Chapter 6 – Nothing Left, What the Heck Are We Even Seizing?

The Red Armbands were a step behind—they only just realized someone was missing.

The one standing in front of Tao Jiaxing stomped down hard on his chest. A crisp crack sounded—no doubt, his ribs were broken.

“Where’s the other one?”

“Where is he right now?”

Facing the interrogation, Tao Jiaxing could only obediently answer, “I don’t know.”

No one wanted Tao Ronghua to escape more than he did—only then would they have any hope of being rescued.

Liu Ying and her two daughters didn’t dare breathe too loud, fearing they might be the next to get their ribs broken.

Suddenly, someone shouted, “He ran toward Beixing Street!”

Two Red Armbands immediately dashed off in that direction.

Liu Ying silently prayed they wouldn’t catch Tao Ronghua!

Right now, he was their family’s only hope.

And all of this—was Sang Feiyu’s fault, that wretched girl!

She instinctively shot Sang Feiyu a vicious glare.

Sang Feiyu pretended to shrink back in fear behind one of the Red Armbands. The onlookers saw this and felt a surge of pity.

It was impossible to feel sympathy for Liu Ying’s family anymore.

Granny Zhang frowned deeply, eyes full of concern. She gently said, “Feiyu, come home with Granny and change into some clean clothes.”

Her daughter-in-law chimed in, “You’re about the same size as me—my clothes should fit you.”

The two women flanked Sang Feiyu, supporting her like protective guardians.

“Hiss~”

Sang Feiyu let out a soft gasp of pain, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

Granny Zhang flinched. “Did I hurt you by accident?”

Sang Feiyu shook her head. “No.”

The daughter-in-law realized something. “Mom, Feiyu’s hand is injured. It hurts whenever someone touches it.”

Granny Zhang inhaled sharply. “What a tragedy!”

“Come, child. We’ll clean your wounds when we get home.”

Everyone watched them walk away, reluctantly turning their eyes back.

Meanwhile, a group of Red Armbands had already stormed into Tao Jiaxing’s house. They’d come to search and confiscate—but to their shock, the first floor was empty!

The second floor was empty!!

The third floor—also empty!!!

Nothing. Not a damn thing.

What the heck were they even supposed to seize?

They had done countless raids—but never had they seen a home this squeaky clean.

Just as the report claimed—they were clearly preparing to flee with all their valuables.

They didn’t even leave behind household trash. That was ruthless.

With nothing to confiscate, the Red Armbands were completely infuriated. When they got back, they’d interrogate them thoroughly—make sure they’d never forget it!

Just then, someone shouted, “There’s a basement down here!”

A group of them rushed down, expecting to find piles of gold, antiques, priceless scrolls—but what they found was a huge basement with just two ropes the width of a finger and some tools used for abuse.

It confirmed Sang Feiyu’s claim that she’d been tortured here by her uncle’s family.

Sang Feiyu hadn’t lied.

Which meant the only liars here were Tao Jiaxing and his family!

The Red Armband captain’s face twisted with fury. “Take them back for proper interrogation!”

“I don’t believe all that wealth just vanished into thin air!”

“And that Tao Ronghua—alert every checkpoint. Full citywide manhunt!”

—

Tao Ronghua didn’t yet know he was wanted. He had just hailed a car, intending to come back and help load up Old Fourth, when he saw a bunch of Red Armbands in the distance.

He also saw that his entire family had been restrained. Realizing something was off, he turned and ran without hesitation.

After running across four streets, he passed by a public phone booth and immediately called his grandparents in the countryside.

“Grandma! Something terrible happened!”

“Mom and Dad—they’ve all been arrested by the Red Armbands!”

“Old Fourth’s seriously injured. We don’t even know if he’s going to make it.”

“It’s all that damned Sang Feiyu’s fault!”

“She hid Second Uncle and Aunt’s inheritance and brought a whole group of Red Armbands to raid our house…”

Old Madam Tao nearly blacked out—she felt like she was seeing her own grandmother.

That jinx, Sang Feiyu, was clearly trying to bring their whole family to ruin!

She quickly regained her composure. “Ronghua, your grandpa and I will get tickets and come find you.”

“We’ll bring the household registration book and transfer your record to ours. That way, you’ll be a peasant’s descendant, and you won’t need to worry about being arrested by the Red Armbands.”

These days, a rural household registration was actually precious.

Tao Ronghua knew it—his grandma always had a plan.

“Then come quickly to Yangcheng.”

“I’ll find a place to hide for now.”

Old Madam Tao gave him a few more instructions before hanging up.

Beside her, Old Master Tao puffed his dry tobacco so fiercely, he nearly smoked out the entire brigade office.

He’d heard his grandson’s call, and now his thick eyebrows were so tightly furrowed they looked like one solid knot.

Their most promising second son was already dead—they couldn’t lose the eldest too.

The couple exchanged a knowing glance. Old Madam Tao paid for the call, and the two of them left the office one after the other.

In a hushed voice, Old Madam Tao began, “We can’t let anything happen to the eldest’s family.”

“You find Tiedan and get him to buy our train tickets—we’re leaving tonight.”

“And I’ll figure out how to find someone who knows the trade—to curse that wretched Sang Feiyu with a voodoo doll.”

She refused to believe that wouldn’t work to kill Sang Feiyu!

Old Master Tao nodded in agreement. “If that girl doesn’t die, it’ll be us who do.”

“I said long ago—she’s a jinx! She should’ve been drowned in a chamber pot! But Second Son and his wife couldn’t bear to, and now she’s killed them!”

Old Madam Tao already had a plan. “First, we get to Yangcheng. We’ll figure out the rest when we’re there!”

…

Back in the city, Granny Zhang’s daughter-in-law helped Sang Feiyu into clean clothes and disinfected her wounds.

Even though she had mentally prepared herself, the moment she saw the bruises and cuts all over Sang Feiyu’s body, she couldn’t help but gasp.

How could they treat this poor girl with such cruelty?

Eyes red with emotion, she said gently, “This will sting a bit. Just hold on.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Sang Feiyu bit her lip tightly, not letting out a single sound.

This pain—compared to losing her parents—wasn’t even one percent as bad.

Granny Zhang couldn’t bear to stay. She quietly stepped out.

“You haven’t seen it,” she told the neighbors. “There wasn’t a single uninjured spot on Feiyu’s body.”

“Tao Jiaxing and his family—they were planning to beat her to death.”

As her voice trembled with emotion, she wiped her eyes and added, “Feiyu even told us—it was Tao Jiaxing who caused the car crash that killed her parents.”

“They were trying to wipe out the family and take it all!”

Everyone was shocked. “But Tao Jialin and his wife treated them so well! Gave them the house, even helped them find work—this is how they repay that kindness?!”

“All these years—even a dog would have some loyalty!”

Not far away, someone who overheard these words narrowed their eyes—