Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
During dinner, Ye Ling felt that Min Nan was acting a little strange. The way he looked at her was also different from before. However, since Min Nan didn’t show it clearly, Ye Ling didn’t think too much about it.
After dinner, Min Nan called Ye Ling out. “Ma Kang is going to send away the workers who aren’t that seriously injured,” he said.
Ye Ling frowned. “So fast? Could it be that they have already negotiated a price?”
Min Nan nodded. “Almost. After the first batch of workers leave, the remaining people probably won’t stay in Willow Village for too long. After all, they’re not from Willow Village. It’s not convenient for them to stay here for a long time.”
Ye Ling understood what this meant. If Ma Kang sent these people away, there would have been no witnesses or parties involved in the mine incident. Even if they wanted to pursue this matter in the future, there was no way they could do so.
Ye Ling looked up at Min Nan. “When do you plan to report this matter?”
Min Nan’s eyes were firm and calm. “Tomorrow, I’ll go to the county, but this matter is more complicated. I’ll only be back in at least two days.”
Ye Ling took a deep breath and nodded. “Alright, be careful.” After some thought, Ye Ling added, “Don’t worry about me.”
She knew that Ma Kang’s men must have been keeping an eye on Min Nan. Once Min Nan left, Ma Kang would take action. He would either stop Min Nan or target her.
“With my godmother around, Ma Kang can’t hurt you for the time being, but he will threaten you. When the time comes, we’ll act according to the plan.”
Min Nan paused for a moment and looked at Ye Ling. Thinking of the young girl in front of him who was not even seventeen years old, he felt guilty and tender. His tone was as gentle as a spring breeze. “Are you afraid?”
The man’s gentle tone stunned Ye Ling for a moment, and her heartbeat faster in an instant.
Min Nan’s face in front of her slowly overlapped with the man’s face in her dream that night. Ye Ling’s face instantly turned hot. She lowered her eyes in panic. “I’m not afraid.”
“Alright, wait for me to come back. I won’t let Ma Kang hurt you,” Min Nan said in a low voice.
After breakfast the next day, Min Nan left. Ye Ling looked up at the sky. It was a cloudy day, and there was no sunlight at all.
Worried that it would rain, Ye Ling hurriedly grabbed an umbrella and ran out. She caught up with Min Nan and stuffed the umbrella into his hands. “Be careful, it’s raining!”
Min Nan prepared to go to the county with Dai Wei. Dai Wei had already prepared umbrellas and food for the two of them. However, when he saw Ye Ling catching up, Min Nan didn’t say anything. He took the umbrella from Ye
Ling’s hand and smiled. “Okay, I understand. You can go back.”
Ye Ling usually did not smile, but at this moment, when the man in front of her smiled, it was as if the haze in the sky above her head had been dispelled.
The deep gentleness in his eyes was like a jar of mellow ancient wine, intoxicating people before they even tasted it. Ye Ling stared at Min Nan in a daze, lost in her thoughts, and only came back to her senses after a few seconds.
“Alright, then I’ll go back.” Ye Ling turned around, and the cold wind blew at her clothes and hair. She narrowed her eyes to prevent the sand from blowing into her eyes.
The moment Ye Ling turned around, Min Nan had a strong urge to hug the thin girl tightly in his arms. His muscles tensed up, and he almost couldn’t control the urge that came from the depths of his soul.
Min Nan took a deep breath and watched as Ye Ling’s back slowly shrunk. Then, he turned around and left.
Not long after Min Nan left, heavy rain fell. The dry ground quickly turned muddy, and the light in the house was very dim.
Ye Ling sat on the bed and leaned against the wall, listening to the sound of the rain hitting the roof tiles. The sound was crisp and pleasant, like the music played by nature.
But soon, the harmonious atmosphere was disrupted as a noisy commotion came from the door. Ye Ling furrowed her brow, got out of bed, and pushed open the door to step outside. There, she saw Ma Kang wearing a raincoat, with several village cadres following behind him.
Ma Kang’s face was gloomy and even a little flustered.
Sun Li stood beside Ye Ling and looked at Ma Kang impatiently. “What is Secretary Ma doing here? It’s raining so heavily outside. Can’t we talk about it another day?”
Ma Kang ignored Sun Li and looked at Ye Ling gloomily. “Ye Ling, you don’t have a medical license. You operated on a seriously injured worker without permission. It’s a serious violation of the rules. Come with me to the village committee. We want to conduct a comprehensive and detailed investigation on you..”