Forced to marry a disabled man in the countryside? I'll repay you tenfold!

Li Laowu's wife asked in a low voice, "How long are we going to stay here? Until tomorrow morning? Won't our family be worried sick?" Her three-year-old child was waiting, and if they didn't go back tonight, the child would cry hysterically.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of crackling sounds came from outside, as if countless pebbles were being thrown down.

Zhou Yanshen's expression changed, and he stood up and rushed outside. He had only leaned out halfway when he was slammed back—his head and shoulders were hit several times, and he gasped in pain.

A few hailstones, about the size of green apricots, rolled in and bounced a couple of times on the ground.

"it sleets!"

Even without going outside, everyone could see the hailstones pelting in, some as small as mung beans, others as big as apricots—if one of these hit your head, it would definitely cause a bloody head injury.

Zhou Yanshen quickly blocked the entrance with the newly woven tree branch curtain, then spread the large tarpaulin from the tractor on top, layering it up to make it completely sealed. The wind, snow, and hail at the cave entrance were finally kept out, and it became much quieter inside.

Old Liu clutched his chest, still shaken: "My goodness, thank goodness we hid here, otherwise we'd be riddled with holes tonight!"

Aunt Zhang slapped her thigh in lingering fear: "That's right! What terrible luck! We came out and ran into such heavy snow, then the brakes failed. We survived the fall and the crash, and now it's hailing—I have to say, it's all your fault!"

She glared at Old Liu's family and Wang, the educated youth, and said, "If it weren't for those few minutes we waited for you, and that damned Zhao Shupi, we would have left fifteen minutes earlier and been home much sooner!"

Old Liu muttered under his breath, "I also timed my return perfectly... Besides, even if I left earlier, the brakes would still fail, wouldn't they?"

Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly fell silent. Yes, in the end, it all came down to brake failure.

Why did the brakes fail?

Su Wanqing narrowed her eyes, the image of Zhao Shupi flashing through her mind. It was him? Did this man really dare to use such underhanded tactics?

Zhou Yanshen spoke directly, his voice as cold as ice outside: "I checked it repeatedly before I set off. The brakes had a minor problem, but it wasn't serious. Someone tampered with it while it was parked in the county town, killing it completely. I suspect it was Zhao Shupi." And it was aimed at his wife.

The crowd immediately erupted in uproar:

"What? Zhao Shupi? Why would he damage our car for no reason? Why doesn't he ride in it himself?"

Aunt Zhang took a big bite of meat and spat, "I bet it was that little bastard! We all came to the county town on important business, what was he doing here? He just disappeared without a trace, probably ran back to the regiment as soon as he was done!"

Li Laowu's wife couldn't understand: "What's he after? Who is he getting revenge on? Which of us has a grudge against him?"

"I didn't. I avoid him whenever I see him."

"I don't have any either."

Aunt Zhang glanced at Su Wanqing and coughed, "You all know about Zhao Shupi's divorce the other day. The whole village laughed at him for only listening to his mother and his wife running off with someone else. Chen Xiuer is now living the high life with Dr. Su, earning double the salary. He keeps bothering Chen Xiuer but she ignores him, and the whole village laughs at him. He must hate Dr. Su to death."

Upon hearing this, everyone understood.

Li Laowu's wife stared wide-eyed: "Just for something like this, he's going to harm someone? Dr. Su dug a well for us and saved people; his wife was saved by Dr. Su too—how could he do this?!"

Old Wu was so angry his beard trembled: "When we get back tomorrow, arrest Zhao Shupi immediately! If he really did it, Secretary Liu won't let him off the hook!"

Old Liu's family also cursed and swore: "That despicable bastard, he harmed people and dragged us into it! But the problem is... we have no evidence. What if he denies it? At most, we can just beat him up to vent our anger."

Li Laowu's wife flashed her little tiger teeth and said fiercely, "If he doesn't admit it, I'll have my husband put a sack over his head and beat him every day!"

Zhou Yanshen remained silent, his eyes chillingly cold. Deny it? He'd interrogate him thoroughly when he got back and find out the truth. If it really was Zhao Shupi...

Old Wu sighed again: "This was the only tractor in the whole regiment... and it's ruined just because Zhao Shupi wanted revenge..."

Aunt Zhang and Old Liu's family started arguing again, cursing Zhao Shupi over and over for more than an hour, until their mouths were dry and they finally stopped.

Su Wanqing reclined on the cushions, her eyes half-closed in contentment, finishing the last sip of the meat soup. She wasn't idle either; she had Zhou Yanshen bring over the two plump fish she'd bought that day, rubbed them with salt and seasonings, and grilled them over the fire. Soon, the fish skin sizzled with oil, and a fragrant aroma filled the air.

She listened intently to Aunt Zhang and Old Liu's gossip—what happened to the neighbor's wife, what happened to the neighbor's husband—with great interest. Aunt Zhang was about to bring up the topic of "having affairs" when she glanced at Zhou Yanshen, swallowed her words, and changed the subject.

Anyway, Aunt Zhang gossiped about everyone in the village who wasn't here, including Director Li and Liu Shuqing.

The fish was grilled to a golden brown and crispy perfection, making everyone's mouths water, but none of them dared to ask for any.

Old Liu's family knew meat was expensive; if her son hadn't been clamoring for meat, she wouldn't have gone out to buy that piece of lean meat today. The others didn't dare to shamelessly ask for it either.

Su Wanqing wasn't stingy either; she simply divided the fish into several pieces, giving one to each person, and she and Zhou Yanshen began to gnaw on the fish's belly. The fish meat was tender and smooth, and dipped in the sauce, it was so fragrant that one almost wanted to swallow their tongue.

After finishing the meat soup and grilled fish, everyone felt warm inside, but listening to the clattering of hail outside, they all started to look gloomy again.

When will this hail stop?

Su Wanqing fell asleep half-lying down. She was wearing seven or eight layers of clothing, and the fire beside her was warm and cozy. She simply tilted her head and drifted off to sleep. Old Wu's leg was broken, so he could only lie half-lying down. Fortunately, Su Wanqing's acupuncture needles relieved his pain, and he also managed to sleep for a while.

The others suffered, dozing around the fire, their bodies curled up so they couldn't stretch their legs, and with few clothes on, they were too cold to sleep.

Zhou Yanshen went out two or three times, collecting a lot of dry branches and piling them by the fire to dry. After finishing, he sat down next to his wife, touching her forehead, squeezing her hand, and asking if she wanted some water. Seeing that her face was rosy and she was sleeping soundly, he felt relieved and leaned against the wall to rest.

The sound of hail outside never stopped.

……

The 65th Regiment was in complete chaos.

"Secretary Liu! Something terrible has happened! The group that went to the county today still hasn't returned! Several families have come to ask about them!"

"What?!" Liu Shuqing jumped to her feet, her voice rising eight octaves. "Zhou Yanshen and Dr. Su are also in the car and haven't returned?! Why didn't you say so sooner?!"

The person next to him shrank back: "We were so busy with so many things to do today, we forgot... And it got dark early, we thought they might have stayed in the county town because of the heavy snow..."