“Help—!”
“Get away from me! Don’t come any closer!”
“Zhenzhen, don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you. Come here quickly, I’ll take you home.”
Seeing Yao Yunzhen like this, Lu Yikang felt a twinge of pity, but his desire to win her over was even stronger.
“Thud—”
Just as he was about to grab Yao Yunzhen, a figure suddenly darted out from behind Lu Yikang and delivered a sharp kick to his lower back.
He was sent flying sideways, crashing hard into the courtyard wall.
The wall was made of mud bricks—not particularly sturdy, but certainly not soft either.
Yet when Lu Yikang slammed into it, a large section of the wall crumbled with a loud crash.
The crowd fell silent, their eyes fixed on Lu Yikang buried in the pile of dirt, then shifting to the person who had struck him.
Yao Yunzhen also recognized the newcomer and felt a surge of joy. “It’s you?”
It was the handsome man who had helped her in the county town a few days ago.
If she remembered correctly, his name was Xie Jingyue.
Not much time had passed, so Yao Yunzhen still recalled his name.
Xie Jingyue quickly looked Yao Yunzhen over. Seeing that her clothes were intact, she didn’t appear disheveled, and there were no visible injuries on her exposed skin, he finally relaxed.
He nodded, then turned his gaze to the man groaning in the dirt pile.
“What happened?”
He had come here looking for someone but heard Yao Yunzhen’s cries for help from a distance. Without a second thought, he rushed over immediately, not even taking the time to assess the situation before acting.
Xie Jingyue had held nothing back in that strike. Lu Yikang lay motionless for a long time, only able to moan in pain.
Yao Yunzhen’s eyes filled with disgust. “This guy suddenly showed up saying he wanted to marry me. When I refused, he tried to force himself on me.”
“What? How dare he do such a thing?”
Xie Jingyue’s expression darkened.
He felt he had been too lenient and wished he could land a few more kicks.
Seeing this unfamiliar man with an extraordinary presence, Miao Cuilan couldn’t help but ask, “Zhenzhen, who is he?”
Yao Yunzhen hadn’t thought much of the mask incident and hadn’t specifically mentioned it to Miao Cuilan after returning. Now wasn’t the time for details, so she briefly explained, “Mom, this is Xie Jingyue. He’s a soldier who helped me in the county town before.”
Yao Dajun couldn’t resist interjecting, “Zhenzhen’s mom, what should we do about this guy? Should we send him to the hospital?”
The current situation left Yao Dajun feeling deeply troubled.
After all, this was the son of the Revolutionary Committee Director. Now that he was in such a state, he feared there would be consequences later.
The others also snapped back to reality.
“Yeah, let’s get him to the hospital first. He seems badly hurt.”
“Who is this guy? How could he just hit someone? What if we get blamed for this?”
“This has nothing to do with me. I didn’t do anything—I never even touched him.”
“Right, it shouldn’t be our fault. This man suddenly rushed in and attacked him. We didn’t lay a finger on him.”
“It’s all Yao Da’s family’s fault for attracting this trouble.”
“If you ask me, it’s such a great match—the kind you can’t even find with a lantern. Why is she so stubborn about refusing?”
“…”
Everyone began shifting blame and complaining.
This young man’s father was the Revolutionary Committee Director, notorious for being blind and ruthless. Who wouldn’t be afraid?
Xie Jingyue’s face darkened as he listened.
Comrade Zhenzhen is such a wonderful person—how could someone like this trash ever be worthy of her?
“Alright, no need to say anymore. I’ll take care of this person. Everyone needn’t worry about him causing you trouble.”
The crowd fell silent, their eyes uniformly turning toward him. After a moment’s hesitation, they chose to acquiesce.
The man was tall and straight-backed, with resolute features and sharp eyebrows that framed piercing eyes radiating unwavering integrity. Still wearing a military uniform, he seemed reasonably reliable.
Mainly, his expression was too intimidating—even if anyone had doubts, they didn’t dare voice them.
Yao Yunzhen’s heart raced at Xie Jingyue’s proposal, but her lingering conscience held her back.
After wrestling with herself briefly, she spoke up to warn him:
“Maybe you should leave first? His family holds considerable influence—his father is the Revolutionary Committee Director, and his mother is the deputy director of the Women’s Federation. If they catch you, you’ll be finished.”
Ah, why was she so kind-hearted?
Miao Cuilan’s expression shifted slightly as she tugged discreetly at the hem of Yao Yunzhen’s clothes from behind.
Xie Jingyue’s expression softened immediately, his demeanor gentle.
“Don’t worry, leave it all to me. I’ll be fine, and I won’t let him bother you again.”
Yao Yunzhen quickly agreed: “Alright then.”
It wasn’t her fault—she’d given fair warning, but if he insisted on taking responsibility, there was nothing she could do.
Xie Jingyue smiled.
Comrade Zhenzhen was just too adorable.
“Then I’ll take him away now.”
He hoisted Lu Yikang over his shoulder, stuffed him into the car, slid into the driver’s seat, waved at Yao Yunzhen, and drove off in a cloud of dust.
“Phew…”
Watching the car disappear into the distance, Miao Cuilan let out a long sigh of relief.
Yao Dajun, however, looked deeply concerned. He glanced at the lingering crowd and waved them off.
“Alright, everyone disperse now. Hurry back to work.”
With everyone gone, there was nothing left to see.
The villagers walked away, chattering animatedly.
Clearly, every detail of this incident was ripe for fervent discussion.
“Your family should stay vigilant lately. If anything happens, you can come find me—I’ll speak to my old superior to put in a good word.”
Miao Cuilan said gratefully, “Thank you, Uncle Dajun.”
Yao Dajun sighed and walked away with his hands clasped behind his back.
Once everyone had left, Miao Cuilan grabbed Yao Yunzhen’s hand.
“Quick, tell me what happened when you went to the county town a few days ago. How did you meet someone like that?”
Yao Yunzhen felt wronged.
“Nothing happened! I didn’t meet anyone, and I don’t even know that person!”
“You’ve truly never seen him before?”
“Never!”
Hearing her daughter’s firm denial, Miao Cuilan grew puzzled. Her intuition told her there was something her daughter had overlooked.
“Then what about the other man later? How did you meet him?”
Yao Yunzhen explained about the face mask incident.
“That’s it, that’s it! It must have been when your mask was snatched—he happened to see it and got ideas.”
“Such a coincidence?”
Miao Cuilan poked Yao Yunzhen’s forehead. “Then you tell me—aside from at home, have you ever been without your mask elsewhere?”
Yao Yunzhen shook her head honestly.
“Then that settles it.”
Miao Cuilan fretted, “Let’s hope that man can resolve this properly. Otherwise…”
Yao Yunzhen also furrowed her brow.
…
As the onlookers dispersed, news of the commotion eventually spread throughout the entire brigade, reaching even those who were still working.
Miao Cuilan happened to be working beside Yao Dajun, which allowed her to rush back immediately. The other Yao family members weren’t nearby and naturally couldn’t return in time.
Upon hearing the full story from others, they grew anxious instantly. Dropping their work, they all hurried home in haste.