Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Countermeasures
It was a rare opportunity for everyone to share their stories, now that they were in a new environment with changed circumstances.
Seeing that everyone else had spoken, Sun Haoran knew he couldn’t keep his story to himself. "Sigh. My family’s Immortal Grass Hall in Jincheng City has been around for hundreds of years. Someone took a liking to the secret formulas I hold. When I refused to give them up, they had me arrested. My home was ransacked, and they took more than half of the formulas. However, they probably don’t know that was only a third of the complete collection."
Finally, all eyes turned to Gu Qingyu.
Gu Qingyu had spoken the least of anyone there. But with his resolute expression, straight back, and proper posture, he exuded a powerful, decisive aura.
"Heh, since everyone has shared their story, I suppose I can’t keep mine hidden," Gu Qingyu said with a light chuckle. Even his smile couldn’t completely conceal his powerful presence. "I come from a prominent background. I was suppressed due to a difference of opinion. The people who came after me were likely sent by my rivals. It was all meant to bring me down, and I suspect you all were unfortunately caught in the crossfire."
Everyone was taken aback for a moment, but upon reflection, it made sense. No one resented Gu Qingyu, though. ’Hua Yusen and Zhao Nuanyue are probably here to protect Gu Qingyu,’ they thought, ’and they’re protecting us as a side benefit.’
"Sigh, we’re all in the same boat, strangers in a strange land. For us to meet under these circumstances must be a kind of fate," Sun Haoran said with a smile. "There are still more good people than bad in this world, which is how we received help from Xiaohua and Xiao Zhao. The villagers of Nianqiao Village might be wary, but they aren’t completely bad. In these chaotic times, staying here actually allows us to live a few peaceful days."
He Qiang gave a bitter smile, the memory of his recent ordeals bringing back a wave of unbearable pain and despair. "That’s right," he said. "My school in Jincheng City has already shut down. There’s nothing but sadness and helplessness for me back there. My wife works at a textile mill. To avoid dragging her into this, I divorced her. Our child is only twelve, after all. I couldn’t let them suffer along with me. It’s better to be here now. At least I won’t be a burden on my family."
"Meeting Xiaohua here was a blessing for us," Old Sir Qian said. "Otherwise, we really wouldn’t have survived!"
Seeing that everyone had voiced their willingness to settle down and live here in peace, Hua Yusen also stood up. "In that case, let’s stick together and live a quiet life here."
"Though our experiences differ, they’re largely the same. We all had no choice but to leave our homes. Compared to staying in the city, life in the countryside is a bit more lenient," Zhao Nuanyue replied. "I know you may look down on empty formalities, but sometimes people have to compromise to avoid trouble. From now on, you should all read the little red book more often. If you can write some thought reports, I’m sure it will be easier for Miao Cunzheng to answer to his superiors, and then he won’t give you a hard time."
"Yes, Nuanyue is right," He Qiang said. "We’ll write the thought reports in a few days. A man’s got to know when to bend and when to stand tall!"
"I’ll write one too," Sun Haoran agreed with a nod. ’Since I’m a target, I can’t afford to be as complacent as I used to be.’
Old Sir Qian said with a sigh, "I don’t care about anything else right now. I just want to live a good life and have a safe place for my wife and me. I’ll write one."
Since everyone had agreed, Gu Qingyu couldn’t be the only one to refuse. ’After all,’ he thought, ’most of this trouble is because of me, and I might drag others down too.’ He nodded and said, "Alright, I’ll write one as well."
Seeing the older men come around, Zhao Nuanyue finally breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried they would be stubborn, which would only lead to them suffering in the end.
Meanwhile, Liu Lanhua was at home, waiting for her husband to return with news. But she waited and waited, and when he still hadn’t come back, she grew anxious and went out to find him.
It was pitch black outside. After searching the immediate area, she went and knocked on the door of the village security director.
Big Pillar and his wife, who had just fallen asleep, were startled by the pounding on their door. "Who is it at this hour?" one of them grumbled.
When they opened the door, they saw it was Liu Lanhua.
"Well now, if it isn’t Madam Lan Hua! What brings you to bang on our door in the middle of the night?" Big Pillar asked with a cheeky grin, feigning ignorance.
’Madam Lan Hua?’
Da Zhuzi’s wife wasn’t pleased. She jabbed her husband with an elbow and asked with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, "Madam Lan Hua, what is it, so late at night?"
"My husband came out to relieve himself and never came back home. I got so worried waiting that I came out to look for him. I’ve searched all over the village but couldn’t find him," Liu Lanhua said frantically. "Can you help me look?"
Hearing this, Big Pillar chuckled. "Oh, you know, I’d almost forgotten. Siming was caught climbing the volunteers’ wall. It caused such a stir that even Miao heard about it. He locked Siming up in the old shack. You’d better hurry over there and find him."
"What?" Liu Lanhua was stunned. "You must have made a mistake, right?"
"If you think it’s a mistake, go ask your husband. He’s already confessed," Big Pillar said. "Alright, it’s late, Madam Lan Hua. You should hurry over and see him. There’s hay in the shack, but it’s not warm. If you don’t get there soon, your husband might freeze. And if that happens, won’t you be the one suffering, Madam Lan Hua?"
Liu Lanhua felt even more humiliated. ’How could these people treat us this way?’
’Even though my husband doesn’t have a village position anymore, we still have family in the city!’
But before Liu Lanhua could say a word, Da Zhuzi’s wife added, "Madam, living a simple life in our village is perfectly fine. You should talk some sense into Siming. Tell him to stop with his petty schemes. Climbing the volunteers’ wall when he has nothing better to do? That’s just being a hooligan. With all the trouble that’s happened in the village lately, you’d better keep a tighter leash on him, or he’ll end up hurting himself and others."
"We didn’t..." Liu Lanhua tried to argue, wanting to explain.
"Madam Lan Hua, it’s almost one in the morning. If we don’t get to sleep, it’ll be daylight before we know it," Da Zhu’s wife said with a frown. "Besides, it’s freezing out. Can you really rest easy knowing your husband is in that shack?"
"Right, right, I have to go see him." With that, Liu Lanhua wiped her tears and ran toward the shack. With such a disaster befalling their family, she couldn’t let anything happen to her husband.
Carrying a lantern, Liu Lanhua stumbled her way to the shack.
"My dear, my dear!" Liu Lanhua called out desperately. "Are you in there?"
Li Siming was wrapped in a tattered quilt, lying on a bed of straw. It was barely tolerable. They were all from the same village, after all. Even if they couldn’t stand Li Siming, they wouldn’t torment him or let him freeze to death.
"I’m in here!" Li Siming crawled out from the pile of straw. "Go back and get me some hot water and another old quilt. I can just about manage then."
