"Where did they go?" Zhang Liunian cornered an employee at the health clinic to ask.
"I saw them leave through the back. It hasn't been long, you should be able to find them now," a nurse said, pointing to the back door of the clinic.
"Thank you."
After thanking her, Zhang Liunian rushed out to search. His efforts paid off, and he eventually found Zhang Qian and the pig farm worker on a small path.
"Brother Liunian? Hurry and go," Zhang Qian said, his face pale, a mixture of joy and alarm upon seeing Zhang Liunian.
He was happy that Zhang Liunian was safe, but worried that Zhang Liunian might get into trouble again because of him. He didn't want that.
The pig farm worker beside him, seeing Zhang Liunian, abandoned his meek demeanor. Instead, he held the gun Zhang Liunian had given him to Zhang Qian's head, threatening, "Don't come any closer, or I'll shoot."
Hearing this, Zhang Liunian slowly stopped his advance. "Put down the gun, and I can let you off this time."
The pig farm worker acted as if he'd heard a joke. He shoved Zhang Qian hard, causing Zhang Qian to tremble. "If you want him back, produce a million yuan."
"A million? You have quite small appetites. Is a million enough?" Zhang Liunian sneered mockingly.
The pig farm worker was flustered by his words, wondering what he meant by a million not being enough.
Who was extorting whom?
"If you have money, two million, three million is also fine. Bring the money to the construction site on Jiefang Road tonight," the pig farm worker said, and then prepared to leave with Zhang Qian.
Zhang Liunian chuckled. "Can you leave?" Before he finished speaking, he had already exploded forward.
"Don't you dare come closer, I'll shoot if you do!" The pig farm worker hadn't expected Zhang Liunian to be so aggressive, ignoring the gun in his hand and charging at him.
With no other option, he pulled the trigger. But the next moment, he was stunned. He found nothing ejecting from the gun. He had been careless; the gun was empty. As he thought this, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen, and he was involuntarily sent flying backward, smashing into a stone wall nearby. Then, with a 'bang,' he fell to the ground.
The pig farm worker, as he hit the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood, indicating the power of Zhang Liunian's kick.
"Zhang Qian, are you alright?" Zhang Liunian ignored the pig farm worker and went to Zhang Qian, who was almost scared out of his wits, patting his shoulder.
Zhang Qian stared at him blankly. After a long while, he came to his senses. "I... I'm not dead?"
He had been so scared, thinking he was as good as dead just then.
After all, the gun was pointed directly at his chest. If it had gone through, he would have definitely kicked the bucket. He hadn't expected that after the trigger was pulled, he would still be standing here, alive and well.
"That gun was empty, you couldn't have died," Zhang Liunian explained with a smile, then walked towards the pig farm worker.
The latter tried to get up and run, but he was too badly injured. After much effort, he still couldn't get to his feet. In the end, with great reluctance, he was taken to the police station by Zhang Liunian.
"This gun isn't mine, he gave it to me. I didn't carry a gun privately," the pig farm worker shouted when he heard about the charges, including illegally carrying a firearm.
Unfortunately, the police didn't believe him. Firstly, he had kidnapped Zhang Qian on Chen Ming's orders, and Chen Ming acted on Zhu Laosan's instructions. And Zhu Laosan's thugs did indeed possess guns similar to his.
Did this even need proof? They were certainly in it together.
"Oh really? You'd better save that explanation for yourself!" Zhang Liunian said with a smirk, then turned and took Zhang Qian back to the clinic.
One reason was that Zhang Qian couldn't be discharged yet. The other was that Zhang Liunian also needed to treat his own wounds.
The day's ordeal had caused his wounds to bleed again.
"Brother Liunian, why don't you go back first? Your sister-in-law might worry," Zhang Qian suggested from his bed, learning that he still had two days before discharge.
Zhang Liunian shook his head. "I can wait two days."
"But..."
"You rest well, I'll make a few calls," Zhang Liunian interrupted him before he could finish and got up to make calls.
He first called Jiang Qingqing. Upon learning that her parents had gone to the county town to find her, he immediately informed her about the helpers he had hidden in the neighborhood and told her to ask them for assistance if anything happened. He also informed his wife that he would be returning to Nancheng in two days.
Jiang Qingqing asked for the reason. When she learned that Zhang Qian had almost lost his life, she repeatedly told him to take care of himself.
After they finished talking, Zhang Liunian called others.
After confirming that everyone was safe, he felt at ease and stayed to deal with the pig farm matters and look after Zhang Qian.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhang Liunian returned to Nancheng with Zhang Qian.
Upon arriving home, he happened to see Jiang Qingqing having her family members thrown out of the house.
As they turned around, they saw Zhang Liunian. They stopped their scolding and swarmed around him.
"Son-in-law, you're back?"
"Brother-in-law."
Zhang Liunian looked at the Jiang family and ignored them, walking straight past them and gently pulling Jiang Qingqing into his embrace. "Did they bully you?"
Jiang Qingqing leaned into Zhang Liunian's embrace, feeling immensely reassured. "No, with the helpers here, they couldn't bully me. They were just annoying."
Jiang Qingqing's words once again displeased the Jiang family. Only Jiang Qingtian retreated to the very back, lowering his head and not daring to be seen.
Zhang Liunian took in the expressions of the Jiang family. His voice turned cold. "If they're annoying, we won't look at them."
With that, he looked at the four people he had sent to protect Jiang Qingqing and said, "Don't let them appear here anymore."
The four immediately complied and began to drive them away.
Jiang Xiaoqing, seeing this, suddenly rushed in front of Zhang Liunian and put on a show. "Brother-in-law, this is our first time visiting my sister and you. You can't drive us away. We are your relatives, and your sister's maternal family. You have no right to prevent her from interacting with her maternal family."
"It's me who doesn't want to see you, not Liunian. Don't push the blame onto Liunian. He hasn't done anything wrong," Jiang Qingqing said, unable to bear her sister criticizing Zhang Liunian.
This was because she knew clearly that Zhang Liunian's actions were all for her well-being.
Jiang Xiaoqing's expression shifted slightly. She hadn't expected her third sister to defend her own man.
How was she supposed to put on a show now? How could she fight for him?
She wasn't as beautiful as Jiang Qingqing, nor did she have her protectiveness. Now, even if she wanted to snatch him, she wouldn't be able to, unless Zhang Liunian was blind.
Realizing that she might never be able to snatch such an excellent man as Zhang Liunian from Jiang Qingqing, Jiang Xiaoqing felt extremely dejected.
"Third sister, a woman cannot be without her maternal family. You must think carefully," Jiang Xiaoqing said, her mind in disarray, and said nothing more.
Jiang Qingqing replied calmly, "I have Liunian, and that's enough. It doesn't matter whether I have my maternal family or not. Anyway, you don't care about me, you only want to exploit me. From now on, let's just live our own lives in peace. Please don't come and disturb my life."
After speaking, Jiang Qingqing buried her face in Zhang Liunian's embrace, unwilling to look at the Jiang family.