But now he was no longer allowed to retreat.
He then pointed at Zhu Yilian and Wang Jing: "They were wandering around the village all day just to find the bride, wanting to hide her before the wedding!"
Zhu Yilian looked at him innocently: "You said there was a wedding tonight, and we hadn't seen her, so we were curious to take a look. Besides, we weren't just wandering aimlessly. If you don't believe me, go and ask. We've helped several families decorate their courtyards."
Zheng Qu had no idea these people had a backup plan, and for a moment he didn't know how to continue.
Wang Jing then said: "You say we hid the bride, but who is the bride? We are all here, not a single one missing."
Zheng Qu pointed at Yuan Yuan lying on the bed: "She is the bride! But now you've knocked her unconscious!"
"Did she tell you herself that she was the bride? Why don't you wake her up and confront her?" Ning Wei retorted.
Zheng Qu trembled with anger. The person was knocked unconscious by them, and she hadn't woken up despite the commotion. Naturally, he had no ability to make her get up.
"Then the wedding dress must be here, I personally saw her put it on!" Zheng Qu made his final struggle.
"Go and look for it. I think you're just looking for trouble!" Ning Wei took a step back, making it convenient for Zheng Qu to enter.
Zheng Qu indeed searched every corner of the courtyard and houses. He even dug a few times with a hoe, but the wedding dress was nowhere to be found.
"Do you have anything else to say?" Mei Nan looked at Zheng Qu displeasantly.
Zheng Qu's identity as a traitor was exposed, but his information was proven useless one by one. Aunt Zhang shot him a hateful glance.
"By doing this, aren't you afraid of offending Young Master Zhou?" Aunt Zhang recognized the reality and knew she couldn't take the bride away today, so she decided to shift all the blame onto them and extricate herself.
"We haven't even met the young master you're talking about, so how could we offend him? But you, the matchmaker, didn't you say you wanted to keep the bride's identity a secret? How did you end up coming to our courtyard to pick someone up? I think you've become senile?" Song Zhi's tone also started to carry anger.
Now the bride was unconscious, the wedding dress was missing, and even the burial pit for the wedding night had been filled in.
The wedding tonight was ruined, no matter what.
This was the first time in Qiuyin Village. Aunt Zhang, as the matchmaker who had always handled weddings, had a face as black as coal.
"How is it? Are you still picking up the bride tonight?" The villagers who had followed behind also urged her.
"Yes, yes, yes! What a joke! Are you blind or deaf? Can't you see the situation!"
Aunt Zhang completely gave up, cursed at the villagers, and then strode away from here.
The matchmaker left, and the others followed.
In the end, only Zheng Qu remained. It wasn't that he didn't want to leave, but that he couldn't.
Mei Nan and Song Zhi pressed forward, forcing Zheng Qu into the house.
"What… what do you want to do?"
"Get out of the way!" Ning Wei's voice came from behind.
As soon as Mei Nan and the others moved aside, Ning Wei walked in and kicked Zheng Qu, sending him sprawling to the ground.
He clutched his stomach in pain, "Ning Wei, are you crazy!"
Ning Wei didn't speak and kicked him several more times fiercely. Zheng Qu writhed on the ground in agony.
He knew he couldn't escape today, so he started cursing wildly.
Ning Wei pushed him aside: "Today is an opportunity to repay grievances and take revenge. It's rare, and it won't come again."
She applied her sales pitch to beating people, which was surprisingly harmonious.
Everyone gritted their teeth and slowly approached Zheng Qu.
"Don't come any closer!" Zheng Qu cowered back in fear.
"Trying to escape?" Song Zhi was the first to reach him and landed a heavy punch.
Beating people was something that only got more exciting.
The group was filled with enthusiasm, surrounding Zheng Qu and kicking and punching him. Finally, while dodging, Zheng Qu's head hit the wall with a "bang" and he fainted.
"Is that it?" Ning Wei looked at him disdainfully. After confirming he was truly unconscious, she nodded at everyone.
"What do we do next?"
Everyone looked at Ning Wei, awaiting her orders.
"Find some rope, tie him up, and lock him in the kitchen."
No sooner said than done. This village was not short of rope.
Song Zhi found the thickest one and tied Zheng Qu up like he was doing rope art.
Finally, Wang Jing quietly reminded them, "If you tie him too tightly, his muscles might swell and he might need an amputation."
Thinking of the image of limbs swelling, Song Zhi felt a bit nauseous, so he loosened the ropes, only ensuring that he couldn't escape.
The wedding tonight had been disrupted. They didn't know what tomorrow would bring, and everyone was a little nervous.
"If it really comes down to it, we'll just charge out!" Zhu Yilian said.
"No, that fog is problematic. If we rush out rashly, we might not be able to get back," Ning Wei rejected the idea.
Everyone remembered the fog they had seen in the bus, behind which were pairs of man-eating ghost hands.
Thinking of these, they indeed didn't dare to act rashly anymore.
"No matter what, we must persevere until the last moment. If the time isn't up, no one can enter the dense fog, or you'll bear the consequences!" Ning Wei was afraid that these people would desert, so she gave them a preemptive warning.
Everyone understood her meaning and nodded.
"Since we've come this far, our masks have been torn off. We should all be more careful from now on and stay in this courtyard for the remaining time," Mei Nan added.
After the commotion tonight, no one had the appetite to eat.
"Alright, it's getting late, everyone go back to your rooms to rest."
"What about Yuan Yuan? I'm worried she might wake up in the middle of the night?" Zhu Yilian was glad she had thought of this, as they were sharing a room.
Moreover, they had managed to ruin the wedding, and they didn't know what Yuan Yuan's reaction would be when she woke up.
Zhu Yilian's concern was understandable.
"Then let's carry her to our room. I'll watch her tonight," Ning Wei said to Zhu Yilian and the other.
Song Zhi and the others carried Yuan Yuan. After arranging Yuan Yuan, everyone gradually returned to their rooms.
As for Zheng Qu, who was locked in the kitchen, he was now forgotten by everyone.
The night was very cold, and the kitchen walls had several holes.
Whether he froze to death or survived tonight depended on his own fate.
After closing the door, Ning Wei's room specially left a candle burning so they could watch Yuan Yuan at night.
"How do we sleep?" Yuan Yuan was placed in the middle of the bed, and Tang Tang was very troubled.
Ning Wei directly pulled Yuan Yuan to the outermost side, "You sleep inside, and I'll sleep in the middle to watch her."
Tang Tang nodded and briskly took off her clothes and got into bed.
The two single beds were originally enough for them, but now with Yuan Yuan, it seemed a bit crowded.
Tang Tang was a little worried: "Will something happen to her tonight?"