Chapter 69

Li Goudan dragged Li Meili towards a small grove nearby, and Li Meili struggled desperately, frightened.

“Let go of me, Li Goudan! If you don’t, I’ll die with you!”

“Heh, die with me? You?”

He continued dragging her, and Li Meili, terrified, screamed for help, but at that moment, everyone was busy cooking, and there was no one in sight on the field embankment.

Li Goudan tightly covered her mouth, and Li Meili felt utter despair. Was fate really this cruel? Could she never escape this demon?

Just then, a furious roar rang in their ears: “You bastard, let go now, or I’ll use my hoe on you!”

Li Meili turned, her heart leaping with joy. It was her fiancé, Xu Guoqing, coming towards them.

Seeing that someone had interrupted his plans, Li Goudan furiously shouted, “Who the hell are you? Stay out of this!”

Li Meili desperately shook her head, tears streaming down like beads from a broken necklace.

Xu Guoqing, seeing the situation, wasted no words. He grabbed a hoe and swung it at Li Goudan.

Li Goudan didn’t expect the educated youth to go this far and, scared, quickly let go of Li Meili.

“Fine, Xu Guoqing, you dare to oppose me? Just wait, I’ll make sure I deal with you next time!”

Xu Guoqing continued swinging the hoe, and seeing the danger, Li Goudan scurried away.

Xu Guoqing, watching him flee, quickly rushed to help Li Meili, who was kneeling on the ground, crying uncontrollably.

“Meili, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Guoqing. Thank you for being here, or else… sob sob sob…”

“It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t be scared. He’s just a scumbag. Someone will deal with him sooner or later.”

Xu Guoqing pulled out a clean handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the tears from the girl’s eyes. “Meili, it’s getting dark. Let me walk you home.”

Li Meili nodded.

Xu Guoqing paused for a moment, then said, “Meili, how about we get married soon? That way, Li Goudan won’t dare to bully you.”

Li Meili bit her lip and looked at the man through tear-filled eyes, then said, “Guoqing, let me think about it. But don’t worry, I’ll be more careful in the future. If I go out alone again, I’ll make sure to take my brother with me.”

“Alright, Meili. You think it over. I really like you.”

The two walked one after the other. Xu Guoqing accompanied Li Meili home, watching her enter the gate before turning to head back to the educated youth’s camp.

When he returned, Liu Shehui curiously asked, “Guoqing, where did you go? Why’re you back so late?”

“Oh, I just ran into my fiancée, and we chatted for a bit.”

“Ah, Guoqing, I’ve heard about your fiancée around the village. She’s really a good girl. I heard she can earn six fen for a day’s work in the fields. I only make five, and that already tires me out!”

Xu Guoqing nodded with a smile. Li Meili was indeed well-regarded in the village—pretty, hardworking, and with a good family background.

However, he had heard that her older brother had fallen out with their grandmother and ran away from home. He wondered how things were now.

Liu Shehui continued muttering, “But you’re lucky. Once you get married, her family will help you out a bit. You two will have no problem working and getting enough to eat.

Ugh, life’s tough. My hands have calluses from the hard work, and it hurts like crazy. We’re barely getting enough to eat, and who knows when it’ll end.”

After Xu Guoqing washed his hands, he looked at the blisters on his skin, his resolve becoming even firmer.

That night, Li Jianguo learned that Su Lizhen would be going back to work the next day. His initial shock slowly turned into joy.

Being able to return to work meant that the factory had forgiven the past—this was wonderful news!

Li Jianguo watched as Su Lizhen finished washing up and entered her room, and he quickly followed her in.

Li Yuechan thought her “cheap” father was acting a little strange, but after thinking it through, she figured, since he was her father, he probably didn’t have any bad intentions.

“Li Lizhen, can you give me a chance? I really, really like you.”

Su Lizhen looked at Li Jianguo, frowning as she said, “Li Jianguo, I’ve already made it very clear. If you keep this up, we’ll get a divorce!”

“No, no, no! Don’t be angry.”

Su Lizhen couldn’t be bothered with him and quickly lowered the curtain with a “swish.”

This man’s appetite was growing by the day. In front of their daughter, she still pretended to be a loving couple, but once her daughter was gone, she couldn’t be bothered with the pretense anymore!

She opened a drawer, pulling out a photo she had cherished, its edges worn down. Staring at the man in military uniform in the photo, her eyes slowly became red.

The next day, Li Xiangdong looked at the police uniform in his hands, feeling extremely excited!

Though he was only a temporary worker, wearing this police uniform was something he had never dreamed of in his life. It was definitely worth it!

Gu Zhixing glanced at Li Xiangdong, and after tidying up, he found him quite pleasing. He decided to test him out.

Turns out, the man had a bit of skill, which was great! Gu Zhixing immediately handed him over to Zhou Tao.

Zhou Tao was swamped with work and could really use some help. Li Xiangdong’s arrival was like a timely gift.

Li Xiangdong didn’t expect that his first mission would be to go with Zhou Tao to capture Feng Chuan.

With solid evidence in hand, Feng Chuan was the mastermind behind the nearby murder case. However, Feng Chuan had mysteriously disappeared.

They had to find him and follow the trail to catch the big fish behind it all.

As for why Han Chunhua had been sent to the hospital, after investigating, Gu Zhixing discovered a connection to Deputy Director Yang.

Later, the neighbors confirmed that Wang Xinzou had indeed visited Deputy Director Yang’s house.

Armed with the evidence, Gu Zhixing headed straight for the police chief’s office.

As for Li Yuechan, after dealing with Wang Xinzou, it was time to handle Han Jinzhu.

She had already gathered intel that Han Jinzhu’s family wasn’t home—apparently, he had taken Han Chunhua to the provincial capital for treatment, and their two little children were sent to their grandmother’s house. This truly seemed like a blessing from heaven!

She first circled around Han Jinzhu’s house, tapping her chin thoughtfully, before walking inside.

The more she looked, the more she felt something was off. The house seemed a few square meters smaller than expected.

Then, suddenly, her eyes lit up. “Heh, I’m such a little genius!”

She started probing around, her gaze landing on a vase on the shelf.

With a gentle push and twist, the bookshelf opened on both sides, revealing a hidden room, about five square meters in size!

Entering the room, she was amazed at the sight. The desk was filled with some strange items.

She plopped down at the desk, eyes fixed on the objects, chin resting in her hand, mumbling, “What could this be?”

Then, with a sharp intake of breath, she froze, realizing—this was a radio station!