I secretly sold grain at age 60

Chapter 16 Revenge and Exposure

Gao Huaiyi followed his parents back into the house. The room was dimly lit, and there was a faint smell of firewood in the air.

The whole family remained silent, showing little desire to speak. Then Gao Huaiyi said, "I have something to attend to and need to go out for a bit."

Upon hearing this, the mother quickly instructed, "It's getting late, and it's dark outside. You should come back soon and not linger outside for too long."

"Yes, Mother," Gao Huaiyi replied, then turned and walked out of the house.

As soon as he stepped out of the courtyard, the gentle expression on his face vanished, and his pace quickened as he hurried towards the village entrance. He was out of the village in no time, then accelerated along the path towards his uncle's village. What normally took him more than half an hour, he covered in just over ten minutes.

He hid behind the bushes along the road his uncle always took back to the village, waiting patiently. He also picked up a thick stick from the roadside and held it in his hand.

A dozen minutes later, the sound of dragging footsteps came from afar. Gao Huaiyi looked up and saw his uncle carrying the grain that he had extorted, slowly swaying back into the village with a look of delight on his face.

Seeing his uncle's appearance, Gao Huaiyi's lips curled into a cold smile. With a thought, he flashed into his personal space.

A moment later, sensing that his uncle had reached his side, he immediately flashed out of the spatial dimension and landed precisely behind his uncle. Before the other could react, he raised the thick wooden stick in his hand and smashed it hard against the back of his uncle's neck.

With a muffled thud, the eldest uncle didn't even utter a sound before his eyes rolled back, his body went limp, and he fainted.

Gao Huaiyi's pent-up anger finally erupted. He grabbed a wooden stick and beat the person on the ground until the stick snapped with a "crack". Still not satisfied, he went up and kicked his uncle's legs and waist several times.

Just then, faint voices came from the village in the distance. Gao Huaiyi instantly snapped out of his daze, not daring to linger, and turned to run quickly towards his village, soon disappearing into the night.

As night deepened, the evening breeze swept across the wilderness, swirling up the withered leaves on the ground and making a soft rustling sound.

After Gao Huaiyi's figure disappeared at the end of the path, there was a sudden movement in a thicket of grass not far from the village entrance.

A folded blade of grass was slowly parted, and a girl of about sixteen or seventeen years old peeked out. She was wearing a plain-colored top and pants, with two black braids. Although her face still had a touch of childishness, her eyes were exceptionally bright and clear. At this moment, she was staring intently in the direction Gao Huaiyi had left, her eyes filled with undisguised curiosity and shock.

She saw everything that had just happened clearly from beginning to end.

From Gao Huaiyi rushing over and hiding by the roadside, to her uncle slowly approaching with the grain on his back, to Gao Huaiyi disappearing into thin air and then suddenly appearing behind her uncle, knocking him unconscious with a stick, then angrily swinging the stick and kicking him, and finally retreating upon hearing the noise, all the scenes were clearly imprinted in her mind.

An ordinary person, upon witnessing such a scene, would likely have trembled with fear and fled in panic. But this little girl showed no fear or panic whatsoever. Instead, her eyes gleamed with disbelief, her lips slightly parted, and she murmured to herself, "Master was right after all... Coming to the Northeast has really brought me to meet an interesting person. This person must be hiding a great secret."

The master she mentioned had recently instructed her to come to the countryside in Northeast China, and that she could choose any location. He said she would meet someone who would be of great help to her, and what would happen next would be up to fate.

At first, she had some doubts, thinking it was just something her master said casually. But after witnessing Gao Huaiyi's disappearance and reappearance, she had no more doubts, only awe.

This ability to disappear and reappear out of thin air is like a legendary immortal skill; it's simply too unbelievable.

The young girl composed herself, composed her emotions, and her eyes hardened. She carefully looked around to make sure no one was nearby, then bent low and tiptoed, like a nimble deer, silently following in the direction Gao Huaiyi had gone.

Her steps were light, each step landing on the soft soil without making a sound. She always maintained a distance that was neither too close nor too far from the figure in front of her, so that she would neither lose sight of him nor be easily noticed.

Gao Huaiyi, who was ahead, only wanted to get home as soon as possible and avoid the villagers to avoid unnecessary trouble. His mind was full of his uncle's miserable appearance and his happy expression after getting his revenge. He had no mind to pay attention to the movements behind him, and he had no idea that his every move, including the secret of entering and leaving the space, had been seen by a little girl he didn't know.

He walked briskly, his figure darting through the night, heading towards his village.

The little girl behind him followed steadily, her gaze fixed on his back, her curiosity growing stronger. She wanted to know who this young man with such extraordinary abilities was, how he acquired the ability to disappear and reappear out of thin air, and what secrets he held that could help her.

As the night deepened, two figures walked along the quiet path, one unaware of the others, the other quietly following behind. Unbeknownst to anyone, a destiny born from this secret following was quietly brewing.

Gao Huaiyi walked quickly all the way back to the gate of his own courtyard. After calming his breathing, he pushed open the door and went into the house.

"Father, Mother, I'm back." His voice was calm, without a trace of anything amiss.

"It's good that you're back. Go back inside and rest." His mother was relieved to see him return safely. His father remained silent, only glancing at him before asking no further questions.

Gao Huaiyi nodded without saying anything more, went straight back to his room, saw that his younger brother was already asleep, closed the door behind him, lay down and prepared to sleep, as if the fierce conflict had never happened.

He had barely stepped into the courtyard when the dark figure behind him quietly stopped.

The mysterious young girl watched Gao Huaiyi enter the courtyard from afar, and only after confirming that he had closed the door did she tiptoe forward. She circled the outer wall of the courtyard, carefully memorizing the location and surrounding environment, firmly establishing this place in her heart. Having done all this, she showed no hesitation, immediately turning around and retracing her steps.

Soon, she returned to the place where Gao Huaiyi had acted. Under the moonlight, the ground was messy, and broken pieces of the wooden stick still lay in the grass, but the person on the ground was nowhere to be seen.

The young girl thought for a moment and understood. It must have been someone from the village who came out at night, found the person who had fainted on the ground, and kindly carried him back to the village. She didn't stop and followed the road into the village.

As soon as she entered the village, she heard a commotion of voices and bright lights coming from the direction of the brigade headquarters. She quietly crept over, hiding in the shadows, and listened to the discussions inside.

"Isn't this Li Hongshan, the eldest son of the Li family? What's he doing lying here?"

"Ouch, look at this body, covered in bruises, and the back of your neck is swollen. They really went too far!"

"Hurry, send someone to inform his family and tell them to come over immediately!"

"He was beaten so badly, and he's still unconscious. I wonder who he's offended." This eldest son of the Li family is no good; it was only a matter of time before he was retaliated against. He deserves it!

The crowd started chattering and discussing the matter. The little girl stepped forward, stopped a passing middle-aged woman, and quietly asked her a few questions, quickly ascertaining the identity of the person who had been beaten.

It turned out that this person was named Li Hongshan, the eldest son of the Li family. As for why he was beaten, everyone was completely baffled, and no one knew the reason.

The young girl understood immediately that this must be due to a personal grudge between Li Hongshan and that man, which led to this beating. She thought to herself, "It seems there must be some unknown conflict between the person who hit me and this Li Hongshan. I might as well ask around about it another day."

After understanding the situation, she did not linger. She quietly withdrew from the crowd, and under the cover of night, turned and left the village, disappearing into the distance.