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Chapter 4 Conflict escalates
"hiss--"

"it hurts."

Jiang Guier gasped, a sharp pain shooting through her palms and arms. Her hand was pressed against sharp pebbles on the riverbank; the rough, hard stones were jagged and painful.

She frowned slightly, biting her lower lip until it left pale teeth marks, then bent her leg and used her knee to strike Shen Huaizhou's abdomen.

However, the other party had anticipated this and blocked Ban Wenwen's way.

Those hands, with their distinct knuckles, maintained just the right distance, enough to block her movements and prevent her from going any further, yet still allow her to touch her body.

"Please calm down!" Shen Huaizhou's voice was steady, his words clear and weighty with restraint. "We can discuss it and resolve this properly."

"Cold, quiet, not, a little bit!" Jiang Guier said through gritted teeth. If it weren't for the person in front of her, she wouldn't have fallen into the water, and her letter wouldn't have gotten wet. Thinking that she came to fulfill her great-grandmother's unfulfilled wish, how could she leave empty-handed and face the old woman lying on the sickbed waiting for her?

This was her biggest worry and wish!
She couldn't do anything for the old man, and the more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision.
"Let go, let go!" Qian Xin stepped forward and grabbed Shen Huaizhou's arm, but even the combined strength of the two girls couldn't budge this seemingly thin man.

"what!"

Seeing that kneeing someone was ineffective, Jiang Guier bit down in desperation, her teeth digging into the flesh, the taut muscles sending a jolt through her teeth.

so hard!

Shen Huaizhou groaned, and the moment his grip loosened slightly, Qian Xin's tugging caused him to lean back.

Jiang Guier smelled the scent of mint mixed with the fishy smell of the river while feeling weightless, and then she crashed onto Shen Huaizhou.

"Ugh..." she cried out in pain. Forces are reciprocal. The moment she fell, the reaction force from the shaking of her arm made her gums go numb, and Jiang Guier instantly tasted a metallic taste in her mouth.

There's bleeding!!

A soft tearing sound came from behind.

The two of them froze at the same time.

They all knew what that sound meant.

Shen Huaizhou calmly said, "Don't move yet, get up slowly."

Jiang Guier bit her lip and did as she was told. She could clearly feel the rise and fall of his chest and the steady, drum-like heartbeat below him.

She braced herself against the ground, trying to back away, when she saw the other person suddenly roll half a circle to the side, the movement as swift as a trained soldier.

She quickly looked away and anxiously looked at the spot where Shen Huaizhou had been lying—there lay a tattered letter.

Shen Huaizhou's kneeling figure shrouded the letter in shadow. The paper, which was originally just damp, now had curled edges, and the fibers were turned up like wounds with large and small rough edges, showing severe tearing marks.

His gaze climbed up the letter, past her mud-stained cheongsam, and lingered for half a second before finally settling on her face.

He frowned slightly, then looked up. A few strands of hair fell beside the woman's slightly pointed chin. Her eyes flickered slightly, as if she were accusing, nervous, or afraid, making her both endearing and arousing his guilt.

"What should we do, Sister Gui'er?" Qian Xin asked, her voice trembling with tears.

Jiang Guier felt like slapping herself to death.

Why do I still act so impulsively when things happen? What comes to mind is what my mother said on the phone: she doesn't want "accidents" to become the main theme of her life.

It really was an "accident"!
He had previously declared righteously that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, life would be so mundane that there was nothing to look forward to.

Right now, I just want to slap myself to death.

Accidents can vary depending on the circumstances, and this one is really unnecessary.

Her mind was a mess, she didn't know what to do next, and her heart was pounding wildly.

How to do!
“Perhaps I can help you,” Shen Huaizhou spoke again after the silence.

Jiang Guier glared at her sharply, her tone harsh, "Can you please shut up...?" Damn it!

Just as Jiang Guier was about to launch into a tirade, a series of footsteps grew louder and louder as they approached. Upon closer listening, one could hear the "clack-clack" sound of shoes on the country cobblestones, and several figures in blue uniforms appeared.

"Who called the police?!"

Jiang Guier looked up at the police badge on the man's shoulder. Perhaps it was the man's worried expression, or perhaps she was blinded by the light of the badge, but her tense emotions relaxed.

The tears that had been welling up in her eyes finally fell, streaming down her cheeks like broken pearls, landing on the front of her cheongsam, quickly spreading and leaving marks.

"Officer, he, he's a bad guy."

Jiang Guier pointed at Shen Huaizhou, her voice unconsciously carrying a hint of sobs. At this moment, due to the previous conflict, her hair, which had been tied up, was now loose. She sat on the ground, her light-colored cheongsam covered with mud, looking disheveled and pitiful. There were red marks on her hands, and especially her eyes, which were both aggrieved and touching, making people feel sorry for her.

Following Jiang Guier's finger, the police officers' gazes all fell on Shen Huaizhou, who was kneeling on one knee, still maintaining the position he had just stood up from.

The dark shirt, which had originally looked decent, was now wrinkled like dried pickled vegetables and covered in dirt and dust because of the physical contact between the two of them and the fact that he had just rolled around on the ground. It looked dirty, like a little dog rolling in the mud.

“This lady was quite agitated and her assessment of me was overly biased, but I can explain.”

"Alright, let's go back to the station first." Perhaps due to an innate protectiveness towards women, the police stopped Shen Huaizhou from explaining.

Shen Huaizhou frowned. He was not satisfied with the way the police handled the situation. He was always a strict and upright person, and he valued rules and regulations more than personal emotions.

His Adam's apple bobbed twice, and he was about to continue arguing and fight for his own interests, but when he looked up, he saw the indifference in the other person's eyes that seemed to be used to disputes. He suddenly realized that his explanation might just be sophistry to the other person, and there was no point in saying more.

Just as the police were about to step forward and take him away.

"Wait a moment," Shen Huaizhou suddenly said.

He turned around and reached into the black backpack that was on the ground.

"What are you doing? Put your hand down!"

"take it out!"

His actions immediately put the police on edge.

Jiang Guier was close by and her sharp eyes caught a glimpse of the light that flashed across his hand.

As Shen Huaizhou slowly withdrew his hand, the object in his hand became visible: a "transparent file folder"?

“This is…” Jiang Guier was somewhat surprised.

Shen Huaizhou glanced at her and said to Jiacang, "Please allow me to collect the damaged mail for this lady."

The police officer's gaze quickly swept over the torn letter on the ground and the two people, and finally he nodded.

"hurry up."

With permission, Shen Huaizhou took out tweezers and other tools from his bag, knelt on the ground, and carefully picked up the slightly damaged letter and put it into the file bag.

Jiang Guier watched as the sunlight shone through his fingers, casting trembling spots of light on the letter.

The blurred date was still faintly discernible, and she could just make out 1953 on the envelope. She suddenly remembered the yellowed boat ticket at the bottom of her great-grandmother's dressing case, which was also dated 1953.

Looking at his meticulous and earnest movements and cautious demeanor, Jiang Guier suddenly realized that she might have really misunderstood him.

She took the file bag from Shen Huaizhou with both hands and whispered a thank you.

"Let's go."

The two were urged to get into the police car.

(End of this chapter)