Chapter 43

In early October, the heat of the autumn tiger was unbearable, and the streets were still scorching hot at noon.

Gu Shidong ran back home from the street, his mouth dry from the heat. He rushed into the East Wing and, without saying a word, grabbed the teapot on the table and gulped down water.

Lin Yao, who had been lying in Gu Shi’an’s arms eating watermelon, was startled by the little rascal. She quickly pushed Gu Shi’an aside and grumbled in a delicate tone, “You little brat, barging in without knocking in the middle of the day!”

Deputy Director Gu, with his usual stoic expression, also stared at Gu Shidong.

The little rascal was so scared that he didn’t drink the hawthorn mint water anymore. He pouted and jumped over to beg for forgiveness, “Sister-in-law, you can’t blame me. I was in the toilet when I overheard Lin Daguo and Li Aifeng talking bad about you. I ran all the way back without even stopping to catch my breath!”

Lin Yao: This brat is spouting nonsense. If he ran all the way back without catching his breath, how is he even alive…

Wait, Lin Daguo and Li Aifeng were talking bad about her?

What did they say?

Lin Yao, who was yawning, immediately got angry and jumped off the bed angrily, “Dongzi, what did you hear? Tell me everything!”

Alright!

Gu Shidong had been waiting for this very moment. Once he started talking, he couldn’t stop. He rambled for five or six minutes about everything from buying straw in the morning, drooling in front of the counter at the supply and marketing cooperative, to running to the restroom with a stomach ache after sneaking some melon. Lin Yao and Gu Shi’an were both left with black lines on their foreheads.

Impatiently, Lin Yao slapped him, “You little brat, get to the point!”

“…. Oh.”

Gu Shidong, feeling aggrieved, shrank his neck and quickly summarized what he had overheard in the restroom.

At first, Lin Yao was lying on the bed eating watermelon, but when she heard that Lin Daguo and Li Aifeng had been following her and even tried to extort money from her, her pretty face immediately turned cold. As the saying goes, “If people don’t harm me, I won’t harm them.”

Lin Yao had originally thought that the people from the Lin family would get their just desserts eventually, and she had no interest in getting tangled up with such morally corrupt scum. However, now she realized that this line of thinking was a huge mistake!

She wanted to live a peaceful life, but if she didn’t properly deal with the Lin family, she would never have peace.

What kind of nonsense was this? They weren’t even worthy of being called relatives—just worse than beasts!

Lin Yao also remembered Lin Hongna, who had once been behind Lin Daguo and his wife, scheming like a lackey.

In the original book, Lin Hongna was cunning and used every trick to step on her cousin, not stopping until she was completely destroyed.

When the original owner’s parents had both passed away and she was sent to live with Lin Daguo’s family, Li Aifeng had transferred her old grudges onto the original owner, withholding food and forcing her to do cold-water laundry in the winter. Li Aifeng even poured scalding hot water on the original owner. If the original owner had not struggled to break free, Lin Daguo would have stopped her for fear of making a big fuss and letting the villagers know, she would have been disfigured long ago!

Now that the original owner was free, they were trying to bully her again!

A surge of anger rose within Lin Yao. Just as she was fuming, Gu Shidongbeside her was jumping and shouting like a monkey.

“Sister-in-law, the whole Lin family is a bunch of scoundrels! That bastard Lin Daguo, how black-hearted he is, trying to extort five hundred yuan from you! Brother, hurry up and arrest him. Lock him up in a cage!”

The little rascal was so full of anger that he didn’t care about his older brother’s cold expression. He ordered him to act immediately.

Gu Shidong wanted to curse, but his sister-in-law grabbed his ear and scolded him, “You little brat, who taught you to use bad language? Do you think the police station is our family business? You can arrest anyone you want? To arrest someone, we need evidence, and we have no proof to arrest anyone!”

Gu Shidong’s anger immediately dissipated. Looking at his sister-in-law, clearly upset, he then glanced at his older brother. Oh no, why does his brother’s face look so scary? His usually handsome features were now cold and stern, like icicles hanging under the eaves in winter, covered in layers of frost that could freeze a person to death.

The little rascal shrank his neck and immediately stopped talking. He was smart enough to know when to hold his tongue. A true man knows when to bend and when to stand firm. If his sister-in-law didn’t want him to talk, he wouldn’t.

Gu Shidong shut his mouth and became silent.

Gu Shi’an’s expression remained frosty as he confirmed the location of the toilet. As if recalling something, his handsome face grew even colder. He whispered something to Lin Yao. Lin Yao nodded repeatedly. Her face, which had been cold and murderous just moments ago, now brightened with a smile as if nothing had happened.

After Gu Shi’an finished speaking, he strode out of the room.

Lin Yao picked up a biscuit, smiling as she called to Gu Shidong, inviting him to have a snack. The biscuits were rich in flavor, made with high-quality flour, and were soft and delicious.

Gu Shidong was confused, still worried about his sister-in-law. “Sister-in-law, why are you eating biscuits? Lin Daguo and the others are still scheming against you! We need to come up with a plan, my brother’s gone too. What could be more urgent than this?”

The boy anxiously paced around the room, suddenly clenching his fists. “No, sister-in-law, we can’t just sit here and wait. I’m telling Mom and Dad!”

Before he could rush out, Lin Yao called him back.

With a gentle smile, she said, “Don’t worry, your brother has a plan.”

Hearing this, Gu Shidong immediately calmed down. His brother could handle anything!

The mischievous boy continued munching on the biscuit, crumbs falling from his mouth, wiping them away with his sleeve, and asked with a grin, “Sister-in-law, what’s my brother’s plan?”

Lin Yao kept smiling, but her words sent a chill down his spine.

“Your brother said that once it gets dark and no one’s around, he’ll have Lin Daguo and his wife tied up in a sack and beaten. Then, they’ll be dumped at the ancestral grave so the ancestors can teach them a lesson.”

Gu Shidong looked at her with admiration. “My brother is a genius!”

“And he also said that if you dare to steal another watermelon, your hands will be gone,” Lin Yao added.

Gu Shidong: TvT.

My brother was ruthless.

*

At 10 PM, the night in Yunshui County was pitch black, and Lin Daguo and his wife were cursing as they turned into a small alley. They had spent the whole day waiting for something to happen.

But Lin Yao, that little bitch, never even left her house!

Not only that, they had rented a dilapidated house in the county with a dirt bed and a door that wouldn’t shut. And for this, they had to pay one yuan per month!

Li Aifeng rummaged around in her waistband and found two yuan, money she had taken from Lin Hongna.

Lin Daguo had eaten and drunk well all day, only spending fifty cents. He didn’t even leave a penny for himself!

Li Aifeng was so furious she almost fell backward. She hadn’t eaten all day, and that old man didn’t even buy her a steamed bun! He was clearly trying to starve her and bring back that old bitch, Liu Taohong!

Liu Taohong was the woman Lin Daguo had met outside, a woman in her forties who had lost two husbands.

Lin Daguo only played with her; he wouldn’t dare to marry her. Everyone in the county knew that Liu Taohong was unlucky, and if he married her, he’d die like the others. He wasn’t that crazy!

Li Aifeng reluctantly agreed when Lin Daguo sweet-talked her. She smiled and hooked her arm around his.

She hadn’t bathed for days and smelled rancid, but still, she rubbed against Lin Daguo.

Lin Daguo was doing his best to hold back his disgust. Eventually, he couldn’t help but ask Li Aifeng to bathe.

Li Aifeng grabbed her waist and shouted, “You bastard Lin Daguo, you said you wouldn’t mind me, but you can’t stand me not bathing for a few days! Are you planning to go find that old bitch?”

Lin Daguo, equally angry, yelled back, and the couple argued all the way back to the rental house.

Outside, the alley was dark, with no streetlights. A breeze began to blow from the nearby woods, making the shadows dance and creating an eerie sound.

Li Aifeng cursed and went to close the window, but another gust of wind blew through, and the flimsy door crashed to the ground with a loud bang. The wind carried with it a mournful wail, like a storm’s cry.

Li Aifeng ordered Lin Daguo to close the door.

He refused, and neither of them would yield. Finally, she went to close it herself.

As they reached the door, darkness suddenly enveloped them. A large sack fell from the sky, and before they could react, both were swiftly covered. The sound of fists raining down soon followed.

Neither of them knew who was attacking, but the force was intense.

In no time, Lin Daguo and his wife were crying out in pain, their voices like those of pigs being slaughtered.

“Who the hell is hitting me?” Lin Daguo yelled.

“I have someone behind me! My son-in-law is the deputy direcotr of the county police. If you dare mess with me, I’ll make sure you regret it!” he threatened.

But hearing this, the attackers only became fiercer.

Before Lin Daguo could gloat, he was knocked to the ground, rolling around. Li Aifeng was in even worse shape, suffocating under Lin Daguo’s weight.

The masked man outside, Xu Xiangqian, delivered two more kicks, one of which landed “accidentally” on Lin Daguo’s lower body, making him scream like a pig.

At Lin Daguo’s yelp, Li Aifeng’s eyes nearly popped out.

Xu Xiangqian couldn’t help but laugh.

Gu Shi’an shot him a glance, and Da Tou Brother flashed a wide grin, silently promising not to do it again. He then gave the deputy head a playful elbow.

“Don’t overdo it, it’s enough.”

Gu Shi’an’s dark eyes narrowed. He slapped Lin Daguo’s neck with one hand, while Xu Xiangqian landed a chop on Li Aifeng’s neck. The couple collapsed on the ground, limp.

Xu Xiangqian kicked Lin Daguo lightly and asked casually, “Old Gu, what do we do with them now?”

Gu Shi’an removed the mask, revealing his deep, narrow eyes.

“Dump them outside the city, at Five Ditch.”

Five Ditch? Xu Xiangqian stroked his chin and clicked his tongue.

Before the liberation, that was where they buried bandits and thieves. The place had been rumored to be haunted for years.

Even the local thugs didn’t dare go there.

Gu Shi’an’s move was quite devious.

However, Lin Daguo and his wife truly got what they deserved.

Of all the people they could have provoked, they chose to mess with Old Gu’s precious one and were foolish enough to try extorting 500 yuan from Lin Yao.

They were simply asking for trouble.

*

On a dark and windy night, the autumn rain suddenly began, tapping against the roof tiles with a clattering sound.

Deputy Director Gu went out to deal with the troublemakers. Lin Yao, feeling tired from reading, put down her book and stretched lazily. She took two pieces of cotton cloth from her space and sketched on them with chalk, planning to make two sets of winter pajamas.

The weather had changed, and she had already washed and packed away her summer pajamas. Winter pajamas were still needed, and Lin Yao had a sewing machine in her space. When the house was empty, she planned to use the flawed labor cloth that Gu Chunmei had brought back to make pajamas for the family.

Even lying on a straw bed in winter could be comfortable.

Lin Yao worked for a while, and when it was time to sleep, her eyelids began to flutter.

She put down the cloth, lay down on the soft bed, and was ready to take a short nap before continuing her work.

However, she ended up falling asleep deeply.

When she woke up, she found herself in Gu Shi’an’s arms.

It was pitch dark outside, and it seemed like it was already midnight.

Lin Yao stirred in Gu Shi’an’s arms and mumbled, “Is the work done?”

Gu Shi’an responded, lowering his head to kiss her forehead. “Everything’s taken care of. Go back to sleep.”

Lin Yao, feeling incredibly sleepy, snuggled into his arms. His body smelled faintly of soap, fresh and pleasant, and she quickly drifted back to sleep.

The couple slept soundly together.

The next day, something big happened in Yunshui County.

On a rainy day, something strange happened outside of Five Ditch. A middle-aged couple was found bundled up in a sack and thrown into the Five Ditch graveyard.

The couple’s faces were bruised, suggesting they were beaten before being dumped there.

Li Aifeng cried and cursed in the graveyard, rolling in the mud and shouting that they had been robbed and needed to go to the police station.

Lin Daguo was terrified, his mind racing. He wondered if his secret affair with Widow Liu had been exposed. Widow Liu had several lovers, one of whom was the butcher, Zhu Rourong.

Zhu Rourong had a pig-like nose and had slaughtered countless pigs with his butcher’s knife. Anyone who offended him would not have a good ending.

Could it be that Zhu Rourong had found out about his affair and was seeking revenge?

The thought of yesterday’s events made Lin Daguo tremble with fear.

Damn it, money was good, but without life, it was all meaningless!

Lin Daguo refused to go to the police station. He slapped Li Aifeng and shouted, “Zhu Rourong’s knife is no joke! Let’s go back home quickly!”