Zhao Nuanyue had said as much before, but they hadn't believed her at all. Instead, they just grew closer and closer to Liu Lanhua, leaving Zhao Nuanyue to worry helplessly, unable to think of a good solution.
"Aunt Liu just took a shine to us, that's all. Besides, it's not like we're mooching. We brought our own grain, so we won't be a burden on her family," Wang Yuan explained. "We're so far from home here in Nianqiao Village, she's like family to us. With a kind-hearted person like Aunt Liu looking out for us, our lives will be a little easier."
Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue sneered inwardly. 'Some family she is. She's just about to drug you and serve you up to Wang Dadan on a silver platter!'
Such naive little bunnies, ignorant and fearless!
There's no such thing as causeless hate in this world, and certainly no such thing as causeless love.
Clearly, they didn't understand this. They were banking on luck, oblivious to the wickedness that can hide in a person's heart.
Liu Lanhua's actions were a classic case of the weasel wishing the chicken a happy new year—her intentions were anything but good. She was a wolf in sheep's clothing, getting ready to lure Little Red Riding Hood astray!
Li Qiong was impatient and had no desire to listen to Yang Guanghui. Besides, Aunt Liu had previously warned them to be careful around him in the Dragon King Temple. He was a grown man, after all, and they didn't want to be taken advantage of. "Wang Yuan, let's hurry up," she urged. "We shouldn't keep Aunt Liu waiting."
Thanks to Liu Lanhua, they had been thriving in the village these past few days. Their work was lighter, they were frequently praised, and life was very comfortable. This had made them a little brazen.
After Wang Yuan and Li Qiong left with bright smiles on their faces, Yang Guanghui still wanted to say something, but he knew the two young women wouldn't believe a word of it.
"Sigh!" Yang Guanghui let out a breath and looked at Zhao Nuanyue. "Don't you think something is wrong?"
Zhao Nuanyue shook her head. "Of course I think something is wrong. I've already told them everything you're thinking, but they don't believe me, either. They think I'm being petty and suspicious. If I say any more, they'll just think I'm jealous of how well they're getting on, so I've stopped trying."
Hearing Zhao Nuanyue's words, Yang Guanghui felt a little better. At least there was someone else who saw it. 'Age doesn't automatically grant you brains or good judgment,' he thought.
"I've been working with the other villagers these past few days, and I've overheard some of them talking," Yang Guanghui said, worried. "They said Liu Lanhua being so nice to those two is like a weasel paying a social call on a chicken—she must be up to no good. They said there's no telling what scheme she's plotting. I didn't catch the details, but I agree that Liu Lanhua has an ulterior motive. It's just... we're dirt poor. What could she possibly see in Li Qiong and Wang Yuan?"
"Have you forgotten what we heard about Wang Dadan?" Zhao Nuanyue countered. "Wang Dadan is the village's head of security, and he's on good terms with Accountant Li's family. Don't you think there might be a connection?"
Yang Guanghui froze at Zhao Nuanyue's words.
In such a conservative era, if a man tried to force himself on an unwilling woman, it would be a disaster. Even if he succeeded, the scandal would be enormous. But if Liu Lanhua and Wang Dadan were in cahoots, that would explain her solicitous behavior.
A wave of fear washed over Yang Guanghui at the thought. He spun around, ready to chase after Wang Yuan and Li Qiong.
"Even if you run out there and tell them, do you think they'll believe you?" Zhao Nuanyue asked. "It's for their own good, but they're completely unconvinced. It's useless. They might even turn on you and accuse you of something. Not only would you annoy Wang Yuan and Li Qiong, you'd also tip our hand and alert Accountant Li and Wang Dadan, two village officials we can't afford to cross."
Zhao Nuanyue cursed under her breath. 'If those two had just listened, none of this would be happening.'
Hearing this, Yang Guanghui felt defeated. He hated what was happening but was powerless to change it.
"So, what do we do?" Yang Guanghui was only nineteen; he had no idea how to handle something so sordid.
"All we can do is keep a close eye on Wang Yuan and Li Qiong and try not to let them go out alone," Zhao Nuanyue said. "Our words carry no weight here. In this village, we have to be extremely careful about what we say and do. We can't afford to make a single mistake."
Yang Guanghui was surprised by her words. "You're the youngest of our group, besides your brother, but I'm realizing you're the most level-headed and intelligent of us all."
"You're giving me too much credit." Zhao Nuanyue was a little embarrassed by the praise. "During the day, I'll stay close to them while we work. As for you, it's getting dark. Go and watch Liu Lanhua's house. If you see any sign of Wang Dadan, find an excuse to call Li Qiong and Wang Yuan out."
"Right!" Yang Guanghui nodded. "Okay, I'll go now."
Yang Guanghui hurried out of the Dragon King Temple and into the village.
Zhao Nuanyue was still uneasy. As she ate, she sent her consciousness out to follow Yang Guanghui.
Thankfully, Liu Lanhua had only invited Li Qiong and Wang Yuan over for a simple meal. She hadn't done anything suspicious. In fact, she had even given each of them a pair of handmade cloth shoes.
That evening, Li Qiong and Wang Yuan came back giggling, eager to show the shoes to Zhao Nuanyue and Yang Guanghui.
"See? Aunt Liu made these for us. She's such a kind person, you two should stop being so suspicious of her," Wang Yuan said with a smug smile. As soon as she was back at the temple, she immediately put on her new cloth shoes.
"Yeah, I think Aunt Liu is wonderful," Li Qiong chimed in. "I'm going to work extra hard from now on, earn more wages, and find a way to repay her kindness."
Yang Guanghui and Zhao Nuanyue didn't lower their guard, but Li Qiong and Wang Yuan had completely let theirs down.
They figured Yang Guanghui and Zhao Nuanyue's lukewarm reaction was just jealousy—jealousy over the new shoes, and jealousy that they had so easily gotten on the good side of a village official.
The next day, when Zhao Nuanyue and the others were about halfway through their work, a woman called out for Wang Yuan and Li Qiong to come help on the other side. The two of them got in a boat and rowed off with her.
Since it wasn't Liu Lanhua, Zhao Nuanyue didn't pay it much mind. Besides, she and Nuanyang were called away by another group to help lay out salted fish at the drying racks.
The smell was awful, but the work wasn't strenuous.
When lunchtime came, Li Qiong and Wang Yuan still hadn't returned. A knot of anxiety tightened in Zhao Nuanyue's chest. She immediately merged her consciousness with the water and began to search everywhere, but she couldn't find any trace of Wang Yuan and Li Qiong within the limits of Nianqiao Village.
So Zhao Nuanyue tried to expand her consciousness further out. She discovered she could spread it limitlessly, reaching any place where there was water. This was something she definitely couldn't do before she had the Dragon Scale.
Zhao Nuanyue searched frantically. Forgetting about lunch, she grabbed Zhao Nuan Yang and pulled him along to search the village.
Suddenly, Zhao Nuanyue's search located Wang Dadan. It was lunchtime, but instead of eating, he was running toward the mountain behind the village.
Wang Dadan was the real culprit. If she followed him, she would find out whether Wang Yuan and Li Qiong were in trouble.