LRAB Chapter 22 Is this a check-up on me?
Chapter 22 Is this a check-up on me?
The fine layer of sweat on Liu Baoguo's back instantly turned cold from being stared at.
But after all, he had been in the position of village party secretary for more than ten years, and he had seen all kinds of troublemakers.
He chuckled dryly, his eyes still darting around Qin Rushan.
"That's just gossip! My Chunhua said she doesn't care about that! As long as the person is honest, whether they can have children is secondary. Besides, big hospitals have good technology now, maybe they can cure it? As long as you agree, we'll be family from now on. If you want to do any side business in the village, I'll give you the approval, who dares to stop you?"
This is like hanging brightly lit bait on a hook.
If you put power on the table, I don't believe this poor kid won't be tempted.
The axe in Qin Rushan's hand shone even brighter after being sharpened.
As he looked at the sharp blade, what came to mind was Li Xianglian's swollen eyes from crying last night, and her soft, boneless little hands.
Compared to that resilient and pitiful woman, what is Liu Chunhua?
"Secretary, I'll only say this once."
Qin Rushan suddenly stood up. He was extremely tall, a full 1.88 meters, and his muscular physique, honed from years of hard work, was incredibly imposing.
The moment he stood in front of Liu Baoguo, his shadow completely enveloped Liu Baoguo.
"I'm a loner, have a bad temper, can't stand being controlled, and don't want to marry a princess to worship. If Chunhua wants to get married, there are plenty of good young men in the city. As for me..."
Qin Rushan weighed the axe in his hand, his tone chilling, "I have no intention of marrying a daughter of the Liu family in this lifetime. Secretary, you should reconsider."
Liu Baoguo didn't expect this poor boy to refuse so decisively; it was like a slap in the face.
His old face instantly turned a deep liver color, a sign of his anger at being humiliated.
"Qin Rushan! Don't push your luck!"
Liu Baoguo threw his cigarette butt on the ground, stood up abruptly, and pointed at Qin Rushan's nose, "I only gave you my daughter because I thought highly of you! You should take a piss and look at yourself in the mirror. Besides my Chunhua, what decent girl in all around would marry a bachelor like you? Do you really want to be a bachelor for the rest of your life?"
"That's my business."
Qin Rushan took a step closer, his face expressionless, his ruthless nature—a ruthlessness born of past killings and bloodshed—fully erupting. "Or is the Party Secretary trying to force a sale?"
breeding?
These two words almost made Liu Baoguo choke and faint.
The Qin Rushan before him was like a wild beast that had been provoked, his eyes so fierce that it seemed he could pounce on him at any moment and tear his throat apart.
This kid... he really dares to make a move!
Liu Baoguo's official prestige crumbled instantly in the face of absolute military force.
He swallowed hard, intending to utter some harsh words to get back at the other person, but what came out of his mouth was a stammering attempt to make amends.
"Fine...fine! You don't know what's good for you! You'll regret this later!"
Liu Baoguo grabbed the unopened bottle of Erguotou on the table, turned around and left.
He was walking so fast and erratically that he tripped on the threshold as he was leaving the house and almost fell flat on his face.
Only after walking dozens of meters away from the Qin family's courtyard did Liu Baoguo dare to turn back and spit: "Pah! What a piece of trash! You shameless bastard! Just you wait, you'll be begging me for mercy someday!"
Qin Rushan stood in the courtyard, coldly watching the direction where Liu Baoguo had disappeared.
He slammed the axe in his hand into the wooden stake in front of him with a loud thud, driving it deep into the wood.
"Pah! You old fox, trying to use me as a pawn? You should take a good look at yourself in the mirror."
Although Qin Rushan had never received much formal education, he was an expert judge of character.
If Liu Chunhua really took a liking to him, pigs could fly. He knew exactly what those two were up to.
They're just after his money and want to find a sucker to support them.
Once they've squeezed all the money out of you, they'll kick you aside.
Moreover, if he really marries that troublemaker, how will he protect Xianglian in the future?
Thinking of Xianglian, the fierceness in Qin Rushan's eyes instantly vanished.
He turned and went back into the room, where he pulled a small paper packet from a hidden compartment under the bed.
Those were special antidote pills that he had asked a comrade to get from the military hospital. They were originally meant to protect against miasma in the wild, and they were most effective against those low-class sleeping pills.
He carefully wrapped the pills and put them into his inner pocket.
**
Night had fallen, and the moon was half-hidden by the tattered clouds, letting out a pale, bleak light.
The Zhao family courtyard was so quiet that only the chirping of crickets could be heard, occasionally mixed with the snoring coming from the main room.
Those were Aunt Zhao and her daughter Zhao Xiaoyun. They had eaten too much oily chicken at noon and were now sleeping soundly like dead pigs.
Li Xianglian huddled on the haystack in the woodshed, her eyes wide open, staring intently at the drafty, broken wooden window.
She is waiting.
Waiting for the man who can save my life.
Just then, there was a soft "click".
The sound was extremely soft, like a ripe fruit falling on the grass. Others would certainly not have heard it, but to Xianglian, who had been listening intently, it was like a thunderclap from a clear sky.
She sat up abruptly, her heart pounding in her throat.
Immediately afterwards, the broken window, whose frame had been snapped off, was gently pushed open from the outside.
A dark shadow, like a mountain leopard blending into the night, silently slid in, landing without even stirring up a speck of dust.
Before Xianglian could even see clearly, a familiar, strong smell of sweat, carrying masculine hormones, wafted towards her. Immediately afterward, that hot body pressed down on her, giving her an undeniable sense of security in this narrow and cramped space.
"Sister-in-law, are you still awake?"
Qin Rushan's voice was extremely low, whispering close to her ear. His breath was hot, making Xianglian shrink back, and half of her body went numb.
"No...no," Xianglian replied softly. By the sliver of moonlight filtering through the broken window, she could make out the man's face.
He had probably just taken a shower; water droplets still clung to his stubble, sliding down his strong sideburns, over the hideous scar, and finally disappearing into his faded tank top.
His exposed arm muscles were torn and glistening with a bronze sheen, a sight that would make anyone blush and their heart race.
"Give."
Without saying a word, Qin Rushan stretched out his large, calloused hand in front of her.
A small white pill, about the size of a fingernail, lay in my palm, carefully wrapped in a layer of waxed paper.
"This is... the antidote?" Xianglian carefully picked up the pill, as if holding onto a lifeline.
"Hmm." Qin Rushan casually wiped the sweat from his face, sat down cross-legged on the haystack in front of her, his long legs curled up in a pitiful manner.
"Tomorrow morning, before that old hag cooks, you take this medicine. I got it from the army through a comrade. It's incredibly potent; whether it's a sleeping potion or rat poison, it'll do you no harm. Just pretend to faint, and I'll take care of the rest."
Xianglian gripped the pills tightly and nodded emphatically: "I understand."
After the important business was finished, the woodshed suddenly fell silent.
A lone man and a lone woman, in the dead of night, in a relationship where things could easily escalate into something more intimate.
The ambiguous atmosphere was like fermenting dough, rapidly expanding in the sweltering night, making it hard to breathe.
Qin Rushan's dark eyes roamed freely over her body under the cover of night.
Xianglian was wearing an old undershirt tonight, the collar of which was a bit loose from washing. If she lowered her head slightly, a patch of dazzling white skin would be revealed.
In the dim light, this white spot was like a hook, making Qin Rushan's soul feel somewhat adrift.
Xianglian felt uncomfortable under his gaze. She twisted the hem of her clothes in her hands, bit her lip, and finally couldn't help but ask the question that had been on her mind all day.
"Rushan... I heard... I heard the Party Secretary go to your house today?"
Qin Rushan was taken aback for a moment, then grinned.
His usually sinister eyes, gleaming in the darkness, were now surprisingly bright, carrying a hint of mockery: "Is my sister-in-law checking up on me?"