Chapter 24: Heartbreak (Please Collect)

  The air is getting hotter and drier, the sun is scorching like a fire. The sky is clear blue without a single cloud.

  Zhen Niang lay on the kang, feeling only a splitting headache, her whole body chilled to the bone, her brain swollen to an unknown size, and her body as if spinning. The room seemed to have flown up into the air. In a daze, she felt that some strange and bizarre things were flying around in the air, wailing. She thought she had arrived at a wild place, with dark clouds heavily pressing down on the treetops. A loud clap of thunder boomed, and a fierce storm mixed with hail poured down violently. The strong wind uprooted big trees, and the ground was full of muddy puddles that trapped her feet. She struggled to trudge through, but the heavy rain poured down on her body, making her shiver all over, her teeth chattering loudly. With great difficulty, she managed to get out of the mud and water, only to have a group of people led by Bai Huai chasing after her again. They were grinning and shouting. She tried with all her might to run, but no matter how hard she ran, she couldn't move. She let out a loud cry and woke up, her heart still racing nonstop.

  "Alas, this poor child..." A hoarse and aged sigh reached Zhen Niang's ears, and she slowly opened her eyes.

  Old Man Meng's wrinkles deepened, and his eyes were slightly red. A sturdy-looking girl stood quietly with a bowl, worriedly gazing at Zhen Niang - it was Xiuer, who sold tofu dishes in the market.

  "Uncle Meng——" Zhen Niang called out in a weak voice, tears streaming down her face.

  "Child, don't cry, don't cry." Old Man Meng wiped the corner of his eye and comforted him: "No matter how hard or difficult it is, for Xiaoyao's sake, you have to live on! Come, drink your medicine first."

  Niang Niang, Zhen Niang heard this familiar name and immediately struggled to turn her head, wanting to see if there was her beloved daughter in the house.

  "Niang niang is fine, she's playing outside!" Xiu'er took two steps forward, gently helped Zhen Niang sit up, and handed the bowl to her mouth. "Zhen Niang jie, come on, drink your medicine first, I'll go get Niu Niu right away."

  Xiū ér fed Zhēn niáng water, gave her medicine, and covered her with a quilt. She lowered the bamboo curtain and quietly left with Mèng lǎo tóu. The sunlight on the window was completely swallowed up by shadows. Zhēn niáng fell asleep again, dazed and confused, and didn't know how long she slept before slowly waking up. She felt that her body didn't hurt as much, but her head still spun. In a daze, she listened to people talking outside the window and focused on listening.

  "Dad, Sanzi and I walked along the river for dozens of miles, and we also inquired about it in the villages along the way, but there was no news of Xia Suo." This is Meng Shitou's voice.

  Old Meng sighed and said: "What's the situation in town when you came back?"

  "The town is in a mess, with security guards everywhere, checking pedestrians." Meng Shitou said: "I heard they're looking for some scar-faced bandit, I don't understand what they want to do? Obviously it's Huang..."

  Old Man Meng coughed and interrupted Meng Shi's words.

  Xiu'er's voice came in again, "Since we're looking for bandits, let Zhen Niang and Niu Niu stay here, why do we need to leave our hometown?"

  "It's not that simple." Old Man Meng said: "Firstly, this is what Lao Suo meant; secondly, I'm afraid the Bai family will think of Zhen Niang sooner or later. You know, that scoundrel Bai Shui hasn't died yet. Leaving here is also to be on the safe side. The Zhang family only has this widow and orphan left."

  "What about that Huang fellow? Is he reliable? We don't know his background." Xiu'er asked hesitantly.

  Old Meng pursed the corner of his mouth and said, "Not even he himself knows. However, since he rescued Zhen Niang and killed Bai Zonglin and several others, it's impossible for him to clear himself. Leaving here to avoid trouble is also something he should be willing to do."

  "Will he run away secretly by himself?" Xiu'er asked.

  "He won't, he shouldn't be that kind of person." Old Man Meng said so, but in his heart, he was also somewhat uncertain.

  At this time, Xiuer's father hurried back on a small donkey, with some things loaded on the donkey's back, which were several items from Zhang Lao Suo's family.

  "Old fellow, has everything been going smoothly on the road?" Old Meng hurriedly came forward to help unload the goods from the donkey's back.

  "Ah, nothing's wrong." The old man rarely spoke, handing the cloth bag on his body to Old Man Meng, making a slight clinking sound.

  Old Meng took over and sighed: "Poor people have poor lives. This eye was looking forward to a better life, but now it's gone... Alas!"

  Zhen Niang listened to the faint voices outside, and tears fell again. Xiao Suo had promised to make new clothes for her and Niu Niu during the New Year, and planned a family dinner at a restaurant next time, thinking of having a good year... but unexpectedly... she cried and cried, and then fell asleep again in a daze.

  ………

  As Vogel had expected, the mayor was killed in his own home, which was no small matter. Zhang Wan, as the captain of the security team, returned with Zhang Xiaowu that afternoon, accompanied by two top detectives from the county police bureau and a certain supervisor. Upon arriving at the town, they immediately went to the Bai family to understand the situation.

  As soon as they entered the White family's mansion, they heard a woman's wailing. The first wife of Bai Zonglin was a stout woman like a water jar, so fat that her flesh had nowhere to go, leading a ten-year-old boy and a group of concubines dressed in white, who rushed over, crying and wailing, demanding the government to avenge Bai Zonglin's death.

  People scatter when the tea is cold, let alone when they are all dead. The crowd came only because of the face of Bai Zonglin's uncle, White County Magistrate, to show some respect and loyalty, and to make a decent end of this matter, with a passable explanation. As for Bai Wenjing, he indeed wanted to use this incident to suppress Zhang Yuan, the security captain, but it was not easy to do so. Not to mention that the Zhang family in Boyan County is also a big household with deep roots, let alone Zhang Yuan's older brother, who is a high-ranking official in the provincial party department, and has a strong backing!

  Zhang Yuan's face was calm as water, but his eyes showed some disdain and even a hint of schadenfreude when looking at the Bai family members. "Those who do evil will eventually be punished," he thought to himself. "Bai Zonglin died a good death." As long as this case is settled, I'll put in some more effort, at most I'll get a minor punishment, and they think they can take me down with a small crime like dereliction of duty and failure to maintain law and order? Ha! It's not that easy.

  The deputy director comforted them with a few words, and the group began their normal work. After they examined several corpses of the deceased, inquired about several injured people and several eyewitnesses, everyone gathered together again to discuss, all looking somewhat embarrassed.