After that violent outburst, Zhou Ni collapsed on the ground, utterly spent. Beside her, Zhang Tiancheng bubbled blood from his mouth, looking terrifying and ghastly. Zhou Ni could no longer suppress the churning in her stomach—whoosh—she threw up all over the ground.

I gently patted Zhou Ni’s back, saying, “Zhou Ni, don’t be afraid. I’ll avenge your father. If you want to kill him now, I can grant that wish, but we can’t let him die so easily. In a couple of days, once his injuries have mostly healed, I’ll take you to see him again. We’ll poke him then, let him truly taste what it’s like to wish for death.”

Zhang Tiancheng, half-dead, spat out, “You... you’re vicious! Just... just wait! I’ll have... I’ll have my uncle wipe you... all of you out!”

I pointed at Zhang Tiancheng, “I don’t care if it’s your uncle or your second grand-uncle; whoever comes, I’ll beat them. Go home, heal up properly. I’ll be looking for you again in a couple of days. Don’t even think about running; even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I’ll find you!”

Zhou Ni managed to speak weakly, “Let him go for now. I’m going to file a complaint with the provincial government. If that doesn't work, I’ll go to the Capital. I refuse to believe there is nowhere in this world where justice can be found! Zhang Tiancheng, if I can’t kill you openly, then my surname isn’t Zhou!”

I kicked the prone forms of Xu Di and Li Erwa lying on the ground. “Stop pretending; get up now! Disappear from my sight with Zhang Tiancheng within one minute, or I’ll beat you until you look just like him.”

Those words worked like a charm. In less than a minute, the scene was clear, and even the onlookers dispersed. No one called the police; everyone knew those three thugs operated without restraint. Calling the cops would only invite their revenge. Besides, seeing the three of them suffering now, who would be foolish enough to dial for help?

Zhou Ni stubbornly wiped the tears from her eyes and quietly got up to gather the five ruined fish. I stood quietly behind her, not speaking. Her emotions must have been a complicated mess right now; letting her have a moment of quiet was definitely the right move.

Suddenly, Zhou Ni turned, pulled a wad of cash from her pocket, and offered it to me. “Take this and go. There’s a small station ahead; you can catch a ride to the Capital from the county seat. This place isn't suitable for you.”

I didn't take the money, replying earnestly, “I’m not leaving. I never intended to leave in the first place. Now, I have even less reason to go. I just promised you I’d go poke that guy again in a few days; I can’t go back on my word.”

Zhou Ni countered, “You’re an outsider and don’t understand the situation. Since we beat Zhang Tiancheng today, he will certainly seek revenge. My mother and I don’t care anymore; at worst, one life for another. But you need to get back to your adventures and wandering life. Don’t ever have an aerial explosion again; you won’t be so lucky to fall into a fish pond next time.”

I chuckled, “That’s true. Being able to run into such luck... it seems we really are destined. Let me have a dumpling before I leave; I’m starving right now.”

Zhou Ni picked up the ruined fish and started walking. “Suit yourself. You’re no saint anyway.”

“Ouch!” Zhou Ni suddenly swayed and cried out as she sat down hard on the ground just two steps into her walk.

I rushed over immediately. “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Ni clutched her foot. “I sprained it.”

I chided her, “Why were you walking so fast? You just exerted so much force; your body was highly tense. It’s no wonder you lost your balance walking quickly. Here, let me see.”

Zhou Ni was clearly in a lot of pain; tears streamed down her face. She was wearing a pair of the most common, cheapest sandals; the heels weren’t high, but during the scuffle with Zhang Tiancheng, she had used too much force, and even that low heel had broken. As she started off quickly just now, her foot slipped, and she twisted it.

“It’s a bad sprain. We need to get it checked at the hospital. I’ll carry you.”

Zhou Ni still hadn't seemed to forgive me. She pushed me away. “No need for a check-up. I can handle the pain.”

I snapped, frustrated by her stubbornness. “Zhou Ni! I know what I did last night was awful! But I truly didn't mean it. At the time, I thought you were someone else, and my body was undergoing some strange changes—I couldn’t help myself. I know the hurt I caused you was unbearable. You can hit me, scold me, or even expose me, but don’t act like this. Look at your foot; it’s already swollen this much in such a short time! If you don't get it checked and treated, do you want to end up with a limp? Are you trying to give your mother more sorrow on top of everything else?”

Zhou Ni seemed swayed by my outburst. She stopped speaking. I knelt down, and after a moment of hesitation, she finally placed her hands on my back. I was able to lift her up smoothly.

I asked the elderly vegetable vendor nearby to watch our things, and we headed to the hospital. The doctor at the clinic was elderly, with a long white beard. He looked at us and said, “Young man, your wife’s ankle is quite serious. I’ll prescribe some medicine for you; she needs slow recovery at home. I’ll show you how to use it once the prescription is ready.”

“Doctor, she’s not my wife. Please don’t worry about the cost; prescribe the best, most expensive medicine. As long as she recovers quickly, that’s all that matters.”

The white-bearded doctor wrote on the prescription slip while saying, “But you two don't look like siblings either. You’re quite thoughtful, young man. Fine, I’ll prescribe some highly effective medications. Here, go pay and collect the drugs.”

Good heavens, it wasn't cheap—nearly a hundred yuan for the medicine. Once we got the drugs, the white-bearded doctor demonstrated every step—which cream to apply, which pills to take—and I memorized it all, even writing notes on the packaging so I wouldn't forget.

Afterward, I carried Zhou Ni to collect the things we bought. I borrowed a piece of twine from the vegetable vendor and strung our purchases together, hanging them around my neck so I could keep both hands free to carry Zhou Ni. Everything else was manageable, except for those two live hens flapping around—they were quite bothersome.

Halfway there, Zhou Ni suddenly whispered, “What’s your name?”

Heh, she only thought to ask my name now. I must be quite the failure. “My name is Zhao Qian. Zhao is the Zhao from Zhao Qian Sun Li, and Qian is the Qian from Zhao Qian Sun Li.”

Zhou Ni let out a soft laugh. “What a strange name.”

“Yeah, my parents weren’t good at naming people, so they just picked two names from the Hundred Family Surnames.”

“Good thing it wasn’t three names; that would be even weirder, wouldn’t it?”

“Who’s to say? If my name were really Zhao Qian Sun, I wouldn’t have the face to show up in public.”

“Are you tired? Maybe I should get down and walk myself. It must be uncomfortable having me on your back.”

“But carrying you feels quite comfortable to me,” I said truthfully. Even though Zhou Ni was trying hard to avoid it, her chest kept rubbing against my back, and my hands were also enjoying their contact, as they had to support her rear. Because she did a lot of physical labor, Zhou Ni’s bottom was firm, with better resilience and roundness than any wife I’d known.

“Get down, put me down!” Zhou Ni was clearly displeased by my slightly teasing remark.

I could only sigh helplessly, “Alright, alright, Miss Zhou, I misspoke. I won’t dare to say that again. But in your current state, you can’t walk even if you get down.”