Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Local Specialty
The man who was hit cried out in pain as blood streamed down from his head, staining the ground with a vivid hue of crimson. He collapsed in agony in the middle of the aisle.
As everyone turned around, they saw that the one wielding the pole to strike the man was none other than a young girl in her early twenties, dressed in a slightly oversized, fiery red old cloth coat with a black ponytail tied with an elastic band. Perhaps due to growing up in the mountains and being accustomed to farm work, she appeared much more mature than her age suggested. Her bright, shiny black eyes gleamed fiercely like an enraged lioness, glaring at the group of mountain men.
Yang Chen cast a questioning glance at Mo Qian Ni. This young girl, with her delicate features, could she be Mo Qian Ni's cousin or something?
However, Mo Qian Ni responded with confusion; she didn't know this young girl either.
The group of men also regained their senses. Black Eel was the first to erupt in anger, rushing forward to snatch the girl's pole. With a forceful shove, he pushed her to the ground.
"The hell, where did this crazy wench come from? Who asked you to meddle?!"
"Black Eel, this girl is going all out! Look at the blood flowing from Mountain's wounds!"
"Damn it, she's avenging him!"
Several men forgot about their original target, Mo Qian Ni, and were now consumed with rage, rushing to the aid of Mountain. After helping Mountain onto the cart seat, they lunged at the girl.
The girl screamed shrilly. Whenever someone tried to touch her, she would frantically bite their arms with her mouth wide open!
Inside the carriage, chaos ensued. The girl single-handedly kept the group of men at bay, but her strength was limited. After struggling for a while, she was immediately seized by two men who took advantage of the opportunity to grab her slender arms, while another held down her head, rendering her struggles futile.
Black Eel, panting heavily, roared, "Damn it, we touched the crazy wench, but if we don't knock her up, we'll be at a loss, brothers!"
Though the girl was restrained, her eyes, now tinged with red, remained fixed on the several men, as if she intended to devour them alive.
Seeing the young girl who had intervened about to be defiled by this group of beasts, Mo Qian Ni urgently wanted Yang Chen to rescue her. She knew Yang Chen could easily handle the situation.
But just as she was about to ask Yang Chen to step in, she saw that he had already walked behind the group of men.
Yang Chen pushed aside the two men closest to him. "Hey, make way."
"Don't bother! We'll deal with you two later!" one of the men barked.
Yang Chen furrowed his brow, not wasting any more words. He placed his hands directly on the necks of the two men behind him. Before they could react, a tremendous pressure caused their legs to go weak, followed by a dizzy spell, and they collapsed instantly.
Now, the remaining four men in front, including Black Eel, realized that the situation was not in their favor. They released the girl who had been resisting continuously and grabbed the nearest poles, ready to strike at Yang Chen!
The atmosphere inside the carriage reached a suffocating point. Everyone watched the scene unfolding before them, too terrified to even breathe.
"Don't be so polite with us. You helped us so much; having you eat something is the least we can do," Mo Qian Ni said, intending to fetch more food for Yezi herself.
Yezi quickly stopped her. "Really, big sister, there's no need. If my mom finds out I shamelessly accepted so much, she'll definitely scold me."
"You're such a good girl, who would have the heart to scold you? It's those bad guys who deserve it. Thankfully, they've all been thrown off the train," Mo Qian Ni said with a smile.
Yezi looked at Yang Chen with a hint of admiration. "Big brother, you're really strong. In our village, I've never seen anyone as strong as you."
Yang Chen smiled knowingly. What he displayed just now was nothing compared to real strength; he might have frightened the poor girl to death.
"Ye'er, are you going home?" Yang Chen quite liked this simple girl. Being a countryside girl herself, Ye'er wasn't as beautiful as Chen Rong whom he had met before, but she had a tough resilience about her, which he admired.
Ye'er, now relaxing from her initial nervousness, saw the two of them being so friendly and opened up a bit more. She nodded and smiled gently. "Yes, I'm from Kunshan Village. I still have a long way to go after reaching the final destination before I can get home. Are you two going there for a trip?"
"Kunshan Village?!" Mo Qian Ni's eyes lit up with excitement. "Wow, Ye'er, turns out you're my fellow villager!"
Ye'er was stunned for a moment upon hearing Mo Qian Ni's words. "Sister, are you from Kunshan Village too?"
"Yeah, I grew up there, but later went to Zhonghai for school and work. This is the first time I've been back home in over a decade. What a coincidence we have!" Mo Qian Ni became even more delighted.
Ye'er's face also lit up with excitement. "Sister, which part of the village are you from? I'm from the southern village. How about you?"
Mo Qian Ni sighed with a hint of regret. "Oh, you're from the southern village? I'm from the northern one. You probably don't know anyone from my family. When I left home, you were probably still very young. But since we're just separated by a couple of hills, we might meet again when I go back home."
Encountering fellow villagers, especially in such a heartwarming scene, the two women, one older and one younger, had plenty to talk about and chattered nonstop.
Observing Mo Qian Ni's happy expression, Yang Chen couldn't help but feel moved. When he first returned to his home country of Yanxia, even not knowing where he was born but just knowing he was from Yanxia, he had felt a strong sense of belonging.
It was easy to imagine how urgent it must have felt for Mo Qian Ni, who had been away from her hometown, which held deep memories for over a decade, to return.
As Mo Qian Ni hadn't returned to Kunshan Village for many years, there were many new things she was eager to learn from Yezi. Unknowingly, the two of them talked for over an hour.
During their conversation, they learned that Yezi dropped out of middle school to help support her family by selling local specialties from the mountains. Initially, she went with her mother, but since last year, she had taken on the responsibility alone.
Gradually, Yezi became more familiar with Yang Chen and Mo Qian Ni, addressing them smoothly as "Big Brother Yang" and "Big Sister Mo."
As the conversation progressed, Yezi's throat grew dry, and her voice became hoarse. Mo Qian Ni realized she had talked too much and felt embarrassed. She took out a bottle of mineral water that she hadn't finished and handed it to Yezi to moisten her throat.
Seeing Yezi being cautious even when drinking water, Mo Qian Ni couldn't help but feel fondness, like a mother looking at her daughter. "Ye'er, you're so brave. It was so dangerous just now, and none of the other men dared to step forward. You actually dared to wield a pole against them. Did your mother teach you to be like this?"
Yezi's expression changed slightly as she twisted the cap back on the mineral water bottle. She shook her head, her eyes revealing a hint of pain. "Whenever I see those people, I can't help it. I... I hate them. I hate them so much that I want to kill them."