Everyone froze.
Cao Yanhua had only ever bluffed—“Believe me, I’ll hit you”—but never truly raised a hand against her. He couldn’t bring himself to. Luo Ren, however, acted without hesitation, and the shock left Cao Yanhua speechless.
In his mind, Luo Ren had always been polite, never crude, indulgent, and gentle with Mu Dai. He had seemed like the kind of man who would never raise a hand to a woman.
“B-Brother Luo,” Cao Yanhua stammered, “take it easy…”
It was still a lawful society. Kidnapping her already weighed on him like a crime; actual violence terrified him.
But Luo Ren ignored them. He crouched before Lianshu, grabbed her collar, and hauled her chair and all upright.
Her face went pale.
“I’ve hated one thing all my life,” Luo Ren growled. “Anyone who touches my people. My brothers. My lover. I hate it when anyone lays a hand on them!”
His face twisted, and his grip tightened around her throat.
Wan San and Yan Hongsha rushed in, pulling at his arms. “Luo Ren, easy, easy.”
He smirked, releasing her. They propped her chair upright again. Her hair was disheveled, her cheek swollen from the earlier blow.
Luo Ren glanced at Cao Yanhua, who somehow understood instantly and fetched him a chair. Luo Ren sat down across from her, calmly asking, “Do you remember now?”
Lianshu’s fear finally showed; her voice trembled with tears. “I really don’t remember, Luo Ren.”
“I believe you,” he said with a faint smile.
He leaned back, silent for a long time—so long that Yan Hongsha and the others grew uneasy.
“I’ll ask, you answer. Don’t play games. Don’t expect me to be polite because you’re a woman.”
She had already seen—he was less polite than any of the others.
“Your hometown—it’s in the Qiangui region, near Sizhai, isn’t it?”
Her eyes widened. Her pale lips parted as if to speak.
“And your mother—she gave birth to a wild man’s child, didn’t she?”
She froze, then slowly, almost carelessly, smiled.
“So you already know. Yes. That’s right.”
“What happened back then?”
Biting her lip, her face twisted with bitterness.
“Not much. You probably already know half the story. People always talked about wild men in the mountains, but no one really believed it—until one day my mother went up the mountain and was…”
She gave a mirthless laugh. “Well, you know what happened. My father realized she was late returning, gathered men to look, and found her. By then, the wild man was gone.”
“And afterward, your father hired hunters?” Luo Ren asked evenly.
“Of course. Same as you—who wouldn’t hate someone who touched his wife? Especially a beast. My father gathered men and hunted him down. When they caught him, they killed him. Skinned him, butchered him, even cooked his meat. Ate it, maybe. Said it was the only way to vent their rage.”
Her teeth ground together with lingering hate.
“And then?”
She gave a bitter smile. “They hoped life would go on. My father loved my mother—he didn’t despise her. But then she got pregnant. Everyone hoped it was his child. But when the baby was born…”
She laughed, sharp and broken. “It had fur. From the moment it came out, it was obvious. My father couldn’t bear it. He told my mother, if she couldn’t kill it, then throw it away in the mountains.”
“My mother said she would do it herself.”
Tears slid down her cheeks.
Yan Hongsha stirred, her heart aching a little, reaching for a tissue—then remembered Mu Dai and clenched her hand tight instead.
Lianshu sniffed, forcing herself back into a mask of indifference. “But she couldn’t do it. She hid that little wild child nearby.”
“Your father found out?” Luo Ren pressed.
“I found out first. I was young, always clinging to my mother. Sometimes she even brought me along. At first, I was afraid of the wild child. She was younger than me, but bigger, and couldn’t speak. Later, I got used to her. I’d go with my mom, pick fruit, even teach her to draw…”
Cao Yanhua froze. He glanced at Wan San. So that was why the wild woman liked Wan San? Not because “art is universal” or because she appreciated his talent—but because of Lianshu? Because Lianshu had once taught her to draw?
“But nothing stays hidden forever. My father started noticing. He tricked me into talking. I told him. After that…”
Her bitter smile returned. “The family began to fall apart. They fought constantly. But my father still covered for my mother in front of others.”
“I pitied him. Yes, I was only five or six, but I don’t think kids understand. The more I pitied him, the more I hated her. I hated that bastard child. So many times I wanted to shout it out in the village square. But my mother threatened me—if I spoke, she’d beat me badly.”
“And in the end, you thought of another way, didn’t you?” Luo Ren said quietly.
She sneered. “My mother always warned that child not to go to the village, not to be seen. One day, I saw my chance. My mother went gathering herbs and left me with them. I chewed a wild mushroom, pretended to be poisoned…”
Wan San flinched, stepping forward, his voice sharp. “You pretended to be sick, didn’t you?”
She looked at him oddly, surprised he guessed. “I acted like I was in pain, rolling around, pointing toward the village. That thing panicked, couldn’t find my mom, so it dragged me home. In the end, it appeared in the village. Everyone saw. They chased it. It ran, and no one knew where it went.”
Her lips curled into a proud smile. Even now, she was proud.
“You were only six,” Luo Ren murmured.
“So what?” she snapped, face twisting.
“I don’t regret it. I was right. The one at fault was my mother! She had a husband, a family. She was raped by a beast, and then she cared for that bastard? Our family was falling apart! My father was weak, so I had to do something. I had to drive it away!”
The sun had risen. Light slanted through the bamboo blinds, striping her face in shadow and flame.
“It was her fault,” she muttered. “All her fault.”
“And later?”
“My mother came back from gathering herbs and heard about it. She said nothing. That night, my father drank heavily and passed out. I remember—it started raining. My mother packed a basket of food. I climbed out of bed and saw her. She didn’t notice me. I grabbed her leg, begged her not to go.”
“She soothed me. Said there were outsiders in the mountains, digging for something. If they found the wild child, they would kill it. She was worried and wanted to find it. She told me to wait at home. If she found it, she’d come back.”
“She never came back.”
Lianshu was silent for a long time. Just when Yan Hongsha thought the story had ended, she spoke again.
“Years later, the village gradually emptied. Some left because life was hard in the mountains, some because of the wild man rumors. My family was among the last to go. On my birthday that year, I opened the door in the morning and saw something…”
Her gaze fell on the amber lying at the bottom of the basin.
“A poorly stitched cloth doll of a rain goddess, and a piece of amber.”
“I knew the doll was hers. In the village, rain dolls were usually made of paper. But my mother liked sewing. She made them from cloth. I don’t know why her needlework was so clumsy then, but I knew it was hers. Why did she come back? She left us for that bastard. Why come back?”
“I told my father, let’s move. I never wanted to stay in that village again.”
“The day we left, I felt like she was watching from the woods. As we passed the village well, I threw the doll in. I wanted her to know I didn’t care.”
“But you kept the amber?” Luo Ren asked.
Her eyes grew distant.
“I meant to throw it away. But somehow—I don’t know why—I put it around my neck. And I never took it off. Just like today… somehow, I did certain things, and I don’t know why. I just did.”
[Rouge Amber – The End]
Loveguy On CFRFGC Chapter 7