Chapter 49: Unveiling Zhang Juhua's Past

Xu Lecheng ignored the few ruffians, his mind consumed with the thought of ruining Yan Ziyue’s purity, turning her into a woman scorned and abandoned by Xiao Heshuo.

This way, she would no longer dare to act arrogantly before him, nor face him with that haughty attitude.

Fueled by such hatred and purpose, he climbed with all his might.

He didn’t even notice when a few people quietly gathered behind him.

Suddenly—

One of them grabbed Xu Lecheng’s leg and dragged him outward.

“The money is in another room. Go get the money. Let me go!” Xu Lecheng whispered, thinking it was one of the ruffians holding him.

But they didn’t loosen their grip; instead, they threw him into the courtyard.

*Bang!*

Xu Lecheng was left dazed and disoriented.

Before he could recover, numerous pairs of feet appeared before his eyes, and his vision gradually brightened.

Terrified, he tried to flee without a second thought.

But escape was impossible.

A crowd surrounded him, leaving no way out.

At that moment, Xu Lecheng realized several ruffians were tied up beside him, surrounded by dozens of villagers and educated youths, led unmistakably by Village Chief Luo.

“Village Chief…” Xu Lecheng understood immediately he had fallen into a trap, but he couldn’t fathom how this had happened.

No one else knew about this matter except him, and the ruffians would not have leaked anything.

Village Chief Luo took a drag on his pipe, his expression grim as he looked at him. “Xu Lecheng, you’re quite bold, conspiring with the town’s ruffians to harm our village.”

“If we hadn’t been prepared, the Xiao family would have suffered today.”

He truly hadn’t expected Xu Lecheng to stoop so low, colluding with the town’s scoundrels to torment the villagers.

Xu Lecheng, sweating profusely and pale-faced, pleaded, “Village Chief, please listen to me—I was threatened by these ruffians…”

Before he could finish, the ruffian leader spat at him.

“Lies! You came to us willingly, asking for our help.”

The ruffians began to chatter loudly, recounting how Xu Lecheng had approached them.

“He asked his friends to find us, saying there was a big business deal for us.”

“Yeah, he said your village had the wealthy Yan and Xiao families, and told us to come to these two households so the money would go to us.”

“If he hadn’t come to us first and told us all this, how would we have known about your village? Why would we have come here so early in the morning?”

After hearing this, the villagers’ hatred for Xu Lecheng grew fierce.

“Xu Lecheng is utterly wicked! He’s done so much harm in the village, and now he wants to bring disaster upon the villagers. He’s worse than a beast!”

“Village Chief, we cannot keep Xu Lecheng or the Yan family here any longer. We must drive them all out!”

At the mention of the Yan family, the villagers all turned sharply toward Yan Zhuangshi and his mother Zhang Juhua, hiding timidly in the crowd, as if they wanted to tear them apart.

Amid the fury, Yan Zhuangshi and Zhang Juhua dared not utter a word, shrinking back, afraid of being beaten.

Seeing this scene, Yan Ziyue, guarded by Xiao Heshuo, felt a strange comfort and satisfaction. Wasn’t Yan Zhuangshi protective of Zhang Juhua? Didn’t he treat Zhang Qingqing as his only child?

Now, she wondered if Yan Zhuangshi would continue to protect Zhang Juhua and Zhang Qingqing.

“This matter will be discussed with the clan elders at dawn,” Village Chief Luo said, taking a few puffs from his pipe. “For now, lock Xu Lecheng and these ruffians up…”

“Why is everyone gathered here?” At that moment, a slurred male voice, thick with the scent of alcohol, sounded.

Zhang Juhua’s heart skipped a beat at the voice — how could he be here?

She wanted to stop him but dared not, fearing suspicion or drawing attention. All she could do was pray silently that he was just passing through.

Yan Ziyue and the others turned to look at the newcomer.

He was a somewhat unkempt but decent-looking man in his forties or fifties, wearing a watch on his right wrist and dressed fairly well.

Yan Ziyue didn’t recognize him, but some villagers did.

“Isn’t that Old Li from Dalin Village? Why is he here?”

Once Old Li from Dalin Village was mentioned, many villagers knew exactly who he was.

“What’s a drunk like him doing here at this hour? Is he looking for booze or just drunk and causing trouble?”

“Probably looking for a drink. I’ve heard Old Li drinks all day and night, sleeps anywhere when drunk, and ignores his family. That’s why his wife left him for another man.”

“Hey, did you know Old Li is involved with Zhang Juhua? It’s true—his wife once caught them in the act. Zhang Juhua was so arrogant then, protected by Old Li.”

Immediately, the villagers all turned to stare at Zhang Juhua and Yan Zhuangshi.

Someone maliciously speculated, “Could Old Li be here demanding that Zhang Juhua serve two men?”

The hostile looks made Yan Zhuangshi lose all face.

He lowered his head, about to leave.

But Old Li blocked his way, staring at Yan Zhuangshi for a long moment. “You’re one of Juhua’s lovers, aren’t you?”

“I’ve heard from her other lovers that you’re the dumbest, believing you’re her only man and that Qingqing is your daughter.”

He burped drunkenly, full of mockery. “Any man who’s been with Juhua knows she lives off one man after another, so you can’t believe a word she says.”

“Especially when she claims her daughter belongs to a certain man—that’s definitely a lie. Even she doesn’t know who the father is.”

At these words, the crowd gasped, their eyes shifting uneasily toward Yan Zhuangshi and Zhang Juhua.

“Before, people said Zhang Juhua was a mistress, but I never imagined it was this scandalous. She’s not a mistress—she’s a prostitute.”

“From what Old Li says, Zhang Juhua has had many men. Yan Zhuangshi is just one of them, and the most foolish, believing he’s her only man and that Qingqing is his daughter.”

“So in the end, Qingqing is truly a child without a known father. Yan Zhuangshi, I ask you—aren’t you ashamed? Don’t you regret it? You don’t love your real daughter but spoil a child with no known father, all while pampering such a filthy woman.”

Yan Zhuangshi felt his decades of dignity shatter.

What broke him most was that he had always thought Qingqing was his child, doted on her since childhood, given her the best, and even given Zhang Juhua a lot of money.

Only now did he realize he was just one of Zhang Juhua’s many men, and Qingqing was not his daughter.

“Child’s father, don’t listen to his nonsense. It’s not like that!” Zhang Juhua hurriedly defended. “You know you’re my only man, and Qingqing is your daughter.”

Zhang Qingqing stood there in a daze, her entire being numb.

She wasn’t her father’s child?

She was a child without a known father?

How could it be?