Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Stunned by a Heavenly Being
It was too cold. This shack was really no place for a person.
"Okay, okay, I’ll go right now." Liu Lanhua didn’t bother asking any more questions and went to get things for her husband.
A moment later, Liu Lanhua returned. Li Siming felt a bit warmer after drinking the hot water she brought. Then, he said slowly, "That Hua Yusen is no simple man. We’ve all underestimated him."
"Of course he’s not!" Liu Lanhua said bitterly. "That night, he took everyone down all by himself. If Wang Dadan hadn’t run so fast, he would’ve been caught too."
"Sigh... yes." Li Siming mused for a moment. "We need to find a way to get that Hua fellow to leave. Once he’s gone, only the old, weak, sick, and disabled will be left at the Dragon King Temple. They’ll be easy to deal with then."
"You’re the clever one, dear. You thought of a plan right away." Liu Lanhua considered it. "But we can’t rush things, or they might do something desperate. It’s not like we have nothing to fall back on. Our Shanzi is a promising boy, and we have plenty of good days ahead of us. Let’s not be hasty."
Thinking of his promising son, Li Siming felt some of his frustration ease. It proved his past efforts hadn’t been in vain. He nodded. "You’re right. We should try to be more optimistic. Okay, it’s getting late and it’s cold out. Our Yingzi is scared being home alone."
"Okay, dear. You stay alert. I’m heading back now. I’ll bring you hot soup and water first thing tomorrow morning," Liu Lanhua said, her eyes red as she wiped away tears, her voice choked with sobs.
"Don’t cry. Hurry up and go," Li Siming urged. There was no need to make his wife suffer along with him.
Li Siming was finally let out after being locked in the shack for three days.
Wang Dadan came to Li Siming’s house on the evening he was released from the shack.
"So what did you see that day?" Wang Dadan asked. "You didn’t get beaten for nothing, did you? You must have found out something."
"Sigh, just my luck. I was discovered the moment I got on top of the wall," Li Siming said, vexed. "Plus, it was dark and they were all inside. I couldn’t see anything, so naturally, I couldn’t hear what they were saying either."
Wang Dadan was very disappointed to hear this. They had made no progress at all.
"Sigh, we’re just common folk now. What are we going to do?" Wang Dadan sighed. "We can’t go on like this!"
Li Siming frowned. "You’re right. Just look at our living conditions; they’re much worse than before. The village cooperative is auditing my accounts now. I have no idea if they’ll find anything."
Liu Lanhua came in with boiled water. Seeing that her husband and Wang Dadan were silent, she said quietly, "Why don’t we lay low until after the New Year? When spring comes, those people will have to work. If they don’t, if they just try to slack off, that’s when we’ll have our chance to deal with them."
Hearing this, Wang Dadan nodded. "I suppose that’s our only option. It’s freezing out, and those people are just hiding inside. We really can’t find a good opportunity."
"Right, I smelled fish on Hua Yusen that day. Do you think that means he goes out fishing at night?" Li Siming asked. Other people in the village also secretly fished; it was an open secret.
After all, grain and meat were scarce. Without fish, people would likely go hungry.
"Ah, forget about it. Who in this village *doesn’t* fish in the river?" Wang Dadan said irritably. "My boys and the other teens in the village go fishing in broad daylight, and does anyone say a thing?"
"That’s right. If we try to use that against Hua, we’ll just stir up public anger in the village," Liu Lanhua sighed. "We’ll have to think of something else."
Wang Dadan nodded. "Mm, but I can also tell that Miao Dahai and Li Guihua aren’t that kind. Yet they arranged a place for that group and had those two young people look after them. There’s something fishy going on. It’s just that with this freezing weather, Miao Dahai has a perfectly good excuse, and we have no grounds to refute it."
"I think so too," Li Siming agreed with a nod. "If you were still the security chief, this would be easy. We could organize a patrol specifically for the area around the Dragon King Temple."
Wang Dadan thought for a moment. "Mm. I’ll find a way to get that position back."
Zhao Nuanyue overheard the three of them muttering, but since they weren’t saying anything of substance, she gradually began to relax.
The elderly folks slowly recovered from their illnesses.
To avoid arousing suspicion from those in the village with ill intentions, Zhao Nuanyue asked the elders to go out less and stay indoors.
Hua Yusen was in charge of finding food, while Zhao Nuanyue was responsible for cooking and housework. Their coordination really made them seem like a married couple. Hua Yusen had gone to the county town two days ago and had even brought back a lot of paints for Zhao Nuan Yang.
Although some of them were secondhand, to Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuan Yang, they were incredibly precious. The moment Zhao Nuan Yang saw the paints, he treasured them and put them away safely.
Zhao Nuan Yang loved to paint, so when he saw the weather was clear, he moved his easel outside.
He Qiang was strolling in the courtyard and happened to see Zhao Nuan Yang painting.
At first, He Qiang thought Zhao Nuan Yang was just messing around. After all, his impression was that the boy was intellectually disabled. But when he walked closer and got a clear look at Zhao Nuan Yang’s painting, he was utterly astounded.
When he saw someone approaching, Zhao Nuan Yang merely glanced at He Qiang before continuing his work, completely focused.
It wasn’t until the painting—a winter scene of Nianqiao Village—was finished that He Qiang finally spoke. "Young man, who taught you how to do this?"
To create a painting like this would be impossible without four or five years of Power. And this boy... his use of color is exceptionally bold. The vibrant hues, delineated by his linework, don’t feel jarring at all. In fact, they create an even stronger visual impact.
Zhao Nuan Yang felt a little shy under He Qiang’s intense gaze.
"You painted this?" He Qiang’s eyes were practically glued to the canvas. He asked without even turning his head.
Zhao Nuan Yang grew displeased. He sidestepped and shifted the canvas, moving it so He Qiang no longer blocked his line of sight.
He Qiang was taken aback for a second, but then he understood. Zhao Nuanyue’s ’not quite normal’ brother might be unusual in other respects, but He Qiang was now absolutely certain that the young man named Zhao Nuan Yang possessed an artistic talent that was far beyond ordinary.
He Qiang followed him again. Just as he was about to ask another question, Zhao Nuan Yang, clearly annoyed, picked up his canvas and went back into his room, bolting the door from the inside.
He Qiang tried asking a few more questions, but his only reply was the sound of the bolt sliding shut.
Zhao Nuanyue came in from outside and saw a wistful-looking He Qiang staring at the door to her room.
"Mr. He, what’s going on?" Zhao Nuanyue asked tentatively. ’He doesn’t have designs on me, does he?’
