“You!” Zhao Youqian was furious, pointing at Ruan Tinghe. “You dare treat me like this! Fine, fine—I can’t control you anymore, but you must have the police release your parents!”
A villager chimed in, “That’s right! None of the neighboring villages have anyone in jail. Are you trying to make our entire village lose face?”
“Ruan Tinghe, Dashan and the others are your parents after all. They raised you from nothing—aren’t you afraid of divine punishment for doing this?”
“Exactly! They just missed the children and climbed over the wall to see them. And you actually took a knife to them and even had the police arrest them!”
Led by the village chief, several villagers began lecturing her arrogantly.
Ruan Tinghe laughed in anger.
“If you love eating shit and piss so much, go eat it yourselves! Do you even know whether I’m really Ruan Dashan’s biological daughter? If you keep provoking me, I’ll report all of you for child trafficking!”
“And another thing—my household registration was transferred out long ago! I have nothing to do with your Stone Village, nothing to do with Ruan Dashan or Li Qiumei!”
“Xiao Hemiao, how can you say that? Uncle Ruan and the others—”
Before Zhao Xiaogang could finish his effeminate whining, a cold kitchen knife was already pressed against his neck.
“You shut up too! Just looking at you makes me sick!”
The moment she saw Zhao Xiaogang, Ruan Tinghe felt nauseated. This disgusting thing actually wanted to be the father of her three precious children? He should take a good look at himself—what kind of toad thinks it can dream so big?
What made her even more sick was that she had once accidentally discovered Zhao Xiaogang with an old widower in the village’s cowshed…
Ugh!
A degenerate who wouldn’t even spare livestock—absolutely revolting!
And to think that, back then, just to escape the village, she had pretended to be deeply in love with him for a period of time!
That time was nothing but a dark chapter in her life!
“Xiao Hemiao, y-you don’t need to be so impulsive. I’m just trying to persuade you out of kindness. I know life hasn’t been easy for you, raising three children on your own. It’s normal to be a bit hot-tempered. If you’re willing, my family can always—”
“I said shut up!”
Ruan Tinghe could no longer endure it. With a sharp swing, the kitchen knife came down—
Crack!
The umbrella in Zhao Xiaogang’s hand split cleanly in two. The large canopy tumbled into the rain, rolling twice on the ground, as if it were his severed head. Zhao Xiaogang’s eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.
“She’s gone mad! Ruan Tinghe, you really dare to use a knife!”
Chaos erupted outside.
Inside, Shen Yan could no longer sit still. He had never imagined the villagers would be this vicious. It seemed that when he and his teammates had stayed in the village four years ago, their warmth and kindness had all been an act.
He wanted to go out and help, but the eldest child clung tightly to his leg, refusing to let go.
“Uncle, you have to behave. Otherwise, Mom will be angry.”
“I’m going out to help your mom.”
The eldest’s eyes lit up. Wasn’t that why he wanted to find a father? Someone to protect Mom?
And right now, Mom needed protection.
Slowly, he loosened his grip.
“…No.”
The boy shook his head and immediately grabbed Shen Yan’s leg again.
He really wanted the uncle to go out and protect Mom, to beat all the bad people away.
But he didn’t want Mom to be unhappy.
He remembered a previous time when the village chief and others had come to make trouble, trying to force Mom to return to the village to take care of the sick Ruan Dashan.
Mom had refused, and Grandpa Chen had stepped in to help her. But the villagers had shamelessly spread rumors that Grandpa Chen and Mom were having an affair. Everyone had pointed fingers at them, gossiping endlessly, until Grandpa Chen drew his gun to arrest people—only then did the rumors stop.
Afterward, Mom had kept apologizing to Grandpa Chen. The guilt on her face had broken the eldest’s heart. He still remembered it clearly.
“Why?” Shen Yan didn’t understand.
Why would Ruan Tinghe rather face so many people’s hostility alone than let him help?
Why did the eldest just say he wanted someone to protect his mother, yet now refused to let him go out?
“Because bad people will say Mom and Uncle are having an affair.”
The eldest answered seriously, then asked curiously, “Uncle, what does ‘having an affair’ mean?”
Shen Yan couldn’t explain.
A trace of disappointment rose in his chest. So she was afraid people would misunderstand her relationship with him?
Did she really want nothing to do with him?
Her husband was already dead. The villagers treated her and her children like this, yet she still wanted to remain faithful to that dead man?
Rejecting matchmakers. Rejecting his help.
Did she really love him that much?
“Uncle, you should go…”
The eldest tugged him toward the back window, afraid he might lose control and let the uncle go out to fight the bad people.
Shen Yan felt a heavy weight in his chest. The look in his eyes shifted from hurt to determination as he glanced toward the door.
Four years ago, when he learned, she was going to marry the man she loved, he chose to let go.
Now that they had finally met again, no matter what, he wouldn’t give up.
He refused to believe he could lose to a dead man.
“Eldest, I’ll be sleeping in the small car outside. If anything happens, call me for help, okay?”
The boy scratched his head, not understanding why this “bad uncle” wanted to sleep in a car, but he still nodded. “Okay! Bye, Uncle!”
Shen Yan swung his long legs over the window and left quickly, soon getting into a small car outside.
“Well, well, Captain Shen with no shame is back.”
Song Kaiyuan’s exasperated voice rang out. His gaze swept over Shen Yan with disdain before landing on his head.
“That injury—Comrade Ruan wrapped it for you?”
Shen Yan habitually pulled out a cigarette and placed it between his lips—a habit from his undercover days that he hadn’t yet broken.
He didn’t light it, just held it there, closing his eyes to rest.
Song Kaiyuan leaned closer, sniffing carefully.
“Something’s off. This medicine isn’t like what we have in hospitals. What did she say it was?”
“She didn’t.”
“And you still dared to use it?” Song Kaiyuan grew anxious. “You don’t feel anything wrong, do you?”
“It feels very good.” Shen Yan kept his eyes closed, the image of Ruan Tinghe gently tending to his wounds replaying in his mind.
Song Kaiyuan ran his fingers over the gauze. “Even this gauze is different from the hospital’s. It’s too fine. Could this be imported?”
“That’s strange…” he muttered, stroking his chin. “Wasn’t it said that Comrade Ruan lives very frugally raising her children? How could she afford imported goods?”
Suddenly, he grabbed Shen Yan’s arm, his expression turning serious. “Do you think… she could be an enemy agent?”
Shen Yan shot him a look of disdain. “If she were an enemy agent, would I have come back alive from the Red Gang?”
“Good point!” Song Kaiyuan nodded in realization.
“So, should we head back?”
“No. We stay here.”
“You’ve really fallen for her, haven’t you? Otherwise, why rush over in the pouring rain the moment you heard Shan Zhu escaped, afraid he’d come after her? And now you’re staying here to guard her?”
“Shan Zhu has seen her face.”
“But he doesn’t even know she’s still alive, or that she lives here!”
Shen Yan pressed his lips together and said nothing more.
Song Kaiyuan knew his brother had made up his mind—he was determined to act as her guardian.
“Fine, fine. As your brother, I’ll risk my life with you. You’re injured—get some rest. I’ll keep watch. I guarantee not even a single hair on Comrade Ruan’s head will be harmed!”
Who knew how much time passed before Song Kaiyuan suddenly grew excited.
“Bro, bro, look at those people! They actually got beaten out by Comrade Ruan!”
He shook Shen Yan while pressing himself against the window to watch.
“Tsk tsk, so many grown men, and they got beaten into a miserable state by a single woman. What a bunch of trash!”
Shen Yan slowly opened his eyes. By the time he looked outside, only the villagers’ retreating backs remained.
If he had seen Zhao Xiaogang’s face, he would have realized that the “husband” Ruan Tinghe was supposed to marry back then had never died at all.
Four years ago, when he rushed back to the village, he had seen from afar Ruan Tinghe discussing marriage with a man. The way that man’s face bloomed like a chrysanthemum when he smiled—
He would never forget it for the rest of his life.