Mu Yunsheng rushed forward and shielded Shang Yueli in his embrace.
The oil lamp struck his back heavily, splattering scalding kerosene that instantly ignited with sparks.
Shang Yueli quickly opened her water flask to douse the flames on his back.
The oil lamp crashed to the ground, igniting the bedding Su Moli had thrown aside, and the entire room was abruptly engulfed in fierce flames.
“Fire! Run outside quickly!”
“Move! Why are you just standing there?”
Seeing Jiang Xia limping and hesitating in place, Lin Zhiman pushed and pulled her out.
By the time everyone had escaped, the entire thatched cottage was surrounded by fire, the blazing light piercingly bright, turning the night as vivid as day.
Shang Yueli hurriedly checked Mu Yunsheng’s injuries.
A section of the clothing on his back was missing, and the skin beneath was burned bright red, but fortunately, there was no bleeding.
She retrieved burn medicine from her space and applied it to Mu Yunsheng’s wounds.
Mu Yunsheng soothingly held her hand, “I’m fine, don’t worry.”
Shang Yueli’s eyes reddened briefly as she scolded him, “Why didn’t you just pull me out of the way? Why use your own body to block it? You’re not made of iron—what if you got seriously burned?”
“You fool!”
While carefully applying the medicine, Shang Yueli continued her reproachful words, though she felt just as distressed inside.
There were so many ways to avoid the danger, yet he had chosen the most foolish one.
This wasn’t some plot from a novel—why act so recklessly?
Mu Yunsheng smiled, suddenly feeling a soft warmth in his heart.
He cupped Shang Yueli’s hand, the firelight illuminating his sincere eyes.
“I’m sorry, I acted rashly. But if something like this happens again, I will still protect you in my arms without hesitation.”
Shang Yueli felt her brain short-circuit.
All she remembered was Mu Yunsheng’s lips moving, mumbling something she couldn’t quite catch.
Noticing her dazed expression, Mu Yunsheng asked worriedly, “Madam, are you alright?”
“I’m not!”
“I must have contracted an illness called ‘lustful rogue syndrome.’” Otherwise, why would she feel an overwhelming urge to pin Mu Yunsheng down and torment him mercilessly every time she saw his handsome face?
Shang Yueli patted her burning cheeks and turned to see Lin Zhiman pointing at Su Moli’s nose, yelling:
“You foolish woman, are you insane?”
“You insisted on sharing a room, and now look—the house is burned down. You can spend the night sleeping with the cows!”
A few sudden “moos” echoed from the cowshed, as if in protest.
Su Moli retorted, “It wasn’t on purpose.”
“If I’d known it would cause a fire, I wouldn’t have touched that wretched lamp!”
“Besides, if Brother Wang hadn’t yelled at me, I wouldn’t have been so angry as to throw things!”
Lin Zhiman snapped, “You! You’re utterly unreasonable!”
She decided then and there: from this moment on, this woman before her was her number one enemy!
Henceforth, Jiang Xia would rank second, and Shang Yueli third!
Wang Hu had had enough. Su Moli was a prisoner under his supervision, and if his superiors found out she had burned down the relay station, he would face severe consequences.
Slap! He strode over and struck Su Moli across the face.
Slap! Slap!
Su Moli retaliated with two slaps of her own.
Everyone present stared wide-eyed, their eyes bulging like copper bells: “!!!”
Seeing Wang Hu pressing his tongue against his cheek, his face contorted with rage, Su Moli stood her ground defiantly, “What, you can hit me, but I can’t hit you back?”
“I’m telling you, we’re all human beings, everyone is equal! There’s no distinction between high and low status – you have no right to hit me, and you certainly can’t bully me whenever you want!”
Lin Zhiman stared with her mouth agape, murmuring: “Has she gone mad? How dare she strike an official?”
“Probably so.”
Hearing the familiar voice, Lin Zhiman exclaimed delightedly: “Oh, you’re finally talking to me again!”
For the past two days, Shang Yueli had been treating her like air, and Jiang Xia barely spoke either, nearly driving her mad with boredom.
Just as she was about to continue complaining, Shang Yueli mercilessly pinched her lips shut.
“Shh, you’re much more adorable when you’re not speaking.”
Lin Zhiman: “……?”
Shang Yueli immediately felt her ears were at peace, and she turned her attention back to the scene.
Su Moli’s four brothers had all arrived.
They stared blankly at the burning hut. “Little sister, what happened here?”
Su Moli covered her swollen cheek, tattling: “Brothers, Wang Hu hit me!”
“I only made a small request, and he started yelling at me. It’s not just my fault the house caught fire – with so many people here, why did he only hit me?”
“Brothers, you must avenge me!”
Her four brothers’ expressions instantly darkened upon hearing this.
“Officer, although our Su family are convicted criminals, that doesn’t mean you can bully us like this!”
The speaker was probably Su Moli’s second brother – Shang Yueli couldn’t remember his name.
When she read the book, she found there were too many characters to remember, so she simply called Su Moli’s four brothers Su Yi, Su Er, Su San, and Su Si.
Simple and crude.
Shang Yueli’s gaze swept over each of them in turn.
Eldest brother Su Yi – the brains of the operation, though delicate and weak; future prime minister.
Second brother Su Er – the muscle, though simple-minded; future general.
Third brother Su San – the con artist, though smooth-tongued; future imperial advisor.
Youngest brother Su Si – the money man, though addicted to gambling; future royal merchant.
Shang Yueli sighed inwardly: That damn girl really hit the jackpot.
All four brothers were outstanding talents – Su Moli’s transmigration was purely about reaping benefits without sowing.
Just as Su Er was about to fight Wang Hu, Su Moli quickly stepped in to stop them.
She spread her arms wide, positioning herself between the two men: “Second Brother, Brother Wang, please don’t quarrel over me!”
Shang Yueli: This scene feels strangely familiar?
Su Moli said to her second brother: “Second Brother, Brother Wang just acted impulsively. Don’t blame him.”
Then she turned to Wang Hu: “Brother Wang, I know you were in the wrong here. If you just apologize to me, I’ll forgive you.”
Wang Hu: “.”
Mother Su, being more reasonable, tried to mediate: “Moli, maybe we should just let this go. The officer has had a difficult journey—”
Su Moli interrupted her: “And I haven’t had it difficult?”
“Mother, I think you’ve been oppressed by feudal thinking for too long. Even if he’s an official, if he hits me, he still has to apologize!”
The veins on Wang Hu’s whip hand bulged. He wanted to strike this woman, but remembering his superiors’ orders, he could only throw the whip to the ground and roar: “The entire Su family will sleep in the cowshed tonight! No one gets dinner!”
Without giving her a chance to respond, Wang Hu ordered his men to lock all the Su family members in the cowshed overnight.
After watching the spectacle, Gu Mang brought Shang Yueli and the others to another intact hut to rest.
Though it wasn’t much better, it was still preferable to actually sleeping in the cowshed.
The next day, Shang Yueli rose early to find Gu Mang.
“Brother Gu, are you ready to fulfill your promise?”
Gu Mang fell silent.
Unbeknownst to Shang Yueli, Mu Yunsheng had followed her out and was now hiding behind a nearby corner, eavesdropping on their conversation.