Chapter 10: Places That Shouldn’t Be Touched

Chu Peihan noticed her little movements and the corners of his lips lifted slightly—he went along with it naturally.

Jiang Yunhe was completely unaware of how someone with poor eyesight like Chu Peihan could quietly keep up with her in the pitch-dark night. If he hadn’t allowed it, she likely never would have noticed his presence.

They found a haystack and ducked into it together!

“Chu Peihan, you go back first.”

“I’ll stay with you.”

“No!”

“You don’t want me around?” Chu Peihan’s voice dropped, sounding deeply aggrieved. He said in a pitiful, almost flirtatious tone, “I know… I’m just a burden. It makes sense that you don’t want to bring me.”

“No, no, no!” Jiang Yunhe panicked. She just didn’t want him to see her ruthless side—what did that have to do with being a burden?

But when she saw him hanging his head and looking so dispirited, she simply couldn’t harden her heart to send him away.

Chu Peihan sniffled, determined to milk the pity to the end!

Jiang Yunhe took a deep breath, trying to explain things clearly to him.

But Chu Peihan lowered his head again, looking all understanding and self-sacrificing. “Forget it. Go ahead. I’ll be fine by myself.”

Jiang Yunhe: “…”

Damn it!

Now that he said that, how could she leave with peace of mind?

Never mind peace of mind—she was afraid someone might kidnap Chu Peihan if she left him here alone. Even if it was the middle of the night and human traffickers weren’t likely to show up…

Chu Peihan looked pitiful again. “Yunhe, as long as you’re okay, that’s enough for me.”

Jiang Yunhe: “Let’s go. Time to set the fire!”

If she didn’t burn those two filthy traitors tonight, it would be a betrayal of everything he just said to her.

Chu Peihan was satisfied. He stood there obediently, eyes on his nose, nose on his heart—looking utterly helpless and innocent. The image he presented was almost too perfect.

Back at Widow Liu’s front door, the pair was still chatting inside.

“Fang Zhiqing said the Jiang girl is a hard worker. Once she’s brought back, there’s no need to train her—she can take care of all the heavy chores.”

“But what if she doesn’t behave?” Widow Liu said maliciously. “She looks like a stubborn one. Otherwise, Sun Meilin wouldn’t have to beat her every day.”

“That’s simple. Just beat her if she disobeys!” Wang Tiejiang replied with disdain. A mere teenage girl—he couldn’t handle her?

“But…” Widow Liu hesitated. It wasn’t that she cared if Jiang Yunhe got beaten—she was just worried about inviting a wolf into her house. What if Wang Tiejiang became obsessed with Jiang Yunhe? Then all her scheming would be in vain.

Jiang Yunhe, listening outside, went pale as she recalled what happened in her past life. So even back then, Widow Liu had a hand in her suffering!

They had no enmity with her—why treat her like this?

Was it really all because of that Fang Mianmian girl?

But Fang Mianmian didn’t even seem that special.

Jiang Yunhe gave up trying to understand. She glanced at the crumbling wall in front of her and grabbed Chu Peihan’s hand, tracing a message into his palm—telling him to wait for her here.

Chu Peihan frowned slightly and was about to speak—

But Jiang Yunhe quickly covered his mouth. No way. If he kept talking, their revenge plan tonight would be over before it began. There’d be no satisfaction left.

Revenge was something that had to be done personally.

Chu Peihan was a little helpless but could only let her go. At least he’d be standing guard here. She’d be fine, most likely.

Jiang Yunhe nimbly climbed over the wall, found a wooden stick, and wedged it into the door to block it from opening—no chance for them to escape now. Then she turned her attention to the hay pile and firewood in the yard.

Without hesitation, she pulled out a match and struck it.

Conveniently, a light eastern wind was blowing tonight. The moment the flame caught, the fire spread quickly—everything was just right.

Inside her space, Hongli bubbled anxiously. Logic told him he should stop her from doing something wrong, but… he also didn’t want to see her suffer any more bullying. What to do?

So, he decided to pretend he didn’t see anything!

Chu Peihan stood to the side, ears alert, monitoring every movement around them.

At the same time, he felt a little self-loathing. If it weren’t for his poor eyesight, he could’ve helped her—but now he could only stand here uselessly.

Jiang Yunhe quickly climbed back over the wall, grabbed him, and ran.

Watching the fire from afar was the smart move!

After all, with Chu Peihan’s vision problems, if he accidentally got burned or choked by smoke, she’d be devastated.

Inside the house—

Wang Tiejiang and Widow Liu were just catching their breath and ready to go at it again when they realized the house was on fire. They leapt off the bed, tried the door—and it wouldn’t open!

They looked at each other in panic and started yelling.

“Help! Help!”

“Someone, quick! There’s a fire!”

…

A midnight scare like no other.

In the 1980s, with not much entertainment around, people mostly stayed home. At the sound of such screams, they all rushed over immediately!

Jiang Yunhe dragged Chu Peihan back to the haystack, stuffed him in, and climbed in after. The space was cramped—clearly dug out by some mischievous kid playing hide-and-seek.

But now, it was perfect for them.

The two of them were pressed close together—very intimately!

Chu Peihan could feel her breath tickling his neck, sending waves through his heart. He instinctively shifted away a little… and then a little more.

Jiang Yunhe looked at him curiously, tilted her head, and asked, “What are you dodging for?”

Chu Peihan: “Feeling better now?”

Jiang Yunhe: “Not yet.”

Just a small fire—so what?

Considering how Wang Tiejiang abused her in her past life, even killing him ten thousand times wouldn’t be enough.

Chu Peihan understood. He tried to calm his breathing and avoid revealing anything. He was a grown man, acting like a teenage boy—how embarrassing would it be if word got out?

Jiang Yunhe truly didn’t notice anything strange. After all, they’d lived together day and night in her past life. Sharing tight spaces—or even more intimate things—wasn’t new to them.

Right now, she was eagerly watching outside, afraid of missing anything.

“They’re coming, they’re coming!”

“Mm.”

“Do you think the village chief will handle this fairly?”

“Mm.” Chu Peihan breathed in the faint scent on her and replied calmly, though with some helplessness, “Li Daniu is a just man. There shouldn’t be a problem.”

“But I feel…” Jiang Yunhe started, then suddenly turned her head—and kissed him by accident!

“You…” Chu Peihan felt the soft sensation on the corner of his lips. He opened his mouth to speak, then quickly shut it again, only to hear her let out a soft hiss of pain.

Startled, he reached out to check on her—only to touch somewhere he absolutely shouldn’t have…