Chapter 75

When Ding Yunfei arrived at Cheng Jingmo’s doorstep, the three people inside were just about to have dinner.

He knocked on the door, “Nian…Comrade Yu, I came to see how you’re doing. Are you feeling better?”

Yu Xiangnian turned her head and saw it was Ding Yunfei. She didn’t want to pay him any attention.

But then she remembered that Ding Yunfei had saved her last night and hesitated about whether to send him away.

Cheng Jingmo stepped out, “She’s fine now, Captain Ding. I need to have a word with you. Let’s go outside.”

Just like that, Ding Yunfei didn’t get to say a word to Yu Xiangnian before being led to the entrance of the residential complex by Cheng Jingmo.

With a blank expression, Cheng Jingmo said, “Captain Ding, I hope you won’t come looking for Yu Xiangnian again. It’s not good for anyone involved.”

Ding Yunfei awkwardly replied, “I just came to check on her, nothing more.”

Cheng Jingmo remained stoic, “Regardless of your intentions, stay away from her! Take care!”

Ding Yunfei watched Cheng Jingmo’s back, biting down hard enough to almost draw blood.

Just a nominal husband, and he dares to warn him?!

It’s only because he met Yu Xiangnian a bit later; otherwise, what business would Cheng Jingmo have here?!

But thinking back to last night at the police station, when Yu Xiangnian hugged Cheng Jingmo and cried the moment she saw him, Ding Yunfei felt a vague unease.

Could it be that Yu Xiangnian has started to like Cheng Jingmo? Or has she developed a dependence on him?

No way! He must act quickly to break them apart!

In the evening, while Cheng Jingmo was doing laundry in the small courtyard, Yu Xiangnian and Xiao Jie were inside telling stories.

Liu Zhen, Wang Hongxiang, and Li Guihua arrived. Seeing the door open, the three walked right in.

Li Guihua, with her loud voice and quick tongue, started before Cheng Jingmo could stop her.

“Comrade Yu, we heard you were assaulted last night!”

Yu Xiangnian saw the three looking devastated, almost in tears, and smiled, “What are those expressions for? I did encounter a bad person, but he didn’t succeed.”

Cheng Jingmo walked into the house and signaled the three women, but they didn’t notice.

They all looked at Yu Xiangnian and let out a sigh of relief.

Liu Zhen patted her chest, “It’s good he didn’t succeed, it’s good…”

Then she started cursing, “Who spread that lie?! Everyone’s saying you were assaulted! It’s ruining your reputation!”

Yu Xiangnian didn’t mind much, understanding that rumors tend to grow as they spread.

Perhaps the original story was factual, but as it spread, it got twisted.

Yu Xiangnian smiled, “Let them say what they want.” After all, she hadn’t been spared from gossip before.

Seeing Yu Xiangnian’s calm demeanor, Cheng Jingmo felt relieved.

He didn’t care about what others said, only worried that Yu Xiangnian might feel upset.

Yu Xiangnian then asked, “Hey? How do you three have time tonight?”

Since that day, the three had been busy with their money-making ventures.

Making things at home during the day and selling them on the black market at night, they hadn’t had time to chat with her recently.

The three exchanged glances with Cheng Jingmo, hesitant to speak.

Yu Xiangnian asked Cheng Jingmo, “Have you finished your laundry?”

Cheng Jingmo saw that the women had something to say, so he went back out to finish the laundry.

“Go ahead, what’s up?” Yu Xiangnian asked.

Liu Zhen angrily replied, “They won’t let us do business! That rat said their boss ordered that the three of us are banned from the market!”

Yu Xiangnian was surprised, “What did you do?”

“Who knows!” Liu Zhen plopped down in frustration, “Yesterday was fine, but today we’re suddenly banned!”

Yu Xiangnian had a hunch that Brother Ping was trying to force her to see him.

Li Guihua also sat down with a sigh, “I don’t know what to do with my rice cakes. In this heat, they’ll spoil in two days!”

Wang Hongxiang sighed and sat down as well. “Just as our business was getting started, now we’re not allowed to continue. We’ve never even met their boss—how did we offend him?”

Hearing the three women sigh one after another, Yu Xiangnian said, “Alright, stop sighing. I’ll go talk to that Rat tomorrow.”

Wang Hongxiang said, “You’d better not go. Everyone is already gossiping about you!”

Yu Xiangnian snorted coldly, “Let them talk if they want. I haven’t done anything wrong!”

“Why don’t you three go and sort things out? I’ll check the situation tomorrow and let you know,” Yu Xiangnian added.

Cheng Jingmo came in after finishing the laundry. Yu Xiangnian glared at him, “Cheng Jingmo, are you trying to keep me from going out because you’re embarrassed?”

Cheng Jingmo was taken aback. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me about the rumors outside?” Yu Xiangnian asked.

Cheng Jingmo was silent.

“I’m going out anyway! Three times a day—morning, noon, and night! Let’s see what they have to say then!” Yu Xiangnian declared.

She stood up and said, “If you’re already embarrassed by me, imagine how you’d react if I were actually assaulted. You’d probably want a divorce immediately to distance yourself from me!”

After saying that, she stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door with a loud bang!

The next day, Qiu Yang came to find Yu Xiangnian, inviting her to go into the mountains to find herbs.

Yu Xiangnian, in a bad mood, snapped at him, “Find your own head! What if I get noticed by some man again? It’s too dangerous!”

“Are you overly confident or what?!” Qiu Yang said earnestly, “I’ll stay with you the whole time. Let’s see which man dares to touch you!”

Yu Xiangnian asked, “Do you care a lot about your friend?”

“Of course I do! Whether it’s finding herbs or even giving my blood, I’d do it!” Qiu Yang said.

Yu Xiangnian gave him a disdainful look, “What about your money? Would you give that?”

Qiu Yang, frightened, said, “So harsh?”

Yu Xiangnian didn’t want to go into the mountains, as she was worried the dream she had might come true.

She said, “We’ve looked for so many days without seeing any sign of the herbs. How about today you help me with some errands? It might also help your friend.”

Qiu Yang was skeptical, “My friend is in Shanghai!”

“So what if he’s in Shanghai?” Yu Xiangnian said confidently, “I’m waiting to see you eat your words.”

Qiu Yang drove Yu Xiangnian to Brother Ping’s place.

Yu Xiangnian knocked on the door, and it immediately opened.

Rat greeted her with a smile, “I’ve been waiting for you all morning.”

As expected, Brother Ping had deliberately prevented the three women from doing business to lure her here.

Once inside, Yu Xiangnian saw a young man around twenty years old sitting next to Brother Ping.

Brother Ping, with no expression, said, “You’re quite a big shot; even Rat can’t get you to move.”

Yu Xiangnian sat down opposite Brother Ping without ceremony. “Brother Ping, please don’t make things difficult for me. I made my position very clear last time.”

Brother Ping said, “You have the same problem as Rui Rui. Think about it. Many people don’t even earn two hundred a year.”

Yu Xiangnian replied, “I’m not considering it.”

Brother Ping raised the offer, “Three hundred!”

Yu Xiangnian responded, “It’s not about the money. What if something goes wrong? I can’t take that responsibility!”

Brother Ping said, “If something goes wrong, you won’t be held responsible. The money will still be paid.”

Yu Xiangnian was in need of a fan and hesitated for a moment. “Forget it.”

Brother Ping, looking a bit helpless, finally said, “I can help you with last night’s issue.”