Chapter 211: Bringing Back
Meanwhile, Zhang Ze, holding a dagger, quickly ran through the forest like a fierce cheetah, speeding toward that small wooden house before.
At this speed, it didn’t take long for him to arrive at the place where the three big black dogs had fallen motionless.
The drug’s effect hadn’t worn off yet, so the three big black dogs were still in their initial fallen positions.
Squatting in front of the nearest black dog, a fierce glint flashed in Zhang Ze’s eyes as he forcefully slashed the dagger across its neck, and blood immediately spurted out.
He decisively slit each one’s throat one by one, then got up and continued rushing into the wooden house.
He forcefully tore off a corner of the inner shirt under his cotton clothes, and with some heaviness, walked to the dog bed.
At the edge of the overturned jar and basin, besides bits of shredded meat, there was a small toe bone. He carefully picked it up, placed it on a cloth strip, slowly wrapped it, and tucked it into his pocket.
After a good while, Zhang Ze rubbed away the moisture in his eyes with his shoulder, stood up, and with somewhat heavy steps quickly turned and left.
……
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Ning Ning.”
“Brother Zhang, is everything done?”
“Mm.”
After discussion, both Zhang Ze and Su Ning thought it best to first bring Wu Meng back to the small courtyard.
First, it wouldn’t give Wu Meng any chance of exposure; second, these wounds looked terrifying, but Su Ning had the ability to treat them.
Out of caution and because Wu Meng was wrapped in a quilt like this, the two didn’t choose to return during the daytime when there were many people and mixed chatter, but decided to wait until dark.
……
South Gate First Street, Su Family Small Courtyard.
Hearing the courtyard gate sound, Zhang Fu quickly set down his bowl and chopsticks, nimbly rushed straight to the main gate, and impatiently opened the door.
“Just you alone?”
Seeing clearly that only his son was standing at the door, Zhang Fu pulled him inside, closed the gate securely, and repeatedly asked, “Where are Ning Ning and Zhang Ze?”
“They haven’t come back yet?”
“No, didn’t they say they’d be back soon? How come even you, who’s on stakeout, are back and there’s no sign of them? Nothing happened, right?”
Hearing that the two still hadn’t returned, Zhang Qi was also very surprised.
Last night Ning Ning had indeed said they were just going to scout and should be back soon; even if there were unexpected circumstances, it shouldn’t delay this long.
Could it be bad luck, and when they went over, the two ran into that Wei Junjie again?
“You father and son chattering about what in the courtyard?”
Hu Yingtao poked her head out from the kitchen, looked around without seeing Su Ning, her brows furrowed tightly, but thinking her son was also her own flesh and blood, not picked from a garbage dump, the questioning on the tip of her tongue automatically turned to concern.
“Old man, let A Qi eat some hot food first. He’s been running all day and must be starving!”
“Oh, right right, look at me, I forgot in my anxiety. A Qi, eat first. If Ning Ning and the other haven’t returned after you finish, go over there right away to check! Remember the general location Ning Ning mentioned yesterday?”
“I bought two big steamed buns during a gap earlier, I’m not that hungry. I’ll go check first…”
“Knock knock~”
Suddenly slapping his thigh, Zhang Fu’s face lit up, reacting even faster than his eldest son, immediately turning to run and open the door. “They’re back, they’re back!”
Sure enough, standing at the gate were Su Ning and Zhang Ze.
Before he could even speak, he glimpsed the quilt tightly wrapped into a bundle in Zhang Ze’s arms, and his heart jolted, words stuck completely in his throat.
“Godfather, let’s go in first and talk.”
“Alright, alright, quick, come in.”
Once the two had entered, each holding things, Zhang Fu hurriedly closed the gate again and followed closely behind them.
“Godmother, is there hot water?”
“Yes, two thermoses are filled up. Enough? If not, I’ll boil more!”
“Enough. Brother, help move the big bathtub from the bathroom, the thermos, and a bucket of cold water into my room. Godmother, I need your help!”
“Okay!”
Though the mother and son hadn’t figured out the situation yet, they immediately sprang into action upon hearing her words.
No sooner had Zhang Ze carefully placed her on the bed than Zhang Qi and his father arrived with everything she needed into the room.
“Let’s go out first.”
After Zhang Ze led the father and son out the room door, Su Ning closed the door, took a few steps to the bedside, and pulled open the quilt wrapped around her, revealing that exceptionally pale, sickly face.
“This…”
There was actually a living person inside the quilt. Hu Yingtao, standing nearby, jolted in shock. “Ning Ning?”
With extreme disgust, she threw that quilt on the ground, not answering her godmother’s question.
Meeting Wu Meng’s timid gaze, she spoke softly and gently, “This is my godmother. Sister Wu Meng, don’t be afraid. We need to clean you up first before applying medicine to your wounds.”
“Okay… trouble…”
“No trouble. Godmother, towel.”
“Alright.”
Steadying her mind, Hu Yingtao threw the towel hanging on the basin into it, poured in hot water and added cold water, stopping when the temperature was right.
After rubbing the towel and wringing it out a bit, she handed it to Su Ning, who was checking her wounds.
“Godmother, the overhead light isn’t bright enough. Flashlight is in my desk drawer.”
Hu Yingtao immediately went to the desk, retrieved the flashlight from the drawer, and when she turned it on holding it at the foot of the bed, shining the light on her, that body covered in injury marks came into view again, making her throat choke up, nearly bursting into tears.
What sin, what sin!
This fine girl’s body had hardly any intact flesh; even there were torn wounds.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy, all three women’s eyes glistening with tears.
After carefully wiping her clean and applying medicine, putting a set of her own clothes on her, Wu Meng, no longer able to hold out, had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Hu Yingtao gently tucked the quilt at her feet with eyes full of pity, and only then softly asked, “Ning Ning, what happened to her?”
She didn’t dare say outright here that Wu Meng was rescued from that beast’s secret room, fearing it would link to Sister Zhang Qin and directly stimulate her into fainting.
Su Ning, having packed away the bottles and jars, held her hand. “Godmother, let’s go out and talk.”
With godfather and brother there, if any sudden issue arose, there would be someone to help.
Nodding, also afraid of waking the sleeping person, Hu Yingtao turned following the force of her hand without hesitation, but seeing the quilt thrown on the ground, the old habit made her want to pick it up and tidy it.
“Godmother, this quilt is filthy and disgusting; we’ll burn it later!”
“This quilt is still pretty new…”
“Godmother, listen to me—even giving it away to beggars, I’d worry it’d dirty them!”
The chilling coldness in her tone immediately silenced Hu Yingtao, as if she understood something.
The three men were all waiting in the main hall. Seeing the two enter, they all immediately stood up.
Zhang Fu and Zhang Qi wanted to ask what exactly was going on, but Zhang Ze had turned into a wooden post, emitting chilling cold air without uttering a word.
Once everyone was seated on the sofa, all eyes turned to her in unison. Su Ning clenched her palms, opening her mouth several times but unable to speak.
“Her name is Wu Meng. Ning Ning and I found her in an underground secret room in the forest.”
“That beast Wei Junjie did it?!”
“Damn dog thing!”
Hu Yingtao recalled the girl she’d just seen, then thought of her own Nannan, hand clutching her chest as hot tears fell, unable to even moan.
She could only gape like an oxygen-deprived fish, liable to faint the next moment.
“Godmother, godmother, breathe, deep breaths! Don’t get agitated!”
As if insensitive to her unconsciously painful grip, Su Ning anxiously stroked her chest with the other hand nonstop.
“Mom!” “Old woman!”
“I… I’m fine!”
How could she let herself collapse? She had to see that dog thing die badly!
Hu Yingtao exerted all her strength to suppress the stabbing pain in her chest, her reddened eyes filled with endless hatred.
Though they hadn’t seen Wu Meng’s wounds directly, from her reaction, the father and son could easily imagine the shocking horror.
Just thinking about it made their breaths unsteady with hate, even more so wanting to charge into the Wei Family regardless and slaughter him to the heavens and earth.
“Brother!”
Zhang Qi abruptly stood up, startling Su Ning’s brows into a jump as she hurriedly spoke.
Quick-reacting Zhang Ze flashed over in an instant, grabbing him and pinning him against the door so he couldn’t move.
“He’s a beast, we’re not. Zhang Qi, calm down!”
“Calm down!”
The large hand clamping his shoulder squeezed harder again, the pain instantly yanking the frenzied Zhang Qi back to reality.
They say men have tears but don’t flick them lightly, only not yet at the sorrowful place.
Seeing the man covering his face and sobbing in pain, even now minding his parents by venting silently, Zhang Ze felt very bad inside too.
The hand clamping his arm slowly released, shifting to pat his shoulder, silently using his tall body to completely block his current disheveled breakdown.
