Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao refused to leave Chen Ligeng’s village, claiming she had a comfortable life there and nowhere else to go. She rejected his offers of money and demanded 300,000 yuan to leave, leaving Chen and the villagers stunned.

• Su Qiao told Chen Ligeng she had no reason to leave because the village provided food, drink, and a pleasant place to stay.
• Chen Ligeng offered Su Qiao 1,000 yuan, then raised his offer to 2,000 and 4,000 yuan, but she refused.
• Guo Caixia suggested Su Qiao could stay with her cousin and find a job, but Su Qiao said she preferred village life.
• Su Qiao demanded 300,000 yuan to leave, and Chen Ligeng and the villagers were shocked by her price.
• When Chen Ligeng accused her of breaking the law, Su Qiao pretended to be ignorant and said she knew bank robbery was illegal from television.

Su Qiao pressured Chen Ligeng and the other traffickers to pay three hundred thousand yuan, then sent the villagers away. She took Big Treasure to the riverside to teach him to swim, but he refused to go near the water.

• Chen Ligeng pleaded that he could not pay three hundred thousand yuan, but Su Qiao refused to believe him and told him the five men could stay hanging until they made up their minds.
• Su Qiao admitted privately that she had only been teasing the men, then warned the villagers to leave or risk being hung up too.
• The villagers, including Village Chief He Jianjun, dispersed, and Su Qiao took Big Treasure to the river to teach him to swim and help him overcome his fear of water.
• Big Treasure resisted and threw himself onto the grass, insisting he would not go even when Su Qiao threatened him.

Su Qiao coaxed Big Treasure into facing his fear of water by promising she would keep him safe and take him traveling with her. He reluctantly followed her to the river, where she gradually led him into deeper water.

• Big Treasure refused to get into the water and accused Su Qiao of falling out of love with him when she insisted.
• Su Qiao asked Little Four how to handle Big Treasure, and Little Four advised her to coax him rather than force him.
• Su Qiao reassured Big Treasure that she would protect him and reminded him that they would need to travel by boat together.
• Big Treasure admitted he was scared but agreed to play in the shallow water after Su Qiao promised not to throw him in.
• Su Qiao played with Big Treasure by the river and patiently guided him toward deeper water whenever he shrank back.

Su Qiao taught Big Treasure to swim, then discovered that Chen Ligeng and the other men had escaped by cutting their ropes with hidden razor blades. She captured Guo Caixia and brought her to Old Cripple at Black Mountain Pass, whose connection to Hejia Village she had learned about while making plans.

• Su Qiao helped Big Treasure learn to swim, and he eventually let go of her hand and swam by himself.
• Little Four warned Su Qiao that the men had escaped, and she found only Guo Caixia still trapped in the tree.
• Su Qiao stopped Big Treasure from pursuing the men, then took Guo Caixia down, chained her, and carried her away in a sack.
• Su Qiao reached Old Cripple's hut near Black Mountain Pass and presented him with Guo Caixia.
• Su Qiao recalled that she had learned Old Cripple and his younger sister had left Hejia Village after being bullied, and that Chen Ligeng had introduced him to a beautiful woman.

Su Qiao rejected Old Cripple’s money and warned him to keep Guo Caixia under close guard. After learning how Guo Caixia had ruined Old Cripple and his sister’s lives, Su Qiao promised to look after his sister, who was working away from the village.

• Old Cripple offered Su Qiao the money he had brought, but Su Qiao refused it.
• Su Qiao warned Old Cripple that Guo Caixia was dangerous and urged him to keep her from harming their child or escaping.
• Old Cripple recalled how Guo Caixia had stolen his money, burned down his shack, and destroyed the future he and his younger sister had hoped for.
• Old Cripple said he had later learned Guo Caixia and Chen Ligeng had used marriage scams to cheat others.
• Su Qiao promised to look after Old Cripple’s younger sister, and Old Cripple entrusted her to Su Qiao’s care.

Su Qiao left Guo Caixia with the scarred cripple to face the consequences of what she had done to him and his sister, then struggled to find Chen Ligeng and the other men. The village remained tense as the men stayed hidden, and Hu Dalong was beaten by Wu Yingxiong.

• Su Qiao reassured the scarred cripple and pulled the cloth from Guo Caixia's mouth.
• Guo Caixia recognized the cripple, who confronted her over the money she had taken and the injuries and hardship she had caused him and his sister.
• Su Qiao left with Big Treasure while the cripple vented his anger on Guo Caixia.
• Su Qiao spent two days trying to devise a way to find Chen Ligeng and the other men, who remained in hiding.
• Wu Yingxiong, drunk out of his mind, beat Hu Dalong in front of Widow Li's house.

Su Qiao learned that Hu Dalong and Wu Yingxiong had both been involved with Widow Li, and that Big Treasure had engineered their confrontation. As the men’s families fought over the affair, Su Qiao considered using the chaos to her advantage.

• After Old Hu Er and his wife confronted Wu Yingxiong, he broke Old Hu Er’s leg and villagers carried him back to the old house.
• Su Qiao and Big Treasure went to the Ancestral Hall, where the village chief was handling the dispute.
• Su Qiao learned that Hu Dalong had stolen money and a Silver Bracelet to court Widow Li, while Wu Yingxiong had secretly pursued her too.
• Su Qiao realized Big Treasure had lured Wu Yingxiong to Widow Li’s home, causing him to catch Hu Dalong in bed with her.
• Big Treasure admitted he hated Hu Dalong, and Su Qiao watched Widow Li’s battered face as she considered what to do next.

Su Qiao intervened when the village decided to imprison and drown Widow Li, who had fought back against her abusive mother-in-law. She drew her knife and told Widow Li to escape by boat while she held off the villagers.

• Widow Li argued with her mother-in-law and accused her of forcing her into a life of exhausting labor and abuse.
• The village women beat Widow Li, and Village Chief He Jianjun ordered her locked in the Ancestral Hall before being drowned the next day.
• Su Qiao challenged the villagers when they tried to stop her from interfering.
• Su Qiao drew her knife, Big Treasure brandished a fruit knife, and Su Qiao urged Widow Li to find a boat and leave.

Su Qiao helped Widow Li escape the village and threatened He Jianjun when he tried to stop her. She left Widow Li with a clear route out, but the guards at the road and river still needed permission to let her pass.

• Su Qiao urged Widow Li to search her in-laws’ house for money and told the villagers she would kill anyone who tried to interfere.
• Su Qiao sent Widow Li to take a boat downriver, find transportation in town, and use an ID card from another house if needed.
• Widow Li changed clothes, retrieved her hidden ID card and money, then warned Su Qiao that He Jianjun would not let her leave alive.
• Su Qiao grabbed He Yongqiang and held a knife to his neck, demanding that He Jianjun order the guards to let Widow Li through.

Su Qiao forced He Jianjun to let Widow Li escape, then kept He Yongqiang at knifepoint until she was sure Widow Li had gotten away. Afterward, the Hu Family took Dalong to the hospital, and the village settled into a tense quiet as he recovered.

• He Jianjun agreed to let Widow Li go after Su Qiao held his son, and a villager blew a horn three times to signal her escape.
• Widow Li thanked Su Qiao, left with her bundle, and headed toward the river in a faded black tracksuit.
• Su Qiao kept her knife at He Yongqiang's neck for over an hour before releasing him and heading home with Big Treasure.
• He Jianjun dismissed the villagers and arranged for Old Hu Er and his wife to take Dalong to the town hospital.
• Wu Yingxiong recovered within days, while doctors saved Dalong's injury but could not say whether it would function properly in the future.

Su Qiao prepared to leave the village with Xiao Bao, but a heavily armed group seized the villagers while searching for someone. The group found Chen Ligeng and demanded that the villagers hand over the person he said was at Old Hu Er’s house.

• Old Hu Er endured his broken leg without hospital treatment, while Su Qiao prepared medicines and packed to leave after Chen Ligeng failed to return.
• Su Qiao took Xiao Bao toward the village chief’s house, but thirty or forty black-clad men arrived and gathered the villagers at the Ancestral Hall.
• A tall man in black told the villagers to stay quiet and said his men were searching for someone.
• The men dragged the beaten Chen Ligeng onto the platform, and he said the person they sought was at Old Hu Er’s house.
• After one of the men reported that they had searched every house without finding anyone, the leader demanded that the villagers hand the person over or face a search.

Armed strangers arrived in the village looking for Big Treasure, and Su Qiao confronted their leader to find out why. Big Treasure emerged to protect Su Qiao and declared that he was her man, while the leader studied him closely.

• He Jianjun told the strangers that Big Treasure lived with Su Qiao and rarely associated with the villagers.
• Su Qiao left Big Treasure hidden in the cornfield and approached the strangers’ leader.
• The leader asked Su Qiao about her relationship with Big Treasure, and she called him her Little Brother.
• Big Treasure rushed out with a Fruit Knife, claimed he was Su Qiao’s man, and threatened anyone who might harm her.
• The leader examined Big Treasure’s face as Big Treasure ordered him to stay away from them.

Su Qiao showed Ran Yundong that Big Treasure could speak and had not simply been an idiot, then encouraged him after he cursed He Jianjun. Ran Yundong objected that her way of teaching Big Treasure could influence him badly.

• Ran Yundong asked Big Treasure whether he recognized him, but Big Treasure shook his head and said he had no memories of him.
• He Jianjun told Ran Yundong that Big Treasure had arrived unable to speak and that a Chinese doctor had been unable to cure him.
• Su Qiao called the doctor a quack and said Big Treasure had only refused to speak to people like them.
• Su Qiao asked Big Treasure to say something, and he loudly cursed He Jianjun.
• Su Qiao praised Big Treasure for standing up to He Jianjun, while Ran Yundong worried that her encouragement would have a bad influence on him.

Ran Yundong revealed that he was Ran Jingyu’s biological uncle and said he had come to take him home. Su Qiao let Ran Jingyu decide for himself but warned Ran Yundong not to take him by force, leaving the two men to talk while she remained unwilling to give him up.

• Su Qiao defended her fierce way of surviving, and Big Treasure agreed that it helped them get meat to eat.
• Ran Yundong introduced himself as Ran Jingyu’s biological uncle and clarified that Big Treasure’s Chinese name was Ran Jingyu.
• Su Qiao questioned why Ran Yundong had waited so many years to find Ran Jingyu and warned him not to take Ran Jingyu away against his wishes.
• When Su Qiao moved away, Ran Jingyu grabbed her hem and accused her of breaking her promise not to abandon him again.
• Su Qiao reassured Ran Jingyu and told him to hear Ran Yundong out, though she still had no intention of sending him back.

Su Qiao taunted the captured Chen Ligeng and told him that Guo Caixia was alive and had been sent to a good husband's family. Big Treasure faced his biological uncle, Ran Yundong, while the two struggled to begin their conversation.

• Big Treasure and Ran Yundong stared at each other without speaking as Ran Yundong wondered whether Big Treasure had forgotten him.
• Su Qiao mocked Chen Ligeng for running away, while Chen Ligeng said he would rather have been beaten than face her snakes and centipedes.
• Su Qiao insisted she had not intended to kill Chen Ligeng and asked why he did not want to know what had happened to Guo Caixia.
• Chen Ligeng assumed Su Qiao had killed Guo Caixia and regretted targeting her and abducting Big Treasure.
• Su Qiao told Chen Ligeng that Guo Caixia was alive, that she had released her, and that she had helped her find a good husband's family.

Su Qiao revealed that Guo Caixia had been reunited with Dazhuang, the man she had betrayed, while Chen Ligeng questioned what would happen to him. Ran Yundong helped Big Treasure recover memories of his parents’ murder and explained why he had taken so long to find him.

• Su Qiao told Chen Ligeng that Guo Caixia was now with Dazhuang, who had survived the fire and returned with lasting injuries.
• Chen Ligeng called Su Qiao vicious, and she said she had arranged the reunion for Guo Caixia’s sake and intended to leave Chen Ligeng’s fate to the police.
• Ran Yundong recalled Big Treasure’s childhood, helping him remember that his Italian father and Chinese mother had been ambushed while visiting his maternal grandparents in China.
• Big Treasure remembered that his parents pushed him into a river before their car exploded, and that his head injury and shock caused his amnesia.
• Ran Yundong explained that he had been away on an expedition in Africa when his brother and sister-in-law were killed, and that their family’s business and territory had been taken by enemies before he returned.

Ran Yundong explained how he found Big Treasure and asked Su Qiao to take her with him. Big Treasure refused to return to his family and planned to sneak away with Su Qiao, leaving their next move unresolved.

• Ran Yundong explained that he had spent years avenging his brother and sister-in-law before learning their son might have survived the explosion.
• Ran Yundong traced the clue about a boy in a suit to Chen Ligeng and found Big Treasure in Hejia Village.
• Big Treasure showed little affection for Ran Yundong and cared more about Su Qiao, who had protected him.
• Ran Yundong asked whether Su Qiao wanted to go with him, and she told Big Treasure he could leave if he wished.
• Big Treasure refused to return with Ran Yundong and reminded Su Qiao of her promise to make him her second-in-command.
• Big Treasure suggested that he and Su Qiao sneak away without Ran Yundong knowing.

Su Qiao helped Ran Yundong’s group deal with the police and recover Xiao Lian’s remains, while the authorities began investigating the village’s victims. After giving statements, Su Qiao and Big Treasure secretly escaped and headed by train to Su Qiao’s hometown.

• Su Qiao told Ran Yundong that the police had arrived, but he stayed calm and explained that his group had official permission to search for his abducted nephew.
• Ran Yundong’s men convinced the police that Chen Ligeng’s injuries came from an internal fight, and the officers accepted their documents and let them proceed.
• Xiao Lian’s parents beat Wu Ping’an’s family before police took them away, and Su Qiao led the group to recover Xiao Lian’s ashes and other victims’ bones.
• Authorities launched a wider search of the mountains and took the remains for identification.
• Su Qiao and Big Treasure gave statements at the police station, then slipped away and traveled by taxi, car, bus, and train toward Su Qiao’s hometown.

Su Qiao bought a villa in the provincial capital and invited both sides of her family to celebrate her new home. The meal began awkwardly, then grew lively as the relatives ate, while Su Xiaowu claimed a whole plate of lobster and refused to share it with Su Yumei.

• Su Qiao sold jade and a ruby, then bought a detached villa with Big Treasure in the provincial capital.
• Su Qiao invited her relatives to the villa for a housewarming meal, and her parents arrived in disbelief after seeing the address.
• Su Qiao welcomed the family with Big Treasure, a hotel chef, and waiters, but the relatives asked her to send the waiters downstairs.
• The relatives relaxed and began eating the unfamiliar dishes, while Big Treasure tried to make sure Su Qiao had food.
• Su Xiaowu demanded the lobster and held the whole plate for himself when Su Yumei reached for some.

Su Qiao hosted the Su family for a meal, watched them enjoy her home, and let them inspect her property deed. The family eagerly crowded around the deed, while Su Qiao waited to see what they would ask next.

• Su Yumei argued with her mother and grandmother after being scolded for fighting her younger brother Xiao Wu for food.
• Big Treasure tried Su Qiao's red wine, decided it was worse than roast chicken, and switched to juice.
• After the Su family finished eating, Su Qiao led them into the living room, where they eagerly examined her furnishings.
• The old woman asked whether the house belonged to Su Qiao, and Su Qiao said her name was on the property deed.
• Zhu Laifeng asked to see the deed, so Su Qiao retrieved it from the TV cabinet and tossed it onto the coffee table.