Chapter 15

Li Yuechan’s mouth twitched—she had to make up all sorts of nonsense just to go to the countryside.

She quickly nodded and said, “That’s right, I’ve fully recovered. That’s why I want to respond to the national call and sign up.”

The middle-aged woman nodded and said, “That’s good. Your brother is already 20, yet he still doesn’t have a job. It’s about time he went.”

As she spoke, the middle-aged woman picked up a notebook and flipped through it.

Li Yuechan hurriedly asked, “Big Sis, is there a group leaving soon? My brother is in a hurry.”

“Oh?”

Li Yuechan quickly forced a smile and said, “It’s just that we don’t want to trouble you any further. The sooner he leaves, the better.”

The middle-aged woman nodded and said, “It’s good that you have this awareness. But the only place available for relocation right now is the Northwest.”

Li Yuechan’s eyes lit up, and she smiled. “That’s fine. My brother isn’t afraid of hardship.”

“Alright then. The departure is set for tomorrow at 10 AM. Here’s the proof of registration, along with 120 yuan in subsidies and tickets. Keep them safe.”

Li Yuechan beamed as she accepted them. “Got it! Thank you, Big Sis!”

“Don’t call me Big Sis. I’m almost 40—I could be your mother.”

“Really? Big Sis, I wouldn’t have guessed! I thought you were only 30!”

The middle-aged woman burst into laughter, letting out a goose-like honk. “You little girl, you sure know how to talk!”

After another round of flattery, Li Yuechan happily took her things and left.

Using the cover of her space, she quickly made her way to Wang Daming’s house. She returned his household registration booklet first, then tiptoed into his room.

It took quite some effort before she finally found his notebook.

Looking at the scrawled, barely legible handwriting, Li Yuechan took a deep breath, picked up a pen and paper, and wrote a letter. Then, just as swiftly, she climbed over the wall and left.

Around noon, Wang Daming’s mother called out to her daughter, “Xiaojun, go check if your brother’s up yet! It’s already so late, and he’s still lazing in bed!”

Wang Xiaojun reluctantly nodded and went to knock on his door.

She knocked for a long time, but no one answered. Pushing the door open, she saw that the room was empty.

Walking inside, she noticed her brother’s tattered notebook on the table, with a few crookedly written words on it.

She picked it up and, after reading it, felt a wave of joy—her brother had finally left for the countryside!

She had been on edge for a while now. She was about to graduate from middle school, and she knew that if her brother didn’t go to the countryside, she would be the next in line after graduation.

Not to mention, her brother did nothing but lounge around at home and always caused trouble for the family.

Not long ago, all the household’s money had been spent covering his debts.

She had been hoping for him to leave for ages, but their parents never bothered to manage him.

Thankfully, finally, he was gone!

She shouted loudly, “Mom! Quick, come here! Something happened!”

Wang Daming’s mother rushed in. “What is it?”

“My brother went to the countryside!”

“What?! Didn’t he swear he wouldn’t go? Why did he suddenly leave?”

“Look, he left a letter.”

“You damn girl! You know I can’t read! Read it to me!”

…

As for the Wang family’s affairs, Li Yuechan had no time to care. She had to hurry to Han Chunguang’s house and see who this so-called ‘big shot’ was.

Hiding within her space, she crouched in the Han family’s courtyard, snacking on sunflower seeds while she waited.

She had run all over the place that morning and was utterly exhausted. She hadn’t even had time for a meal!

Han Chunguang’s mother was busy cooking in the kitchen.

Li Yuechan thought for a moment, then stealthily slipped inside.

She glanced at the already cooked dishes, and her eyes lit up—wow, the food in this household was quite rich! There were even two meat dishes and a whole fish!

Her little hand quietly reached toward one of the plates, and in no time, a third of the food was gone.

She quickly rearranged the remaining food to cover the missing portion.

Just then, Han Chunguang’s proud mother turned around and frowned. Huh? Wasn’t this plate full just now? Why did it look like some was missing?

Could it be mice?

She looked around but didn’t see anything unusual. Shaking her head, she grabbed another plate and scooped more food from the pot.

At that moment, someone outside called out, “Chunguang’s mom! The guests are here! Come out quickly!”

“Coming! Coming!” Han Chunguang’s mother wiped her hands on her apron, untied it, and hurried out.

Li Yuechan snuck a few more bites from each dish, grabbed a steamed bun, and leisurely slipped away into her space.

She watched as two men walked in—one had slicked-back hair and carried himself like an official. The other was quite tall and sturdy, but his gaze was unsettling.

Li Yuechan narrowed her eyes and muttered to herself. This guy gave her a bad feeling. Based on her instincts, he had probably taken a life before.

A group of people flooded into the main hall, and Li Yuechan quietly followed.

Soon, the table was filled with food. Li Yuechan yawned, watching as the group chatted and bragged away.

Eventually, she tuned them out completely, set a one-hour timer, and took a nap.

When she woke up, the room was nearly empty, except for the slicked-back man and Han Chunguang’s father, who were whispering to each other.

She caught snippets of names but didn’t recognize any of them.

Stepping out of the room, she wandered over to Han Chunguang’s quarters.

Sure enough, she saw Han Chunguang whispering something to the tall man.

She leaned in to listen—

“Uncle Chuan, here’s 100 yuan. All you need to do is kidnap that girl, Li Yuechan!”

The man’s eyes flickered as if considering something, then he said, “Why don’t I just get rid of her instead?”

As he spoke, he made a slashing motion across his throat.

Han Chunguang immediately shook his head like a rattle drum and gulped. “No need for that! Just sell her off to the mountains.”

The man nodded. “Fine. Since it’s for your father’s sake, I’ll agree this time.”

Hearing this, Li Yuechan silently smirked. Just as she thought—this man had definitely killed before.

There was nothing more for her to do here, so she headed home, stuffed herself with food in the kitchen, then went to her space to work on her tasks.

That night, Li Yuechan was sleeping soundly when she suddenly sensed movement near the window.

She sat up in a flash and lifted the curtain—sure enough, she saw that familiar handsome face again.

Li Yuechan frowned and asked, “Why are you here again?”