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Chapter 13.2
After dinner, Luo Lan finished her chores. Her oil lamp was running out of fuel, and the room plunged into darkness. She was just about to trade with the system for more oil when she heard footsteps approaching. Quickly, she added the lamp oil, and the wick lit up.
“Luo Lan,” the woman called out as planned, “I heard you’re good at tailoring, so I thickened my skin to ask for your help cutting a pair of pants. If there’s any leftover fabric, you can use it to make a shoe upper. How about it?”
A single shoe upper? What about the other one? This was a tough time, and such requests weren’t unheard of. But she was a woman, so she still paid more attention to her appearance. Wearing mismatched shoes would be embarrassing.
“I just added lamp oil, and I was about to start working on shoe soles.”
“I can help with the shoe soles. How about that?”
“Alright.”
Though they weren’t from the same team and didn’t see each other daily, they were familiar enough. Plus, the woman offered such favorable terms, Luo Lan couldn’t find a reason to refuse.
Locking her door, she left with the woman, but suspicion nagged at her. They rarely interacted, why insist on asking her to cut pants? And why offer such favorable terms?
Could someone be trying to lure her away?
If so, the suspects were few: her ex-husband’s family or the three Xu brothers she had crossed paths with.
“What’s wrong?” The woman asked as Luo Lan paused. Her voice trembled with what seemed like anticipation, reinforcing Luo Lan’s suspicion.
“Nothing, let’s go.” If someone was plotting against her, she didn’t mind playing along. Being the target of thieves required more than just defense. Sometimes, you have to strike back.
Her savings and valuables were safeguarded by the system. Even if they turned her place upside down, they’d find nothing. She smirked, prepared to deliver another blow if necessary. This was their own doing, they couldn’t blame her for being ruthless.
Arriving at the woman’s house, she handed Luo Lan a piece of dark blue fabric for tailoring. Luo Lan measured her with a tape and found she needed chalk for marking, which the woman didn’t have.
“I have some at home, I’ll go get it.”
If this was a trap, the timing was perfect. The woman tried to stop her but couldn’t find the words. How could she refuse when the whole reason for their meeting was to cut the pants? Luo Lan said she had chalk and offered to fetch it. To refuse would be suspicious.
“I’ll come with you.”
“Alright.”
As they walked back, Luo Lan carried a flashlight she had exchanged with the system, which also had a stun function. However, she didn’t turn it on, claiming the batteries were dead. Walking in the dark, they were almost upon the eldest Xu brother before he noticed.
“Run, she’s coming back!” he shouted, fleeing.
“Who’s there?” Luo Lan quickened her pace, just in time to confront the third Xu brother. She struck first with the stun baton, incapacitating him. She didn’t let up until the smell of urine reached her nose. A clap of thunder echoed.
This time, she had been ruthless. The third brother lay there, still twitching. She pocketed the flashlight and looked up, feigning surprise.
“He got struck by lightning.”
Seeing the man in such a state, the woman panicked, deciding to disassociate herself from the situation.
The eldest Xu brother had fled.On the way, he ran into a neighbor who was going to the toilet, so he was quickly brought to the scene by the village head.
“Where’s the stolen money?” the village head demanded.
“I’m innocent! Village head, I didn’t steal any money.”
“Bullshit. You broke into a single woman’s home for no reason?”
When the third brother heard Luo Lan had lost over eighty yuan, he nearly fainted again. He insisted he hadn’t stolen anything, but Luo Lan claimed the money was gone. The village head sent them to the police station the next day.
“Where did you keep the money?” the police officer asked Luo Lan.
“In a trunk. I was saving to buy cotton for a thick winter quilt.” Luo Lan, on the verge of tears, painted a picture of a pitiable woman with no proper shelter.
“You all know my shed can’t keep me warm in winter. I was saving to make a quilt, but those brothers targeted me twice. They’re too wicked, tormenting a homeless woman.”
Though she didn’t say it outright, her words led the police officer to conclude that the three Xu brothers, being bachelors, had obvious motives. Their mother had previously tried to matchmake Luo Lan into their family, which she refused, leading to this harassment.
“You’re something else,” the police officer said with a strong sense of justice. “How can you, as a man, bully a woman like this? Marriage should be about mutual consent, not coercion. What you’re doing is pure thuggery.”
“Be honest, where did you hide the money? Even if you hand it over, you’ll still face punishment. If you refuse to confess, you’ll end up in jail. Breaking into a single woman’s house isn’t just theft, it’s harassment. Denying the theft won’t save you from this charge.”
Faced with the police officer’s stern warning, the third brother of the Xu family turned pale. Harassment could get him executed. He wasn’t stupid. He quickly changed his tune.
“I didn’t harass anyone. I… I just stole some money.”
So, another eighty yuan. Even in a good harvest year, the three brothers might not earn that much. But there was no choice; they couldn’t afford to be labeled as harassers.
At that moment, the third Xu brother deeply regretted his actions. He should never have tangled with this single woman. Instead of gaining anything, they had only brought trouble upon themselves and lost a substantial amount of money. The pain of losing that money was excruciating. Despite all his precautions, she had outsmarted him again.
He didn’t know what had made him feel so weak and uncomfortable, but everyone was saying he got struck by lightning for his misdeeds. His reputation was ruined. Although Luo Lan didn’t directly accuse the brothers of targeting her personally, she had cleverly avoided any reputational damage herself, while their name was tarnished.
Luo Lan gained another eighty yuan from the Xu family, making it a total of over 160 yuan. Combined with her previous savings, she had several hundred yuan. Her mood was lifted further by her growing points in the system.
“Have you heard? The third son of the Xu family stole Luo Lan’s money and got struck by lightning.”
“Serves him right.”
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Ayalee[Translator]
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