The Country's Beautiful Woman, Chapter 220: The Night Watch (Fourth Watch) "No, no—just suddenly, Mr. Zhang seemed to have changed completely, as if out of nowhere. That did surprise me." Cheng Guiying's eyes were glazed, as though deliberately avoiding something. "You know, it really proves that one shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Mr. Zhang, who used to be so simple-minded, has suddenly turned into a villain..." Lu Yun watched her with suspicion, sensing that she had something to say. Suddenly, she interrupted: "Uncle Cheng, do you have something to add?" Cheng Guiying glanced toward the inner room; Hao Donglian hadn't yet brought out the medicine. Nervously rubbing her hands, she whispered, "Little Yun, I won't hide it from you—your uncle used to beat Mr. Zhang several times. Do you think he might take revenge on your uncle?" "Exactly for this." Lu Yun smiled, scratching his head. Honestly, this was no easy matter. Cheng Guiying nodded immediately. "Yes." Though Uncle's man may not have been able to satisfy Aunt, he's still the backbone of our family. What if some fool named Zhang strikes a blow at him? Then how would Aunt manage afterward?" As she spoke, tears began to well up. Lu Yun was puzzled—sure, it was understandable for a young girl to cry easily, but a woman of such maturity as Aunt should never break down so often. She quickly comforted her: "Aunt, don't worry. Zhang is only after the women's beauty—he won't harm Uncle, surely. There are so many people in the village who've treated Uncle unfairly; do you think he'd have to settle every single one of them? Just keep calm, take good care of your vitality, and you'll be ready to enjoy a satisfying experience with us soon. You can completely rest assured about Zhang." Cheng Guiying blushed, looked up at the clock on the wall—past nine, it was time to go—but then glanced out the window at the steady rain, and hearing Lu Yun describe Zhang so dramatically, felt suddenly nervous. "Uncle, you stay here tonight—this road isn't very good, and you might trip or fall. Of course, on one condition: my uncle can endure the loneliness at home and won't have any trouble filling you up." Seeing through Cheng Guiying's thoughts, Lu Yun looked at her with a teasing smile. Cheng Guiying gave Lu Yun a withering glance and whispered, "Well, if he can't, then he can't. Since you've already filled me up, I no longer want to be filled by anyone else." Lu Yun chuckled, clearly seeing that Cheng Guiying was determined to stay. It made sense—after all, a woman would naturally be afraid to go back. In fact, even now, he himself wasn't sure he could venture out for a walk. Zhang, the fool, was absolutely insane—completely unlike a human being! "As for my third aunt..." Lu Yun waved a hand and said, "Don't worry—when I go to her, I'll make sure she agrees to let you stay." Just Gu Ying, I was quite frightened tonight and might have a sudden burst of bad temper at any moment—so you'll have to put in a bit of effort and give me a few good squeezes to calm me down. Cheng Guiying punched him and scolded, "You lazy kid! I knew from the start you wouldn't just stay around casually—your eyes have always been on my place, haven't they? Just let me know whenever you're ready to visit. But you only come back once a week—your third aunt will surely keep you busy all night tonight. I'm not sure I'll even get a chance to have you visit me." Lu Yun chuckled, "Gui Ying aunt, don't worry about that—just be ready to be squeezed whenever I need you. Of course, it's also possible that my own fire won't build up, and you'll have to wait all night in vain." "No worries at all," said Cheng Guiying with a bright smile, "as long as Xiao Yun feels close to me, even ten nights of waiting won't make me complain." At last, Hao Donglian brought out the medicine, opened the lid, and the pungent scent filled the air. She took a small bundle of cotton, dipped it in the medicine, and gently applied it to Lu Yun's swollen cheeks. Tears welled up and rolled down her cheeks, streaming with compassion. Hao Donglian had never given birth herself, and her family was not as wealthy as the Lu family—unable to afford children—so after the passing of Lu Feng and his wife, she went directly to the village headman and actively proposed to adopt Lu Yun as her own. As a result, both Hao Donglian and her husband treated Lu Yun as their own son, never daring to move him without their own consent. Now, seeing his dark, purple-and-blue cheeks, she felt her heart pierced with sorrow. Lu Yun treated his third uncle and third aunt just like his own parents. Though an unexpected incident had occurred between him and his third aunt, the genuine affection between them was undeniable. Seeing his third aunt crying like a broken-hearted person, Lu Yun lifted his head, smiled widely and said, "Aunt, it'll be fine in a couple of days. When I was a child, I used to get into fights with other village kids—there were times I was beaten and injured quite badly. I won't cry now." As he spoke, he reached out to wipe her tears. But Hu Donglian sighed, "You're just like this..." and then gasped, "Xiao Yun, your teeth!" Upon hearing this, Lu Yun immediately stopped speaking, thinking: Trouble now—his third aunt's tears were definitely not going to dry up easily. Indeed, Hu Donglian firmly gripped Lu Yun's chin and said, "Xiao Yun, open your mouth so I can have a look." Lu Yun kept his mouth shut and shook his head vigorously, mentally going through a long list of ancestors, starting with the foolish Zhang family. "How uncooperative you are, child! Open your mouth so I can take a look—this is the text content for Chapter 220 of 'Rural Beauty.' " Hao Donglian said, her tears cascading down her cheeks. Cheng Guiying had already sensed that Lu Yun wasn't being diplomatic; at first she thought it was due to the swelling on his cheeks, but now she realized he had lost a front tooth. She felt a deep sense of sympathy and added, "Little Yun, let your third aunt take a look. Look at how she's crying—can you bear to see her cry like this?" Cheng Guiying's words had the desired effect. Lu Yun opened his mouth slightly, speaking in a mumbled tone: "Third aunt, I've asked you to take a look, but I'd like you to promise not to cry anymore." Hao Donglian wiped her tears and managed a smile, saying, "Alright, I won't cry anymore. Now, open up so I can see how serious it is?" Lu Yun smiled gently and opened his mouth obediently. Hao Donglian looked at the tooth that had unexpectedly slipped out of place, called out Lu Yun's name, and tears were about to fall. Lu Yun quickly said, "Aunt, we promised not to cry, didn't we?" Holding back her tears, Hao Donglian nodded, her voice thick with emotion, "This silly Zhang has been so unfair! I'll go find his mother tomorrow and demand justice." Lu Yun frowned slightly, knowing well the nature of his third aunt—once she made up her mind, no one could change it. He glanced at Cheng Guiying standing by, and with a quiet tone, said to Hao Donglian, "Aunt, the rain outside is so heavy. Let's have Guiying stay with us tonight. Zhang is so wild and unpredictable; if she goes back alone, we won't feel at ease." Hao Donglian didn't hesitate and readily agreed, "That's a good idea. After all, Uncle Zhang probably won't be back tonight either. Guiying, when you go to sleep, just stay with me in the inner room." "Upon hearing this, Cheng Guiying smiled and said, 'Thank you so much, third sister.'" Hao Donglian chuckled, "It's nothing. Should I let your husband know?" "No," Cheng Guiying shook her head, "with such heavy rain and the outside path so dark and slippery, it would be a bother." Hao Donglian nodded and continued applying the medicinal solution to Lu Yun's face. "Aunt, I'd like to go see Professor Ling. She's not in very good condition either." After finishing the treatment, Lu Yun took the medicine bottle from the third sister and prepared to apply it to Ling Xiaoman as well. "That sounds good," Hao Donglian replied, "I'd like to see her too. This girl has had such an incident right from her very first visit to our home—she deserves a proper visit." Three of them arrived at Lu Yun's room. Ling Xiaoman had already fallen asleep, clearly shaken by the ordeal—her brows were tightly furrowed even in her dreams, and she murmured incoherently. Her left cheek was pale and delicate, while the right side matched Lu Yun's, tinged with a purple hue, with a faint trace of blood at her lips—truly heart-wrenchingly beautiful. "Auntie, you two go ahead and rest," Lu Yun's voice was slightly choked. "I'll sleep later." Hao Donglian sighed and said, "What a pity!" then went back to her room with Cheng Guiying to sleep. Perhaps the sharp scent of the medicinal water had stirred her, in her sleep, Ling Xiaoman drew her upturned nose and murmured something before turning over and settling back into sleep. Lu Yun adjusted her position and whispered, "Ling Teacher, please don't move much—soon it'll be over." It seemed that Ling Xiaoman had heard Lu Yun's words, and remained still until Lu Yun finished applying the medicine. Taking a deep breath, Lu Yun herself began to feel drowsy. She placed the medicine bottle neatly and went to the door, extending her arms to let the cool rain fall upon them, instantly shivering. The rain fell in a steady rush, and Lu Yun's thoughts seemed just as chaotic and intertwined as the rain strands swirling together. One after another, questions arose in his mind: Though he hadn't seen the green dragon gliding across his chest, he had clearly heard Zhang, the fool, say—'the hidden-world green dragon'—and now he couldn't understand what this could possibly be. How could such a thing, so profound and seemingly terrifying, drive the nearly frantic Zhang to abandon both himself and Ling Laoshi? Zhang's expression clearly indicated he had witnessed something dreadful—what exactly had he seen? And why had his clothes suddenly turned into scattered fragments of cloth? Lu Yun suddenly recalled the ambiguous look Cheng Guiying had given her as she was leaving a moment ago, and couldn't help laughing again: This old lady is probably going to be disappointed tonight. Hehe—if she can't bear it, she might as well go ahead and handle her loneliness and emptiness on her own. …… Country Beauty 220, Main Text 220 Updated for the Night Shift!