Liu Ming'an hadn't even approached when he heard Third Great Aunt wailing heartbrokenly: "Oh, oh, Ming'an! How cruel is fate, just after passing the imperial examination, how could you be gone? Heavens above, you're so unjust, so unjust..."
Third Great-Uncle stood beside her, supporting Third Great Aunt and occasionally patting her back to comfort her, while also wiping his own eyes with his sleeve.
Liu Ming'an looked again and saw that He Yiyi's entire family had also arrived. Aunt Lin Er was wiping away tears, muttering "Poor thing, how could such a good person just be gone like this?" He Yiyi was crying inconsolably, crouched on the ground staring blankly at the flames, while her brother He Dong stood beside her with his head lowered.
It seemed everyone thought he was dead. Liu Ming'an watched as people grieved for him, feeling waves of warmth surge through his heart.
The first to discover Liu Ming'an was the Village Head's grandson - Zhuzi.
"Brother Ming'an?"
This call was filled with disbelief and irrepressible joy. Everyone turned their heads in unison to see Liu Ming'an standing perfectly fine behind them.
"Ming'an!" Third Great Aunt cried out, rushing over with tears still on her face. She grabbed Liu Ming'an's hand, turning him this way and that to examine him.
"You're alright, you're alright... perfectly fine, nothing's wrong, thank goodness, thank goodness..." Third Great Aunt's voice trembled with emotion as she went from great sorrow to great joy.
Seeing the old woman so distraught out of concern for him, Liu Ming'an was deeply moved. He quickly comforted her in a gentle voice: "Third Great Aunt, I'm fine, don't worry."
Everyone gathered around, and once they confirmed that Liu Ming'an was truly unharmed, the sadness that had been weighing on everyone's hearts finally dissipated.
"It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright," everyone said sincerely.
Liu Ming'an nodded to them, then walked towards the burning area himself.
"Ming'an, don't go there, everything has burned down..." Third Great Aunt held him back, her brow deeply furrowed.
Liu Ming'an looked at the house that had almost completely burned down and said in a heavy voice: "I know, I won't go in, I just want to look."
"Ah~" Third Great Aunt sighed, not knowing what to say. She knew that Liu Ming'an's parents' belongings must have been inside.
"Ming'an, where on earth did you go? Everyone was so worried about you," the Village Head asked.
Earlier, everyone had been too busy rejoicing over Liu Ming'an's "resurrection" to overlook this question. But once the Village Head asked, everyone's attention focused on this issue, and they started asking Liu Ming'an all at once:
"That's right, Ming'an, where did you go so late at night?"
"Ming'an, did you offend someone?"
"Ming'an, what about that girl you bought? The one called Jiang Ning, she's not in the fire, is she?"
...
Liu Ming'an knew everyone meant well, but his mind felt like a bowl of porridge, unable to answer anything.
"Liu Ming'an and I went to catch a thief."
A cold female voice suddenly rang out from outside the crowd. Everyone looked towards the source of the voice and saw a girl with disheveled hair and a covered face. At her feet lay a person, with hands and feet bound by cloth strips.
"It was this man, Zhao Instructor. He came to steal things and we caught him. Liu Ming'an and I chased after him and caught him. We didn't expect he had accomplices. It must have been his accomplices who burned down our house," Jiang Ning said, kicking the person on the ground. The man showed no reaction, clearly having passed out.
Everyone was shocked by this statement, their mouths hanging open. The Village Head was the first to react, running to Jiang Ning's side and crouching down to turn the prone man over, seeing his face clearly.
"It really is Zhao Instructor!" the Village Head called out, his tone full of disbelief.
"How is this possible? Zhao Instructor is practically a law enforcement officer, how could he come to steal?" He Yiyi's younger brother He Ping was young and couldn't hold back his question.
"That's right, and Liu Ming'an's family is so poor, what's there to steal?" Old Lady Zhang chimed in.
Although others didn't say anything, Jiang Ning knew they had the same thoughts.
"Anyway, the person has been caught. If you don't believe it, you can wait until he wakes up and ask him yourself," Jiang Ning said coldly, sweeping her gaze across the crowd.
The Village Head stood up at this point. With such an incident occurring in the village, it was his responsibility to take charge of the situation.
"It's too late tonight, everyone go home and rest," the Village Head first said to the others, then looked at Jiang Ning: "Early tomorrow morning, Zhuzi and I will accompany you to report to the authorities, so the County Magistrate can give you justice."
Logically, this Jiang Ning was bought by Liu Ming'an with money, but for some reason, the Village Head felt that between the two of them, Jiang Ning was much more assertive. He felt that Jiang Ning was the one who could make decisions, so he directed these words at her.
Jiang Ning looked towards Liu Ming'an, only to see him staring blankly at the gradually extinguishing fire of the house, lost in thought. He seemed enveloped in a thick layer of melancholy, oblivious to the voices around him.
"Alright, thank you for your trouble, Village Head," Jiang Ning responded politely.
The crowd dispersed, each returning home to sleep. Third Great Aunt walked to Liu Ming'an's side, her expression concerned: "Ming'an, don't be too sad. Your parents in heaven would surely want you to be safe and sound above all else."
Liu Ming'an managed a weak smile at the old woman full of loving concern, and replied: "Third Great Aunt, I understand."
"So, with your house gone, where will you sleep tonight? Do you want to go back to your old home for the night, and then figure something out tomorrow?" Third Great Aunt asked again.
Liu Ming'an shook his head, and seeing the old woman's worried frown, he comforted her instead: "Third Great Aunt, don't worry about me. It's very late, the night is deep and the dew is heavy. You should go back and rest early."
On the other side, the Village Head had agreed with Third Great-Uncle to borrow his ox cart early tomorrow morning to transport Zhao Qiang to the government office. Meanwhile, Zhuzi helped Jiang Ning move Zhao Qiang under a big tree, tying him securely with cloth strips.
Everyone had left, and the fire in the house was almost completely extinguished, with only a few sparks dancing in the darkness.
Jiang Ning walked to Liu Ming'an's side, standing with him as they watched the house that had turned to ashes, not saying a word.
"Jiang Ning, there are many things I can't understand," Liu Ming'an suddenly turned his head, looking at Jiang Ning beside him.
"What don't you understand?" Jiang Ning asked casually, her mood not particularly good either.
Liu Ming'an didn't answer Jiang Ning's question, just looked at her deeply, his eyes full of complex, indecipherable thoughts.
Why was I affected by the knockout drug while you were completely fine?
How were you able to subdue Zhao Instructor, who is quite skilled, so easily?
Why did everything turn upside down after I just slept for a while?
Jiang Ning could feel Liu Ming'an's inquiring gaze on her face. She sighed silently and only said: "Liu Ming'an, no matter what, I will protect you. I will help you clear away anyone or anything that might threaten you."
And then leave with peace of mind.
Jiang Ning added the last sentence in her heart.
Liu Ming'an looked at Jiang Ning. They were so close, yet he had never felt they were so far apart. He felt he could never truly understand the girl he liked, who she really was.
Jiang Ning heard Liu Ming'an sigh softly, but then he smiled gently at her and said: "Let me help you tie up your hair. It's inconvenient to move around with it loose like this."
"Alright."
Jiang Ning's hand, hanging at her side, moved slightly, and a dagger slid from her sleeve into her palm. With a "swish" sound, her hand moved swiftly, and another long strip of cloth was cut from the hem of her clothes. The strips cut earlier had all been used as ropes to tie up Zhao Qiang's hands and feet.
Jiang Ning handed the cloth strip to Liu Ming'an, then sat down on the ground, letting Liu Ming'an tie up her hair.
It was now 3-5 AM, still two hours until dawn. This night felt somewhat long.