Bride Swap Backfire: My Cousin's Rebirth Made Us a Power Couple-Chapter 33 - 30: A Step Too Late

Chen Wanyue’s face was ashen. She was furious.

She was sick with regret.

’I should have gone up the mountain first thing this morning!’

’I shouldn’t have stayed home to deal with Mr. Li. I definitely shouldn’t have clung to the hope that a little delay wouldn’t change anything and let Grandmother keep me here!’

’This was my one big chance to get rich. If I miss it, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life!’

Chen Wanyue quickly explained the situation, then glared at Mrs. Chen with eyes full of resentment.

"It’s all your fault. If you hadn’t stopped me, I might have been the one to find the treasure chest by now."

Mrs. Chen’s mind was a mess, her head buzzing.

’I knew this girl was hiding something, but who knew it was something this huge!’

If she had known Wanyue was going up the mountain to find that blasted treasure chest, she never would have stopped her. She would have carried her up the mountain herself.

But now, they were a step too late. A step too late!

Mrs. Chen gripped Chen Wanyue’s hand tightly. "You said that in your dream, your uncle was the one who found the treasure chest? And that he only found it several days from now?"

Chen Wanyue nodded, her gaze full of resentment.

Mrs. Chen pretended not to notice and slapped her thigh forcefully. "You and your uncle don’t interact, and you certainly never told him about any treasure chest. How could he have found it so much earlier out of the blue? Could it be... that your uncle didn’t go up the mountain for some treasure chest, but because of Shusheng? That’s it! It must be because Shusheng died! A life was lost, so that trap has become a deadly hazard! That’s why your uncle went up the mountain! Your uncle is a constable for the county government, after all. He can’t just stand by when someone has died! Of course they’d rush to gather all the clues and evidence to solve the case and earn some merit!"

Chen Wanyue’s resolve wavered, and she looked at Mrs. Chen with eyes full of hope. "So, you’re saying the treasure chest is still there? That it hasn’t been found yet? And that my uncle’s trip up the mountain has nothing to do with it?"

"That has to be it."

"Then should we hurry up the mountain now?"

Mrs. Chen’s back no longer ached, her legs no longer hurt. She immediately pulled Chen Wanyue to her feet and marched outside, full of vigor.

"To the mountain. We have to hurry. We need to go see what the situation is over there."

The grandmother and granddaughter followed behind the crowd, hustling toward the base of Xiaoao Mountain.

Meanwhile, the news that Shusheng had died at the clinic in the county seat and that Chen Song had led constables into the mountains to search for clues about the hunter who set the trap had spread like wildfire.

When someone asked where the news came from, the person replied with absolute certainty, "I just passed by the Chen family’s home and heard Mrs. Chen muttering about it inside. Oh, dear. Mr. and Mrs. Qu had so little to hope for as it was. With Shusheng dead, how will that old couple survive?"

"The poor souls. That deadly trap must have been set by the old blind man on the mountain."

"Could be. But the old blind man was mauled by a bear a few years ago. If it was his doing, they won’t even be able to get any compensation..."

The people of the Zhao Village chattered on, each trying to outdo the other with their gossip.

Despite the rain growing heavier and the cold so biting it chilled their hands even through padded jackets, the villagers’ passion for spectating burned hot. Every last one of them was excited and energized.

But just as they reached the base of the mountain, the crowd was stopped by a police cordon.

This type of rope was used both to bind criminals and to seal off crime scenes. In ancient times, common folk knew to halt at the sight of one.

Two constables in straw raincoats and conical hats stood behind the rope, gesturing from a distance for the crowd to stop.

The crowd erupted in an uproar, shouting questions through the curtain of pouring rain. "Did someone really die?"

"If someone died, you should be cordoning off the deep mountains! This area at the base is huge. How can you possibly seal it all off?"

Chen Wanyue and her grandmother were frantic. The cordon couldn’t contain their burning anxiety. They exchanged a look, quickly changed direction, and took a detour toward the old locust tree.

Before they even got close, they saw that the old locust tree was the center of a large, cordoned-off area. Pairs of constables had used ropes to block off the entire section from all directions.

From other directions, some troublemakers and curious men had also scrambled up, but as for women and children, it was really just Mrs. Chen and Chen Wanyue.

The constables looked displeased. The whole county government had been run off their feet for days because of the Wo Laicai case, and they hadn’t had a proper rest. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Now, this huge matter of a treasure chest left behind by rebel soldiers had come up, and this entire area had to be excavated and searched.

It was a massive undertaking. No one would be able to rest until the area had been thoroughly combed over.

They were busy enough as it was, but these ignorant busybodies were still rushing over to gawk, just making more trouble.

"Go on, get out of here! Move further away! If you get any closer, you’ll be arrested as accomplices of the rebels and thrown in jail."

Mrs. Chen was startled, as was Chen Wanyue. They were just common folk. Who would want to get tangled up with rebels and the government office?

But seeing the group of constables gathered under the old locust tree, their hearts burned with anxiety.

’It’s not the trap in the deep mountains, but the area near the old locust tree. Don’t tell me they really aren’t here for Shusheng’s death... that the treasure chest really was found ahead of time!’

At this thought, Chen Wanyue nearly coughed up blood. She felt like she was going mad.

"I’m Chen Song’s niece, and that’s my uncle over there! Let me through to see him!"

Mrs. Chen quickly chimed in, "I’m Chen Song’s mother."

Just then, Chen De’an heard the commotion and straightened up to look over.

Chen Wanyue saw him and quickly waved. "De’an! It’s me, your cousin! Hurry and tell them to let me through..."

Chen De’an had no idea what the old woman and the young girl were doing up the mountain at a time like this, but he was sure it was nothing good.

He immediately opened his oil-paper umbrella and raised his voice to shout, "Cousin! Did you and Grandmother come to bring us lunch? We’ll be heading home soon, so don’t trouble yourselves. The path isn’t too slippery right now, you should hurry back."

Then he called out to two constables, "Uncles, if you would, please escort them a little ways down."

How could the two constables not understand the underlying meaning? He was telling them to escort these two off the mountain.

The two constables were on good terms with Chen Song and knew about his family situation. Besides, this old woman and this girl looked like a handful. Regardless of why they were nosing around now, sending them away was the right call.

Seeing that the two didn’t move, one of the constables rested his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Mrs. Chen and Chen Wanyue were both frightened and frantic, but there was nothing they could do. In the end, they could only look back every few steps as they were driven down the mountain.

With one last, bitter glance back, Chen Wanyue saw Zhao Jing and her cousin, Chen Wanqing.

The two of them were gathering things into a back basket. Once it was full, her cousin was about to see if she could carry it, but Zhao Jing quickly stepped forward and lifted the basket with one hand.

They were too far away for Chen Wanyue to hear what they were saying.

But just from Zhao Jing’s expression and actions, it wasn’t hard to guess that he must have thought the basket was too heavy for her cousin, so he was offering to carry it instead.

’When did Zhao Jing become so considerate?’

’Is he only different toward my cousin, or is he different toward every girl except for me?’

Lost in thought, Chen Wanyue was pulled off-balance by her grandmother and fell, sitting on the ground for a long time without moving.