Ma Yunfei escorted Li Sha back to the barbershop, watched her go inside, and then turned and walked towards Majiawan.

Worried that something might have happened, he picked up a stone and held it in his hand.

Halfway there, he suddenly spotted a dark shadow.

Who is it?

Ma Yunfei got goosebumps all over. He thought in horror: I'm done for! Someone must be following me. Obviously, they're going to do something to me.

The dark figure disappeared into a grove of trees.

Ma Yunfei quickened his pace, looking back as he went.

When he entered Majiawan, he found that his clothes were soaked through.

He threw down the stone in his hand and muttered to himself, "Could someone really be trying to sabotage me?"

Ma Yunfei noticed that the lights were still on in his house, so he gently knocked on the door.

Chen Yuyan opened the door and asked, "Honey, why are you so late? My heart was pounding, I was so afraid something had happened to you."

"Wife, the abbot and I had dinner at the mayor's house, and the mayor kept me behind for a chat."

Chen Yuyan asked curiously, "Why does the mayor want to invite the abbot to dinner?"

Ma Yunfei offered a vague answer: "Perhaps it was because Erlu wanted to frame the abbot, and the town mayor mediated as an apology to the abbot."

"It's strange, why did the mayor let the abbot off the hook? Logically speaking, the mayor should have used his power to severely punish the abbot, after all, Erlu is the mayor's nephew, and he will always side with his own side."

Ma Yunfei did not tell Chen Yuyan that the town mayor wanted to use the abbot's hand to drive Gu Tian away.

“After all, the mayor has a bottom line. If he uses his power to punish the abbot, the news will eventually get out and affect the mayor’s prestige.”

Chen Yuyan sighed and said, "Husband, I think you and the abbot should smooth things over with Erlv. Find some time to invite Erlv to a meal. After all, the three of you are sworn brothers. There's no need to make a big fuss over such a small matter."

"Let's talk about it later. Right now, Erlu harbors a lot of resentment towards the abbot, so the two of them can't sit at the same table for the time being."

Ma Yunfei lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

Mayor Gu Le is a ruthless man. His cousin did a lot for him, but he treated his cousin like this, which is really chilling.

Judging from the tone of Mayor Gu Le, it seems he doesn't want to give his cousin Gu Tian a single penny, which is going too far.

Ma Yunfei really underestimated the town mayor. The town mayor, Gu Le, was good at using both kindness and severity, giving a piece of candy and then slapping it.

The next morning, as soon as the bank opened, Liu Fei withdrew five thousand yuan and delivered it to Gu Le's office.

She put the money on the table and said, "Honey, I felt so uneasy when I went to the bank to withdraw money today. I never expected that Gu Tian would come and extort us. Honey, you can't let him extort us again and again. This is the first and the last time."

Gu Le waved his hand and said, "Wife, don't worry, I will only give Gu Tian this amount of money. From now on, our family will cut all ties with him."

“Honey, that’s more like it. You have to keep your word. If Gu Tian comes asking for money again, I will definitely not give him a single penny.”

"Wife, Gu Tian will not be coming again."

Liu Fei pouted and said, "Honey, I think your cousin is a shameless scoundrel. You gave him money this time, and he got a taste of the benefits. He'll definitely come back again."

"No, honey, you can rest assured."

Gu Le glanced at his watch; it was already 9:40.

He took five thousand yuan with him and went to the dilapidated courtyard where he was meeting with Gu Tian.

Gu Tian huddled in a corner of the dilapidated courtyard, shivering all over.

It rained last night, and a cool breeze was blowing this morning.

Gu Tian was only wearing a vest, and he hadn't eaten breakfast. He was cold and hungry.

He stared longingly at the gap in the courtyard wall and finally saw Gu Le.

"Cousin, you're finally here! I've been waiting anxiously, worried that something might have happened to delay you."

"Cousin, even if there's something incredibly important, it's nothing compared to what's going on with you."

Gu Le took out five thousand yuan from his briefcase and handed it to Gu Tian, ​​saying, "Cousin, take this money first. You know I'm not in charge of the household, and your sister-in-law is stingy. It was not easy to get her to withdraw five thousand yuan from the bank."

Gu Tian said with a straight face, "Cousin, five thousand yuan is not enough. The doctor said that a deposit of fifty thousand yuan is required before my father can have the surgery."

“Cousin, don’t worry, listen to me: take this five thousand yuan first, I’m going to go to the villages down there in the next couple of days to try and borrow some money.”

"Cousin, what will you do if you can't borrow the money?"

“Cousin, you want 50,000 yuan right away, that’s an astronomical sum. I can’t just steal or rob you, can I? Give me at least two days to think of a solution.”

Gu Tian put the five thousand yuan into his pocket and asked, "Cousin, shall we meet here again in two days?"

"Cousin, let me put it this way, you have to be careful and don't let anyone find out."

Gu Tian was wearing a tattered straw hat, with the brim pulled low.

His face was covered in mud, making him look like a beggar.

Gu Le waved his hand and jumped over the broken courtyard wall.

Gu Tian muttered in dissatisfaction, "My sister-in-law is heartless. She actually tried to get rid of me with five thousand yuan. Damn it, that bitch is a piece of trash."

He cursed under his breath as he climbed over the wall and headed out of town.

Gu Tian lived in a small village five miles away. At the east end of the village lived an old man who was a recipient of the "Five Guarantees" (a government-provided social welfare program for the elderly and disabled).

Gu Tian stayed at his house, and was paid three yuan a day for food and lodging.

This old man cooks porridge every day, and Gu Tian is so sick of it he's about to throw up.

To get from Qinglong Town to this small village, you have to pass through a small grove of trees.

Gu Tian kept his head down and kept walking.

Suddenly, a masked man jumped out of the grove, grabbed Gu Tian by the collar without saying a word, and dragged him into the grove.

Gu Tian struggled desperately, shouting, "Help!"

He had barely uttered a shout when a rag was stuffed into his mouth.

Gu Tian was dragged deep into the woods by the big man and tied to a tree.

The burly man seemed to be mute. Without uttering a sound, he unbuckled his belt and began whipping Gu Tian's buttocks.

Gu Tian wailed, but his mouth was gagged, and he swallowed his cries.

After being slapped twenty times in a row, Gu Tian felt a burning pain in his buttocks.

However, he was somewhat relieved, as it seemed the burly man had no intention of robbing him and had never searched his pockets.

After the masked man finished smoking, he untied Gu Tian from the tree and pushed him into a pit.

The pit was only a little over two feet deep, just enough for Gu Tian to sleep in.

Gu Tian thought in horror: It's over, this masked man wants to bury me alive!

He struggled desperately, but his hands and feet were bound, and he couldn't get out of the pit.