Kang Yu stared wide-eyed as Shen An backed away from him, and asked. “What are you planning to do?” he asked.
“What am I planning to do? Kang scumbag, don’t you understand?” Shen An stepped closer. “Weren’t you feeling so proud just now? Why are you so scared now? Huh?”
“I’m telling you, don’t come any closer. Murder is against the law. If you kill me, you won’t be able to live either!”
“Whether I live or die doesn’t matter. What matters is that you must die today! I will take your head to offer as a sacrifice to my parents to comfort their spirits in heaven!” Shen An stepped closer.
“No…don’t…”
Kang Yu finally realized the seriousness of the situation and regretted his actions. Why did he have to bring Fan Lingzhen here to humiliate her?
At this moment, he showed a fearful expression on his face and begged for mercy in a panic, “Shen An, you misunderstand. This was not my idea It’s my father! Everything is planned by him. I…I had no idea beforehand! If you want revenge, go find my father, not me! It’s not my fault!”
Shen An sneered. How could the original owner of the body entrust his life to such a person like Kang Yu? To save his own miserable life, he pushed his own woman away and blamed his father. How could a man like him survive in the world for so long?
“Kang Yu, don’t worry, I won’t let you die so easily.”
Shen An said, her face even more sinister. “I will torture you slowly, bit by bit until you die.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a scream echoed through the sky.
Kang Yu curled up on the ground, writhing in agony. His blood slowly mixed with Fan Lingzhen’s already dried blood.
“Shen An, you evil woman! You will not have a good end!” he yelled.
“The feeling of having your tendons severed is not bad, is it?” Shen An ignored his cries, showing pleasure on her face. “Kang Yu, you can wait here and slowly bleed to death!”
Making him watch his own blood slowly drain away until it disappeared should be more satisfying than directly killing him!
“Jinyu, take the baggage and let’s go!”
“Okay.”
As Wei Jinyu passed by Kang Yu, he kicked him a few times before following Shen An out of the house.
Leaving the Shen residence, Shen An turned to take a deep look at the mansion before saying, “Jinyu, would you do me a favor?”
“What is it, Jiejie (1)?” Wei Jinyu asked.
“Could you go find a barrel of oil and a torch, and gather some firewood for me?” Shen An requested.
“What do you need them for?” Wei Jinyu asked.
“The Kang family not only took our family’s fortune but also want to seize our residence. Since I’m currently powerless to do anything about the money, I must at least defend my family’s home from falling into the hands of those beasts,” Shen An explained.
Wei Jinyu didn’t completely understand what his Jiejie was saying, but he nodded solemnly and quickly ran off to fetch what she needed.
After Wei Jinyu brought the things Shen An needed, she didn’t allow him to participate any further. Killing and arson were her own affairs, and she didn’t want to involve Wei Jinyu.
The flames blazed higher and higher, and Shen An finally lead Wei Jinyu away.
In this big world, there was no one she could count on, and Shen An tasted bitter loneliness for the first time.
The Kang father and son had brought her family to this point. Although she had killed only one person, Kang Yu, Shen An could not let it rest. But now, she was alone and couldn’t even gain a single advantage against the wily and cunning Kang Shao.
If Kang Shao found out about Kang Yu’s death, he wouldn’t let her off so easily.
They couldn’t stay in Changhe Town any longer. After pondering for a moment, Shen An asked Wei Jinyu, “Do you want to go with me to the capital?”
For now, she could only try her luck in the capital, searching for an opportunity and planning her revenge carefully.
The bits of silver that Shen An had taken from her embroidered shoes were already used up as travel expenses. By the time they arrived in the capital city, they only had a few copper coins left, not even enough for a decent meal.
But it had to be said that the prosperity of the capital was unparalleled compared to their small town.
It was truly not easy to carve out a place of their own here.
“Growl~”
Shen An looked at Wei Jinyu embarrassedly rubbing his stomach and chuckled. “He’s a little hungry.”
Shen An was also famished, sighed, and pinched a few copper coins with her hand, murmuring, “This money is probably not even enough to buy a scallion cake.”
Shen An was in a dilemma.
Wei Jinyu frowned for a moment, then suddenly brightened, remembering something and pulling Shen An over. “I have a way, follow me.”
Shen An hadn’t even reacted yet and was confusedly pulled along by him.
They made their way through the market to the lake, tranquil and peaceful. The surroundings were filled with bamboo trees, lush and verdant, as if it were another world.
“Wow…” Shen An couldn’t help but exclaim. “What a great place.”
Wei Jinyu proudly straightened his chest, his face full of satisfaction as he enjoyed Shen An’s praise.
But soon, Shen An’s gaze sank and suddenly shot towards him like a sharp sword, making Wei Jinyu a little uneasy under his stare, stuttering, “Sister, wh-what’s wrong?”
“How do you know about this place? Have you been to the capital before?”
“Weijinyu blinked his eyes as if pondering for a while, before saying seriously: ‘I can’t remember, but I feel like this place is familiar, like somewhere I used to frequent.’
Did he use to frequent this place?
That means his background must be related to the capital.
Shen An thought for a moment. The current imperial surname is Zhou, but his surname is Wei, so he shouldn’t have any connections to the royal family.
Then who was he?
“Jinyu, let me take you to see a doctor!”
Wei Jinyu just rubbed his stomach pitifully and said, “But I’m hungry.”
“‘Okay. We’ll fill our stomachs first, earn some silver, and then take you to see the doctor.’
For the first time, Shen An felt the sorrow of being broke.
But now, where could they get food from?
Shen An glanced at the calm lake surface and a mischievous smile appeared on her face, like a fox with bad intentions, as she looked at Wei Jinyu whose eyes were spinning around: “Jinyu, do you know how to swim?”
Wei Jinyu thought for a moment and nodded.
“Shen An looked satisfied and continued to entice him: “Then, then you go down and catch some things and I’ll make you a seafood feast to let you taste my cooking, how about that?”
“Okay, okay.” Wei Jinyu was as happy as a three-year-old child, giggling: “I’ve never tasted Jiejie’s cooking before.”
Satisfied that he took the bait, she contentedly said: “Then you have to figure out how to get tools on your own, okay? Sister will be watching you from the shore, right?”
“Okay!” Weijinyu patted his chest: “I got this!”
Shen An watched as Wei Jinyu skillfully broke off a bamboo stick and sharpened one end after testing the length. He then tried to take off his outer clothes, but accidentally saw Shen An looking at him with glowing green eyes, like a hunter looking at his prey.
Wei Jinyu puffed up his cheeks and said to Shen An, “Jiejie, can you… can you turn around?”
“I’m a girl, there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You’re a big man and you’re acting so shy.” Shen An snorted through her nose and looked at Wei Jinyu’s handsome face, which was getting rosier and rosier. She chuckled to herself.
“Okay, okay, I’ll turn around,” Shen An rolled her eyes and turned her body around, facing away from him.
After hearing some rustling sounds behind her, Shen An resisted the temptation for a few moments but couldn’t help stealing a glance.
Upon seeing him, Shen An’s heart fluttered a little.
A strong and muscular body, with abs and a defined waist, a naturally good figure.
And his skin looked as smooth as water, delicate and flawless, making any woman feel inferior just by looking at it.
With skin like this and a body like this, even if he wasn’t a member of the royal family, he would still be a nobleman’s son.
In any case, Wei Jinyu’s background was not simple.
As she thought about this, she became lost in her thoughts, forgetting that she was still secretly looking at him. She only snapped back to reality when she heard Wei Jinyu’s loud scream.
But what she saw was Wei Jinyu clutching his clothes in front of him, looking pitiful and resentful, like a big girl who had been stripped by a pervert.
“You…pe…pe…”
Wei Jinyu wanted to say “pervert”, but the words didn’t feel right on his tongue. He stuttered for a long time without saying anything coherent.
He just felt like he had been taken advantage of.
Shen An couldn’t help but burst out laughing, turning around boldly to look at him. “Jinyu, you’re a grown man. If you keep acting so coquettish, I might start to doubt your sexual orientation.”
The sight of him was so cute that it almost awakened Shen An’s animalistic desires, and he couldn’t help but want to pounce on him and ravish him thoroughly.
“Sexual orientation? I don’t understand,” Wei Jinyu shook his head, and Shen An snatched the clothes from his hand and patted his shoulder, saying “It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand sexual orientation, but do you understand hunger?”
“Wei Jinyu nodded vigorously.
Shen An gestured towards the lake. “Then let’s go.”
Without a second thought, Wei Jinyu plunged into the water, causing bubbles to rise to the surface of the lake. Shen An couldn’t help but worry, wondering if the child could really swim or if he was just bluffing.
Just as Shen An was getting anxious, she heard a splash and saw Wei Jinyu holding up a struggling fish on a bamboo pole, grinning at her. “Jiejie, look how big this fish is!”
“Not bad, not bad,” Shen An breathed a sigh of relief. “Throw it up here and catch a few more.”
“Okay!” Wei Jinyu was about to dive back in when Shen An’s concerned voice stopped him. “But be careful and stay safe.”
Wei Jinyu felt a warmth in his heart and replied with a happy “okay” before diving back in.
On the road to prosperity.
When Wei Jinyu emerged from the water again, the shore was already covered with struggling fish and crabs.
“Jiejie, is this enough?” he asked, beaming.
“It’s enough. The water is cold, so come up quickly!” Shen An replied.
Wei Jinyu happily climbed up, dried himself off, and put on his clothes. He asked eagerly, “Jiejie, what else do we need to prepare?”
Shen An began counting her fingers, “Knives, cumin, salt, sugar…” listing dozens of items — but the more she counted, the more disheartened she felt. Finally finishing the list, she sighed and shook her head. “But without rice, even the best cook can’t prepare a meal.”
Wei Jinyu scratched the back of his head, and suddenly his eyes lit up as he exclaimed, “Sister, come with me!”
Shen An followed him around a few corners and finally discovered a hidden gem nestled in the bamboo forest: a delicate bamboo house sat in front of them, with piles of bamboo leaves outside. If one didn’t know where to look, one would never have discovered it.
Shen An exclaimed, “Who lives here?”
Wei Jinyu grinned, his eyes squinting into a slit, and said with pride, “Jiejie, go in and take a look.”
Shen An looked at him suspiciously and walked in cautiously. As soon as she entered, her eyes lit up. Though small, the place was fully equipped with everything she needed.
However, due to the lack of human occupation for a long time, the place was covered in a thick layer of dust.
Footnote:
- Jiejie is a Chinese term that refers to an older sister or a female friend who is older than oneself. It can be used as a term of endearment or respect.