At this moment, the courtyard of Yang’s family was engulfed in intense smoke, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of charring. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The wooden fence was ablaze and leaping towards the sky, the glass producing an unsettling crackling noise as it shattered.

It had become a veritable hell on Earth.

At this rate, the Yu Family’s property wouldn’t fare better.

Seeing the enormous fire, Chen Lijun thought of her daughter inside. It felt like her heart was being ripped out, and she wanted to rush into the flames regardless of the danger.

But then, out of the inferno, a figure emerged.

It was Yu Jingting.

He was carrying Jiaojiao on his back, with Wang Cuihua following him, and was holding a big bundle of quilt in his arms.

Chen Lijun’s blood seemed to freeze in her veins. Where was Suizi?!

"Let me go! I need to save Suizi!" Chen Lijun struggled fiercely, trying to break free from her brother’s restraint.

"What can you do as a woman in there? I’m going!" Chen Zixiao was staggeringly infuriated.

He’s always been speaking up for Yu Jingting.

He thought that Yu Jingting would take care of Suizi.

But when disaster struck, he emerged carrying his sister and his mother, even bringing out valuable items from home.

But Suizi was nowhere to be seen.

Watching Yu Jingting with a huge bundle of quilt, Chen Zixiao’s wrath escalated.

That huge bundle was surely filled with valuable possessions, weren’t they? He’d rather save those than his niece’s life?

These people are really too...

While Chen Zixiao was still raging, he saw Yu Jingting put Jiaojiao down on the ground. The bundle he was holding then—moved!!

"I’m suffocating!" Suizi’s head popped out from the quilt.

"It’s just a sprained ankle, was this necessary?"

The first thing she thought of when she saw the fire was the money at home and the pot filled with gold and silver coins.

Greed.

In her haste to gather up her valuables, she had accidentally sprained her ankle.

A sprained ankle really wasn’t a big deal, she could bear the pain and leave.

The fire hadn’t reached the main house yet and she felt she could hobble out.

But Yu Jingting had made a big production out of it, refusing to let her walk, and had rolled her up in a thick quilt.

"You two, stay as far away as possible. I’m going to put the fire out."

Yu Jingting pushed Suizi towards his mother, taking advantage to stuff Jiaojiao into Suizi’s quilt.

"It’s too dangerous, don’t go!" Suizi tried to hold him back.

Yu Jingting didn’t have time to properly put on his cotton-padded jacket, he just casually threw it over his body. It had a big hole burnt through it from the fire, and it was still emitting black smoke.

Seeing him like this, Suizi’s eyes reddened.

This man had taken care of every woman in the house, yet he himself didn’t even have time to dress properly.

And her despicable self had only thought of gathering up the valuables from home... Suizi was swamped with guilt.

"Don’t worry, as long as you’re okay, I can relax——Mum, take care of her, don’t let her and Jiaojiao get near the fire."

After giving the instructions, Yu Jingting rushed back into the courtyard.

He was going to connect the hose and use the water from the well to fight the fire.

"There’s still money under the Kang in the West Room!" Wang Cuihua followed behind him, but Yu Jingting pushed her away.

"Damn it! You’re still worried about money at this time? The three of you are the most important!"

That shout rang out loudly.

Even the people who had come to help could hear it.

Chen Lijun and Chen Zixiao heard it too.

The siblings experienced a roller coaster of emotions.

From concern for Suizi, to their shifting attitudes towards Yu Jingting—everything happened in an instant.

It was in such sudden crises that one could truly see a person’s genuine reactions.

Yu Jingting disregarded his own safety to take care of the women in the family. To say they weren’t moved would be a lie.

"This young man. He’s solid," Chen Zixiao’s feelings were a mix of admiration and more.

He had never truly disliked Yu Jingting, but now he admired him even more.

Even Chen Lijun’s expression changed.

At this time, Chen Lijun was merely tens of meters away from Suizi.

If Suizi turned back, she would see her.

But Suizi’s gaze was fixed on the man battling the flames in the courtyard.

Despite Wang Cuihua’s firm grip, Suizi’s feet moved involuntarily towards the courtyard multiple times.

"You should stay here. If you go, Tiegen will worry about you and won’t be able to concentrate on extinguishing the fire."

Suizi understood this.

But her heart was still clenched with worry, her eyes remained fixed on him.

At this time, many people joined in to help extinguish the fire.

People from the village were generous, if anyone was in trouble, everyone would pitch in to help.

The fire had started at Yang Laosi’s house. Their house incurred the most damage, but the neighbouring Yu Family’s and Zhang Family’s properties were also affected.

The men were carrying water buckets, Yu Jingting had connected the hose.

Even Chen Zixiao joined the fire extinguishing team, and on the first day of the lunar new year, everyone was bustling with activity.

Chen Lijun stood not too far away, watching the side profile of Suizi.

That focused gaze was something Chen Lijun often saw on Suizi.

This girl had always been different from other kids.

She liked quietness and had patience.

When she read a book, she could read the whole day.

The way her eyes looked when reading was just like now, filled with concentration.

But even her favourite books couldn’t compare to her current gaze, which showed her immense love.

Chen Lijun felt a lump in her throat.

She didn’t know if it was because of a cold, or because of Suizi.

She heard a few women from the village chatting nearby.

"How did the fire start?"

"It was set by the younger brother of Yang Laosi’s deceased wife. They’re absolutely furious."

"Of course they are. His wife died during childbirth, and he wanted to get a new woman right after the funeral rites weren’t even done. It’s only normal that her younger brother lost his temper."

"But setting a fire might be crossing a line, it’s affected the Yu and Zhang families."

There was a collective sigh of pity from the onlookers.

From these people’s conversations, Chen Lijun started piecing together the underlying cause of the fire and everything that transpired.

Yang Laosi, who lived next to the Yu Family, had upset his deceased wife’s family with his lack of empathy.

Yang Laosi and Chen Kaide shared the same values, they could both be categorized as "low-quality" rural men by Chen Lijun.

She had assumed that all men raised in such environments were of the same type.

This fire had burnt down the fences of the Yu family’s house,

But it also burnt away Chen Lijun’s long-held prejudices.

Selflessly fighting to protect his home, Yu Jingting rushed towards the sea of fire, while Suizi was pushed to the back, safe from the fire’s reach.

Even though they are from the same village, their actions were drastically different.

Not all rural men are trash like Chen Kaide and Yang Laosi.

Yu Jingting’s actions had shaken Chen Lijun’s deep-rooted bias.

Wrapped in a large quilt with Jiaojiao and clutching the pot of gold coins, Suizi’s youthful face had matured a bit since Chen Lijun last saw her.

Even though her face revealed her worry for Jingting, it was evident from her healthy complexion that she had been living well.

Once the fire was finally under control, Suizi breathed a sigh of relief.

But then she heard an annoying voice behind her saying:

"This blood-sucking star brings misfortune wherever she goes. Whoever marries her will suffer. Hardly a welcome into her married life before her in-laws’ house is up in flames, hehe."

Chen Lijun squinted at the source of the voice while Suizi had the same expression on her face.