During a market trip, Da’an met a local ruffian and hired him to pose as a peddler in Luo Shang Village. As the ruffian forcibly harassed Xiu Yun, Da’an suddenly appeared with villagers, “catching them in the act.” The ruffian escaped through a window, leaving Xiu Yun with no way to defend herself.
Xiu Yun was bound and brought to the ancestral hall, set to be drowned in a pig cage the next day.
The cage was made of thin bamboo strips, tightly bound at the ends. Yu Yi circled it but couldn’t find a way to untie it. She went to a spot behind Xiu Yun where she couldn’t be seen and used a cutting tool to make a large opening big enough for a person to pass through. Then she used a small knife to cut the hemp rope binding Xiu Yun’s wrists.
Xiu Yun’s mouth was gagged, and she was bound so tightly she couldn’t even turn over. She could only stare wide-eyed, shaking her head frantically and making muffled sounds.
Yu Yi, seeing she wanted to say something, first removed the cloth stuffed in her mouth.
After catching her breath, Xiu Yun anxiously said, “Ling’er, what are you doing?! Go back. If Third Uncle finds out, he’ll beat you to death!”
Yu Yi said simply, “I’m here to save you, Aunt Xiu Yun.”
Xiu Yun shook her head, murmuring, “Don’t save me. You can’t save me…”
Yu Yi ignored her and continued cutting the ropes. Xiu Yun grew anxious: “Stop cutting! I won’t run away. If I run, I’ll never clear my name!”
Xiu Yun’s vision went black, almost fainting. Her own sister and husband were having an affair, conspiring to harm her, and she had been completely in the dark!
Yu Yi saw her condition and hurriedly shook Xiu Yun, taking a bamboo tube from her bundle and giving her some water to drink: “Aunt Xiu Yun, Aunt Xiu Yun, you can’t faint, hurry and run. Uncle Er Gou will be here to switch shifts soon.” She then took out a small cloth bag from her bundle and handed it to Xiu Yun, “There’s food inside. Take it with you, Aunt Xiu Yun.”
Xiu Yun took the small cloth bag and bamboo tube, choking back tears: “Ling’er, Aunt Xiu Yun will remember your kindness for a lifetime.” She then hurriedly fled from the Min clan ancestral hall.
Yu Yi watched Xiu Yun until her figure disappeared into the distant grove.
Since Min Er Gou hadn’t come to switch shifts yet, she untied the thick hemp rope she had cut, separating it into several thin strands, tied them tightly around her oversized cloth shoes, and then leisurely walked towards the back of the ancestral hall.
Chapter 34 Village Scum (2)
When Yu Yi first saw the mission brief, she had doubts and asked Boss: “Why didn’t we travel back before Min Da An framed Xiu Yun to prevent this conspiracy? If we had, Xiu Yun wouldn’t have had to leave her home and be branded with the reputation of having an affair.”
Boss explained: “If we prevented the frame-up beforehand, given Xiu Yun’s personality, she would likely forgive Min Da An and Xiu Shui. As long as Min Da An wants to harm her, he’ll always find an opportunity. Can you travel back every single time to prevent Min Da An? In any case, the mission requirements were given to me, and you just need to complete the task.”
Yu Yi was surprised: “Aren’t you the one who set the mission?”
Boss said: “The mission is proposed by the client. Their commission requests come in all sorts of ways… this is still a relatively normal mission.”
“Client?” Yu Yi heard another unfamiliar term, “So you are…?”
Boss cleared his throat: “Me? I’m sort of an intermediary who accepts commissions and selects suitable executors to travel through time and space to complete the mission.”
“Are you… a broker?” Yu Yi asked carefully.
“Previous record?” Boss was now confused.
Yu Yi explained: “Someone who mediates between buyers and sellers, determines prices, and earns a commission as an intermediary.”
Boss paused for a moment, then said: “Something like that.”
Yu Yi recalled that conversation while smiling. She finally understood why Boss always seemed like a businessman.
“Min Ling! Min Ling!” An angry shout came from in front of the ancestral hall.
Yu Yi quickly stood up and ran to the front of the hall. A middle-aged man stood at the entrance, scanning around. When he saw Yu Yi, he angrily scolded: “You little brat, where have you been? Where’s Xiu Yun?” He rushed towards her.
This middle-aged man had a leg injury. Yu Yi stepped back, keeping her distance, and pointed to the small grove behind the hall: “I, I went to catch rabbits.”
The man was furious: “Catch rabbits? I’ll make you catch rabbits!” He rushed towards Yu Yi, raising his hand to hit her.
Yu Yi, being a small girl, was petite and easily dodged his strike. Then she turned and ran. The man limped after her.
To buy time for Xiu Yun to escape, Yu Yi deliberately didn’t run towards the village but ran northwest, stopping after a few steps and making a face at Min Er Gou: “Uncle Er Gou, you can’t catch me.”
Min Er Gou was now enraged, hopping and limping after her. Just as he was about to catch her, she dodged behind a massive tree that would take three people to encircle. They chased around the tree several times until Min Er Gou could run no more. He bent over, supporting himself with his knees, gasping: “You little brat, stop running. I won’t hit you. Go back and tell your Third Uncle that the person… has run away.”
Yu Yi said “Oh” and ran towards the village in small steps, slowing down once she was out of Min Er Gou’s sight. After catching his breath, Min Er Gou also walked towards the village. Seeing her walking slowly in the distance, he shouted: “Why are you walking so slowly? Go and call people!”
Yu Yi turned back: “I was just chased by Uncle Er Gou and can’t run anymore.”
Min Er Gou was so angry he stomped his foot, but his leg prevented him from running. He kept urging her to walk faster. The more he urged, the more Yu Yi would jog a few steps. They finally arrived at the entrance of Luo Shang Village.
Min San Ye’s home was at the village entrance. When he heard Xiu Yun had escaped, he didn’t quite believe it, shaking his head: “How could she have escaped? She was tied up so tightly?”
Yu Yi said: “I don’t know. Uncle Er Gou said so.”
Here is the edited article with the irrelevant content removed:
At this moment, Min Er Gou arrived at the courtyard gate and added: “Someone let Xiu Yun escape. The pig cage and ropes were cut. It must be that adulterer’s doing.”
Min San Ye became anxious: “I just came back to eat, and you let someone escape right under your nose?”
Min Er Gou pointed at Yu Yi: “It’s all because of this little brat who was playing around, running to catch rabbits behind the ancestral hall. By the time I arrived, Xiu Yun had already been set free.”
Min San Ye glared at her, snorted, and said: “Catching her is the priority now. Er Gou, get everyone to come.”
Minr Ergou shouted at the top of his lungs through the village: “Xiuyun has run away!” He yelled from the village entrance all the way to the other end of the village. When people came out to ask what was happening, he told them to go to Min Sanye’s house.
Yu Yi ran ahead of Minr Ergou and first rushed to Xiuyun’s home, shouting outside the small courtyard: “Aunt Xiuyun has run away!”
The simple wooden door suddenly burst open with a “bang”, and a man in his twenties or close to thirty emerged from inside. His features were quite neat, and he looked more alert than the average mountain villager, with an appealing appearance. Minr Daan saw Yu Yi and anxiously asked, “Xiuyun has run away?”
Yu Yi nodded.
“Where did she go?”
Yu Yi shook her head.
Minr Daan was about to run towards the ancestral temple when a young woman in her late teens emerged from the same house. Shui, born to Xiuyun’s stepmother, grabbed Minr Daan’s arm and whispered close to his ear: “Brother Daan, don’t chase her, just let it go…”
