Meng Shuyun patted Su Xiuju's shoulder to comfort her, "It's okay, the police are here, we're all safe."

He then stood up, took the hand of a female police officer, and burst into tears.

"Comrade, they not only traffic drugs, but also traffic women. My poor daughter has been tortured by them and is covered in injuries."

If I had arrived any later, my daughter might have been ruined.

They want to get married without my consent or my daughter's consent. They are human traffickers, heartless and inhuman.

You must stand up for us, a widow and her orphan!

The policewoman felt deeply sympathetic, her eyes welled up with tears, and she held Meng Shuyun's hand, patting her to comfort her.

"Don't worry, ma'am, we will handle this fairly and will not let any criminals get away with it."

Aunt Hong didn't expect Meng Shuyun to turn the tables on her, and she angrily defended herself.

"Bullshit!" He spat out a mouthful of phlegm onto the police station hall, resorting to tantrums and rolling on the ground, his face red and neck bulging as he tried to explain himself.

"Your daughter fell and bled profusely before she even reached our village. If we hadn't kindly taken her in, she would have died in the ravine long ago. Do you think you would still be able to see your daughter now?"

My son saved a damsel in distress, and she offered herself to him in return—that's beneath her!

She saw that our family was well-off and insisted on marrying into our family. If it weren't for her, we could have married someone even better.

Su Xiuju grabbed Meng Shuyun's arm, shaking her head desperately, tears streaming down her face, but she couldn't utter a single word to defend herself.

Meeting Aunt Hong's fierce gaze, she lowered her head and shrank behind Meng Shuyun in fear.

Seeing Su Xiuju's appearance, Meng Shuyun felt heartbroken and burst into tears. Ignoring the police officers present, she slapped Aunt Hong twice hard.

The loud slap could be heard outside, but the police officers on duty turned a blind eye.

They tormented that girl so badly she was barely human; slapping her twice would be too lenient.

"With your son's ugly appearance, would my educated daughter even be interested in him?"

She insists on marrying your son?

Is your son made of gold? You are illegally imprisoning my daughter.

You said my daughter fell and bled from her head, why didn't you write to me to let me know immediately?

Don't they even know how to call the police?

Meng Shuyun held Su Xiuju's head and patted her back, crying sadly and heartbrokenly, forming a stark contrast with Aunt Hong.

"Comrade, they did it on purpose. This kind of trend cannot be allowed to continue, otherwise who knows how many more girls will be harmed by them."

Aunt Hong wanted to argue, but before she could say anything, she was taken away for interrogation.

The policewoman held Su Xiuju's hand and comforted her, "We've detained the person, you're safe now."

We have accepted the case, and the police station will handle it impartially and will not let any bad person get away with it.

We will write to you as soon as we have an update on the process.

Meng Shuyun nodded repeatedly, leaving the address of the guesthouse where she was temporarily staying and the village's phone number.

As the mother and daughter walked out of the police station, Li Dashun was hiding in the corner, and his motorcycle was nowhere to be seen.

"Da Shun, come here." Meng Shuyun saw that he hadn't left, so she called him over. She took out 50 yuan and instructed him, "Buy two sets of girls' clothes to change into, some soap, and most importantly, a bag of milk powder. And don't forget to buy candy."

Li Dashun put the money away without saying a word and turned to buy something.

Back at the guesthouse, Meng Shuyun locked the door and took Su Xiuju's hand.

Seeing those withered, cracked, and slightly swollen fingers, Meng Shuyun's eyes welled up with tears.

"Xiuju, it's all my fault. You can blame me, but I know I was wrong."

Tears blurred Meng Shuyun's vision as she looked up at Su Xiuju, whose lips were cracked.

She dared not imagine how much torment Xiuju had suffered in her past life, all because of her.

Thinking of this, Meng Shuyun raised her hand and slapped herself hard.

Su Xiuju looked at her mother, whom she had called for so many years, with complicated feelings, unsure whether she should hate her or not.

When he was at his most desperate, she appeared and rescued him from the mire.

Yet, she herself had thrown herself into this pit of fire...

"Xiuju, I will make it up to you in the future. Even if you don't plan to get married, I will take care of you for the rest of your life."

Meng Shuyun held those scarred hands, her eyes sincere, and her tone firm.

"I'm divorced from your father now. From now on, you can live with your mother. I can support you. As for those ungrateful wretches, I won't take care of them anymore."

When Su Xiuju heard the word "divorce," a hint of surprise and disbelief appeared on her numb expression.

He quickly returned to his original numbness and stopped speaking.

Meng Shuyun felt a pang of sorrow and regret. If she had shown more care and attention to her daughter in the past, her daughter wouldn't be so disbelieving of her words now.

"Xiuju, tell your mother, that beast, did he..." Meng Shuyun didn't dare to finish her sentence, her eyes red as she quietly looked at her.

Su Xiuju's face turned pale instantly. She broke free from Meng Shuyun's hand and turned her back, sobbing and shedding tears.

Meng Shuyun had already considered the worst possible outcome. Although Su Xiuju didn't say it aloud, seeing her reaction made her feel dizzy.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and Li Dashun's voice came from outside.

"Auntie, I've bought what you wanted."

Meng Shuyun opened the door and checked the contents. Surprisingly, there was also ointment, a whole big bag full of it.

Four sets of clothes, daily necessities, and four packets of milk powder alone—the milk powder and clothes alone cost more than fifty yuan.

"Any amount exceeding the limit will be deducted from the IOU."

Before Li Dashun could explain, Meng Shuyun had already closed the door.

Meng Shuyun prepared hot water, clothes, and soap in the bathroom for Su Xiuju to take a bath.

After washing for a long time, Meng Shuyun was worried that the water would get cold, so she asked Li Dashun to fetch hot water from the boiler room, bucket after bucket.

When the proprietress saw Li Dashun coming to get hot water again, she put her hands on her hips and spoke with dissatisfaction.

"Hey, are you slaughtering a pig in the room? How many buckets of hot water have you carried already? Each person can only carry two buckets of water at most."

Li Dashun glanced at the proprietress and said, "Here's a dollar; I can use the hot water as much as I want."

The proprietress happily put the money into her pocket, her eyes crinkling with a smile as she tried to make amends: "Use it as you please, use it as you please, you should have said so earlier."

Meng Shuyun looked at Su Xiuju, who had not yet come out, and couldn't help but feel worried.

She's been washing for an hour already, is this girl thinking of doing something drastic?

If she hadn't seen the empty bucket, she really would have rushed in.

Su Xiuju came out wearing a light blue plaid shirt, her hair was wet and wrapped on top of her head, and her eyes were red like two big walnuts.

Meng Shuyun felt heartbroken and guessed that she had been crying secretly inside.

He handed her the hot milk on the table, picked up a dry towel, stood up, went around to her back, and spoke softly.

"Drink some hot milk first to warm yourself up. I added a little sugar on it."

"Wet hair makes you more susceptible to catching a cold, let me dry your hair for you."