The nights in Tianshui Village were always dark and quiet. The villagers were all in a deep sleep, and no one noticed that flames had already burst into flames in the alley of Xie's house.
Around the Dragon Boat Festival, the sun was shining brightly, and the firewood piles were dried out and burned easily. The firewood pile outside the Xie family's door started to burn, and with the help of the wind, it soon merged with the firewood piles of several other families nearby, making a crackling sound.
Cheng Yaoyao felt hot in her dream, so she turned over and stretched out her white arms to get out of the quilt. She was still hot, so she kicked the quilt off. Unexpectedly, the quilt was put back on her body. Before she could get scared, a familiar voice sounded: "Sister, it's me."
With a warm hand covering his mouth, Cheng Yaoyao slowly opened his eyes and looked into Xie Zhao's narrow eyes. The fire in the window behind him was blazing, illuminating the room and Xie Zhao's deep and handsome face. He was wearing a vest and army green trousers, and looked like he had just gotten out of bed, but his expression was very sober and calm, which made Cheng Yaoyao feel more at ease.
She hummed, and with a soft and tender face after waking up, she buried her face in Xie Zhao's palm and rubbed it, breathing in the sun. Xie Zhao's palms were hot, his eyes were also a little hot, and he said in a low voice: "Sister, don't act like a spoiled child."
Cheng Yaoyao was only wearing a nightgown, rubbing against his palm like a cat, which was a great test of Xie Zhao's willpower. Xie Zhao opened his arms, took Cheng Yaoyao's soft waist and picked her up: "There's a fire outside."
"Yeah." Cheng Yaoyao still lay softly on Xie Zhao's shoulder, half closing his eyes. Xie Zhao's shoulders were broad, his muscles were warm and strong, and it felt quite comfortable to rub against him.
Xie Zhao picked up Cheng Yaoyao's coat and put it on her, saying, "Let's go out and watch a play."
"Hmm... Hmm?!" Cheng Yaoyao shuddered suddenly and came to his senses: "It's on fire?!"
"Yes." Xie Zhao took Cheng Yaoyao's hand and put it into his sleeve, saying, "Go out and take a look."
Cheng Yaoyao was so anxious that he was waving his hands and feet in panic: "It's on fire! It's on fire! Why aren't you in a hurry at all? Hurry up and call someone to put out the fire!"
Xie Zhao still looked calm and said with a smile: "Let's go out and take a look."
Although it was already the Dragon Boat Festival, it was still very cold late at night. Tonight, the wind made Cheng Yaoyao's cheeks hot, with a smell of charcoal. When he walked into the yard, he could hear the crackling of burning branches and the whirring of the fire in the wind.
Jianjian had woken up a long time ago, jumping on the ground with his short legs, whining and calling to Xie Zhao. Xie Zhao picked it up.
Cheng Yaoyao asked: "Did Hun Hun wake you up?"
Xie Zhao patted the little fat dog's head and chuckled. These days, Cheng Nuonuo's family lived next door, and he got up every night to patrol. But Xun Xun did discover the fire in the first place, so it didn't matter if he took the first credit.
When they got to the courtyard, Cheng Yaoyao finally understood why Xie Zhao was so calm. The walls of Xie's house were very high, and the eaves were carved by skilled craftsmen to prevent fire. No matter how fierce the fire outside was, it couldn't get in.
Xie Zhao held her in his arms and whispered, "It's the firewood pile at the door that's burning."
Cheng Yaoyao said: "But if we continue to burn it this way, it will sooner or later burn into the house."
"Don't be impatient." Xie Zhao stared at the courtyard wall connecting to the next door, his eyes narrowed slightly, and the lines of his profile looked particularly cold and hard in the flickering firelight.
Cheng Yaoyao followed his line of sight and saw a piece of firewood suddenly thrown over from the other side of the wall, and then several burning pieces of firewood were thrown over one after another.
"Be careful not to burn my pumpkin!" Cheng Yaoyao pulled Xie Zhao's arm anxiously.
Xie Zhao walked over to take a closer look, and Sun Sun followed him over, jumping around Xie Zhao's feet and sniffing the smoking firewood with his wet little nose, but was pulled away by Xie Zhao in time.
"Woo woof!"
"Tsk." Xie Zhao rubbed his stubborn head and picked up the burning firewood. A lot of candle oil had been poured on the firewood, and it was still burning vigorously when it fell on the ground, which showed the viciousness of the person who set the fire.
Cheng Yaoyao walked over and whispered, "What should we do?"
Xie Zhao smiled at her and said, "Just watch."
Xie Zhao raised his slender and strong arm, and the burning firewood drew an arc in the air and flew back to the other side of the courtyard wall.
The puppy in the Xie family's yard started barking in a baby voice, but it died down after a few barks. The fire at the door burned brighter and brighter, and smoke came out of the yard.
Cheng Nonuo held the lit candle and smiled strangely. God was helping her, as no one in this alley kept dogs, and the stupid dog of the Xie family, which was only one month old, was of no use at all.
She lit another piece of firewood and was about to throw it to the next door after it was burning, but a burning firewood flew back from the next door and hit her on the head.
Cheng Nuonuo screamed from being burned, and several matches flew back one after another, hitting her, and her hair and clothes were all burned. The firewood was dripping with wax, and it was not easy to put out. The tricks that originally harmed others came back to her, and she screamed and rolled on the ground.
The woman's hoarse, sharp screams cut through the night sky. At the same time, the Xie family's puppy also started barking. Its baby voice was not harsh in the night, but it added to the barking of the other dogs in the distance.
Someone shouted loudly: "Fire! Fire!"
Doors opened and closed, shouts rang out, and the whole village was startled. People could see the flames rising to the sky from their own yards, and the night sky of the whole village was reflected in scarlet red.
Grandma Xie and Xie Fei were also awakened and rushed out with their clothes on: "Zhao Ge'er, Yaoyao! What's going on? Why is there a fire? Is it our house... cough cough cough, there is so much smoke..."
The wind changed direction, and the smoke blew into the yard, which was pungent. Moreover, the yard was brightly lit by the fire, and the whole house seemed to be surrounded by a sea of fire, which was very scary.
Xie Fei was so frightened that she shrank into Grandma Xie's arms, and Grandma Xie was also confused.
"It's okay." Xie Zhaoan comforted his grandmother and sister and said, "It was outside, and it didn't get burned inside."
Grandma Xie said, "Then hurry out and see whose house is on fire so you can lend a hand! This is really a sin!"
Xie Zhao agreed: "Well, I'll go out and take a look."
Cheng Yaoyao said: "I'll go too!"
It was a very exciting thing to watch, she couldn't miss it.
Xie Zhao knew her little thoughts very well and coaxed her, "Go back to your room and sleep first. There will be a lot of fun tomorrow."
Cheng Yaoyao groaned. Grandma Xie immediately said, "Yaoyao, come here. Zhao'er is going to put out the fire, and you think he's just playing! Zhao'er, hurry up and help, and take care of yourself!"
Xie Zhao repeatedly told Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Fei to lock the doors and windows, and he would be back soon. In such a chaotic scene, it was possible that someone would take advantage of the fire, especially since there were two famous beautiful girls in the family, so Xie Zhao was even more cautious.
Grandma Xie simply called Cheng Yaoyao and Xie Fei to sleep in her room, but Cheng Yaoyao couldn't sleep there, so he pried open the window and looked out. It was extremely noisy outside, with people's shadows reflected in the firelight, and all kinds of shouting and cursing.
Cheng Yaoyao was extremely anxious. After waiting for a long time, Xie Zhao finally came back. His face and strong arms were stained with some black ash, and his forehead was sweating from the fire. He said to Grandma Xie, "The fire is out. It was Cheng Nuonuo who set the fire, and he was caught."
Grandma Xie was not surprised and said, "This girl has a very vicious mind."
Life in the countryside is not easy. Setting fire to someone's house means destroying their family. Moreover, Cheng Nonuo is a foreigner with a bad reputation. No matter how kind-hearted the people in Tianshui Village are, they will not let her off easily.
Xie Zhao glanced at Cheng Yaoyao, pursed his lips and said, "The villagers were very excited and almost beat up my uncle."
Cheng Yaoyao cried out, and Xie Zhao immediately said, "Don't worry, I've got it. But Aunt Yingui drove the whole family out, and Cheng Nuonuo was tied up and taken to the cowshed, and his uncle went with him. Lin Jiaqi happens to be in the village, and he will contact his colleagues to investigate tomorrow, and Yaoyao will have to cooperate then."
Grandma Xie hugged Cheng Yaoyao lovingly and said unhappily, "What does Cheng Nuonuo's evil deeds have to do with Yaoyao?"
Xie Zhao said: "The fire was set at Yaoyao, Yaoyao needs to make a statement."
Thank you, grandma, for that.
The next morning, several police officers came to the village to investigate, one of whom was Lin Jiaqi. They went door to door to investigate and take notes. When they came to the Xie family, several young police officers looked at Cheng Yaoyao's face and were all stunned.
Cheng Yaoyao had long been accustomed to this kind of stunning sight, but Xie Zhao stopped her and reminded her coldly, "What do you want to ask?"
Lin Jiaqi glared at these useless guys and turned his eyes away from Cheng Yaoyao to avoid being disturbed. The young policeman coughed and asked seriously.
Cheng Yaoyao answered all the questions truthfully, including the fact that burning firewood was thrown into his yard last night.
Lin Jiaqi and his companions observed the situation in the yard. They saw that the firewood had fallen on a pile of firewood and other debris, which showed that the person who set the fire had already found the exact location. The firewood was close to the room where Cheng Yaoyao lived. If it had not been put out in time, the consequences would have been disastrous. The intention of the person who set the fire was very obvious, and he was targeting Cheng Yaoyao.
Thinking of Cheng Nuonuo's horribly burned face, and then looking at Cheng Yaoyao's beautiful face, Lin Jiaqi was furious: "This is a very heinous crime!"
The other young police officers were also filled with indignation. They immediately recorded the events truthfully and left.
Xie Zhao escorted them out, and Cheng Yaoyao followed him out, and finally saw Cheng Nuonuo's masterpiece. The firewood piles in the alley were burned into black charcoal, and there were still smoke coming out of some places, and the blue brick stone walls were all burned black. The Xie family did not suffer a big loss because of the high courtyard wall, but there was a family with a low courtyard wall that was the most unlucky. The chicken coop was burned, and more than a dozen chickens were either burned to death or suffocated to death. The woman in that family cried so hard that her voice was broken, and she was pulling Cheng Zheng's arm to ask him to pay for it.
Cheng Nuonuo's face and arms were burned in many places. After applying some medicine hastily, he was taken to identify the scene. Wei Shuying hung her head, and Cheng Zheng looked even more miserable.
The villagers surrounded them and cursed at them loudly. Some even rushed forward to beat them, but were stopped by the police.
Cheng Zheng, a senior intellectual, had his collar torn to one side and his glasses smashed. His face was blackened and bruised in several places, and there were burns on the back of his hands, which were caused by saving Cheng Nuonuo last night.
At this time, he was enduring the cold stares and spitting of the crowd, and he wanted to bury his head in the cracks of the ground. However, Cheng Nonuo had a wooden sneer on his face, as if he had no guilt at all for what he had done.
When she looked at Cheng Yaoyao's face, her sunken eyes finally showed some light. Cheng Yaoyao was wearing a pink dress, with fair skin and red lips, standing by the door, without a single scratch on her face or body.
Cheng Zheng looked at Cheng Yaoyao with a mixture of guilt and joy, and murmured, "Yaoyao... I'm glad you're okay, I'm glad you're okay."
When Cheng Nonuo heard this, her cheeks twitched even more, and the injured area was hurt, causing severe pain.
Cheng Yaoyao's petal-like lips silently uttered a few words to her: "You deserve it."
Cheng Nonuo was immediately irritated and rushed towards her, screaming: "Cheng Yaoyao! You are so lucky, how come you were not burned to death!"
Several police officers quickly held her down, and Lin Jiaqi sternly rebuked her, "Everyone heard it. Cheng Nuonuo's words just now proved that she committed arson!"
"That's right! She did it!"
"You even hurt your own sister. You are such a piece of shit!"
Cheng Nuonuo was like a mad demon, making so much noise that several grown men could hardly hold her down. Her flushed face and the nasty burns made her look like a ghost crawling out of hell.
Suddenly, her body twitched, and she slid softly to the ground in a twisted posture, with dark blood flowing out of her legs.
Wei Shuying screamed and rushed forward: "My daughter! Nuonuo, what happened to you? You killed someone!"
Cheng Zheng also shouted, "Doctor! Send him to the hospital! Send him to the hospital!"
Cheng Yaoyao frowned. She wasn't sure if Cheng Nuonuo was pretending or not. She looked really scary. She quietly put a bottle in Xie Zhao's hand and said, "Go and help."
Xie Zhao's eyes were slightly puzzled. She said, "It's too easy for her to die like this."
Xie Zhao understood immediately, stepped forward and pushed Cheng Zheng aside, saying, "Someone give me a hand and take her to the sanitation center!"
No one in the village wanted to get involved in such a dirty thing, especially someone whose house was set on fire. Lin Jiaqi strode forward and helped Xie Zhao lift Cheng Nuonuo.
The anger of the people of Tianshui Village also gave way in the face of life and death, and they all said in unison: "This is a bloody landslide! Hurry up and send him to the health center, hurry up!"
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