Chapter 76.2

Ruan Mingfu peeled the orange and didn’t throw away the skin, intending to use it later. She divided the fruit in half and handed one half to Li Xiuxiu.

Li Xiuxiu was momentarily taken aback as she bit into it.

“Is it sweet?”

Li Xiuxiu nodded.

She actually had a good impression of Ruan Mingfu.

No, to be precise, she had a good impression of pretty people in general.

Ruan Mingfu relaxed and handed another half to Xie Yanzhao before tasting it herself.

As soon as the fruit hit her tongue, Ruan Mingfu lost her composure.

Oh no!

What kind of orange is this? Why is it so sour?

Help!

Ruan Mingfu’s expression twisted in distress.

The fruit was bright orange, but it was far from sweet.

Ugh, it felt like half her life was drained away by its sourness.

“Isn’t it sour?”

Li Xiuxiu didn’t pay much attention, lost in admiration for Ruan Mingfu’s beauty. She swallowed it whole without tasting it properly.

“Ah… I don’t know.”

Ruan Mingfu turned to Xie Yanzhao, “Is it sour?”

“I’m not afraid of sourness.”

Clearly, asking that question to this dog man was a mistake.

Ruan Mingfu closed her mouth.

But there was no way she was going to eat those orange slices again, so she wrapped them up with the peel.

Qi Yangyan arrived with bodyguards, exuding the imposing presence of a character straight out of a TV drama.

“There’s no road ahead, we can’t drive in.”

“Let’s walk,”

Mrs. Ruan said, looking at the distant village with increasing concern.

“We need to be careful.”

Ye Qiu felt more settled with the group of twenty or so people around them. She wasn’t sure if they could bring the people out, but with the bodyguards around, they could at least leave safely.

Entering the village, the first impression was one of poverty.

Both adults and children looked emaciated, dressed in patched clothes that had more holes than fabric.

As the large group entered, some villagers noticed them from a distance.

Not long after they arrived, a group of villagers carrying shovels blocked their way.

They looked wary, but their apprehension faded slightly when they saw the well-dressed newcomers.

“What are you here for?”

Father Ruan smiled like a sly fox. “Don’t worry, we mean no harm. We’re just here to find someone.”

Upon hearing this, the villagers’ vigilance lessened.

“You came here to find someone?”

“Which family has such distinguished relatives? If they’ve made it big, they should help out the whole village…”

“Exactly!”

“…”

“Who are you looking for?”

“Yeah, you still haven’t said who you’re looking for.”

Father Ruan was about to speak when Mrs. Ruan tugged at his sleeve, lowering her voice, “We can’t mention Xiao Rong’s name.”

“We’re looking for Gen Ergou!”

Ye Qiu rolled her eyes and the name of Luan Rong’s husband that she had heard about.

The villagers were also excited when they heard this.

“So, it turns out you’re relatives of Ergou’s family.”

“Gen Ergou, a poor man, actually has such a prominent relative… He is going to be rich.”

“No way! I need to have a good talk with Ergou. When he was almost starving, I was the one who gave him a few sweet potatoes to survive.”

“That’s right…”

“What are you hiding for, you little rascal?” The villagers pulled out a half-grown boy. “He’s Gen Sigou. Let him take you.”

Gen Sigou scratched his head.

He had no idea that his family had such relatives.

“Follow me.”

After saying this, he led the way. The villagers, curious, followed along to see what was happening.

Some of the men stared at Ruan Mingfu and Li Xiuxiu with greedy eyes.

“These two girls are really beautiful. It would be great if they stayed and became my wives.”

“Why don’t you take a good look at yourself in the mirror first…”

“That girl has such fair skin—”

Xie Yanzhao turned slightly, positioning himself behind Ruan Mingfu to block the unwanted gazes. He turned his head slightly, locking eyes with the few men who were openly discussing Ruan Mingfu.

When those people were swept by his fierce gaze, they were like chickens with their necks strangled.

Confronted with his intimidating stare, they couldn’t utter another word.

Gen Sigou led the group to a shabby little house.

The house was very simple.

It had a thatched roof, and it was hard to tell if it leaked during the rain. At first glance, aside from a small kitchen, there were only four rooms. The yard was a dark, muddy patch, with two scrawny chickens wandering about.

The small yard was littered with uncleaned chicken droppings, giving off a very unpleasant smell.

Beside the yard, there was a tree, and tied to it was a person.

The person was disheveled, with unkempt hair and clothes. It was impossible to tell who she was. She sat on the ground, showing no reaction to the group’s arrival, like a piece of wood.

When Mrs.Ruan saw her, her heart skipped a beat.

Without waiting for the villagers to call for someone, she kicked the rickety gate open.

“Xiao Rong?”

Mrs. Ruan pulled aside her messy hair and saw a face that looked 70% like Uncle Luan.

At that moment, she no longer resembled the shy and obedient girl in Mrs. Ruan’s memory. Instead, she appeared somewhat numb, exuding an air of lifelessness. Xiao Rong was tied around the neck with a rope, the other end secured to that large tree.

“Xiao Rong, it’s me, your aunt!”

Luan Rong’s eyes began to focus.

“Aunt?”

“Don’t be afraid,” anger surged within Mrs. Ruan. She felt like she could crush this whole family, “Aunt is here, and I will definitely take you away.”

Only then did Gen Sigou realize what was happening.

He rushed over, “You can’t take her! She’s my second sister-in-law!”

“Get lost!”

Mrs. Ruan kicked at him.

She wasn’t the type to tolerate nonsense, especially seeing Luan Rong tied to a tree like a dog, which infuriated her even more.

Ye Qiu hurried over to help.

“This is just cruel.”

Ruan Mingfu felt even worse.

“No,” seeing this, even a pig would have reacted, “You are not a relative of Gen Ergou’s family, you are here to save her!”

“You can’t leave!”

“Yes, you are not allowed to leave.”

The villagers who had been kind and amiable just now immediately changed their expressions and looked at them fiercely. Some of them even picked up stones from the ground and stared at them defensively, as if they would throw them if they made any more moves.

“This is Ergou’s wife. You can’t take her away!”

“Right!”

“If we really let them take the people away, what dignity will our Hehua Village have?”

“I need to call the village head…”

To prevent anyone from escaping, the villagers instinctively blocked the exit.

Ruan Mingfu frowned, feeling scared, and grabbed onto Xie Yanzhao’s hand.

“Don’t worry,” Xie Yanzhao reassured her. He had been on many missions and encountered all kinds of people. He had already pieced together the situation after Mrs. Ruan mentioned Luan Rong.

It’s true that desperate conditions breed ruthless people. These villagers seemed less enlightened, and their malice was pure and brutal.

While they were confronting the villagers, Luan Rong on the other side also reacted.

“Aunt, you really are my aunt?”

Her eyes slowly filled with tears, and they streamed down her face.

She clung tightly to Mrs. Ruan’s clothes. “Aunt, are you here to take me away? Aunt…”

Like a drowning person clinging to their last hope, Luan Rong fixed her gaze on her, terrified that she might hear a “no.” In her frantic movements, her sleeve slipped down, revealing numerous scars on her arms.

There were two particularly severe wounds on her wrist that were shocking to behold.

One fresh wound looked like it had been cut just days ago. As she moved, it reopened slightly, oozing a hint of blood. Luan Rong seemed oblivious to the pain, holding onto Mrs. Ruan tightly.

“Don’t worry, I will definitely take you away from here.”

A bodyguard stepped forward and cut the rope binding her.

Mrs. Ruan’s expression darkened, and upon closer inspection, there were tears welling in her eyes as she helped Luan Rong up and prepared to leave.

Gen Sigou scrambled to his feet, arms outstretched to block their way.

“She is my sister-in-law, you are not allowed to take her away!”

“Get lost.”

The ribs that were kicked by Mrs. Ruan were still aching, and he wanted to leave…but thinking of his mother and Gen Ergou, Gen Sigou still stood in front of the two of them.

“No, she can’t leave.”

The bodyguard approached and effortlessly dragged Gen Sigou away.

He was no match for the robust bodyguard; despite struggling and turning red in the face, he couldn’t break free.

As their group was about to exit the yard, Gen Sigou panicked.

“You are not allowed to take her away, come back… come back!”

The villagers even held hoes and looked at them fiercely.

“Don’t even think about taking people away.”

“Yes,” several villagers stared at Li Xiuxiu lustfully, “Once you enter our village, you are a member of our village. Even if you die, you are a dead person of our Hehua Village.”

“That’s right!”

Father Ruan frowned. “She’s my niece, sold here against her will. She’s not from your village…”

“Dad,” Qi Yangyan stopped Father Ruan, “There’s no point in reasoning with them. Don’t get yourself hurt.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the bodyguards quickly surrounded Ruan Mingfu and the others, brandishing knives and glaring at the aggressive villagers.

Those villagers had never left Hehua Village and were taken aback by such a display.

They hesitated.

Amid the confusion, Gen Sigou hurriedly said, “Everyone, surround her! Our second brother will definitely reward you handsomely!”

The villagers hesitated…

“Regardless of anything else, you can’t take her!”

“That’s right!”

“This is a new society. I don’t believe these people dare to kill people.”

“…”

The villagers, who had been considering retreating, found their courage rekindled.

“What now? Are we really going to fight them?”

Ruan Mingfu frowned, blaming Gen Sigou for calling out.

If she had known, she would have gagged him.

“Don’t worry,” Xie Yanzhao pulled her behind him. “It hasn’t reached that point yet.”

Ruan Mingfu sighed in relief.

“Aunt?”

Although Luan Rong was angry, she was particularly dependent on Mrs. Ruan. Seeing the stalemate between the two parties, she was afraid that she would be left behind.

“Xiao Rong, I will definitely take you away.”

With these words, Luan Rong felt much more at ease.

“Get out of the way.”

Qi Yangyan was not a good man. He winked behind him, and the bodyguard holding Gen Sigou immediately brought the man out.

“Whoever dares to block me, I’ll have someone break their arm.”

Hearing this, Gen Sigou struggled even harder, fear evident in his eyes as tears began to well up.

The other villagers were also intimidated. The threat of breaking someone’s arm was more vicious than that of a landlord or a wealthy person.

“Are you going to let her go or not?”

The villagers exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.

“I won’t let her go!”

A voice emerged from behind the villagers. Qi Yangyan squinted to see who it was and noticed a frail, ragged figure approaching.

Gen Sigou finally managed to pry the bodyguard’s hand away from his mouth and looked at the newcomer with tear-filled eyes.

“Brother, you have to save me!”