Chapter 4: A Midnight Fright in the Dark Shadow

  In the Yangtze River and Han River basin, the vast expanse of green reeds, the gurgling waters of the Han River, the winding roads stretching into the darkness of night, the fragrance of the reed flowers wafting through the air, the tall and majestic water bamboo trees, and the dense yet refreshing atmosphere all seemed especially enchanting, giving the people living here a sense of beauty and enjoyment.

  "No way,"

  The parents immediately hugged their daughter tightly, "You're too young for this, you can't be like this."

  "The old master is entirely for your own good,"

  The dog's leg was persuaded to speak up, and his words seemed very considerate. "Don't let the present pass, just arrange a marriage for the second young master, so that the rent can be exempted. Think carefully, is it better to take the grain now or let your daughter pay for it?"

  The parents knew clearly that they were using their own daughter to pay off the debt, but there was nothing in the house to mortgage, no grain, only a single daughter, and it had to be so. In this way, under the coercion of Xi Ba Tian, the parents agreed to engage their daughter to Er Shao Ye, what engagement, actually a sale contract.

  More than a decade has passed, and we've both grown up. The young lady isn't a traditional beauty, but she has a delicate figure like a flower, plump and sturdy, charming and elegant. However, the second young master has developed in a different direction - he's short and chubby, with a face full of pockmarks from having smallpox as a child. No wonder the Western Tyrant wants to arrange an early marriage for him; who would want someone like that? He doesn't look human, nor does he resemble a dog. His appearance is ugly, but what's worse is that he's covered in bad habits - eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, and taking drugs, with all five vices combined.

  The Xi Ba Tian family is wealthy and influential, and in the Garden City area, they are the local tyrants. The second young master relies on his father's power to lead a group of thugs, bullying men and women, doing all sorts of evil deeds. His bad behavior doesn't stop there, he has outdated thoughts, is uneducated and uncultured. In this day and age, he still dresses up like it's the Qing dynasty, just like his father Xi Ba Tian, with a long braid and wearing a long gown and hat, looking exactly like a leftover dreg of society from the Qing dynasty, making people feel disgusted when they see him. How can a young woman live with this kind of man who is neither male nor female, neither pig nor dog?

  However, facing the shackles of feudal etiquette for thousands of years, what can a weak woman do? Who can help her get rid of the forced marriage contract? The only way out is to escape. She dare not stay at home during the day, because the second young master refuses to leave and will definitely catch her. Alas! She sighed and looked out the window; At this time, the weather had cleared up, with a bright blue sky as transparent as a silk handkerchief, and delicate white clouds floating in the air like flowers on a veil.

  This morning, I carefully disguised myself as a man and went out early to avoid the whole day. The sun in the west had already fallen below the horizon, and the evening glow appeared in the sky. It seemed that tomorrow would be dark, so I thought it might be safe now, and immediately rushed home. Who knew, I still couldn't escape, and unexpectedly, he was hiding outside.

  However, this time he didn't bring anyone. He couldn't bring anyone for this kind of thing. Although the second young master looked ugly and unrefined, he was actually quite cunning. When he saw that negotiating wouldn't work, he decided to use a more forceful approach, so he was afraid that bringing his family would hinder him. He thought that although he was short, he was still a strong and capable man, and dealing with a weak woman would be easy for him.

  "Hehe!"

  He suddenly flashed out from the side, a ferocious smile, opening that big mouth, "Let's go, I hope you'll obediently follow me home, otherwise..."

  "Bastard"

  She cursed and turned around to run away.

  He wouldn't let her go, and closely followed after her. He chased her all the way to a desolate area where there were no villages in front and no shops behind. Suddenly, a lump of earth tripped her up, and she was indeed exhausted.

  He took the opportunity to press down, immediately followed by pulling down her pants. One hand tightly grasped the waistband and wouldn't let go until it broke, while the other hand pulled down her pants.

  She struggled desperately, refusing to give in, but after a long and exhausting tug-of-war, neither of them was able to get their way. At this point, both were completely exhausted, she lay on the ground with her eyes closed, tears of pain streaming down...

  He hastily stood up, immediately dropped his pants and then crawled down...

  "Bang!" A loud noise.

  Suddenly, his head was smashed with a brick, and the crushed brick immediately flowed down his neck. This sudden fright made him unable to continue, and he immediately picked up his clothes and ran away.

  Because Second Master is afraid, it's hard to deal with women alone, and if there's another helper, who can be his opponent. He's afraid of losing out, afraid that the newcomer will join forces with the woman and finish him off, then throw him into the big lake... At this point, preserving his life is crucial, so he can only abandon everything and escape quickly.

  "Alas,"

  She sighed, if it wasn't for the young man arriving in time, Second Master would have had his way, and she would have been forced to become his wife.

  Well, I'll stay here for one night. Tomorrow morning, I have to leave this place, what should I do when I get back? Will the second young master give up? Where can I escape to? Where is a humble woman's home? Escaping and running, can I escape from Xi Ba Tian's clutches?

  She thought a lot, if she had to marry a scoundrel who was no better than a pig or dog, it would be better to stay and marry the young man. Although he was not handsome, at least he was not pockmarked. Although he was not tall, at least his figure was well-proportioned and neither fat nor thin. Although he had no power or influence, at least he did not act recklessly, loved only one person, and had a good heart.

  Her thoughts are like the wind and rain, after the rain clears, those who have experienced the baptism of rain will also have a thousand emotions. The temperature of passionate love is lingering, the lush greenery that flows like clouds, the palm-sized sweat stains, the sticky eyes, the chaotic mood of waiting for the wind.

  But nothing is known about the young man's background, and even now, it is still unclear what his surname is or what he is called.

  What's his family situation like?

  What made him walk at night?

  The young man said: There is an elder sister and a younger nephew.

  There must be an older brother if there is an older sister, where did her older brother go?

  Is it safe to live here? Before I could even answer my own question, he walked away.

  She tossed and turned, thinking deeply, feeling that this night was very long...

  She looked out of the house; it was already very late, about midnight. At this time, the sky, which had been as black as ink, cleared up, and the stars appeared in the blue sky, illuminating the earth and shining vaguely through the window.

  Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in, and the sound of movement came from outside the door. Then "Whoosh, creak..." The sound made one's heart skip a beat.

  She listened carefully, and this sound was not the wind, but someone moving the door bolt.

  "Not good!"

  She immediately became vigilant, got out of bed at random, and walked lightly to the door, listening carefully; right, it was the sound of the door latch, getting louder and louder.

  "As expected,"

  She wouldn't suspect others, suspicion must be the young man. "He has a human face but an animal's heart, one set of words on his face and another behind his back. Although he is the lifesaver of this young woman, however, his behavior is detestable. How can she marry a petty thief, a two-faced fox? It turns out that with flowery words and clever speech, he deceived the young woman into entering the house, planning to take advantage of her after she fell asleep."

  At this time, she panicked and became anxious, as restless as an ant on a hot pot, unable to leave the door, quickly hiding.

  But where can I hide...

  A thatched cottage, when you open your eyes and look around, the front wall is in sight of the back wall. Where can one hide?

  Look; on the lotus leaves in the big lake, rolling round dew drops, it takes the lotus leaf as a cradle; dew drops on the grass leaves, take the grass leaves as a slippery slide; dew drops on the petals, take the petals as an amusement park; dew drops on the tree leaves, take the tree leaves as a small boat...

  I'm not even as good as a dewdrop! What can I use to resist?

  The situation is extremely urgent, the only place to hide is under the wooden bed. Use the wooden bed as a fence wall, quickly lie down under the bed and hide for the time being, "Sigh, bear with it for now."

  She came to the stove, casually picked up a firewood stick that was used for burning fire in front of the stove door, immediately got down on all fours and crawled under the bed, holding her breath with wide eyes watching the situation, ready to respond to whatever was about to happen at any moment, rather be shattered jade than intact tile.

  Night, although there is no moon, but those few lonely stars are struggling to shine, scattered in the sky. Those residual stars and women feel the same loneliness and fear. The whole night sky is like a devil, with faint clouds in the air, making the originally dark thatched cottage even more gloomy and terrifying.

  At this time, the door was quietly opened and gently pushed open halfway.

  Right behind, a black figure flashed in.

  Who is he?

  Is it a boy or a girl?

  Heiying was very quick and turned back to close the door, but didn't lock it, that was for emergency escape.

  She was so frightened that her whole body was trembling. With no time to think, she could only stare at the black shadow's every move with eyes wide open like lanterns.

  That black shadow seemed like a devil, with disheveled hair and tiptoeing towards the bed.

  She felt terrified, holding her breath, but her heart was pounding loudly, and she could hear the sound of her heartbeat. The horror had arrived, and that black shadow must have clearly known where it was hiding.

  Look; he was searching, getting up on the bed, touching this head and that head...... At this time, a strong wind suddenly blew outside the thatched cottage. The night wind swept through every street in the garden city, rushing and searching, entering every nook and cranny, blowing through the window into the cottage. The half-closed door was also blown open by the wind.

  She, with both hands tightly grasping the wooden stick, was watching and waiting with bated breath. Every move of the black shadow could be seen clearly. She thought to herself: He is looking for the little girl. If he can't find her on the bed, he will definitely look underneath...

  A fierce, thrilling and intense battle is about to unfold, the breathtaking scene from last night's episode flashes in my mind like lightning.

  She was so frightened that her whole body was trembling, staring intently at the movements in the room, ready to fight at any moment...

  She was in a panic and preparing to deal with the dark shadow when another miracle occurred.

  Suddenly a flurry of hurried footsteps came, and those footsteps got closer and closer, louder and louder...

  Heiying heard footsteps and was startled.

  He was anxious too, so anxious that he paced back and forth in the room. He thought it was already too late to escape, and when he reached the door, he hastily returned.

  The night was very quiet, even the small birds on the trees were asleep, and the "chirping" calls could no longer be heard. The earth was in a deep sleep, and a faint light came out of the dark thatched cottage, a scene of complete stillness.

  Heiying was anxious like an ant on a hot pot, he wanted to find a place to hide, and then lay down beside the bed and looked around.

  She saw the black shadow's head and became even more frightened, afraid that the black shadow would crawl onto the bed. That would be troublesome. She quickly moved further in, determined not to let him discover her.

  Just as she was moving deeper, a black shadow suddenly drilled into her newly risen quilt.

  "This is strange"

  The girl guessed and wondered who it was. Could it be the young man's brother...

  No, if it's brother, why be flustered? This is one's own home, after all.

  Isn't it sister-in-law?

  It's just that sister-in-law, when a wild man comes, she gets a little nervous, so she hides in her own quilt to sleep and wait, which is reasonable.

  Whose footsteps are those hurrying by?

  Could it be youth?

  It's him, the young man, he said there was a place to sleep outside, where did that place come from?

  Why be hesitant and unwilling to speak out?

  Perhaps squatting outside for a while, feeling that the little woman had fallen asleep, took the opportunity to come back.

  Little did she know, her sister-in-law came back to sleep early and heard the footsteps of her younger brother-in-law. She deliberately got into bed pretending to be asleep, waiting for his arrival.

  What can we do?

  Are you going to spend the whole night lying under the bed like this?

  If they go out at this time, will Uncle and Aunt be frightened?

  She didn't dare think about it anymore.

  Suddenly, half of the door was completely pushed open.

  Another dark shadow burst in unimpeded and rushed to the bedside. This dark shadow was very arrogant, seemingly familiar, yet impatient, without any fear or timidity, immediately reaching out to touch the bed.

  But couldn't hear the voice of the black shadow on the bed.

  It's really embarrassing for sister-in-law, young people want to be with sister-in-law...

  At this time, the black shadow on the bed pretended to be asleep and even snored from his nostrils.

  Others may not know, but the young lady is most clear that pretending to be asleep can only deceive her younger brother and cannot deceive the eyes of the young lady. However, it did relieve herself of danger.

  "Ding dong...... Clang clang......"

  This was the sound of Black Shadow putting clothes and things on the bedside cabinet later. Although this sound is soft, it's very crisp, and must be an iron thing, that "rustling" sound, like a piece of music, even the most skilled performer can't play such a beautiful and pleasant melody!

  "What are they going to do?"

  The woman under the bed was sulking, she used the weak light coming through the window to look at it; only to see the black shadow later, hastily taking off all her clothes until she was naked.

  He rushed onto the bed and stripped off the black shadow's clothes from before.

  However, the black shadow unexpectedly remained silent and still, allowing itself to be manipulated by others.

  "This is strange,"

  The woman was feeling around under the bed; the black shadow from before was the young man's sister-in-law, and it seemed that the uncle and aunt had coordinated with each other so properly, apparently they had done this more than once.

  The black shadow later looked nothing like a young man! Who could it be?

  Anyway, I haven't seen any of them myself, and I don't recognize any of them, it's just a wild guess.

  If they were young people, they would be uncle and aunt, why are they all naked? Wouldn't that be **.

  She continued to ponder. At this time, the wind started to blow, and the night wind grew stronger and stronger, initially gentle and soft, rustling the reeds on the bed, swaying back and forth, but later becoming increasingly fierce and powerful, with a forceful gust of wind that was almost as ferocious as a wild ox... The broken bed above her head creaked and swayed, making a "creak... crack... creak... crack..." sound.

  On this quiet and peaceful night, even outside the gate, within half a mile, you can hear the sound. The sound seems to have entered the **section of "Destiny Symphony". It's as if Wu Song is fighting the tiger, riding on the tiger's back, with swift and fierce punches... A stormy rainstorm that knows no names, like a sudden downpour.

  The wooden bed creaked and swayed more and more, accompanied by the "creak, creak" of the music, shaking the earth. At this time, the azure sky outside also cooperated perfectly, as if a fire had been lit, a meteor streaked across the night sky with a coolness, and the brilliant white light illuminated the thatched hut in a desolate and miserable manner.

  The woman under the bed was terrified, one after another black shadow got on the bed, their movements on the bed made her even more frightened.

  She was worried that the bed would collapse under the force of the two people, which would crush her to death. However, she didn't dare go out either, as once she exposed herself, it would bring unimaginable consequences, and she might even be killed to silence her.

  She had no choice but to hold her breath and endure, forced to continue listening.

  Suddenly, another strange thing happened. The sound of horseshoes and hurried footsteps came from outside the door. The footsteps went from far to near, getting louder and closer.

  The woman was pondering under the bed, whose footsteps would this be?

  If a man comes, it will be two men and one woman. If the comer is a woman, it will be two women and one man. What's going to happen in this dark night...

  Wish to know what happens afterwards

  See next chapter

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