Xu Mingxuan saw that Chen Lan was listening attentively, so he found a comfortable position to lean back and continued, "While the three women fighting the bandits was partly self-preservation, it also helped us tremendously. All three of them sustained some injuries, big or small. We brought them back to the camp and had the medic thoroughly check their wounds and apply medicine. Fortunately, they were all scrapes and not too serious, likely sustained during their struggle with the bandits.
The woman with the injured arm was the most severely hurt. Luckily, her bone wasn't broken, just strained. She needs time to rest and recover, and as long as she avoids heavy labor, she’ll be fine!
But Lan'er, you know our camp's living conditions and accommodations are still quite basic. And it’s all men here. What would it be like to have three women and a child living in the camp?
Commander Zheng and I felt that keeping them at the camp would be awkward and inappropriate, affecting both them and the camp negatively! So, Commander Zheng discussed it with me and asked me to bring the three women to our valley to recuperate."
Chen Lan listened to Xu Mingxuan explain the reason for bringing them back and then asked, "Well, Mingxuan ge, didn't you ask where their homes were? Didn't you plan to send them home? From their appearance, they look like they're from around here, from the Changbai Mountains."
Xu Mingxuan immediately said seriously, "How could we not ask? We did. When the three women heard we were going to send them home, they weren't happy and wouldn't say a word no matter how much we asked. They even threatened to kill themselves. We didn't dare to force them to leave.
When pressed, they said all their family members were killed by bandits, and their homes were burned down by them."
Chen Lan nodded and thought for a moment, saying, "I guess they don't want to go home. Think about it! They were abducted by bandits and taken to their lair. They must have been violated by the bandits.
If they went home, their very characters would likely be torn apart by gossipers, and it might even bring shame upon their families.
If they return, how can they live? How can they carry on? Sigh! They are all such stubborn, feudal old fools. This feudal thinking is really terrible!"
After speaking, she sighed deeply, feeling extremely dejected.
She thought for a moment and continued, "Mingxuan ge, I suspect the round-faced girl and the woman with the injured arm have a special relationship, right!"
Xu Mingxuan looked at her in surprise and asked, "Lan'er, why do you say that?"
Chen Lan explained, "I saw how exceptionally concerned she was for that child, not just normally concerned, but like family."
Xu Mingxuan smiled, flicked Chen Lan's small nose, and chuckled, "Not bad, your observation is meticulous. Indeed, they are sister-in-law and brother-in-law. That child is the round-faced girl's nephew.
Their families were indeed living in the Changbai Mountains, hunters in the deep mountains near Linjiang.
About three months ago, for some unknown reason, bandits infiltrated the deep mountains near their area and raided several hunter families for several consecutive nights.
The bandits killed all the men and elderly in their homes, and looted their women, grain, food, and money. The children were desperately protected by the woman and her sister-in-law, who threatened their own lives to escape the bandits' clutches.
Because it was a deep mountain and the hunters lived far apart, no one knew what had happened. Their families were massacred and robbed by bandits, and they were captured.
Therefore, no one sought help from the local government, and our camp received no news. We didn't know there was a bandit lair in the Changbai Mountains.
That tall, thin girl is in the same situation as the other two."
Chen Lan anxiously asked, "Then, what about the situation of the girl who died?"
Xu Mingxuan sighed, unsure how many sighs he had uttered that day. He said, "We asked, but none of the three knew the background of that spirited girl.
They only said that before they were captured, that girl was already taken. Another girl was also pregnant and over a month ago, she took advantage of the bandits' carelessness and jumped off a cliff.
It's estimated that the spirited girl was pregnant with the child of a tall bandit, which is why the bandits kept her under such strict guard.
After that girl jumped off the cliff, the bandits became even more vigilant in watching them, probably fearing they would also commit suicide.
Lan'er, this is basically all you need to know. Don't ask for anything else, I can't tell you more."
Chen Lan also sighed and said, "Mingxuan ge, if they want to stay in the valley, let them stay. They are all pitiable people, especially women. When something like this happens, their lives are ruined.
Fortunately, they arrived at night, and no one else in the valley knows their origins. Let's not mention the bandits anymore. When you go back, tell Commander Zheng about this, keep it a secret for them, and don't let anyone mention their capture by bandits, okay?"
Xu Mingxuan smiled and said, "Of course, why not? You're so thoughtful. I'll go back tomorrow and discuss a good explanation with Commander Zheng, trying to minimize how many people know about this. So, Lan'er, how do you plan to explain their origins to others?"
Chen Lan suddenly got stuck. She hadn't really thought about how to arrange a plausible backstory for them.
After thinking for a long time without coming up with a better explanation, she pleaded, "Mingxuan ge, please help me think of a reasonable story, arrange a plausible background for them."
Xu Mingxuan thought for a moment and said, "This question is indeed a bit difficult. The key is that they are all locals, born and raised in the Changbai Mountains. If you say they are coming to visit relatives, they are already from here, so who are they visiting?
Lan'er, how about this! What do you think of this explanation? Say their men are soldiers in the camp, just like Commander Zheng's family. The families of the soldiers in the camp want to settle down in our valley. This reason is quite legitimate and reasonable."
Chen Lan thought about it and felt this explanation was still not entirely appropriate. So she said, "Mingxuan ge, if we follow your explanation, then if they want to get married in the future, there would be a non-existent man still in the camp. How would they get married then? Are they just going to live their lives alone? That would be too pitiful!"
Xu Mingxuan was stumped by Chen Lan's question and agreed with her reasoning. He didn't know what to say for a moment!
So he said, "Lan'er, we shouldn't be here wasting our time worrying about these things today. You can ask tomorrow and find out."