Chapter 250: Suffering the Consequences

“What’s there to be afraid of? That woman said there are only two households here. As long as we get to her before anyone else notices, how much trouble can a young girl cause?”

“It’s best if we can take her without anyone knowing. We’ve already paid that woman, so if we can’t take her, it’ll be a loss. We should still be cautious.”

“How about I go find that woman and ask her to bring a ladder?”

Luo Qiao’s expression darkened upon hearing this. She thought for a moment and realized that the woman they were referring to was likely Gao Suhua. Recently, that woman had been unusually quiet.

The people she had offended in the village were few, with Li Xiulan being one, who was currently too preoccupied to cause trouble. The Zhang family didn’t seem to be involved, and Wang Chunni lacked the courage.

Since the intruders had mentioned that it was a woman, it must be Gao Suhua. That woman was bold and ruthless, and only someone like her could pull off such an act.

Luo Qiao quickly gathered her loose hair, climbed over the backyard fence, and decided to take action. If they were unkind, she wouldn’t be bound by principles.

She was uncertain whether “below” meant the small path or the area towards the village bridge, so she headed towards the village.

Shortly after passing Lu Yichen’s gate, she heard footsteps and quickly found a place to hide. When she saw who was coming, she was pleased. This was someone who had come right to her doorstep, so she couldn’t be blamed.

After the person walked past, she swiftly subdued them with a hand strike.

Luo Qiao transported the person back to her space, avoided the two still searching for a way into the courtyard, and returned to her own courtyard. She packed up her bedding and then laid the person on the kang (bed stove) inside.

The person she laid out was Zhao Xiaomei, Gao Suhua’s second daughter. She had pretended to be asleep when her mother left, then got up to follow, but ended up going in a different direction from her mother.

After settling the person, Luo Qiao packed away some of the more valuable items in the house and went to the kitchen to gather the food and utensils. She then went to the backyard to search for Gao Suhua, knowing the woman couldn’t have gone far.

Just as Luo Qiao arrived in the backyard, she heard someone jumping into the front yard. She sneered coldly and climbed out of the courtyard.

As expected, Gao Suhua had not left but was hiding in a spot at the exit of the village down a small path.

Luo Qiao approached quietly and stopped a few meters away. She took out a small packet of self-made sleeping powder from her space, which was originally for self-defense, but it came in handy now.

In no time, Gao Suhua fell unconscious. Luo Qiao went up to her and found two hundred yuan on her. It turned out that this woman was indeed audacious and had plans to sell her, choosing the night before her departure. How bold!

Ignoring Gao Suhua, Luo Qiao left immediately. She initially planned to take the small path back but, hearing someone coming down, assumed that the two men had succeeded and decided to take a detour to return home.

As she reached the bridge and was about to turn towards her house, she heard someone a little further away on the opposite side of the bridge say, “Old man, how are you? You mustn’t be in trouble!”

In the quiet night, the cry was clear to Luo Qiao. With a frown, she changed direction and followed the sound, discovering that Grandpa Lin from the village’s east end was sitting on a rock, sweating from pain, while Grandma Lin was anxiously trying to help him, unsure of what to do.

Luo Qiao approached and asked, “Grandma Lin, what happened to Grandpa Lin?”

Grandma Lin, whose maiden name was Du Meilan, replied, “He started having diarrhea this morning, and after dinner, his stomach began to hurt. The pain has become unbearable, so we were preparing to go to the health station.”

Luo Qiao said, “Let me help you get Grandpa Lin there.”

Grandma Lin gratefully responded, “Thank you so much.”

They supported Grandpa Lin towards the health station. Du Meilan asked, “Luo Qiao, what are you doing outside so late?”

Luo Qiao explained, “I came out earlier today and lost something. I only noticed it when I was about to sleep and came out to look for it. That’s when I heard your voice.”