all the doors and windows to make sure they were properly closed before he went to rest.

In the village, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe chopped firewood during the day and took turns getting up to check on things at night. Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing did embroidery and housework during the day, and locked themselves in early at night, not going out.

A few days later, Brother De banged the gong again to announce that the wanted criminal had been caught in the next county and the authorities had taken him away. He told everyone to rest assured and not to worry anymore.

When the news came, the whole village breathed a sigh of relief. Chen Dashan went to the county town to pick up his father, and his mother also came back, saying that the children were on holiday and had come back to stay for a few days.

The family was reunited. During dinner, Mr. Chen took a sip of soup and slowly said, "This is over for now. But we still need to be more careful when we go out in the future; this world is not peaceful."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Father is right. One should not have the heart to harm others, but one must be wary of others."

Su Xiaoyin served food to the children, thinking to herself, "Home is the best. Being together as a family, safe and sound, is better than anything else."

----

They thought the ordeal with the wanted criminal was over. The villagers breathed a sigh of relief; those who needed to work in the fields went back to work, and those who needed to go up the mountain went back to work, and life returned to its usual rhythm. Chen's mother also returned from the county town with the children, and the family was reunited.

But no one expected that this was just the calm before the storm.

That evening, Brother De rang the gong under the big locust tree at the village entrance again. The sound was more urgent and frequent than before, as if something big had happened. Villagers hurried to the village entrance in twos and threes, their faces filled with doubt and unease.

Mr. Chen put down his pipe and said to Chen Dashan, "Let's go take a look."

When they reached the village entrance, Brother De was already standing on the stone mill, his face ashen. He held a piece of paper in his hand, and only spoke after everyone had arrived, his voice hoarse.

"Listen up, everyone. We've got some new information from above. That case wasn't committed by one person, it was two. The authorities have only caught one; the other is still at large. That one is even more vicious than the one who escaped, so everyone must be careful."

An uproar erupted in the crowd. Someone shouted, "Didn't they say they caught him? How come there's still one left?"

Brother De raised his hand to quell the disturbance and continued, "The authorities are doing everything they can to apprehend him, but he's very cunning and hasn't been caught yet. So everyone should be vigilant, lock your doors and windows at night, and don't open the door to strangers easily. Especially if there are only elderly people or children at home, it's best to have the younger people come back to stay."

There was a buzz of discussion in the crowd, and everyone's face was filled with worry. Mr. Chen frowned deeply and told his family about the news as soon as he got home.

Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing turned pale upon hearing this. Su Xiaoqing tugged at Su Xiaoyin's sleeve and whispered, "Sister, what do we do? There's still one left to catch."

Su Xiaoyin patted her hand, feeling a little flustered herself, but she calmed herself down: "Don't be afraid, we'll just be careful."

Chen Dashan thought for a moment and said, "We need to make some preparations. In case that person sneaks into our village, we can't be completely unprepared."

He turned and went to the barn, rummaged through some wood and tools, and began to modify the cellar. The cellar was originally used to store grain and fruit; it wasn't large, but with some tidying up, it could hide a person. He made a new ventilation opening in the cellar wall, connecting it to the ground with a bamboo tube, and covered it with dry grass and stones, making it virtually undetectable unless you looked closely. He then lined the inside with dry grass, and placed a jar of water, a basket of dry food, and several thick garments inside.

"If anything unexpected happens, you two should get into the cellar immediately," Chen Dashan told Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing. "Once the lid is on, it's generally not easy to be discovered. I left a ventilation hole, so you won't feel suffocated inside."

Looking at the renovated cellar, Su Xiaoyin felt a little more at ease, but she still couldn't help asking, "Dashan, what about you and Xiaohe?"

Chen Dashan said, "We're fine. We're still here at home; Xiaohe and I are taking turns watching over the house."