He had been hunting in the mountains for the past two days and discovered that the young girl in the cave had disappeared!
She was someone he had painstakingly rescued from human traffickers. If the girl returned to the village and recounted her experiences after being captured, it would undoubtedly bring about greater disaster.
The cave was very hidden, and its mechanisms were not something an ordinary person could find. He didn't suspect the villagers had found it. The only possibility was this couple who had come from out of town.
Both husband and wife were highly skilled, and their intentions were suspect. It was possible they were specifically here to investigate a missing person case.
Thinking of this, Liu Hong could no longer sit still. He had called out several times with no response, so he didn't hesitate any longer and directly pushed open the door.
As soon as he opened the door, Liu Hong heard a click. He looked around but found no problem. He figured he was overthinking things.
He quickly checked several rooms, all empty. Only one room in the side wing was locked. Although it was silent inside, it was still suspicious.
He grabbed the lock on the door and peered inside through the gap.
At the same time, the young girl under the bed, seeing the approaching figure outside, shrank further into the shadows.
She had been halfway through applying medicine when she heard footsteps outside and had quickly hidden under the bed in fright.
The lock rattled loudly. The young girl swallowed, closed her eyes tightly, and her clasped hands began to tremble.
Liu Hong gave the lock a forceful twist with one hand. The iron lock instantly snapped into two pieces, and the door was opened.
The young girl was so scared she stopped breathing.
She could already see the familiar and terrifyingly tall figure about to enter. But just as he was about to step in, he was suddenly flung back out.
Following this was a scream.
The young girl's eyes widened.
She looked closely and saw that a large sandbag had been flung out along with him.
She suddenly remembered that before the handsome man had left, he had brought various items into this room, making a lot of clanging noises. She had been too scared then and had hidden under the bed.
Although the sandbag was large, it was nothing to Liu Hong. It had just startled him because it happened so suddenly.
He stood up, looked at the completely empty room, hesitated for a moment, and then walked in.
The young girl wished she could shrink into a ball. After Liu Hong entered, he meticulously examined every corner of the room. On the surface, no one was visible, but Liu Hong knew that the girl was easily startled and would surely hide. As expected, his gaze fixed on the space under the bed.
Liu Hong suddenly squatted down. The young girl was so frightened she almost cried out. At this very moment, her hand不知触碰到了什么机关，身下突然一空，竟出现了一个大坑，小姑娘也掉了下去。
At that moment, Liu Hong also lifted the bedsheet, only to find an empty floor.
He frowned. Gone?
Had he guessed wrong!
Although he still had suspicions, he hadn't found anything. To avoid being discovered, he had to leave quickly.
Just as he reached the door, Liu Hong felt a wave of dizziness, and his body became unstable.
Staggering, Liu Hong instinctively reached out to steady himself on a nearby empty shelf. He felt a click as something was pressed. The next moment, a net dropped from the ceiling, enveloping him entirely and instantly hoisting him up to the rafters. He didn't even have time to struggle before he passed out.
Before losing consciousness, Liu Hong glanced at the sandbag again. He recalled that when he was hit, besides the pain, he seemed to have smelled a faint, unusual fragrance.
This caught Liu Hong completely off guard. After all, no one would expect someone to hide sleeping powder in a sandbag.
At Chen Lin's house, Chen Lin had finished preparing the meal, but Xia Yun Ting had not yet returned. While Chen Lin was cooking, Xia Yun Ting suddenly left, claiming he had something to attend to, without telling Rong Zhi what it was. He only asked Chen Lin in detail if he had any relatives or friends in town.
Rong Zhi didn't know what he was being so secretive about.
"Why hasn't Brother Xia returned yet?"
"Let's not wait for him. Let's eat first."
"Brother Xia is back."
Rong Zhi looked towards the door and indeed saw a tall figure. He walked into the inner room in a few strides, said, "Sorry to have kept you waiting," and then sat down next to Rong Zhi.
"Where did you go?" Rong Zhi asked softly.
"I bought the house next to Zhou Da Zhuang's. If Chen Lin is willing, he can move there with his mother, and the two families can look out for each other."
Rong Zhi: "..."
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
He had clearly done a good deed, yet why was he only met with a roll of her eyes?
"It's nothing."
"Miss Lin, Brother Xia, hurry up and eat."
Chen Lin refilled their bowls and urged them again before Rong Zhi finally began to eat.
The meal was eaten in silence. Chen Lin was not a very talkative person to begin with, and under these circumstances, even if he wanted to be more enthusiastic, he couldn't think of anything to say. He could only repeatedly cycle between urging them to eat more vegetables and thanking Rong Zhi for taking care of his old mother. After saying it a few times, he felt awkward himself and stopped talking.
There was even less to say from Old Madam Chen. She had always had poor health, but today, after Rong Zhi took her for a walk, she felt a little better. She insisted that Chen Lin not wait on her and that she would manage her own bowls and chopsticks. Her hands trembled like sieves, leaving her no extra energy to talk.
Rong Zhi sat beside the old lady, not speaking to Xia Yun Ting. Xia Yun Ting felt the atmosphere was very strange.
The strange atmosphere only lessened slightly after the meal.
After eating, the three of them went to the kitchen together to wash the dishes. Chen Lin looked at Rong Zhi and Xia Yun Ting, thought for a moment, and finally spoke.
"Miss Lin, you don't need to come and take care of my mother tomorrow."
Rong Zhi's face showed confusion.
"What's wrong? Can't afford the dried tofu anymore?"
This teasing tone made Chen Lin even more embarrassed.
"I've thought it through. Taking care of my mother is most important. I can set up the dried tofu stall at my doorstep. Although there won't be much business, I can take care of my mother nearby. The business will get better in the future. Miss Lin lives so far away, and it's inconvenient to come every day."
A rustling sound suddenly came from the room. The three of them turned to see Old Madam Chen peeking through the window crack, listening to their conversation. She looked so attentive, as if she cared deeply about Rong Zhi's answer.
Rong Zhi didn't answer and instead asked him, "You have to run a business and take care of your mother alone, with no one to help you. Can you manage?"
Chen Lin fell silent. It was clear he wasn't sure himself.
Rong Zhi glanced back at Xia Yun Ting and gave him a look.
"Brother Chen, I just bought a house next to Zhou Da Zhuang's. If you're willing, you can move there with your mother. It's closer to their house, and you can look out for each other."
"What? Buy a house? How much would that cost?" Chen Lin was greatly surprised.
"Don't worry about the money. If you don't want to move, you can also rent out the courtyard. The rent you collect will be enough to support you and your mother. You won't have to make dried tofu anymore, or you can hire help with the rent you collect."
Xia Yun Ting's voice lacked warmth, but his words were met with waves of surprise.
Not only had he bought a courtyard, but he also gave Chen Lin options.
The gratitude in Chen Lin's eyes was almost overflowing, but he quickly regained his composure.
"This, this won't do! We've only just met you. How can I accept something so valuable from you?"
"It's not about whether it's valuable or not, Brother Chen. Xiaomo and I are here to handle something important. You've already helped us a lot. This courtyard is a token of our gratitude."
Something important to handle...
Chen Lin paused for a moment, then quickly understood. He had indeed felt it was unlikely for someone to voluntarily help him take care of his mother for no reason.
"Then what is the matter you need to handle...?"
"You've already helped us."
"Oh..."
Chen Lin knew it wasn't appropriate to ask further, so he didn't press. In any case, he was sure Rong Zhi was a good person. Although their time together was brief, she had indeed been taking care of his mother.
"So, do you choose to move, or do you want to rent out that courtyard?" Rong Zhi asked.
"I... I'll go ask my mother."
Chen Lin had not yet recovered from the immense surprise and had to seek his mother's opinion.
After he went in, Rong Zhi slowly looked at Xia Yun Ting, her eyes gradually filling with murderous intent.
"Where did the money for the house come from?"
Xia Yun Ting's expression stiffened.
"From the hidden compartment under the bed."
That was the money she had earned from selling medicinal herbs!
"Xia Yun Ting, you prodigal! son!"
She let out a cold laugh, grabbed Xia Yun Ting's arm, and twisted it forcefully to the side: "How much did you spend today, you will return it to me, not a single cent less!"
Xia Yun Ting feigned pain: "Ouch, ouch, ouch... Xiaomo, didn't you say I couldn't spend my money? So I just..."
"Hmph!"
Rong Zhi snorted coldly, then heard a "Miss Lin" and immediately adopted a calm expression.
Chen Lin entered, and Rong Zhi asked him.
"How is it? Have you decided?"
"Miss Lin, my mother said she wants to move."
"Good. Since we're here, we can help you."
Rong Zhi had also guessed this would be the outcome. Old Madam Chen's illness was not difficult to treat; it was more of a psychological ailment. The house had been empty for a long time, and the old lady felt lonely. Having a neighbor to look out for her would be good.
"Miss Lin." Chen Lin hesitated for a moment and took out a jade bracelet from his sleeve.
"This is from my mother, as payment for your services these past two days."
Although it had only been two days, he could see that his mother liked this young lady very much. However, this bracelet...
His expression was a little complex.
"You've already paid me for the consultation. Please keep this."
Rong Zhi saw at a glance that the bracelet was unusual. It was surely meant for a future daughter-in-law. Rong Zhi certainly didn't think the old lady wanted her as a daughter-in-law. She probably had nothing else valuable to give, so she used this bracelet as a substitute.
"But, my mother specifically said to give it to you."
"Why are you so rigid? Keep it secretly and tell your mother later that you gave it to me, and that will suffice."
"Ah? That won't do! Isn't that deceiving her?"
"This is called a white lie. If you really gave me this bracelet, what would you give your future wife when you get married?"
Chen Lin's face turned red. He hadn't expected Rong Zhi to see through him.
He couldn't argue with Rong Zhi and finally put the bracelet away.
Xia Yun Ting and Rong Zhi hired a carriage to help Chen Lin move.
There wasn't much in the courtyard. The three of them quickly packed everything up. As they were loading the items onto the carriage, Chen Lin went in to help his mother up and casually asked.
"Mother, that bracelet was for your future daughter-in-law. Why did you give it to Miss Lin?"
Old Madam Chen sighed: "Besides this, we don't have anything decent to give to others."
Chen Lin remained silent. Old Madam Chen suddenly added:
"Don't overthink it. Someone like you isn't good enough for that young lady."