Plunder-Chapter 281: Ruining someone

On the way back, Zhou Jin’an’s face remained somber throughout the journey.

Qiao En noticed, realizing he was brooding.

"Are you angry?"

She placed her hand on Zhou Jin’an’s larger one.

He was annoyed and pushed her hand away.

"Why did you help her?"

Zhou Jin’an was referring to the medicine.

He had gone through so much trouble to get that medicine, and he didn’t want it all to go to Yao Chuman.

"She’s an elder of the Zhou family, and the mother of little Director Zhou. It’s only proper that I help her," Qiao En explained.

But her explanation failed to convince Zhou Jin’an.

"I don’t care, just don’t contact her privately anymore."

He forcefully made the decision for Qiao En.

Qiao En did not argue.

Many words reached the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back down.

Ice doesn’t form in a day, nor does a person’s heart turn cold overnight.

The misunderstanding between Zhou Jin’an and Yao Chuman needed time to slowly dissipate.

Two days later, Qiao En made a bold decision.

She would go to Hongyan Village alone.

In advance, she had done her homework. Hongyan Village was far from Rong City, but it was close to Gu Yuan.

Auntie Jiang had taken Qiqi back to Gu Yuan some time ago, and she could use this as an excuse to go.

"I want to go home and see my mom tomorrow."

Before going to sleep, Qiao En tentatively voiced her thoughts, but she did not tell the whole truth.

Zhou Jin’an, who was working at the head of the bed, furrowed his brows slightly, "I’ll have someone bring Mom here instead. You’re already six months pregnant, and the trip is too long and hard for you."

As he spoke, he began to make arrangements.

"I want to stay at home for a few days. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine," Qiao En said.

People yearn for home, and Zhou Jin’an didn’t think much of it. He agreed.

"I’ll send the driver to take you."

Qiao En nodded, "Okay."

A dreamless night passed.

At dawn, Zhou Jin’an arranged for the driver, and Qiao En packed a few things and left the house.

"Remember to let me know when you get there," Zhou Jin’an instructed before she left.

Qiao En affirmed positively.

"I will, I’ll send you a message as soon as I arrive."

Two hours later, the car arrived in Gu Yuan.

Qiao En had already thought about how to escape later on.

As the car neared a market, Qiao En asked the driver to stop.

"Just stop here, I’d like to look around," Qiao En said as she opened the car door and walked in.

The driver immediately followed, "Young Madam, I should accompany you."

"No need, I’ve messaged my mom, and she’ll be here soon. There are still things to do for Director Zhou, so you should head back first," Qiao En found an excuse.

The driver, finding it inappropriate to continue following, chose to leave.

No sooner had he left than Qiao En quickly hailed a cab to the bus station.

She had checked already, a bus ride from Gu Yuan would only take a little over an hour to reach Hongyan Village.

The timing was perfect; as she reached the bus station, she heard the driver calling out loudly, "Those going to Hongyan Village, hurry up and get on the bus."

Qiao En, with her prominent belly, immediately walked briskly over.

"Master, I’m going to Hongyan Village."

The driver, a muscular man in his forties with dark skin, glanced at Qiao En and cleared the seat beside the driver’s for her.

"Young lady, with your pregnancy, you should sit here," he offered.

The seat was spacious and offered a good view.

Qiao En thanked him and took her seat.

The vehicle started with a shake, and Zhou Jin’an called. Qiao En glanced at the phone but didn’t answer.

Nevertheless, to avoid Zhou Jin’an worrying or calling Auntie Jiang because he couldn’t find her, she sent him a message.

"Qiqi just fell asleep, I’ve arrived safely. All is well."

She sent a message to reassure him.

Zhou Jin’an reiterated his concerns, and they chatted on WeChat all the way.

"We’ve arrived at Hongyan Village."

After roughly an hour and a half, the driver stopped the bus in front of a store, calling out to the passengers at the back.

People got off the bus one after another, and Qiao En followed the crowd down.

"Sister, do you know Zheng Gang from Hongyan Village?" Qiao En asked a woman in her fifties who was leading a child.

The woman eyed Qiao En suspiciously for a while before responding, "He’s my neighbor. Who are you to him?"

Caught by the question, Qiao En didn’t know how to answer.

She smiled awkwardly and said, "A distant relative."

The other party was curious about Qiao En and asked her a lot of questions along the way.

Qiao En either laughed foolishly or made up answers, and finally arrived at the place where Zheng Gang lived.

The place he lived couldn’t be called a house, but rather a shed made of branches, plastic tarps, and dried grass.

"He has some health issues," the previous house collapsed during a flash flood, and he moved into a cattle shed afterward,"

the woman said.

Only then did Qiao En notice the cow dung around the shed and a smell of livestock on the air.

"Thank you, Big Sister."

Qiao En thanked the woman, but she showed no intention of leaving and continued to look at Qiao En suspiciously.

She didn’t think too much about it and walked straight toward the cattle shed.

"Master Zheng, are you at home?"

Qiao En walked toward the plastic curtain, reached out to part a slit, and peered inside—it was so dark that she could hardly see anything.

"Who are you?"

Just when Qiao En thought there was no one inside, Zheng Gang’s aged voice suddenly came through.

The shed was messy and dirty, and Qiao En could hardly find a place to step.

"I’ve come from Rong City looking for you on a matter,"

Qiao En honestly replied.

Although she hadn’t revealed her identity, the mention of Rong City made Zheng Gang understand immediately.

Rustling sounds came from the room, followed after a while by a bout of severe coughing.

"Come in,"

Zheng Gang said.

Qiao En followed the sound and walked further inside.

The shed was small, with various household items piled up inside, and the rearmost position was a bed.

To call it a bed was also a bit of a stretch—it was just a pile of items stacked to form a nest.

Zheng Gang was writhing amidst that pile.

"It was the Zhou family who sent you, wasn’t it?"

He seemed to have anticipated something.

"No, I came on my own volition,"

The air in the shed was not very well circulated, and various smells filled her nostrils; Qiao En endured it, supporting her belly with one hand and her back with the other.

Her eyes had adjusted to the dimness of the room, and she finally got a clear look at Zheng Gang’s true appearance.

He looked to be in his fifties, with salt-and-pepper hair and very thin.

"Still, you came, cough cough cough..."

He muttered to himself, followed by a violent cough.

It was as if he were coughing up his heart and lungs.

"You’re sick; why don’t you see a doctor?"

Qiao En calmly asked.

"Heh, cough cough..." Zheng Gang gave a cold laugh, followed by another bout of violent coughing.

"How would I go? Didn’t you know before you came that my legs were disabled?"

He extended his hand, pounding his powerless legs with great force.

"I’m just a waste now; what’s the difference between living and being dead? It would be better to be dead."

He spoke with a disheartened tone.

Qiao En could tell Zheng Gang was bitter inside.

It was hard to believe that a driver like him had the capability to frame Mrs. Zhou; Qiao En didn’t buy it.

She believed there had to be more to the story.

"I’ll take you to see a doctor,"

Qiao En stated firmly.

"You?" Zheng Gang seemed incredulous.

Qiao En nodded firmly, "Yes, I’ll take you right now."

She was a person of her word; once she decided on something, she saw it through to the end.

Without waiting for Zheng Gang to react, Qiao En had already walked out from the shed.

The woman was still standing at the entrance, holding her arms and looking at Qiao En.

"Big Sister, could you call a couple of men over for me? Zheng Gang is sick, and I want to send him to the hospital. Don’t worry, I’ll pay,"

Qiao En said.

The woman looked at Qiao En with suspicion, "You wait here; I’ll get someone."

She turned and walked down, and in less than ten minutes, two men in their forties arrived.

Qiao En took four hundred-yuan bills from her pocket and handed two to each man, explaining her intentions. They happily accepted the money.

They entered the shed and immediately carried Zheng Gang out.

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

Zheng Gang looked at Qiao En, not understanding.

"There’s no particular reason, you’re just sick,"

Qiao En maintained her composure.

Zheng Gang’s eyes alternated between Qiao En’s face and her belly.

"It’s not worth it, I’m not worth your money. I’m just a rotten life; better dead than alive,"

"What about your family if you die?"

Qiao En blurted out.

For some reason, when Qiao En mentioned his family, a strange flash appeared in Zheng Gang’s eyes.