"What's wrong?"

Gu Changshu was stunned and quickly walked outside.

"Oh no, someone's set a fire! Quick, get out of the backyard!"

Gu Xiaoxiao looked out the window and saw flames raging at the courtyard gate.

"No, the backyard is on fire too."

Gu Changshu was anxious, as all his escape routes were blocked.

"What should we do now?"

Gu Xiaoxiao cried in distress. Would they be burned alive?

"Stay calm."

"The wall is far away from us, and there are no flammable items in the yard. The fire wasn't big; I estimate it could be extinguished with a bucket of water."

Ruan Qiushui walked quickly to the backyard, picked up a bucket of water, and opened the gate.

A small pile of firewood sat at the corner of the courtyard wall, burning quite intensely at the moment. Ruan Qiushui poured a bucket of water into it, extinguishing the fire instantly.

"That scared me to death."

Gu Xiaoxiao was worried, so she followed Gu Changshu and brought over two more buckets of water.

"Who on earth is so despicable?"

Gu Changshu was almost scared to death when he saw this pile of miniature firewood.

"Could it be the Zhao family coming to retaliate?"

Gu Xiaoxiao thought that the only people her third brother and sister-in-law could offend in the brigade were the Zhao family and the Wang family.

The Wang family's matter happened so long ago, and there's been no action since, so it couldn't possibly be them.

The most likely location is the home of Zhao Desheng, who was just sentenced.

"It doesn't look like it."

Ruan Qiushui shook her head inwardly; this didn't seem like Zhao Meimei's style.

This pile of firewood doesn't look like it's meant to kill anyone; it's more like a warning.

A warning? What was she being warned about?

"It's getting late, you should go home first."

Ruan Qiushui was afraid that her two younger siblings would be frightened again, so she decided it was better to go home.

"No, Third Sister-in-law, I'll stay here with you."

Gu Xiaoxiao was worried.

What if they leave, and then some malicious people come looking for trouble?

"Let's wait until Third Brother comes back."

Gu Changshu was also worried.

These successive events are truly alarming.

The three of them went back inside to continue studying until the early hours of the morning, when Gu Changfeng finally returned on his bicycle.

"Honey? What's that pile of extinguished firewood outside? Are you alright?"

Gu Changfeng rushed in, worried that something might have happened to his wife.

"fine."

Ruan Qiushui took Gu Changfeng's hand and told him what had happened.

"I'll investigate this matter."

Gu Changfeng gave a couple of instructions, then turned and left the courtyard.

"Can Third Brother find out?"

Gu Xiaoxiao felt it was risky.

"It's the middle of the night, and there's no one on the street to see us. We don't even know who to ask."

How can we investigate this?

"Don't worry, your third brother will have a solution."

Ruan Qiushui believed in her man's abilities.

Early the next morning, Gu Changfeng returned with Song Baoyu, the daughter of the Song family.

"Wife, she's the one who set the fire last night."

Based on the footprints around the courtyard wall and the traces of firewood being dragged, Gu Changfeng instantly identified the suspect as a woman from the Song family.

He went to the Song family and found Song Baoyu in a panic, constantly hiding behind others; something was definitely wrong.

After examining Song Baoyu, Gu Changfeng discovered that Song Baoyu's cuffs had several holes burned by sparks, his fingers smelled of lamp oil, and his shoes still had traces of damp mud and leaves from an old locust tree outside his yard—a tree the Song family didn't own.

No matter how much he pressed, Song Baoyu refused to reveal the reason.

"I don't know you at all, why are you doing this?"

Ruan Qiushui didn't understand. If it weren't for Old Lady Song coming to her for medical treatment, Ruan Qiushui wouldn't even have a memory of Song Baoyu.

They have no connection whatsoever, let alone any conflict.

"I just can't stand you, so I did what I wanted to do."

Song Baoyu turned his head to one side.

"Do you know the consequences of this?"

This is not child's play, and it can't be resolved with a few words about her having a BBQ in her yard.

"What consequences could I possibly suffer? You've suffered no loss whatsoever."

She didn't kill it; that little bit of firewood was just enough to cook a chicken.

"Arson, even if no serious consequences have occurred, is punishable by imprisonment for not less than three years but not more than ten years."

After Gu Changfeng finished speaking, he took Song Baoyu to the county.

"What? No, you can't put me in jail."

Song Baoyu's hands were bound, and he struggled incessantly.

Ruan Qiushui stepped forward and gently inserted a needle to calm her down.

A sleep aid with no side effects—you too can have one.

Come back soon.

Ruan Qiushui kissed Gu Changfeng's lips, then turned and went back to the bedroom.

With Song Baoyu arrested, the Song family will definitely cause trouble. It's best to stay home and get some sleep.

In the afternoon, the Song family did come to Ruan Qiushui's door to make a scene, but they were driven away by Xie Xiuying and the others.

"Honey, I'm home."

Gu Changfeng returned home dejectedly, lay down on the side of the bed, and hugged his wife tightly.

"What's wrong?"

Ruan Qiushui noticed that something was wrong with her husband.

"Song Baoyu has returned to the brigade."

"She is pregnant and has been released on bail pending trial. The three-year prison sentence will not be carried out until the end of her 12-month breastfeeding period."

Although Gu Changfeng had no choice but to respect the law in the face of this outcome.

With such a threatening person right under his nose, he was afraid his wife would be in danger if she even dozed off for a moment.

"fine."

It's not necessarily true that Song Baoyu will continue to make mistakes.

"I remember, Song Baoyu wasn't engaged yet, right? Whose child was she carrying?"

Ruan Qiushui was curious.

In this conservative era, how could Song Baoyu have the courage to become pregnant out of wedlock?

"Honey, you actually know this person."

Gu Changfeng was also surprised when he first heard Song Baoyu's answer.

"I know him?"

"You mean Duan Zhiyu?"

Of all the people she knew, only he could do something so outrageous.

"That's right."

Gu Changfeng nodded affirmatively.

"Then I know why Song Baoyu set the fire."

So it turns out that Song Baoyu wasn't going to the woods to relieve himself, but rather to have a secret rendezvous with Duan Zhiyu.

So, fearing she might discover something, he came specifically to warn her and prevent her from speaking.

"I'd like to see how Duan Zhiyu will handle this."

This man is truly a beast, worse than a pig or a dog.

How many women has he ruined already?

When Song Baoyu returned to the Song family, he was interrogated by his parents. They eventually found out that he was pregnant and immediately led his relatives to the Zhao family's house.

"Where's Duan Zhiyu? Call him out here."

Mr. Song was so angry that his liver hurt.

It's bad enough that her own daughter started a fire, but then she got pregnant by someone, and it was a married man with no assets at all.

What's so good about that pretty boy that he's made such a beautiful young woman so infatuated?

Inside the house, Duan Zhiyu and Zhao Meimei were arguing fiercely.

"Duan Zhiyu, what do you mean? Marrying me wasn't enough, you still want to keep having affairs outside. How can you face me? How can you face what I've done?"

Zhao Meimei was furious.

If Song Baoyu hadn't been arrested, her affair with Duan Zhiyu would probably have remained a secret forever.