Should we talk about something?  

This thought crossed Jiang Qiuyue’s mind, but she quickly dismissed it. Rather than forcing awkward conversation, it was better to just lie there quietly.  

Lin Zhengrong wasn’t sleepy either—not because the bed was unfamiliar, but because the scent was too intoxicating.  

In the past, he would just rinse off with water when bathing, never bothering with soap. But today, Beibei had specifically handed him a bar of soap. “Mom says good kids use soap when they bathe. Only if we wash until we smell nice will she like us.”  

The faint, clean fragrance of the soap lingered around him. Just as he turned over, he noticed Jiang Qiuyue shifting slightly too, which made him even more awake.  

Under the dim moonlight, Lin Zhengrong opened his mouth as if to speak but swallowed his words again.  

The children were already asleep—it wouldn’t do to wake them.  

So they simply lay there. After some time, Jiang Qiuyue gradually relaxed and began to drift off.  

Meanwhile, behind the wall of the vegetable patch, two shadowy figures crouched furtively.  

“Xiaoxiao, are we really going to do this?” At the critical moment, Lin Sanzhu hesitated.  

Lin Xiao clicked her tongue. “Third Brother, don’t tell me you’re chickening out now? We agreed we’d come tonight to set the fire. After how Lin Dazhu and Jiang Qiuyue treated us, how can you still hesitate? Think about what happened with you and Xiaomin—wasn’t it because Jiang Qiuyue took the family’s money that things fell through?”  

At the mention of Xiaomin, Lin Sanzhu’s resentment flared up. It was all because of Jiang Qiuyue and his eldest brother—otherwise, he could have been engaged to Xiaomin tomorrow.  

Taking a deep breath, Lin Sanzhu reassured himself that nothing would go wrong. He’d set the fire and run.  

“Fine, let’s do it as planned!” Lin Sanzhu then told his sister to crouch down. “You keep watch for me later. Don’t let anyone spot us.”  

“Relax, Third Brother. It’s the middle of the night—everyone’s asleep. Who’d come out and see us?” Lin Xiao just wanted to burn down Jiang Qiuyue’s house as soon as possible to teach them a lesson.  

Lin Sanzhu stepped onto Lin Xiao’s shoulders and climbed onto the wall. A cold gust of wind blew past, sending a shiver down his spine. “Xiaoxiao, what if someone gets hurt? What then?”  

“Stop talking nonsense. How could anything happen? Don’t they have legs to run?” Lin Xiao thought that if something did happen, it would be Jiang Qiuyue’s own fault—they had no one to blame but themselves for being heartless.  

Lin Sanzhu jumped into the yard and, guided by the moonlight, crept cautiously toward the house.  

It was his first time doing something like this, and his nerves were on edge. He found the pile of straw and carried it over, stacking it against the front door.  

He had brought oil—once poured, the fire would blaze up instantly.  

Drawing a silent, steadying breath, his heart pounding in his throat, Lin Sanzhu crouched low. Just as he struck a match, a dark figure suddenly appeared behind him.  

Before he could react, a sharp pain exploded at the back of his head. His vision went black, and he fainted.

Lin Zhengrong had been a soldier for many years, making him acutely sensitive to his surroundings. Already wide awake, he rose to investigate when he heard movement near the wall.  

Jiang Qiuyue, who had been startled by the thud, stepped out from behind the door. “He was trying to burn us alive!”  

How heartless could someone be to do such a thing?  

“Shh!” Lin Zhengrong pressed a finger to his lips, then pointed behind the wall, signaling that someone was still waiting there.  

Jiang Qiuyue moved closer until their arms touched and whispered, “What do we do now? Tie Lin Sanzhu up and take him to the Brigade leader?”  

“Not yet,” Lin Zhengrong replied in a low voice. “If they dare do something like this, they deserve more than just being handed over to the chief. They need to learn a lesson first.”  

Feeling the warmth where their arms touched, Lin Zhengrong suddenly found the night a little too hot. “Go back to sleep. Leave this to me.”  

But how could Jiang Qiuyue sleep after this? Curiosity got the better of her. “What are you planning?”  

Lin Zhengrong leaned in, his breath brushing her ear as he murmured his plan. Out of habit, he went to pat her shoulder—only to realize too late that she wasn’t one of his army comrades. Yet, he didn’t pull his hand away.  

“Go back inside. If the kids wake up and don’t see you, they’ll panic.”  

Knowing she couldn’t help much, Jiang Qiuyue tiptoed back to the room. Earlier, when Lin Zhengrong said someone was outside, she had been tense. But now, hearing his reassurance, she felt a strange sense of security.  

Meanwhile, outside the wall, Lin Xiao was growing impatient. Standing on her tiptoes, she strained to see what was happening inside.  

What’s going on?

It’s been so long—Third Brother is too slow!

She hissed, “Third Brother!” but got no response.  

Could something have happened?

No… that can’t be.

He must just be taking his time lighting the fire. So frustrating!

Lin Xia glanced around, searching for a stone to step on, when suddenly a tall figure loomed before her.  

Before she could scream, Lin Zhengrong knocked her out cold.  

Hoisting both unconscious bodies over his shoulders, Lin Zhengrong carried them to the river behind the house. He tied their hands together and dunked their heads into the icy water.  

Gurgle—gurgle—

Lin Sanzhu woke first, only to choke on the river water flooding his nose and throat. He thrashed wildly, but a powerful hand held his neck down.  

Just as he thought he’d drown, he was yanked back up.  

Cough! Cough! Lin Sanzhu clutched his throat, retching violently. He heard his sister coughing beside him.  

“L-Lin Dazhu!” Lin Xiao, her hands tightly bound, glared furiously at the shadowy figure. “You—you’re trying to kill us? Go ahead! Even as a ghost, I’ll haunt you!”  

What?

Big Brother?!

Only then did Lin Sanzhu fully realize what he had just done. With his hands tied and no way to escape, he was so terrified he pissed himself.  

He didn’t want to die!  

“Xiaoxiao, shut your mouth!” Lin Sanzhu sobbed, begging for mercy. “I was wrong, I swear I know I was wrong! Big Brother, please don’t kill me—it was Xiaoxiao who talked me into this!”  

He hadn’t even married yet—he couldn’t die now!  

Lin Zhengrong ignored their pleas, dunking them into the water again and again, timing each submersion before yanking them back up.  

After five rounds of this, Lin Xiao’s nerves finally shattered.  

“B-Big Brother, I was wrong too! Please stop, okay? I really won’t dare do it again!”  

It was unbearable—the river water forced into her nose and throat, each time making her think she was about to die.  

Lin Zhengrong didn’t believe for a second that they truly regretted their actions. They were just afraid he might actually kill them.  

Gripping the backs of their necks, his voice colder than the river water, he said, “Wrong? I doubt it. Lin Sanzhu, Lin Xiao—you’ve got some nerve. If I don’t make you understand fear, I’ve wasted these twenty-some years of my life!”  

“Big Brother, I really regret it!” Lin Sanzhu wailed, but before he could say more, he was shoved under again.  

Lin Zhengrong knew that breaking someone’s spirit was the most excruciating punishment. He kept at it until the two of them barely had the strength to struggle anymore. Only then did he drag them back onto the riverbank.  

Lin Sanzhu and Lin Xiao lay on the ground like dead fish, their minds blank. When they saw Lin Zhengrong standing over them, they instinctively trembled.  

“If there’s a next time, I’ll let you both become water ghosts for real.” Lin Zhengrong kicked them lightly. “Get up!”  

Lin Sanzhu didn’t even dare cry loudly—it had been too horrifying. He really thought he was going to die.  

Clutching his mouth, it took him a long time to recover, but he forced himself to stand.  

By now, the sky was beginning to lighten. Lin Zhengrong ordered them to follow him. When Lin Sanzhu heard they were going to the brigade leader, he truly panicked.  

“Big Brother, I’m begging you, let us go! I’ll never dare do it again! You’ve already punished us—please don’t take us to the brigade leader, okay?”  

The consequences of facing the brigade leader were too terrifying to imagine.  

But Lin Zhengrong wasn’t about to show mercy. If he hadn’t been there—if it had just been Qiuyue and the kids at home—any mishap could have cost three lives!  

Lin Sanzhu and Lin Xiao had planned this with malicious intent. Letting them off? Not a chance.  

Lin Zhengrong grabbed Lin Sanzhu by the neck. If they wouldn’t walk, he’d drag them.  

Along the way, Lin Sanzhu kept sobbing and pleading, but once they entered the village, he fell silent, terrified of being seen.