Chapter 45: Inconsistency and Disappointment

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Inconsistency and Disappointment

This vicious incident had a significant impact on Miao Dahai’s work. On such a cold day, instead of staying warm at home, he had to be out and about.

"Yes, I will, Miao Dahai," Zhao Nuanyue replied. She knew that staying on good terms with him was the only way she and her brother could live peacefully here. "Mr. Hua caught some rabbits, so I brought one for Yang. It should help him recover and hopefully get better soon."

"Good. I also brought some for Yang Guanghui. As for Wang Yuan and Li Qiong’s share, I’ll have Director Li deliver it to your place tonight when I get back." Seeing the nervous look on Zhao Nuanyue’s face, Miao Dahai offered a comforting smile. "We live in the mountains. Getting a little food from them isn’t a big deal, so you don’t have to be afraid. As long as you’re not caught red-handed, it’s no problem at all."

Zhao Nuanyue smiled at Miao Dahai’s words. It was perfectly normal for the villagers to sneak into the mountains to find extra food.

Hua Yusen also laughed and said, "Miao Dahai, you’ve put it perfectly. Here in Nianqiao Village, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away. All that matters is living our own lives well. We don’t want to cause trouble either. Besides, when I was in the mountains, I definitely saw many villagers foraging for a little something extra to eat, just to have a decent meal."

"Yes, that’s right. It’s very common in our village. It’s only Wang Dadan and Li Siming who blow things out of proportion. They’re not really targeting you; they’re trying to take me down. So, in the future, as long as you avoid Wang Dadan and his cronies when you do these things, you should be fine," Miao Dahai replied, taking a subtle jab at Wang Dadan. Although they didn’t catch the person that night, both he and Li Guihua suspected it was him.

They had suspected Wang Dadan last time, too. He had managed to get away twice now.

That Wang Dadan had gone to the county town and still hadn’t returned. They had no idea what was happening with him now.

"Yes, Miao Dahai, I didn’t get a clear look at who it was that night, but the figure from behind looked like Wang Dadan," Hua Yusen said. "It’s all my fault my martial arts skills aren’t good enough. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have let them escape."

Miao Dahai smiled and sighed. "You actually did very well. If it weren’t for you that day, we probably wouldn’t have caught anyone at all. To be frank with you, I also suspect it was Wang Dadan, but without evidence, saying anything would be slander. That Wang Dadan has a silver tongue, and he has a cousin-in-law in the county town, so... you understand what you need to do!"

Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen exchanged a look, each seeing the helplessness in the other’s eyes.

Indeed, the reason they hadn’t named Wang Dadan was their fear that he would turn around and falsely accuse them.

At the same time, they were secretly relieved. ’If the ones who were caught confess and implicate Wang Dadan and Liu Lanhua, they’ll be convicted even if we say nothing. But if those men don’t confess, our words will be useless anyway.’

Miao Dahai was also giving Zhao Nuanyue and Hua Yusen a heads-up, lest they be disappointed with the outcome in the county town and cause a scene, refusing to let it go. That would put him in a difficult position.

But given how sharp Zhao Nuanyue and Mr. Hua were, they should have already understood his implication.

Once they arrived in the county town, they went to the hospital together.

Yang Guanghui was very happy to see them. "Hua, thank you," he said. "If it weren’t for you, the three of us probably wouldn’t have made it out alive."

"I just happened to be there, so of course I had to step in," Hua Yusen said with a light laugh. "Don’t worry too much about it. Just focus on getting better."

"That may be, but it was truly dangerous back then." Just thinking about the situation made the back of Yang Guanghui’s head ache.

"By the way, does it still hurt?" Zhao Nuanyue asked. "Hua brought you some meat. We’ll have someone make you something good to eat to help you regain your strength."

"Thank you both so much," Yang Guanghui said with a smile. "My injuries are just superficial, and I’m a man. But Wang Yuan and Li Qiong were badly frightened. I went to see them today. They tremble in fear at the slightest loud noise!"

Zhao Nuanyue sighed. "Sigh, they’ve had such terrible luck. Those criminals are just too much. Thankfully, three of them were caught. After we leave the hospital, we’ll go to the public security office to ask what kind of punishment they’ll receive."

"I really hope they get locked up for life," Yang Guanghui said fiercely. "They’re rotten to the core!"

After chatting with Yang Guanghui for a while, they went to see Wang Yuan and Li Qiong.

The women’s eyes lit up with joy when they saw Zhao Nuanyue, but just as Yang Guanghui had said, they were indeed as skittish as birds startled by the twang of a bow.

Miao Dahai felt responsible and said to them, "The New Year is just a month away. I’ll go see if I can get you train tickets. If I can, you should go back to the city for the holiday and try to forget the unpleasantness here for a while."

Hearing she could go home, Wang Yuan became very emotional. She walked over and said, "Uncle Miao, I want to go home, I want to go home..."

Li Qiong came to her senses as well. She also wanted to go home.

’She had had enough of Nianqiao Village. Once she got back, she would find a way to stay in the city, no matter what.’

Zhao Nuanyue had no desire to go back at all. Her mother was pregnant with Zhao Jinghai’s child now, making her and her brother feel even more like outsiders. But when her brother, Zhao Nuan Yang, heard they might go home, his eyes sparkled as he looked at his sister.

He was homesick.

’Even though there were bad people in that house, he missed his mom.’

Seeing the state Wang Yuan and Li Qiong were in, Miao Dahai nodded repeatedly. "I’ll do my best! I’ll do my best!"

Afterward, he took Wang Yuan, Li Qiong, and the others to the public security office, also wanting to know the outcome of the investigation.

The three men had already confessed, but surprisingly, they hadn’t implicated Liu Lanhua or Wang Dadan.

Wu Minghai received Miao Dahai, Hua Yusen, Zhao Nuanyue, and their group, and said with an air of self-righteousness, "We have been actively investigating this matter. Three of the individuals have confessed. We are also actively tracking the one who escaped. As for Liu Lanhua, her case is a bit special. She vehemently denies any involvement, claiming she was framed. Furthermore, the three who confessed also said they don’t know her, so we are still investigating. But rest assured, we will do everything in our power."

Hearing Wu Minghai’s words, Zhao Nuanyue sneered inwardly. ’He acts so righteous on the surface, but in reality, no one is even looking for the one who got away. And now, just because Liu Lanhua refuses to admit it, her and Hua Yusen’s testimony is completely worthless—no better than hot air.’

’Liu Lanhua will probably be released in a few days. Then she and Wang Dadan will go right back to stirring up trouble and doing whatever they want.’

’As for those three men, they’ll just be the scapegoats who take all the blame.’

A wave of powerlessness washed over Zhao Nuanyue at the thought, but there was nothing she could do.