Xiuyun nodded and said nothing, then stood up to leave. Yu Yi followed her out, whispering, “Aunt Xiuyun, are you going to save Aunt Xiushuang? I’ll help you.”
Xiuyun turned to face Yu Yi, bent down to support her thin shoulders, and smiled, “Ling’er, you helped me escape yesterday, and you also helped me on the mountain! Aunt Xiuyun will remember your kindness forever. Fortunately, my injustice was cleared, which saved you from being punished by Third Uncle, and the mountain slope was so dangerous last night! This time, Aunt Xiuyun won’t let you take risks again. Xiushuang is my sister, and I’ll save her. If Third Uncle wants to punish someone, let him punish me.”
Yu Yi nodded, “Okay, Aunt Xiuyun, but can I at least come and see?”
Xiuyun thought about it and agreed, but made her promise to only watch and not intervene. Yu Yi agreed.
The Min clan ancestral hall had only one exit.
Xiuyun saw two people guarding outside the door, and the courtyard inside was also watched by two others. Third Master Min, having been deceived by Min Da’an and then having Xiuyun escape with Min Ling’s help, was angry and cautious, so he arranged more guards.
Although Xiuyun didn’t want Min Ling’s help, she couldn’t help but worry.
Yu Yi whispered something in her ear, and Xiuyun’s worry turned to joy. She went home to prepare something.
Half an hour later, Xiuyun returned to the ancestral hall, raising a bamboo basket to the guard Gen Bao, “I’m bringing some food for Xiushuang.”
Gen Bao was an honest man who secretly liked Xiuyun but always blushed when seeing her. Knowing she was married to Min Da’an, he had never dared to have thoughts beyond friendship.
When rumors spread about Xiuyun’s infidelity, Gen Bao was both shocked and heartbroken. He didn’t believe the rumors and had considered helping her escape but hesitated about breaking clan rules until he heard about Xiuyun’s escape.
He was happy to learn Xiuyun had been wrongly accused.
Facing Xiuyun’s smile, Gen Bao blushed again, stammering and unable to speak, just waving his hand to indicate she could enter.
Since Gen Bao let her in, no one else objected – after all, even a condemned prisoner deserves a final meal.
Xiuyun walked with her basket to the west side room where Xiushuang was detained. Because of Xiuyun’s previous escape, a large lock hung on the door. Gen Bao opened the lock and stepped back.
Xiuyun asked bashfully, “Brother Gen Bao, I want to ask Xiushuang about her and Da’an’s… those… marital matters. Would you mind waiting outside?”
Gen Bao blushed deeply and stammered, “Okay, okay, I’ll wait outside. Take your time.”
After Gen Bao left, Xiuyun quickly cut Xiushuang’s ropes with a kitchen knife, removed the cloth from her mouth, and whispered instructions, “Don’t make a sound, just do as I say.”
Xiushuang, with tearful eyes, nodded. Xiuyun helped her stand and led her to the ancestral hall, hiding her behind the offering table. Then she returned to Xiushuang’s room, grabbed the basket, and ran out panicking, shouting, “Xiushuang has escaped!”
Gen Bao, waiting outside, heard her cry and rushed to check. Opening the door, he found no one inside, only ropes and a kitchen knife on the ground. The other three guards also came in, stunned to find her gone.
Xiuyun urged, “Why are you standing there? Chase her! If you delay, she’ll get away!”
However, these people also had a flaw, which was being single-minded. As soon as Xiu Yun urged them, they all rushed out to chase the “escaped Xiu Shui”.
Xiu Yun saw they had all run away and hurriedly called Xiu Shui out of the ancestral hall, supporting her as they escaped. She stuffed a bundle from the basket to her, “Inside are food, water, and some money. Don’t go up the mountain. First hide in the forest for two days. When they can’t find you and come back, then you can leave.”
Xiu Shui cried, “Sister, I’m sorry to you, I…”
Xiu Yun pushed her hard: “You may have wronged me, but I am still your sister. I can’t just watch you drown. Find a place to hide.”
Xiu Shui ran away crying. Xiu Yun gazed at her distant back and sighed softly. She had done all she could. As for how Xiu Shui would live in the future, she could only rely on herself.
As Xiu Yun thought this, she turned back and saw Gen Bao standing not far away, which startled her. She wondered if he had seen Xiu Shui running away. She hurried forward and tentatively asked, “Gen Bao brother, why aren’t you chasing Xiu Shui?”
Gen Bao scratched his head and said softly, “Xiu Yun sister, I, I won’t tell anyone, and I won’t chase Xiu Shui.”
If Min San Ye asks about what just happened, I’ll say you cried at the door for a long time before going in and finding Xiu Shui missing.”
Xiu Yun was first stunned, then relieved, smiling, “Thank you, Gen Bao brother.” She had spent some time cutting Xiu Shui’s ropes. If Min San Ye investigated carefully, it wouldn’t be hard to guess that she had actually released Xiu Shui.
Gen Bao blushed and smiled.
The driver saw from the rearview mirror that she was struggling with the seatbelt, so he reminded her: “Press the orange…”
Yu Yi found the seatbelt buckle lock on her seat, and after pressing the orange button, the buckle popped out. She supported the little girl, letting her lie sideways on the seat to keep her breathing smooth. Then she went around to the other side of the car to check the woman’s injuries.
The woman’s injuries were very serious. The right side of the car where she was sitting was the first point of collision between the sedan and the truck. Part of the car’s front was compressed inward, trapping her in the seat. Besides her broken legs, her body was also compressed, and there were signs of head impact. With excessive blood loss, her breathing was extremely weak.
Although the driver was injured, he was conscious.
Yu Yi judged the woman’s condition as critical and prepared to provide first aid. Unexpectedly, the driver shouted, “Don’t save her!”
Yu Yi was startled but ignored him. Since the woman was trapped, she took out the metal cutter and cut the deformed car front into small pieces to move away.
During this process, the driver kept calling out, “Don’t save her, save my daughter first.”
Yu Yi was annoyed by his calls and found him heartless. She couldn’t help but reprimand him, “Your daughter’s condition is stable and doesn’t require emergency treatment. Her situation is critical. Even if she’s just your friend or neighbor, you can’t ignore her life and only care about your own family?”
“She… is my wife,” the driver said in a low voice.
Yu Yi was surprised and angry, “Your wife? How could you…”
The driver said hatefully, “She has another man.”
The driver’s name was Zhuang Liguo.
His daughter could attend a good private school in the city, but the expensive tuition was beyond Zhuang Liguo’s current means. Every time he saw his daughter’s brilliant smile and heard her and his wife discussing school expectations, Zhuang Liguo felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
He had contemplated suicide and bought twenty life insurance policies. If he died accidentally, he could receive 2 million in insurance claims. To cover his tracks, he also bought the same life insurance for his wife, with their daughter as the beneficiary. However, suicide would not qualify for claims, and Zhuang Liguo had been struggling to find a way to die that the insurance company couldn’t detect as suicide.
Under these circumstances, he noticed his wife’s unusual behavior. In the past half month, she often went out with various excuses, which was unlike her previous habits. He secretly checked the phone bill and found she had been frequently calling the same unknown number.
While his wife was showering, he dialed that number. A strange man answered, “What is it? Didn’t we agree today…”
He quickly hung up, his chest aching unbearably.
