RYEY – Chapter 115 Preparing to Strike Back

The man with the fleshy face was quite pleased with himself. He enjoyed toying with these naïve women who thought they were clever. For one of them to try scheming against him was like showing off an axe in front of Lu Ban—it was laughable overconfidence.

But today, things had gone wrong for him. He couldn’t figure out whether this woman was playing tricks on him or if she herself was being played. He needed to clarify the situation.

“Tell me, where did you get your information? And what exactly is your relationship with that man called Li Huan?”

Chen Chunhua was shocked. Had Li Huan said something? This man was ruthless—if he found out that she once liked Li Huan, the consequences would be unthinkable.

But Chen Chunhua had been through a few things herself; her mind worked quickly. Sniffling and sobbing, she recounted the story of why she had ended up marrying Wang Tuozi.

In the end, she made it all about her hatred for Li Huan. If not for him, she would never have married Wang Tuozi. Seeing her weep like a pear blossom in the rain, the fleshy-faced man suddenly felt his heart stir.

Catching the look on his face, Chen Chunhua instantly understood his thoughts. Without hesitation, she betrayed Miao Qing, claiming that all her information had come from her.

“Miao Qing…”

The man’s eyes narrowed at the name. Clearly, she was just some village girl. Having already tasted Chen Chunhua’s sweetness, his heart itched again, and he decided he’d find time to visit Xiangyang Village.

…

Li Huan had been waiting at the door. The moment he saw Cheng Qiao returning, he stood up quickly.

“Qiao, how did it go?”

“You’d never guess—it was Chen Chunhua who reported us. And wasn’t she married to Wang Tuozi? How on earth did she end up with that man just now?”

Li Huan’s eyes flickered. That man had deliberately shown his credentials earlier, and they had clearly stated he was an official from the Commune Committee.

Someone like that definitely had powerful connections. If they wanted to strike back, they’d have to do it quietly in the shadows. As for why Chen Chunhua was following that man, it could only be explained by money and seduction.

“Qiao, don’t worry. Skinny Monkey will be here with people soon. Get the goods ready. Once this is done, I’ll investigate further.”

“But they just searched us!”

“Exactly—we’ll use the timing gap. The most dangerous place is the safest place. After this run, we’ll lay low until the matter is settled.”

Cheng Qiao nodded. Soon after, a familiar knock sounded at the door. Li Huan went to open it while she quickly brought out supplies from her space.

Skinny Monkey came in with three men and one woman. The woman saw the thick cotton quilts, didn’t even ask the price, and immediately said she’d take them all, along with some daily necessities. After paying, Skinny Monkey helped move her things out.

The three men, long-time partners with Skinny Monkey, worked fast. In just half an hour, they cleared out two rooms of supplies, piling everything onto the flatbed carts waiting in the yard.

Watching cart after cart roll away, Cheng Qiao thought to herself that they didn’t even need anyone to report them—they’d expose themselves sooner or later. Luckily, the house was in a secluded spot with no neighbors around.

“Let’s go home.”

Li Huan pulled Skinny Monkey along, leaving the place to Cheng Qiao. She swiftly cleaned up the battlefield, even taking the broom and dustpan with her, leaving the house completely bare.

Skinny Monkey felt something was off today, but he knew Li Huan’s temperament—if he didn’t want to talk, even holding a knife to his throat wouldn’t make him. So he kept his thoughts to himself and followed quietly.

After double-checking that nothing was left behind, Cheng Qiao locked the door, climbed onto the back of Li Huan’s bicycle, and they headed home.

“Big Brother, when did you get back?”

As soon as Skinny Monkey entered, he saw Li Bing. Seeing the green army uniform on him, his eyes were full of envy.

“Skinny Monkey, it’s been years! You’ve grown taller. How have you been? What are you up to?”

“What else could I do? Following Brother Huan…”

Skinny Monkey suddenly froze. Following Brother Huan… doing speculative trading? Li Bing smiled. His suspicions were right—his younger brother was indeed doing risky business.

“Are you married yet?”

Li Bing casually changed the subject. Skinny Monkey grinned. He and Qiu Min had already planned it. Buying a house was impossible in these times, but renting was an option. They could rent a small house as their new home.

“Big Brother, my fiancée and I are getting married right after New Year. If you’re still in Xiangyang Village, I’d love for you to come to my wedding.”

“Oh, I have to leave on the sixth day of the new year. When’s the wedding?”

“On the fifteenth of the first lunar month. It’s an auspicious day—we can’t change it.”

“Here—if I can’t be there, let my heart be. This is my wedding gift.”

Skinny Monkey eagerly took the two yuan Li Bing handed him. He was the first to give a gift—and a soldier at that. Skinny Monkey felt strangely reassured about his marriage.

They all shared a hearty lunch together. Later, in Li Huan’s room, he told Skinny Monkey about the search at the house. Skinny Monkey was stunned.

“Brother Huan, do you know who reported us?”

“Chen Chunhua. But she’s already married, she doesn’t know what we’re up to. So the real informant must be someone from our village.”

“Miao Qing,” Cheng Qiao suddenly spoke.

“Miao Qing—right! Our families have been at odds lately.”

“But how could she know you’re doing this kind of…”

Skinny Monkey knew of Miao Qing too, but he didn’t understand how a village girl could possibly know about Li Huan’s dealings. Li Huan was always cautious.

Li Huan sighed. Ever since marrying Cheng Qiao, his vigilance had slipped. Most of his attention was on her, especially with their child growing inside her.

“Qiao, just focus on resting and raising the baby. Leave everything else to me.”

Cheng Qiao nodded. She truly was exhausted and went back to her room to sleep.

After she closed the door, Li Huan shared part of the day’s profits with Skinny Monkey, and also gave him sausages, pork, eggs, and rice. With New Year approaching, there had to be good food.

Before leaving, Li Huan whispered a few words in Skinny Monkey’s ear. Skinny Monkey’s eyes widened in shock—Chen Chunhua was so bold? A married woman living in another man’s house?

He knew where Wang Tuozi’s family lived. This was something Wang Tuozi had to hear. But Wang Tuozi was someone who watched the winds carefully—if he knew his wife was with a Commune official, he might actually take pride in it.

The only way was to tell Wang Tuozi’s mother. She wasn’t easy to deal with either, but if she learned that her daughter-in-law had put a green hat on her son… well. Skinny Monkey left chuckling.