From high noon until the sun sank below the western hills, Ji Huan dragged her numb legs as she ran round and round, searching every place she could think of.
The city gates were about to close, and without a lodging permit from the village chief, she had to leave.
Sitting on the last mule cart back to Dafeng Village, she watched Yeyang County recede into the distance. Ji Huan couldn't help but wonder, 'Could Dabao still be in some corner of the city I overlooked? How will he sleep now that it's dark?'
She couldn't let herself dwell on it. The moment she did, she wanted to run back and keep searching, but the city gates were already closed.
Ji Huan sat hugging her knees, feeling utterly disheartened for a moment.
The mule cart moved quickly, the driver clearly trying to make it back before the last of the daylight faded. But they hadn't even reached Juyong Town when the sky turned completely dark.
The driver suddenly gasped.
