At the village entrance, Yu Zhen and Li Gaoyuan waited anxiously.
Yu Zhen checked his watch—nearly half an hour had passed. Could it really take that long to walk from the village entrance to the foot of the mountain?
Just as his patience was wearing thin, movement finally stirred in the village...
Several men with red armbands stumbled out in disarray. Their faces were bruised and swollen—some with lumps on their heads, others with cheeks puffed up like steamed buns, and a few covered in mud and weeds, looking like beggars.
"This... this village is cursed..." one of them whimpered.
"Go, hurry! There are wolves... so many wolves..." another stammered, his face twisted in terror.
"And hornets, snakes... too many to count..."
Before Yu Zhen could react, Li Gaoyuan barked orders at his men.
"I have a meeting this afternoon, and you all still have training duties."
"As for the wolf pack in Wang Family Village, Old Yu, you and your men can handle it."
The moment he finished speaking, everyone retreated at lightning speed.
In the blink of an eye, only swirling dust remained.
Yu Zhen glared at Li Gaoyuan’s retreating figure, fuming.
Wang Jianguo, ever the cooperative one, called out, "Hey, comrades, don’t leave!"
"If you go, what about the wolves?"
His face fell with disappointment, but when he turned to Yu Zhen, hope flickered back.
"Leader, you won’t abandon Wang Family Village, will you?"
Help?
Hell no.
Yu Zhen hadn’t come here to hunt wolves for Wang Family Village. Why should he dirty his hands before even reaping any benefits?
Wishful thinking.
Gritting his teeth, Yu Zhen finally waved his hand.
"Fall back!"
"We’ll return tomorrow with weapons to deal with the wolf pack!"
The red armband men scrambled onto their vehicles in relief.
Feng Kangping and the others, who had stayed behind, had already shrunk into the driver’s seat like quails the moment they spotted Shen Nanchu.
Now, seeing the others return, they wasted no time starting the engines and speeding away.
They’d warned them—Wang Family Village had Shen Nanchu, and she was trouble.
But the higher-ups hadn’t listened.
Now, with wolves on the loose, maybe they’d finally believe it.
...
Among the crowd, Zheng Tongwei watched as the police and red armbands left one after another, lowering his eyelids to hide his disappointment.
Originally, he’d planned to use this opportunity to both gain favor with his superiors and earn Pei Zhengnian’s trust by helping him in a crisis—paving the way for his next move.
But now, before his plan could even begin, it was dead in the water.
Sigh...
Today had been about catching them off guard. Tomorrow wouldn’t offer the same advantage.
What a waste.
Shen Nanchu caught the flicker of disappointment in Zheng Tongwei’s eyes.
"Comrade Zheng, you seem awfully upset about the red armbands leaving."
"Just worried about the wolves threatening the villagers," he replied smoothly.
Too bad he was facing Shen Nanchu.
At first, she’d thought Zheng Tongwei was clever enough to be useful as free labor.
But after today, she realized this loose cannon needed to be dealt with.
After all...
Shen Nanchu glanced down at her slightly rounded belly.
You can’t stay on guard forever.
She decided Zheng Tongwei needed a lesson—something to make him think twice.
Minor mischief? She could overlook it for the sake of annoyance points.
But if he pushed too far and ruined her peace, she’d make sure he regretted it.
...
That evening, Pei Zhengnian returned.
The family gathered in the main room.
Pei Zhengnian and the others had already relocated deep into the mountains.
Even if Yu Zhen returned with his men, finding them would be nearly impossible.
Once their reconnaissance mission was complete, official orders would clear everything up.
Father Pei voiced his concern. "The red armbands wouldn’t have known unless someone in the village tipped them off."
"I know who it was," Shen Nanchu said, never one to keep secrets from the Pei family.
"Zheng Tongwei?!" Pei Zhengnian guessed instantly.
"Exactly," Shen Nanchu nodded. "I watched him today when the red armbands arrived. It’s almost certainly him."
Pei's Mother chimed in, "But our family has no connection to him. Why would he target us?"
Right.
Why would Zheng Tongwei, a stranger, scheme against the Peis?
Shen Nanchu silently applauded Pei's Mother’s wisdom.
Father Pei fell silent for a moment. "Second Son, look into Zheng Tongwei’s background."
"I already have people on it. Results should come soon," Pei Zhengnian said. He’d been wary of Zheng Tongwei since his last visit.
After the family dispersed, Pei Zhengnian pulled Shen Nanchu aside in their room.
"I have to leave soon, so listen carefully."
"Zheng Tongwei is definitely trouble—big trouble. I’ll handle him."
"You—don’t act recklessly."
Pei Zhengnian knew Shen Nanchu too well.
She loved stirring the pot, even when she claimed otherwise.
Shen Nanchu blinked innocently.
She’d already planned how to deal with Zheng Tongwei. Let it go?
After all that mental effort?
No way.
Reckless?
Not her style.
She struck only after careful planning—swift and decisive.
Pei Zhengnian watched her obedient nod, his unease growing.
This woman was all too skilled at saying one thing and doing the opposite.
With a resigned sigh, he accepted there was no stopping her.
...
Lately, Zheng Tongwei had grown restless.
Days earlier, Yu Zhen had returned to Wang Family Village—but found nothing.
Pei Zhengnian had vanished into the mountains.
No matter how much Zheng Tongwei searched, he couldn’t uncover their new location.
Losing control of the situation gnawed at him.
And Pei Zhengnian’s swift relocation could only mean one thing: whatever they were doing was critical—and top secret.
But what?
Zheng Tongwei racked his brain, but the answer eluded him.
Today, he wandered the mountains again.
From a distance, he spotted Shen Nanchu approaching, a bamboo basket in hand.
"Well, if it isn’t Comrade Zheng?" Shen Nanchu smiled warmly. "Admiring the bamboo? You’ve been working so hard for the village."
Zheng Tongwei stiffened momentarily before forcing a confident stance. "Yes, just checking which bamboo suits the shampoo containers best."
"How diligent." Shen Nanchu extended the basket. "I just picked these summer mushrooms. Take some back to try."
Zheng Tongwei hesitated, suspicion flashing in his eyes.
Shen Nanchu being nice to him?
Something was off.
But the mushrooms looked fresh and tempting.
His mouth watered slightly.
Her smile seemed genuine.
"Uh..."
"I picked plenty. Sharing won’t hurt."
"Alright then... thanks."
"Don’t mention it."
