Chapter 11: Bitch, How Dare You Set Me Up

“Sorry!”

Cough “Are you… in a hurry?”

“……”

As soon as he said it, the atmosphere fell into an awkward silence.

In the pitch-black night, it felt as though only the two of them existed. They looked at each other quietly, breaths audible—yet somehow, a little suggestive.

Chu Peihan stammered awkwardly, “I-I’m really not in a hurry at all.”

Jiang Yunhe: “Oh.”

Chu Peihan: “That’s not what I meant. I mean, not entirely not… Ah, forget it. What am I even saying? Yunhe, just pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Jiang Yunhe: “……”

It seemed no matter how he answered, it would’ve been the wrong thing to say.

Chu Peihan could feel her gaze falling on him and quickly changed the subject. “Where are we now? Focus, or we’ll miss it.”

Jiang Yunhe: “Don’t worry, I’ve got it!”

She really did shift her attention after saying that.

While Chu Peihan was relieved, his heart felt a little sour. She acted like nothing happened—after all, they had kissed.

He subtly touched his lips, his expression becoming a bit complicated.

Jiang Yunhe’s eyes sparkled as she watched. Outside, something was happening—Village Chief Li Daniu had blocked the two shameless ones inside.

He was calling them out!

Wang Tiejiang and Widow Liu had decided to go all in and flat-out refused to show themselves, staying dead silent while people outside shouted at them.

Only now did they realize the seriousness of their situation.

If the villagers found out they were having an affair, they’d be finished.

According to ancestral rules, anyone caught in such disgrace would be drowned in a pig cage. That’s why, even though they’d been together for years, they’d never dared go public.

As Widow Liu got dressed, she trembled. “W-what do we do?”

Wang Tiejiang gritted his teeth. “At worst, I’ll climb out the window!”

He rushed to pry it open—

But the once-easy window was now sealed tight, just like the door. No matter how he tried, it wouldn’t budge.

Bang!

The door was kicked open.

The fire in the yard was quickly extinguished. When Li Daniu and his men entered and saw the disheveled pair, fury erupted. The village hadn’t seen such scandal in decades.

And now?

The villagers who came to help stood dumbfounded, staring between the two. A widower and a widow—dry wood met a blazing flame, all right.

The heavy scent in the room said it all. Looking at the marks on Widow Liu’s body… well, it didn’t take much imagination.

If they’d known this was the “fire” to be put out, none of them would’ve come.

“Wang Tiejiang, what the hell is going on?!”

“I-I came to help put out the fire!” Wang Tiejiang shouted, his face red. “What are you looking at?! I just got here a little early, that’s all! Helping neighbors is the right thing to do, it’s—”

“Got here early?” Li Daniu’s face turned green. He snapped, “You help put out fires by throwing yourself into the flames?!”

“I…” Wang Tiejiang wilted. He knew it sounded ridiculous—but what else could he say?

“Take them away!” Li Daniu didn’t want to waste time arguing, especially not in a room that reeked like this.

Widow Liu collapsed to the floor, completely defeated.

Ever since her husband died, she’d relied on the village’s kindness. Outwardly, she acted like a virtuous widow, never expressing any desire to remarry.

And now this…

“Village Chief, let me explain!”

“Save your explanation for the ancestral hall!” Li Daniu spat. “If you’d kept your head down, fine. But this? Actions have consequences.”

After all, the village had treated her well.

Widow Liu’s husband died young. She was left childless and alone. When work points were still a thing, they gave her full points even without labor. Now that new land distribution policies were out, she got one of the best plots.

And this was how she repaid them?

Li Daniu glanced at the two and had them tied up, wrapped in a bedsheet, and dragged to the ancestral hall.

Jiang Yunhe watched the entire scene with great satisfaction. The village chief had handled it well—decisively, without hesitation.

Once the crowd began to disperse, she tugged Chu Peihan out from behind the haystack to watch the spectacle up close.

Chu Peihan looked a little helpless but didn’t say a word.

As they walked, Jiang Yunhe mused, “You were the one who locked the window, weren’t you?”

Chu Peihan: “……”

Busted.

But—oh well.

The autumn wind howled, making the branches creak. Jiang Yunhe shivered and hugged her arms—it was chilly.

Chu Peihan immediately took off his coat and draped it over her.

Jiang Yunhe noticed how practiced he was and frowned slightly. “Your eyes?”

Chu Peihan replied calmly, “I’m used to being blind. Makes me more sensitive to other things. You know my situation—everything I do, I have to do myself. No one else will.”

Jiang Yunhe said gently, “Don’t say that, Chu Peihan. From now on, I’ll take care of you.”

Chu Peihan: “……”

He’d heard those words before.

But somehow, coming from Jiang Yunhe, they felt especially warm.

She spoke with conviction, eyes steady and sincere. He was so good—how could she let him live like this forever? She would take care of him… and cure him.

At the ancestral hall—

Wang Tiejiang and Widow Liu were tied by the wrists, hanging from a tree. Their toes just barely touched the ground, forcing them to stand on tiptoe. It was excruciating.

From a distance, Jiang Yunhe saw them and quickened her pace.

As she approached, she quickly took Chu Peihan’s coat off and handed it back. With so many eyes around, now wasn’t the time to reveal their relationship.

Chu Peihan frowned slightly in displeasure but said nothing. He simply draped the coat over his arm and followed her closely, ready to protect her if anything happened. She was, after all, his future wife.

Wang Tiejiang spotted them from afar—he was sharp!

Seeing Jiang Yunhe approach, a sinister idea popped into his head, and he started yelling.

“It’s you! It must be you! You bitch, how dare you set me up!”

“……”

“You bitch! You’re even engaged to me, and you still messed around with some dog-man! Village Chief, arrest these two bastards!”

“……”