Zhan Bei Jue received the call at one in the afternoon. Even if he booked a ticket now, the earliest he could land was eight in the evening.
He couldn't wait and immediately had his private jet request a route with air traffic control, heading there immediately.
However, no matter how urgent, it would still be three hours later when he met Engineer Zhang in the small town.
Jiang Nan Fang had disappeared since she woke up that morning.
By four in the afternoon, a full eight hours had passed.
Zhan Bei Jue was beyond speechless at Engineer Zhang's efficiency.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
"If they had an even more barbaric way, and directly took Jiang Nan Fang and consummated the marriage..."
He didn't know what he would do.
Engineer Zhang's legs were trembling with fear, his voice quivering.
"We didn't expect it to be a bride snatching at first. We're outsiders, and we don't have to follow their local customs."
"Besides, Engineer Jiang said she was returning to Nan Cheng early this morning. I thought the matter was resolved and she had already left."
"If the cleaning lady hadn't found her phone when tidying the room and asked me, I still wouldn't know."
"Alright, alright," Zhan Bei Jue interrupted him impatiently.
"Where is she now? Hurry up and take me there."
"Is it just us?"
Seeing his urgency, Engineer Zhang couldn't help but worry.
"The people here are very united. For the sake of a piece of land, the entire village could charge at us and fight us, and they've already injured several of our brothers."
"Now, because of a bride... should we call for more people?"
Zhan Bei Jue of course knew this small group was not enough.
Moreover, he already knew about the bride-snatching custom before coming, and the police didn't intervene in local affairs.
He had already contacted someone at a higher level.
"I can't wait, just take me there first."
Jiang Nan Fang had been in the bridal chamber with the "groom" for over two hours.
As noon approached, there was still no movement in the room.
Curious villagers gathered again to eavesdrop.
Someone, through a narrow gap under the window, saw the "groom" sitting on the ground.
They hurried to report to the eldest brother: "It seems things didn't go as planned. This woman is quite formidable."
"I saw the fifth one sitting on the ground, the quilt wasn't even disturbed."
The eldest brother said, "No matter how formidable she is, she's already entered our family's door. What can she do? Can she rebel? We'll deal with her sooner or later!"
The family busied themselves setting up tables and cooking dishes, preparing for a grand banquet.
"Don't mind her. Once she comes out for the bow to heaven and earth, she'll naturally be obedient tonight."
"Call the fifth one out. I need to speak with him."
Soon, the door was opened from the outside.
Someone ran in and whispered a few words to the fifth one, who followed out, clutching his stomach in discomfort.
Seeing the door about to be closed again, Jiang Nan Fang rushed to the entrance.
"Where are you going? Let me out, I want to go out too!"
How could they let her out?
The ceremony of bowing to heaven and earth was about to begin. What if she ran away?
The person pushed her and reached to close the door again.
Jiang Nan Fang, in a moment of desperation, thought of a plan.
"My stomach hurts, I can't hold it. If you don't let me out soon, I'll soil myself! Let me out!"
They didn't understand what she was saying.
But seeing her frowning, clutching her stomach, and looking in great pain,
The person turned to look at the fifth one.
The fifth one was clutching his stomach.
He couldn't help but complain, "The ceremony of bowing to heaven and earth is about to begin, and you two are rushing to the toilet. How useless!"
"Go, go, hurry up and go! Be quick and come back!"
It would have been better if she hadn't come out, but upon exiting, Jiang Nan Fang was startled by the scene before her.
Everyone in the entire village had gathered at their house.
At this moment, she was standing on the second floor of the wooden house.
In the courtyard below, wooden tables and benches were set up.
The young and old of the village were sitting there happily, waiting for the meal.
The first, second, third, and fourth brothers, as if they were marrying off a bride themselves, were enthusiastically weaving through the crowd.
Their joy at their younger brother marrying a wife was palpable.
Looking further into the distance, there were majestic mountains and winding mountain roads everywhere.
Jiang Nan Fang inwardly sighed that this was a big trouble.
But this couldn't stop her from escaping.
In the direction of the village entrance, a dark green pickup truck was parked.
If she remembered correctly, that was the eldest brother's car.
It was the one he drove in a hurry to take his mother to the hospital yesterday.
If she could get the keys, she wouldn't have to worry about leaving this place!
Fearing that Jiang Nan Fang would steal away, the men found two women to keep an eye on her and take her to the toilet.
Jiang Nan Fang was sandwiched between them, descending the stairs slowly.
Seeing her come down, all the previously noisy people suddenly fell silent.
They all looked at her with a sense of heightened vigilance.
The eldest brother rushed over to ask the women what was happening, and they explained.
Then he said, "Keep a close watch, don't let her escape. Come back quickly after you use the toilet and close the door."
Jiang Nan Fang seized the opportunity to observe him.
Perhaps owning a pickup truck made him feel quite proud.
He very smugly hung the keys on his belt for everyone to see.
The keys were within arm's reach, but because she was being watched by everyone, they now felt like a world away.
As Jiang Nan Fang walked towards the outhouse behind the house, she mentally planned how to get the keys.
After squatting inside for a while, she came up with an idea.
Upon emerging, the two women immediately grabbed her arms to pull her back. She told them.
"Don't go yet, wait. I have something to say to the eldest brother, ask him to come over."
She babbled in Chinese, which the women didn't understand.
Jiang Nan Fang pointed at the eldest brother and then at herself, "Ask him to come talk to me."
The women still didn't understand.
Jiang Nan Fang suddenly became annoyed, reaching out with an arm lock, twisting the woman's arm behind her back.
The two women immediately panicked, letting out a jumble of cries, and soon everyone's attention was drawn to them.
The brothers, thinking she was trying to escape, rushed over immediately.
Jiang Nan Fang released the woman and looked at the eldest brother with affectionate eyes.
"I don't want to talk to them. You come here alone. I have something to tell you."
"..." Everyone turned their gaze to the eldest brother.
The eldest brother felt a bit embarrassed and asked her what she meant in broken Mandarin.
"I've taken a liking to you. I won't be with anyone but you. You're not married yet, are you?"
Jiang Nan Fang continued to look at him affectionately, "Come here, let's discuss getting married."
"..." The other brothers were clearly stunned.
Facing the beautiful and refined Jiang Nan Fang, who suddenly wanted to marry him, it was impossible not to be excited, but the eldest brother still had his reason.
"You are the one my fifth brother fancied..."
"I don't care, I only want to talk to you, or I won't marry today, even if you beat me to death! Come here, have them step aside, I want to get a good look at you."
"Eldest brother..."
The eldest brother appeared to be deep in thought. After a two-second pause, he finally felt it was worth talking to Jiang Nan Fang.
He instructed his brothers to leave first, saying he would persuade his brother's wife.
The brothers left, looking back repeatedly, while Jiang Nan Fang turned and headed towards the back of the house.
The eldest brother hesitated, feeling it was not right, but still couldn't resist following her.