The Tragic Heroine Fell in Love with Me - Chapter 77

Xiao San vaguely nodded.

Uncle Lame examined Xiao San from head to toe and asked, “Are you really Zheng Qi’s creditor?”

Xiao San nodded, replying with utmost sincerity, “Yes, yes, absolutely.”

Only then did Uncle Lame breathe a sigh of relief. He snatched Gouzi’s phone and tossed it to Xiao San. “Take your phone and leave. Don’t come back here. It’s dangerous for a young girl like you to be in this place.”

Xiao San grinned foolishly. “You’re actually quite kind-hearted.”

She had initially thought the three men were up to no good, but it turned out they only looked intimidating and had no intention of harming her.

Still, Xiao San needed to understand why they were so wary of Zheng Qi.

“Her?” Uncle Lame’s expression turned strange at the mention of Zheng Qi’s name, and he evasively replied, “If you ever run into that person, just stay as far away from her as possible. Otherwise, you’ll regret it when she gets you killed.”

“Is she really that bad?”

“Of course!” Gouzi said indignantly. “She’s the one who ruined our family.”

“Gouzi!” Gouzi’s father scolded.

Xiao San nodded, though she only half-understood. She didn’t dare show any sign of defending Zheng Qi, fearing it might provoke them further.

She looked up at the sky. As winter approached, darkness fell early. It was only around four or five in the afternoon, but the sky was already almost completely dark. Unable to find anyone else, Xiao San had no choice but to turn to the three men for help. “I can’t go back today. Do you have a place where I could stay overnight? I’ll pay you.”

Uncle Lame thought for a moment and said, “If you don’t mind, you can stay at my place. But I can’t guarantee your safety. Make sure you lock the door properly at night.”

Xiao San nodded.

She was somewhat worried about the safety issue Uncle Lame had mentioned, but with no other options at such a late hour, she had little choice.

Uncle Lame and Gouzi’s father led Xiao San to their home. After walking for over ten minutes, they arrived at Uncle Lame’s house.

Gouzi reluctantly bid Xiao San farewell.

Uncle Lame showed Xiao San to a room. Although it had a lock, the door looked extremely worn, and the lock didn’t seem very effective. Still, having one was better than nothing.

Xiao San entered the room, and Uncle Lame turned and headed to another room closer to the main entrance. He left his door open and called out loudly, “I won’t close my door tonight. If anything happens, just shout, and I’ll hear you.”

Xiao San understood that, despite his harsh words, Uncle Lame had a soft heart.

After thanking him, she closed the door.

Though the room was shabby, it appeared relatively clean likely Uncle Lame’s usual living quarters.

The furnishings were sparse: a table stood in the center, flanked by two rickety stools. Nearby was a chamber pot, and further in stood a dilapidated wooden bed with dark, worn bedding.

Xiao San placed her bag on the bed.

Only now, at the end of the day, did she finally have a moment to relax.

She rubbed her forehead. There was no chance to wash up, but having a place to rest in such circumstances was already a blessing.

Who would have thought that, back in town, she had once complained about the poor living conditions there?

“If only I had brought Mond along.” Although Mond wasn’t the most reliable, at least he was a man and could have been somewhat useful right?

Xiao San sighed. What was the point of thinking about this now? Who could have known this place would be like this?

Li Ailun probably knew, didn’t he?

The thought suddenly occurred to Xiao San.

It seemed unlikely that Li Ailun was completely unaware. What was his real reason for sending her here?

At first, Xiao San thought Li Ailun wanted her to understand Zheng Qi better, since he was Zheng Qi’s assistant and always had her in mind. But after seeing this village and its people, she began to doubt Zheng Qi’s account.

It wasn’t just the poverty of the village, but the attitude of the villagers toward strangers and their reaction to the name Zheng Qi.

After all, according to Zheng Qi, this village was exceptionally warm and full of joy despite its poverty. The villagers were simple and kind, treating her especially well.

Xiao San thought that if it were only a matter of poverty, with Zheng Qi’s wealth, she could easily have helped the village prosper.

Zheng Qi was such a gentle person, how could she stand by and watch the village she once loved deteriorate like this?

Vaguely, an answer seemed to be emerging.

But Xiao San didn’t want to believe it. She would rather think she had misunderstood everything than accept that impossible assumption.

Leaning against the edge of the bed, Xiao San knew she shouldn’t be able to sleep, but she was exhausted from the day. Though her mind was muddled with chaotic thoughts, she drifted into a heavy, drowsy state.

Just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard a faint rustling sound, as if it were right by her ear.

Xiao San tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids were too heavy to lift.

She moved her hand, her fingers brushing against the bed frame. A splinter pricked her fingertip, giving her enough strength to finally open her eyes.

Her eyelids fought between staying open and closing again.

In her daze, Xiao San vaguely saw a dark figure standing before her, shifting and flickering like a glitch in a TV show.

In that instant, her mind snapped awake.

She shouted loudly and thrust the electric baton in her hand toward the figure.

A crackling current flashed with a silvery-white light in the darkness.

The person hit by the electric shock trembled violently from head to toe, as if doing a belly dance.

After the person collapsed, the electric current continued to sizzle and crackle.

Xiao San opened her eyes fully and finally released the baton.

She turned to grab her phone and noticed her bag was clutched in the intruder’s arms. She had to approach the person and wrestle it back.

The person held onto the bag with immense strength. Xiao San used all her might to pry it away.

She turned on her phone’s flashlight and shone it on the person’s face, recognizing him as Gou Zi.

Just then, Limping Third Uncle pushed the door open and entered.

Xiao San immediately raised the electric baton toward him.

Limping Third Uncle gave Xiao San a puzzled look, then glanced at Gou Zi. Enraged, he stepped forward and kicked Gou Zi in the rear.

But Gouzi wasn’t asleep, he had been electrocuted unconscious. Even after being kicked, he still hadn’t woken up.

“What did you do to him?” Crippled Third Uncle grew tense and snapped at Xiao San with irritation.

Xiao San replied, “He sneaked in. I was just defending myself.”

She held the stun baton tightly, not daring to relax her guard for even a moment.

Crippled Third Uncle cursed under his breath about the bad luck, then bent down and hoisted Gouzi over his shoulder. “Go to sleep. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

Staggering as he left, Crippled Third Uncle hooked the door shut behind him.

After that, how could Xiao San possibly sleep?

She quickly closed the door again and pushed the table against it, so that if anyone tried to enter, it wouldn’t be so easy.

By the time she leaned back against the bed, all drowsiness had vanished. She stayed like that until morning, when the sky began to brighten faintly. Xiao San immediately stepped out into the courtyard.

Since the autumn equinox had passed, the weather was growing colder, especially here in the mountains. The air was thick with the scent of mist, and the chilly breeze seemed alive, relentlessly seeking out the spots where people felt the cold most.

As Xiao San stepped out, she saw Crippled Third Uncle’s door still open. He was sitting at the entrance, puffing on his long-stemmed tobacco pipe, one slow drag after another.

Despite the fright of the previous night, Xiao San politely greeted Crippled Third Uncle.

He sighed and nodded back at her, stammering slightly, “Since you’re awake, you should leave quickly. This isn’t a good place to stay.”

Xiao San murmured in agreement.

She had no desire to remain here any longer.

Crippled Third Uncle continued, “This afternoon, some people are heading to town. I’ve already spoken with them. At noon, you can go with them.”

Xiao San still had Count Corley’s walkie-talkie in her backpack, but she didn’t feel the need to explain. She simply gave another soft “Mm.”

“There’s not much to eat in the mountains,” Crippled Third Uncle went on. “Even if someone offers you food, don’t take it. Do you have anything left to eat?”

“Just a bit of instant noodles.”

“Mm, then eat the instant noodles. For water, draw it from the well it’s clean. Don’t turn your nose up at it.”

“I won’t.”

Crippled Third Uncle put away his tobacco pipe, stood up, and walked out.

It seemed he had been sitting there just waiting for Xiao San to wake up.

Xiao San breathed a sigh of relief. With Crippled Third Uncle around, she couldn’t relax.

Now that he was gone, she felt much more at ease.

Following his advice, Xiao San ate a pack of instant noodles and drew a bucket of water from the well to wash up. Only then did she feel somewhat refreshed.

Just as she was about to use the walkie-talkie to contact Count Corley, she suddenly heard a knocking at the gate.

Xiao San tucked the walkie-talkie back into her bag and called out, “Come in.”

The person who entered was Gouzi.

Overnight, several slap marks had appeared on his face.

He approached with a flushed expression.

As soon as he drew near, Xiao San took two steps back, eyeing him warily. “What do you want?”

Gouzi said, “I… I came to apologize.”

“Apologize for what?”

“Last night,” Gouzi hesitated, then said awkwardly, “I just wanted to steal a phone. I didn’t mean to do anything to you.”

God knows how his third uncle and his father beat him, they beat him until he passed out, then woke him up only to beat him unconscious again.

“I really didn’t mean to do anything to you. Please tell my third uncle they think I wanted to do something to you, but I’m not that shameless. I really just wanted to steal your phone,” Gouzi kept explaining.

It was clear that because of this incident, he had been beaten severely.

Xiao San thought for a moment, “I can explain for you, but you have to tell me why you all act so strangely whenever Zheng Qi’s name is mentioned.”

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