In a daze, Yun Chu seemed to see Yun Ling and Zhang Shi standing by the pond waving at her. She immediately swam desperately to the shore as if she had found a lifeline, grabbing at the stubborn grass on the side and struggling to get ashore.

"Chu Niang, wait for me, I will take responsibility for you."

Yun Chu instantly recalled what Zhang had told her about the young woman in the village who had fallen into the river. Fearing that she would suffer the same fate, she ran back the way she came. But she ran straight to her second uncle and aunt who were looking for her. She immediately hid in the bushes.

Seeing that the two men didn't seem worried at all, but instead had smiles on their lips, she knew that this matter was inextricably linked to them.

"Chu-jie'er, Chu-jie'er, where are you?"

"Sister Chu, Sister Chu!"

Yun Chu covered her mouth tightly and carefully backed away.

Their footsteps drew closer, ever closer.

She can't be caught by them, she can't be caught.

Suddenly, the bushes that had been covering her were parted, and she was instantly terrified. She fell backward, her body stiff as if she were dead. She was finished, her life was over.

Meanwhile, Yunling felt a tightness in her chest, as if a heavy stone was pressing down on her. She was supposed to be happy, but she couldn't feel happy at this moment.

Something must have happened.

Yunling hurriedly drove the carriage to the Fu family's trading company. The trading company was closed, so she went to Ren'an Hall. She saw Yun Shenghua's donkey cart parked at the entrance of Ren'an Hall. There was no one in the cart, so she immediately got off the carriage and went inside Ren'an Hall.

"Father, where is elder sister?"

Yun Shenghua looked unwell and shook his head, saying:

"The landlord said that Sister Chu asked for leave from Elder Zhong in advance and no one knows where she went. Elder Zhong is out on a medical mission and has not yet returned."

“Why would my sister wander off? Did my second aunt take her away? No, no, we all know that Father and my sister go to the city and return to the village together every day. They would at least inform Father.”

Yunling immediately looked at the owner and asked:

"Did that brother from the Shen family come today?"

"Yes, Brother Liu just left a quarter of an hour ago."

This isn't family, nor is it Shen Changliu, whom Yun Chu trusts. She's still studying medicine; Elder Zhong wouldn't send her out alone to make house calls. The person Yun Chu is willing to follow must be someone she knows. Could it be…?

"Father, could it be Grandma and the others?"

Yun Shenghua's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly walked out, saying as he went:

“When we went back on the second day of the Lunar New Year, your second aunt had been trying to arrange a marriage for Chu’er, and she even had an argument with your mother at the time.”

When Yunling first met her second aunt, her supernatural abilities made her feel very uncomfortable. She hadn't expected this person to be so biased.

“Father, if something happens to my elder sister, it must be related to my second aunt.”

"Father, my carriage is faster."

"good."

The two drove quickly toward the village.

Yun Chu's mind was also flashing back to every little moment she had spent with her family. She hated herself for not thinking more carefully today, so that she could have avoided this disaster.

"Junior sister, what are you doing here?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Yun Chu was somewhat dazed. Looking at Shen Changliu in front of her, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

"Senior brother, I've been scammed."

"Get in the car quickly."

It was quite a coincidence. Shen Changliu was a little distracted while driving today, which is why he noticed the movement in the bushes. He thought it was a cat or a dog digging a hole and playing, but he was surprised and delighted to find it was Yun Chu.

Shen Changliu's donkey cart was very simple, but for Yun Chu at this moment, it was a safe haven that gave her a great sense of security.

"Thank you, senior brother."

"Weren't you invited here by your second aunt to the wedding banquet?"

Yun Chu quickly said:

"Senior brother, could you take me to visit my grandmother's house?"

"good."

Guided by Yun Chu, the two arrived safely near Zhang's maternal home. The door was open, but the house was deserted and lacked any festive atmosphere, indicating that the second aunt had lied.

Shen Changliu frowned, then, remembering Yun Chu's helplessness earlier, he immediately put on a stern face.

"I'll take you home."

"No, I'll just go inside and wait. If Father can't find me, he'll naturally realize I was tricked into coming here. When he comes, I'll go back with him."

Yun Chu was about to get out of the car when her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

"No, you mustn't be like this..."

Shen Changliu slightly shifted his gaze away from Yun Chu, gradually loosened his grip, and continued:

"If you go in, wouldn't that confirm it? What if they're in cahoots?"

Yun Chu dared not imagine what her maternal grandparents were like...

"I'll stay here with you."

"But that will trouble you."

"What just happened?"

Yun Chuyi was still shaken by what had just happened, but she was still willing to tell Shen Changliu.

"The car suddenly broke down at the spot ahead, and my second aunt and uncle started arguing. I thought it was only a few steps away, so I decided to walk. But then a person suddenly appeared and said that he admired me. I called my second uncle and aunt."

"They didn't respond. The man grabbed me like a madman. I kicked his crotch and rolled into the pond without realizing it. He jumped in and swam after me. I ran to the shore and hid. You know what happened next."

Shen Changliu's brows were tightly furrowed.

"Don't say that later."

"If I don't say it this way, wouldn't that give my second aunt and the others an opportunity to take advantage of me?"

Shen Changliu took an old garment out of the basket.

"If you're in the pond and no one else sees you, you're in danger. Dry yourself off."

"But it can't be dried in a short time."

"Will your sister come?"

Yun Chu was unaware of how Shen Changliu had mentioned Yun Ling.

"I don't know, but even if Lingniang came, she wouldn't have expected me to go into the water, and she wouldn't have brought me new clothes."

"No, it's your sister. She's very good with words. With her around, you don't need to be afraid."

Yunling sneezed and saw her second uncle and aunt in front of her. Beside them stood a young man dripping wet. Yunling felt a sense of foreboding and feared that Yun Shenghua would be led astray by them, so she warned him:

"Father doesn't need to say anything, just leave everything to me."

"good."

“Hua-ge’er, Ling-jie’er, oh dear, you’ve come at the right time. Our donkey cart broke down. Chu-jie’er was walking home by herself when she accidentally fell into the pond. Luckily, my nephew picked her up.”

"But Chu'er was frightened and hid somewhere when we weren't paying attention. We can't find her right now, so we need your help to find her so that she doesn't catch a cold in this wet state."