Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The blood in Zhong Yizhu’s veins turned ice-cold in an instant. Instinctively he tried to cry out, but a hand clamped tightly over his mouth. He struggled desperately, but the man above him pressed him down with brute force.

Zhong Yizhu had already recognized the man as the thug who had collided with Tao Geer in town earlier that day. But no matter how carefully he thought about it, he couldn’t have imagined that the man would follow them all the way back to the village and launch a surprise attack in the dead of night.

The hand covering his mouth reeked of earth and other foul smells, making him nauseous. The man was soaked through, rainwater from his clothes seeping into Zhong Yizhu’s own. He tore at Zhong Yizhu’s clothing roughly, his intentions unmistakable.

The man lowered his voice, his tone dripping with malice, sending chills down Zhong Yizhu’s spine.

“Young Master Zhong, huh? Didn’t think I, Lai Laoer, would have the fortune to enjoy a young man from the city. What are you struggling for? With a face this inviting, aren’t you born to be fucked by men?”

The man let out a lewd laugh. “Don’t worry, once I’ve taken your virginity, you’ll have no choice but to marry me. Then you’ll be begging me to fuck you.”

The storm seemed to drown out everything. Muffled by the hand, Zhong Yizhu could only make faint sounds. His strength was no match for the man. His kicking legs were pinned down. Despair swallowed him whole, but the tears at the corners of his eyes only seemed to fuel the man’s excitement, making his movements more urgent.

Lai Laoer grinned savagely, his ugly face twisted with lewd, wicked desire. He was triumphant, like a greedy beast clutching a piece of fat meat. Once he had taken this young man’s body tonight, the youth would have to marry him to preserve his honor. Then he would not only gain a handsome husband but also seize his family’s wealth.

He had already made inquiries in the village. This delicate young man, though called a young master, was actually someone who had caused trouble and fallen out of favor with his family. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to act so boldly. Lai Laoer had survived for so many years because he knew never to offend those he couldn’t afford to.

Lai Laoer had already torn off Zhong Yizhu’s clothes. In a flash of lightning, he caught a glimpse of a dazzling expanse of white skin. He swallowed hard and bent down impatiently, his grip loosening slightly as he did so.

But before he could even touch the young man’s fair shoulder, he felt something cold on his neck, followed by a sharp pain that made him cry out in agony.

In his earlier struggles, Zhong Yizhu had fumbled for the embroidery needle on the hoop by the bedside and gripped it tightly. Seizing this brief opening, he stabbed the needle deep into the man’s neck.

Lai Laoer grabbed his neck and shot upright. Furious, he slapped Zhong Yizhu and then choked him. “You dare hurt me? You’re asking for death!”

Zhong Yizhu gasped for breath. “My needle… is coated in poison. If you’re not afraid to die, keep choking me.”

Lai Laoer spat crudely. “Do you take me for a fool? Where would a young man like you get poison? And why would you keep a poisoned needle by your pillow?”

He was panting heavily, both in anger and urgency. “Besides, even if it’s a poisoned needle, once you’re mine, you’d have to save me to protect your own honor.”

With that, Lai Laoer tore at his own clothes and then reached for Zhong Yizhu’s pants, clearly having lost all patience and intent on getting straight to the point.

Zhong Yizhu struggled with all his might, ignoring the pain of his broken fingernails. He knew that if the man succeeded, death would likely be his only way out.

He couldn’t die. He still had his mother.

In the fierce struggle, Zhong Yizhu strained so hard it felt like his veins might burst. A sharp ringing filled his ears. Amid that ringing, the man’s sticky, disgusting breath clung to him like a nightmare he couldn’t escape.

Suddenly, a heavy thud sounded above him. A heavy object crashed down beside him, and the weight on him disappeared. Then came another thud from the bedside. Zhong Yizhu turned his head in a daze, but his eyes were blank.

Sun Yunniang dropped the clay pot to the floor, her voice trembling. “It’s okay, Zhu Ge’er, it’s okay…” She reached out to touch Zhong Yizhu’s face, but her hand came away wet. Her heart ached as if stabbed, and she wished she could chop that beast to bits.

The rain outside was too loud. Sun Yunniang hadn’t noticed the commotion until she heard Lai Laoer’s cry of pain. She had gotten up in the dark, quietly taken the clay pot she used to boil medicine in the main room, and crept in. The struggle and thunder hid her approach, allowing her to strike from behind.

The man who had assaulted her son lay motionless on the floor. Sun Yunniang was terrified. She held back her tears, afraid to touch Zhong Yizhu’s trembling body, and only tried to soften her voice. “Don’t be afraid, Zhu Ge’er. Mama won’t let you marry him. Don’t be afraid. I’ll take you away, take you somewhere else…”

Zhong Yizhu barely made a sound as he sobbed. He snapped back to reality, still shaking uncontrollably, but he tried to comfort Sun Yunniang. “Mother, he didn’t succeed… I’m fine…”

Unable to see clearly in the dark, Sun Yunniang had feared the worst. Hearing this, she let out a huge breath of relief and sank onto the edge of the bed, suppressing her sobs. “My poor child, how could heaven be so cruel to you…”

Why wouldn’t it be, Zhong Yizhu thought numbly. From the moment his father left, it seemed heaven had set obstacle after obstacle in his path. He only wanted to live a decent life with his mother, but it was like climbing a mountain.

Lai Laoer lay on the inner side of the bed. Feeling sick, Zhong Yizhu shifted away. He roughly straightened his clothes and forced himself to calm down.

She lit the lamp. Zhong Yizhu reached out to check Lai Laoer’s breathing. The man was still alive, just knocked out. He could wake at any moment.

Zhong Yizhu grabbed Sun Yunniang’s trembling hand, his voice unexpectedly calm. “Mother, we have to get him out.”

Even if the threat of Lai Laoer waking up and harming them wasn’t an issue, if anyone found out he’d been in their house at midnight, no one would believe that nothing had happened.

Then the shame of losing his virtue would be pinned on him, and he’d have no way to defend himself.

The Zhong family’s old house was at the northernmost end of the village, with the forest right behind it. Zhong Yizhu and Sun Yunniang dragged Lai Laoer into the woods through the rain and pushed him down the slope.

The night was still deep. Supporting each other, they staggered back to the house, locked the yard gate, and then fetched a wood-chopping knife from the kitchen. They shoved every piece of furniture they could move to block the main room door. And so they stayed awake until dawn.

As the light outside grew brighter and the first sunlight slipped through the cracks, mother and son finally let out a breath.

Zhong Yizhu had been gripping the knife with both hands the whole time. His body was stiff, his thoughts numb. He stood up but couldn’t make himself move.

He had thought a lot that night. But no matter how he turned it over, he saw he was in a no-win situation.

Even if he had survived last night, Lai Laoer, who had already intended to ruin his honor and force him into marriage and had been injured by them, would never let it slide.

Zhong Yizhu touched his face. Numbly, he thought, if this face had caused so much trouble, why not just mess it up?

Sun Yunniang, who had been watching him closely, saw his expression and rushed to stop him. “Zhu Ge’er, what are you doing!”

She had wanted to scold him sternly, but halfway through, her voice cracked into sobs.

“It was that beast’s fault. Why are you hurting yourself?”

Sun Yunniang took the wood-chopping knife from Zhong Yizhu’s hand and threw it on the ground. She turned away to wipe her tears, then pretended to be calm again.

“It’s okay. Mother will find a matchmaker right away and find you a good match. It’s better to marry anyone than that beast. Pack your stuff. I’ll send you to your uncle’s to lay low for a while…”

“I’m not going.” Zhong Yizhu had no tears left. He had been stuck in a dark hole, but Sun Yunniang’s words snapped him out of it. Hearing her careful arrangements, he thought more clearly.

He sniffled. “If I leave, he’ll come back to take revenge on you, Mother. How could I leave you here alone?”

And even if a marriage was arranged, Lai Laoer would always have a chance to retaliate before the wedding and sabotage it.

Unless…

A face popped into Zhong Yizhu’s head—a man Lai Laoer could never mess with.

…

At the eastern end of the village, in the yard at the foot of the mountain.

Pei Mu slept until the sun was high in the sky before getting up. It had rained heavily last night, and the mountain paths were muddy. He wasn’t planning to go up today. With nothing to do, he pulled out some wood he’d stored and started whittling.

He was deeply engrossed in his work until hunger hit him. Stretching, he got up to scrape together a quick meal in the kitchen.

When he reached the woodpile in the backyard to grab some firewood, Pei Mu stopped in his tracks.

There were no neighbors around him, and it was usually very quiet, so any unusual sound stood out clearly.

Without changing his expression, he picked up his wood-chopping knife and crept softly to the back door. He flung it open.

But there was no thug outside, nor any animal that had come down from the mountain to steal food.

Pei Mu frowned at the person he had only met twice before. “What are you doing here?”

Startled by Pei Mu’s sudden move, Zhong Yizhu stumbled backward two steps.

Still in shock, he stared at Pei Mu, who was holding a knife. There was almost no color on his face, but a bright smear of blood stained the corner of his tightly pressed lips.

Pei Mu sidestepped, but Zhong Yizhu, mistaking it for an attempt to close the door, quickly stepped forward to block the entrance.

"I..."

Pei Mu never had much patience for people. The person before him was slender, and though he was considered tall among the young men, he only reached Pei Mu's nose. Pei Mu could easily shove him aside without any effort.

Out of consideration for their past, Pei Mu held back for the moment. He glanced down at Zhong Yizhu, the hostility built up over the years glaringly obvious in his eyes and brows when his face was expressionless.

Zhong Yizhu dug his nails into his palms. In the seventeen years of his life, he had been well-behaved and obedient. The most outrageous thing he'd ever done was, when his family tried to give him away like a plaything, he hurt the other person with a determination to die—which ultimately got him and his mother sent to this remote village where they knew no one.

He knew that once he took this step, there was no turning back. He also knew that if he made the wrong choice, he would be doomed forever.

Zhong Yizhu looked up directly into Pei Mu's eyes. His voice trembled uncontrollably, but his tone was exceptionally calm.

"Pei Mu, can you marry me?"

Author's note:

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