Zhou Yu’an’s words left Lin Wanxia momentarily speechless.
“Forget him. Choose me instead.”
“I’ll take you away from here.”
The offer was tempting. With her parents against her and Zhou Jianbin determined to retaliate, Zhou Yu’an might be her only way out.
But could she trust him?
She searched his expression for some indication of his motives. Pity? Calculation? A passing whim?
His face revealed nothing.
“Why?”
Her voice sounded dry and strained, even to her own ears.
Zhou Yu’an remained silent for a moment before answering casually.
“I’ve disliked that brat for a long time.”
It was a blunt, almost absurdly simple explanation.
Yet somehow, coming from him, it sounded entirely believable.
Lin Wanxia considered his offer.
Marrying Zhou Yu’an would make her Zhou Jianbin’s aunt by marriage. The humiliation alone would be enough to drive her former fiancé mad.
But revenge wasn’t a sufficient reason to marry a stranger.
Zhou Yu’an could offer her protection and a chance to escape the village. Whether she could build a life with him was another question entirely.
“I need some time to think about it,” she finally replied.
Zhou Yu’an didn’t seem surprised.
He simply studied her for a moment, his gaze lingering on her face.
“When you’ve made up your mind, come find me on the hill behind the village.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
Lin Wanxia watched his retreating figure.
His injured leg gave him a noticeable limp, yet his back remained straight, and there was something remarkably steady about the way he carried himself.
Even with a disability, he possessed a strength that few able-bodied men could match.
She slowly clenched her fists.
She couldn’t afford to hesitate for much longer.
The following morning, Lin Wanxia waited until her parents had gone out to work in the fields and earn their daily work points.
Then she slipped through the hole in the wall once again.
This time, her destination was the commune market, thirty li, roughly fifteen kilometers, away.
As she hurried along the road, Lin Wanxia found herself thinking about Zhou Yu’an.
She remembered the strange warmth she’d felt under his gaze at the engagement banquet, and the same inexplicable sensation when his fingertips brushed against hers in the barn.
What was it about that man that unsettled her so?
She couldn’t explain it, and now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
Finding the jadeite came first.
The commune market was already crowded when Lin Wanxia arrived.
Vendors called out their prices while shoppers bargained over eggs, vegetables, and bolts of cloth. The narrow paths between the stalls were packed with people inspecting goods and exchanging news.
Lin Wanxia barely noticed the commotion. She had come for one thing.
Lin Wanxia moved through the crowd with purpose.
Relying on her memories from her previous life, she soon found the stall she had been searching for.
The vendor was a thin, dark-skinned man from the south.
He had spread a piece of cloth on the ground, displaying a dozen or so stones of different shapes and sizes.
Some were smooth and rounded.
Others were rough, jagged, and covered in dirt.
Lin Wanxia’s gaze immediately settled on a dull greenish stone lying in the farthest corner of the display.
It was coated in a thick layer of dust and looked utterly unremarkable.
But she recognized it instantly.
That’s it!
Her heart leaped with excitement.
She had finally found it!
Still, she knew better than to reveal how badly she wanted the stone.
Suppressing her excitement, she crouched beside the stall and began casually examining the merchandise.
“Boss, how much are these stones?”
The vendor grinned, revealing a row of yellowed teeth.
“Heh, young lady, you’ve got a good eye! These are treasures dug straight out of an old mine!”
He gestured proudly toward his collection.
“Ten yuan each! Take your pick!”
Ten yuan?!
Lin Wanxia felt her heart sink.
All the money she possessed didn’t even add up to one yuan.
Ten yuan might as well have been a fortune.
She bit her lip and forced herself to remain calm.
Then she pointed toward the dusty greenish stone in the corner.
“Boss, what about that one?”
She picked it up and examined it with an expression of mild disappointment.
“It’s ugly, and there’s even a crack running through it. Surely you can’t charge ten yuan for something like this?”
She tilted her head innocently.
“I just want to buy it for my little brother to play with, like a big marble. Could you sell it a little cheaper?”
The vendor glanced at the stone.
The moment he recognized it, his enthusiasm vanished.
“Oh, that thing?”
He waved his hand dismissively.
“It’s worthless. Just a piece of scrap.”
He clearly had no interest in keeping it.
“If you really want it, give me fifty cents and take it away.”
Fifty cents!
Lin Wanxia could hardly believe her luck, but she kept her excitement hidden.
“All right. I’ll take it.”
She counted out five jiao—half a yuan—and handed the coins to the vendor.
He pocketed the money without a second thought.
Lin Wanxia carefully gathered the stone into her arms.
It was even larger than her head, and its weight made carrying it rather awkward.
But she didn’t mind.
To anyone else, it was nothing more than an ugly, cracked rock.
To her, it was a treasure worth an unimaginable amount of money.
With the few coins she had left, she bought several steamed buns made from coarse, dark flour.
Only then did she prepare to leave the market.
A satisfied smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
This stone would be the beginning of her new life.
With it, she could finally change the fate that had once destroyed her!
Unfortunately, just as she was about to leave, a shrill voice suddenly rang out behind her.
“Well, well! Isn’t this the crazy girl from the Lin family?”
Lin Wanxia stopped.
She turned around and immediately recognized the woman standing a few steps away.
Widow Liu.
The most notorious gossip in the entire village.
If there was a rumor to spread or someone’s reputation to ruin, Widow Liu was always eager to involve herself.
Her narrow, triangular eyes swept over Lin Wanxia.
Then they landed on the large stone in her arms and the steamed buns she was carrying.
A flash of envy crossed her face.
“Well, look at you, Lin Wanxia!”
She raised her voice deliberately.
“You’ve barely broken off your engagement, and you’re already wandering around the market spending money!”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Where did you get that money?”
“Did you steal it from your family?”
She paused, then leaned forward with a malicious smile.
“Or have you been doing something shameful behind everyone’s backs?”
Her voice was so loud that people nearby immediately turned to look.
Lin Wanxia frowned.
“I’m spending my own money. What business is that of yours?”
“Your own money?”
Widow Liu gave a mocking laugh.
“Everyone knows your family barely has enough to eat. Yet here you are buying stones and steamed buns!”
She raised her voice, drawing the attention of nearby shoppers.
“Tell us, Lin Wanxia, where did that money come from? Have you been buying and selling things privately?”
A few people stopped to listen.
Widow Liu seized the opportunity.
“Everyone, come look! This girl might be involved in illegal profiteering!”
The moment those words left her mouth, the atmosphere changed.
Illegal speculation and profiteering.
In this era, such accusations were no laughing matter.
Private trading outside permitted channels could lead to severe punishment, and being labeled a profiteer could destroy someone’s life.
Lin Wanxia’s expression darkened.
Before she could defend herself, several members of the market’s security patrol hurried over.
They had clearly heard Widow Liu’s accusations.
Within moments, they surrounded her.
“You’re coming with us!”
The patrol captain wore a stern expression as he reached out to seize her arm.
Lin Wanxia immediately stepped back.
“I haven’t done anything wrong!”
“This is my own money!”
But nobody seemed interested in listening.
Widow Liu was only too happy to make matters worse.
“Captain, you’d better investigate her properly!”
She pointed accusingly at Lin Wanxia.
“People like her should be dragged through the streets and publicly denounced!”
The surrounding crowd began whispering.
Some shook their heads.
Others stared at Lin Wanxia with open contempt.
A few even muttered insults under their breath.
Lin Wanxia tried to explain herself again, but her words were drowned out by the growing commotion.
No matter what she said, nobody believed her.
The patrolmen closed in.
One of them reached for her shoulder.
Panic surged through her chest.
If they took her away, there was no telling what might happen.
And if the Zhou family learned that she had been accused of profiteering, they would certainly use it against her.
For a brief moment, despair threatened to overwhelm her.
Then a familiar face flashed through her mind.
Zhou Yu’an.
The man who had saved her in the barn.
The man who had offered to take her away.
But could she really bring herself to depend on someone she had only met twice?
Someone as intimidating and unpredictable as Zhou Yu’an?
Would asking for his protection mean exchanging one dangerous situation for another?
Her thoughts tangled together.
She was still struggling with the decision when a sudden chill seemed to sweep through the crowd.
A commanding voice cut through the noise.
“Move aside.”
Deep.
Hoarse.
Unmistakably authoritative.
The surrounding people instinctively turned toward the sound.
A tall man was making his way through the crowd, leaning on a wooden cane.
His expression was cold and unreadable.
Zhou Yu’an.
The patrol captain froze when he saw him.
He clearly recognized the battle-hardened veteran whose fearsome reputation had spread throughout the surrounding villages.
“C-Comrade Zhou?”
The captain straightened awkwardly.
“What brings you here?”
Zhou Yu’an didn’t answer.
He walked directly past the man and stopped beside Lin Wanxia.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Instead, he reached inside his military overcoat.
From an inner pocket, he withdrew a small object carefully wrapped in red cloth.
He unfolded the fabric.
Resting in his scarred palm was a brass-colored military decoration.
The polished surface caught the sunlight, revealing three engraved words: ‘Second-Class Merit.’
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Second-Class Merit!
Such a decoration was awarded for extraordinary military service. Everyone understood that Zhou Yu’an had earned it through courage and sacrifice.
The patrol captain’s expression changed instantly.
The stern authority he had displayed only moments earlier disappeared, replaced by unmistakable respect.
He straightened his back.
Even his manner of speaking became more cautious.
Widow Liu, meanwhile, turned deathly pale.
Her mouth opened slightly, but not a single word came out.
The woman who had been shouting accusations only moments earlier suddenly seemed desperate to make herself invisible.
Zhou Yu’an calmly wrapped the medal in its red cloth and returned it to his coat.
Then his cold gaze swept across the crowd.
Nobody dared speak.
Finally, he turned toward Lin Wanxia.
She was still standing beside him, clutching the heavy stone in her arms.
Her face was pale from the ordeal, and she had yet to fully recover from the fright.
For the briefest moment, something softened in Zhou Yu’an’s eyes.
He raised his hand.
Lin Wanxia instinctively stiffened.
But he didn’t grab her.
He didn’t pull her toward him or make any attempt to claim her attention.
Instead, he simply brushed a small speck of dust from her shoulder.
The gesture was so natural, so effortless, that it seemed as though protecting her was already second nature to him.
Then he turned back toward the crowd.
His gaze settled on the patrol captain.
When he spoke, his voice was calm and clear, each word carrying unmistakable authority.
“She’s under my protection.”
Silence.
Absolute silence.
For a moment, the entire market seemed to freeze.
Even the wind appeared to stop blowing.
The patrol captain stared at Zhou Yu’an.
Then he looked at Lin Wanxia.
Then back at Zhou Yu’an again.
Cold sweat began forming on his forehead.
He finally understood.
This young woman wasn’t some helpless village girl whom anyone could bully.
She had the protection of a decorated war hero.
And judging by Zhou Yu’an’s expression, he was not making an empty declaration.
The captain immediately snapped to attention and raised his hand in a salute.
“Yes, Hero Zhou!”
His voice was filled with nervous respect.
“It’s a misunderstanding! A complete misunderstanding!”
He quickly stepped aside.
The other patrolmen followed his lead, no longer daring to lay a finger on Lin Wanxia.
Widow Liu looked as though her soul had nearly left her body.
Her legs trembled so violently that she almost collapsed onto the ground.
She had only wanted to humiliate Lin Wanxia and stir up trouble.
Who could have imagined that the fearsome Zhou Yu’an would appear and publicly declare his protection over her?
If he decided to hold her responsible for the accusations she had made, she would be in serious trouble.
The thought alone was enough to make her knees buckle.
Lin Wanxia, however, barely noticed the reactions around her.
She stood motionless, the heavy stone still cradled in her arms.
Her gaze was fixed on the tall figure standing in front of her.
Zhou Yu’an.
He hadn’t offered a lengthy explanation.
He hadn’t argued with the patrolmen or tried to convince the crowd of her innocence.
Instead, he had revealed his military decoration and made his position clear to everyone present.
In the simplest, most decisive way possible, he had told the world that anyone who wanted to harm Lin Wanxia would have to answer to him first.
For someone who had spent her previous life being deceived and abandoned, his protection meant more than she could express.
Lin Wanxia tightened her hold on the stone.
She had trusted the wrong man once and paid for it with everything she loved. She couldn’t afford to make the same mistake again.
Yet Zhou Yu’an had stepped forward when everyone else had turned against her. He had defended her without hesitation, asking for nothing in return.
Perhaps she didn’t know what kind of future awaited her.
But she knew she couldn’t remain in Hongqi Village, living in fear of Zhou Jianbin and his family.
She looked up at Zhou Yu’an.
Then, slowly and deliberately, she nodded.
She had made her choice.