Tha… thank you for saving my life." Maurice looked at Huang Wen, still shaken, and thanked him. Then he slowly got up, brushed the snow and mud off his clothes, and gradually calmed down.
"Ding! Mission: Save Maurice's life. Reward: One draw for a mortal-grade item!" The system's notification told Huang Wen that Maurice was out of danger.
"Hiss! Hiss!" Just then, the horse named Philip ran back and stopped beside Maurice.
"You finally came back, and you didn't even try to save me!" Maurice playfully patted Philip's head, then turned to Huang Wen again to express his gratitude, "Thank you very much, my savior. My name is Maurice. If you don't mind, may I invite you to my home as a guest? Oh, and I still don't know your name…"
Huang Wen raised an eyebrow. He knew what Maurice meant; he was worried about encountering more danger later and wanted Huang Wen to protect him.
"That's no problem at all, but the environment here is a bit strange, so let's take a different path," Huang Wen said with a smile, nodding. "My name is Huang Wen."
"Huang? Wen?" Maurice pronounced the name, which was a bit difficult for him, then squatted down to look for the items he had dropped. It was an exquisite metal pinwheel, holding his memories of his wife.
"Mr. Huang Wen, please take the horse. I can walk," Maurice said with a smile, standing up after gathering his most important belongings.
"No need, Maurice. You ride the horse. My legs are fast," Huang Wen said, smiling as he declined Maurice's offer. "Let's go, we should leave…"
Huang Wen and Maurice returned along the path they had come. Before leaving, Huang Wen gave a deep look at a certain spot, then turned and left. In the place Huang Wen looked, there was a huge shadow, and a gaze seemed to be hidden within it.
"Mr. Huang Wen, where are you from?" On the way, Maurice and Huang Wen chatted casually.
"Just call me Huang Wen. I'm Chinese, and I currently live in the United States," Huang Wen said with a smile.
"The United States? That's quite far. I heard it's very prosperous…" Maurice asked, somewhat puzzled, "Do people there all ride in four-wheeled carriages?"
"You could say that," Huang Wen said, nodding with a smile. "Maurice, does the place where you live not have any contact with the outside world?"
"Contact? Of course, we do! I often go to the market held jointly by nearby villages to buy things!" Maurice gave Huang Wen a strange look, then said with some regret, "It's a pity that all the things I bought this time were broken, otherwise I could have given you something as a token of my gratitude… Hmm? No, that's not right! The roses! The roses Belle wanted!"
Maurice looked up at the sky, which was gradually clearing after sunrise. The events of the previous night seemed to have been forgotten, and a vision of the rose field he had seen earlier flashed before his eyes.
"Mr. Huang Wen, the first house in the village ahead is my home. I have something to do and need to leave for a bit. My daughter is at home…" Maurice pointed in the direction of his house and handed the exquisite pinwheel in his hand to Huang Wen. "Just say you're a guest at my house, and Belle will let you in with this pinwheel."
"Ah?" Huang Wen blinked, subconsciously taking the pinwheel. As if he had thought of something, before he could say anything, he saw Maurice ride his horse back in the direction he had come from.
"Beauty and the Beast?" A thought flashed through Huang Wen's mind. "Roses, Belle, and a guy in the shadows as tall as the Hulk… Uh, I'll go see Belle first, then I'll know if it is."
Huang Wen looked at the distant village, then his figure flickered, disappearing from his spot and reappearing outside the village. Huang Wen immediately saw a woman who looked exactly like Hermione, and beside her, a man was bothering her.
"It really is Beauty and the Beast…" Huang Wen thought, looking at Belle's appearance, and walked towards her.
"I just want to teach that child to read, Gaston…" Belle said with a slight frown, blocked by Gaston at her doorstep.
"You should be thinking more about your own child, our child…" Gaston said, pointing at Belle and himself.
"I… I don't have any plans for that yet!" Belle looked at Gaston with disdain, then dodged him and walked into the yard.
"You just haven't met your true love!" Gaston stepped forward, puffed out his chest, and clearly implied that he was her true love.
"Gaston, this village is very small, and I know all the men here," Belle firmly rejected Gaston. "No one will change completely. I know exactly what kind of person you are!"
"Belle, do you know what happens to old maids in the village without a father? They can only beg in the village. This is reality, in a remote place like this, there's not much to choose from!" Gaston narrowed his eyes, threatening her, and even reached out to grab Belle's skirt.
"Sir, if your hand moves one inch further, I cannot guarantee that it will still be attached to your wrist," Huang Wen said calmly, walking over and looking at Gaston.
"Hmm?" Belle and Gaston both looked at Huang Wen. When Belle saw the exquisite pinwheel in Huang Wen's hand, her expression changed, and she quickly ran to Huang Wen's side, looking at the pinwheel in his hand. "Where's my father? Is he alright?"
"He should be fine. He remembered he forgot to bring you roses, so he went back for them," Huang Wen said, smiling and nodding, remembering that Maurice in the original story was indeed fine, just locked up.
"Hey! Stranger! Who are you?" Gaston shouted at Huang Wen with anger. "Stay away from my Belle!"
"As you said, I'm a stranger!" Huang Wen handed the exquisite pinwheel to Belle and said with a smile, "It seems your head isn't working too well, otherwise you wouldn't ask such a question…"
"You!" Gaston was choked by Huang Wen's words, not knowing what to say.
"Pfft!" Seeing Gaston's discomfited look, Belle couldn't help but laugh, feeling a sudden lightness in her heart.
Belle's laugh made Gaston lose even more face. He walked angrily towards Huang Wen and said in a low voice, "Stranger, you may not know my power. In this village, no one is my match, and no one dares to speak to me like that! You will pay for your words!"
"Gaston! He's my father's friend! Stay away from him!" Belle stood up at this point, looking at Gaston without backing down.
"Don't worry, Belle. He only has no match in this village, but I'm not from this village," Huang Wen said, smiling as he shielded Belle behind him and looked at Gaston. "Do you want to try?"