Chapter 79: Chapter 79: A Gentleman’s Revenge

Gu Lanting counted on her fingers and lowered her head as she spoke. “Actually, it’s not just one or two things. Ever since that woman had a child, there’s been nonstop trouble at home.

Last time, she ran off to play mahjong and left the baby sleeping alone on the bed. The child woke up, fell off, and broke a bone.

She told that man it was me—said I was jealous and deliberately pushed the child off the bed.

After that, he tied me to a bench and beat me until my skin was split open.

Not long ago, she brought her distant niece over to stay, saying it was to help look after the child.

But that woman sneaked into my room in the middle of the night. Luckily, I woke up in time, or else she would’ve accused me of being a pervert.

Afterwards, she even tried to get me to marry her niece.

That man actually said it wasn’t a bad idea.

So I had a huge fight with him and ran away.

I ran into Uncle Yu from the Overseas Chinese Hotel. He’s a good man—not only did he find me a job, but he also helped me find a place to stay.”

Gu Lanting didn’t even call him “Dad”—just “that man.” Calling him “Dad” would be an insult to the word itself.

What kind of father is he!

Zhong Luoning hadn’t expected that someone who used to be so good to his children could one day be so cruel to his own flesh and blood.

Once again, reality had shown her—so stark and bloody—that there’s no such thing as unconditional family love in this world. In the face of self-interest, human nature is so fragile.

“What about her daughter? Why doesn’t she take care of the kid herself? What’s the point of bringing in a niece?” It was just disgusting.

At this point, Gu Lanting was furious.

“That Chen Zhaodi—who knows what tricks she used—actually got the Yun family to accept her, and now she’s with Yun Nianzhou.

I heard they’re getting married soon. Those two—mother and daughter—are both something else. No wonder that man gave up on my sister and me so easily.”

“Yun Nianzhou? Wasn’t he Huanhuan’s former fiancé?” Zhong Luoning was stunned. How could this be?

He abandoned his real daughter to marry his stepdaughter? Yun Nianzhou must be out of his mind.

No matter how you look at it, Qinghuan was always the better one.

“That’s him. I heard Uncle and Aunt Yun are away most of the time and don’t really keep an eye on him. He’s always lived with his grandmother in the capital, so he’s grown up spoiled and willful.

By the way, Sister Luoning, please don’t tell my sister about any of this—especially the stuff about Yun Nianzhou. I’m afraid she won’t be able to handle it.”

Zhong Luoning understood. Gu Qinghuan had truly cared for Yun Nianzhou before. If she found out, she’d be devastated.

“I understand.”

The cousins chatted a bit longer.

Gu Lanting had to leave for work, so they said their goodbyes.

At the post office, Zhong Luoning prepared to write a letter to Gu Qinghuan. Pen in hand, she hesitated for a long time, unsure whether to tell Qinghuan the truth about Lanting’s situation.

The fact that Qinghuan had written specifically to ask for help showed how much she cared for her brother.

If she knew what was happening, she’d be heartbroken. But if she didn’t know…

In the end, Zhong Luoning decided to tell Gu Qinghuan the truth about Lanting’s situation, but she left out anything about Yun Nianzhou.

What she didn’t know was that, after mailing the letter and returning home, she’d be met with another senseless beating.

—

At this time, Gu Qinghuan was busy putting her revenge plan into action.

Zhong Zijun had been staying with them for over a month, enjoying good food and care every day, plus the help of spiritual spring water. Her recovery was, as expected, excellent.

She could even take off her bandages and move around on her own.

She hadn’t expected to recover so quickly, either. It just so happened that one day, while Gu Qinghuan was cooking, she accidentally knocked over a bowl of hot oil. Seeing disaster about to strike, Zhong Zijun panicked and, forgetting her injury, used both hands to shield the bowl—saving Gu Qinghuan from harm.

She ended up with blisters all over her hands.

A while later, they realized that Zhong Zijun’s hands could move freely again.

So Gu Qinghuan quietly took her to the county hospital for a check-up.

The doctor said her recovery was excellent.

Now that her hands were healed, Zhong Zijun was eager to return to the cowshed. Her daughter worried about her, but she also worried about her own elderly parents.

She’d only stayed at her son-in-law’s house because of her injury. Now that she was better, she couldn’t keep imposing.

Young people need their own space. By leaving, she’d give the couple time alone to grow closer.

On a dark, windy night, Xu Huaian and Gu Qinghuan helped Zhong Zijun carry her bags and escorted her back to the cowshed.

Besides her own luggage, they brought dozens of pounds of grain, mountain goods, snacks, fruit, and more.

Zhong Zijun knew they didn’t lack these things, so she accepted them without fuss.

Gu Qinghuan even bought her a small, portable knife for self-defense, just in case.

After reminding Zhong Zijun not to overwork herself, the couple returned home.

With Zhong Zijun back, it was finally time to set their revenge in motion.

They’d waited because, if things got out of hand and Zhong Zijun wasn’t seen at the cowshed, it could cause more trouble.

For the past two weeks, Xu Huaian had been scoping out Wang the Cripple’s situation whenever he wasn’t at work. He’d figured everything out: Wang lived alone, had no family to worry about, and was a classic old bachelor.

He had a brother, but the brother had his own life and a bunch of kids, so he didn’t care about Wang.

Wang loved to drink, and after drinking, he’d act like a madman.

That made things simple. For Xu Huaian, a former special forces soldier, staging a little “accident” was easy.

One day, Wang was staggering home with his bottle as usual. As he passed a small hillside, he suddenly shivered, then felt as if something gave him a gentle push. Already unsteady, he tumbled down the slope.

Xu Huaian struck quickly and slipped away.

Wang wasn’t found until the next morning, unconscious at the bottom of the hill.

He was still clutching his bottle—clearly drunk.

When he woke up, he complained of pain all over. After being taken to the town clinic, they found that he’d broken the bone in his other leg.

Now both his legs were crippled. Even if they healed, he’d have trouble walking—and he had no money for proper treatment, so who knew how he’d end up.

He ranted that someone had pushed him on purpose.

Everyone asked, “Who?”

He wanted to say Zhong Zijun, but since he’d been the first to attack her, he hesitated—afraid he’d be forced into labor reform or have to pay for her medical bills.

So he swallowed his anger and decided to bide his time for revenge."