RYEY – Chapter 104 The Trap

Seeing the ripe vegetables all over the ground, she used her mind to harvest them into baskets, sent them to the grocery shop, then replanted a new batch. After all, during the long winter, these vegetables were very good sellers.

When Cheng Qiao came out of her space, she noticed a steaming hot cup of malted milk on the kang, with a few pieces of mung bean cake beside it. These were her favorite treats.

Her heart warmed. She picked up the enamel mug and took a sip—mmm, so sweet, it was sweetness that reached her heart. She ate a piece of mung bean cake—delicious.

Li Huan walked in after his bath. Seeing Cheng Qiao’s face flushed red from the warmth, looking as radiant as a blooming rose, and then spotting a tiny crumb of mung bean cake at the corner of her lips, he leaned in and licked it away with his tongue.

“Qiao, my treasure, you’re so sweet.”

Cheng Qiao blushed crimson, feeling a wave of heat wash over her. The next moment, she was pushed down, Li Huan’s kisses trailing inch by inch over her skin, watching as her pale skin turned rosy.

But at the critical moment, Li Huan suddenly stopped. His large palm pressed against her belly—there was still their child inside… what if…

“Qiao, what should we do?”

“Do nothing.”

“Qiao, I feel terrible.”

“Bear with it.”

“Qiao, help me.”

“How?”

Li Huan pulled up Cheng Qiao’s hand and guided it firmly to his…

Cheng Qiao had never known this kind of thing could even be done. Her hand was aching, but Li Huan seemed to sense her thoughts and covered her hand with his, moving rhythmically.

Suddenly, Cheng Qiao felt warmth splash onto her face—Li Huan had released onto her! Seeing her face covered in white, Li Huan burst into laughter.

Cheng Qiao was furious. With a flash, she vanished, determined to take a good bath, leaving Li Huan laughing only halfway, unable to continue.

He suddenly realized a problem—if he angered Cheng Qiao in the future, she could just disappear in a flash. Where would he go to find her?

No, he had to set some ground rules with her. She couldn’t just leave without a word, otherwise his heart would break. And more importantly, he absolutely couldn’t afford to make his wife angry—he had to treat her like an ancestor to be worshiped.

Having sorted his thoughts, Li Huan cleaned himself up, added more firewood to the kang, carefully checked the entire courtyard, and then returned to the room. As soon as he entered, he saw Cheng Qiao already asleep on the kang. He quickly locked the door and pounced on her.

That night, snowflakes began to fill the sky. Xiangyang Village officially entered its winter hibernation. By the time the rooster crowed, the snow had piled thick, covering the entire village in white.

Every household kept their doors and windows tightly shut. Families with plenty of food were making flatbreads, cornbread, or even dumplings. Those with little food just boiled more water to drink.

But Cheng Qiao woke in fright from a nightmare again—she dreamt of her past life, of Li Huan being pushed off a cliff by Xu Laidi, of her child drowning in the river.

“Qiao, did you have a nightmare? Don’t be afraid. Nightmares always mean the opposite—they won’t come true. Don’t be afraid.”

Sensing her fear, Li Huan pulled her tightly into his arms, his voice soft and soothing. Slowly, Cheng Qiao’s breathing calmed, but in her heart one thought remained: Xu Laidi must die.

But now that Xu Laidi was married to Chen Dazhu, killing her quietly wouldn’t be easy. Besides, that woman was cunning—she wouldn’t fall for tricks so easily.

Still, she had time. The baby wasn’t born yet, and Li Huan no longer had to risk hunting in the mountains for their livelihood. Xu Laidi hadn’t returned to Huizhou like in the past life, but married Chen Dazhu instead.

Her rebirth must have triggered a butterfly effect. Many things had already changed—for example, Chai Jianmin’s broken leg, Zhao Xiaobao’s parents arriving in Xiangyang Village, and her taking Ye Jun as her master.

Wait—why hadn’t her master come down from the mountain yet? Could something have happened? Cheng Qiao thought of this and quickly sat up. Li Huan was startled—what now?

“Li Huan, I want to check if my master has come down from the mountain. With this heavy snow, the mountain will soon be sealed. If he doesn’t come down, it will be very dangerous.”

Li Huan nodded and dressed quickly, intending to check Ye Jun’s home. Just as he was about to leave, Cheng Qiao stopped him and handed him a basket filled with meat buns, plain buns, and tea eggs.

Li Huan munched on a meat bun while putting on his fur hat to head out. In the courtyard, Mother Li and Li Le were shoveling snow. Seeing him leave with the basket, she asked where he was going.

“I’m going to see if Qiao’s master has returned.”

“Lele, quickly boil some water and steam the wheat buns we made yesterday.”

Li Le nodded, patted the snow off her coat, and went into the kitchen to get busy. She even took out the dumplings their mother had made specially—for her second sister-in-law.

After breakfast, Cheng Qiao knitted a sweater while waiting for news. But an entire morning passed, and Li Huan still hadn’t returned. Lunchtime came, and still no sign of him.

“Mother, you all eat first. I’ll go take a look.”

Unable to suppress her worry, Cheng Qiao finally decided to put on her old cotton-padded coat and head out.

“Second Sister-in-law, I’ll go with you.”

Li Le, also worried about her second brother, quickly wrapped herself in a scarf and hat and took Cheng Qiao’s hand. Mother Li stood at the gate, gazing anxiously into the distance, her heart uneasy. Life had just gotten a little better—they mustn’t meet with disaster now.

Li Huan arrived at Ye Jun’s house and saw the doors locked tight. Clearly, Ye Jun hadn’t returned. Without hesitation, Li Huan headed straight toward the back mountain. He was more familiar with the area than even Ye Jun himself.

At the foot of the mountain, he grabbed a piece of firewood to prod through the snow as he climbed. But everywhere he looked, it was all white, which made him even more anxious.

When he reached halfway up, his ears twitched. Amidst the howling wind, he faintly heard a cry for help. He immediately ran toward the sound.

The cry came and went, weak and distant. After more than two hours of searching, Li Huan finally found a trap. Scratching his head, he realized—it was one of his own traps.

But ever since marrying Cheng Qiao and living happily, he had completely forgotten about it. Peering inside, he was speechless.

Ye Jun looked up at him, face full of relief. That morning, he had been staggering his way down the mountain when he suddenly fell into this trap.

Inside with him was a wild boar, already dead. If not for the heavy snow, wild beasts of the mountain might have already attacked him.

“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and pull me out!”

Li Huan looked left and right—he had no rope. Ye Jun quickly understood, rummaging through the bamboo backpack that had fallen with him. Inside, there was indeed a rope.

“Catch this!”

He tied the rope to a rock and hurled it upward. Li Huan caught it quickly, then began to pull—only to haul up the bamboo backpack instead.