He looked again at Brian Bolton, “You’ll stay in the village tonight, don’t go back.”

“Alright.”

“Everyone, go home!”

With a grand wave of his hand, Grace Foster finally sent the crowd scattering like a flock of birds.

This small path led to their village, but Grace Foster’s house wasn’t in that direction. He wandered around the area a few times, then, dragging his heavy steps, headed toward the peach grove on the south side of the village entrance.

Passing through the dense peach grove, he could see in the distance that crude and lonely large courtyard.

Grace Foster wandered around a few more times before finally arriving at the back of the courtyard.

He took a deep breath, sprang up onto the courtyard wall, and flipped over.

He lifted his head and looked ahead.

A knight stood in his backyard.

Fully armored.

Wearing a mask.

Smiling.

ps: “The imperial edicts were passed down, and many reforms were made. Those relocated within the Six Bureaus became even more efficient, each one as good as a hundred men, and when sent into battle, they were expected to die, then replaced. This was called: ‘A hundred protect the Xianbei.’” — Book of Sui, Volume 19

Chapter 3 Eating Fish, Eating Fish, Eating Fish

In the dimness, the peach trees swayed gently, brushing against the walls.

Inside the wall, Grace Foster was staring down the knight before him.

Grace Foster stepped back with his right foot, gripped the fishing spear in his right hand, and hurled it with all his strength.

The knight advanced at the same time. The spear scraped across the knight’s mask, making a grating noise, then fell to the ground.

But he had already grabbed Grace Foster. He was tall and agile. The knight twisted his body, extended his left leg, and with all his might, threw him.

Grace Foster’s battered body flew out and crashed heavily to the ground.

He lay there, motionless.

The knight lowered his head, stared at Grace Foster, walked a few steps, picked up the fishing spear, and touched his own mask.

He returned to Grace Foster’s side, holding the broken spear, and stabbed it hard into the ground.

……

“桃子!”

“桃子, don’t scare me like this!”

“桃子!!!”

A shrill scream exploded in his ears.

Grace Foster suddenly opened his eyes and grabbed the hand in front of him.

It was a warm and rough hand. The flickering candlelight revealed the figure of The Foster-Bolton Family.

She was kneeling by the bed, holding a bowl in her left hand. Two streaks of tears marked her fair face. In the candlelight, her tears were so clear, as was the helplessness and fear in her eyes.

Crying, she pulled Grace Foster into her arms.

“My child.”

It was as if she wanted to press 桃子 back into her own body to protect him. Grace Foster had never seen his mother hold him so tightly before. Her arms clung to him so hard that Grace Foster couldn’t even move.

Grace Foster’s tense body relaxed.

“Mom.”

Hearing this, The Foster-Bolton Family quickly let go, hurriedly wiping the tears from her face. “Did I hurt you?”

“You silly child, why did you climb over the back wall? Look at how you fell…”

“Fell?”

Grace Foster asked, “You saw me fall from the courtyard wall?”

“No, I just heard you fall. You were lying on the ground, not moving at all… Do you know how close that fishing spear was to your head? Just a little more and you would have…”

The Foster-Bolton Family raised her hand, as if to slap 桃子, hesitated for a moment, then lowered it.

Her eyes shimmered with tears, and they fell again.

She pleaded, “Don’t ever do this again, alright?”

Grace Foster’s expression softened a lot, and he nodded gently.

“Okay.”

Only then did a smile appear on The Foster-Bolton Family’s face. Her face didn’t match this shabby house at all. The room was very cramped, with a few cracks in the gray earthen walls, dim lighting, and nothing inside except a bed.

But she was delicate and petite, and when she smiled, the whole room lit up.

She picked up the bowl in her hand, held a wooden spoon, and gently fed soup to Grace Foster.

“Don’t get up, eat a bit more.”

Grace Foster obediently opened his mouth and took a few bites.

The next moment, Grace Foster realized something was off. He looked at the bowl and saw a few pieces of milky white meat.

“What’s this?”

“Fresh fish soup I just made for you. Eat it while it’s hot.”

……

After feeding 桃子 the fish soup, The Foster-Bolton Family gave him many instructions and left.

She put out the candle, and the room fell into complete darkness. Grace Foster listened to his own faint breathing. After a long while, he slowly got up, groped his way to the door.

A desolate crescent moon hung in the sky, with no stars.

Grace Foster squinted, looking at his own courtyard.

In this dilapidated courtyard, there were three small rooms. His parents lived in the middle, Grace Foster on the left, and the storeroom was on the right.

The yard was full of grayish-white dirt, with no dogs, no chickens or ducks, completely empty. There was a peach tree long since withered, and beside it a pitch-black pit reeking of fishy stench.

On the roof, however, there was a cage, from which all kinds of bird calls could be heard.

Grace Foster calmly felt his way to the backyard, arriving at the familiar back wall, where the fishing spear was stuck deep in the ground.

Grace Foster even felt the drag mark on the ground.

In the darkness, the urgent cries of predatory birds came from somewhere.