Chapter Sixty: Encountering Lan'er Zhao Once Again

It was past midnight when Lin Shuimei, disheveled and with her clothes in disarray, finally returned home. Her parents had not noticed her absence at all; they were sound asleep, their snores rising and falling in tandem. Lin Shuimei crept quietly back to her own room, wrapping herself tightly in her quilt.

She had given her first time to someone like Tian Liu! And not only that, but in such a place! The wedding night she had imagined, with a wealthy husband and a bright future, was gone—utterly gone! It should have been Lin Sangqian who suffered such a fate; why had it ended up being her? Lin Sangqian’s days grew ever better, while she herself had fallen to this state…

Just wait, Lin Sangqian! I will never let you have everything your way!

Early the next morning, Lin Sangqian’s family hired an ox cart, locked their door, and set off for town. Upon arriving at the courtyard on Laifu Lane, Liao Shuxia and Lin Wenyen immediately set about cleaning the place from top to bottom, while Lin Sangqian and Lin Hongda went into the street to purchase new bedding and other daily necessities.

As they walked along the street, the two of them saw a funeral procession. Yet the procession was pitifully small, with only a handful of people, and the four strong men carrying the coffin wore expressionless faces, betraying not a hint of sorrow. At the front walked a thin, frail figure, clutching a spirit tablet, her steps unsteady, looking as though she might collapse at any moment.

Lin Sangqian stared, and when she saw the girl’s face, her brows furrowed in shock—it was Zhao Lan’er, the very girl who had first bought her meat pies. She hadn’t seen her since coming to town, and never expected that their paths would cross again under such circumstances. At a moment like this, she could not call out to her and could only watch Zhao Lan’er walk forward, step by step.

“Daughter, that girl just now…” Lin Hongda had recognized her too.

“I saw her,” Lin Sangqian replied. “It was Zhao Lan’er.”

“How pitiful.”

Lin Sangqian frowned. If it were anyone else, she might have let it pass. But Zhao Lan’er held a different meaning for her—she had been the start of her business.

“Let’s follow and see,” Lin Sangqian said. Zhao Lan’er’s current state, and the attitude of those around her, left Lin Sangqian feeling deeply uneasy.

They followed the funeral procession out of town to a small hill. The strong men set the coffin on the ground, and one of them said, “We’ve brought the coffin here; we’ll be off now.”

“Li Fugui, what’s the meaning of this?” Zhao Lan’er objected. “You promised to help me bury my mother! How can you go back on your word? I already gave you two taels of silver!”

Li Fugui dug at his ear and replied with scorn, “What are you making a fuss about? That was then, this is now. If you want us to help bury the coffin, you’ll have to pay another two taels.”

“You—!” All color drained from Zhao Lan’er’s face. “You’re nothing but a gang of thugs!”

“Heh, little missy, if you really want our help, there’s another way.” Li Fugui’s gaze turned lecherous. “Why not let us brothers have a little fun, and we’ll do it for you?”

Zhao Lan’er was appalled by their vileness. Terrified, she took two steps back, looking pleadingly at the relatives who had come with her. Yet these relatives had only come out of obligation, and could hardly be counted on for help. At the sight, they slipped away at once.

Li Fugui and his companions began to close in on Zhao Lan’er, and despair washed over her. Her mother’s body lay in the coffin—was she now to be violated by such scum before her mother’s very spirit? Would anyone come to her rescue?

She clung tightly to her mother’s spirit tablet, tears blurring her vision. Just as Li Fugui reached out to grab her, a figure darted out from the side and kicked Li Fugui so hard he flew several meters away, stunned.

A tall, thin man stepped forward to shield Zhao Lan’er, with a young girl following close behind.

“You two…” When Zhao Lan’er saw their faces, a flicker of joy crossed her own. “It’s you!”

“Don’t be afraid,” Lin Sangqian turned and smiled at her. “You’ll be alright.”

Zhao Lan’er breathed a sigh of relief, though she tensed again almost immediately. There were four men on the other side; how could Lin Hongda alone possibly stand a chance?

“Who the hell are you, ruining my fun?” By now, Li Fugui had been helped to his feet, and he glared fiercely at Lin Hongda. “So it’s you, brat!”

“That’s right, it’s me. And what of it?” Lin Hongda sneered. “Four grown men bullying a helpless girl—how brave you are.”

Li Fugui was not ashamed in the least. Instead, he puffed up and said brazenly, “So what? Women are born to be playthings for men like us!”

At these words, Lin Sangqian’s face darkened, and Lin Hongda’s fists clenched tight.

How could such men exist?

“Wait a minute, you look familiar…” Li Fugui eyed him up and down. “I remember now—you’re Lin the third from Shuangji Village!”

“And who are you?” Lin Hongda asked coldly.

“I’m Li Fugui!”

Li Fugui? That name… In the original host’s memories, Lin Hongda recalled that Li Fugui was the younger brother of Li Fulan, living in town, though no one quite knew what he did for a living.

“So you’re Li Fulan’s brother,” Lin Sangqian said. “As expected, birds of a feather flock together—shameless to the core.”

“You little bitch, what did you say?” Li Fugui shouted.

“Who are you calling names?”

Before Li Fugui could retort, he suddenly felt a burst of pain on his face—Lin Hongda’s fist had already landed. The blow left Li Fugui dizzy, and he cried out, “Get him! Beat him to death!”

The other three men charged at Lin Hongda, but he barely regarded them as a threat, dispatching all of them in a few swift moves.

Li Fugui stood frozen, dumbstruck. He remembered his sister had said the Lin family was easy prey. But for one man to take down three strong men bare-handed—was this what she called easy prey?

Now, at last, Li Fugui began to panic. “D-don’t come any closer! We’re family, aren’t we? Why fight amongst ourselves?”

“I have no family like you. Get lost!”

Li Fugui was about to slink away when Zhao Lan’er called out, “Wait!”

With Lin Hongda present, Li Fugui dared not resist and stopped in his tracks.

“Give me back my silver,” Zhao Lan’er demanded angrily. “You took my money, broke your promise, tried to raise your price, and even dared to… to do such things. You don’t deserve a single coin of mine!”