“Isn’t this Section Chief Sun? I haven’t even congratulated you on your promotion yet,” the man said with a smile.
“You are too kind.”
Sun Dafa exchanged polite formalities with him.
“Why not join us for a meal?”
“No need. I came today with my sister and her husband to treat them to a meal. We’ve already finished, and my brother-in-law is still waiting outside, so we’ll head off first. Enjoy your meal. Xiao Lan, let’s go out first,” Sun Dafa said, clearly unwilling to continue dealing with the man. He found an excuse and stood up to leave.
Hearing this, Lan Sisi also stood up. She did not greet Lan Hehua and simply followed Sun Dafa out.
“Alright then, send my regards to your wife,” the man said with a grin.
“He’s married?” After they left, Lan Hehua asked casually.
“Yes, we’ve eaten together before. I didn’t know he had such a beautiful ‘sister,’” the man said, stroking his chin.
“What sister? I know her, she’s my cousin. She’s not even married. Do you think she’s pretty? Then go after her,” Lan Hehua said, feigning displeasure.
“How could that be? No one is as pretty as my Hehua,” the man said, taking the opportunity to secretly wrap an arm around her waist while no one was paying attention.
“Hmph,” Lan Hehua snorted softly.
“Looks like she’s not exactly proper either. A wife at home, a little sweetheart outside,” the man said, then let out a lewd laugh himself. Since Sun Dafa had mentioned “a couple” but they had not seen anyone else, they assumed it was just an excuse.
Lan Hehua let out a cold laugh. At last, she had gotten hold of something she could use against Lan Sisi.
“Sorry you had to see that, little sister. That man is not very upright. I don’t like dealing with him,” Sun Dafa said after they left.
“It’s fine, Big Brother Sun.”
In truth, Lan Sisi did not like him either. When he greeted her earlier, his gaze had lingered on her in a way that felt unpleasant.
Soon, Lin Ruihai came out. The two of them bid farewell to Sun Dafa, strolled around for a while, and then returned to the village.
Two days later, Lan Sisi went alone to the abandoned warehouse in the outskirts again. While no one was around, she took out the fruit from her storage.
After waiting a while, Deputy Director Li finally arrived with his people.
Seeing the mountain of fruit piled up, Deputy Director Li revealed the same astonished expression as Sun Dafa had before. Sun Dafa, who had come along, looked quite proud. See, it wasn’t just him who had been surprised.
After checking, each type of fruit exceeded five hundred jin. Although the fruits were small, they were plump, brightly colored, and almost none were spoiled.
Deputy Director Li took everything. Since fruit was more expensive than vegetables, Lan Sisi received over six thousand yuan in total.
“Thank you, Comrade Xiao Lan. You have solved a major problem for our factory,” Deputy Director Li said sincerely.
“It’s nothing, just serving the people,” Lan Sisi replied.
Deputy Director Li needed to hurry back to the factory, so he left first, apologizing and saying he would treat them to a meal next time.
Lan Sisi waved her hand and said it was fine. Meals could be had anytime, but business should not be delayed.
“By the way, little sister, the matter you asked me about last time has some progress,” Sun Dafa said after Deputy Director Li left.
Only then did Lan Sisi remember that she had asked Sun Dafa to help look out for houses or shops for sale in town.
“Where is it, Big Brother Sun?” Lan Sisi asked, a bit excited.
“Come on, I’ll take you to have a look.”
The house Sun Dafa found was in a very good location. It was a two-story building, with the ground floor suitable as a storefront and the upper floor for living. There was also a courtyard at the back, where a large cherry tree stood. It was the blooming season, and the pale pink cherry blossoms dotted the branches. When the wind blew gently, petals drifted down like dancing, creating a beautiful scene.
Most importantly, it was very close to the town’s middle school, only about a ten-minute walk.
The owners were an elderly couple with graying hair. They had taken very good care of the house. If not for their son wanting to bring them to the provincial city, they would not have wanted to sell it.
In the end, the deal was made for one thousand five hundred yuan. With Sun Dafa acting as the intermediary, the procedures were completed quickly. Holding the freshly issued document with her name on it, Lan Sisi was overjoyed. Who would have thought that houses that would later cost thousands per square meter could be so cheap at this time?
“I knew you would like it,” Sun Dafa said with a grin.
“Thank you so much, Big Brother Sun. When you have time, bring your wife over to my place for a meal,” Lan Sisi said. She knew that although houses were cheap at this time, they were not easy to buy without the right connections. Sun Dafa had truly helped her greatly.
“Alright, I’ll come try your cooking when I have time,” Sun Dafa replied cheerfully.
After returning home, Lin Ruihai and Lan Sinian were not yet back. Lan Sisi placed the ownership document into the storage space of her farm. She habitually kept important things there.
The crops and livestock in the farm had matured again. She harvested and replanted everything. At that moment, the farm notified her of a level-up. She was now at level fourteen, unlocking mushrooms, bananas, and sheep.
When the lambs appeared on the grass, Lan Sisi felt her heart tremble along with their wool. Each lamb looked like a giant fluffy ball, covered entirely in soft wool, their faces almost hidden within it.
Just as she was wondering how to shear them, one of the lambs suddenly stood up, waved its front hooves, and shook off all its wool…
Lan Sisi fell silent.
It seemed she did not need to worry about that.
After shedding their wool, the lambs looked like ordinary sheep, bleating as they ran across the grass, with no sign of that bizarre scene from before.
She put the wool into the textile machine, selected a clothing style and size, and soon a white round-neck wool sweater was produced. After trying it on, she found it comfortable and fitting, perfect for the current mild weather. She made one each for Lan Sinian and Lin Ruihai as well.
After finishing the sweaters, Lan Sisi went to check on the mushrooms and bananas.
The mushrooms grew on bare tree trunks like chubby little umbrellas, swaying slightly in the sunlight as if enjoying themselves. The bananas were about the size of small finger bananas, with plump flesh that was sweet and soft without any astringency. The most amazing part was that the peel was also edible, with a texture like banana-flavored pudding. Lan Sisi stood under the tree and ate several.
Just as she exited the farm, she heard a knock on the door.
She opened it and saw a strange man in his thirties standing there, wearing a hat.
The man’s gaze swept over her from head to toe, his eyes filled with undisguised ill intent, as if it were something tangible crawling over her body.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Lan Sisi frowned.
“My name is Lai Qiang. Your fiancé. I came to see you,” the man said with a grin, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
“What nonsense? You’ve got the wrong person. I don’t even know you,” Lan Sisi said, about to close the door.
“No mistake. It’s you, Lan Sisi. I spent five hundred yuan to buy you as my wife. Don’t worry, you’re so pretty, I’ll treat you well,” the man said, blocking the door with his hand. The smell of his breath nearly made her faint.
Lan Sisi was so angry she almost laughed. When had she ever been sold?
“This is a new society. Buying and selling people is illegal, don’t you know that? Whoever took your money, go find them,” Lan Sisi said. She already had a vague idea of who was behind this. It could only be the people from the Lan family’s old house. She could not understand why, even though her father was Liu Guihua’s biological son, they still refused to leave them any way out.
“That won’t do. I’ve decided you’re my wife. Whether you want it or not, you’re marrying me,” Lai Qiang said with a vicious grin, pushing his way inside.
Furious, Lan Sisi held the door with one hand and grabbed a wooden stick from the wall with the other, striking him.
Her strength was not weak. Lai Qiang was caught off guard and could not fight back in time. He could only cover his head and dodge. Taking advantage of the moment, Lan Sisi slammed the door shut.
“Damn it! You ungrateful woman! If I don’t have you today, my surname won’t be Lai!” Lai Qiang shouted angrily.
“What are you doing!” A sharp voice rang out from outside.
The tension Lan Sisi had been holding finally eased. Lin Ruihai had returned. Although she had appeared calm, she had been panicking inside. The difference in strength between men and women was too great. If Lai Qiang had forced his way in, she might not have been able to resist.
“This has nothing to do with you. Get lost, or I’ll deal with you too!” Lai Qiang threatened.
“I am the owner of this house. Do you think it has nothing to do with me?” Lin Ruihai replied.
“The owner? No wonder this woman doesn’t want to marry me. Turns out she’s keeping a pretty boy at home,” Lai Qiang sneered. “I thought she was some pure girl, but she’s just damaged goods!”
Before his words had even settled, Lan Sisi heard the sound of a fist striking flesh, followed by a muffled grunt.
She quickly opened the door and saw Lin Ruihai and Lai Qiang fighting.
She grabbed the wooden stick and rushed forward to help, striking several times whenever she found an opening. Lai Qiang cried out in pain.
In the end, Lin Ruihai gained the upper hand and pinned Lai Qiang to the ground.
“I’ll take him to see the Village Chief. You stay at home,” Lin Ruihai said as he grabbed a rope and tied Lai Qiang’s hands.
“I’ll go with you,” Lan Sisi said after thinking for a moment. It was time to put on a performance.
The two of them dragged Lai Qiang toward the Village Chief’s house.
Along the way, Lai Qiang continued cursing, “You’d better let me go. Do you know who I am? I’ll have someone kill you two!”
“If you don’t shut up, I’ll knock your teeth out one by one,” Lin Ruihai said expressionlessly.
Lai Qiang immediately fell silent.
“What is going on here?” The Village Chief happened to be home and asked in surprise.
“Village Chief, my brother and I should probably move out of this village,” Lan Sisi said first. Her tone was calm, yet it carried a sense of despair.
“What happened? If you’ve been wronged, tell me,” the Village Chief said seriously.
“Just now, this man came to my house and said someone sold me to him for five hundred yuan. He even tried to force his way in and do something improper to me. Fortunately, Lin Ruihai came back in time. Otherwise…” Lan Sisi’s voice trembled with lingering fear and a hint of choking emotion. “So we should move away. This time they tried to sell me to a thug. Who knows what they’ll do next? We just want to live, why is it so hard?”