Rural Beauties

The flush of shame reddened Liu Qian's cheeks, and she wished she could crawl into a hole in the ground.

Yet, the thought of taking revenge on Da Jun in this manner brought a thrill she couldn't quite describe.

Feeling Wang Xiaolong becoming bolder, she steeled her heart, "Forget him!"

Hearing this, Wang Xiaolong became even less inhibited…

Meanwhile, Da Jun and the others were drawing ever closer to the shed.

The beams from their flashlights pierced through the windows, illuminating the interior.

This only intensified the tension and the odd sensation escalating inside them.

"Found anything?"

Outside, Da Jun lit a cigarette and asked with a frown.

The others shook their heads in response.

"Where could she be at this late hour?"

"She might have not come near the mountain, but gone back to her own home, maybe?"

Da Jun said, "I called her dad, and she hasn't gone there. She's never left the village from birth, has no relatives either. Other than coming to see Wang Xiaolong, I can't think of anywhere else she could be."

"Then… shall we go further into the forest?" someone suggested, pointing into the woods.

Da Jun was reluctant—Xiao Xi Village's back hills were primeval forest, home not only to poisonous insects but also many wild animals.

It was unnerving even during the day, let alone at night; an accident was likely.

"Hmm~!"

Just then, a low exclamation emerged from inside the shed.

It caught Da Jun's attention, and he frowned, "Did you all not hear that noise?"

"No," the people around were too busy looking everywhere and didn't hear anything.

"I keep feeling like there's some movement inside the shed."

As he was speaking, Da Jun also reached the door of the shed. He peered casually through the crack of a window but saw nothing.

He was about to push the door open but discovered it was locked.

"It must be rats or something. With the door locked, there can't be anyone inside," a subordinate suggested.

Dajun still felt something was off, so he grabbed the lock.

Inside, Wang Xiaolong and Liu Qian were extremely tense.

And just now, that noise hadn't been because they were doing that thing, but because a small snake had suddenly slithered onto Liu Qian's foot just as Wang Xiaolong was about to make his final move.

Despite Wang Xiaolong's quick response to grab and tear it in two, Liu Qian was still terrified out of her wits.

"What to do? They won't come in, will they?" Liu Qian asked in a whisper, appearing very uneasy.

"Xiao Long!"

Just as Wang Xiaolong was about to ask something else, another familiar voice suddenly rang from outside.

Before they could react, Da Jun and his group tensed, "It's that widow Li Qiao'er coming for Wang Xiaolong."

"We can't let her see us together; she would surely suspect Wang Xiaolong's disappearance is connected to us. Let's move," whispered Da Jun, and he signaled everyone to turn off their flashlights and quietly move to the other side.

Silence soon fell outside the door.

But the beam of light from Li Qiao'er was drawing closer.

Resigned, Wang Xiaolong looked at the beauty in front of him and started dressing, "We better leave first. It wouldn't be good to get caught by Sister Qiao'er."

Liu Qian's expression was complex. Although they hadn't gone all the way, Wang Xiaolong had awakened something profound within her.

She found herself immersed in it, almost addicted.

Now, being forced to stop all of a sudden, she was rather unwilling.

But Li Qiao'er was Wang Xiaolong's only close person in the village, and if she happened to see them by accident, it wouldn't be good for anyone.

Helplessly, Liu Qian had no choice but to quickly get dressed.

However, having nowhere to go, she again showed an embarrassed expression.

Wang Xiaolong saw through her thoughts, "Why don't you come back to my house with me?"

Liu Qian shook her head vigorously, "No, if Liu Dajun found out, he would definitely seek crazy revenge on you. You've barely survived, you shouldn't provoke him anymore."

"What are you going to do then?"

"Go back," Liu Qian thought it over and over, there was no other choice but to face the situation at home.

By now, it was midnight, and even if Liu Dajun were a complete scoundrel, he probably wouldn't have the energy to cause trouble; she figured she would be safe tonight.

Wang Xiaolong hesitated for a moment, "Give me a few days. During these days, try to avoid that scoundrel Liu Dajun. Once I find a way, I will help you divorce him immediately."

Liu Qian didn't believe Wang Xiaolong could defeat Liu Dajun, but even if she went back, she wouldn't let Liu Dajun succeed easily.

After a slight nod, Wang Xiaolong opened the window and pulled open the rusty lock from outside.

"You take the path, I'll climb directly over the ridge. Also, don't tell anyone else about my recovery for now."

"Okay!"

After speaking, Liu Qian quietly left through the path, while Wang Xiaolong climbed over the ridge and headed towards Li Qiao'er's place.

Li Qiao'er could have returned to the village earlier.

Even if she couldn't stop Wang Xiaolong from entering the bridal chamber, she could have intervened when he was being beaten.

But right at the entrance of the village, she ran into her mother-in-law. After finally freeing herself, she rushed to the Liu Family's home, only to find a pool of blood on the ground.

Despite Liu Dajun's insistence that the blood wasn't Wang Xiaolong's, Li Qiao'er had a bad feeling and immediately followed.

At this moment, seeing Wang Xiaolong appear from the field, her suspended heart finally settled.

"Xiao Long, what are you running around for? Why aren't you staying safely at home?"

While chiding, Li Qiao'er also ran up quickly.

Her clothes were muddy from earlier, and to find Wang Xiaolong she had hurriedly thrown on a white shirt at home.

Now, as she ran, the fullness under her white shirt bounced as if ready to burst out.

With her long graceful legs, she quickly ran up to him and hugged Wang Xiaolong tightly, "Do you know how worried I was about you? If something had happened to you, how could I explain it to your late grandfather?"

Wang Xiaolong felt a warmth in his heart.

These past two years, he really owed a lot to Li Qiao'er; otherwise, he would have died long ago.

Seeing her anxious and worried face, Wang Xiaolong felt a bit melancholic and swore in his heart to work hard to repay her.

"Sister-in-law, I…"

"Don't say anymore, hurry back home."

Before Wang Xiaolong could explain, Li Qiao'er was already dragging him towards their house.

Previously, Wang Xiaolong's home had four rooms, but after being seized by Liu Dajun, only the smallest two were left.

Due to long-term neglect and poverty, the house could be fully described as bare.

Li Qiao'er brought over a large basin of water, poured it full, then started, "Look at the mess you're in, hurry up and take off your clothes, I'll help you wash."

"Help me wash?" Wang Xiaolong grinned.

"Yeah, didn't I always sneak over to help you wash before?"

Li Qiao'er's husband had died, but her in-laws were still around, and the three of them lived in Wang Xiaolong's eastern courtyard.

Her mother-in-law was a suspicious person, always worrying about Li Qiao'er sneaking around with other men, even though she knew Li Qiao'er often helped Wang Xiaolong out of kindness, she still kept a close watch on her.

Previously, Li Qiao'er had only thought about helping Wang Xiaolong wash clothes and often brought him something to eat.

But after Wang Xiaolong nearly drowned while bathing alone once, she started helping out every now and then, avoiding her mother-in-law.