138: A Midnight Terror

Sister Yang said in a panic, "Feng, something is wrong, something bad has happened, you need to come over here quickly..."

I asked hurriedly, "What happened?"

Sister Yang replied, "I went to check the animal traps you buried, and there is a huge pool of blood there. What should I do?"

I figured a petty thief must have walked right into it, got injured, and fled. So I reassured her, "Don't be scared. Lock the villa gates with Xiaoya and wait for me. I'll be right there..."

I instructed the taxi driver to change our destination and head straight for Sister Yang's factory.

A dozen minutes later, the taxi arrived outside the factory gates.

I noticed the taxi driver was a middle-aged uncle, likely weighed down by heavy family responsibilities. While most people were relaxing at home or sleeping cozily in their warm beds playing on their phones deep into the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, he was still out driving a taxi on the cold streets.

When I got out, I asked for his phone number, figuring I could contact him the next time I needed a ride. That way, I could support his business while saving myself the trouble of foolishly waiting around and wasting time.

I called Sister Yang, and she came out to open the door holding a kitchen knife. Upon seeing me, she looked like she wanted to fling herself into my arms. However, seeing the stray dog I was carrying made her stop in her tracks; her pride held back her passion.

I led her to the spot where I had buried the animal traps, and sure enough, the ground was stained with blood. One of the two traps I had set was missing. There was also a significant amount of blood near the corner of the courtyard wall, making it obvious that after the thief had been caught and injured, he had climbed over the wall and escaped with the trap still attached to him.

Judging by the amount of blood, I guessed the thief was not lightly injured. "Sister Yang," I said, "your factory is set to resume work on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. If that thief is one of your employees, his injured foot certainly won't have healed in time. You'll be able to tell who the culprit is the moment you see them."

Still shaken, Sister Yang said, "Alright. Feng, I was in the wrong just now. If you really like this stray dog, I won't object anymore. But you need to take it to get its shots and checked out tomorrow."

I nodded. "I know. I'm not foolish enough to disregard my own health."

Sister Yang retorted, "It's hard to say with you. Who knows what goes on in your head? You argued with me earlier over a stray dog—let's just say I yield to you."

Human beings are dependent by nature to some degree, perhaps women even more so. Once a woman finds a man she can rely on for courage and support, she becomes reluctant to let him go.

Proud Sister Yang ultimately chose to submit to me. In her eyes, getting into a fierce argument over a stray dog and losing me in the process was simply not worth it.

"Now that the thief has been injured and fled, I'm sure he won't dare to come back anytime soon," I said. "Once the factory reopens, there will be workers on the night shift and the elderly security guard. I'm confident the thief won't return."

Sister Yang nodded. "Let's hope so. Come on, let's go get some rest and sleep!"

"What about Xiaoya?" I asked.

"She's already fast asleep," Sister Yang answered. "Now you can put the stray dog down, take a bath... and then we can do that thing. Consider it my apology to you."

"Sister Yang, I'm sorry," I said. "Since everything is fine here now, I think I'll be leaving."

Sister Yang looked stunned. "What do you mean by that? Where are you planning to go?"

"I'm heading back to my old home in the mountains tonight."

Sister Yang's expression changed. "I've already apologized to you, and I agreed to let you keep the stray dog! You still want to leave? Are you still angry about what happened earlier?"

I shook my head. "No. If I were still angry, I wouldn't have rushed back here so quickly."

Sister Yang said angrily, "Then what are you trying to do? It's already the middle of the night, and there's no one else in your mountain home. Why are you going there? If you really want to go, I can drive you back during the day tomorrow..."

"My soul is there," I replied. "I must hurry back tonight, or I won't have peace of mind."

Hearing this, Sister Yang let out a string of curses, shouting furiously, "Damn it, this is completely absurd! Go ahead then! I never want to see you again, you absolute idiot!"

"Sister Yang," I said, "the thief won't come back now, so you can sleep in peace. The elderly security guard will be back to work tomorrow, and you can rest easy."

As I turned and left, Sister Yang screamed in bitter humiliation, "Sleep my ass! The only reason I wanted you to stay is because I couldn't sleep alone, you pig-headed fool! No, you're even more stupid than a damn pig! How on earth did I ever fall for an idiot like you..."

Ignoring her, I walked out onto the road and called the taxi driver, asking him to take me to Maple Forest Village.

When the taxi driver received my call, he had already reached home and was getting ready for bed, but for the sake of making money, he had to get back up. However, worried that I might be playing a prank on him, he asked me to pay the fare upfront first.

I added him on WeChat, sent him a red packet of one hundred yuan, and left a message: "This is just for your trouble. The rest of the fare won't be short once we arrive."

Though slightly curious, the driver saw how prompt and generous I was with the payment and drove over.

A dozen minutes later, the taxi arrived. I hopped in, and the car set off toward my old home in Maple Forest Village!

People are naturally curious. He found it strange that I was heading to Maple Forest Village in the middle of the night, and I similarly wondered why he was still out driving a cab to make money at this ungodly hour.

Through our conversation, I learned his surname was Yu, so I addressed him as Old Yu.

He had a pair of twin daughters who had just been accepted into university this year. The tuition expenses were too high, and with his wife in poor health unable to work—and occasionally requiring expensive medical treatment—the entire burden of the family fell heavily on his shoulders.

I realized that for a man, working hard to support a family is truly no easy task. Unlike me, who was unattached; I had only myself to feed and was completely free of worries. Of course, even during the time I was with Elder Sister Li, I had simply been living off a woman, bearing no real pressure from life at all!

Old Yu also asked me why I was returning to my mountain home so late. Was I missing my elderly mother?

I nodded. "Yes." In truth, I was worried that if I stayed at Sister Yang's place, I would inevitably stray again. Having just decided to continue guarding Sister Sister Li, how could I possibly allow myself to betray her again? Thus, despite Sister Yang's anger, I stubbornly chose to leave.

An hour later, we reached Maple Forest Village. I paid Old Yu double the fare. Expressing his deep gratitude, Old Yu drove back and told me to call him anytime I needed a car in the future.

Seeing that the entire village was pitch-black and dead silent, I walked quietly toward my old house.

Finally back home, I gently patted Gu Ying's head. "Little guy, we're home."

As I pushed open the front door, a sudden wave of chilly wind swept over me, and I felt the biting cold edge of a blade press firmly against my throat... With both hands occupied holding Gu Ying, and completely caught off guard, I had no chance whatsoever to fight back. Horrified, I gasped, "Who is it? What do you want..."