Chapter 33: Hero Saves Beauty, Blocks a Stick

Before Gu Yan’an could speak, with a thud, Lan Jingtian also jumped down from the courtyard wall. Lin Laogou’s face immediately darkened—what was going on with these people, all jumping into his yard one after another?

“Deputy Director Lan, what brings you here too?”

“Uncle Lin, what’s going on in your house? You’re disturbing the entire street.”

Lin Xiangqian felt a bit intimidated upon seeing Lan Jingtian in uniform. He quickly threw away the wooden stick in his hand.

“Deputy Director Lan, I was just fooling around with my wife…”

Lan Jingtian gave Gu Yan’an a meaningful look—was that really the case?

Gu Yan’an shook his head. Seizing the opportunity, the woman lying on the ground spoke up: “Comrade Officer, I’m not his wife. He bought me from a human trafficker.”

“Comrade Lin Xiangqian, how could you buy a wife from a human trafficker? Don’t you know that’s illegal? Tell me, who did you buy this girl from?”

“Deputy Director Lan, I don’t know any human trafficker. Little Brother Ma said he could introduce me to a beautiful wife for just a hundred yuan…”

He had no choice. It was hard to find a partner in the city—they always wanted this and that. Little Brother Ma said that as long as he gave him a hundred yuan, he would deliver a beautiful girl, and no bride price would be needed.

He gritted his teeth and asked his father for a hundred yuan. Not long after buying the wife, this woman kept trying to run away.

His father said that if a woman was unruly, a few beatings would fix her. Whenever this woman tried to escape, he would hit her legs with the fire poker from his house.

Who knew that today, this woman would wail like a ghost and attract outsiders into his yard?

Lan Jingtian asked, “Who is Little Brother Ma? Where is he now? Lin Xiangqian, come with me. And this female comrade, please come with us to the Police Station for investigation.”

The woman lying on the ground suddenly said, “Comrade Officer, my leg is immobile now. Can you help me get it treated first?”

Only then did Lan Jingtian notice that the woman on the ground was bleeding from her leg, likely pierced by a sharp edge on the fire poker.

Lan Jingtian said to Gu Yan’an, “Comrade Xiao Gu, could you please help this female comrade to the hospital for treatment?”

Gu Yan’an quickly stepped back. Men and women should not touch each other casually—he hadn’t even found a partner yet. How could he casually help a female comrade?

“Comrade Officer, I think I’ll help you escort this male comrade to the Police Station instead. As for this female comrade, I think we should ask a nearby auntie to take her to the hospital.”

With that, Gu Yan’an helped open the Lin family’s gate.

Lan Mo was riding her bicycle home after work when she saw a crowd gathered in front of the Lin family’s gate.

She hadn’t planned to get involved, but suddenly she spotted her grandfather among the crowd and immediately jumped off her bicycle.

“Grandfather, what’s going on here?”

“Momo, something big must have happened at the old Lin family today. I saw your father borrowing a ladder from your Grandpa Wang’s house to climb over their wall and jump into their yard. I’ve been waiting here at the gate for him to come out.”

Creak… thud…! As soon as Gu Yan’an opened the gate, he saw the tall and slender Lan Mo standing beside Old Master Lan, pushing her bicycle and saying something.

Their eyes met in the air. Lan Mo found it strange—didn’t her grandfather say her father was here? Why was Gu Yan’an here too?

Seeing so many people gathered at their gate and refusing to leave, Lin Laogou panicked. His wife, Liu Xiaoju, also panicked.

She had only this one precious son—she couldn’t let these two men take him to the Police Station.

With a thud, Liu Xiaoju knelt on the ground, tears and snot streaming down her face as she wailed, “Deputy Director Lan, I beg you, please don’t take my son away! He’s my only son! If you insist on taking someone, take me instead! I was the one who gave him the money to buy a wife…”

“Auntie Liu, please get up first! I’m only inviting Xiao Lin to the Police Station for questioning. As long as he behaves well and helps us find the human traffickers, we’ll be lenient with him.”

Everyone was confused. Human traffickers? Was Deputy Director Lan taking Lin Laogou’s son away to find human traffickers?

While everyone loved watching a spectacle, the mention of human traffickers made them afraid of getting involved, so no one dared to speak up.

Since Gu Yan’an had already seen Lan Mo, he naturally didn’t stay in the courtyard any longer. He believed that with so many people around, that narrow-eyed man wouldn’t dare cause trouble again.

Lan Jingtian also spotted Lan Mo in the crowd and called out, “Momo, come over and help! Help take this female comrade to the nearby hospital for treatment. I’ll send someone over later to hand things over to you. Lin Xiangqian, come with me to the Police Station now!”

Hearing her father call for help, Lan Mo had no choice but to park her bicycle to the side and walk into the Lin family courtyard.

Seeing Lan Mo enter, Gu Yan’an immediately turned back.

Liu Xiaoju had been kneeling and begging Lan Jingtian for a long time, but he showed no reaction. Now, even the daughter-in-law they had bought with money was about to be taken away. Suddenly, she panicked.

Without thinking, she picked up a thorny stick and swung it hard at Lan Mo.

Hmph, Lan Jingtian, since you’re making my son suffer, I’ll make your daughter suffer too!

Lan Mo had just walked over to the injured woman and was about to help her up when Liu Xiaoju suddenly swung the wooden stick at her.

Everyone watched in horror, their eyes wide open. Lan Jingtian rushed over and shouted, “Momo, be careful!”

In that critical moment, Gu Yan’an, standing nearby, didn’t hesitate. He wrapped his arms around Lan Mo and quickly turned her away…

Thud!

The thorny stick struck Gu Yan’an’s right arm with a heavy blow.

Rip!

The sharp thorns on the stick scraped across Gu Yan’an’s arm, leaving a long, deep gash. Blood immediately gushed out.

Gu Yan’an felt his arm go numb in an instant…

Seeing the blood pouring out, Liu Xiaoju finally realized she had caused a disaster. She threw the stick away and screamed, “Don’t arrest me, don’t arrest me! I didn’t mean to!”

Lin Laogou and Lin Xiangqian were stunned. What was happening? It was over—their whole family was finished.

Lan Mo didn’t react for a moment when Gu Yan’an wrapped his arms around her. It wasn’t until Liu Xiaoju screamed that she turned around.

Lan Mo cried out, “Comrade Gu Yan’an, you’re bleeding!”

By then, feeling had returned to Gu Yan’an’s arm. His bones throbbed with pain, and his skin burned fiercely, making him grimace.

Suppressing the pain, he forced a faint smile and whispered, “Doctor Lan, I’m just glad you’re okay…”

Lan Mo’s eyes reddened, unsure of what to say. “Comrade Gu Yan’an, thank you!”

Lan Jingtian hadn’t expected Comrade Gu to take that blow for his daughter. He walked over to Lan Mo and said, “Momo, leave the bicycle here. Take this comrade home first and help him treat his wound. We must thank him properly!”

“Alright, Dad. I’ll take him back to bandage it right away.”

Lan Jingtian then turned to Granny Wang, who was watching the commotion in the crowd, and said, “Auntie Wang, could you please ask your two daughters-in-law to come and help? Help take this female comrade to the hospital first. We’ll send someone over later to handle the handover.”

Granny Wang nodded and replied, “Of course, saving people comes first. I’ll go home now and call them over to help.”

Next, Lan Jingtian addressed Lin Laogou, saying, “Old Man Lin, your son needs to come with me to the Police Station first. Your wife just struck Comrade Gu with a stick. We’ll deal with that when I return.”

Lin Laogou knew it was too late to say anything now. He timidly asked, “Deputy Director Lan, if my son Xiangqian helps you catch the traffickers, can he come back?”

“Old Man Lin, we’ll handle this matter appropriately! If you still try to stop me from taking your son now, you’ll have to come to the Police Station with me!”

Lin Laogou was stunned. They had just wanted to take advantage and get a wife for their son—how had things ended up like this?

Lan Mo had no mind to worry about the others. She turned to Gu Yan’an and said, “Comrade Gu Yan’an, quickly take off your shirt and press it against the wound.”

“Doctor Lan, could I not take off my shirt? I can press the wound with my hand.”

“Alright then. Come to my house first to get the wound treated.”

“Okay, thank you!”

…