I Got Rich in Period Fiction-Chapter 578 - 572: Scared to Death

Liang Xiaocui mustered all her courage and glared fiercely at Zhao Cheng, as if a multitude of past events, like surging waves, overwhelmed her—all laced with venom.

The venomous waves engulfed her entirely, daring not to reminisce about her fifteen-year ordeal, which was nothing but pain and despair.

She was only thirty-two this year, yet she looked over fifty.

She was sold here when she was only seventeen.

She had run away time and again, only to be dragged back and face beating after beating, until she became pregnant and, later, became utterly heartbroken.

This place was too remote; sometimes, it was as if no one cared about what happened here.

Even when someone took notice, the villagers were very united. They all shared the same surname, and most of their wives had been tricked or bought from outside.

Thinking of this, Liang Xiaocui ceased to heed her sons’ cries and Zhao Cheng’s curses.

She even twisted her mouth into something between a smile and a cry or, perhaps, a release of suppressed anger and pain.

She looked at the uniformed men standing before her, their eyes clear and their aura upright, which slightly calmed her agitated heart, enough to speak without trembling.

She pointed at Zhao Cheng but her gaze was on He Xiuwen and Minister Xu.

"Leaders, I report a crime. A working group of five entered the village but were detained by Zhao Cheng and his people. One was beaten."

Liang Xiaocui pointed towards the Northwest, "Behind the village, there’s a haystack and shrubs... and behind that, a cave where two people are being held..." As she said this, she looked toward the crowd, biting her lip hard, "You can ask this man, Uncle Zhao. The other three were hidden away by him and his accomplices."

Uncle Zhao, being named, tried to slip away, but Minister Xu wouldn’t let him escape and, with the help of two others, they pinned him to the ground.

Following that, He Xiuwen also drew his weapon, his voice stern, "Everyone go to the wall and squat down, hands on your heads."

After Liang Xiaocui spoke these words, her children forgot to cry, and Zhao Cheng forgot to struggle, just staring at Liang Xiaocui in disbelief.

In a murmur, he said, "Fifteen years, we’ve lived together for fifteen years. Haven’t I warmed your heart? How dare you betray me? How could you sell me out?"

Liang Xiaocui clenched her teeth, "Zhao Cheng, I told you before you would get your comeuppance. Look, today is your day of retribution."

Having said that, Liang Xiaocui stopped looking at him and took off in the direction she had indicated, following He Xiuwen and Lu Ye.

One of the team members subdued Zhao Cheng, while another followed Minister Xu to bring the crowd under control.

Minister Xu found the young boy and spoke softly, "You are a good kid, a brave young man. You know that what they’ve done is wrong. We have more people coming; go lead them here."

The people nearby were startled—there were more people coming?

The pale-faced boy looked like he wanted to say something, but ultimately, he took off running towards the village entrance.

The objects blocking the entrance of the cave dwelling had been moved, and sunlight flooded in all at once. A few people stood at the doorway, and Sun Xiuyuan looked at them in disbelief. Then she shook her head frantically, whining and sobbing, with tears streaming down her face.

Among those people, she only recognized Lu Ye, and Lu Ye knew that Sun Xiuyuan was calling out to him.

Sun Xiuyuan looked extremely disheveled, but fortunately, her clothes were still intact on her body.

However, seeing Sun Xiuyuan in such a state, he was a bit relieved; if she had truly been mistreated here, he couldn’t bear to imagine what the scene would have been like.

Fortunately, they had arrived in time. If no one had discovered or paid attention to this, in this remote little mountain village, with no phones, no electricity, no form of communication, with one hill slope after another, it truly would have been a situation with no prospect of assistance—just like the woman Brother He called Liang Xiaocui.

Her whole life would have been ruined here.

Without further hesitation, Lu Ye made his way to Sun Xiuyuan in a few quick strides, first removing the rag stuffed in her mouth. Sun Xiuyuan burst into tears, "Brother Lu... Brother Lu, Brother Lu..."

At the same time, the ropes tied behind her were cut by a team member with a dagger. Sun Xiuyuan threw herself into Lu Ye’s arms, shouting incoherently for Lu Ye, calling out for Brother Lu.

She was indeed terrified, trembling all over her body, her eyes filled with fear. Lu Ye also held Sun Xiuyuan tight, quickly soothing her with a gentle voice, "It’s alright, it’s alright, don’t be scared now..."

Sun Xiuyuan came to her senses and suddenly thought of Lin Feng in the corner. She pointed to the corner, "That’s Lin Feng, he’s injured. I don’t know if he’s alive or dead; please save him quickly..."

While she was talking, He Xiuwen and the others had already located Lin Feng in the room.

He Xiuwen, who had learned first aid, checked Lin Feng and breathed a slight sigh of relief; fortunately, he was still alive, unconscious, possibly from hitting his head or from a severe fright, but the main thing was that he was alive.

Being alive meant there was hope for rescue.

When He Xiuwen and the others came out of the cave with Sun Xiuyuan and Lin Feng, the people brought by Brother Sun had also rushed over.

The people of Shuiwa Village were completely subdued; things were not as they were before the establishment of the new China.

They didn’t have the boldness to resist.

Even though Zhao Cheng tried to crazily instigate them, it was to no avail.

Of course, there were still a few who tried to resist and fight back. They knew very well what they had done, and once captured, they might not expect to see the outside world again in their lifetime.

As these people were led out of the village, Zhao Cheng suddenly let out a few loud laughs towards the direction behind him before screaming with all his might, "You wench, it’s been fifteen years, and you never told me your surname or name. So your name is Liang Xiaocui, huh."

Liang Xiaocui was standing together with Sun Xiuyuan, looking in the direction of the village entrance.

The next moment, to everyone’s surprise, Zhao Cheng bumped the person next to him and charged forward. Everyone thought he was trying to escape, so several hands quickly reached out to grab Zhao Cheng’s body. But unexpectedly, Zhao Cheng suddenly fell to his knees with a thud.

His voice was heart-wrenching, "Xiao Cui, I’m begging you, don’t leave. If you must go, take both kids with you. I’m a bastard, I’m not human, I’m a beast; I deserve to be shot. But our two kids are innocent. I’m begging you, please don’t abandon them, Xiao Cui, I’m begging you. In the next life, I’ll be your ox and horse; I just ask that you don’t leave them behind..."

There might have been much more he wanted to say, but he was not allowed to continue; Brother Sun’s men quickly dragged him away from the entrance of the village.

His mouth was gagged, and he could no longer make a sound.