Su Guisheng supported Old Su crutch as they left the village entrance. After only a few steps, Su Guisheng asked Su Zongming to aid Old Su crutch while he returned home to fetch something.
Back at home, seeing Xiaofeng passed out on the table, he tiptoed to shut the front door, then dashed back to the village entrance, and said to Su Zongming, "Dad, we haven’t brought back the cow yet. You go fetch the cow, and I’ll accompany big brother."
Su Zongming nodded, "Alright, it’s just removing a line. Your company will suffice; I’ll go bring back the cow."
Their gazes met in the air. Su Zongming quickly headed towards the mountain’s rear while Su Guisheng escorted Old Su crutch towards Shanghe Village.
The back door of Su Guisheng’s house was opened, and the voices of Su Xiaotao and Su Zongming could be heard, "Second Lord, just move Xiaofeng to the stack of firewood at the back, and then later, when Liu An arrives, you can bring others over."
Last time, Liu An and Xiaofeng nearly had an incident behind the firewood stack at the village entrance. Xiaofeng and Liu An didn’t go through with it last time; this time, after it’s done, let’s see how she, Xiaofeng, will talk her way out of it.
Su Zongming nodded, "I’ll lift the head, you take the feet. Be gentle in your movements so no one sees us."
"It’s fine, we won’t be discovered." Ma Donghua’s house was at the head of the village, close to the stack of firewood. Moving someone over was only a matter of a dozen meters or so.
"Wait a second." Just as they were about to move her, Su Xiaotao glanced at the table, tidied up a bit, and then started the task.
An elderly and a young one, the older supporting the head, the younger holding the feet, moved the person towards the stack of firewood.
When they arrived by the stack, Su Xiaotao called out a few times to make sure Xiaofeng hadn’t woken up, then covered her body with firewood to ensure no one would discover her, and squatted down to softly say, "Xiaofeng, if you’re going to blame anyone, blame your own bad luck, not others."
After speaking, she herself sat down on a nearby stone bench, took a handful of green beans from her vegetable basket, and started snapping them.
Her eyes occasionally glanced at the road behind her, brooding over how slow Aunt Donghua was. It was already this late; why hadn’t she brought people over yet?
Hearing noises from the back mountain, she thought Aunt Donghua was coming with others, so Su Xiaotao packed up her vegetable basket and stood up to head towards the back. Just as she stood up, she felt a pain in the back of her neck and her entire body went limp as she collapsed.
Ma Donghua arrived with Liu An, heading straight for the stack of firewood at the back of the village, softly instructing, "Liu An, Xiaofeng is fast asleep. Whatever you’re going to do, it’s up to you now."
After being cooped up inside for a few days, Liu An was bursting with malicious energy, and hearing that Xiaofeng was asleep in the nearby firewood stack made him smirk, "Rest assured, she’s pregnant with my child but won’t admit it. I want to see how she’ll deny it now."
His heart ruthlessly pondered, ’Damn woman, you just had the support of the Wu Family. Now, let me catch you in the act and show the villagers; let’s see if the Wu Family will stand up for you again.’
Ma Donghua kept watch at the head of the village while Liu An circled to the back of the firewood stack and spotted a woman whose face was obscured by the dry firewood.
Gazing at Xiaofeng sleeping before him, Liu An’s heart surged with thrill, ’Xiaofeng, I have always said that one day you would fall into my hands.’
Look, it’s only been a few days, and you’ve fallen into my grasp again.
With that thought, he snickered and approached the person lying on the ground...
Liu An’s father led some clan members into the village. They were shouting even before arriving, "Donghua, my Anzi said he’d come over this morning to discuss marriage matters with Xiaofeng. Have you seen him?"
Ma Donghua saw Liu An’s father bringing people over and looked hesitantly towards the firewood stack at the back of the village, "No, it’s early morning..."
"Last time, that Xiaofeng had arranged to meet Anzi behind the village to talk, and as a result, Anzi got beaten by her father," said Liu An’s father as he led people towards the firewood stack.
Before they reached the stack, a woman’s scream pierced the air.
The sound was piercing, deafening, echoing to the skies.