RYEY – Chapter 85 An Unexpected Appearance

Cheng Qiao suddenly shouted loudly, her voice booming and clear. Zhao Xiaobao, who had been hanging his head in despair, immediately lifted his gaze, his eyes shining with light.

Cheng Qiao made a gesture to Zhao Xiaobao, signaling that she would take care of it. In that instant, tears streamed down Zhao Xiaobao’s face. In his heart, he vowed, Cheng Qiao, if you help my parents, you will be my benefactor for life.

Li Huan almost got scared to death by Cheng Qiao’s sudden outburst. Seeing these people in the village, the locals would normally scatter, yet Cheng Qiao actually intended to charge forward herself. Surely she hadn’t become “pregnancy-brainless” for three years, had she?

“Li Huan, trust me. Once these people regain their freedom, they will reach heights you couldn’t even imagine. That’s why we need to broaden our vision and think bigger.”

“But… you… sigh…”

“Don’t worry. We’ll help quietly. Just remember to drag Uncle Niu into this.”

The two of them chattered as the ox cart quickly arrived at the post office. Li Huan went to park the cart while Cheng Qiao entered the post office and went straight to claim the remittance.

The staff, seeing such a large sum of money, couldn’t help but frown, though they didn’t ask much. If the money could be remitted, the source must be legitimate.

They were only concerned for Cheng Qiao’s safety. Lately, some shady people had been loitering around the post office. Although they had reported it to the police, as long as no crime had been committed, they couldn’t just detain anyone.

Quietly, one of the staff asked Cheng Qiao if she wanted to open a bank account next door, so the money could be transferred directly, avoiding the need to carry so much cash.

Cheng Qiao shook her head. She had many places she would need money in the future; she couldn’t keep running to the bank each time. Besides, her personal space was even safer than the bank.

Pointing toward the door, the staff saw a man entering and assumed she wasn’t alone. Feeling reassured, they handed the money over to Li Huan.

Li Huan had never seen so much money in his life; his hands trembled slightly. But having seen the world, he remained composed, tossing the cash into a homemade cloth bag, tying it securely, and then going with Cheng Qiao to make a phone call.

The call connected quickly. Yang Mei answered first, but she didn’t hand the phone to Cheng Qiao. Instead, she told her to wait for a letter, as she had also written one.

“Aunt Yang, what happened to my dad?”

“Cheng Qiao, it’s hard to explain over the phone. Don’t worry for now. Once you see the letter, you’ll understand.”

“Aunt Yang, can you at least give me a hint? Hello, hello, Aunt Yang… hello…”

Hearing the “beep beep beep” from the line, Cheng Qiao knew the call had been disconnected. Her good mood vanished instantly. Could something have happened to her father? But he was the deputy director at the factory—what could possibly go wrong?

Seeing Cheng Qiao wobbling, Li Huan quickly reached out and carefully helped her sit down. It took a while before Cheng Qiao regained her composure.

“Qiao, how are you? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

Cheng Qiao shook her head and took Li Huan’s hand to stand up. Li Huan, worried, held onto her arm as they walked outside—but immediately noticed some hostile gazes.

“Qiao, we need to find a place to hide the money. We’re being watched.”

Cheng Qiao’s eyes sharpened. This money was the life savings of her parents; there was no way she would let anyone steal it. They walked to the ox cart and, using the blanket as cover, tossed the money bag into her personal space.

Seeing that the bag had disappeared, Li Huan relaxed, knowing Cheng Qiao had safely hidden the money. Yet he still worried about her pregnancy and decided it was best to head home first.

On the narrow dirt path, two people were standing there. Li Huan, sharp-eyed, saw a glint of sunlight off something and sensed danger.

“Move, move! I won’t be responsible if the ox hits you!”

Li Huan shouted loudly, cracking the ox whip in the air a few times to create a startling noise, hoping to scare off the two men standing in the middle of the road.

The old ox, well-trained by Uncle Niu, stopped when it saw people. Li Huan, seeing the ox halt, could only sigh in resignation and speak to Cheng Qiao softly.

“Qiao, the situation isn’t good. You need to sneak into your treasure space quietly and stay there.”

“I won’t—”

“Be good. You’re pregnant, remember? Your master said the fetus isn’t stable yet.”

Cheng Qiao thought for a moment and slowly got off the ox cart. Li Huan also dismounted, and when he saw Cheng Qiao move behind the cart, he walked toward the two men.

“You’re here to extort toll money, right?”

Li Huan noticed that one of the men carried a large watermelon knife on his shoulder. Immediately, he understood the situation and marveled at how fast modern bandits had become.

“Hehe, it’s almost the end of the year. We’re short on cash. Heard you got a lot of money—why not share some with us?”

The man with the watermelon knife shook a leg lazily as he replied.

“So it is robbery. Don’t you know that if you get caught, you’ll be in big trouble? Aren’t you afraid?”

“Afraid? Of course we’re afraid. But we’re starving—what good is being afraid?”

“If you guys are just hungry, I’ll give you some money for food myself. But if you want all my money, then let’s see whose fists are stronger—yours or mine.”

“Looks like someone doesn’t learn until he sees the coffin. That woman must be your wife. Once we deal with you, we’ll sell her. She’s young and delicate; she should fetch a decent price.”

Li Huan’s previously calm face immediately darkened. Without thinking, he lashed out with the ox whip at the man who had spoken too boldly.

“Ah—!”

The man didn’t expect Li Huan to strike so suddenly. He tried to block it with his hand, but his arm was hit, causing him to cry out in pain.

He roared angrily, raising the watermelon knife and charging at Li Huan, aiming to chop off his head.

Li Huan quickly rolled to the ground, avoiding the attack. Unfortunately, four hands were better than one. Just as he tried to stand, the other man rushed over and punched him in the stomach.

Li Huan hadn’t defended himself. The punch landed heavily, nearly expelling his breakfast. He couldn’t stand immediately.

Seeing this, the man with the watermelon knife sneered and approached where Cheng Qiao was standing. The closer he got, the more he thought she was beautiful.

“This young lady isn’t bad-looking. How about coming with me and living the good life? You won’t have to suffer with this poor man anymore.”

Cheng Qiao said nothing, nervously thinking of how to escape.

“Don’t worry. Look, over there are our bikes. If the young lady comes with me, I’ll give you a bike.”

Seeing the man approach Cheng Qiao, Li Huan drew a deep breath, his heart racing, and leapt forward, determined to protect her.