Yao Sheng agreed: “Alright, your second uncle and I will go check first.”
If they found others there, they could always call for backup later.
Yao Yunzhen quickly added: “I’m coming too, Dad. I know where he is, I’ll take you there.”
That kick of hers had been quite forceful. When she ran away, he hadn’t chased after her, so he was probably still in the same spot.
Yao Sheng initially wanted to refuse, but seeing his daughter’s slightly excited expression, he thought for a moment and agreed.
“Fine, you lead the way. But you have to stay back when we get there. Second brother, keep an eye on Zhenzhen too.”
In Yao Sheng’s heart, Yao Yunzhen came first – her safety was the top priority.
“Don’t worry, big brother.”
Yao Hai also valued Yao Yunzhen highly.
Setting aside any utilitarian considerations, no one could dislike such a beautiful, lively, and cheerful girl.
Though in his heart, his son remained the most important.
Yao Yunzhen led the two men to the small path where she had been walking earlier.
Sure enough, they could see Li Yunqi in the distance, clutching that particular area and walking with difficulty.
Yao Yunzhen pointed: “Dad, he’s the one who bullied me.”
Seeing that there was indeed only one person, and a weak-looking pretty boy at that, Yao Sheng didn’t hesitate at all. He rushed forward, kicked the man to the ground, and pinned him down while punching him.
Every blow landed solidly.
Seeing this, Yao Hai eagerly joined in, adding his own punches and kicks.
Both men were accustomed to farm work and had plenty of strength, far surpassing the frequently lazy and slender Li Yunqi.
Pinned firmly to the ground, Li Yunqi had no way to fight back. He couldn’t even see who was hitting him and could only scream for help.
“Ah—Help! Someone’s beating me—”
Unfortunately, this place was quite remote, and it was work hours. No one came no matter how loudly he screamed.
Yao Yunzhen found it immensely satisfying to listen to.
Hmph, how dare he covet her and pollute her ears with that garbage talk? Let’s see if he’d dare do it again.
Yao Yunzhen wasn’t afraid of creating enemies at all and cheered from the sidelines:
“That’s right, Dad, Uncle, hit him harder! Teach him a good lesson!”
“Yao Yunzhen? Is that you? It’s you, isn’t it?”
Hearing Yao Yunzhen’s voice, Li Yunqi became agitated. He struggled hard, but being pinned down firmly, he could only move his limbs weakly.
Daring to call his daughter’s name in that tone right in front of him – seemed like they hadn’t hit him hard enough.
Though Yao Sheng wasn’t much of a talker, he knew his way around fistfighting and began throwing punches with even more force.
How could Li Yunqi’s delicate skin and tender flesh withstand this? He immediately started begging for mercy:
“It hurts! Stop hitting me! I was wrong, don’t hit me anymore… I apologize, I’ll never dare do it again! Yao Yunzhen, no, Comrade Yao, I’m sorry, I was wrong, please stop hitting me…”
They couldn’t actually beat him to death. Seeing that it was about enough, Yao Hai delivered one more solid punch before stopping. He hauled up Li Yunqi, who now resembled a puddle of mud.
“Say it! Will you dare bully my daughter again or say those disgusting things to her?”
“I… I didn’t do anything! I just wanted to talk to her, but she was unreasonable and kicked me there.”
Li Yunqi felt wronged – he genuinely didn’t think he had done anything wrong.
Although he had wanted to teach that woman a lesson, he hadn’t actually managed to hit her, had he? Instead, he got kicked there. If anyone was bullied, it was him.
The Yao family was just too unreasonable.
At this thought, Li Yunqi’s eyes flashed with anger and resentment.
Smack!
Yao Sheng had no patience for anyone who bullied his daughter. He raised his hand and slapped Li Yunqi across the face.
The blow snapped Li Yunqi’s head to the side, making his already bruised and swollen face even more puffy.
“You still dare to glare? Would my daughter lie? You worthless scum, still trying to argue? I’ll beat you to death!”
Yao Sheng raised his hand and landed several more slaps.
Li Yunqi was beaten until tears streamed down his face, but he didn’t dare reveal his schemes, afraid of being hit even harder. He could only shift the blame:
“I didn’t do anything, really! It was… it was your daughter who said she liked me. That’s why I came to find her. I didn’t bully her.”
Yao Yunzhen couldn’t let this slide: “What nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever say I liked you? Someone like you? I wouldn’t even look twice.”
As she spoke, she looked Li Yunqi up and down with utter disdain.
It had to be said, Yao Yunzhen knew exactly how to provoke people. That look of contempt struck hard at Li Yunqi’s fragile and sensitive pride.
But he didn’t dare lose his temper, swallowing his anger as he insisted, “I’m not lying. You were the one who wrote me a letter first. You said you liked me and wanted to be with me. That’s why I came looking for you.”
Yao Sheng frowned, his expression turning serious: “What letter?”
Yao Yunzhen immediately refuted: “I never wrote you any letter. Don’t you dare frame me.”
At this moment, Li Yunqi finally understood—this woman truly didn’t like him, and that letter couldn’t possibly have been written by her.
He had been set up.
Panic instantly seized Li Yunqi. The little confidence he had left vanished completely.
“It’s true, I really received a letter. It said you liked me and asked me to meet you in the warehouse at night.”
He hurriedly recounted the contents of the letter, trying to prove he was telling the truth.
He often skipped work by taking fake sick leave, and today was no different. While wandering aimlessly around the village, he happened to see Yao Yunzhen.
Since he saw her, he thought he might as well clarify things early to avoid having to go out again at night.
At night, the paths were hard to see, and the mosquitoes were relentless. He’d much rather lie comfortably in bed.
Yao Sheng pressed further: “Where’s the letter?”
“That’s right, where is it?” Yao Hai chimed in. “Quick, bring out the letter.”
Whether the letter was actually written by his niece or not, they had to get their hands on it.
His niece was meant to marry into a Beijing family—how could she be involved with an Educated Youth who was even worse off than the villagers?
Even if there was no real connection, rumors alone would be damaging.
“I didn’t bring it. It’s in the box on my bed.”
Yao Sheng released his grip and let him go.
“Take us to get it.”
Li Yunqi quickly led the way, limping as he guided them toward the Educated Youth Center.
His entire body ached terribly, but he didn’t dare resist or even slow his pace.
When they arrived at the Educated Youth Center, he went inside and retrieved the letter he had hidden away.
Yao Yunzhen snatched it from him and unfolded it immediately.
After a quick scan, she declared firmly, “I didn’t write this letter.”
Although her academic performance wasn’t great, her handwriting was quite decent.
The writing in this letter was not only ugly but also riddled with typos.
Yao Sheng confirmed, “That’s right, it wasn’t written by Zhenzhen.”
He recognized his daughter’s handwriting.
Yao Yunzhen examined the content more carefully. It was written from her perspective, describing how “she” was deeply in love with Li Yunqi.
Yao Yunzhen felt her stomach churn as she read, forcing down the urge to vomit before continuing.
The entire letter was filled with nauseating nonsense, only specifying a meeting at the village warehouse at 8 PM in the end.
That warehouse stored the village’s food rations and farming tools, usually kept locked. Beside it stood a semi-abandoned small warehouse that had no lock.
Buying a lock required both money and industrial vouchers. For such a dilapidated warehouse storing nothing valuable, it wasn’t worth using a lock.