“Wait for him to come back?” Master Sullivan's face turned the color of pig liver. Maybe his wife could be found, but his dignity would never be restored. “I’m going to report this to the authorities! I’ll have him brought back! I want him thrown in jail!”

The residents of Wild Forest Town had never seen Master Sullivan lose his temper like this. Like Old Jack, they were all frightened, and everyone thought, Jack is in big trouble this time.

Jack couldn’t hear Master Sullivan’s threats; the chestnut horse had already run far away and was now slowing down.

Jack usually grazed and played in the woods at the east end of town and rarely came to the west. Not far ahead, the gentle slope marked the western boundary of Wild Forest Town as he knew it. Beyond that was another world.

The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. He didn’t understand why he had done this. Behind him, Grace was holding tightly to his waist, more real than anything in front of him.

“Once we cross this ridge, we’re no longer in Wild Forest Town,” he said, just to say something.

“Mm.” The voice behind him was very soft, and the arms around his waist relaxed a lot.

Uphill, downhill, Jack felt a wave of panic again.

“Who are you?” Grace asked.

“Jack, don’t you remember me?” Besides panic, Jack now felt a bit disappointed.

Grace didn’t answer. After a while, she asked again, “Where are you taking me?”

“I don’t know.” Other than escaping Wild Forest Town, Jack hadn’t thought about anything else.

“Where are we sleeping tonight?”

“I don’t know.”

“What about later? Where will we live?”

“I don’t know.” Jack felt stifled, because he hadn’t thought about any of the things Grace was asking.

“Then what will we eat?”

Jack was getting annoyed by the questions and snapped, “We’ll drink the northwest wind.”

There was silence behind him for a while. Just as Jack was starting to feel guilty, the arms around his waist suddenly tightened again, and Grace whispered, “Then let’s drink the northwest wind.”

As dusk fell, Jack’s panic faded. “I’ll go find us something to eat in a bit, then find a place to sleep. Tomorrow we’ll keep going. As for where… we’ll see. Anyway, I won’t let you go hungry.”

Jack went over all the skills he’d learned while grazing in the woods and felt there shouldn’t be any big problems.

“Mm.” Grace replied softly, asking no more questions.

No one was chasing after them. Wild Forest Town only had a dozen or so horses, and all of them had run off somewhere.

After walking in silence for a while, Grace suddenly said, “Up ahead is Grandma Gale’s house. We can stay there for the night.”

Jack had already noticed the faint light ahead and said in surprise, “Is that the crazy old woman who’s not allowed in town?”

“Grandma Gale isn’t a crazy old woman. She often comes into town to buy things. She’s very nice; she just likes peace and quiet, so she lives outside town.”

Jack didn’t argue. He’d heard stories about Grandma Gale since he was little, and she’d always seemed a bit scary. As they walked, he kept thinking up excuses to pass by without stopping.

But as the light grew from a tiny dot to a warm glow, Jack gave in. Even staying at the crazy old woman’s house was better than sleeping in the wild. He was tired, and figured Grace must be even more exhausted.

Jack jumped off the horse first, then reached up to help Grace down. Looking at her face for the second time, she still seemed unfamiliar, but maybe that was just because it was so dark.

Grace kept her head down, stretched her numb legs, and led the way to the wooden gate.

It was a small courtyard nestled among lush greenery, with vines climbing the fence so thickly that there was almost no sign of human handiwork. If not for the light shining from within, passersby might not even notice the three thatched cottages.

In the middle of the yard stood a wooden post as thick as a bowl, with a small oil lamp perched on top. Jack immediately took this unusual setup as proof that she was a “crazy old woman” and was about to call out to Grace, but she had already hurried past the lamp and rushed to a person standing at the cottage door, crying out, “Grandma Gale.”

In the dim yellow light appeared a face full of wrinkles but extremely kind. Jack’s tension and wariness vanished at once—this couldn’t possibly be a madwoman. He walked in slowly, the chestnut horse following behind.

“Grace? Out so late at night? Weren’t you supposed to get married today?” Grandma Gale was short, about the same height as the ten-year-old Grace, and her voice was muffled, as if she was missing a few teeth.

Grace started crying, sobbing so hard her words were broken and even harder to understand. Jack stood awkwardly in the yard, while the chestnut horse nuzzled his neck, giving him some comfort.

Grandma Gale hugged Grace and warmly invited them both inside.

Sitting on a stool, Grace finally stopped crying. “I don’t want to marry into the Shen family. Jack… Jack rescued me.”

There was an oil lamp burning inside the house as well, making it even brighter. Grandma Gale looked Jack up and down with a smile. “Hmm, a fine young lad, and quite handsome too. Why did you rescue Grace?”

Jack blushed bright red. “It’s nothing, just… Grace didn’t want to marry into the Shen family.”

“Jack, Jack.” Grandma Gale repeated the name. “A few years ago, weren’t you the one who went around telling everyone that Grace was your wife?”

At that, both of their faces turned red, and they lowered their heads, not daring to look at each other.