"Hmph, mind your own business."
The hunchbacked man glared at Su Qiao in dissatisfaction before turning to leave.
Ding Qiulan's mother hesitated, cast her daughter an apologetic look, and hurried after her husband.
None of the other onlookers dared approach Su Qiao. They dispersed while whispering among themselves.
In the end, only Ding Qiulan, Su Qiao, and Zhao Jingting remained at the scene, along with Uncle Ya, who had appeared behind the other two at some point.
Ding Qiulan glanced despairingly at her departing parents, then shakily rose to her feet. She bowed toward Su Qiao and the others before turning and walking toward the woods.
However, a man quickly ran up and blocked her path. No one knew what he said to her, but the two of them then went together toward the southern part of the valley.
Su Qiao thought about it. Li Bingyi seemed to live over there.
Li Bingyi had probably returned after taking people out to look for food and clothing.
Just as Su Qiao had guessed, Li Bingyi had only just returned and changed his clothes when one of his subordinates came to report what had happened.
He had Chu San summoned, and also called in the other party involved, Ding Qiulan, for questioning.
As expected, Chu San tried every possible way to shirk responsibility.
"Commander, I really didn't initiate it. That slut seduced me, and I couldn't hold myself back, so I..."
Chu San stubbornly insisted that the responsibility did not lie with him, looking so aggrieved that one might have thought he was the one who had been forced. He turned and glared viciously at Ding Qiulan before saying resentfully:
"They definitely saw that their family had no men or young male laborers. Seeing that I'm strong and can fight, they set