Her brows furrowed slightly as she immediately put away the Anti-Wolf Spray and switched to a stun gun, zapping the man directly in the stomach.
The thin, dark-skinned man cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground. After convulsing a few times, he passed out.
Ruan Tong quickly retracted the stun gun, pulled out a wooden stick, and began cursing while fiercely striking the unconscious man: “You villain! How dare you trick me! I’ll beat you to death!”
“Ruan Tong!”
A familiar voice called from behind.
Ruan Tong felt a wave of relief wash over her. The next second, she turned around in alarm, meeting Gu Bai’s anxious and worried gaze. Her eyes gradually reddened.
Her lips trembling, she dropped the wooden stick, rushed into his arms, and clung tightly to him.
“Wah… Fourth Brother, someone bullied me, wah…”
Gu Bai held his little wife in his arms, his expression somewhat complicated.
Just moments ago, he had clearly seen this little woman acting fierce and aggressive—how had she suddenly transformed into a weak, delicate kitten!?
“Who is this man? He’s not from our village, is he?” The villagers who had followed pointed at the unconscious man on the ground.
“Does anyone recognize him?” Gu Rong asked the surrounding villagers.
Gu Wenlin snorted coldly: “No matter who he is, let’s drag him to the village chief first.”
After saying this, Gu Wenlin quickly turned to Gu Bai: “Old Fourth, is Tongtong alright?”
Gu Bai lowered his head, looking at the delicate figure burying her face in his chest.
Ruan Tong shook her head slightly, continuing to sob against his chest.
Both she and the man on the ground had their clothes intact. Everyone present could see that the man had been knocked unconscious by this little wife before he could commit any harm. They all cast strange glances at Ruan Tong.
“Tongtong is fine. I’ll take her back first.”
Gu Bai informed his father, then wrapped his arm around Ruan Tong’s waist and left, not giving the others any further chance to stare.
Gu Rong stood on tiptoe, watching the young couple’s retreating figures, and whispered to Gu Wenlin: “Dad, could this man have been brought here by sister-in-law? I’ve heard that Ruan Tong doesn’t have a very good reputation in her village…”
“Stop talking nonsense!” Gu Wenlin shot Gu Rong a sharp glare, then clasped his hands behind his back and followed the villagers toward the village chief’s house.
Gu Rong, feeling the rebuke, instinctively touched his nose: “These days, you can’t even speak the truth! That Ruan Tong is just a loose woman, isn’t she? Only you and Mom treat her like a treasure, hmph!”
Gu Bai held Ruan Tong’s slender waist, feeling her steps were unsteady and shaky.
“Let me carry you on my back!” Gu Bai said, about to crouch down.
Ruan Tong quickly stopped him: “Fourth Brother, didn’t you just fall? How’s your leg?”
“Fall? I didn’t fall!” Gu Bai was momentarily confused but quickly understood, his expression darkening instantly.
It seemed Ruan Tong had been lured out by someone’s deception!
“That’s good, as long as you’re alright.” Ruan Tong bit her lip regretfully: “I was too foolish, believing a stranger’s words so easily.”
Though she said this, Ruan Tong already had a rough guess about the incident in her heart.
Hah… Xu Yan!
Seeing Ruan Tong’s slightly pale face, Gu Bai, almost without thinking, scooped her up into his arms.
“Fourth Brother…” Ruan Tong gasped softly, instinctively wrapping her arms tighter around Gu Bai’s neck.
“I’ll carry you back.” Gu Bai’s voice was low and measured, yet carried a gentleness she had never heard before: “My leg is much better than before, thanks to your treatment.”
Ruan Tong pursed her lips into a faint smile but said nothing.
Perhaps due to the recent fright and the use of Space’s power, she felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier…
She was still too weak!
By the time Gu Bai carried Ruan Tong back home, she had already fallen asleep in his arms.
Xu Yan, who had been secretly peeking out the window, couldn’t hold back when she saw this scene and immediately ran back inside. “Oh dear, what happened to sister-in-law? Why are her clothes in disarray?”
Gu Bai shot her a cold glance. “Are you blind?”
Where were his wife’s clothes in disarray?
Xu Yan took a closer look and realized that Ruan Tong’s clothes were perfectly intact.
How was that possible!?
“Old Fourth, what happened to Tongtong?” Wu Minzhen came out of the room upon hearing the commotion and asked with concern, “Your father and Second Brother haven’t returned yet?”
“They went to the village chief’s house.” After saying this, Gu Bai carried Ruan Tong back to their room.
Wu Minzhen paced anxiously in the courtyard, unsure of what had actually happened.
Seeing this, Xu Yan remarked coolly from the side, “Why did sister-in-law run out without a word? Could it be she went to meet a lover again?”
Wu Minzhen frowned, finding Xu Yan’s words unpleasant, but she said nothing.
Earlier, she had noticed Old Fourth’s gloomy expression and felt that the matter might not be so simple.
Ruan Tong slept on, showing no signs of waking even by evening.
Wu Minzhen came to check on her several times, and on her last visit, she couldn’t hold back her worry. “Old Fourth, should we call a doctor to examine Tongtong? It’s really concerning that she keeps sleeping like this without waking up.”
Gu Bai shook his head.
He remembered Ruan Tong telling him before that she had this chronic condition. As long as she didn’t have a fever or other symptoms, there was no need to wake her—she would naturally come to when the time came.
“Ah, what a mess this is.” By now, Wu Minzhen had heard about Ruan Tong’s encounter with the ruffian and felt somewhat conflicted.
She left Gu Bai’s room and was about to return to her own when she saw Gu Qin craning her neck and peering through the glass into Gu Bai’s room.
“What are you looking at, girl?” Wu Minzhen pinched Gu Qin’s ear and asked.
Inside the room, Gu Bai heard the noise but didn’t even lift an eyelid, quietly keeping watch over the person before him.
“Mom… I…” Gu Qin bit her lip, hesitating to speak.
“What’s wrong? Were you bullied at school?” Wu Minzhen said, about to pull her back into the room.
Gu Qin hung her head and followed Wu Minzhen inside. She didn’t sit down but stood there stiffly.
Wu Minzhen took a sip of water from her cup and asked patiently, “Speak up, what trouble have you gotten into this time?”
Gu Wenlin, sitting by the kang, quickly shuffled over in his slippers. “What’s going on?”
Their daughter had a fiery temper, always getting into fights and causing trouble—nothing like a proper girl. The old couple had grown accustomed to it.
“Mom… was Ruan Tong… assaulted by someone…”
“Don’t talk nonsense!” Before Gu Qin could finish, Wu Minzhen immediately grew anxious. “Have you forgotten what your parents told you before? Ruan Tong is your sister-in-law…”
“I know who wanted to harm Ruan Tong!”
Gu Qin interrupted Wu Minzhen’s nagging, mustering her courage to lift her head, her gaze resolute.
“Who?” Wu Minzhen was stunned for a few seconds before looking at Gu Qin in surprise.
Gu Wenlin also grew anxious and stepped forward. “Xiao Qin, that Daniu isn’t from our village. How do you know about him?”
Daniu was the nickname of the thin, dark, short man.
He was notorious in the neighboring village as a scoundrel. Though the villagers of Luoxia Village didn’t know him, they recognized him at a glance.
Gu Qin shook her head: “I don’t know him, but… today, my second sister-in-law told me… she said…”
Seeing her hesitate, Gu Wenlin and Wu Minzhen had already guessed what Xu Yan had told her—it was likely related to today’s incident.