Chapter 214: Action
Upon learning that the person sent in after much effort didn’t receive the due punishment, and with all close relatives dead and nothing left to concern himself with, Wu Han completely let go and launched his revenge.
Although the scenes of tormenting Wei Junjie were extremely satisfying, sacrificing himself in the process made it hard to say whether it was truly worth it.
Without experiencing others’ suffering, don’t advise others to be kind.
For Wu Han, as a son and brother, there was probably no question of worth or not.
She shook her head and couldn’t help but sigh over the fact that someone who should have had a bright future ended up like that. Fortunately, things had now deviated from the original track, and the Wu family would surely change the predetermined outcome.
“Ah…”
Hearing the sound behind her, Su Ning immediately snapped out of her thoughts, grabbed the flashlight on the table, turned it on, and quickly walked to the bedside.
She saw that the person in sleep had unknowingly broken out in fine sweat on their forehead, with their two curved willow-leaf eyebrows tightly furrowed, looking extremely uncomfortable.
The slightly open mouth, though no longer chapped, still lacked color, and was now emitting unconscious murmurs.
“Sister Wu Meng, Sister Wu Meng!”
As if hearing the call, Wu Meng struggled to open her eyes, her pupils suddenly contracting as she instinctively revealed fear and terror.
Su Ning reached out to touch her forehead and cheek; it wasn’t hot. Breathing a sigh of relief, she carefully sat down and gently held her hand. “Sister Wu Meng, don’t be afraid. You’re safe now.”
“Su… Su…”
“It’s me. I’m here.”
Gripping her hand back and feeling the warmth in her fingers, Wu Meng finally felt a sense of reality: she had truly been rescued and escaped that demon’s lair.
Noticing that she had adapted to the light, Su Ning then pulled the cord of the electric light on the wall not far from the bed.
The warm yellow light instantly brightened the entire room, dispelling the unease brought by the darkness.
“Sister Wu Meng, wait a moment. I’ll get you some food right away.”
Locked underground, who knew how often that beast would feed her; she had become skin and bones, her ribs on her chest and abdomen clearly countable.
Millet porridge was simmering on the small stove in the kitchen, just waiting for her to wake up so she could eat immediately.
Millet porridge was light and easy on the stomach, good for digestion at night.
Su Ning hurried to the kitchen, took a small bowl from the cabinet, filled it with millet porridge, grabbed a small wooden spoon, and rushed back inside the room.
She first placed the bowl on the wooden stool by the bed, propped another pillow behind her, and said, “Sister Wu Meng, let me help you up.”
Slowly helping her sit up half-reclining against the pillow, she then began feeding her the porridge spoonful by spoonful.
After finishing, she applied medicine all over her from head to toe. By the end of the ordeal, the sky was about to brighten.
……
Older people sleep less and lightly, and with such great emotional fluctuation, Zhang Fu and Hu Yingtao slept even more restlessly and got up early.
Thinking they were up early enough, they arrived in the yard to find the kitchen light brightly on, the air filled with the aroma of food.
“Ning Ning?”
“Godfather, godmother, you’re awake.”
“You girl, you didn’t sleep at all last night, did you?”
Seeing her fair little face with a red nose tip from the cold and obvious dark circles under her eyes, Hu Yingtao stepped forward and snatched the spatula from her hand. “Let me do it. You rest.”
“Ning Ning, why don’t you go to our room and nap with Xiao Qiu? How can you go without sleep?”
Zhang Fu beside them couldn’t help but speak up, his reproving tone unable to hide his deep care.
He understood the need to look after the rescued girl, but she couldn’t neglect her own body.
Seeing that dawn had just broken, Xiao Qiu could still sleep another hour or two without being disturbed.
“I just napped a little earlier. No need for more sleep. I feel fine, godfather and godmother. Rest assured.”
“What a stubborn little temperament!”
Seeing she wouldn’t be persuaded, Zhang Fu shook his head and couldn’t help but chuckle and scold. Thinking of something, words that reached his lips were silently swallowed.
In the end, her being like this was because of them.
“Parents, Ning Ning, all up so early?”
“Big brother, why didn’t you sleep more?”
“Had something on my mind, couldn’t sleep well, so I just got up.”
His words plunged the atmosphere into silence.
Realizing he’d said the wrong thing, Zhang Qi secretly pinched the web of his thumb, lowered his eyes, and quickly changed the subject with a light laugh. “Smells so good. What did you make? I’m actually hungry.”
……
After breakfast, Zhang Ze arrived right on time, handed Wu Meng over to Hu Yingtao, and the three left together.
“Ning Ning, are you really okay alone?”
Zhang Ze stood at the road junction, watching Zhang Qi leave first toward the city, then turned back with some concern to look at her.
If not for the five or six hours’ drive from Tao City to Gu City, plus time to find the Wu family and uncertain road safety, he really wanted to switch with her.
“I’m just staking out. Brother Zhang, rest assured. Maybe like big brother yesterday, I’ll find nothing. Besides, I brought my secret weapon.”
Patting her carried bag, Su Ning smiled meaningfully and continued, “If something really happens, who knows who’ll be the unlucky one.”
“Alright, if you discover anything, don’t act rashly. Wait for us to return.”
“Mm, I know. Brother Zhang, be careful on the road and stay safe.”
Ruffling her hair, Zhang Ze headed to the bus station with some unease.
After parting with him, Su Ning didn’t delay and went to the address Zhang Qi had tracked down yesterday.
The stakeout target was Peng Yuyang, the brother-in-law of Yin family head Yin Sheng, around thirty years old, outwardly a good-for-nothing second-generation street thug.
But privately, he handled many matters the Yin family couldn’t openly deal with, far from the ordinary image others saw; he was a very useful knife in Yin Sheng’s hand.
The matter of selling smuggled cultural relics was entirely handled by him meeting and transacting with people.
As usual, after waking and eating breakfast outside, Peng Yuyang wandered aimlessly, soon gathering three or five cronies around him.
Following at a distance, Su Ning showed no anxious expression.
As the day passed, the group either stirred up trouble out of boredom or flirted with the occasional pretty female comrade passing by.
Until nightfall, after gorging and drinking with the others and somewhat drunk, Peng Yuyang staggered home.
Just as she thought it was a fruitless waste of time, the person who could barely walk straight moments ago changed clothes, showed no sign of drunkenness, and quietly slipped out again.
Perking up, Su Ning knew the purple jade’s good fortune held strong; she had truly caught him this time!
Sure enough, along the way, Peng Yuyang avoided crowds as much as possible, using a large hat to cover half his face.
Perhaps out of caution, after taking a long detour, he finally reached the destination.
Only then did she learn there was an abandoned dock downstream in Lishui, with a rundown warehouse.
At the place, Peng Yuyang wasn’t in a hurry. He took a cigarette from his pocket in the open area, lit it, and quietly puffed away.
As time passed, he glanced at his watch, then unhurriedly crushed the just-discarded cigarette butt underfoot.
Several furtive figures appeared at the shaded road junction.
Approaching, she saw they were two groups carrying a wooden box, heading straight to the warehouse with practiced familiarity.
“Brother Yang, this is the last batch of goods this time. All here!”
“Brothers, you’ve worked hard. There’ll be benefits for you once the goods are sold.”
“Hahaha, no need to say. Brother Yang never shortchanges his brothers.”
While talking, their hands didn’t stop; carrying the box, they entered the warehouse and went to the large reed marsh behind, taller than a person.
……
Afraid of being discovered, Su Ning couldn’t follow and could only stay calm, quietly squatting in place to watch.
After more than half an hour, the people who went in came out one after another, chatting and laughing as they all left.
After squatting longer to confirm no one returned, she then felt her way to the spot where they had entered.
“It’s so cold today!”
“Heard snow fell in many places around. Probably soon in the city too!”
“Damn it, those guys go eat and drink spicy food, leaving us three brothers here freezing and swallowing northwest wind. Makes me mad just thinking about it!”
“Hey, we’re just taking turns. It’s only these two nights. Hang in there!”
There were actually people left to guard?
Hearing the voices from the conversation, Su Ning, who was searching with head down, was startled and quickly crouched, hiding herself entirely behind the reed stalks.
