Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“I’m fine now. You can all go back. Chen Si, your leg injury hasn’t completely healed. You don’t need to accompany me. Go back and rest.” After walking about a kilometer, Ye Ling said to Chen Si and the workers.
Seeing that Ye Ling was temporarily safe, the workers expressed their gratitude once more and left one by one.
However, Chen Si stayed behind. He looked at Ye Ling and said, “It’s alright. I have my crutch, and my leg doesn’t hurt at all. Comrade Ye, let me walk you home.”
Ye Ling could tell that Chen Si was still a bit concerned, perhaps worried that Ma Kang’s men might catch up.
After a brief moment of thought, Ye Ling nodded. “Alright.”
The two of them didn’t walk quickly, and they only reached the Wan family’s house as darkness was setting in.
From a distance, Ye Ling saw the grayish smoke rising from the kitchen’s chimney. She then turned to Chen Si, who was about to leave, and said, “Stay for dinner.”
Chen Si waved his hand. “No need, Comrade Ye. I’m heading back now. You must be exhausted today. Go home and have a good meal.”
Ye Ling smiled and nodded. “Alright, thank you very much for today.”
“It’s nothing. You saved me, and I just lent a helping hand. It’s not worth mentioning,” Chen Si said with a warm smile.
Upon returning home, Ye Ling entered the kitchen. Sun Li, seeing that she had returned, approached her with surprise and carefully examined her to ensure she hadn’t been hurt. Once she confirmed Ye Ling was unharmed, she let out a sigh of relief.
“Chen Si had a villager tell me that you’d be back in the evening. I was wondering if he was just fooling me, but you did come back!” Sun Li exclaimed with joy.
Ye Ling briefly explained how Chen Si and the workers had pressured Ma Kang into releasing her.
Sun Li, noticing Ye Ling’s hoarse voice, grasped her hand and asked with concern, “Did that scoundrel Ma Kang mistreat you?”
Ye Ling offered a faint smile and reassured Sun Li, “Auntie Sun, don’t worry. I’m truly fine. What are we eating tonight?”
“I’m planning to make meat pies and egg soup,” Sun Li replied. “If you don’t have much of an appetite, we can prepare something else.”
Ye Ling breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that the conversation had shifted.
In the evening, Wan Hai and Wan Feng returned. They were delighted to find meat pies for dinner, and their stomachs rumbled with excitement.
“Pia!” Sun Li scolded Wan Feng by tapping his hand with her chopsticks. “Lingling hasn’t eaten yet. Why are you in such a hurry?”
Wan Feng pouted and withdrew his hand.
Ye Ling took a meat pie and then offered a crispy, golden one to Wan Feng, brightening his mood.
Wan Hai had already heard about the day’s events from the villagers. While eating the pies, he grumbled, “Why didn’t Min Nan let Wan Feng and me help? I’ve been worried about Lingling all day. Thankfully, she’s alright, or I wouldn’t have let that Ma Kang off the hook!”
Wan Feng banged the table and mumbled, “Lingling, did Ma Kang mistreat you? Don’t be afraid, tell me the truth! I’ve already prepared the sack, and I’ll give him a beating on his way home tomorrow night!”
Sun Li glared at her two sons. “You two won’t be of much help. Min Nan is just worried that you’ll act recklessly and give Ma Kang ammunition. Wan Feng, in particular, doesn’t do anything impulsive.”
“I’m truly fine,” Ye Ling assured with a smile. “Ma Kang simply asked me a few questions. It wasn’t long before Chen Si and the others arrived.”
When Wan Hai returned, he had already observed Ye Ling. Ye Ling was indeed not injured. When he heard Ye Ling’s words, he heaved a sigh of relief and commented, “It’s all thanks to Min Nan’s idea. Otherwise, it would have been quite difficult to handle.”
Sun Li nodded in agreement. “Fortunately, those workers have a conscience. I always knew that good deeds bring good rewards. Lingling is so kind and has helped so many people. God won’t forsake her.”
After three days of absence, Min Nan finally returned. She was accompanied by a special agent sent by the county to conduct a preliminary investigation.
Min Nan took the special agent and the others to the village committee and arranged for Li Dong to receive them before hurrying back home.
As he pushed open the door, the usually composed Min Nan anxiously searched for a certain figure.
Sun Li heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing Min Nan’s return. She then noticed that Min Nan seemed to be searching for someone and explained, “Lingling isn’t at home. She took her identification documents and went to the pharmacy to report.”
“Report to the pharmacy…,” Min Nan nearly forgot. Ye Ling had already passed the pharmacy administrator’s exam, and if it weren’t for Ma Kang’s interference, she might have left the Wan family long ago..