Wang Family Village.
Li Shufen hurriedly stuffed clothes into a woven sack.
Two bulging woven bags were piled beside her.
The quilt on the bed had been carelessly rolled into a bundle.
The wardrobe doors stood open.
A few worthless cotton-padded jackets lay scattered outside.
From the moment Lin Yan took Panpan away, Li Shufen had been unable to put her mind at ease.
The scar on that man’s face, those eyes that looked at people as if they were already dead—just thinking of them sent a chill down her back.
Whenever she closed her eyes now, that scene came rushing back.
He had stood at the entrance to the pigsty, radiating Killing Aura, like someone who had crawled out of Hell.
If someone the police couldn’t even stop came back for revenge...
She didn’t dare think any further.
“Hurry up, Fugui! Quit dawdling!”
She yanked up her son, who was still playing in the mud, and dragged her luggage outside.
Fugui followed reluctantly, still clutching half a piece of candy he hadn’t finished.
A crowd had already gathered in the courtyard.
News traveled faster than the wind.
All the neighbors had come, blocking the doorway and whispering among themselves.
When they saw her come out with bags in tow,
the crowd erupted.
“Shufen, what are you doing with all those bags?”
Auntie Wang was the first to come over, her eyes darting back and forth across the pile of luggage.
“Exactly. What’ll happen to the house if you leave?”
Aunt Zhang chimed in, her voice sharp.
“Haozi left this place to you. You can’t just give it up like that!”
“What are you afraid of, Shufen?”
A man at the back of the crowd shouted at the top of his lungs.
“There are so many of us in the village. He wouldn’t dare come in broad daylight, would he? If he does, we’ll fight him! Why should we be afraid of one man?”
Voices of agreement rose all around.
Li Shufen forced a smile more painful than a sob, hugged Fugui tightly, and lowered her head as she squeezed through the crowd:
“Aunties, I’ve made up my mind... Please don’t try to talk me out of it.”
“So when are you coming back?”
Aunt Zhang suddenly asked, staring straight at her.
Li Shufen paused, but didn’t turn around.
“I... I’ll come back if I get the chance.”
As soon as the words left her mouth,
she was already out the courtyard gate, her hurried figure disappearing at the end of the dirt road.
The crowd fell silent for a few seconds.
A woman lowered her voice and said what everyone was thinking:
“From the way Shufen put it... is she not planning to come back?”
The eyes of several old women lit up at once.
Aunt Zhang spoke first, her voice loud and eager:
“Well... I’ll use the courtyard for now! I’ve got nowhere to keep my chickens, and they make such a mess. I’ll give it back when Shufen returns. It’s only temporary.”
“I’ll take the pigsty!”
Auntie Wang quickly chimed in.
“I’ve been worrying about where to keep my pigs. Her pigsty would just sit empty otherwise.”
“I’ll take over the bedroom for a bit. I’ve got relatives visiting these next few days, and there isn’t enough room at home.”
Another woman squeezed forward.
“Then I’ll take the kitchen...”
“Wait, I called dibs on the well in the courtyard!”
Greed was like a weed, growing at the first sign of opportunity.
The neighbors who had been standing up for Li Shufen moments ago now had eyes only for the three mud-brick houses.
...
...
At the village entrance.
A taxi was stopped by the roadside, its engine still running.
Li Shufen approached with Fugui in her arms and bent to ask through the window:
“Driver, how much to Libao Village?”
Libao Village was her parents’ home, twenty li away.
She’d go back and hide for a while, then see what to do once things had blown over.
That man couldn’t possibly follow her all the way to her parents’ home, right?
The driver leaned his head out, smiling amiably.
“A hundred yuan, miss. Hop in and we’ll go.”
“A hundred? Are you robbing me?”
Li Shufen’s voice shot up.
“It’s not even that far!”
“Then how much do you think it should be?”
The driver wasn’t offended.
“Fifty. Otherwise, I’ll take the bus.”
Li Shufen turned as if to leave.
“Oh, come on, miss.”
The driver grimaced.
“Fifty wouldn’t even cover the gas. I’d be giving you a free ride. Look at my car—it runs on gas, not electricity...”
Li Shufen snorted and made to leave with her son in her arms.
“Hey, hey, get in!”
The driver hurriedly called after her, leaning halfway out and beckoning.
“Fifty it is! I’ll take a loss today. Get in, get in!”
Li Shufen paused, the corners of her mouth rising despite herself.
She opened the car door, shoved Fugui inside first, then climbed in herself and slammed the door shut.
The satisfaction of winning the bargain eased some of her earlier panic.
“Fugui, sit still. Don’t move around.”
The driver buckled his seat belt, glanced in the rearview mirror, and smiled faintly.
The car started up and drove out of the village, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Li Shufen turned to look at the village receding into the distance and let out a long sigh of relief.
She’d come back once things had blown over.
By then, those people would probably have forgotten all about this.
She didn’t notice
that the screen of the phone beside the driver’s center console lit up.
A message had been sent.
A few words appeared on the screen:
Target intercepted. Bringing her back now.
...
Elsewhere, at the hospital.
Lin Yan was standing guard outside the hospital room.
His phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen and answered.
“Brother Yan!”
Su Mufeng’s voice boomed through the receiver.
“That Li Shufen you mentioned—I’ve got her!”
“Damn it, good thing my people got there in time. That woman was carrying a whole pile of bags and getting ready to run. Another half hour and she’d have been out of the county.”
Lin Yan said nothing, a cold smile tugging at his lips.
So now she wanted to run?
Too late.
“Brother Yan?”
When he didn’t reply, the other man called out tentatively.
“What should we do about those villagers? Want me to take my men and arrest them all? Lock them up for ten days or half a month and see if they dare do it again...”
“Mufeng.”
Lin Yan cut him off, his eyelid twitching.
That guy still hadn’t learned to think before acting, even after all these years.
He pondered for a moment, then lowered his voice:
“Find out how the people in that village make a living. If they farm, look into their land. If they work, look into their jobs. If they run businesses, look into their stalls. Then cut off their sources of income for me.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
Su Mufeng suddenly understood, his voice rising again.
“Damn! That’s ruthless! Don’t just cut them off—cut them off at the root. Make them wake up worrying every day. That’ll be worse than locking them up.”
“Brother Yan, you’re the man! I’ll get right on it!”
The call ended.
Lin Yan had just put his phone back in his pocket
when footsteps sounded at the end of the corridor.
Zhao Yonggang strode over.
“Mr. Lin. The patient’s vital signs are stable, and she’s out of immediate danger for now. The main focus from here will be rehabilitation and recovery. It’ll be a long process, so you should be prepared.”
Lin Yan nodded, paused, then asked:
“Can I go in and see her?”
Zhao Yonggang glanced at him and asked no questions. He simply pushed open the nearby door.
“Go ahead. Quietly, please. She just fell asleep.”
The hospital room was very quiet.
Lin Yan entered softly and stopped beside the bed.
Panpan lay on the snow-white hospital bed, her little body lost beneath the soft blankets, looking especially tiny.
A nurse had carefully cleaned her little face, revealing her natural complexion.
And at last, her brow had relaxed.
Her breathing was steady, her chest rising and falling gently with every breath. She was sleeping more soundly than ever before.
Lin Yan looked down at her, his chest feeling as if something were lodged inside it.
Who knew how many years it had been since this child had slept so peacefully?
Those nights...
She had been locked in the pigsty, curled up on a pile of moldy hay.
An iron chain had been fastened around her ankle, and fresh wounds marked her body.
She had lain awake like that until dawn, listening to the mice rustle.
She was afraid.
Afraid that once she fell asleep, she wouldn’t know what might fall on her next.
Lin Yan slowly bent down and pulled the slipping edge of the blanket back over her.
Then he straightened and stood there, watching her quietly for a long time.