Chapter 16

Lu Yuetang’s Thunderous Methods

Lu Yuetang sat in a small courtyard, facing Zhang Tianda, who wore a white shirt and black trousers.

Behind them stood their respective men.

On the left, two soldiers stood guard, with another two at the entrance, making the courtyard as secure as a fortress.

“Yuetang, young people shouldn’t be too impulsive. There are gentler ways to solve problems, don’t you think?” Zhang Tianda took a sip of Pu’er tea and smiled.

Lu Yuetang chuckled. “Uncle, thank you for your help this time. If you ever need anything in the future, just let me know.”

“Hahaha! Hahaha!”

Zhang Tianda laughed heartily.

This brat deliberately avoided the topic.

He couldn’t get any useful information out of him.

Since Lu Yuetang didn’t want to go into details, there was no point in pressing further. The uncle and nephew had some tea, exchanged a few pleasantries, and ended the meeting.

After Zhang Tianda got into the car, his son-in-law, who was driving, asked, “Dad, what kind of person is Lu Yuetang? He seems ruthless in the way he handles things.”

Ruthless?

Well, maybe a little.

The incident with Hu Ouhua and the military knife—whether it was a big deal or not depended on perspective. If the knife hadn’t belonged to Lu Yuetang, and if he hadn’t stepped in to resolve the issue, it would have been nearly impossible for Hu Ouhua to escape unscathed.

In just four days, he had unraveled the entire situation. That was Lu Yuetang for you.

“In the future, if you encounter him, avoid him if you can, help him if you must. He got to where he is through his own efforts—our family elders didn’t do much to support him.” Zhang Tianda advised.

“Understood, Dad.”

The car roared as it drove off.

Meanwhile, a city bus pulled over, and Wang Chunlan staggered off, pale and drenched in sweat. She was no longer as arrogant and domineering as before.

She had begged countless people, pulled every string she could, and spent a lot of money, yet she still couldn’t get her daughter released. The authorities remained silent on the matter.

What was she supposed to do now?

With no other choice, she went to the Yang family’s house, where Yang Wei was eating noodles.

“Son-in-law, about my daughter’s situation…”

Before Yang Wei could respond, his mother, Aunt Qingfen, scowled. “Chunlan, let me be honest with you—both of your daughters are nothing but trouble. Look at the mess they’ve caused.”

Her own son had been detained for three whole days.

She had been worried sick, nearly losing her mind. If she hadn’t gotten an answer soon, she was prepared to send a telegram to Jiao Jiao in Beijing, asking her to step in.

Fortunately, Yang Wei was released that morning.

He didn’t even dare to recall those three days.

It was absolute hell.

For three days straight, he, Hu Jingsheng, Wu Weiwei, several other brothers, and a still-bleeding Li San had been locked in a dark, enclosed room.

They didn’t know who had captured them.

They didn’t know where they were.

They didn’t know what their captors wanted.

They screamed, begged, and tried to break out, but no matter what they did, there was no response. No sunlight, no fresh air—just endless darkness and silence.

Hunger and fear set in.

They started blaming each other, suspecting one another, and exposing each other’s secrets until everything was laid bare.

Then Wu Weiwei, her voice trembling, speculated, “Could it be one of Hu Ouhua’s admirers? Someone who knows everything that happened and locked us up to get revenge for her? Otherwise, how could it be that everyone here was present that day?”

At that moment, a beam of light pierced the darkness.

A cold, emotionless voice echoed in their ears:

“Tell me—who planned it, who ordered it, and what was everyone’s role? Explain everything, and you can leave. If not, none of you will ever walk out of here.”

That was when chaos erupted.

Like rabid dogs, they turned on each other.

Finally, the mysterious voice grew impatient and said, “Hand over the mastermind, or no one gets out.”

The mastermind was Hu Jingsheng.

She had contacted Wu Weiwei, instructed her on what to say and do, then found Yang Wei and convinced him to bring more people along for the ‘fun.’

Li San, terrified, confessed, “Hu Jingsheng told me that if I took care of Hu Ouhua, she’d become our sister-in-law and bring us endless benefits. She even promised to get our families government jobs.”

A stable government job—who wouldn’t be tempted?

So he took the lead.

Hu Jingsheng, sobbing, begged Yang Wei to save her. “We’re together! We should share our fate! You can’t abandon me!”

At home, Yang Wei was a tyrant with no regard for rules, but in the face of real danger, he was the biggest coward. He kicked Hu Jingsheng away and roared, “I was just messing around with you! You actually thought it was serious? Look at yourself!”

…

Thinking back, Yang Wei still trembled with fear.

Even now, he didn’t know who had captured them, how they had been taken, or where they had been held. He had simply regained consciousness outside his own home.

His mother, Aunt Qingfen, had sobbed in agony.

“You should leave,” Yang Wei said coldly to Wang Chunlan. “From now on, my family has nothing to do with yours. Go ask someone else for help, but don’t come to the Yang family again.”

Wang Chunlan wept bitterly.

She was completely out of options.

Desperate, she turned to Hu Daquan for help.

Hu Daquan was just as baffled.

He had begged Li San at the hospital to spare his daughter, only for the scoundrel to beat him, take the 50 yuan he had borrowed, and snatch up a bunch of fruit. He took all the benefits but refused to let his daughter go.

Yet, by morning, members of the Li family had confronted him at work, returned his money, and apologized, claiming the whole incident was caused by Li San’s malicious intentions.

One daughter was released, but now the other was in trouble.

“I’ll go to the police station and find out what charges they’re pressing against her,” Hu Daquan said, rushing out without even taking off his work uniform.

Wang Chunlan was overwhelmed with guilt.

She never expected her usually timid and powerless husband to take charge when their family was in trouble—even if there wasn’t much he could do.

---

When Hu Ouhua returned to the small courtyard, she was just about to announce her resignation when Lu Yuetang spoke first.

“Boil two kettles of water and bring them upstairs. I need to soak my feet. Also… since you disappeared for days without asking for leave, I’m docking your pay.”

“Commander Lu… I…”

Before she could finish, the man standing on the stairs turned his head, his icy gaze cutting through her.

“Something wrong?”

“…No, nothing.”

“Then get to work. No one’s been washing my clothes or cleaning the house these past few days. I can’t hire anyone for just half a month.”

Tears welled up in Hu Ouhua’s eyes.

She raised her head slightly and choked out, “Okay, I’ll boil the water now.”

As Lu Yuetang turned and walked upstairs, the fingers in his pocket slowly unclenched.

Hearing her final response, his lips curved into a subtle smile.

He despised weak people.

If Li San had walked away unscathed, lending her the knife wouldn’t have been helping her—it would have been giving someone leverage over her.

So when she had asked to “borrow” the knife back then, he hadn’t answered.

Now, things were different.

She could truly own that knife.