The Laundry.
When Jin Cui arrived, beaming with joy, people immediately started teasing her.
"Xiaocui, it's about time you treated us to some wedding candy!"
"Exactly! Look how happy she is. The guy she met with yesterday must be pretty good."
Jin Cui wasn't shy at all. Instead, she grinned and said, "Of course! Don't you know who I am? If that old matchmaker had tried to set me up with some ugly freak, I'd have beaten her up."
Everyone burst into laughter, and for a moment, the entire shop was filled with a joyous atmosphere.
Jin Cui walked over to Wu Mengchan, who was squatting on the ground, panting as she scrubbed clothes. "Mengchan, why are you so quiet?"
Wu Mengchan, who had been in a daze, was startled. She finally lifted her head to look at Jin Cui.
"Huh? What did you say?"
"What's wrong with you? Your eyes are so dark. Are you sick?" Jin Cui couldn't help but ask, noticing that something was off with Wu Mengchan.
"No, I just didn't sleep well last night, I think," Wu Mengchan said in a low voice.
"Move aside. I'll wash these, you go rest for a bit." With that, Jin Cui squatted down and deftly got to work.
A warm feeling washed over Wu Mengchan's heart.
This big, sturdy girl had helped her a great deal, especially during her most difficult times. Without her, she probably wouldn't have made it through.
So, after a moment's hesitation, she couldn't help but ask quietly, "So, how did your matchmaking go yesterday?"
"It was great! He's an assistant at a butcher shop. He's tall and strapping, and you can tell he's strong. The only thing is, he's a little ugly. But look at me—a handsome man wouldn't want me anyway. Besides, how many men are as good-looking as your brother? So I'm pretty content," Jin Cui rattled on.
"So does this mean it's settled?"
"Of course! Us poor folks don't have so many formalities. We'll exchange our betrothal cards in the next couple of days, and that'll make us officially engaged. My parents will probably arrange the wedding before the new year."
"Well, congratulations!" Wu Mengchan said with great sincerity.
"Haha," Jin Cui laughed, then looked up at Wu Mengchan. "You silly girl, you're acting so strange today. Do we really need to be so formal with each other?"
"But you need to be careful, too. You're so beautiful, you'll definitely have a lot of men asking for your hand. You have to keep your eyes wide open and find an honest, decent man. Otherwise, with that timid personality of yours, you'll be bullied to death."
Normally, Wu Mengchan would have laughed and playfully scolded Jin Cui for that. But today, her words struck a nerve. Her heart trembled slightly, and she fell silent.
Jin Cui didn't think anything of it and went back to her work.
The rest of the day passed quickly.
In the afternoon, before the sun had even set, Wu Mengchan prepared to leave work and head home.
But Jin Cui wasn't planning on going back so early. In her own words, she still needed to earn money for her dowry.
Wu Mengchan didn't insist and simply left by herself.
It wasn't dark yet at this hour, and the streets were crowded with pedestrians. All of this gave Wu Mengchan a strong sense of security.
And by the time she got home, she hadn't run into that man, Wu Yang.
Only then did Wu Mengchan let out a sigh of relief, silently congratulating herself for making the right move.
Over the next few days, Wu Mengchan stuck to this strategy: leave early, come back early. She was usually home before the sun had even set.
Under these circumstances, she managed to avoid any trouble.
Time flew by, and soon it was the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival. The sky had been gloomy since morning, and Wu Mengchan felt a vague sense of unease, worried it would rain again.
As fate would have it, her fears came true. Not long after she arrived at the laundry, a downpour began.
The rain continued for the entire day. By the afternoon, it still hadn't stopped; in fact, it was coming down even harder.
Before evening even arrived, the sky had already grown dark. Wu Mengchan stared helplessly at the weather outside. She wanted to ask Jin Cui to go with her, but Jin Cui hadn't come in today. She'd heard it was because she went to buy things for her dowry.
With no other choice, Wu Mengchan gritted her teeth, grabbed a pair of scissors to hide in her clothes, then threw on a straw raincoat and rushed out into the curtain of rain.
There were few pedestrians on the road. In the dim weather, only a few distant lights were visible.
Wu Mengchan ran quickly, completely ignoring the puddles in the street, hoping only to get home as soon as possible.
Up ahead was the small bridge she had to cross to get home. The water beneath it was now a raging torrent, and the rain was falling so hard she could barely see the opposite bank.
Wu Mengchan didn't dare to linger. She silently prayed for the Bodhisattva's protection and then hurried across the bridge.
But just as she feared, her worst nightmare came true. Just as she reached the middle of the bridge, a dark figure suddenly appeared at the other end, blocking her path.
"Heh heh, little lady. Let's see you try to escape this time!"
Wu Mengchan cried out in alarm and then saw the face that had become a nightmare for her.
It was Wu Yang.
The pockmarks on his excited face seemed to stand on end, and his eyes were filled with greed.
He looked as if he wanted to swallow Wu Mengchan whole.
For the past few days, Wu Yang had been scheming, trying to get his hands on this little beauty, but he had never found the right opportunity.
Until today, when the heavens smiled upon him and sent a torrential downpour. Wu Yang had come to wait by the bridge early on.
And sure enough, he had waited for Wu Mengchan to return. The excitement he felt was indescribable.
"Don't be so nervous. Big brother knows how to take care of you. Just be a good girl and do as you're told, and I promise to make you feel heavenly."
As he spoke, Wu Yang walked toward her.
Terrified, Wu Mengchan was trembling all over. She suddenly pulled the scissors from her clothes, aimed them at Wu Yang, and shouted, "You... You stay away!"
But Wu Yang couldn't care less. In fact, he grew even more excited.
"Ooh, you even brought a little toy to spice things up, heh heh. If you ask me, you'd better put it down quietly. It'd break my heart if you hurt yourself."
Wu Mengchan's heart went cold. She spun around and ran back the way she came.
But there was no way Wu Yang would let this juicy piece of meat, now at his lips, get away. He took a long stride and began to chase after her.
He was tall, and one of his steps was worth more than two of hers. In the blink of an eye, he was right behind her.
Hearing the splashing of his footsteps getting closer and closer behind her, Wu Mengchan was filled with terror. She even resolved that if she truly fell into this monster's clutches, she would use the scissors to kill herself rather than suffer his violation.
'It's just a shame I'll never see my brother again.'
The thought had barely crossed Wu Mengchan's mind when a familiar figure suddenly appeared before her.
Wu Liangchen was standing at this end of the bridge, his expression as hard as iron, his eyes filled with a chilling frost.
"Brother?"
Wu Liangchen didn't speak, merely staring coldly behind her.
Wu Mengchan was overcome with surprise and joy. Although she didn't understand how her brother had suddenly appeared at this moment, she rushed over and hid behind him.
Just then, Wu Yang also arrived. Seeing a slender, handsome youth standing at the head of the bridge, he was slightly taken aback and stopped in his tracks.
Although he didn't know who this was, his own guilty conscience made him hesitate.
A moment ago, the street was empty; he could have just grabbed her. But now that someone was here, he could only shoot Wu Liangchen a hateful glare before turning to leave.
Wu Liangchen didn't give chase. He simply watched Wu Yang depart, his gaze like he was looking at a dead man.
At that, Wu Mengchan peeked out from behind him. Seeing that Wu Yang was far away, she called out cautiously.
"Brother..."
But Wu Liangchen completely ignored her and started walking home.
Wu Mengchan obediently followed behind him. Only after they were home and the door was closed did Wu Liangchen finally speak.
"Don't call me 'Brother' anymore. You don't tell me anything when you're in trouble anyway. What's the difference between having a brother and not having one?"