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

The two brothers worked all afternoon, digging three traps and camouflaging the area with soil and straw. Chen Xiaohe tied red ribbons to nearby tree branches and brought out several bundles of thorns from the barn, laying them at the base of the courtyard wall.

"That should be about right." Chen Xiaohe patted the dirt off his hands and looked at his "work" with satisfaction.

Chen Dashan stood in the courtyard and looked around. The gate had been reinforced with thicker bars, and the walls were covered with more brambles. There were traps around the livestock pens, and several farm tools within easy reach were placed inside the house. Although it couldn't compare to the city walls and soldiers of the county town, at least he felt more at ease.

"Xiaohe, let's take turns sleeping tonight. I'll watch over him for the first half of the night, and then you can take over for me for the second half," Chen Dashan said.

Chen Xiaohe nodded: "Okay, big brother. You go to sleep first, I'm wide awake."

As night fell, the village quieted down early. Every household closed their doors, and even the dogs seemed to sense unease, huddling in their kennels without barking.

Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe sat in the main room, the oil lamp dimmed so that they could barely see each other. Neither of them spoke, their ears perked up, listening to the sounds outside.

A few occasional barks of dogs drifted from afar, then silence returned. The wind rustled through the courtyard wall, making the brambles whisper as if something was gently touching them.

Chen Xiaohe suddenly whispered, "Brother, do you think that person might come back to our village?"

Chen Dashan was silent for a moment, then said, "I don't know. But we're prepared, so we're not afraid even if he comes."

Chen Xiaohe nodded and gripped the shovel tightly in his hand.

The night was long. But the two brothers knew that dawn would eventually break.

----

"Big brother! Come quick!"

Chen Xiaohe's voice came from the backyard, sounding hurried and tense. Chen Dashan was heating up the leftover porridge from last night in the kitchen when he heard his brother's shout. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly put down the bowl and ran to the backyard.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he ran.

Chen Xiaohe squatted beside the pit next to the livestock shed, his face pale, pointing to the bottom of the pit. Chen Dashan leaned closer to look and saw dark red bloodstains on the bamboo spikes at the bottom of the pit—not much, but very noticeable. The soil next to it also showed signs of being disturbed, as if someone had slipped and struggled to climb out.

"Brother, someone must have come to steal things last night!" Chen Xiaohe lowered his voice, his eyes fixed on the bloody bamboo splinters. "Luckily we dug a trap, otherwise our livestock would have been in trouble."

Chen Dashan squatted down and examined the traces carefully. The bloodstains stretched from the edge of the pit all the way to the courtyard wall, disappearing at the base of the wall. He stood up and walked around the base of the wall, finding several broken thorns and a few drops of blood on the earthen wall.

"This person is injured, and the injury must be quite serious," Chen Dashan said in a deep voice. "He climbed over the wall; he didn't leave through the courtyard gate."

Chen Xiaohe clenched his fists and said angrily, "If I catch him, I'll break his legs!"

Chen Dashan shook his head and patted his younger brother on the shoulder: "Don't be impulsive. Let's go find Brother De and have him come and take a look."

The two brothers locked the gate and hurried towards Brother De's house. Brother De, who was about to go out on patrol, noticed their strange expressions and quickly asked, "What happened?"

Chen Dashan described the bloodstains in the trap and the marks at the base of the wall. After listening, De Ge's face darkened, and he followed them home to take a look around.

Dege squatted by the trap, carefully examining the distribution and direction of the bloodstains. He then went to check the broken thorns at the base of the wall, his brow furrowed in worry. He stood up and said to Chen Dashan, "Dashan, don't tell anyone about this yet. The village is in a state of panic right now; if word gets out, it'll only make things worse. I'll go back and investigate slowly, seeing if anyone has been acting strangely lately."

Chen Dashan nodded: "Brother De, we'll listen to you."

Brother De gave them a few more instructions, telling them to rearrange the traps and be extra careful at night, before leaving in a hurry.

After seeing Brother De off, Chen Dashan and Chen Xiaohe returned to the backyard and reinforced the trap. They replaced the bamboo spikes at the bottom of the pit with a new batch, smeared with lard, making them shiny and creepy-looking. They lined the pit opening with thin wooden planks and straw, then sprinkled a layer of fine soil on top, making it even more concealed.

"Xiaohe, put more thorns around the area," Chen Dashan said. "If our livestock get lost or are poisoned, we'll be in big trouble."

Chen Xiaohe responded and moved several bundles of thorns from the wall, adding another layer around the livestock shed. The thorns were sharp and dense; not even a dog could squeeze through, let alone a person.

Chen Dashan stood in the yard, looked around, and then instructed, "Tonight we'll lock up all the livestock, not feed them, and not let them run around. Let them out the next morning to prevent them from eating random things."

Chen Xiaohe nodded: "Big brother, that's what I think too. Take care of yourself, it'll be tough lately."

The two brothers worked all morning, reinforcing their house's defenses. Chen Dashan added a horizontal bar to the inside of the gate and propped it shut with wood at night, making it impossible to push open from the outside. Chen Xiaohe piled up bundles of thorns in several weak spots in the wall, preventing even rats from getting in.

At noon, the two ate a simple meal. Chen Dashan leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest. Chen Xiaohe sat on the threshold, clutching a sickle in his hand, his eyes fixed on the courtyard gate.

"Brother, do you think that person will come back?" Chen Xiaohe suddenly asked.

Chen Dashan opened his eyes, thought for a moment, and said, "It's hard to say. But we're prepared, so we're not afraid even if he comes. Brother De will also investigate, so let's not scare ourselves unnecessarily."

Chen Xiaohe nodded and said nothing more.

Back in the county town, Mr. and Mrs. Chen, along with Su Xiaoyin and Su Xiaoqing, were constantly on edge. Every evening, Su Xiaoqing would ask Chen Xiaohe to send a message from the village to inquire if everything was alright. Chen Xiaohe would always reply, "I'm fine, everything's alright," but Su Xiaoqing could still sense the tension in his words.

"Mom, do you think the mountains and the river are safe in the village?" Su Xiaoyin asked Chen's mother while folding clothes.

Mother Chen sighed, pausing her needlework. "It should be alright. Dashan is reliable, and Xiaohe is quick-witted. Besides, Brother De leads patrols in the village, so nothing serious will happen."

Su Xiaoyin listened silently. She was worried too, but she knew they couldn't be of much help in the county town, and going back would only distract Dashan and Xiaohe from taking care of them. All she could do was guard the shop, look after the children, and not let them worry.

The county town has been on edge lately. There are noticeably fewer people out shopping, and the streets are deserted. Even when someone does come to buy something, it's in a hurry; they buy and leave, unlike before when they would pick and choose or haggle over prices.

Looking at the empty shop, Su Xiaoqing sighed, "Sister, when will this ever end?"

As Su Xiaoyin tidied the shelves, she said, "We can only hope that the authorities can catch the culprit as soon as possible. We won't have peace of mind until the case is solved."

Half a month passed in this anxious and fearful manner.