plumnovel Chapter 13 Uncle, who exactly are you?
Chapter 13 Uncle, who exactly are you?
The night was deep and all was quiet.
In a secluded storage yard in the eastern part of Qixia Town, Qin Shuyu was curled up in a dark corner, hugging her knees.
She has been here for almost two hours.
From the moment Yang Qian helped her hide here and told her not to go out no matter what sound she heard, her heart had been in her throat.
At first, she could vaguely hear some noise and shouting coming from afar, but soon everything returned to calm.
A deathly stillness.
This calm terrified her more than any commotion.
Where is my uncle?
How is he?
Did he get into a fight with the Black Tiger Gang?
Was he injured?
There were so many of them, and they were so fierce. How could my uncle possibly handle them all by himself?
Qin Shuyu's mind was in complete turmoil.
She both hoped that Yang Qian would return safely, and feared seeing him covered in injuries or even... never to return.
Time passed second by second, and each second felt like an eternity to her.
She dared not go out, because that was her uncle's instruction.
She could only wait helplessly and pray here.
The tears have long since dried up.
Her body trembled uncontrollably from prolonged tension and cold, and her pretty face was pale and haggard.
Just when she was almost in despair.
"Squeak—"
The tightly closed wooden door was gently pushed open.
A familiar figure appeared in the doorway, blocking the faint moonlight filtering in from outside.
"Sister-in-law, I'm back."
It's Yang Qian's voice!
Qin Shuyu suddenly raised her head, and when she saw that familiar face, all the fear, worry and grievances that had been building up in her heart burst forth like a flood.
"Wow--"
She could no longer control herself and burst into tears, crying her heart out.
Yang Qian felt a pang of pain in his heart and quickly stepped forward, squatted down, and gently embraced her cold and trembling body.
"Don't be afraid, sister-in-law, it's alright now, it's all over."
He awkwardly patted her back, gently comforting her.
The delicate body in his arms was so soft it seemed boneless, yet it was trembling violently.
A faint, sweet fragrance, mixed with the salty taste of tears, lingered around Yang Qian's nose.
He could feel his clothes quickly becoming soaked with her tears.
Qin Shuyu couldn't say anything; she just buried her face in Yang Qian's arms, as if she wanted to vent all her fear.
Her uncle came back.
He was not injured.
This is enough.
Yang Qian didn't say anything, he just held her quietly and let her cry.
He knew that this kind and gentle woman had suffered more fright today than she had in the past twenty years combined.
After a long while, Qin Shuyu's crying gradually subsided, turning into low sobs.
She seemed to realize that she was being held in her uncle's arms in a rather intimate way. Her pretty face flushed red, and she quickly broke free from his embrace, lowering her head and not daring to look at him.
"I'm...I'm sorry, Uncle, I..."
Her voice was choked with emotion, thick with a nasal tone.
"Silly sister-in-law, why are you apologizing to me?"
Yang Qian looked at her red and swollen eyes from crying, feeling both heartache and amusement.
He reached out and gently wiped away the remaining tear stains on her cheek with his sleeve.
His movements were very light and gentle, but Qin Shuyu's body still trembled almost imperceptibly.
She raised her head and, by the faint moonlight, carefully examined Yang Qian before her.
It was still that familiar face, with delicate features, but something seemed different about it.
His eyes were no longer the timid and self-conscious look they once had; instead, they had become deep, calm, and filled with a reassuring power.
Although there wasn't a single trace of blood on his body, Qin Shu could almost smell a faint scent of blood. That scent made her heart pound, yet miraculously made her feel safe.
Her uncle is really different now.
"Uncle..."
Qin Shuyu's lips moved, and she finally asked the question that had been on her mind:
"Those people from the Black Tiger Gang...they..."
"They won't bother us anymore."
Yang Qian's answer was calm.
"Then...where are they?"
Qin Shuyu pressed on, her voice trembling slightly.
She could never forget the cold, resolute look in Yang Qian's eyes before he rushed out.
Seeing her nervous expression, Yang Qian knew he couldn't tell her the truth.
Killing a local thug and killing a city guard captain, and slaughtering dozens of soldiers, are two completely different concepts.
The former is a self-defense counterattack, which at most can be considered excessive self-defense.
The latter is rebellion, a heinous crime that could condemn them to eternal damnation.
He didn't want this simple and kind woman to bear such a heavy psychological burden.
He hesitated for a moment, then fabricated a lie that was half true and half false.
"After I went out, I got into a fight with them. Later... later Black Tiger's gang had internal strife, and they fought with the city guards who came to fight for territory."
"I took advantage of the chaos to come back first."
"They...are all dead?"
Qin Shuyu's eyes were wide open.
"Um."
Yang Qian nodded:
"Dogs fight, all scum and no good, it would be better if they died."
He spoke of it so casually, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.
Qin Shuyu was stunned.
The Black Tiger Gang and the City Guard, two powerful forces that ran rampant in Qixia Town, just like that... disappeared overnight?
She felt like she was dreaming; it all seemed so unreal.
She looked at Yang Qian and felt that things were not as simple as he had said.
If he only came back amidst the chaos, why did he appear so late?
If it was just dogs fighting, where did that chilling aura about him come from?
She had many questions, but looking into Yang Qian's calm eyes, she couldn't bring herself to ask a single one.
She had a hunch that the truth might be far more terrifying than she imagined.
The younger uncle didn't want her to know, didn't want her to be scared.
Thinking of this, a warm feeling welled up in Qin Shuyu's heart, and all her questions were suppressed.
All she needed to know was that her uncle was safe and sound.
"Then...then what about the future..."
"From now on, no one will dare to bully us anymore."
Yang Qian interrupted her, his voice filled with unquestionable confidence.
He stood up and extended his hand to Qin Shuyu.
"Sister-in-law, come on, I'll take you home."
"go home?"
Qin Shuyu was stunned for a moment:
"But our home..."
"Let's move to a new home."
Yang Qian smiled:
"A big and comfortable new home."
Qin Shuyu looked at Yang Qian's outstretched hand, hesitated for a moment, and then placed her cold little hand on it.
Yang Qian's hands were warm and strong, tightly enveloping her and completely calming her anxious heart.
He pulled her along and led her out of the cold, dark storage room.
The moonlight shone on the two of them, casting long, long shadows.
Qin Shuyu followed behind Yang Qian, and for a moment she was mesmerized by his not-so-broad, yet incredibly reliable back.
She didn't know what the future held, but she knew that as long as this man was there, the sky wouldn't fall.
She suddenly remembered that this morning her uncle had also stood in front of her and said the same thing:
"Don't be afraid, sister-in-law, I'll protect you."
And now he tells himself that he wants to take her to a new home.
Qin Shuyu's eyes welled up with tears again, but this time she didn't cry.
Instead, the corners of her mouth turned up slightly, revealing a genuine, faint smile.
That smile, like a night-blooming cereus quietly blooming in the dark, was breathtakingly beautiful.
Yang Qian didn't turn around, but he could feel the dependent gaze behind him.
An unprecedented sense of satisfaction and responsibility welled up in his heart.
This is everything he wants to protect.
For this beautiful thing, he would not hesitate to kill Li Wei, let alone slaughter all the officials in the city and make enemies of the whole world!
He gripped Qin Shuyu's hand tightly and whispered:
"Sister-in-law, from today onwards, you don't need to think about anything or do anything anymore. You just need to be happy every day and take good care of yourself so you can grow up to be plump and healthy."
"Leave everything to me."
"Even if the sky falls, I'll hold it up."
Qin Shuyu nodded vigorously, without saying a word, but simply gripped his hand even tighter.