When Lin Piaoxue and her mother passed by Zhang Ling's house, his dog suddenly started barking. Lin Piaoxue and her mother's expressions changed drastically, and they exchanged a panicked glance, both very worried that someone from Zhang Ling's family would come out to check.

"Old Hei, what are you yelling about? Stop yelling, it's too noisy. If you yell again, I'll kill you and eat you as braised dog meat." Lin Ling's scolding voice rang out.

Old Black, perhaps understanding Lin Ling's words, fearing being killed, whimpered twice at the gate and then fell silent.

Lin and Lin Piaoxue relaxed their tense bodies slightly and hurried home with light steps.

Li Jian sat in the courtyard, looking at the stars in the sky, a faint sadness in his eyes.

He overheard the Lin family's conversation and learned that Lin Piaoxue had not yet returned. Feeling worried, he went back inside to get a flashlight and prepared to go out to look for her. However, Li's father stopped him, saying, "If you dare to leave this room, don't ever come back."

"Dad, I'm just worried about Piaoxue and want to go out and look for her," Li Jian explained.

"Who is Lin Piaoxue to you? Does she need your concern? She agreed to your marriage proposal today. You know perfectly well that she won't marry you, so why are you still so stubborn?" Li Changqing questioned coldly.

"I..." Li Jian was speechless when asked.

Li Jian looked at Lin Piaoxue with disappointment. His son was obsessed with Lin Piaoxue. He had to separate him from Lin Piaoxue and let him see the world. Otherwise, he would be at Lin Piaoxue's beck and call for the rest of his life.

"I've already asked your aunt to find you a odd job at the restaurant. Pack two sets of clothes and go to town to see her tomorrow. She'll take care of everything."

Li Jian was overjoyed upon hearing this. As long as he had a job in the city, Lin Piaoxue would think more highly of him and might even agree to marry him.

Li Jian didn't go looking for Lin Piaoxue anymore. He happily went back to his room to pack his clothes, preparing to go to the city early the next morning.

Li Changqing and Wang Cuihua breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Li Jian happily return to his room and no longer insist on going to find Lin Piaoxue. They then sat in the courtyard and chatted.

Lin's father and Lin Qing were sitting in the courtyard, and they overheard the conversation of the Li family next door.

Lin Ming said regretfully, "Li Jian is deeply in love with Piaoxue, but unfortunately Piaoxue doesn't reciprocate his feelings."

Li Jian wasn't very capable, and Lin's father looked down on him. However, he had to admit that Li Jian was really good to Lin Piaoxue. But Lin Piaoxue was determined to marry into the city, and he was worried that if Lin Ming spoke up, Lin Piaoxue would complain. So he said, "Mind your own business and mind your own business."

"Father, I was just saying," Lin Ming said.

"Third brother, Piaoxue might not like hearing what you're saying. You'd better not say such things in front of her, lest she get angry," Lin Qing said.

Seeing that Lin Qing had already said that, Lin Ming quickly replied, "Oh! Then I won't say it next time."

As soon as Lin Ming finished speaking, the door was pushed open, and Lin's mother and Lin Piaoxue walked in. Lin's mother let go of Lin Piaoxue and quickly turned around to close the door.

Lin Piaoxue forced herself to return home. As her tense mind relaxed, everything went black and she fainted.

Just as Lin's mother closed the door, she saw Lin Piaoxue collapse in front of her with a thud. She exclaimed, "Piaoxue!" She quickly squatted down and hugged her, calling out in a panic, "Piaoxue, Piaoxue, don't scare your mother."

When Lin's father and the three Lin brothers saw Lin Piaoxue fall to the ground, they were stunned, but they quickly came to their senses, stood up abruptly, and ran towards Lin Piaoxue.

Hearing the noise from next door, Li Jian and Wang Cuihua hurriedly went to the wall and listened carefully, wanting to know what had happened to Lin Piaoxue.

Mr. Lin picked up the flashlight that Mrs. Lin had dropped and shone it on Lin Piaoxue's face. His expression changed drastically, but he didn't ask anything. He immediately turned off the flashlight, picked Lin Piaoxue up from Mrs. Lin's arms, and walked quickly toward the main room.

The three Lin brothers quickly came to their senses, looked at each other in disbelief.

Ignoring the three Lin brothers, Lin's mother hurriedly stood up and caught up with Lin's father.

Hearing her mother's panicked cries, Lin Qinghuan felt strange. Could it be that something had happened to Lin Piaoxue?

That can't be! How could something like that happen in the village?

Just as Lin Qinghuan was racking her brains trying to figure it out, she saw her father carrying Lin Piaoxue into the room. When she saw that Lin Piaoxue's hair was messy and her clothes buttons were off, she was stunned.

Lin Piaoxue was...?

How could that be? How could I possibly be humiliated in the village where I grew up?

Lin Qinghuan refused to believe this possibility. She was more inclined to believe that Lin Piaoxue had gotten into a fight or that there were other reasons why she ended up in such a sorry state!

Mr. Lin put Lin Piaoxue on the bed, and Mrs. Lin asked anxiously, "What should we do? Piaoxue is unconscious. Should we ask Doctor Li to come and take a look?"

Lin's father scolded, "Do you want everyone in the village to know that your daughter has been raped?"

Lin Qinghuan could hardly believe her ears. She looked at Lin Piaoxue lying on the bed in shock. Had Lin Piaoxue really been raped?

Who was it? Who had the audacity to rape a young girl?

"Then what should we do? Are we just going to watch Piaoxue lie in bed and do nothing?" Lin's mother said helplessly.

Lin Qinghuan disliked Lin Piaoxue, even hated her, but seeing her like this now, she couldn't feel happy.

Mr. Lin looked at Lin Qinghuan, who was stunned by his gaze. Why was he looking at her? She was a young, unmarried woman, and she didn't know how to deal with this kind of thing!

"Father, please don't ask for my opinion," Lin Qinghuan said.

Lin Piaoxue is vindictive and vengeful; she dares not offer advice lightly, lest she incur her revenge—that would be such an injustice!

The three Lin brothers also entered the room, their eyes filled with heartache as they looked at Lin Piaoxue.

Lin Ming said angrily, "Mom, tell me what happened, Piaoxue, she..."

Seeing Lin Ming speaking so loudly, Lin Qinghuan interrupted him, "If you speak any louder, and outsiders hear what you say, it will ruin Lin Piaoxue's reputation and destroy her future. She will definitely kill you."

Lin's father slapped Lin Ming on the head and whispered, "Don't you know walls have ears? If you keep yelling, I'll beat you to death."

"I was just too impatient," Lin Ming explained.

"You're the only one in a hurry. Don't I feel the same way?" Lin's father said.

Lin Feng said with a gloomy face, "Mom, what happened? How did Piaoxue become like this?"

"It was all that beast Lin Yu's doing," Lin's mother said softly, sobbing.

Lin's father and the three brothers, Lin Qing, stared in disbelief at Lin's mother. Lin Yu? Lin Yu had violated Lin Piaoxue? How dare he?

Lin's father trembled with anger, and asked again, his voice shaking, "You said it was Lin Yu? Lin Yu ruined Piaoxue!"

Lin Qinghuan was also taken aback. Holy crap! How could it be Lin Yu? He has a pretty good reputation in the village. How could it be him?

Damn it! You can't judge a book by its cover!