Chapter 148: He’ll Get His Revenge Someday

Just like last time—arranging for Wen Zhuqing to haul manure was only possible because Old Man Gu was the village chief.

Even later, when the educated youths wanted to leave Huaihua Village and return to the city, they had to be wary of Old Man Gu making things difficult for them.

“As for Sister-in-law…”

Gu Yunzhou looked over at Yang Manman, who immediately tensed up.

“I—I haven’t offended that Wen Zhuqing, have I?” Yang Manman said nervously.

“No, Sister-in-law, you haven’t done anything to Wen Zhuqing. But you’re one of us, you’re a member of the Gu family,” Gu Yunzhou replied.

“I think the reason Wen Zhuqing might target you is because you’re pregnant.”

Yang Manman jumped in fright, quickly covering her belly with both hands, her eyes full of worry.

Gu Yunting listened to his younger brother and glanced at his wife’s swollen belly. Thinking of what could happen, his expression darkened.

Without a doubt, aside from little Zhuangzhuang who was only a few months old, the most vulnerable person in the family was Manman.

If anything happened to her, it would mean losing both mother and child.

Thinking of this, Gu Yunting quickly grabbed his wife’s hand, only relaxing when he felt the warmth of her palm.

“Now that we know the general reason, the next step is to keep an eye on him,” Gu Yunnan said.

“I’ll keep watch on Wen Zhuqing,” Gu Yunzhou offered.

“For the next few days, Manman, try not to go out. If you have to, either I’ll go with you or…”

“Or I’ll go with her,” Yao Chunhua chimed in.

After all, that was her daughter-in-law and her eldest grandchild—of course Yao Chunhua cared.

“If Wen Zhuqing dares to try anything, I’m not afraid of him,” Yao Chunhua declared boldly.

She really wasn’t afraid. In the Gu family, the strongest person wasn’t the three Gu brothers or even Old Man Gu—it was Yao Chunhua.

The Yao family were butchers, after all. They could slaughter pigs because they had real strength.

Yao Chunhua had inherited that strength from her family.

She was even stronger than most men, and just as fearless.

So, she wasn’t the least bit intimidated by a weakling like Wen Zhuqing.

“Alright, let’s do it that way.”

—

At the Bao family’s house, Bao Shanyan was rubbing her belly, watching Wen Zhuqing wash clothes by the well in the yard.

Wen Zhuqing caught sight of Bao Shanyan’s slightly rounded belly out of the corner of his eye, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

The child in Bao Shanyan’s belly could not be allowed to live!

Thinking of those nights when Bao Shanyan had forced herself on him, Wen Zhuqing’s face darkened.

Just thinking about it made him sick.

If he weren’t forced by circumstances, he’d have gotten rid of Bao Shanyan long ago.

“What are you standing there for? Hurry up and finish washing, then go cook!” Seeing Wen Zhuqing dawdling, Bao Shanyan kicked him.

Caught off guard, Wen Zhuqing nearly fell.

Luckily, he managed to steady himself.

But his hand landed in the washbasin, soaking the sleeve of his only coat.

A flash of resentment crossed Wen Zhuqing’s eyes, but he quickly hid it.

“You’re a man, you should be working in the fields. Now my mother’s out there and you’re doing housework—you’re getting off easy,” Bao Shanyan said bluntly.

In her eyes, Wen Zhuqing was just a weakling—useless in the fields, good for nothing except his looks.

But good looks weren’t bad. Maybe their child would take after him and be good-looking too.

After finishing the laundry and hanging it up, Wen Zhuqing, with his sleeves still wet, was immediately sent to the kitchen to cook, with no time to care about anything else.

While he was cooking, Bao Shanyan didn’t come in.

She’d been having morning sickness lately, and the smell of cooking oil made her nauseous.

Staring at the food in the pan, Wen Zhuqing was sorely tempted to poison it—to get rid of Bao Shanyan, her mother, and the child in her belly. But he held back.

He could get his hands on poison, but if Bao Shanyan and her mother died, he’d be the first suspect.

Wen Zhuqing couldn’t make it look flawless—at least, not yet.

So he had to wait.

But…

A lively, pretty figure flashed through Wen Zhuqing’s mind.

Gu Jianing!

Wen Zhuqing would never forget that everything he was suffering now was because of Gu Jianing’s schemes.

Unfortunately, Gu Jianing had gone to the Northwest with that officer named Sheng.

But it didn’t matter—the Gu family was still here.

Gu Jianing was clearly someone who cared about her family. If something happened to them, she’d be devastated.

Wen Zhuqing definitely wanted to strike at the Gu family. He already had a plan for who and how.

He just needed to put it into action.

With these thoughts in mind, Wen Zhuqing finished cooking.

Soon, Bao Yingzi came back, and the three sat down to eat.

Bao Shanyan and her mother ate heartily, grabbing food quickly—Wen Zhuqing could barely get a bite in.

Not that he cared.

In front of Bao Shanyan and her mother, Wen Zhuqing always acted obediently. Even when Bao Shanyan hit him, he endured it.

After all, he’d get his revenge someday.

After dinner, Wen Zhuqing cleared the dishes. As he did, he said to Bao Shanyan, “Yan, I’m planning to go into town later. I wrote to my parents last time and told them you’re pregnant—they were really happy and said they’d send something. I want to check at the post office.”

Bao Shanyan frowned at first, but when she heard he was going to pick something up, she had no objections.

“Fine, go ahead. The sooner you go, the sooner you’ll be back.” Anyway, without a letter of introduction, Wen Zhuqing couldn’t run off.

Hearing her agree, Wen Zhuqing lowered his head to clear the dishes, a faint smile curling at his lips.

Soon, Wen Zhuqing left the Bao house and headed for the county seat.

What he didn’t know was that a shadowy figure quietly followed him.

Once in town, Wen Zhuqing went to a secluded alley and knocked on a door. Soon, it opened a crack.

“Do you have what I asked for?” Wen Zhuqing asked in a low voice.

“It’s here.” The person inside didn’t show their face, just stuck out a hand. “I brought it. Where’s the money and ration tickets?”

Wen Zhuqing handed over the cash and tickets he’d prepared. The hand took them and quickly passed him a small package.

Wen Zhuqing immediately stuffed it into his coat.

After glancing around, he turned and left.

But instead of heading straight back to the village, he went to the county government compound and spoke to the gate guard. “Hello, could you let Secretary Liu’s daughter, Liu Yuan, know that Wen Zhuqing is here to see her?”

Apparently, the guard knew him and didn’t make things difficult, going in to notify her.

Soon, a girl of seventeen or eighteen, wearing a wool coat and with two braids, came running out happily.

From a distance, Liu Yuan’s eyes lit up when she saw Wen Zhuqing.

She ran up to him, her voice even more cheerful. “Brother Wen, you finally came!”

“Comrade Liu.” Wen Zhuqing, gentle and refined, wore a warm, friendly smile on his handsome face. His affectionate eyes gazed at Liu Yuan, as if silently conveying endless feelings."