Killing a Snake 

Before leaving, Secretary Li asked the Liu family to apologize to Meng Yuanzheng and take him to the health clinic tomorrow. The medical expenses would be paid by the Liu family, and they would also hold a reflection meeting afterward. 

The Liu family has now lost both their reputation and resources. Filled with regret and despair, they have no choice but to step forward and apologize to Meng Yuanzheng under Secretary Li’s intimidating gaze and the whispers around them. 

Meng Yuanzheng listened expressionlessly and just hummed lightly after they finished speaking. 

The Liu family felt embarrassed. They had expected Meng Yuanzheng to graciously decline their apology, to express that it was unnecessary, or at least to say a few words like “It’s okay, let’s move on.” But he only said “Mm.” What’s that supposed to mean? 

Seeing the Liu family members’ eyes shifting around Meng Yuanzheng, Lin Miaoyin didn’t know what bad intentions they had, so she said unhappily, “What? Just because you apologized, he has to accept it? If I came and beat you up, then apologized and offered a few cents, would you be happy with that?” 

Meng Yuanzheng turned his head to look at her, lowered his eyes, and curled the corners of his mouth slightly. 

The Liu family exchanged awkward glances and did not dare to say a word. 

“Alright, since you’ve apologized and we’re all from the same team. You must learn from your lesson and don’t do such bad things to harm others again. Otherwise, how can you show your faces in the team?” Father Lin came out to smooth things over. 

“It’s getting late. You should go back and reflect on your mistakes. Then take care of your old man’s funeral arrangement. I’ll attend his funeral; don’t think you can just brush it off. Everyone else can go now,” Secretary Li said. 

The Liu family carried Old Man Liu’s body and left in shame. 

Lin Miaoyin went over to speak with her mother, who asked if Meng Yuanzheng’s injuries were serious and if he needed to stay with them overnight so they could help take care of him. 

After thinking for a moment, Lin Miaoyin decided it wasn’t necessary. He didn’t seem too seriously injured, and she thought he deserved it anyway. Who told him to run into Zhu Wanqin and try to curry favor? He shouldn’t take on a job if he doesn’t have the skills. Instead, he got himself into trouble and asked her to clean up his mess. 

After saying goodbye to the Lin family, Lin Miaoyin took Meng Yuanzheng home. 

The rain had stopped, and the air was filled with the smell of rain-soaked grass and earth. 

The ground was muddy, and the roads were narrow. It was already dark. She walked very carefully while holding the bamboo hat in her hand. Her shoes were covered with thick mud and were very slippery. 

She let Meng Yuanzheng walk in front while she walked behind. She thought if she slipped later, she should grab Meng Yuanzheng for support; otherwise, with rice field on both sides, a fall could lead to a disaster.  

After walking for a while, the figure in front of her suddenly moved unsteadily. Lin Miaoyin looked up and saw that Meng Yuanzheng had slipped and was about to fall to the side. 

She subconsciously reached out and grabbed his arm, but Meng Yuanzheng was a grown man after all, and she couldn’t hold him at all. Instead, he almost dragged her away. 

She had no choice but to let go… 

She swore it really wasn’t her fault. 

Meng Yuanzheng fell into the flooded rice field. Although he did not fall headfirst, he still looked quite embarrassed. 

The calmness that had kept him composed all night finally broke, and he let out a startled gasp, splashing around in the murky water up to his calves. He stood up from the field, filled with lingering fear, his head covered with mud and rotten grass roots.  

Looking up, he saw Lin Miaoyin standing in the field, laughing and slapping her thigh. 

“Hahaha, forgive me, but I really couldn’t hold it in.” 

How could he possibly be this careless? 

Lin Miaoyin couldn’t stop laughing while Meng Yuanzheng put one hand on his hip and used the other to wipe the dirt from his face, but he was only making it worse. 

He squinted a bit in frustration and shot her a glance before climbing back up the field, shaking his hands as he walked away.  

Lin Miaoyin hurriedly followed him and asked with some sincerity, “Are you okay?” 

Meng Yuanzheng walked in front with his long legs in a proud and arrogant manner, and his back looked like a lonely peacock. 

“I’m fine,” he replied coolly. 

“I didn’t let go on purpose. I just couldn’t hold on to you,” she explained. 

“I know.” 

Ha, still so arrogant. 

After a moment, Meng Yuanzheng said, “Thank you for today.” 

“Thank me? You want to thank me for defending you?” 

“Mm.” 

“I didn’t do it for you; I just can’t stand seeing them succeed and even trying to give my parents trouble.” She snorted. “People like them shouldn’t be allowed to get away with that.” 

Meng Yuanzheng didn’t respond. 

Lin Miaoyin, unsatisfied, added, “I’m telling you; you’d better stay away from that Zhu girl.”  

“Why?” He tilted his head slightly. 

Because she’s the female protagonist and you are the villain, there is no good ending for you two! And if you fall in love with her, you will become even worse.  

She said seriously, “She’s a young lady, and you’re a married man. Don’t you think you should keep your distance? I can be really narrow-minded, so don’t mess with me.” 

Meng Yuanzheng said with an “oh” and said obediently, “I understand.” 

Good. At least he’s listening. Lin Miaoyin felt a sense of relief and thought that his memory loss was actually quite a good thing. 

When they got home, she felt very hungry. She had been tossing and turning and had not eaten anything yet. 

Meng Yuanzheng had already gone into the kitchen to boil water, since he had to wash himself quickly. 

Lin Miaoyin kindly let him take a bath first while she went to cook. 

After lighting the kerosene lamp, she sat down and thought about what to have for dinner. But she still felt uneasy. Although she had spent a long time in the hospital in her previous life and was indifferent to life and death, and wasn’t afraid when she saw Old Liu’s body earlier, being alone still made her feel uncomfortable. 

There is not much food left, so she can only cook some porridge. It’s also troublesome to prepare vegetables at night, so she decided to just grab some pickled vegetables to go with the porridge. 

She found a bowl and went to a dark corner of the room. She placed the kerosene lamp on top of a jar, opened the lid of another jar, and reached in with chopsticks to pick out the pickles. 

Suddenly, she heard a slight movement and soft rustling sound. Feeling uneasy from the sight of Old Man Liu’s body earlier, she grabbed the kerosene lamp and looked over, only to be shocked to see a black snake coiled up in the corner! 

“Ah!” 

Her eyes went wide, and all the blood in her body rushed to her head. She stood up suddenly and backed away in a panic. She let out a scream that shook the world and made the ghosts cry. 

The bowl in her hand fell and broke. 

The black snake was startled; it moved and began to creep closer to her. 

It was slow, seemingly unconcerned by her presence.  

Lin Miaoyin stopped and stood still, too scared to move. 

“Miaoyin!” Suddenly, she was pulled behind by someone. The person was barefoot and shirtless, with only a piece of clothing around his waist, which showed that he came in a hurry.  

The black snake seemed to sense the danger and moved very quickly. 

“Be careful!” As Lin Miaoyin cried out, Meng Yuanzheng picked up the lid of the jar next to him and smashed it on the snake quickly and accurately. The snake felt pain and rolled on the ground. He did not give the snake a chance to attack. He dragged up a stool and smashed it on the snake’s head without mercy. The snake had no time to react and was killed instantly. 

He hit the snake’s head hard several times until it burst into pieces. 

He threw away the stool and saw Lin Miaoyin’s body weakened and cold sweat broke out. He held her arm and asked with a hint of nervousness, “Are you scared?” 

Lin Miaoyin took a look at the bloody snake corpse, shook her head, and sat down on a stool nearby. 

When she looked up, she saw Meng Yuanzheng only wearing a piece of clothing tied around his waist, and she let out a soft laugh. 

Authors Note:  

I declare that Meng Yuanzheng’s boyfriend power is maxed out! 

Although our Zheng Zheng sometimes looks like a little housewife, he is very capable of protecting his wife at critical moments. 

Meng Yuanzheng: Who’s a little housewife? I’m 1.8 meters tall! 🤨 

Lin Miaoyin: Pfft, you’re a pathetic fool who trips and falls into the field while walking. 🤣 

Meng Yuanzheng: 😑 

Thank you for your support, muah~ 😘