Chapter 7: Encountering a Robbery

When Auntie Yu’s family saw that she had "cursed her husband to death," they considered her bad luck and wouldn't even let her through their door.

Later, she nearly starved to death on the street, and it was only after meeting Uncle Liangzi that her life was saved.

As time went on, over the years, the two of them grew to understand each other's hearts.

It was just that Auntie Yu was a bit stubborn; she felt Uncle Liangzi deserved someone better, so she never agreed to marry him.

Then, for some reason, she finally agreed last year, but her family showed up again, demanding a bride price.

Uncle Liangzi had the money to pay, but Auntie Yu wouldn't have it.

They hadn't reached out a hand to help her when she was at her lowest, and now that her life was finally getting better, they were back to suck her dry. How could she let Uncle Liangzi be wronged like that?

And so, the marriage was put on hold once again.

Liangzi spent his own money to buy a job for his partner, enough for her to support herself each month.

"She works during the day, and you go to school during the day. Isn't that perfect?" Regarding his good brother's situation, Wen Hao felt helpless; all he could do was support him.

Nan Shuang had no objections. Auntie Yu was a very gentle woman who spoke in soft, quiet tones.

"Mm, I'll listen to Dad."

As for Jiang Li, Wen Hao went to see her one last time before leaving, warning her not to bother Nan Shuang again. If he caught her at it once more, he would make her wish she were dead.

After being disciplined by her mother, Nan Xing also started to behave.

He didn't dare interact too much with his sister, fearing his mother would find out and beat him again.

He didn't dare go to his father either, for fear of triggering his mother's temper.

For the sake of his own future, Nan Xing learned to be obedient.

With his father away, Nan Shuang adapted quickly after the first two days of feeling unaccustomed to the change.

Auntie Yu was truly wonderful. She came over early every day to help make breakfast, and at noon, worried that Nan Shuang wouldn't eat well, she would go home, cook, and bring it to the school.

After getting off work in the evening, she would buy groceries and cook delicious meals for Nan Shuang.

She was more like a mother than her own mother.

If it weren't for the fact that she and Uncle Liangzi were a pair, Nan Shuang would have wanted her to be her father's wife.

"Nan Shuang, you have the day off tomorrow. Do you want to come to work with Auntie Yu?" She felt uneasy leaving Nan Shuang home alone.

This place was a bit remote, and with no adults in the house, she didn't dare let Nan Shuang stay by herself.

Auntie Yu worked at a scrap yard; the work was busy and the pay was low.

To keep her from worrying, Nan Shuang naturally wouldn't refuse her kindness.

"Okay, it'll be a good chance to go over and find some books to read."

"We have those, and plenty of them. Auntie Yu has saved quite a few books in good condition. If you like them, I'll bring them all home for you later." She kept the newer-looking books for herself.

They were just sitting in the scrap yard anyway; no one would say anything.

"Okay."

At a cent or two per jin, she could afford as many books as she wanted. Auntie Yu smiled and patted Nan Shuang's head.

If she had been able to have a child back then, they probably wouldn't be much younger than Nan Shuang now.

A good night's sleep.

During the days her father was away, Nan Shuang had refined a drop of spiritual liquid, but with nowhere to test it, she just let it sit.

She planned to give it to her father to drink when he returned, hoping it would help regulate his health.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the country.

Things were not going well for Wen Hao and Liangzi.

After driving to the big city and selling their mountain goods, they had picked up some city merchandise, intending to sell it back in their hometown.

Unexpectedly, on the way back, they ran into highwaymen.

"Liangzi, look for a chance to run. If I don't make it back, you must help me take good care of Nan Shuang." Looking at the people surrounding the truck, Wen Hao made a difficult decision.

"No, take care of your own child. I'll hold them off, you run." The brothers discussed.

The driver, seeing how many people there were, didn't dare resist and scoffed at their words. With so many people, could they really get away?

"Get out, get out!"

The people outside shouted.

The truck doors opened, and the three of them climbed down.

"Gentlemen, we're just looking to make a living." The driver seemed used to such situations.

The leader walked toward the three of them and glanced at the truck.

"Hand over your money and the goods, then you can go." The leader was a fierce-looking man.

He had a scar on his face that looked like it had been carved by a knife.

He spoke the most pleasant words in the world while wearing the most vicious expression.

Wen Hao and Liangzi didn't react at first.

This was their first time encountering such a thing, and they had assumed, as the legends went, that they would lose both their money and their goods.

"Alright, you gentlemen have a code of honor." Once Wen Hao heard they weren't after their lives, he started trying to build rapport.

But they weren't buying it.

"Move aside, be honest, and hurry up and hand over the money you have on you." A lackey stepped up to block Wen Hao and shoved him aside, shouting fiercely.

Without a second thought, Wen Hao immediately pulled the remaining money from his pocket. "The money is all here; this trip was mainly for picking up goods," he confessed honestly.

Liangzi did the same; he didn't have much cash on him, as it had all been converted into goods.

"The goods are in the truck, gentlemen," Liangzi said, trying to appease them.

The driver stayed silent. He was returning with an empty truck, so as long as they didn't take the vehicle, he wouldn't lose much.

It was just some money; the company would reimburse it later.

The men moved quickly, but their expressions turned ugly when they saw how little they had harvested.

"Boss, that's all there is," the lackey said helplessly.

"Fine, let them go." The boss kept his word.

Not resorting to violence was the best possible outcome. Both Wen Hao and Liangzi let out a sigh of relief.

The driver didn't dare delay; he immediately climbed into the truck, started the engine, and sped away from the mountain road like a flash.

In the truck, Wen Hao and Liangzi were both drenched in cold sweat.

"Brother Zhang, do you run into this often?" Wen Hao felt that transport work was very dangerous.

The driver, Brother Zhang, shook his head with a smile. "This is only the second time I've encountered it. I ran into it once before when I was an assistant driver, but that time our truck was stolen too. This group is actually quite conscientious."

They only took the goods and didn't hurt anyone. Back then, his master had been beaten into the hospital; if a kind stranger hadn't passed by, he and his master would have been fed to the mountain wolves.

"True, they only wanted the money," Liangzi said, still feeling the lingering fear.

"It's a good thing they had a code of honor, otherwise the three of us wouldn't have made it back." The driver was actually scared too, thinking he should run fewer long-distance routes in the future.

He had elderly parents and young children at home.

"As for you two, all your money for this trip is gone. Not only was it a wasted trip, but you've also suffered a significant loss." The driver felt sorry for them.

Although his own money had been robbed too, it wasn't much—only a few dozen yuan. Compared to them, his loss was as small as it could be.

For some reason, he didn't feel as disappointed anymore.

Just as Liangzi was about to say something, Wen Hao stopped him.

"Exactly, you tell me, what are we going to do? Life is really getting harder and harder." Wen Hao wore a bitter expression.

Liangzi wasn't stupid and quickly caught on. "Sigh, I guess we should just stick to farming from now on."

All the way back, the two of them sighed and lamented.

The driver found it hard to say anything more.

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(End of chapter)