Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

morning.

News spread throughout the county that Director Yao had been in a car accident last night and was currently being treated at the People's Hospital; his fate was unknown.

Today, countless people are praying to gods and Buddhas, hoping that heaven will take away this evil thing.

Upon hearing this news, Fang Ping immediately changed his mind and decided to send out notices to the families in batches.

Director Yao is still lying in the hospital, which is the best time to save him.

By noon, the 17 brigades were in high spirits, and the relevant personnel voluntarily gathered at Xiatang Brigade and then rushed to the farm.

Fang Wei had a very peaceful half-day, and no one came looking for him, so he was happy to rest in his room.

So far, no one knows that the location of the detention has been leaked. Those guarding the farm are filled with anxiety; Director Yao's fate is unknown, and they have no idea what to do.

afternoon.

They sensed something was wrong; people were gathering outside the farm and then suddenly rushed in, surrounding the two-story building.

"Hand the people over!"

"Let go!"

The sight of thousands of people shouting in unison was quite intimidating.

People from the building came out to negotiate, hoping to scare the group, but they weren't having any of it.

The crowd's emotions were ignited, and it looked like they would rush into the building at any moment.

They do have guns, but not many in total. Who would dare to fire the first shot in front of so many people? If anyone were injured, there's no doubt that those who stayed behind would be trampled into dust.

“Go and bring them down. We can’t control this situation at all. We can let the 16 brigade secretaries go, but not Fang Wei.”

Director Yao gave a strict order last night: we must detain him no matter what. If he's there, we can get our job done; if he's taken away, we'll be in deep trouble.

The person in charge who remained behind remained calm. He immediately ordered 17 people, including Luo Fangwei, to be taken out.

Everyone with weapons brought them out; there was no need to threaten thousands of people, threatening just these 17 was enough.

"Clap clap clap! Quiet down!"

As soon as Fang Wei and the others came out, chaos erupted at the scene.

The person in charge of the farm who stayed behind immediately pulled out a pistol and fired a few shots into the air, and the chaotic scene quieted down.

"Don't even think about rushing up to snatch them. See? They're all being held at gunpoint. If you mess around, you'll all be wiped out."

"Is there anyone among you who can make decisions? Send a few representatives over to talk. The rest of you, step back 10 meters, or you can expect to be robbing a dead body to take home."

This person is no ordinary person; he controlled the pace of the scene with just a few words.

Seeing that their loved ones were alright, the family members calmed down to some extent. Emotions are contagious, and the initial fervor began to subside.

Zheng Hu and several captains came out and, without saying a word, suddenly demanded that they release the people.

"You have no paperwork whatsoever, and you've detained people for so long just because of a 'quarantine and investigation' clause. Is there no law left? Stop talking and release them immediately."

“They can be released, but not Secretary Fang. Don’t bring up the paperwork; there are documents issued by the region regarding his quarantine and investigation.”

Seeing that the time was right, the person in charge who stayed behind stated his conditions.

Others can be released, but Fang Wei cannot; there's no room for negotiation. If Director Yao were here, he could call and ask for instructions, but now that Director Yao is still unconscious in the hospital, who can he turn to?
Therefore, even if it means a fight to the death today, he cannot release Fang Wei, otherwise, when Director Yao wakes up, he will surely kill him.
"No! You can't keep detaining Secretary Fang. Release them all right now!"

The people from Xiatang Brigade were unhappy and started shouting.

Pan Lianhua stood in the crowd, extremely nervous, fearing that the man would soften his stance at this moment. And just as she feared, Fang Wei indeed stepped forward.

"Listen to me, everyone. This stalemate isn't good for anyone. Tiger, take your men back and don't worry about me. Lotus, take care of the family."

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, I'll just stay here. Now you can all relax, right? Hurry up, don't dawdle any longer, lest something unexpected happens."

Fang Wei loudly announced his decision, and Pan Lianhua sighed inwardly. This third brother always messes things up at crucial moments.

However, she also felt that her third brother was right; if they continued to dawdle, no one would be able to leave in the end.

Subsequently, the remaining personnel released the 16 brigade secretaries.

Fang Wei waved to Pan Lianhua, they exchanged a glance, and then he turned and went into the building.

People reluctantly dispersed, knowing that the chance to rescue Fang Wei had been lost.

Although these commune members were not very educated, they knew very well that if it weren't for Secretary Fang stepping forward today, none of the 16 people would have been able to leave.

Their loved ones were in their hands, held at gunpoint; they couldn't possibly ignore the other side's life. If this stalemate continued, and officials from the county arrived, who knew how things would unfold?

Now they are even less likely to rush in and snatch people away. The opportunity is fleeting, leaving them only with deep regret and the other party's utmost respect.

After the crowd dispersed, Pan Lianhua lurked nearby again.

Building.

The remaining staff took Fang Wei back to her room, and they began to discuss countermeasures. This place had already been exposed; who knew what problems might arise if they stayed any longer?

"We must evacuate immediately! It's no longer safe here, but where can we go?"

"If all else fails, let's go to the abandoned shooting range. That was the first place we chose, but we didn't go there because the conditions were too bad."

"That works too. I'll try to get a car over here first, and we'll leave before dark."

They dared not stay here any longer; with Director Yao lying in the hospital, they couldn't mobilize a large number of personnel.

In reality, Director Yao faced many obstacles. A large group of people, led by Qi Haiyang, did not listen to him. Otherwise, why would he have detained Fang Wei and others here? It was because he was worried about losing control of the situation.

So these people decided to move overnight, and wait until Director Yao woke up before making any further decisions.

They began packing their things, and by dinnertime, everything was ready. These people planned to leave after dinner. The person in charge of staying behind personally delivered food to Fang Wei, and only after seeing that he seemed alright did they feel relieved.

Just then, a few bird calls came from the darkness, but the people eating didn't pay any attention to them.

Fang Wei immediately put down the bowl, stood in front of the window and looked out. Before long, the lotus flower had climbed up the wall.

Pan Lianhua brought a crowbar and also prepared a hacksaw. However, the hacksaw would be too noisy, so the crowbar would be better. They had to get the person out of there no matter what.

The guards were a makeshift team; there weren't even any patrols assigned during mealtimes.

Anyway, Fang Wei can't run out of the house, so they can move over after they finish eating and pack up the necessary things.

Fang Wei gestured for Pan Lianhua to go down first; she could help keep watch from the ground. After all, they had been married for so many years, and having met once before, they could understand each other with just a glance. Pan Lianhua had been waiting around the farm for almost a day, and now it was finally time to act.

With the crowbar in Fang Wei's hands, he pried open the window bars in just a few minutes. He didn't need to remove them all; he just needed enough to get himself out.

Then, Fang Wei climbed down from the second floor, grabbed Pan Lianhua, and ran towards the depths of the farm.

We can't go out through the farm gate now; everyone's attention is on that side. Running out from the back is more discreet.

"Third brother, you've suffered so much!"

"Fortunately, they didn't dare to use torture, so they didn't suffer any physical pain. The children and their grandparents have all gone to the Yao village, right?"

"Yes, they're all in the village, so don't worry. Third Brother, where are we going now?"

"Let's go back to the village first and see how things go. By the way, what happened to the man surnamed Yao? I only overheard a few words, so I don't know the details."

"Karma! That guy got into a car accident, and they say he's still in the emergency room. I don't know if he'll make it."

After the two walked away, they whispered a few words to each other.

Fang Wei had been locked up for so many days and didn't know the details of the situation outside, so he wanted to ask even more.

When Pan Lianhua mentioned Director Yao's car accident, Fang Wei's eyes lit up. If Director Yao were dead, things would be much easier. Unfortunately, Director Yao's fate was currently unknown, so he would have to wait patiently.

The two left the farm, and Pan Lianhua found the bicycle she had hidden.

The two people and one car took the back roads and headed straight for the Yao village.

After those who remained had eaten, they waited for more than forty minutes before a truck finally arrived. The person in charge told everyone to load their things, and then he led some people to the second floor to take Fang Wei away.

When they opened the door, these guys were dumbfounded.

The window bars had been pried open, and Fang Wei was nowhere to be seen; he had clearly jumped out the window and escaped.

"Go find him quickly! We must bring him back."

The person in charge panicked. With Director Yao's fate unknown, they had no way to arrest Fang Wei again. The reason was simple: they were just a makeshift team with no law enforcement authority.

The only hope now is to catch up with Fang Wei and bring her back. If we miss tonight, we can only pray that Director Yao will wake up soon.

However, with such a small force, and with only a borrowed truck, the pursuit was destined to fail. Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua avoided the main roads, opting instead for secluded trails, which, while difficult to navigate, offered greater safety.

Early in the morning.

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua finally entered the village.

Both of them breathed a sigh of relief. Of course, they were used to frequenting the mountains and forests, and they were quite adept at tracking and counter-tracking. With their small group, finding them in the wild was practically a pipe dream.

"Grandpa, I'm back."

"Good, good, it's good that you're back. Third brother, you can stay in the village without worry. Songlin has recently strengthened the village's security, and no one can sneak up here unnoticed."

When Grandpa saw Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua return safely, he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

When the two of them went up the mountain, they encountered several patrolling groups of men. In addition, the terrain of the Yao village basically eliminated the possibility of someone sneaking up to arrest Fang Wei.

Given a warning time, he can quickly hide.

It was quite late, so Pan Lianhua prepared a simple meal. After the two finished eating, they took a shower and went to bed.

the next day.

When the two children saw Fang Wei after they got up, they jumped and danced with joy.

Da Bao will miss some of his studies during this period, but there's nothing they can do; they can't afford any accidents to happen to the two little ones.

"Third Brother!"

"Songlin, come in and sit inside. Have you eaten?"

“I’ve eaten, and I came to see you. How did you manage to escape? You stayed behind while the other 16 brigade secretaries left, and everyone was worried sick! But you came back in the blink of an eye, which is great news.”

"How did I escape? I jumped out of the window, of course. Songlin, send someone to find out if that Yao guy is dead or not. Also, send a message to Zheng Hu and the others, saying that I have successfully escaped from the farm and am currently safe."

Fang Wei and Wang Songlin chatted for a while, exchanging information about the situation.

"Okay, I'll do it right away."

Wang Songlin then went to find someone to carry out the task Fang Wei had entrusted to him.

He felt that Fang Wei's escape was the right thing to do. Recently, some bizarre things had happened in various places, and there had even been wrongful deaths. The most important thing right now was to save his own life; hiding for a year or two wouldn't be a problem.

After Wang Songlin left, the older sister came in from outside.

She stayed at her own home last night; her house has been renovated and looks brand new.

"Third brother, Lotus, you two will move in with me starting tonight. I'll have some buffer time in case someone tries to harm you, right?"

The older sister was still worried, so she gave up her own house.

It didn't matter during the day, but she was still worried at night. So, she and her two children stayed here, while Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua stayed at her house, which was like having an extra layer of insurance.

Fang Wei and Pan Lianhua did not refuse; it was their elder sister's kind offer, and they had no choice but to accept.

in the afternoon.

Zheng Hu, along with Grandpa Guan and Taoist Sun, arrived at the Yao village. They wouldn't feel at ease until they saw Fang Wei with their own eyes.

"The forestry bureau is acting crazy. They actually withdrew the forest rangers when the harvest season arrived. The team didn't organize any large-scale harvesting activities, but quite a few members spontaneously formed teams to go into the mountains to pick fruit. I couldn't be bothered to care."

After Zheng Hu sat down, he told Fang Wei about some things in the team.

Guan Chongyang and Sun Daoren smiled without saying a word; this was essentially a ruse. The main force didn't show up, but Zheng Bao led the militia to clear a path in advance, and whenever someone went into the mountains, several militiamen provided protection.

The fruit picked by the members themselves belongs to them personally, and the team assumes no responsibility for it.

Yu Hao and his team picked a lot of wild chestnuts, wild camellia seeds, and wild loquats, and gave some to the two of them—quite a lot.

“That’s right. The brigade can’t get involved, and we can’t control the spontaneous actions of the commune members.”

Fang Wei also laughed. The matter seemed ridiculous, but the approach was entirely correct.

He then chatted with Guan Chongyang and Sun Daoren for a while before the group took a tractor down the mountain.

During dinner that evening, Wang Songlin brought news that Director Yao's life had been saved, but he had not yet woken up and it was unknown how long he would remain in a coma or whether he would become a vegetable.
This was the best news Fang Wei had heard today. (End of Chapter)