Chapter 52 Why come back to her now?
At dawn, just as the rooster crowed, Zhou Linjin finally arrived at Baixi Village.
The farmers got up early, and there were already a few people on the road taking advantage of the cool morning to work in the fields. They looked at Zhou Linjin with surprise. He was dressed more elegantly than them, looked unfamiliar and was not from the village. He was riding a tall horse and his body was wet with dew.
Zhou Linjin turned a blind eye.
It was not easy to walk at night, and he had only just arrived at Baixi Village at this time. He just wanted to get to Yu's house as quickly as possible.
He was naturally not so stupid as to really believe what Pei Qian said. Since Chen Lianxiu was no longer in the Pei family, she most likely returned to Baixi Village. After all, apart from the Yu family, she probably had no other place to go.
Whenever Zhou Linjin thought of Chen Lianxiu, his heart felt like a bloody wound, and people kept rubbing salt on it, but he couldn't stop thinking about her.
The Yu family lived in a more remote part of the village. When they arrived, it was already dawn. The door of the family next door just opened, and a yawning woman came out with something to feed the chickens.
Luo Wuniang saw Zhou Linjin and Bi Cha at a glance and was almost frightened. It was still dark in the morning and there were two strangers at her doorstep. It was also almost the Ghost Festival, which was really creepy.
But she quickly recognized one of them as the man who had come to the Yu family more than once. He looked quite respectable, and he used to come in broad daylight, but now he dared to come before dawn!
The low gate of the Yu family's courtyard couldn't stop anyone at all. Zhou Linjin was about to force the door open and go in when he heard someone shout, "What are you doing?"
Zhou Linjin knew it was the woman next door, and he didn't feel upset. He just felt that it was a good thing that someone was taking care of Shen Lianxiu.
He continued with his actions and soon opened the gate and went in, leaving Bi Cha outside to deal with Luo Wuniang who was rushing over.
"What are you doing..."
"Our husband wants to see his wife..."
"If you don't tell me, I'll call for help..."
"Don't shout. We're really not bad people. If you don't believe me, just wait and ask our wife..."
Zhou Linjin ignored the noisy sounds outside, walked quickly through the yard, and finally stopped at the door of the house.
When he raised his hand, Zhou Linjin was a little hesitant. He had been thinking about it all the way, but in the end he still didn't know what he should say if she really opened the door and came out.
He knocked twice gently on the door.
There was no movement inside.
Zhou Linjin knocked twice more, but still no response.
Zhou Linjin pursed his lips and said, "Yuan, it's me. Open the door."
He could almost hear his own heartbeat.
But still no one responded to him.
Zhou Linjin was always worried. Even if Chen Lianxiu didn't want to see him, or even wanted to scold or beat him, he just wanted to see her as soon as possible.
He was about to push the door, but when he looked down he saw a big lock on it. There was a little dust on the lock, which showed that the owner had been out for quite some time and had not returned yet.
My heart, hanging in the air, fell straight down.
Even though he didn't believe it, Zhou Linjin couldn't help but think of Pei Qian's words.
He killed her and their child.
Zhou Linjin tightly gripped the dusty lock, his fingertips turning pale.
Fortunately, the morning breeze was refreshing, which slightly dispelled the anxiety in his heart and also concealed Zhou Linjin's collapse.
She must just not be back yet, he thought.
When Zhou Linjin came out, Luo Wuniang just called her family over, and Bi Cha almost couldn't hold on.
"Let's go." Zhou Linjin said to Bi Cha.
He wanted to stay here and wait for her, but he still had the Pei family's affairs to deal with, and so many people had to be interrogated, so he couldn't delay any longer.
Luo Wuniang looked at him warily and curiously, really not understanding what was going on.
He doesn't look like a bad person, but the things he does are strange.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Linjin said to her again at this time: "Thank you for taking care of them over the years."
After saying this, he rode away on horseback with Bi Cha without waiting for Luo Wuniang to speak.
Luo Wuniang was left standing there staring.
***
It was already late at night when Chen Lianxiu escaped from the Pei family. It was impossible to leave the city. She couldn't find the direction at night and it was not safe, so she took An An to find an inn to stay temporarily.
She guessed that if the Pei family found out that she had escaped during the fire, they would probably suspect what Pei Ruoyan had told her. So for the next two or three days, she was afraid of being stopped by Pei family members on the street, and she was also afraid that she would probably run into Pei family members when she went home. So Chen Lianxiu hid and never left the inn again. She had people deliver her food. Fortunately, she had some money with her, which was enough to last for the next few days.
On the third day, Chen Lianxiu knew that hiding was not a solution, so she sneaked out early in the morning.
This trip was quite fruitful. Word spread throughout Chenzhou City that something big had happened to the Pei family.
At first she thought that the fire was too big that day, causing serious damage to the Pei family mansion. After asking around, she found out that something happened to someone. That night, the Pei family seemed to be surrounded by government officials, and Pei Qian and others were also imprisoned. Now even the person in charge is gone, only women and children are left.
Shen Lianxiu breathed a sigh of relief, but she still did not let her guard down.
The Pei family is not without people. If they are still looking for her, she can't fall into their trap.
But she must do what Pei Ruoyan told her to do.
Chen Lianxiu thought about it for a long time, and finally decided to secretly go home to see if there were any people from the Pei family around. If it was safe, she would take An An back and let Luo Wuniang take care of her for a while.
As for herself, Chen Lianxiu thought about it and realized that the people who surrounded the Pei family that day were most likely Zhou Linjin's men, but she didn't know where to find him at the moment. She could only try her luck at the government office. However, she couldn't guarantee whether the local government of Chenzhou listened to Zhou Linjin or was in collusion with the Pei family. After all, according to Pei Ruoyan, this matter was really of great importance.
Putting aside what happened later for the time being, Chen Lianxiu hurried back home, and An An was temporarily left in the inn.
After rushing for a long time, we finally arrived at Baixi Village. It was already past noon. As the weather had gotten hot, people had already finished their morning work and were resting at home. The whole village was quiet, with only a few children who were not afraid of the heat still playing on the road.
Chen Lianxiu didn't dare to go home so openly. She secretly observed the area near her home for a long time, but didn't see any strange places or people. Then she pretended to visit someone and knocked on Luo Wuniang's door first.
"I'm coming!" Luo Wuniang heard the knock on the door and came to open it. When she saw that it was Chen Lianxiu, her eyes became a little nervous. She grabbed her and pulled her home, then quickly closed the door and pulled her all the way into the house.
When Chen Lianxiu saw her look, her heart started pounding. Could it be that the Pei family really came knocking on her door?
Before Shen Lianxiu could speak, Luo Wuniang asked, "Why are you back? How is the Pei family?"
Baixi Village is a rural area after all, and it is not so well-informed about what is happening in Chenzhou City, so it is normal that Luo Wuniang does not know about the incident at the Pei family. Chen Lianxiu did not dare to tell Luo Wuniang the details, for fear of dragging her into it, so he simply told her what he heard on the street this morning.
Luo Wuniang listened and nodded. It was obvious that she was not very interested in the Pei family. As soon as Shen Lianxiu finished speaking, she asked again: "Have you offended anyone recently?"
When Shen Lianxiu thought about it, she thought it was the Pei family. It was very likely that the Pei family had come here to look for her, but they just couldn't find her. So she answered honestly: "Yes, so I want to go home alone first. If there is nothing wrong, I will bring An An back."
"Then don't come back for now," Luo Wuniang frowned and whispered, "These past few days, someone has been coming to your door every morning looking for you. You really have to be careful. Today, they had almost left when you arrived right after, and you almost bumped into them. They never waited for you, and I saw that person's face was really grim."
Shen Lianxiu's back shuddered. It seemed that her guess was right. It must be the Pei family.
It seemed like she had to hurry up. If the Pei family really found her, it would be unimaginable. But she didn't know where Zhou Linjin was for the time being. She wasn't afraid of going to Chenzhou aimlessly looking for him, but what if she ran into someone from the Pei family? What would An An do then?
Chen Lianxiu felt a little regretful. She originally wanted to be safe and was afraid that something might happen here, so she didn't dare to bring An An with her. If she had known this would happen, she should have made up her mind to bring An An with her first and then hand her over to Luo Wuniang. As expected, her hesitation only delayed things.
Seeing her frown, Luo Wuniang continued, "But I don't think you need to be so scared. He only brought two people. Why are you panicking? It's just a matter of shouting. We are all here. What can we do to you?"
Shen Lianxiu forced a smile: "Okay."
"I don't think he looks like a bad guy. He might just have some improper thoughts about you," Luo Wuniang thought thoughtfully. "He's just a little difficult to deal with. If you hide for a while, he'll see that there's no hope and slowly give up on you."
"Wu Niang, what are you talking about? What unreasonable thoughts..." Chen Lianxiu laughed awkwardly. Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind and she asked, "What does the person who came look like?"
"About this tall, tall and thin, quite good-looking," Luo Wuniang gestured, then suddenly looked at her strangely, "Haven't you seen him before? Didn't he come over before you went to the Pei family? You're still pretending to be dumb!"
Suddenly, something hit her heart, and Shen Lianxiu's breath stagnated.
The person who came was actually Zhou Linjin. Did he... discover her?
Did she find out through the Pei family? But the Pei family didn't know her name was Chen Lianxiu. Since returning to Chenzhou, she has always called herself Yu.
But at this point, there is no point in dwelling on these things anymore, since he has already discovered that she is Shen Lianxiu.
She didn't expect that he would come every day. It was he who asked her to leave when they were in such an awkward situation. Why would he come to her again now? Wouldn't it be better to just pretend that they didn't know each other? She had already pretended not to speak to give them a way out to avoid embarrassment.
Could it be that... he came here because of An An?
Chen Lianxiu's heart suddenly tightened. With Zhou Linjin's personality, would he simply not be able to tolerate her giving birth to his child secretly, so he must take An An away?
She had originally thought that she could also give the Pei family's affairs to Zhou Linjin in the form of a letter, so that Zhou Linjin would not recognize her. She would fulfill Pei Ruoyan's wish, and the Pei family would be scattered and could no longer take revenge on her. She could also return to Baixi Village and continue living her own life.
But now, things have become much more complicated.
The only advantage was that she no longer had to look for Zhou Linjin everywhere, and there was less danger of being discovered by the Pei family.
Chen Lianxiu gritted her teeth secretly, she couldn't let Zhou Linjin take An An away anyway.
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The author has something to say: See you tomorrow [dog head holding a rose]
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