Volume 1, Chapter 172: Illusion (1)

Li Goudan never expected that he would actually travel back in time to the day his father married Widow Xie.

Looking at the festive red couplets and celebratory characters, he found them blindingly bright, yet a secret joy swelled in his chest.

Suddenly, a wisp of black smoke materialized beside him.

It was Muling.

Muling narrowed his eyes, striking an arrogant boss-like pose. "Li Goudan, I've reversed time. Go ahead and do whatever you want."

Li Goudan’s face darkened, making his already swarthy complexion even gloomier. "Don't call me Li Goudan!"

Muling let out a cold internal scoff, thinking: *Oh, look who has an idol's image to maintain?*

Out loud, he purposely said, "Alright, Li Goudan!"

Li Goudan clenched his fists tightly, but remembering that the other person was a ghost, he slowly relaxed his hands.

Muling nudged his chin forward, muttered, "Someone's coming," and vanished into thin air.

Li Goudan looked up. It was Zhuzhu, the little daughter of Aunt Lin next door.

Zhuzhu was fair and clean, with a pair of natural rosy blushes dusting her chubby little cheeks, making her look plump and utterly adorable.

The two pockets in front of her little apron were crammed full of candies. Seeing Li Goudan, she smiled obediently and pulled a piece of candy from her pocket. "Goudan brother, candy."

The sight of the wedding candy instantly irritated Li Goudan. Impatiently, he slapped away Zhuzhu's chubby little hand. "Get lost! I'm not eating it!"

Zhuzhu didn't understand why Li Goudan was angry, but she felt deeply wronged. Little pearl-like tears began to stream down her face continuously.

Li Goudan could even see Zhuzhu's pink, crying little tongue.

A wave of familiarity washed over him.

He remembered that day, he had made Zhuzhu cry in this exact same way, and then...

"Oh dear! My precious Zhuzhu, what's wrong? Who bullied you?"

Not far away, Aunt Lin came running over as if riding wind and fire wheels.

She scooped up the sobbing Zhuzhu into her arms and carried her aside to coax her.

Li Goudan felt a thrill of excitement. It was identical to his memories!

Aunt Lin was the one helping to look after Widow Xie's daughter.

Once Aunt Lin left, it meant Widow Xie's daughter was left all alone!

If something happened to Widow Xie's daughter during the wedding, wouldn't that mean the wedding couldn't go forward?

Seizing the moment while no one was paying attention, he felt a burst of inspiration and rapidly approached the small cottage.

In the front courtyard.

Old Li was currently leading Xie Wanqing around to toast the guests when Aunt Lin came running over in a panic. "This is bad, this is bad! Widow Xie, something has happened to your daughter!"

These words fell like a sudden thunderclap crashing from the sky.

Xie Wanqing grabbed Aunt Lin by the shoulders and shook her vigorously, consumed by frantic anxiety. "What's wrong with Yanzi?"

"I just looked away for a split second, and little Yanzi was gone!"

A wave of dizziness washed over Xie Wanqing, and she nearly collapsed. Fortunately, a pair of strong hands caught her firmly by the waist.

Old Li was a rough-hewn man of few words, yet at this moment, he became Xie Wanqing's backbone. "Little Xie, don't panic. I'll take people to look for her right now. Even if I have to turn this entire village upside down, I'll bring Yanzi back to you."

The man's strong hands supported her waist, his tone solemn and resolute.

At that moment, Xie Wanqing knew she hadn't chosen the wrong man to share her life with.

Old Li took the majority of the guests to search for Yanzi, leaving only two women to accompany Xie Wanqing, one of whom was Aunt Lin.

Zhuzhu was getting sleepy and crying incessantly.

With no other choice, Aunt Lin had to carry her daughter home to sleep.

The other woman was the village's notorious gossip. Likely trying to distract Xie Wanqing, her mouth clacked away without a single pause.

By this time, Xie Wanqing's mind was in utter chaos. Rubbing her throbbing temples, she said, "Auntie, you should go back too. I want to be alone for a while."

The gossip-monger was initially unwilling to leave, but seeing Xie Wanqing's terrible expression, she pondered for a moment and finally departed.

Without the child's crying and the annoying chatter of gossip, Xie Wanqing's ears finally found some peace.

As she massaged her pounding temples, a shadow suddenly loomed over her head.

Looking up in confusion, she saw a gloomy face under the sunlight, which gave her quite a start at first glance.

Recognizing who it was, she let out a sigh of relief.

Remembering that she hadn't seen Li Goudan anywhere at the banquet, she figured he hadn't eaten yet. "Are you hungry? Xie Auntie will go get you something to eat."

"Your daughter is in my hands."

Li Goudan's words halted Xie Wanqing as she was halfway up. "What did you say?"

"Stay away from my dad, or I'll make your daughter stay away from you forever."

Looking at this eight-year-old child, Xie Wanqing was beyond shocked. She tried to explain, "Child, I know it's hard for you to accept me. But you and your father need someone to take care of you, and my Yanzi also needs a complete family."

How could Li Goudan possibly listen to her? His single-minded goal was to get rid of this woman who was trying to steal his dad. "Shut up! No one is allowed to take my dad away from me!"

Noticing that Li Goudan's mental state was deeply abnormal, Xie Wanqing grew even more concerned for her daughter's safety. Playing along with his words, she said, "Alright, alright! I promise you! I won't fight you for him. I just want my Yanzi to be safe."

Seeing her compliance, Li Goudan calmed down considerably. "Since that's the case, come with me. I'll take you to see her."

Xie Wanqing's brows relaxed slightly as she hurried to follow him.

——

Li Goudan led Xie Wanqing straight toward a secluded grove of trees.

Sensing something was wrong, Xie Wanqing reached out to grab Li Goudan's frail little body. Her face had turned ashen, clearly terrified out of her wits. "Goudan, the area ahead is infested with venomous snakes. You didn't leave Yanzi alone out there, did you?"

A smug smile broke across Li Goudan's face. "Widow Xie, you're as smart as ever! Then guess what—is your daughter dead or alive right now?"

In reality, Li Goudan had once tried to harm Yanzi before, but every attempt had been thwarted by the observant Xie Wanqing.

Looking at Li Goudan, who now resembled a little demon, Xie Wanqing couldn't help herself and delivered a sharp slap across his face.

"This slap is for your deceased mother! She failed to raise you properly, turning you into this terrifying monster!"

With that, ignoring the danger of venomous snakes, she sprinted wildly into the depths of the woods like a madwoman.

Li Goudan's right cheek burned with pain, but he didn't feel hurt at all; instead, he grew increasingly elated, believing he had finally gotten rid of Widow Xie and her daughter.

"Ah!"

Carried away by his triumph, Li Goudan accidentally stepped on the tail of a snake concealed in the grass. The snake's tail flicked with agile speed, sinking its fangs directly into his ankle.

In an instant, two bloody holes appeared.

Li Goudan's consciousness began to scatter.

Vaguely, he seemed to catch a glimpse of the woman he had only ever seen in photographs.

A stabbing pain clenched at his vital organs, making him double over.

He reached out, filled with yearning, and cried, "Mom, Mommy..."

The woman's figure paused, standing frozen before Li Goudan for a long time, unable to move away.