Transmigration: A Farm Girl’s Brocade
Chapter 493 - 261 Benben_1

Chapter 493: Chapter 261 Benben_1

Brother Jie saw that Auntie Cheng had made clothes for the Little Monk and everyone else, but not for him, and he was extremely envious. He walked over, looking pitiful, and said, "Auntie Cheng, what about Brother Jie? You made clothes for my brothers and sisters, and even for Little Master Hongji, but why did you forget about me?"

It was only then that Cheng Yue remembered she had forgotten about this endearing child, and she said with great guilt, "Oh, it’s Auntie Cheng’s fault for forgetting about Brother Jie. Wait, as soon as Hongji leaves, I will make some for you too."

Only then did Brother Jie purse his lips and smile.

Now, Brother Jie could enter Wangjiang Building, but Prince Consort Pan still did not dare to enter. He would escort Brother Jie to the door and then go back himself.

It was getting darker, and Qian Yixiu, Qian Yijin, and the Little Monk saw that the snow outside was getting heavier. This was probably the heaviest snowfall in Huaxi Village in recent years, and they were all terribly worried.

The three of them exchanged a glance, then stood up and walked outside together. Before leaving, Qian Yixiu said to Cheng Yue, "Mother, please stay safe at home. We’re going to look for Monkey Brother and the others at the crossroads."

Cheng Yue was also worried about the House of Animals, and after hearing this, she nodded, blocking the children who were following them, including Brother Jie, Ming Wa, and Jingjing.

Qian Yixiu and the others, along with a few maids and boy servants, went back to the fork in the road between Xijing Mountain and Xishi Mountain, which was a common route for the House of Animals to travel in and out of the mountains. They walked in about fifty meters, and Qian Yijin wanted to go further, but was stopped by the boy servant Qian Xiaolei. Qian Sangui had instructed them not to go deep into the fork, where there was a large burial mound, and the yin energy was heavy.

They stood there waiting. It was so cold, and they kept stomping their feet while occasionally holding their hands to their mouths to breathe warm air.

Villagers knew the animals of Guiyuan had not returned for several months, and passersby occasionally offered words of comfort, urging them not to be anxious.

In the snowstorm, the nearly barren Shixi Mountain seemed even more majestic and icy, while verdant Xijing Mountain also looked much more desolate and lonely.

The snow was getting heavier, making it nearly impossible to see a few meters ahead. The maids and boy servants opened up umbrellas to shield the group of three from the snowflakes.

After waiting for roughly half an hour, Zi Zhu and the others urged, "Masters, please go back. Don’t catch a cold. Besides, waiting here is of no use..."

They knew it was futile, but the dreadful weather made it even more unbearable to wait at home.

Another quarter of an hour had passed when Su Siwu came, saying the master had called them back.

The group dared not ignore his words, and they were just about to return when the Little Monk suddenly pointed deep into the fork and said, "Look, what are those?"

Everyone looked in that direction and saw a few figures approaching them. Then, they heard voices. One of them sounded like Huang Tie, who was shouting loudly, saying they were almost out of the mountains. Huang Tie had led six workers from Guiyuan along with six Hunters into the mountains the day before yesterday, bringing several days’ worth of provisions to look further inside.

When they recognized it was Huang Tie’s voice, they all excitedly headed toward that direction.

As they got closer, they were thrilled to see the House of Animals, as well as the White Wolf and Dashan who had later entered the mountains. Looking forward to reuniting with them, they rushed over.

But as they got close, they saw that the House of Animals looked like a defeated army, each one listless and distressed, all injured. Monkey Brother had his head bandaged, Monkey Sister was on his back, her left leg in a splint. Tiaotia had also a splint on one leg and was walking on three, while Shan Dian, who had entered the mountains for the first time, had bandages wrapped around his back. There were many dried bloodstains on these animals, and it was unclear whether the blood was theirs or someone else’s.

The later arrivals, White Wolf and Dashan, fared slightly better, but the White Wolf had a patch of fur torn off its back, and Dashan was limping as he walked.

Qian Yixiu counted the animals of the House of Animals one by one and noticed that only Benben was missing, which made her heart sink. Before she could ask, Qian Yijin blurted out anxiously, "Where’s Benben, where did Benben go?" He had spent the most time with Benben and had the closest bond.

At Qian Yijin’s question, Monkey Sister suddenly burst into crying, Tiaotia and Shan Dian also shed tears and howled, while the White Wolf and Dashan glared fiercely at Monkey Brother, who howled mournfully at the sky.

Huang Tie sighed and said, "When we came across them in the deep mountains, they had just been chased out from the very depths by a troop of monkeys. We used torches and fire muskets to scare off that large group of monkeys. Benben didn’t come out with them; he must have died inside."

Upon hearing of Benben’s death, Qian Yijin and Qian Yixiu broke down crying, their bodies going limp. Huang Tie carried Qian Yijin on his back, while the Little Monk carried Qian Yixiu, and together they headed back to Guiyuan.