There is no such thing as a wall that the wind cannot pass through. On the third day after Li Ming married off his two daughters, An Fenglan heard about it from somewhere.
Li Huan and Li Le were her biological daughters, the ones she had doted on since they were little. She never expected that in just two days, this dog of a man would marry them off.
Rumor had it that the men’s conditions were very poor and that they beat their wives. Hearing this made An Fenglan’s heart ache with worry.
She went crazy, demanding to confront Li Ming. Her mother and brother together couldn’t even hold her back.
An Fenglan grabbed a cleaver from the yard and ran off, making her mother’s head spin. Good heavens, her daughter wasn’t going to chop someone up with that cleaver, was she? Please, don’t let it come to murder.
She and An Fenglan’s brother chased after her.
“Li Ming, you bastard son of a turtle, get out here!”
An Fenglan was furious and had already started cursing without restraint.
The moment she entered the yard, she began spewing profanities, cursing out eighteen generations of Li Ming’s ancestors.
This drew all the neighbors out to watch the commotion.
“You crazy shrew, what are you making a fuss about?”
The moment Li Ming saw her, he thought of the green hat on his head, and his tone turned hostile.
An Fenglan pointed at him: “I’m asking you, where did you marry off my two daughters?”
Li Ming’s eyes darted around: “How would I know? I don’t even know where those two sons-in-law are from.”
An Fenglan was so angry she raised the cleaver to chop him: “What a sin! My two precious daughters, you pushed them into a pit of fire! You bastard, I’ll chop you to death!”
The onlookers saw that someone might get killed and hurriedly intervened, grabbing her arm. Li Ming dodged in a panic, a patch of his hair sliced clean off, looking rather comical.
He flew into a rage out of humiliation, his earlier guilt gone. He craned his neck and shouted: “You crazy woman, what do you want? They’re my daughters too! Don’t I care about them? I was just finding them a good home, and you’re carrying on like this. I’m telling you, don’t go too far!”
“Pah!”
An Fenglan had a grievance she couldn’t voice. She couldn’t very well announce in front of all these people that Li Huan and Li Le were bastards.
“Ah… I’ll fight you to the death!”
An Fenglan broke free from the crowd and swung the cleaver, charging at him.
“Stop!”
Her mother and brother arrived just in time, each grabbing one of her arms. Fortunately, they came in time—no one was killed. Otherwise, her eldest grandson would have a hard time finding a wife in the future.
“Clatter…”
The cleaver fell to the ground. Taking advantage of their momentary shock, An Fenglan turned and ran.
Her daughters were her life. Since this dog of a man didn’t want to play nice, then let it be mutual destruction.
Li Ming stared thoughtfully at her retreating figure. That was the direction of their factory. A chill ran down his spine. This crazy woman—was she thinking of…
[Wow, An Fenglan sure runs fast. Looks like she’s going to the factory to report that scumbag dad. Haha, what a dog-eat-dog fight!]
Hearing Li Qingge’s inner thoughts, Li Ming shot her a glare. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and ran toward the factory as well.
That afternoon, a huge piece of news exploded throughout the neighborhood.
An Fenglan and Li Ming, both workers at the textile factory, reported each other for stealing bolts of cloth from the factory to sell. This was a serious offense—it could mean prison time. It was essentially fleecing the factory.
The problem was too severe. The factory’s higher-ups investigated, verified the claims, and deliberated through the night. The final decision was to call the police immediately. Both were arrested and fired.
Given the sheer amount of cloth they had stolen, they were ultimately sentenced to nine years.
With the extra people gone, Li Qingge found it quite pleasant to stay in the house alone. She could eat things from her Dimensional Space without fear of being discovered.
The day before she was to go to the countryside, she sold the house for two thousand yuan.
Combined with the money in her Dimensional Space and what she’d spent on purchases, she now had over 2,800 yuan.
Li Qingge had arranged with the buyer that she would stay one final night.
Her assigned destination was Zhuzui Ridge Brigade, Liuping Township, Qingbei County, Pingyang City in the Northeast.
Fortunately, it was autumn now, so she didn’t need to lug around thick coats and quilts. Her down comforter was still tucked away in her Dimensional Space. She only needed to bring daily necessities and a change of clothes.
Li Qingge packed everything up, filling two large army-green duffel bags.
She also prepared a sling bag for easy access to items on the go.
The vegetables, grains, pots, pans, and bowls in the kitchen—anything usable in the house—she stored into her Dimensional Space.
The maroon wardrobe in Li Ming’s bedroom was quite nice, with a lock on it too. She’d take it for now; it might come in handy later.
After cleaning out the house, she stored the bicycle from the yard into her Dimensional Space. She then entered the supermarket, where the bedding section had several double beds on display. Li Qingge grabbed a silk quilt from nearby, lay down on a bed, and fell asleep.
The alarm clock woke her at six. There was an office in the supermarket where she could wash her hair and take a shower. Li Qingge quickly bathed and ate breakfast.
She also took a few pieces of pan-fried chicken breast and lettuce, stuffing them into a steamed bun to save for lunch.
Li Qingge’s house was relatively close to the train station. Carrying her two bags, she walked twenty minutes to arrive at the station.
She glanced at the women’s watch on her wrist—it was already seven o’clock. The train was at seven-thirty. No rush.
This watch was an old-fashioned one she had found in a drawer of her office in the Dimensional Space, brand new, and just right for her use.
The train station was packed with people; at a glance, the entire scene was a world of black, white, gray, and blue.
The young women all wore their hair in a single large braid, or two braids hanging down on either side of their chests.
There were also those with short student haircuts. To avoid standing out, Li Qingge followed local customs and also braided her hair into two plaits. The glossy black braids hung all the way down to her bottom, her skin fair and tender, her big eyes sparkling like water—a face that, once seen, was hard to look away from.
Countless young men pretended to glance at her casually, while the person in question remained completely unaware.
“Rumble…”
The train pulled into the station, and the crowd stirred. Everyone grabbed their luggage, ready to board.
Li Qingge’s seat was in carriage six. She placed her luggage on the rack and looked down at her seat, where an old woman with graying hair was lying down.
She had taken up all three seats by herself. A woman stood beside her, silent and brooding, clearly also a victim of the old woman’s seat-grabbing.
Li Qingge spoke politely, “Auntie, please move aside. This is my seat.”
The old woman opened her eyes, looked at Li Qingge’s fair, delicate appearance—like an easy target—ignored her completely, and closed her eyes again.
Li Qingge suppressed her anger and spoke again, “Auntie, I’m speaking to you nicely right now. If you don’t get up, you’ll have to bear the consequences.”
The old woman’s lashes trembled, but she still ignored her.
“Ah!!”
A scream rang out as Li Qingge sat down directly on the old woman’s stomach.
The moment she sat down, she unexpectedly collided with a gaze.
The man was extraordinarily handsome, with a trace of barely perceptible danger in his eyes. His gaze was dark and unfathomable, his presence imposing.
[Oh my god, I’m going to die—this handsome guy is so hot. Why is he staring at me like that? Has he never seen a beautiful woman before?]