Chapter 360: Su Wen Sets Fire
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Which one should we go for then?”
“Sixth Sister!” Tian Yong smirked lecherously. “Sister-in-law has had her eyes on her. I don’t see why, though; she’s tanned and skinny, hardly worth much.”
“Okay.”
“What about the bicycle?” Su Xuefang eyed the bicycles hungrily.
Tian Gang gritted his teeth. Stealing two bicycles would be troublesome, but they would fetch a tidy sum. It would be a pity not to take them while they could. “We can do whatever we want once Su Wen is dealt with.”
“Hehehe…” His brother’s words were music to Tian Yong’s ears. With a particularly lascivious expression, he said, “Su Wen isn’t the only woman in the Su family. There are several of them! Hehehe…”
“Be careful. We don’t have any room for delays or mistakes.”
“I know.”
Their voices faded as they circled Su Wen’s house, following the length of the courtyard wall. Tian Yong had been here many times and was familiar with his surroundings. Soon… the end was in sight.
Su Wen, hiding under the courtyard wall, overheard the conversation between Tian Yong and Tian Gang. She was so shocked that she broke out in a cold sweat. While brave, even bravery had limits. After all, she had never been in such a position before. Rape and kidnapping were so distant from her life that she had never considered the possibility, having only ever heard of such occurrences on the news.
Su Wen trembled. Was it fear or nervousness? Regardless of her compromised emotional state, she could not allow herself to panic.
Su Wen’s mind raced; timing was the most important consideration now. She had to be prepared for the inevitable confrontation once the bad guys climbed over the wall, breaking into her home. This was the biggest crisis the Su family had faced thus far. If it were not handled well, the consequences would be unimaginable.
It was stifling – she could not even shout lest she attract the attention of those evildoers. Su Wen did not fancy being silenced forever. In the novel she had read, Shi Caiyue’s wrongdoings were exposed by the people she had cheated on, resulting in a fierce argument leading to her death.
Su Wen did not bother gathering up her things in her room. Instead, she knocked on the door to Su Qing and Su Xiu’s room, waking them up. Su Xiu was a light sleeper, so she had no trouble rousing her sister.
“Big Sister…” Su Xiu answered the door, blinking blearily.
“Shh!” Su Wen immediately gestured, whispering, “Don’t talk. There are bad people around.”
Su Xiu jolted in surprise. “What? Where? What do we do? Should we call for help?”
“Go and wake the others. I’ll think of something. Keep your voice down; we don’t want to clue them in,” Su Wen reminded her sister worriedly. “I’ll start a fire. Hide in the water tank with the others. That should keep you all safe from the blaze.”
“Okay. Don’t worry, Big Sister.” Su Xiu put on a brave front, reassured by Su Wen’s plan. She immediately woke Su Qing, and together they roused the rest of their sisters. Sixth Sister and Little Sister Su were the last to be awoken.
Meanwhile, Su Wen went to the kitchen and picked out some dry wood, pine needles, and straw. She dragged the pile to the courtyard and set it alight. At first, the fire grew slowly, so to speed things along, Su Wen dowsed the flames in kerosene, hoping to stir up an even larger commotion to scare the bad guys
away.
The fire sparked and sputtered, crackled, and hissed. Soon, a gout of flames shot into the air. After some calculations, Su Wen deduced the flames would not reach the main house or kitchen. Everything else was expendable. The flames devoured the chicken coop and quickly caught on the firewood Zhou Hengyang had chopped the last time he returned.
Tian Gang and Tiang Yong had just climbed over the courtyard wall. Having not visited Su Wen recently, and Su Xuefang failing to mention the new potted cacti lining the walls, the two men jumped off the ledge and landed in an area packed with prickly thorns and needle-like leaves alike..