Chapter 278: Relying on Ourselves

Regardless of what Wang Dali might be thinking, as soon as Yun Linhe learned about Liu Hong and Nawaguo, he took his wife and children home that very day.

Father Wang and Mrs. Wang stuffed their bags with all sorts of things.

"Mom, don’t be soft-hearted with her anymore. And until we find proof, don’t go head-to-head with that lunatic, Liu Hong."

The two elders nodded.

Wang Mei was still worried. Nawaguo had already brazenly sent people to the village to bully them; he probably wouldn’t hesitate to do worse to the two elders.

After some thought, she went to the village chief and asked him to help keep an eye on them. She also told Father Wang and Mrs. Wang not to go out alone to gather pig feed and such, but to go with other villagers instead.

Then, she went to give her third brother a heads-up.

She didn’t mention that Liu Hong was cheating on their eldest brother. Her third brother was a bit impulsive, especially after drinking; he wouldn’t think clearly. She didn’t want him to cause a scene that would be difficult to clean up.

After all the commotion, it was already afternoon by the time they left.

The king cobra Yun Jiao had caught was cleaned and stewed into a soup by Mrs. Wang. And it had to be said, it tasted quite good.

"Take all these termite mushrooms back with you. How much can two old folks like us eat? Don’t let them go to waste."

Yun Jiao and the others had picked a lot of termite mushrooms. When they left, most were stuffed into a small basket for them to take, along with a cured ham hock.

Unable to refuse, Wang Mei and her family had to accept it.

Mrs. Wang put a large amount of dried sweet potato into a plastic bag and handed it to Yun Jiao.

"Jiaojiao likes these, so take plenty."

"And these eggs. We can’t eat this many, so don’t let the eldest family’s two boys get them for free. Take them back for Jiaojiao and the others."

Thinking about all the eggs and meat that the brothers Wang Daming and his younger sibling had eaten in the past, Mrs. Wang felt a pang of regret.

"Thank you, Grand-aunt, Grand-uncle."

Hugging the dried sweet potatoes, Yun Jiao obediently thanked the two elders in a soft voice, which they found absolutely endearing.

Of all the children, Jiaojiao was their favorite.

’How could a child be this beautiful?’ they thought. ’She’s even cuter than the dolls in New Year paintings.’

After bidding the two elders farewell, Yun Jiao and her family left the village and walked a short distance to the local town to catch a bus home.

The bus didn’t smell very pleasant. As soon as she got on, Yun Jiao buried her face in Yun Linhe’s arms and didn’t say a word, looking as if she had fallen asleep.

Yun Linhe stroked her head, his mind on Liu Hong and Nawaguo.

Wang Mei said, "Those men are all from this town, but they don’t know where Nawaguo lives. How are we supposed to find him?"

Yun Linhe replied, "Let’s go home first. I’ll handle this."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"Don’t worry, I’ll find him."

"Right, the photos! Jiaojiao took pictures of that bitch Liu Hong with Nawaguo. You should get them developed."

Yun Linhe nodded.

They took the swaying bus back to the town near their home, then walked the rest of the way to their village.

Yun Jiao and the others happily hugged Shen Yunlian and Yun Linhai.

"Go take a bath and get to bed."

Yun Jiao yawned. She really was tired.

She playfully soaked her feet with her brothers, and before bed, she hugged and snuggled her treasures, then contentedly crawled under the covers.

Downstairs, however, Yun Linhe and his wife were discussing Liu Hong and Brother Wa.

Yun Linhai slammed the table, his face dark. "They’ve got some nerve! Why didn’t you send those guys to the police station?"

Yun Linhe coughed. "The way they were... Jiaojiao beat them up pretty badly. I was afraid it would get complicated if we took them to the police station."

After all, while those guys had intended to attack, they never actually landed a blow.

Even if they were locked up, it probably wouldn’t be for more than a few days.

Yun Linhe said, "I plan to go find them tomorrow."

"What?"

Yun Linhe continued, "I got their addresses. If Nawaguo can buy them off, so can we."

’People who would sell out Brother Wa without a second thought after getting beaten up are likely just fair-weather friends. If I pay them off, it’ll be much easier to have them contact Brother Wa and then catch the man.’

For the next few days, Yun Linhai and the other men were busy outside the home, leaving Shen Yunlian to look after the children.

Fortunately, Yun Jiao was easy to care for, and the other kids were at school.

When Yun Jiao was home alone, she would read and study, then go to the seaside to play with the killer whales, dolphins, and two turtles.

When she returned, her bucket would be filled with seafood specialties they had given her.

Sea cucumbers, abalones, other types of fish, and even shellfish.

In short, Yun Jiao wasn’t just foraging by the sea anymore; she was practically going to stock up.

Shen Yunlian didn’t even need to go foraging herself; the things Yun Jiao brought back each day were more than enough to eat.

"I’m heading back now. You all head back on your own, okay?"

After saying goodbye to the killer whales, Yun Jiao, whose skin was as white as a snowball, emerged from the sea. When she walked back and passed other people, the difference in their skin tones was so stark it was as if they were from different worlds.

Today, she ran into Yun Zhaodi, who used to find her extremely disagreeable.

Strangely, the Yun Zhaodi of today merely stared at her with a somewhat gloomy expression and didn’t come over to bother her.

"Zhaodi, what are you standing there for? Let’s go home."

Yun Pan Di was now the head of their household, and she managed her younger siblings with an iron fist. Even Yun Zhuangzhuang had started helping with chores; otherwise, he wouldn’t get to eat.

The two elders in their family tried to control Yun Pan Di, but she had found the money her parents had hidden and took it for herself. She also kept the money she earned from selling what she foraged from the sea. She was utterly desperate. Once, when the elders made a huge fuss, she went straight out, bought rat poison, and threatened to take the whole family down with her. After that, the two elders didn’t dare to cause trouble anymore.

However, Yun Pan Di’s reputation in the village had soured.

But she didn’t care. No matter how others saw her, she just wanted to live—to live a proper life.

Besides, even if she couldn’t get married, it was still better than being sold by her parents into a posthumous marriage or to someone old or disabled.

After calling for her sister, Yun Pan Di’s gaze met Yun Jiao’s.

Yun Jiao’s eyes were clean and clear. She didn’t look at Yun Pan Di with the fear, contempt, or disdain that others did.

Yun Jiao tilted her head slightly and gave her a nod in greeting before walking away with her bucket.

Yun Pan Di stood there watching for a long time, her eyes filled with envy and longing.

Who wouldn’t envy Yun Jiao?

"Sis, why is life so unfair? Why weren’t we born into Uncle Lin Hai’s family, or Uncle Lin He’s?"

Yun Zhaodi walked over and asked.

Yun Pan Di withdrew her gaze. She was a bit thinner than before, but her dark eyes held less timidity and submission, and they seemed more alive.

"We can build a good life for ourselves."

’Things are much better now,’ she thought. ’As long as... as long as Mom and Dad don’t get out.’

"Zhaodi, if Mom and Dad come back, what do you want to do?"

A look of confusion flickered in Yun Zhaodi’s eyes, and then she shook her head.

"I... I don’t want them to come back."

Ever since Cai Jinhua and her husband were locked up, Yun Pan Di’s constant efforts had finally managed to correct some of Yun Zhaodi’s bad habits.

At the very least, she no longer provoked Yun Jiao at the drop of a hat, nor did she lie to or steal from others.

With her parents gone, she wasn’t constantly beaten and scolded, and there was more meat on the table—even if it was just the cheapest mixed small fish from the sea.

But she felt that things were better now than before.

In their family, aside from the two elders and Yun Zhuangzhuang, neither of the sisters wanted their parents to return.