Chapter 103: Retribution Comes Too Swiftly

After spending over half an hour at the summit, the group prepared to descend. Shen Yanming had originally planned to take the cable car down with Bi Qiao’an, but Li Zhaozhao was waiting for them at the halfway pavilion. Left with no choice, Shen Yanming and Bi Qiao’an followed their ascent route back down.

The group hiked back down the same trail they had climbed earlier. When they reached the halfway pavilion, Li Zhaozhao spotted the familiar figures and excitedly called out, “Old Shen! You’re finally here! Quick, give me a piggyback ride down. I’m so bored.”

“No way, walk yourself,” Shen Yanming playfully kicked at Li Zhaozhao’s leg. “Haven’t you rested enough?”

“Nope! Will you carry me instead?” Li Zhaozhao extended his arms, ready to be carried.

“No room on my back.” Shen Yanming rolled his eyes at Li Zhaozhao, then swiftly hoisted the smiling girl beside him onto his back.

“Let’s go.” Ji Kangyong smiled, helping Li Zhaozhao up. They headed downhill, chatting along the way. “How did your stamina get so poor? A couple of months of morning jogs after we get back should fix that.”

Li Zhaozhao shot Ji Kangyong a playful glare. “Running is so tiring. Once I’m back, I’ll have a car. Why bother exercising?”

Ji Kangyong shook his head, amused by his friend’s laziness, and decided not to argue further.

When the group reached the base, they realized something was amiss. Instead of heading up the mountain, crowds were flocking towards the river. Shen Yanming stopped a young man and learned there had been a fight, nearly resulting in casualties. Exchanging a glance with Bi Qiao’an, they followed the crowd, the others trailing behind to watch the commotion.

Upon arrival, they saw yesterday’s mischievous mother and daughter sprawled motionless on the ground. From the onlookers’ chatter, Shen Yanming learned that the girl had repeated her prank of pushing someone into the water. This time, however, the situation was serious. Among the six who fell in was a pregnant woman in her early months, with her pregnancy not yet visible.

The woman couldn’t swim and panicked, swallowing gulps of water. The single lifeguard prioritized rescuing the two children, unaware of the woman’s condition. Fortunately, her husband could swim and rushed to drag her onto a raft. He stood protectively by her side, the nearly 1.9-meter tall man submerged up to his chin.

After everyone was aboard, the man finally climbed onto the raft and tightly embraced his wife. Once ashore, he handed her to her parents before pummeling the mother and daughter. Though seemingly uninjured, bystanders intervened before the man could do serious harm. Enraged, he called the police, accusing them of attempted murder.

The pregnant woman, her condition still uncertain after the near-drowning, had already been taken to the hospital by her family.  The man, awaiting the police, was visibly restrained.

It didn’t take long for two officers to arrive and take him away. Eyewitnesses volunteered to go to the station to give their accounts.

“They really have no bottom line, just a child yet already so malicious,” Li Zhaozhao remarked after hearing the story.

“So are you still angry now?” Bi Qiao’an asked him.

“Nah, seeing their misfortune is satisfying enough,” Li Zhaozhao replied with a smile.

But Bi Qiao’an couldn’t share his amusement. Upon returning to their tent, she said, “Perhaps I was wrong. If I had let Li Zhaozhao teach them a lesson yesterday, maybe the mother and daughter wouldn’t have dared to act out today.”

Bi Qiao’an sighed. “By not insisting on an apology, I essentially condoned their behavior. Maybe it was my attitude that emboldened their arrogance.”

However, Shen Yanming reassured her, “Don’t blame yourself. Their mishap has nothing to do with you. That child was rotten from the core. Even if she hadn’t acted out today, she would have found other ways to hurt people.”

“I know, I’m just worried about the pregnant woman. Why did her mom let her go rafting again today after she fell in the water yesterday?”

“Apparently, she wasn’t satisfied yesterday and insisted on going solo today. When the lifeguard objected, she threw a tantrum. After all, she wasn’t injured or held accountable yesterday.”

Bi Qiao’an gave Shen Yanming a resentful look. “It feels like you’re taking a jab at me.”

Shen Yanming smiled, patting her head. “Not at all. I just find that girl’s audacity abnormal. But I’ve already asked someone to look into them, so let’s wait for the results.”

Bi Qiao’an nodded. Shen Yanming added, “Yesterday, that river water could have drowned Ranran.”

Both fell silent after that, their moods heavy.

Around noon, everyone packed up their tents. After a meal together, they headed back to rest. Some things couldn’t be stopped by human effort. Wanting to ensure Bi Qiao’an had an enjoyable time, Shen Yanming took her horseback riding in the afternoon and to an amusement park that evening.

Qingli Mountain was only a three-hour drive from the coast. On the fifth day of their holiday, Shen Yanming took Bi Qiao’an to the seaside, where they procured ample fresh and dried seafood.

As evening fell, they went beachcombing, savoring the ebb and flow of the tides without focusing on how much they collected. The next day, they rose early to watch the sunrise over the ocean. Bi Qiao’an dipped her fingers into the seawater, channeling it into her space. 

A few days prior, Shen Yanming had dug a large, waterproof pit in the space. Bi Qiao’an directed the seawater into this pit. They also bought live fish, shrimp, crabs, and shellfish from the shore, discreetly storing them in the seawater pool.

After a seafood feast by the beach, Shen Yanming took Bi Qiao’an back to Qingli Mountain. It was 4:30 p.m., but the scenic area seemed unusually deserted. Upon inquiry, they learned that Qingli Mountain had offered an irresistible deal, causing everyone to line up to take advantage. 

Following the staff’s instructions, Shen Yanming took Bi Qiao’an to the orchard to pick two baskets of grapes. They then proceeded to the farm to buy dozens of boxes of shredded pork and bags of cured meat.

By the time they returned, it was already past 9 p.m. The long queues at the orchard and farm were unavoidable, eating up much of their time.

Bi Qiao’an peeled a grape and fed it to Shen Yanming. “A reward for a job well done,” she said.

Shen Yanming smiled as he took the grape. “Can’t be helped. Too few meat suppliers for so many wolves!”

After washing up, they turned in early. The next morning, Bi Qiao’an ran into Yu Shui and Ye Xiaoxiao at the restaurant.

The two had also stocked up on canned meat and dried fruit the previous day, delighted with their haul. Through their chatter, Bi Qiao’an learned that everyone would wait to buy fresh meat that morning before departing. Indeed, the previous day’s offerings had been limited to cured meats, shredded pork, and canned goods—products Qingli Mountain’s food factory had prepared in advance. Today was for slaughtering pigs and sheep.

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