Ning Lu stopped her mother.
“Mom, let me handle this. I’m grown up now. As long as I’m crazier than they are, they should be the ones who are afraid.”
With that, she yanked open the door and, without hesitation, kicked the man standing outside.
The kick sent Ning Tiedan sprawling backward. He crashed into the man standing behind him, knocking both of them to the ground.
When Yan Bingqin got a clear look at the second man, her face instantly turned pale.
He was a nightmare from her childhood.
Ning Tiedan climbed to his feet and sneered.
“Brother Yan, now that my younger brother is dead, this shameless woman Yan Bingqin has ruined the entire Ning family! I went to jail, my wife is dead!
I can’t control her anymore, but you’re her brother from her natal family. Surely you can.”
Yan Shengli was tall and heavily built, with a dark complexion and gloomy eyes. He slowly stood up and fixed his gaze on Yan Bingqin behind Ning Lu.
The way he looked at her made Ning Lu deeply uncomfortable.
It was the gaze of a predator looking at prey.
Ning Lu glanced back at her mother and noticed that Yan Bingqin had become visibly tense and frightened.
Yan Shengli smiled.
“Bingqin, now that your husband is gone, you’re part of your natal family again. How is a widow supposed to survive while raising a daughter?
I’ve come today to help arrange a marriage for you.
If you won’t think about yourself, at least think about your daughter. Ning Lu, right?
She’s a bit overweight, but her features really do resemble yours when you were young…”
As he spoke, his eyes traveled up and down their bodies as though he were inspecting a meal. The smile on his face was full of malice.
Yan Bingqin rushed forward and shielded Ning Lu.
“Yan Shengli! The reason I married Ning Tiegen in the first place was because I was sick of you! Don’t push me. If you force me too far, nobody will come out of this looking good!”
Tears burst from her eyes.
She had been adopted by the Yan family as a child.
Everyone who saw her said she was beautiful.
But a beautiful girl with no power and no one to protect her was in constant danger.
The Yan family had planned to raise her as a child bride.
Unfortunately, when Yan Bingqin was ten and Yan Shengli was thirteen, he had already begun touching her inappropriately.
One day, the clan elder caught him and severely reprimanded the family.
From then on, her adoptive parents treated her even worse.
Yan Shengli no longer dared to do anything openly, but his harassment never stopped.
From the age of ten until eighteen, Yan Bingqin lived in fear and misery.
So when she was eighteen and went into town to buy soy sauce, Ning Tiegen fell in love with her at first sight.
After realizing that he was a decent, normal man, she agreed to marry him without hesitation.
The years after marriage filled her with gratitude.
At the very least, Ning Tiegen’s status as a soldier protected her from Yan Shengli’s threats.
Later, her adoptive parents died, and Yan Shengli seemed to disappear from her life.
But now he had suddenly reappeared.
Yan Bingqin’s hands trembled.
Being near him felt like encountering a dark, damp snake whose tongue flickered as it prepared to strike.
Ning Tiedan no longer dared confront Ning Lu and her mother directly.
But he was hoping Yan Shengli could control Yan Bingqin.
The two men had already worked everything out.
Yan Shengli would arrange marriages for Yan Bingqin and Ning Lu, and they would split the bride-price money.
Because of his size and strength, Yan Shengli didn’t view the two overweight women as any threat.
He reached out and tried to grab Yan Bingqin’s arm.
For years he had dreamed about her countless times.
Even though she was no longer the slim young woman she once was, he couldn’t resist taking advantage of the fact that Ning Tiegen was gone.
In fact, he planned to satisfy himself first before marrying her off.
His hand reached toward hers.
Yan Bingqin’s lips trembled as she prepared to fight him desperately.
Ning Lu watched everything.
No one would ever bully her mother again.
Suddenly she stepped forward and put on a nervous but submissive smile.
“Uncle, after all, my mother was raised by the Yan family. We’re family.
Now that my father is gone, where my mother and I go from here is up to you, isn’t it?
Let’s not make a scene and give outsiders something to laugh about.
Mom, go check if there’s anything left in the kitchen. Make a couple of dishes. Let Uncle have a few drinks.
As for our future, I’m sure Uncle will help arrange everything.”
Yan Bingqin was terrified of Yan Shengli.
But after seeing how every action her daughter had taken lately had a purpose behind it, she quickly understood.
Immediately, she lowered her head and acted weak and frightened.
Ning Tiedan grinned.
He exchanged a meaningful glance with Yan Shengli and left in satisfaction.
The two had already agreed that if they could drive Yan Bingqin and Ning Lu out of the village, Ning Tiedan would get the house.
The compensation money left by Ning Tiegen would be divided between him and Yan Shengli.
As for the bride-price money from marrying off the two women, that would belong entirely to Yan Shengli.
The truth was that Ning Tiedan still lusted after Yan Bingqin.
But Yan Shengli had promised that he would enjoy himself first, then let Ning Tiedan have a turn. After both men were satisfied, they would sell her off.
Once Ning Tiedan left, Yan Shengli swaggered into the main room.
He sat heavily at the table and tapped it with his fingers.
His eyes were openly filled with ill intent.
“Bingqin, after all these years, you’ve still ended up in my hands.
If you’d just listened back then, would things have come to this?
Your daughter is the sensible one.
The future of both of you is entirely up to me.
If I want to sell you to someone, nobody can stop me.
Right now, I’ll give you two choices.
You can move back to your family home—but privately, you know what I mean.
As for Ning Lu, I’ll find her a husband and marry her off.
Or…”
His cold gaze swept back and forth between mother and daughter.
Yan Bingqin could barely contain her disgust.
Meanwhile, Ning Lu brought out a bottle of liquor and a plate of peanuts.
“Uncle, my mother is just confused. I’ll talk some sense into her.
Without your support, how could my mother and I survive in this village?
Have a few drinks first.
I’ll go pack our things. Later tonight, I’ll send Mom back to your house.”
Seeing how obedient she seemed, Yan Shengli felt immensely pleased with himself.
Leaning back with one leg crossed over the other, he drank liquor and tossed peanuts into his mouth.
At the same time, his eyes lingered shamelessly on Yan Bingqin’s chest.
Ning Lu went into a side room to “pack.”
Soon, Yan Shengli’s hands began wandering toward Yan Bingqin.
Her whole body tensed.
“What are you doing?”
Yan Shengli became even more excited.
“What do you think I’m doing? Of course I’m—”
“AHHH!”
A sharp pain exploded at the back of his neck.
Ning Lu had struck him with a stick, knocking him face-first onto the floor.
The next moment, she planted her foot firmly on his back and shouted:
“Mom! Lock the door! Let’s beat him!”
Yan Bingqin had been holding in years of anger.
She immediately bolted the door, stuffed a rag into his mouth, grabbed a shoe, and began slapping him across the face.
“Animal! Letting you bully me! Letting you bully me!”
SMACK!
“Letting you bully me!”
SMACK!
Ning Lu thought her mother wasn’t hitting hard enough.
Without hesitation, she stomped directly between Yan Shengli’s legs.
“MMMMPHHHH!!!”
The pain instantly snapped him fully awake.
He realized he had been tied up and gagged.
Immediately he began thrashing wildly like a trapped boar.
Yan Bingqin grabbed a broom.
Ning Lu grabbed a feather duster.
Together they beat him mercilessly.
“You wanted trouble? Here’s trouble!”
“Take that!”
“Let’s see you bully people now!”
Once they judged that he’d been beaten enough—and noticed he was starting to break free from the ropes—Ning Lu grabbed her mother’s hand and ran outside.
Then she began screaming at the top of her lungs:
“Help! Help!”
“Yan Shengli is assaulting women!”
“Help!”
“Somebody save us!”
“He’s trying to rape someone!”
“Murder! Help! Somebody help!”