Lei Deshui’s shout was like thunder splitting the ground.
In an instant, the noisy alley fell into dead silence.
Even the cicadas in the trees stopped chirping.
The pile of red bricks in the sunlight looked glaringly bright—each one like a hard, deadly weapon.
Dump them on the bed?
That would be like burying someone alive.
Zhao Widow’s face turned deathly pale, even whiter than the powder on her face.
Her lips trembled. She wanted to speak, but her throat felt stuffed with feathers—she couldn’t get a single word out.
She knew exactly what kind of man Lei Deshui was.
This “living devil” was the kind who meant every word he said.
Years ago, over a water dispute, he alone took a shovel and beat three strong men from the neighboring village straight into the clinic—without even blinking.
If he said he would dump bricks somewhere, he really would do it.
Zhang Guifang didn’t even dare gag anymore. She wiped the mud off her face and shrank back like a defeated, drenched hen.
She might be fierce at home, but in front of someone like Lei Deshui, she was more cowardly than anyone.
“Did you understand?”
Lei Deshui swept his gaze across the crowd like a blade.
Those who had been eager to watch the drama all quickly lowered their heads—some pretending to look at the sky, others pretending to tie their shoes—afraid to meet his eyes.
“We… we understand…” someone in the crowd muttered.
He grunted, put his sunglasses back on, hiding the coldness in his eyes.
Before getting back on the tractor, he casually glanced into the Wang family courtyard.
Su Wan was standing in the shadow at the entrance of the woodshed.
She covered half her swollen cheek, her peach-blossom eyes filled with tears as she looked at him.
Their eyes met in midair.
Behind the sunglasses, Lei Deshui’s fierce gaze softened instantly, replaced with a steady calm that made people feel safe.
He gave a nearly imperceptible nod, as if saying: I’ve got you. Don’t be afraid.
Then he stepped on the gas.
Put-put-put-put-put—!
The tractor roared away, spewing black smoke like a proud bull, leaving behind a mess and a village full of silent fear.
The storm had been crushed—by sheer force.
No one dared mention Su Wan again.
After all, nobody wanted bricks dumped on their own bed.
That night, the Wang family was suffocatingly quiet.
Wang Dajun sat on the edge of the kang, drinking one glass after another of dull, bitter liquor.
The arrogance and violence Lei Deshui showed during the day felt like a thorn stuck in his heart.
Jealous—but also afraid.
That helpless anger eventually had nowhere to go except toward the weakest target.
“Cry, cry, all you do is cry! You jinx!”
He slammed the cup on the table.
“If you didn’t run around causing trouble, would all this have happened? Do you know who Lei Deshui is? Someone we can afford to provoke?”
Su Wan kept her head down, silently sweeping the dust on the floor.
She didn’t respond.
Arguing with such a cowardly man was a waste of breath.
“Enough, stop yelling.”
Zhang Guifang came out from the inner room with a hot towel on her face. After being splashed with mud that day, her skin still felt itchy.
“What’s the use of yelling at her? The important thing is to get Daniu to finish the job soon. Once she’s pregnant, it’s done—then nobody can say anything!”
She glared viciously at Su Wan.
“Watch her closely these next few days. Don’t let her out!”
Su Wan’s hand paused slightly, then she continued sweeping.
Late at night.
Su Wan lay on the cold straw in the woodshed.
From her chest pocket, she pulled out the bundle of warm banknotes.
It was the money Lei Deshui had given her.
She counted the money under the moonlight, one bill at a time.
There were fifty bills in total.
Five hundred yuan.
It was a huge sum—enough for her to buy a train ticket to the south, rent a small place, and live peacefully for several months.
If she wanted to, she could escape tomorrow while the Wang family wasn’t paying attention and climb over the back wall.
But…
Her fingers brushed over the rough banknotes, and what appeared in her mind was not the road to freedom.
It was that face—Lei Deshui’s rough, fierce-looking face.
Those wild, beast-like eyes that always protected her in the dark.
And his words: “If the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you.”
She also remembered how, during the day, he drove the tractor like a roaring beast, blocking her family’s door and standing up for her.
That feeling of being protected… was too addictive.
Like a drowning person finally grabbing a piece of driftwood—knowing it might have thorns, but still unwilling to let go.
“Trouble…” she whispered.
She put the money back into her clothes, pressed against her chest.
Then she sighed and closed her eyes.
She knew she was being foolish.
She clearly had a chance to escape, yet she was willing to stay in this swamp a little longer just for that bit of warmth.
The next morning, someone knocked on the Wang family’s door.
“Who is it?” Wang Dajun muttered, still half asleep, as he opened it.
The moment the door opened, he nearly fell backward in shock.
A familiar tractor was parked outside.
Lei Deshui stood at the entrance, a cigarette in his mouth, holding a yellowed document.
“Lei… Brother Lei?” Wang Dajun stammered. “So early in the morning…”
“Cut the nonsense.”
Lei Deshui slapped the document into his chest. “This is last year’s village accounts. You helped check them before. The wages haven’t been settled.”
Wang Dajun looked confused.
He had indeed helped with some accounting work, but that was ages ago—and only worth a few yuan at most. It didn’t seem worth Lei Deshui personally coming over for this.
“It’s too much trouble to pay you in cash,” Lei Deshui said casually.
He pointed at the truck behind him. “I just brought a load of coal from the mine. I’ll use that to pay you.”
“Coal?!”
Wang Dajun’s eyes widened instantly.
That whole truck of coal was at least several hundred jin.
Coal was extremely valuable at this time—something you couldn’t easily buy even with money.
It was enough to keep a household warm through winter, and more than enough to cover those small wages.
“This… this is too generous…” Wang Dajun rubbed his hands, politely refusing with his mouth but already stepping aside to make way.
“Unload it,” Lei Deshui said bluntly. “I still have to go haul bricks.”
He waved to the two men on the truck, and they immediately began unloading the coal.
Black, glossy coal piled up into a small mountain in the yard.
When Zhang Guihua heard the noise and came out, her eyes lit up at the sight.
“Oh my! Brother Lei, you’re really generous! This coal looks great for burning! Dajun, hurry up and pour him some water!”
She circled the coal pile with greedy satisfaction, completely unaware of the truth.
Lei Deshui didn’t even look at her.
His gaze passed over the coal and landed on the broken window of the wood shed.
Su Wan was standing behind it, watching him through the wooden frame.
He said nothing.
He simply flicked ash from his cigarette—an ordinary gesture, but carrying a hint of intimacy only they could understand.
In his heart, he sneered:
This coal is for my woman to stay warm.
If anyone dares to let her freeze…
Next time, what I bring won’t be coal.
It’ll be dynamite.
Meanwhile, Wang Dajun and Zhang Guihua were still thanking him endlessly, thinking they had struck a great deal.
They had no idea—
this entire yard of black gold was nothing more than a casually thrown bait by a ruthless man, just for the woman he kept in his heart.