Chapter 39: Turning Danger into Safety

The moment the wooden stick swung toward Annette, she sensed something was wrong. Instinctively, she bent forward and rolled to the side.

The thick stick slammed into the ground with a dull thud.

The attacker immediately raised the stick again, swinging fiercely at Annette.

This time, she couldn't dodge. If she moved, the blow would hit the old lady instead. At her age, she wouldn't survive such a strike.

Annette covered her head with both hands, closing her eyes, bracing for the hit.

Instead, she heard a heavy thump on the ground, but no pain came as expected.

Hesitantly, Annette lowered her arms and saw Stuart standing nearby, his foot pressing on the attacker's chest. The man gasped for breath, clearly winded, but quickly scrambled to his feet.

The old lady, stunned and frightened, was holding her leg and muttering curses.

Annette didn't hesitate and rushed to check on the woman. "Ma'am, where does it hurt? Your back? Your body?"

The lady pointed to her ankle. "It's nothing, just my foot. Those scoundrels…" She wiped away tears, worried about the hard-earned money she made from selling at the stall all day.

Stuart and Laura had just come out of the hospital when they saw Annette running toward the injured woman. They immediately noticed someone sneaking up with a wooden stick.

They didn't dare shout and provoke the attacker. Their hearts jumped as they sprinted over, just in time.

Stuart bent down, grabbing the man—a—guy in his twenties — and growled, "What do you think you're doing?!"

The attacker hadn't expected such strength and was gasping in pain, clutching his chest as if his ribs might have cracked. Trembling in fear, he stammered, "I just… I just wanted some money…"

Stuart grabbed his collar harder. "Why attack from behind if you want money? Talk!"

The man's legs went weak. "It's not… I just thought the girl was pretty. I wanted to knock her out…"

Laura caught up and gasped, "Stuart, the county's been unsafe lately — highway robberies, girls disappearing…"

The man wailed, "It wasn't me! This is my first time…"

Stuart considered for a moment, then said to Laura, "Go get hospital security and have them take this guy to the police station."

Laura nodded and ran off to find help.

Stuart quickly disarmed the attacker, twisting his arms behind his back and pinning him to the ground.

Annette gently checked the old lady's ankle, relieved to find no broken bones. Watching Stuart's swift actions, her heart still raced. "Good thing you got here on time. Otherwise, tonight would've been awful."

She shuddered to think of being knocked out and sold off somewhere remote as a bride.

Suddenly, she remembered Stuart's recent intense movements and quickly asked, "Is your wound okay?"

Stuart felt warm fluid trickling from his abdomen, but shook his head without telling the truth. "I'm fine, I'm watching it."

Annette didn't feel reassured. "Let me check it later."

Soon, Laura returned with hospital security. Stuart pressed the attacker's arms down again, handing him over to the police.

After they left, Laura recognized the old lady sitting on the ground and crouched beside her. "Mrs. Wu? Are you alright? Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Mrs. Wu had lost all the money she'd made selling noodles today, and another hospital visit meant more expenses. She waved dismissively, "No, no, the young lady said it's not a bone injury. I'll just rub some medicinal wine on it at home."

Annette quickly interjected, "Mrs. Wu, you can't apply medicinal wine within seventy-two hours. You need to cold compress it. Wrap some snow in a towel and place it on the swelling."

Then she asked Stuart, "Do we need to go to the police station to give a statement?"

Stuart shook his head. "I'll take you back to the guesthouse, then I'll go by myself."

Annette was still worried about Stuart's injury. "We should go together. Your wound must've stretched."

Even the toughest man was flesh and blood; those moves definitely affected his abdomen.

As they spoke quietly, Laura helped Mrs. Wu up. "Stuart, you focus on your business. I'll take Mrs. Wu home."

Stuart hesitated, frowning. Annette immediately understood. It was already dark, the streetlights dim, and many places were without light.

This was the west side of town, while Laura's tailor shop was on the east side.

After two serious incidents so close, how could Stuart let a young woman and an old lady walk alone?

She quickly said, "We'll walk you both home. We can't risk you going alone. What if the attackers have accomplices?"

Stuart gave Annette a grateful glance. He was truly worried about Laura and Mrs. Wu's safety, but couldn't just leave Annette behind.

Finally, Mrs. Wu sat in the cart, Stuart pushed it, and Laura supported her from the side.

Annette, feeling tired, folded her arms and followed Stuart, glancing now and then at Laura, then back at Stuart. She mused that tonight's events were quite a coincidence.

This road near the hospital wasn't very isolated. How could two such awful incidents happen in such close succession?

After a few steps, she approached Laura. "Laura, has the county been so chaotic lately?"

Before Laura could answer, Mrs. Wu sighed from the cart. "It's true. A few days ago, the girl from Old Wang's family on the next street — only eighteen, worked as a scorekeeper at the brick factory — always got off work just as it got dark. But the other day, she never came home. Her family went mad looking for her, no luck."

Laura gently continued, "The factory said she left work on time. But she just vanished. The police found nothing."

Mrs. Wu added, "And there've been other missing girls too. No one knows if they're alive or dead."

Annette was shocked. "Are they that brazen?"

People of this era were supposed to be honest and quiet, having just come through such a turbulent time. How could they so openly break the law?

As they walked into the east side of town, Laura's tailor shop appeared by the roadside. A wooden sign hung above the door, painted with red brush strokes: "Laura's Tailor Shop."

Mrs. Wu told Stuart to drop her off at the roadside. "It's fine, just leave the cart by Laura's door. I'll slowly walk home. You all must be tired — go rest."

The younger ones couldn't argue with the old lady and watched her limp into the alley.

Laura smiled at her shop. The streetlamp cast a warm glow on the signboard. "Stuart, I learned to write these characters from you. Do you think I've improved?"