OL CH52

Li Cuiliu’s eyes darted about. She naturally knew Li Zixiu had always despised Scholar Bai. Seeking her out for this matter likely meant he wanted to make trouble for the scholar, and she didn’t even need to think hard to know it was some crooked scheme.

However, she was even more acutely aware of her current situation; it would be very difficult for her to find a good household. Although she was still considered attractive now, the day would inevitably come when she grew old and her beauty faded. If she could marry Scholar Bai, it would still be a massive stroke of luck for her.

At this thought, the smile on Li Cuiliu’s face grew increasingly alluring. She spoke to Li Zixiu in a coquettish voice, “That truly is a wonderful thing. If it really succeeds, I certainly won’t forget Cousin’s kindness. I just don’t know what brilliant idea Cousin has?”

Seeing Li Cuiliu take the bait so willingly, Li Zixiu felt highly satisfied.

Most importantly, the thought of successfully scheming to make Bai Su marry his used, discarded shoe brought him immense gratification. This would also completely sever Li Xiaochan’s lingering affections. Brimming with malicious intent, he began whispering his plan into the woman’s ear.

Little did he know, his every move was already exposed to another’s eyes.

“Boss, Li Zixiu met with his cousin in the back mountain. They want to scheme against Mr. Bai.”

Chen Tian nodded. He naturally knew Li Zixiu wouldn’t let things go so easily.

This cousin of Li Zixiu’s hadn’t been entirely absent from the original plot either. Originally, when Li Zixiu eventually found glory and returned to Li Family Village to flaunt his success, he had taken this cousin away with him, keeping her in his back courtyard as a concubine. Presumably, the two had an illicit affair early on.

As for exactly what they were scheming, Chen Tian could guess without even thinking hard. But it wasn’t the right time for him to strike just yet.

Having spent so much time with his sweetheart, their relationship was long overdue for a breakthrough. It was a pity that people in this ancient era were always so subtle and reserved. Even though Bai Su treated him exceptionally well, there was barely any real ambiguity between them. It would be better to use this opportunity to push their relationship forward.

However, anyone who dared scheme against his lover had better be prepared to pay the price!

At this thought, a shadow flickered across Chen Tian’s eyes, only to return to normal the moment Bai Su walked over, smiling as he continued feeding the poultry in the yard.

That night, after the two retired to bed, Chen Tian did not fall asleep soundly. Instead, he had 009 keep a constant watch around the house.

At midnight, a faint rustling sound came from the courtyard. Before 009 even needed to report it, Chen Tian immediately opened his eyes.

He didn’t wake Bai Su. Instead, he went outside alone. Under the moonlight, he saw a figure sneaking around the firewood pile they had just neatly stacked that day.

Holding a bucket of water, the person was carefully pouring it over the firewood.

Chen Tian had excellent eyesight. He instantly recognized the culprit doing bad deeds as Li Ergou—the same man he had tracked down with the thugs the other day. As for who instructed Li Ergou to come this time, Chen Tian didn’t even need to think to guess it was definitely Li Zixiu.

Once the firewood was wet, it would take at least two or three days to dry out.

Chen Tian raised an eyebrow but didn’t stop him. He stood in a hidden corner, watching quietly. It wasn’t until the person finished this task and began tiptoeing toward the poultry pen that Chen Tian deliberately made a noise and shouted, “Who’s there?!”

Startled by the voice, Li Ergou lost all thought of chickens or ducks and scrambled frantically to scale the courtyard wall.

Who could have known that halfway up the wall, Li Ergou suddenly felt a sharp pain in his ankle and plummeted straight down. He landed in a spectacular faceplant—a true dog eating mud—knocking out two of his front teeth on the spot. The pain was so intense he almost screamed out loud right there.

However, recalling the miserably battered state of the thugs who had come looking for him earlier, he knew that if he was caught by Scholar Bai’s relative, he would absolutely suffer a terrible fate. Clenching his jaw and covering his mouth, he somehow managed to keep from making a sound.

Chen Tian had no intention of waking his sleeping partner. Although his shout had not been quiet, he had utilized a sliver of divine consciousness, ensuring that only Li Ergou in the courtyard heard his voice.

Having learned his lesson, Li Ergou dared not return to the courtyard, nor did he dare make a sound. Only after a long while, seeing that the person in the courtyard seemed to have truly returned indoors, did he limp away from the scene.

Chen Tian naturally returned to the room, smoothly taking the sleeping Bai Su into his arms, pressing close to his sweetheart, and comfortably drifting into dreamland shortly after.

When Bai Su woke up the next morning and found himself in the beauty’s embrace, he surprisingly didn’t suspect Chen Tian. He merely thought that his daytime thoughts were manifesting at night, and he couldn’t control his desire for intimacy even in his sleep.

Seeing the beauty wake up and smile a greeting at him, his heart skipped a beat even more.

It wasn’t until the two of them got up and went outside that they discovered all the firewood in the courtyard had been soaked through.

The scene was obviously man-made. Bai Su frowned, feeling a sense of worry. Chen Tian, however, specifically walked over to comfort him, “Suzhi, relax. It’s just wet firewood. We still have some firewood left under the stove from yesterday; it’s enough to make breakfast and lunch.”

Bai Su nodded at these words. Seeing Chen Tian’s demeanor, he realized something and asked, “Zichen, do you know who did this?”

Though phrased as a question, the young man used a tone of certainty.

Chen Tian naturally couldn’t admit it. Shaking his head, he explained, “Someone did indeed come last night. The moment I heard the noise, I went out into the courtyard and saw someone sneaking around the chicken coop. It must have been a thief. But the man had quick reflexes; the moment he saw me come out, he fled. By the time I chased after him, there was no sign of him, so I didn’t wake you.”

“If he was a chicken thief, why would he wet the firewood?”

Bai Su couldn’t figure it out. Fortunately, with some firewood left in the house, he made breakfast, deciding he could only put the matter aside for now.

Recently, Bai Su had begun preparing for the provincial exams, making him busier than usual. Chen Tian was very considerate, taking on more of the farm work to lighten his partner’s load.

Therefore, on this day, Bai Su didn’t go to the fields during the day, but instead stayed in his study to read. After reading and writing an essay, it was already afternoon.

Seeing that it was getting late and not wanting his sweetheart to do all the work, Chen Tian mentioned he was going out and headed toward the back mountain alone to gather firewood.

(Note: Plot inconsistency in the raws here; the author suddenly switches who is gathering firewood and going to the riverbank.)

The path for gathering firewood was one Bai Su frequented. Although this route was usually sparsely populated, anyone with a bit of determination could easily discover Bai Su’s habit.

When Chen Tian saw Bai Su head toward the back mountain, he noticed someone peeking out from behind a tree not far away—it was Li Ergou from last night.

Sure enough, this kid hadn’t been taught a hard enough lesson; the fall clearly wasn’t severe enough!

Seeing Bai Su come out to gather firewood just as Li Zixiu had predicted, Li Ergou knew he didn’t need to report any changes. Following the plan, he trailed behind Bai Su.

When Bai Su arrived at the riverbank where he had first found Chen Tian, he encountered Li Cuiliu, who had been waiting there all along.

Li Cuiliu had specially dressed up today. Swaying her figure, she walked up to Bai Su with a shy expression, curtsied to him, and said coquettishly, “Scholar Lord, this humble woman greets you.”

Bai Su murmured an acknowledgment, smiled and nodded, then said no more.

He naturally recognized Li Cuiliu and had heard rumors about her reputation. Therefore, he had no intention of striking up a conversation, planning only to gather the firewood as quickly as possible and head back. Who knew that a sudden “Ouch!” would come from behind him.

Seeing Bai Su about to leave, Li Cuiliu deliberately feigned twisting her ankle and tried to fall into Bai Su’s arms in a coquettish display. But Bai Su was faster; he dodged directly to the side, causing Li Cuiliu to miss her target completely and crash straight onto the ground.

Trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice—she failed to fall into his arms and ended up covered in dirt from the ground instead.

Li Cuiliu looked pathetic, but she had anticipated that Bai Su wouldn’t take the bait so easily.

The woman adjusted her expression, putting on a tearful, on-the-verge-of-weeping look, and said to Bai Su, “Scholar Bai, this humble woman accidentally sprained her ankle. Please, come help me up!”

Seeing the calculation in her eyes was far too obvious, Bai Su decisively shook his head. With a troubled expression on his face, he said, “It is not that I am unwilling to help, but men and women should not touch. I cannot ruin a young lady’s pure reputation.”

Seeing Bai Su being so unromantic, Li Cuiliu gritted her teeth in anger, but she still had to coax him gently, “There’s no one around here. Why must Scholar Bai be so pedantic and old-fashioned?”

But before she could even finish her sentence, Bai Su flatly stated, “I will go find someone to help you right now.” Then he turned and walked away without looking back.

At this moment, a burst of noisy commotion came from not far away.

Hearing the noise, Li Cuiliu’s eyes flashed; she knew success or failure rested on this single move.

She hurriedly tore open her clothes a bit and messed up her hair. Dropping the pretense of a sprained ankle, she jumped up and lunged directly at Bai Su.

She had made up her mind: even if she couldn’t get Scholar Bai to hold her in his arms, she would grab onto him even if she fell on the ground. Then, she would claim that Scholar Bai had tried to violate her.

Whether outsiders believed it or not, Bai Su would definitely be unable to clear his name and would have no choice but to marry her.

Seeing this, Bai Su frowned, having no desire to tangle with Li Cuiliu. However, it was hard to dodge in this area, and even if he shook the woman off, her relentless, deliberate false accusations would still be a hassle.

At this thought, Bai Su’s gaze turned even colder.

While he was dodging and contemplating a countermeasure, a figure suddenly dashed out from beside him and, with a single kick, sent the woman flying straight into the river.

The river’s current was swift, instantly swallowing Li Cuiliu.

Although Li Cuiliu knew how to swim, the incident happened so suddenly she couldn’t react in time. She merely flailed wildly, screaming for help.

Bai Su was also stunned by this sudden turn of events. Once he recovered, he looked at Chen Tian beside him. Before he could speak, the beauty turned his head, his sharp gaze locking onto a large tree nearby. In a few strides, Chen Tian reached the tree and casually dragged a man out from behind it.

“You go, save that woman!”

Chen Tian ordered, tossing Li Ergou into the water just the same.

Most people in Li Family Village were good swimmers. Although this river flowed rather quickly, generally speaking, an adult falling in wouldn’t be in any real danger.

The reason Chen Tian had struggled to get ashore back then was merely because he had been too heavily injured.

Now it was Li Ergou’s turn. Although he had fallen face-first off a wall yesterday and broken two front teeth, it was ultimately just a facial injury; he had no serious bodily wounds.

After falling into the water and being forced to swallow a few mouthfuls of river water with his mouth wide open, Li Ergou finally gathered his wits.

The thought of Chen Tian filled him with instinctive dread. He swam desperately to grab Li Cuiliu, and only after exerting the strength of nine bulls and two tigers did he manage to drag her back to shore.

And just as Li Ergou was in the water saving her, Li Zixiu arrived with the villagers in tow.