The Overachieving Little Husband of the Top Scholar’s Household - Chapter 62: Baoyi

In the dead of night, the village’s silence was shattered by a dense, inhuman pattern of footsteps.

Qiu Huanian held his breath, listening intently, and seemed to hear the sound of a pack of wolves baring their ghastly white fangs, panting heavily.

The thick wooden door was struck a few times, causing the door bolt to rattle loudly. The solid brick door frame and tightly secured door panel of the Ruyi Gate held firm against the unwelcome visitors.

From beyond the courtyard wall came a chilling scraping sound, as if something was clawing its way up.

Qiu Huanian nervously grasped Du Yunse’s sleeve. Du Yunse shielded him with one arm and picked up a long staff resting by the door.

Recalling something, Qiu Huanian hurried back to the main room, fetching the Fushu Sword gifted to him by Shiliu, gripping it tightly in his hands.

The two stood behind the main gate, prepared for battle. The wolves outside the courtyard, drawn by the scent of humans, circled restlessly but found no way to enter. Growing impatient, they eventually turned away in another direction.

Still, Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse remained vigilant, unwilling to return indoors just yet.

This night was destined to be a sleepless one for Du Village.

The bitterly cold wind carried the wolves’ howls, dispersing them into echoes that resembled mournful wails.

Faintly, through the wind, Qiu Huanian thought he heard the sound of crying.

“Yunse, do you hear that?” Qiu Huanian asked in a hushed voice.

The sound fluctuated, growing clearer and closer, no longer seeming like an illusion or mere trick of the mind.

“My child! My child! Yunying—save Yunying!”

The desperate cries of a woman neared the main gate, and at last, Qiu Huanian made out the words, his eyes widening in shock.

“It’s Cunlan’s mother, Aunt Tao Hong!”

“Step back. I’ll go check.”

Du Yunse signaled for Qiu Huanian to stay behind the door while he himself, gripping the long staff, stepped outside.

Qiu Huanian unsheathed the Fushu Sword, his eyes fixed on the pitch-black world beyond the door, ready to rush out at the first sign of danger.

Fortunately, the pack of wolves that had been lingering near their courtyard had already grown impatient and left. With no immediate threats nearby, Du Yunse quickly brought Ye Tao Hong inside.

Qiu Huanian lit a candle, illuminating Ye Tao Hong’s figure. She was still clad in only a single layer of clothing, shivering violently in the subzero temperatures.

Her hair was disheveled, her eyes swollen and red, filled with despair and helplessness.

“Aunt, the village is full of wolves. Why are you out here? What happened to Yunying?”

Through chattering teeth and sobs, Ye Tao Hong explained, “Tonight, my sister-in-law and I were in the kitchen, sewing clothes under the lamplight. Cunlan was with Yunying in the side room, sleeping. Cunlan got up briefly in the night, and in that short moment—Yunying was suddenly gone!”

“I rushed to tell my father-in-law, and he sent my eldest and third brothers-in-law to search. But I—I couldn’t sit still. I had to go find my child!”

“She disappeared so suddenly?” Qiu Huanian frowned.

Yunying was only three years old—barely steady on her feet. How could such a small child have climbed out of bed and wandered off in the middle of the night?

“She just vanished! In the blink of an eye, she was gone! We searched the whole house, but there was no sign of her. It’s pitch dark outside, and there are wolves in the village. If—if…!”

Ye Tao Hong choked on her words, covering her face as her sobs turned into wails.

“Baoyi! Where are you? Please, come back and save us!”

Du Yunse sighed. “Hua ge’er, help Aunt inside to warm up.”

Ye Taohong hesitated, reluctant to stop searching for her child.

Understanding Du Yunse’s intent, Qiu Huanian persuaded her, “Aunt, in your condition, if you encounter a wolf, you’ll have no chance of surviving. If the child is safe but you end up hurt, wouldn’t that be even worse? Stay here and wait—let Yunse search for you.”

“This… this…”

“Yunse will find him much faster than you can. You still have Cunlan, and you have to wait for Uncle Baoyi too. Now isn’t the time to act recklessly.”

Qiu Huanian guided the panicked Ye Tao Hong into the main room and handed the Fushu Sword to Du Yunse.

Opening his mouth, countless words of concern lodged in his throat. Finally, he managed to say, “Be careful. You must come back safely.”

“Don’t worry, I will return unharmed,” Du Yunse reassured him, gently kissing his forehead.

“I’ll wait right by the door. The moment you knock, I’ll open it.”

“Alright. Get a hand warmer—don’t let yourself freeze.”

After watching Du Yunse leave, Qiu Huanian shut the main gate tightly, securing the door bolt firmly in place to prevent the wolves from returning.

The commotion in the courtyard woke up Jiujiu and Chunsheng. Qiu Huanian explained to the two children what had happened. The children couldn’t fall back asleep. Since Qiu Huanian couldn’t send them away, he had no choice but to let them wait with him at the entrance.

Jiujiu took out a hand warmer and added charcoal to it, and the three of them took turns holding it to keep warm.

In the winter nights of the Northeast, the outdoor temperature was too low. If they remained still for even a moment, their bodies would freeze stiff. Because of this, they didn’t sit but instead paced back and forth, using the heat generated by movement to stay warm.

The howls of wolves echoed outside the courtyard, sometimes near and sometimes far. Somewhere, someone’s livestock was suffering, and perhaps someone’s family was under attack.

Jiujiu bit her lower lip, trying hard to appear calm. Chunsheng’s eyes were already brimming with tears, but he still stood strong on his own.

Out there in danger beyond the courtyard was their own eldest brother, one of the few blood relatives they had left in this world.

If something really happened to Du Yunse, the three remaining members of this family would be plunged into unbearable grief.

But in the face of Ye Taohong walking towards danger and little Yunying still missing, how could Qiu Huanian and Du Yunse possibly remain indifferent and stand idly by?

Qiu Huanian breathed in the icy, chilling air, desperately suppressing the impulsive and grim thoughts flooding his mind, forcing himself to think of happy things instead.

But in this world, which of his happy memories wasn’t connected to Du Yunse?

Qiu Huanian didn’t know how long he had been standing there—perhaps only a quarter of an hour, perhaps an entire hour. His feet had already gone numb, leaving only a dull, swollen, itching pain. Instinctively, he kept pacing back and forth behind the door.

Suddenly, there seemed to be a different sound outside the gate. Chunsheng’s eyes lit up, and he rushed to the door.

Qiu Huanian remained tense and called out to him, “Don’t rush to open the door. Ask clearly first.”

The next second, Du Yunse’s voice came from outside. “We’re back, Hua ge’er. Open the door.”

Chunsheng quickly pulled out the door bolt. Qiu Huanian instinctively wanted to run forward, but the moment he took a step, he lost his balance and fell forward.

A shadow slipped in through the door gap, catching him before he hit the ground. A strong hand tightly encircled his waist.

Du Yunse was holding the Fushu Sword in one hand, breathing heavily with exhaustion. Qiu Huanian was caught in his embrace, and besides the familiar crisp and clean scent, he could also smell the strong stench of blood.

“Where are you hurt? Let me see.” Qiu Huanian struggled anxiously, but his frost-numbed feet were unsteady, and he almost fell again.

Du Yunse held him even tighter, his warm breath brushing against Qiu Huanian’s ear. “It’s wolf blood. I’m fine. Hua ge’er, don’t worry.”

In the darkness, Qiu Huanian ran his hands up and down Du Yunse’s body, roughly checking for wounds. Only when he found no obvious injuries did he finally let out a sigh of relief.

It was only then that he was able to take in his surroundings.

Du Yunse hadn’t returned alone. He had brought back four people.

Besides the missing little Yunying, there was Baoren, Yuncheng, and someone Qiu Huanian almost didn’t recognize—Baoyi.

Still wrapped in Du Yunse’s arms, Qiu Huanian met their gazes, belatedly realizing the situation and turning bright red.

Yuncheng, still young and unmarried, turned his head awkwardly, though his heart suddenly thought of his own Ling ge’er, filling him with warmth.

Baoren let out a hearty laugh, motioning for Qiu Huanian not to be embarrassed. Young married couples showing affection was nothing to be ashamed of.

Baoyi, who had been absent for a long time, had changed significantly. Back in Du Family Village, although Baoyi was a hunter, strong and brave, at heart he had still been an honest, simple rural man. But after serving several months of conscription labor, he now carried a chilling aura of bloodshed. Who knew what he had experienced out there?

Baoyi was holding Yunying in his arms. Thankfully, the child was still whole and unharmed, wrapped snugly in the jacket Baoyi had taken off for him. Fast asleep in his father’s arms, his little face was streaked with tear stains, faintly visible under the moonlight.

Hearing the noise, Ye Taohong hurried out. When she saw Baoyi standing at the gate, she froze in disbelief.

“Taohong, I’m back,” Baoyi said hoarsely.

He took two steps forward, stepping out from the shadow of the gate, and only then did Qiu Huanian see the dangerous long scar added to his face—just a little more, and it would have cut into his eye.

Ye Taohong let out a wail and burst into tears.

Baoren comforted her, “Luckily, everyone is safe. It’s cold out here—let’s talk inside instead of standing around.”

Baoren and Yuncheng were both dragging something in their hands. When they walked into the light, Qiu Huanian saw that it was the corpses of three gray-furred wolves.

No one had the heart to deal with them just yet, so they simply piled them up in the courtyard for now.

Qiu Huanian walked with a limp. Seeing this, Du Yunse simply picked him up in his arms. After the awkward scene by the gate earlier, Qiu Huanian had temporarily thickened his skin. He silently repeated to himself, “They can’t see me, I’m just a big pillow,” and let Du Yunse carry him without protest.

Du Yunse carried Qiu Huanian into the main house and set him down, then took a handful of firewood from the basket and placed it into the stove. As the warmth of the indoors seeped in, Qiu Huanian finally started to recover, but the delayed pain in his frost-numbed feet struck him all at once.

Everyone knew his body was weak, so they all urged him to take care of himself first. Aside from Du Yunse, the others went to the eastern wing where Chunsheng lived.

Qiu Huanian struggled to take off his little leather boots, but his feet were already swollen, and every movement sent a jolt of pain through him.

Du Yunse fetched a foot basin, poured in the hot water that had been warming over the stove, adjusted it to a suitable temperature, then carried the basin and a cloth over to Qiu Huanian’s side, squatting down.

Embarrassed, Qiu Huanian instinctively tried to withdraw his feet, but Du Yunse firmly grasped his slender calf.

“Hua ge’er, don’t fuss. Bear with the pain for a bit—it’ll get better soon.”

Qiu Huanian blushed, pursing his lips as he lowered his gaze to watch Du Yunse remove his little boots. His feet had been washed before bed, so they were very clean, but they had swollen from the cold. The delicate skin was covered in red marks, resembling a piece of white jade tinged with crimson—pitiful to look at.

Unconsciously, Qiu Huanian curled up his round, glistening toes, suddenly feeling too embarrassed to meet Du Yunse’s eyes.

Du Yunse dampened the cloth with the hot water, applying firm pressure as he wiped from top to bottom. Qiu Huanian shivered and inhaled sharply.

It was unbearable—painful, itchy, and swollen all at once, and the heat from Du Yunse’s hand gripping his ankle made it burn even more.

Half distressed and half reproachful, Du Yunse said, “Now you know it hurts? Then why didn’t you wear your sock wraps properly?”

Knowing he was in the wrong, Qiu Huanian lightly wiggled his foot, pretending not to hear.

At the time, the wolves were outside, and he had been in a hurry to check the situation at the gate—how could he have taken the time to put on his socks properly? He had simply shoved his feet into his little boots and rushed out.

Later, when Ye Taohong arrived and Du Yunse went out searching for Yunying, Qiu Huanian’s mind had been entirely consumed by worry. He hadn’t even noticed that he wasn’t wearing socks, only realizing his feet were swollen from the cold just now.

“You always sound so logical when lecturing Jiujiu and Chunsheng, but when it comes to yourself, you’re always this careless.” Du Yunse sighed, carefully tending to Qiu Huanian’s aching feet.

Ge’er generally had smaller builds than men, and Qiu Huanian’s foot was barely the size of Du Yunse’s palm. Holding it in his hand, it was like a finely carved jade ornament.

Du Yunse’s gaze darkened, his throat moving as he swallowed, and his grip unconsciously tightened.

Qiu Huanian remained oblivious. As soon as his foot started feeling slightly better, he couldn’t wait to ask about what had happened outside.

“How did you run into Uncle Baoren and the others? Where did you find Yunying? How did Yuncheng get out? And how did Baoyi come back?”

Du Yunse patiently answered his rapid string of questions.

“When I went out, I figured Yunying wouldn’t have gotten far on his own, so I searched around the clan elder’s house. I found him in a big willow tree.”

“A willow tree?”

“Yunying was about eight or nine feet off the ground, clinging to the trunk and trembling so badly that he couldn’t even make a sound. The clan elder’s family might have passed by beneath the tree, but they didn’t see him. I only thought to check the tree because I’ve seen similar cases during my travels—children climbing up trees, and no matter how hard their families searched, they couldn’t find them.”

“Thank goodness you saw him. Otherwise, in this weather, he wouldn’t have lasted long before freezing and falling. Even if he was lucky enough to survive the fall, there were still wolves in the village…” Qiu Huanian let out a breath of relief. “But Yunying is only three years old—how did he get up there?”

Everyone knew a three-year-old child couldn’t climb eight or nine feet up a tree. That was why Baoren and the others had subconsciously overlooked the trees while searching.

“I don’t know. Yunying was so terrified at the time that he couldn’t even speak. We’ll have to wait until he wakes up to ask him.”

The redness and swelling in Qiu Huanian’s feet gradually subsided. Du Yunse used a clean cloth to dry them before tucking him into the blankets, letting the warmth of the heated brick bed continue to work its magic.

“So you were the one who found the child? Then how did you run into the others afterward? And what’s with those three dead wolves?” Qiu Huanian fired off question after question.

Du Yunse poured the water outside, washing his hands as he replied, “After I got Yunying down, I was planning to take him straight to the clan elder’s house. But then, I was suddenly surrounded by three wolves.”

“Three wolves!” Qiu Huanian inhaled sharply. Even though Du Yunse was standing safely in the room now, just imagining that perilous scene made Qiu Huanian’s heart tighten.

Du Yunse sat on the edge of the heated brick bed, soothingly stroking Qiu Huanian’s silky, smooth hair.

“Although I am physically strong and have studied martial arts, I am not a warrior specialized in combat. Three wolves were indeed difficult to deal with. Fortunately, the imperial court granted clemency and allowed a batch of laborers to return home for the New Year. Uncle Baoyi traveled day and night to hurry back to the village and happened to pass by us. He drew his waist knife and joined me in killing the three wolves.”

“Later, Uncle Baoren and Yun Cheng, who were searching for people nearby, also came over when they heard the commotion. When Uncle Baoyi learned that Aunt Taohong was at our house, he said he would come to our place first to pick her up.”

Qiu Huanian still had a few unanswered questions, but he was truly exhausted. He instinctively yawned, and his consciousness gradually drifted away from his body.

“There are still more than two hours before dawn. Get some sleep. Your health is weak, don’t force yourself. I’ll go check on them outside.”

Qiu Huanian reached out, wanting to grab Du Yunse and remind him of something, but just as his fingertips peeked out of the quilt, he fell asleep. His slender, beautiful hand limply fell onto the pillow.

Du Yunse gently tucked his hand back under the covers and lowered his head to place a kiss on the red mole between his brows.

“You always have endless worries, Hua ge’er…”

Du Yunse swallowed the second half of his sigh, then, with helpless affection, carefully tucked the quilt around Qiu Huanian. Only by becoming stronger himself could he better protect the person before him…

…

Qiu Huanian subconsciously remained preoccupied with the ongoing events, so he woke up not long after dawn.

Today, Du Yunse did not go to the study to read. Instead, he stayed in the main room to watch over him. Only after ensuring that Qiu Huanian had properly dressed himself and was completely bundled up did he allow him to go outside.

During their conversation, Qiu Huanian learned that Uncle Baoren and his son had returned home overnight to reassure their family. Since Yunying had already fallen asleep by then, and Aunt Taohong and Baoyi were worried that he might catch a cold, they stayed over at Qiu Huanian’s house.

The family of three slept in Chunsheng’s east wing, while Chunsheng spent the night with Jiujiu.

Pressing his throbbing forehead, Qiu Huanian stepped out and headed to the kitchen, where Ye Taohong was cooking. A happy smile lit up her face.

“Hua ge’er, you’re up? Go sit down quickly. Your health is poor, and you must have been hurt last night. It’s my fault too—I was so scared that I forgot to urge you to go inside and warm up.”

“I made some porridge and stir-fried sauerkraut with lard. It’ll be ready soon.”

Ye Taohong often came to Qiu Huanian’s house, and she had even helped with pickling the cabbage this year. She was very familiar with the kitchen’s layout.

Qiu Huanian found the bowls and chopsticks, then ladled porridge from the large pot into a big serving bowl and placed it on the table for everyone to take as they wished.

There was no shortage of grain at home now. Several stone sacks of rice and flour were stored in the back room, so there was no need to ration food like before.

In addition to the cabbage stir-fried by Ye Taohong, Qiu Huanian also retrieved the crispy remnants left from rendering pork fat. He sprinkled a thin layer of salt over them to serve as a side dish for the porridge. These leftover bits were not greasy at all; they had the chewiness of lean meat and were both crispy and fragrant—tastier than actual meat.

The dining table was set in the main room. Since Qiu Huanian’s household was small, adding two or three more people didn’t make much difference. After everyone helped set the table, Yuying, who had been cradled in Baoyi’s arms, finally woke up.

The little boy opened his drowsy eyes, and the moment he saw Baoyi’s scarred face, he suddenly burst into tears. Whether it was out of fear or for some other reason, his loud wailing filled the room.

Ye Taohong hurriedly took the child into her arms, gently rocking and soothing him until he finally stopped crying.

Baoyi touched his face, feeling somewhat dejected.

“A three-year-old child doesn’t remember much. After a few months apart, it’s natural for him to be shy,” Qiu Huanian comforted him.

They ate quietly for a while, and Yunying, having filled his belly with half a bowl of porridge, finally calmed down enough to start interacting with others. Ye Taohong seized the opportunity to coax him into talking about the events of the previous night.

Although the child had been safely found and her husband had returned unexpectedly, the fact that Yunying had somehow ended up on a tree in the middle of the night still weighed heavily on Ye Taohong’s heart. If she didn’t get to the bottom of it, she wouldn’t be able to rest easy.

Everyone else was also eager to understand what had happened, so they instinctively slowed down their eating.

“Yunying, my darling, how did you end up climbing the tree last night?”

Yunying blinked his big, dark, grape-like eyes. “Tree! Climb tree!”

“Yes, climb the tree. How did you climb up? Why did you go out at night? Why didn’t you tell any of the grown-ups?”

Yunying clapped his little hands and said, “Climb tree! Play!”

A three-year-old could already form simple sentences, but children at this age often preferred minimal effort. Unless guided properly, they would rather use single words than complete sentences.

Ye Taohong was anxious to get all the answers at once, but this only confused Yunying, making it harder for him to explain.

Qiu Huanian picked up a small piece of pork crisp and playfully waved it in front of him. “Yunying, how did you know climbing trees was fun? Have you climbed trees before?”

Yunying reached for the crisp and, following Qiu Huanian’s lead, replied, “Big Brother Yunzhe said it’s fun! Even more fun at night!”

Ye Taohong’s hands suddenly clenched. Yunying whimpered from the pain, and she quickly released her grip.

Qiu Huanian took a deep breath and controlled his tone as he gently guided him. “So Yunying climbed the tree at night because Big Brother Yunzhe told him it would be fun?”

Having been scared the night before, Yunying’s young mind had instinctively blocked out the traumatic memories. But now, as he was repeatedly questioned, fragments of the previous night began resurfacing in his thoughts.

Suddenly, Yunying threw his arms around Ye Taohong’s neck, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Big Brother Yunzhe took me to climb the tree. He pulled me up, then disappeared. Brother… Brother said I wasn’t allowed to cry, wasn’t allowed to call out, or bad people would come and take me away. Wuu… Yunying kept waiting, kept waiting… wuuu wuuu wuuu…”

“Smack!—”

Baoyi suddenly stood up, his hands clenched tightly, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. The chopsticks and porridge bowl in his hands snapped apart with sheer force.

“Good… very good…” His voice was laced with gritted teeth, carrying an anger so intense it sent chills through the room.

Ye Taohong, while holding and soothing Yunying, wept as she spoke to Baoyi. “Last night, you told me that you earned merit at the border and that you’ve been given a military officer’s position, so we could finally hold our heads high at home. But now, I think we don’t need any of that. It’d be enough if the heartless people in this house don’t end up killing us one by one!”

Baoyi took in a shaky breath, his fists slowly pressing downward. The fire in his eyes only grew fiercer—he was truly different from before after these past few months away.

Suppressing his fury, he squeezed out his words through clenched teeth. “Don’t worry. I have a plan for this.”

“Hua ge’er, forgive us for this disgraceful scene. I’ll replace the broken bowl and chopsticks later.”

Qiu Huanian waved his hand. “What’s that worth? Don’t worry about it. Who could hear something like this and not get angry?”

Qiu Huanian knew that the third son’s household from the village chief’s family had always been at odds with Ye Taohong’s branch. The third household, with their many sons, had always been favored by the village chief, which Ye Taohong often resented.

Later, when the village was selecting laborers to be sent to the border, by right of seniority, it should have been the third son who went. But since his wife was pregnant and made a huge fuss every day, the village chief sent the second son, Baoyi, instead. Baoyi used the opportunity to secure a chance for his daughter, Cunlan, to study, allowing her to openly attend lessons with Jiujiu and the others under Du Yunse.

Previously, the third household had also wanted their eldest son, Yunzhe, to study with Du Yunse, but Qiu Huanian had outright refused. Ever since then, whenever they crossed paths in the village, the third household always wore sour expressions.

It could be said that the conflict between the second and third households of the village chief’s family had completely escalated and become an open dispute after Baoyi was sent to serve at the border.

Still, Qiu Huanian had never expected that Yunzhe, a child just over ten years old, could be so ruthless as to lure his own three-year-old cousin outside in an attempt to kill him.

Regardless of whether an adult had instructed him behind the scenes, Yunzhe had taken action.

If not for Du Yunse—if not for Baoyi’s timely return—three-year-old Yunying would have perished in the freezing winter night. His parents and sister might never have known who the real culprit was for the rest of their lives.

Baoyi, forcing his voice down, said, “Yunse, Hua ge’er, I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life. For the sake of Cunlan and her mother, could I ask you both… to come home with me?”