Chapter 9: Saving Leng Feng at the Murder Scene

Everyone laughed at Xiaolin’s words and said, “This kid, she’s your sister-in-law.” Hearing this, Xiaolin felt a bit embarrassed and added, “If anyone bullies my sister-in-law in the future, I won’t let them get away with it…”

Gao Ershan arrived just in time to see Lin Anran’s series of actions. His pupils widened and his mouth slightly opened. He was puzzled, wondering when she would save the child. He had only heard that she had attended a health school but didn’t expect her to be so skilled. Looking at the fine beads of sweat on her forehead and seeing how much slimmer she had become over the past few days, he felt a mix of surprise and unease.

After a while, the crowd dispersed, not paying much attention to the child’s words. Lin Anran returned home, and just as she was about to close the door, a large hand blocked her. A calm voice said, “What’s this? You’re not letting me in?”

Lin Anran glanced at him and said, “I thought you wouldn’t come?” She turned to walk inside but suddenly remembered that Chen Yan had come earlier. She looked back and said, “Your lover just came looking for you.” After saying this, she went inside, closed the door, and ignored Gao Ershan.

Gao Ershan felt awkward hearing her words, unsure of what was wrong, and scratched his head. Glancing at the tightly closed main room door, he went out, locked the main door, and walked over to Chen Yan’s house. Seeing the courtyard gate open, he casually pushed the door in.

Immediately, a coquettish voice rang out, “Who is it?”

“I’m here,” he replied. Chen Yan, hearing Gao Ershan’s voice, felt happy and said, “Come in!” Gao Ershan entered, lifting the curtain of the bed where Chen Yan sat, her shoulders bare, her fair breasts partially visible, eyes seductively fixed on him. He felt his throat tighten, swallowed, leaned against the door frame, and said coldly, “What do you want from me?”

Chen Yan walked toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist, and said, “You rascal…”

Seeing her seductive expression, Gao Ershan suddenly thought of Lin Anran’s disdainful attitude and lost interest. He shook her off and said, “If nothing’s wrong, I’ll leave. If there is…” and left. Chen Yan, watching him go, stomped her feet angrily, thinking, Could he be interested in Lin Anran now? She noticed Lin Anran was becoming increasingly attractive.

The next day, news of Lin Anran saving the child spread throughout the town. Hearing the latch on the door, she guessed it was Gao Ershan returning and went to bed after turning off the lights. She wanted to divorce Gao Ershan as soon as possible, freeing herself from any ties. Men only affected her mood.

Lin Anran slept through the night, though the hard bed was uncomfortable. At four in the morning, before dawn, she took the eggs to the black market. Not far from there was the train station, and when a train passed, the vibrations through the ground startled her. She looked around and approached a spot where a man with a beard stood, another person beside him.

She asked, “Do you want eggs?”

The bearded man glanced at her and said, “We do, but…”

“I only want cash. Just give me cash,” she interrupted. The bearded man looked around nervously and signaled his accomplice to hand her the money. The accomplice said, “The money’s given, you better leave quickly…”

Lin Anran noticed their cautious demeanor. She stood up and said, “You gave me too much. Here’s the change.”

“Don’t want change. If you don’t want to die, leave now!”

Hearing this, Lin Anran’s heart skipped a beat. She heard a crashing sound around the corner, like eggs shattering against the wall. Did I run into gangsters? she thought, fear gripping her. She quickened her pace toward home.

As she emerged from the narrow alley, occasionally glancing back, the sky just beginning to lighten, a large hand suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into a dark corner. Lin Anran screamed, “Ah!” and saw a man in front of her, covered in blood. She assumed it had something to do with them and didn’t want trouble. Seeing his pained expression, she tried to break free and run, but a sharp dagger pressed against her neck.

“Move again, and I’ll kill you,” a voice threatened.

Lin Anran froze, silently lamenting that she was only selling eggs, yet now her life was at risk. She tried to summon an electric baton from her space with her mind, but nothing happened. She closed her eyes, thinking it was over and that she might die—then she’d be back in the 20th century. Two minutes passed with no movement.

Suddenly, a tall body leaned against her. She touched it and found it sticky with blood. Panicked, she covered her mouth, looked around, saw no one else, and pressed the man against the wall, starting to carry him toward home. After two steps, she realized she couldn’t leave him to die. She turned back, took hold of the bleeding man, and used all her strength to move him step by step, blood still dripping from the ground.

It was still early, and luckily the streets were empty. She breathed a small sigh of relief. Unsure where to put him, and knowing Gao Ershan would ignore her, she decided to bring him home. She quietly opened the door, trying not to make a sound, and placed him in the bedroom. Seeing him unconscious, she knew saving him came first.

The bearded man searched the alley for a while, finding nothing, until he saw a pool of blood in a secluded corner. He looked around cautiously.

Angrily slapping his own thigh, he muttered, “Damn it, he actually got away! How am I supposed to explain this when I get back?” He kicked a nearby stone, which was a bit large, and his foot hurt from the impact. Holding his foot, he cursed, “Damn it, so unlucky! Even the stone is against me!”

One of his underlings watched their boss clutching his foot and couldn’t help but chuckle. He vaguely noticed a trail of blood leading forward that had now disappeared. The underling suddenly had an idea: “If we follow the blood, we can definitely find him.”

A train’s whistle blew, startling them. They hid in the corner, following the blood trail. When it ended, the sky was already dimly lit with early dawn. They exchanged a glance, thinking that if another woman appeared, they’d have to reconsider their plan, so they hurriedly left.

———

Lin Anran had struggled immensely to carry the man into the room and place him on the bed. Seeing the bloodstains on the ground, she realized… oh no… Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly went outside and cleaned the blood off the ground, then glanced at the side room—no movement there.

She gently touched her chest, thinking: That was terrifying. She closed the door, walked into the main room, and looked at the man lying unconscious on the bed. The knife wound on his abdomen was about 5 cm long, thankfully not too deep.

She hurried into her space, took out some iodine for disinfecting, surgical needles and thread, and put on gloves. She began stitching the wound. Suddenly, a small blood vessel splashed blood onto her face. Having treated such situations many times as a doctor, she calmly wiped it off with her sleeve and continued stitching. Soon, the wound was fully sewn, disinfected, covered with gauze, and secured. She hid the bloodied items in a safe place and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

By now, it was fully daylight. Birds chirped cheerfully in the trees around the courtyard. She looked at the man on the bed, his eyes tightly shut, sharp features carved as if etched by a knife.

Just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly heard a soft “creak”—and didn’t dare to breathe.