Living on a Mountain with my Husband

Cha0ter 122: Next Steps

After dinner, Zimo and LongWei discussed what had happened with the bandits. Zimo was uneasy about the fact so many died because of them.

LongWei naturally understood this and kept the details as vague as possible. He spoke more about where they went.

"Dear, what do we do now? Did you find out if more are coming?" Zimo asked as he worried. He didn't want to engage in battle with others.

"It's hard to say. I didn't have a chance to question any of the bandits. They might have just been looking around, but doing so in this season is strange." LongWei admitted he'd made a mistake.

"Is their anyway to contact Cui Tengfei? Maybe he knows why they are here early, or maybe he can send his soldiers sooner to deal with them? I don't feel comfortable with you putting yourself at risk." Zimo suggested.

The day before he thought things would be better, that LongWei wouldn't have to fight or maybe he was just being ignorant of the reality. However, after listening to LongWei talk about killing and tracking the bandits. The reality hit and his stomach felt sick.

On the other hand, LongWei had no problems fighting. He often had to fight and kill while in the army. Nonetheless, he also knew that despite Zimo being trained in an army in his old world. He never had to kill anyone.

It was something closer to learning martial arts without practical experience. He also knew that death was rare to see, unlike in this world or place.

"It's not impossible. But I would need to go down the mountain and send out a letter. We can also try informing the local government, but it's difficult to say if they would help. The mountain is our private property after all." LongWei explained.

Zimo's mood worsened. They had talked about going down the mountain before but decided against it after some serious thought. It was too dangerous to take any animals because of the snow and ice. It was also difficult for Zimo to stay in another house because of the heating situation.

"Baby, let's keep an eye on the area for a little while longer. If there are signs of more bandits coming up into the mountains we can make plans to go down. If not, we can stick to the original plan and wait until spring." LongWei suggested.

"What if by then it's too late? Sending a letter isn't a fast way of communicating. If we wait until the bandits do come to send the letter out, plus the time it takes Cui Tengfei to get the letter. Then, add in the time it takes him to come here or do something about it. Won't it be too late?" Zimo said anxiously. The more they talked the less certain Zimo was.

"Baby, if we are going to go down the mountain, we need to be prepared." LongWei said "we", but was mostly referring to Zimo. He had been living comfortably despite his debilitating fear of fire because they had build a unique house.

Once they left the mountain he would need to face his fear. Not just in whatever place they stayed at, but also outside. A lot of villagers and people burned fire pits in the streets to warm themselves while being on guard or any other reason.

Zimo didn't miss LongWei's concern for him. "Dear, what if you go down alone?"

"No. It's not a walk I can do in just one day. It's also far too dangerous to leave you here alone overnight when their is a possibility of bandits. If we go, we go together." LongWei said seriously.

After some serious thought Zimo finally turned to LongWei and with determined eyes said, "Okay. I'll do it. I can do it. You'll be by my side, as long as your there I'll be fine."

LongWei looked back at Zimo with concern. He knew how bad Zimo's fear was. The journey itself would also be physically taxing. However what Zimo said about it maybe being too late if they waited was true.