TATSD Chapter 112

“I’m leaving,” Zheng Fei said without looking back, pushing the door open and sprinting away.

Li Laowu sat on a stool, his swollen cheeks throbbing painfully. Just opening his mouth slightly filled it with the taste of blood. Still, he extended his tongue to lick the split at the corner of his mouth and slammed his fist heavily onto the table.

When You Guizhi sought out Li Laowu, she did so through an intermediary. As a result, neither Li Laowu nor Zheng Fei knew where You Guizhi lived.

Despite being a streetwise woman, You Guizhi was cunning. She feared these ruffians might track her down and cause trouble at her home, so she withheld her real name and left a white jade bracelet as a deposit, arranging to meet today at a neutral location after the job was done.

Zheng Fei didn’t know the place, but Liu Yimian did. Before leaving yesterday, he had given Zheng Fei the Liu family’s address. Nothing more needed to be said; the message was clear without breaking the unspoken understanding.

It was still early, but the streets were gradually coming alive. Most passersby were street vendors carrying their goods, heading out to set up for the morning market. Spotting a man running empty-handed down the road drew some curious glances.

When Zheng Fei reached the Liu residence, he doubled over, hands on his knees, gasping for air. He wiped the sweat streaming down his face and waited briefly. Soon, a noise came from the courtyard nearby.

It was You Guizhi getting up and tossing out the dirty water from washing her face.

She held a basin and was about to head inside to heat water when a loud bang startled her. She jumped on the spot and spun around quickly.

Zheng Fei had kicked down the bamboo fence gate. The flimsy structure, held together with thin bamboo strips, shattered and collapsed to the ground with a crash, kicking up a cloud of dust.

You Guizhi froze in place, momentarily stunned.

She didn’t recognize Zheng Fei—her dealings had been with Li Laowu. Li Laowu, in turn, had brought in Zheng Fei for help, but the two had never met before.

Although You Guizhi didn’t know the man standing before her, the hostility radiating from his eyes and expression made her heart lurch. The moment Zheng Fei took a step toward her, she instinctively hurled the wooden basin in her hands at his head and ran while screaming, “Help! Someone’s attacking me! A thief’s broken into my house!”

Her voice, sharp by nature, became even more piercing when she raised it. In the stillness of the early morning, her cries echoed like a thunderclap, startling many early risers into coming out to see what was happening.

You Guizhi darted back into the house and tried to slam the door shut behind her. But Zheng Fei, having swatted away the basin, was already close on her heels. He wedged his arm firmly in the doorframe, preventing her from closing it.

“Who are you?! Why are you doing this?! I don’t even know you! What do you want—” You Guizhi’s shouting woke up Liu Shan, who had been half-asleep inside the house.

Leaning on a crude wooden cane, Liu Shan shuffled out and rubbed his eyes at the commotion. When he finally took in the scene before him, his jaw dropped. “What’s going on here?”

“You useless fool! Come help me! This man’s trying to wreck our house! Wake Chengyin up too—I can’t hold him off!” You Guizhi yelled, her face turning red from anger and desperation.

The urgency snapped Liu Shan out of his drowsiness. Without a word, he hopped toward Liu Chengyin’s room.

But Liu Chengyin, always alert, had already heard the ruckus. After listening for a moment, he understood the gist of the situation. Before Liu Shan could knock, Liu Chengyin opened the door himself.

“Father, let’s go help!” Liu Chengyin said, gripping a stool in his hand.

In the brief moment they exchanged words, You Guizhi’s shrill screams rang out from the front room. Liu Shan’s face turned pale with fear. He assumed someone sent by Master Zhou had come to collect debts. Once they were done with You Guizhi, they’d come for him next.

Liu Shan hesitated, gripping Liu Chengyin’s shoulder and shoving him forward. “Chengyin, my leg is already crippled, and that man is vicious. You go hold him off—I’ll come later!”

Caught off guard, Liu Chengyin stumbled forward into the main hall. Liu Shan, without sparing a glance back, turned and bolted for the back door.

Though Liu Chengyin was brave, he was still unnerved by the scene before him. A frail scholar by nature, he was used to scheming but had never raised a hand against anyone—let alone fought someone physically.

Meanwhile, Zheng Fei showed no hesitation. Gripping You Guizhi’s hair, he yanked hard, cutting off her screams before slapping her viciously across the face several times. Her cheeks swelled red and puffy, leaving her too dazed to cry out.

“Stupid woman! This is for your scheming! This is for not thinking things through! This is for getting me and my brother beaten by Boss Hong! If we can’t make a living, you sure as hell won’t either!”

Zheng Fei, being a strong man, had far more power than the frail You Guizhi. Each slap landed with resounding force, leaving her lips cracked and bleeding. The blood smeared onto her face as he struck, leaving long, crimson streaks.

“If you’d just told us that Ji Wei was friends with Boss Hong, we wouldn’t have dared touch him! Not even if we were out of our minds!” Zheng Fei snarled. The fear and frustration from the sleepless night boiled over, and he took it all out on You Guizhi, leaving her head swollen like a pig’s. Clumps of her hair were torn out, and she slurred weakly, “Please… no more…”

Zheng Fei spat fiercely on the ground, releasing the hair he had been clutching. He straightened up and turned his gaze to Liu Chengyin.

“I—I didn’t see anything,” Liu Chengyin stammered, his fingers slipping as the stool in his hand clattered to the ground. Terrified of provoking the enraged Zheng Fei, he took a few cautious steps back, raising his hands to show he meant no harm.

“You think you can take me on? Do you even have what it takes?” Zheng Fei barked, stepping forward aggressively. Liu Chengyin stumbled back, frantically waving his hands.

“This has nothing to do with me! Liu Yimian is my younger brother! If I had known she planned to hurt him, I’d never have allowed it! That woman has a black heart, but I’m nothing like her!”

“Nothing like her? What makes you so different? Can a wretch give birth to anything noble?” Zheng Fei sneered coldly. Without warning, he lunged, ramming his shoulder into Liu Chengyin’s chest.

With the wall behind him, Liu Chengyin’s shoulder blades slammed into the unyielding surface, sending a sharp pain through his body. He let out a pained cry, his face turning pale.

“No one’s getting away unscathed! No one!” Zheng Fei roared, his rage growing. He grabbed Liu Chengyin by the hair, his eyes bloodshot, and prepared to slam his head into the wall.

If the blow landed with Zheng Fei’s strength, Liu Chengyin would be lucky to survive, let alone remain unharmed. Fear coursed through him, igniting every ounce of his will to fight back. With a desperate burst of energy, he stomped on Zheng Fei’s foot with all his might, grinding his heel down hard.

As Zheng Fei yelped in pain and loosened his grip slightly, Liu Chengyin endured the searing pain of his hair being pulled and flung himself backward. His head collided with Zheng Fei’s chin, forcing him to release his hold entirely. Without wasting a moment, Liu Chengyin bolted.

Zheng Fei, his tongue bitten and mouth filled with blood, staggered momentarily before chasing after Liu Chengyin. After searching for some time, he failed to find him. Frustrated, he returned to the house and lingered for over half an hour, but neither Liu Chengyin nor Liu Shan came back. The only person left was the half-conscious You Guizhi, lying on the ground with a face swollen and bloodied, barely groaning in pain.

Unable to vent his fury, Zheng Fei resorted to smashing everything he could see. By the time he stormed out of the house, the place was in utter disarray.

To him, they were all despicable people, and since no one had died, he wasn’t worried about being dragged to court. If it came to that, You Guizhi, who had hired them to kidnap Liu Yimian for ransom, would suffer the consequences just as much.

But Liu Chengyin hadn’t run far. He had hidden just outside the back door.

Their family once had a thatched hut, but half the roof had collapsed in a storm. Liu Chengyin had crawled into the pile of straw and lay there, watching as Zheng Fei paced back and forth multiple times before finally leaving.

Liu Chengyin waited for another half hour before cautiously crawling out of the foul-smelling straw. When he saw You Guizhi again, she was completely unconscious.

Though he despised her in his heart, she had never let him go hungry.

Overcoming his initial fear, now that the immediate danger had passed, he worried about what might happen if she didn’t wake up. He crouched down and patted her face a few times.

“Second Mother? Wake up. Are you alright?”

You Guizhi’s eyes remained shut, offering no response.

Liu Chengyin frowned and dragged her inside the house.

While he did have some silver coins saved up, the thought of spending them on You Guizhi’s medical expenses was unthinkable to him.

He tossed her onto the bed and covered her with part of a blanket. Exhausted and soaked in sweat, he collapsed to the floor and leaned against the bed, gasping for air.

A baby girl, sleeping soundly beside You Guizhi, was suddenly startled awake when You Guizhi’s limp hand fell onto her soft belly. She blinked her wide, dark eyes before kicking her little legs to push the hand away. Failing to do so, she puckered her lips and let out a loud wail.

The noise grated on Liu Chengyin’s nerves. Already irritable, he snapped at the infant, “What are you crying about? Shut up!”

Startled by his harsh tone, the baby froze for a moment before bursting into even louder, more heart-wrenching sobs.

Defeated, Liu Chengyin stormed out of the room, only to find a crowd gathered outside his house, whispering and pointing at him. The moment they saw him, they scattered like startled birds.

Liu Chengyin clenched his teeth and let out a strained laugh, his shoulders trembling with suppressed anger.

This family, he thought bitterly, is truly something. A father who abandons his wife and children at the first sign of trouble, a mother who conspires with thugs for money, and a son who’s long since been scheming to leave.

It wasn’t always like this, was it? Liu Chengyin couldn’t say for sure. His mind drifted back to the day his youngest sister was carried off in a wedding sedan, her tear-streaked face hidden beneath smudged makeup.

Standing there under the sunlight, Liu Chengyin felt cold to his core.

Maybe it was time to split from the family and move out. Over the years, he had saved up a small amount of money—not much, but enough to get by for now.

With Pei Zhi’s help, he could find a job as a bookkeeper and live a decent life. Studying and taking exams could wait until he was settled.

He mulled it over for a long time and finally made up his mind.

But just as a hint of a smile appeared on his lips, it froze when he saw who was coming.