Xiao Manxue, now freed from her bonds, was covered in tears, her body still trembling slightly. Her wrists were marked with bloody rope burns. She collapsed to the ground, her limbs numb, unable to stand.
“Sis... I'm sorry.” Her throat was so tight she could barely make a sound.
Xiao Mandong rubbed Xiao Manxue’s hands and feet, helping her to her feet.
“It’s okay. Don’t be afraid.” She then whispered a few words into Xiao Manxue's ear.
Xiao Mandong told Xiao Manxue to go immediately and inform Lin Wenhui’s family that a suspect had been found here.
Xiao Manxue shook her head. She didn’t want to leave her sister alone, but seeing the determination in her sister's eyes, she gripped Xiao Mandong's hand tightly in response.
Xiao Mandong spoke to Lu Jianguo in a gentle voice:
“My sister is hurt. Let her go to the hospital alone to get her wounds treated. I’ll go home with you in a moment.” Her face even carried a hint of a shy, girlish smile.
Seeing Xiao Mandong like that, Lu Jianguo lost all ability to think and nodded eagerly in agreement.
Xiao Manxue didn’t hesitate any longer. She left quickly. Shen Linzhou, hiding behind a tree, saw her stumble out and pressed himself deeper into the shadows. He hadn’t expected Xiao Mandong to be not only highly skilled in medicine but also this bold.
After Xiao Manxue ran off, Xiao Mandong walked over to Wang Yuanyuan. She watched as Wang Yuanyuan twisted and struggled under the grip of the tall, skinny man, one of the buttons on her chest having popped open. Xiao Mandong raised her hand, kindly buttoned it back up for her, and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear:
“Dear cousin, why so anxious? In a moment, this big brother here will help unbutton your clothes, slowly, one button at a time. If you don’t marry this brother, then I’ll have no choice but to send you to prison.”
It was only then that Wang Yuanyuan truly felt fear. She saw the resolve and ruthlessness in Xiao Mandong’s eyes. She remembered Hu Guizhen saying Xiao Mandong was a madwoman. She now deeply regretted provoking that madwoman. She wanted to apologize to Xiao Mandong, to say she was wrong, that she didn’t want to marry this revolting man, that if Xiao Mandong would only let her go, she would never scheme against Xiao Manxue again. She wanted to beg Xiao Mandong—but Xiao Mandong ignored her pleading gaze and suddenly slapped Wang Yuanyuan hard across the face.
“Smack!” The sharp sound made the air go still. Xiao Mandong’s fingernails cut into Wang Yuanyuan’s cheek, and half her face swelled up instantly. Xiao Mandong had put real force behind it. Wang Yuanyuan felt like her teeth had loosened. Her eyes were filled with nothing but terror, and she even forgot to cry.
That slap was long overdue—from the moment she spread rumors about Xiao Manxue’s identity, from the time she used their cousinly bond to borrow all of Xiao Manxue’s money and drive her into a corner, and now she dared to scheme against Xiao Manxue’s marriage. If you plot against others, you should be prepared to suffer the backlash.
Even the two men hadn’t expected Xiao Mandong to strike so suddenly. She looked so delicate and frail, yet she hit harder than any man. A flicker of wariness crept into their hearts.
Xiao Mandong pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her hands, as if she had just touched something filthy. Then she handed five hundred yuan to the tall, skinny man: “You two go now. I wish you a lifetime of happiness and an early bundle of joy.”
Wang Yuanyuan’s heart sank to rock bottom. She knew Xiao Mandong wouldn’t let her off the hook. As the man reached for the money, she tried to run. The tall, skinny man grabbed her by the hair and yanked hard, pulling her straight into his arms. Then, like dragging a little chick, the two men hauled Wang Yuanyuan out of the old brick kiln. Wang Yuanyuan twisted her head back, desperately trying to look at Xiao Mandong, her mouth still muffling sounds. She hoped Xiao Mandong might soften just a little, might spare her this time for the sake of their cousinship. But she was disappointed. At that moment, Xiao Mandong wished she could skin her alive.
Shen Linzhou clenched his fists behind the tree. He was a soldier; he shouldn’t have allowed something like this to happen. But his instinct told him that Xiao Mandong must have a plan. If he barged in now, would she hate him for it?
Just as Shen Linzhou was still wrestling with his indecision, a blood-curdling scream suddenly rang out from inside the old brick kiln.
Shen Linzhou snapped his head up, his gaze locking onto the kiln’s entrance. Moments later, a man’s desperate cries for help followed.
Inside, Xiao Mandong planted her foot on Lu Jianguo’s leg, the one whose tendon she had just severed, and pressed down hard.
“Ahh—! You bitch! Help!”
Lu Jianguo let out a heart-rending scream, curling his body into a ball as cold sweat soaked through his clothes.
“Tell me—what was that tall man’s name? Where does he live? Where are they going now? Which road are they taking? If you don’t tell the truth, I promise you won’t keep the other leg either.”
Lu Jianguo didn’t dare hold back anything. In broken, halting words, he spilled everything he knew.
He never imagined Xiao Mandong could be so ruthless. He had followed her into the kiln thinking she wanted to be intimate, but that woman had calmly sliced the tendon in his leg with a scalpel. Who could save him now? That woman was too vicious.
Xiao Mandong confirmed the address he gave, memorized it well, then lifted her foot and ground it down one more time before hurrying away.
Shen Linzhou saw Xiao Mandong dash out, looking frantic. He wanted to chase after her, but his wounds were too severe—he couldn’t keep up. So he went into the kiln to check the situation instead.
Inside, the man who had been shouting about remarrying was now curled up on the ground, howling in pain, his trouser leg soaked in blood. Worried that someone might die, Shen Linzhou immediately ran back to the hospital to fetch help. At the hospital’s main entrance, he ran straight into Zhou Qichuan, who had just arrived, sweat beading on his forehead in panic: “Linzhou, have you seen Xiao Mandong? Xiao Manxue was tricked into leaving by Wang Yuanyuan.”
Shen Linzhou didn’t answer his question. Instead, he shouted urgently to the man named Shunzi behind him:
“Quick—go get the doctors. Someone’s been hurt in the brick kiln out back.”
Shunzi sprinted into the hospital.
“Who’s hurt?” Zhou Qichuan’s heart clenched at the word “injured.”
He had promised Xiao Mandong he would look after Xiao Manxue. If something had gone wrong, he could never make it right. He owed Xiao Mandong so many favors, and he couldn’t even handle this one small thing. He felt utterly useless.
“No, don’t worry—Xiao Mandong and Xiao Manxue are both fine.”
Only after hearing Shen Linzhou’s words did Zhou Qichuan let out a deep breath.
Soon after, two doctors came running out with Shunzi, and Xiao Manxue followed behind them.
Seeing Xiao Manxue, Zhou Qichuan finally relaxed, but he couldn’t stop himself from snapping:
“Are you stupid? Anyone lies to you and you just follow along. Can’t you use some common sense? What if something happened to you?”
Hearing his reprimand, Xiao Manxue’s eyes reddened instantly.
Zhou Qichuan only then realized how harsh his words had been. She must already be blaming herself enough. What right did he have to scold her further? Anyone, if tricked under the pretense of their mother’s life being at stake, would lose their composure just as she had.
