Chapter 34 A Thief

As night deepened, the candlelight in every household was extinguished one after another, with only the occasional bark of a dog breaking the silence of the night.

Lu Zheng lingered outside the door for a long time until he heard even and soothing breathing coming from inside before he carefully pushed the door open.

He didn't know what was wrong with him, but now he couldn't control himself whenever he saw Xia Qianqian.

The thought of her daring to touch his butt made Lu Zheng feel hot all over. He wanted to hold her in his arms immediately and "teach her a lesson" so that she would know that you can't touch a tiger's butt.

He tiptoed to the bedside, and looking at Xia Qianqian's sweet sleeping face, his breathing became heavier.

"Qianqian." He finally couldn't help but call out softly in a hoarse voice.

He had so much to say to her, especially to tell her his true identity.

But if she knew that she was the one being attacked, would she still choose to be with him, and would she still look at him with loving eyes?

He had thought that coming to the countryside would allow him to escape the turmoil. But today he received a telegram informing him that people from the city would be sent in a few days to investigate his thoughts and see if he had truly distanced himself from the world...

Just as he was filled with sorrow, Xia Qianqian suddenly rolled over and skillfully wrapped her arms and legs around his body. The soft touch of her body instantly dispelled the gloom in his heart, leaving him with nothing but her in his arms.

Xia Qianqian was still restless in her sleep, waving her little hands haphazardly across her face and muttering, "Ugh, don't move!"

Lu Zheng looked closely and realized that it was her long hair sticking to her face, making her feel uncomfortable.

He reached out, wanting to brush the hair from Xia Qianqian's face. But to his surprise, the moment he moved his hand, Xia Qianqian opened her eyes.

"You...I..." Lu Zheng's tongue seemed to be tied in knots, and he didn't know how to explain. He was afraid that Xia Qianqian would misunderstand that he had taken advantage of her while she was asleep.

Xia Qianqian suddenly reached out and covered his mouth. The soft palm was slightly warm, which instantly quieted Lu Zheng down.

"A thief broke into the house." Xia Qianqian whispered in his ear, her voice barely audible.

"What!" Lu Zheng stood up. "I want to see which blind fool dares to steal from my house!" He said, and was about to rush out.

Xia Qianqian reacted quickly and stopped him. The comments on the screen told her that he wasn't there to steal anything, but to deliver food.

Xia Qianqian looked at the comments with a puzzled expression. Who would be so kind as to deliver food in the middle of the night and do a good deed without leaving their name?

There's definitely something fishy going on here.

She knew the other party had no good intentions. If Lu Zheng went there rashly, even if he caught the person, he could easily be betrayed and given a reputation for being ungrateful.

Thinking of this, she held Lu Zheng's arm tightly, afraid that he would act impulsively.

"Go and see what's going on first, but don't startle the thief."

She couldn't tell Lu Zheng directly that the other party had come to deliver grain, so she could only let Lu Zheng observe first. As long as he wasn't discovered by the other party, he would definitely be able to find out something.

Lu Zheng was full of doubts. He didn't understand why Xia Qianqian had made such an arrangement, but seeing that she looked serious and didn't seem to be joking, he nodded.

Lu Zheng's figure flashed, disappearing into the night like a nimble cat.

Xia Qianqian gazed in the direction he had left, secretly marveling at his incredible skills. He was in no way inferior to the well-trained bodyguards around Mr. Xia.

It's such a waste that such a talented person is farming in this small village.

Xia Qianqian knew she couldn't be of much help at the moment, so she turned her attention to the comments section, hoping to find some clues she hadn't noticed before.

Unfortunately, after watching for a long time, despite all the speculations in the comments, no useful information was mentioned. Just when she was feeling a little disappointed, Lu Zheng returned.

"How did it go?" Xia Qianqian asked impatiently when she saw Lu Zheng return, her eyes filled with anxiety and concern, and her voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.

Lu Zheng stepped forward, his voice steady and gentle, and softly comforted her, "Don't be afraid, he's already gone."

"Gone?" Xia Qianqian's eyes widened, her face full of disbelief, and a flood of doubts surged in her heart.

Lu Zheng nodded slightly, then picked up the heavy grain in his hand and said, "He left this."

Lu Zheng opened the bag, and inside were freshly harvested summer rice. Each grain of rice was plump and full.

Why did he send us this?

At this moment, a message suddenly popped up on the screen: [I saw the spoilers, Liu Xiao'e is trying to frame the female lead with grain, just you wait, she'll be calling for help soon.]

Xia Qianqian's heart skipped a beat. She knew all too well that in this village, reputation was more important than anything else.

If Liu Xiao'e were to actually accuse her of stealing grain, she would be unable to stay in Xiangyang Village any longer. The thought of the villagers' strange looks and whispers sent chills down her spine.

She said to Lu Zheng, "There's no time to explain. Hurry up and go to the granary to fill a few bags with grain and put them in Liu Xiao'e's yard. Be quick!"

"I understand." Without the slightest hesitation, Lu Zheng vanished into the darkness.

Lu Zheng had barely left when a cry of alarm suddenly came from the granary: "Thieves have broken in! Thieves have broken in! The grain we just harvested has been stolen!"

In an instant, candlelight illuminated the entire village.

You know, this is the grain that has to be handed over in the fall. If it gets lost, how can we explain it to our superiors?

Hearing the shout, Xia Qianqian looked down at the grain at her feet, calmly said "Collect," and the grain vanished without a trace.

Then, she put on her clothes and went out of the house. At this moment, her mother-in-law was also awakened by the noise. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and came out. When she saw Xia Qianqian about to go out, she quickly said, "It seems like a thief has broken into the grain warehouse. It's dark here. You're a young lady, so don't go. Stay in the house and take care of the children. I'll go and check."

Xia Qianqian replied, "Okay, then I'll stay home."

When Lu's mother arrived at the entrance of the granary, she saw villagers carrying lanterns and torches rushing over.

The fifth brother said to the production team leader and the brigade secretary, "Team leader, secretary, I just saw a figure run past, and when I came back I found that the grain was missing!"

The production team leader pressed, "Did you see who it was?"

He probably knew most of the local hooligans. If Lao Wu could recognize who it was, he might be able to get the grain back.

"It looks like a woman, with long hair." The fifth brother thought carefully, then slapped his thigh and added, "I remember now, her hair was permed!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes turned to Lu's mother.