Liu Fang wanted to scream!

Her Second Sister had done it deliberately – one could tell from her words that it was intentional!

Liu Fang retched several times and pointed at Liu Fen: “Have you gone mad?”

Liang Bing’an smelled the sour stench of the sewage water and felt furious inside. However, he had more self-control than Liu Fang, mainly because the bucket of sewage hadn’t splashed much on him. If Liang Bing’an had been doused with a bucket of sewage right to his face, he certainly wouldn’t have been able to maintain his composure.

“Second Sister, we know you’re angry. We’re all close family members, we’re one family. That’s why we came to explain things to you in the middle of the night, isn’t it? Look at how Fang is covered in sewage – you know how much she values cleanliness. Please calm down first, and let’s all sit down to talk things through.”

Liu Fang was trembling.

The physical stench and psychological humiliation made her want to rush forward and dump the sewage bucket on her sister’s head.

Liang Bing’an’s words reminded her.

For the sake of Liang Bing’an’s career and her future status in her husband’s family, Liu Fang told herself to endure it.

“Second Sister, this is really…”

“Mom, let them come in to talk.”

Only after Xia Xiaolan spoke from inside did Liu Fang and Liang Bing’an enter the house.

All the lights were on, and Xia Xiaolan had even changed the yard’s light bulbs to higher-wattage ones, worried they wouldn’t see clearly enough. With all lights blazing, anyone who wasn’t blind could see perfectly.

Liu Fang and Liang Bing’an saw their precious daughter Liang Huan tied to a chair, completely disheveled, with black tape over her mouth. She was making muffled “mmph mmph” sounds, her eyes terrified, her little face ashen, with tear tracks particularly visible.

“Huan Huan!”

“This is outrageous!”

The couple was extremely angry.

Being doused with sewage could be attributed to Liu Fen and Xia Xiaolan’s anger.

But angry or not, why take it out on Liang Huan?

“Quickly untie Liang Huan… Don’t be afraid, Dad’s coming to free you.”

Liang Bing’an stepped forward but saw Xia Xiaolan move from behind Liang Huan to her side.

“I advise you both to stay right where you are. I’m very emotional right now, and I might do something impulsive.”

Liang Bing’an wouldn’t normally be threatened by Xia Xiaolan’s words.

But Xia Xiaolan was holding a sharp knife, its tip pressed against Liang Huan’s neck, with only thin clothing between the cold blade and skin. Liang Huan cried again but didn’t dare move in the chair.

If she moved, what if the knife pierced her flesh?

Liang Huan had been locked in a dark storage room by Xia Xiaolan all afternoon. Just when she was finally let out, before she could feel relieved, she felt a sharp pain and numbness in her waist before losing consciousness. When she awoke, she was already tied up, with her deranged cousin sharpening a knife beside her, smiling at her while doing so.

Liang Huan thought Xia Xiaolan was going to kill her and was so frightened she wet herself.

Now she didn’t dare move – if she hadn’t been killed earlier, was it because they were waiting for her parents to arrive before killing her?

Liang Bing’an was also frightened. Liu Fang wanted to scream, but Xia Xiaolan pushed the knife forward slightly: “If you start screaming, I’ll stab her!”

Liu Fang burst into tears but covered her mouth, not daring to cry too loudly.

With her daughter’s life at stake, she couldn’t care less about the stench anymore.

“Xiao-Xiaolan, let’s talk this through reasonably. Huan Huan is your cousin. Second Sister, Second Sister, say something!”

Liu Fang looked pitifully at Liu Fen. When she was young and did something wrong, she would say a few soft words and Liu Fen would forgive her. After all, she was the youngest sister in the family, and after their parents passed away early, their older brother and second sister had promised to take care of her.

Liu Fang wanted to say: Is this how you take care of me? Your daughter is crazy, and you don’t even try to control her!

Liu Fen didn’t say a word, completely unmoved by her sister’s pleading.

Liang Bing’an suppressed his anxiety and tried to calm Xia Xiaolan: “Whatever you want to say, tell Uncle. Your cousin is timid – if you accidentally hurt her, you’ll regret it yourself in the future, won’t you?”

Xia Xiaolan sneered:

“Oh? So your daughter is human and deserves care now, but other people’s daughters are just grass, deserving whatever they get?”

“Xiaolan, if this is about the Fan family marriage, your Aunt and I had your best interests at heart. You’re too headstrong, girl. You only heard a few words from your cousin, you didn’t hear the whole story…”

“I heard everything, about Fan Zhenchuan from Hedong County. He’s quite the big shot in your Hedong County, isn’t he? Getting connected to him would help move Uncle’s cold seat to a warmer position, right? I think you people don’t understand human language, and you haven’t grasped the current situation. I will not marry Fan Zhenchuan. How you explain this to the Fan family is your problem. When I go crazy, I don’t recognize even my closest relatives – never mind a cousin, I could harm even my sister!”

Liang Bing’an’s face darkened.

He might be an overlooked deputy director but with his status as a state official, which farmer in the countryside wouldn’t respect him?

Xia Xiaolan’s comment about his cold seat had wounded Liang Bing’an’s pride.

“Xiaolan put the knife down first…”

Liu Fang truly feared that Xia Xiaolan might get emotional and accidentally stab Liang Huan. Even if they could then curse and kill Xia Xiaolan, it wouldn’t bring Liang Huan back.

Xia Xiaolan twisted the knife tip slightly, “What’s wrong? You dare to do it but not own up to it? What agreement did you reach with the Fan family behind my back, packaging me up to be sent to an old man? You have no shame, and I’m embarrassed to acknowledge you as relatives! Weren’t you trying to push me into the fire pit? Then I’ll stab Liang Huan first, then settle accounts with you! Killing one makes it worth it, killing two would be a bonus!”

Liu Fang’s heart was tied in knots.

Not marry?

How could she say she won’t marry at this point?

If Xia Xiaolan didn’t marry, Fan Zhenchuan would deal with the Liang family first.

Thinking of Fan Zhenchuan’s methods made Liu Fang’s blood run cold.

Liang Bing’an’s heart slowly steadied: “There’s no use discussing anything else, you won’t listen right now. So let me tell you something you might want to hear – Fan Zhenchuan chose you himself, and you have no choice about not marrying him. Even if you commit suicide, the Fan family will carry your corpse into their house.”

The reason why the Fan family had the final say in Hedong County was inseparable from their ruthless and iron-fisted ways.

Fan Zhenchuan always kept his word. If he said he would marry in May, those invited to the wedding had probably already received notice.

If the bride said she wouldn’t marry, Fan Zhenchuan would have her bound and brought to the ceremony if necessary.

Liang Bing’an couldn’t be as ruthless as Fan Zhenchuan, which was why he still needed Fan Zhenchuan’s promotion rather than the other way around.

“You’re a smart person, I knew that when I saw you before the New Year. If Huan Huan were as smart as you, I would have married her into the Fan family… You may hate us now, but you’ll thank your Aunt and me in the future!”

Liang Bing’an’s thoughts became increasingly clear.

Using both pressure and enticement, he explained Fan Zhenchuan’s temperament while painting a rosy picture for Xia Xiaolan.

While others might have become confused, Xia Xiaolan remained resolute.

“Then I’ll just kill Liang Huan and take her to hell with me. It will pain you whenever you think of it – this daughter you raised for over ten years, dead because of you two!”

Xia Xiaolan pressed down harder, and the knife tip broke Liang Huan’s skin.

Bright red blood trickled down the blade, and Liu Fang’s knees gave way as she collapsed to the ground.

“Xiaolan, she’s your cousin… Aunt was wrong, you don’t have to marry, you don’t have to marry!”

If she had known earlier, she wouldn’t have meddled in this matter, even if Xia Xiaolan wanted to marry a pig or a dog!

Even Lao Liang’s promotion wasn’t worth more than Liang Huan’s life. He was already a deputy director, and their family wasn’t struggling to get by. But they only had one daughter! Liang Huan was Liu Fang’s precious darling – she wished Xia Xiaolan would stab her instead and let Liang Huan go!

“Aunt was wrong, truly wrong! Let Huan Huan go, Second Sister, I beg you, say something!”