Chapter 362 - Chapter 362: The Fire Has Been Put Out

Chapter 362 - Chapter 362: The Fire Has Been Put Out

Chapter 362: The Fire Has Been Put Out
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi- Bo Studio
Su Wen heard her sisters’ heart-wrenching cries but could not go to them. The fire she had started was a gamble; she had to watch it closely or risk letting the blaze burn too hot and too big. She had no intention of killing anyone by accident.
Su Wen gestured to her sisters, signing that she was fine. Opening the gates, she shouted, “Help! Thieves! They’re on fire!” Several neighbors came to her rescue before she could even finish. Many of them had not even had the time to put on their shoes; instead, running out of their houses barefoot with buckets in their hands.
“Help!”
“Little Wen, what happened? What fire?” Shen Erkui was the first to arrive. His family home was some distance away from Su Wen’s house. However, Shen Erkui did not have a good relationship with his family, so he bunked in a dormitory provided by headquarters. Had he managed to earn some money from his time outside, his family might have welcomed him home, albeit reluctantly.
Shen Erkui had been deeply concerned upon hearing that Su Xuefang had come knocking on Su Wen’s door and making a scene, so he had been awake and on his way over to Su Wen’s, as was his routine. He did not expect to hear Su Wen shouting for help or that a fire had started, working its way around the house.
Seeing Su Wen’s hair in a mess and her whole person covered in soot and black ash had been quite a scare for Shen Erkui, whose soul seemed to jolt out of his skin at the horrific sight.
“Little Wen, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Su Wen pointed at the two men still rolling on the ground. “Those two are the thieves. They tried to set the house on fire but got caught in the flames. Quick, quick! We need to save them!”
Her neighbors streamed in, rushing through the open gate. When they heard Su Wen explain the situation, they grew agitated.
“Utterly detestable!”
“They deserve to be burned to death!”
The gathered crowd passed by the duo, cursing them. Tian Gang and Tian Yong could not care less that they had been caught red-handed; they only wanted someone to help them extinguish the fire so they would not have to be flaming torches for much longer. Seeing people rushing to and fro, they got up, charging to those closest, seeking their aid.
“Help! I need help extinguishing the fire on me!”
“Hmm? Don’t you think this guy sounds familiar?” A villager exclaimed.
“It does.”
“I think I’ve heard it somewhere before.”
Even as the villagers spoke, they knew better than to let their hands stop working. The crowd did not miss the approach of two flaming humans calling for help, but they had a more pressing fire to deal with. To ensure their efforts to put out the fire were not hampered, volunteers stepped in, corralling the flaming torches to one side and shunting them to the ground. Punches, kicks, and even the ends of broomsticks were used to beat them; if the fire was extinguished, that was just a happy coincidence.
Soon, they put out the last embers clinging to the two thieves, using all the tools at their disposal. There was no need for a light touch for criminals who would set people’s houses on fire and pillage their goods.
Many seized the opportunity to take out their anger on the two men.
Among those present, Sun Dahai and Sun Dahe were the most zealous. It had not been long since they were beaten up in the dark, and they still had no clue who did it. Their frustrations were such that they gleefully accepted the opportunity to vent them on the two men who had entered the village to commit burglary and arson. It did not matter whether these two men were the same ones who had done them in; it was enough for now that they could cut loose.
Tian Gang and Tian Yong cried out in pain. It was unknown whether it was the pain from being burned or beaten. Rolling on the ground like misshapen worms, neither could muster the energy to resent their attackers, plot revenge or indulge in lewd thoughts. They wished they were dead. They would not have dared plot against Su Wen if they knew they would be so unlucky..