The idiom Hú Jiǎ Hǔ Wēi (The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Might) comes to mind, a tale beloved by primary school students. At this moment, applying it to describe Sakurako's prestige among the monkey troop feels inexact, yet upon closer inspection, there are undeniable parallels.

It was evident that the monkeys' grand show of deference was not intended for Sakurako; she was merely an ordinary person, more accurately, an ordinary woman. Before giving birth to Xing’er, she could still be called a girl, for in adherence to tradition, marriage and motherhood severed a woman's claim to that title. Even if used occasionally, it would only surface in phrases like "back in the day..." or "when I was a girl...". The significant difference between a woman and a girl lies in lived experience; if someone nearing thirty is a mother yet still claims innocence, that is not innocence, but stupidity.

Sakurako was far from stupid now. She suddenly recalled the first time Da Mao appeared at her home—the moment he dragged her out of the Genying Villa, the time he desperately pushed her down the disgusting corridor swarming with flesh-eating spirit worms. All those scenes seemed to point toward a single objective: bringing her and Xing’er here. No, bringing Xing’er here. She was just a commoner, holding no value for these monkeys of unknown origin. If they lacked food, the meat on Sakurako’s body wouldn't last them half a day (monkeys were rumored to eat meat). If they lacked wisdom, they should seek someone who understood the language of monkeys to guide them, not a village wife. She also recalled the hesitant expression on Li Xiaohao’s face when she questioned him about Da Mao’s background that day—an expression that hinted at secrets he was keeping from her.

Right, this was all premeditated! After agonizing over it for a long time, Sakurako finally reached this conclusion: Conspiracy! The sudden appearance of the monkeys, their actions in whisking her away from Genying Villa at a critical juncture, and their fearless push toward the flesh-eating spirit worms—every detail screamed that this was no coincidence. Even if not explicitly arranged beforehand, Da Mao had certainly infiltrated their lives with a hidden agenda. However, the one thing Sakurako couldn't grasp was whether Li Xiaohao knew of Da Mao’s intentions, what his attitude toward Da Mao was, whether he was in league with them, and if he was planning to "sell" her and their newborn son to the monkeys once Xing’er was delivered.

Once this line of thought took hold, a flood of unanswerable questions swam into her mind, making her dizzy. She wanted to return to Xiaohao and demand an explanation, yet she dreaded the tragedy of the midwife repeating itself. She longed to communicate with Da Mao, who had been by her side day and night, but alas, beyond chattering sounds, he spoke no human language.

Just as Sakurako felt utterly helpless, a female monkey, carrying a recently born infant clinging to her back, swayed her tail as she approached Sakurako’s feet. Sakurako looked at the tiny monkey—its little mouth, small eyes, and cute appearance—and let out a long breath, momentarily pushing aside her recent anxieties. She squatted down and reached out to playfully engage with it. Who knew that as she played, the mother monkey violently flung the infant off her back. The baby, completely unprepared, landed squarely on its back on the ground, startling Sakurako so much that she fell back, landing squarely on her bottom. What is wrong with this mother monkey? she thought, Why would she throw her own child like that?

But the most horrifying sight was yet to come. A large, golden-furred male monkey was waiting nearby. Upon seeing the infant lying helpless on the ground, it darted over, swiftly grasped the baby by the neck, and thrust it into Sakurako’s arms. Sakurako was paralyzed with terror, taking a long moment to process what was happening, until the golden-furred monkey placed the infant’s neck near Xing’er’s mouth. Only then did she understand: they intended to use this infant’s blood to feed Xing’er.