Chapter 291 - 149: Ten Years of Life and Death, Unforgettable

Chapter 291: Chapter 149: Ten Years of Life and Death, Unforgettable

"Yeah, that one..."

"Which one?"

"That one."

"Which one? The one with the long legs, or the one with the big boobs?"

"The one with the big boobs isn’t my girlfriend. The one with the long legs is, and the one with the pretty face next to her is my girlfriend too."

"Two of them?"

"Yep. I have two girlfriends."

Su Ran was just that candid.

"You’re more capable than your dad, kid. They look like city girls. Don’t you go hurting them, you hear?"

"Don’t worry, I won’t."

Aunt Liu chuckled and walked over to the four girls. After some pleasantries, she reminded them that dinner would be at 6 PM and then left. Su Ran helped carry the liquor to Aunt Liu’s house and chatted for a bit with a few old men playing long cards. Uncle Qin was there too, but he wasn’t playing; he was helping the cook.

As the "Village Guardian," he would immediately show up to help whenever any family in the village had something going on. He’d do any dirty or tiring work without complaint, asking for nothing in return but a meal. However, even when it came to meals, no one was willing to sit at the same table as the Village Guardian. Su Ran wasn’t bothered by the old man, though. Whenever he had something good to eat in the village, he would always invite him to join.

"Su Ran, you have guests?" Uncle Qin asked, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he was busy chopping firewood.

"Yeah, some of my friends are here. Uncle Qin, stop chopping for a minute. I brought back some clothes for you. Come with me and try them on."

"You bought clothes for me?"

"Yep."

"You shouldn’t have. Take them back, I don’t need them."

"I already bought them, and I can’t return them. Let’s go."

"Alright, then."

Uncle Qin tossed the axe aside and happily followed Su Ran.

In reality, Su Ran hadn’t specifically bought clothes for him. He had seen the tattered winter coat Uncle Qin was wearing and decided to find a couple of warm winter outfits for him.

Although Uncle Qin wasn’t mentally sound, he had upright and dignified features, and he carried himself with a certain grandeur. After all, he used to work as a diplomatic translator in London, United Kingdom, representing Huaxia. His bearing naturally had to be impeccable. It was just unknown what had happened for things to change so drastically, for him to end up here as a Village Guardian.

"You go on in. I’ll just wait here at the door."

Uncle Qin was considerate. He stood in the yard, refusing to go inside, afraid the dust on his clothes would dirty the house.

"It’s fine, come on in."

"I’m not going in."

’This old man is pretty stubborn.’

"Alright then, wait a moment."

Su Ran glanced at the sausages hanging under the eaves. They were all dried, with no holes pecked by birds. This meant that when he’d asked Uncle Qin to watch them, the man had truly taken it to heart. He had probably sat in the yard from morning till night, guarding this pile of sausages and cured meat.

Inside, Su Ran didn’t see any sign of the four girls. He called out a couple of times and heard a reply from the secondary bedroom.

"Holy crap! This is bad."

Su Ran suddenly remembered he had forgotten to lock the secondary bedroom from the outside. That room contained the special equipment from the Mushroom House’s upgrade—a large, round waterbed enclosed in a wrought-iron cage, a large bathtub next to it, and a pile of ancient "interrogation" torture instruments.

’I’m about to die from embarrassment.’

He rushed forward and pushed open the door.

"Listen to me ex—"

Before the word "explain" could even leave his mouth, the scene before him left Su Ran stunned. *PUKE*—he nearly coughed up a mouthful of old blood.

Uh... this...

Liu Jinyu was tied to the ’torture device’ by the other three women, her legs spread apart and locked on both sides.

"You bastards, let me go right now! Su Ran, hurry and save your Sister Jinyu! They’re going to drip wax on me!"

"Sorry to interrupt."

Su Ran started to close the door.

"Get in here."

Xiao Wanqing yelled, and Su Ran obediently entered.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Xiao Wanqing, holding a leather whip, looked at him in disbelief. "Su Ran, oh, Su Ran. So this is the kind of man you are. What the hell is all this stuff in this room? What were you planning by bringing us here? You’re way too kinky, aren’t you?"

"I feel very uncomfortable," Xie Yiren said, looking at the iron cage. It made her uneasy.

"It’s exciting, but also a little perverted," Aina said.

Su Ran said, "It’s not what you think. The stuff in here, uh... it’s just... um... oh, oh, oh! Our village used to have a Government Office in ancient times. These torture tools are all antiques. I thought they were valuable, so I collected them. A full set is worth a lot of money."

Xiao Wanqing retorted, "Do you take us for fools? I’m too embarrassed to even say what kind of ’torture tools’ these are."

Girls these days weren’t stupid; you couldn’t fool them.

Su Ran said, "Alright, fine, I’ll come clean. When I was renovating, I sent the wrong pictures to the construction company. By the time I got back from my trip, they’d already done it like this. I’ve never used any of it, honest. If you don’t believe me, see for yourselves if this stuff isn’t brand new."

The three girls checked and saw that it was, indeed, new.

Xiao Wanqing said, "Fine, we’ll believe you for now. In that case, let’s play a little. We’ll start with your dear Sister Jinyu."

Liu Jinyu struggled. "Xiao Wanqing, you’ve gone too far! Let me go right now, or I’ll beat you to death later!"

Xiao Wanqing scoffed, "Whoa, still talking tough, huh? Aina, hit the switch."

"Yay!" Aina excitedly reached for the switch on the bubble machine that sputtered with a rapid *thump-thump-thump*.

Liu Jinyu cried, "Stop, stop, stop! Don’t press it! I was wrong, okay? You little brat, this is all your fault!"

Su Ran was mortified.

He really just wanted to find a hole to crawl into and die.

Xiao Wanqing said, "Alright, fine. I can stop torturing you, you little hussy. But I have a question for you. Are you a slut or not?"

Without a second thought, Liu Jinyu nodded. "I’m a slut, I’m a slut, I’m the biggest slut of all! You, Xiao Wanqing, are the purest and most innocent. Is that good enough? Let me go."

Xiao Wanqing smiled. "That’s more like it. Aina, let her go."

The moment her shackles were undone, Liu Jinyu’s expression changed completely. "Wanqing, you bitch! How dare you torture me! I’m going to make you pay today." The two women started ’fighting,’ the kind where you couldn’t pull them apart, each determined to tie the other to the torture device and humiliate her.

Su Ran said, "Take your time playing. Tonight, I’ll tie all of you up and torture you."

The four girls yelled, "You dare!"

Su Ran smiled and walked out of the room, with Xie Yiren following him.

"Yiren, help me pack some clothes."

"Pack them for what?"

"It’s for Uncle Qin, the one I told you about. He doesn’t have proper clothes for the dead of winter. I want to give him a few things so he doesn’t freeze."

"Okay."

They went to the master bedroom, where she helped fold the winter clothes Su Ran took out from the walk-in closet. They were all luxury brands, all belonging to Su Ran. The Mushroom House was amazing; for every one of the four seasons, whenever a luxury brand released a new collection, the system would automatically upgrade the walk-in closet through the Mushroom House, refreshing the host’s wardrobe.

"Is this everything?"

"I’ll find a couple of pairs of shoes."

"Then I’ll take these to Uncle Qin first."

"Okay, he’s right by the door."

"Mm-hmm."

Outside, Uncle Qin sat under the eaves, smoking his rustic pipe and gazing at the desolate yard as the biting wind whipped across his weathered face.

The next second, a voice by his ear roused him from his daze.

"Uncle Qin."

Uncle Qin grunted in acknowledgment and turned his head. As his gaze fell upon the person, it was as if half a century had passed.

A long-lost smile appeared on his weathered face. Trembling, he opened his mouth, and a hoarse voice called out a name that had been buried in dust for years...

"Shumin..."

*Ten years, life and death have kept us far apart. I try not to dwell on it, but how could I ever forget?*