With that in mind, Tan's mother happily served the dishes.

After dinner, Tan Xiaoxiao asked her mother to make their beds, and her mother willingly did these chores.

The moon in the countryside at night had a chilly glow. It had snowed a few days ago, and the snow on the branches was crystal clear. The sounds of the crowd outside grew fainter and fainter, and Wenli fell into a deep sleep, exhausted.

Before dawn the next day, Wen Li was awakened by the sound of firecrackers.

Wen Li was still fast asleep when Tan Xiaoxiao nudged her blanket: "Wen Li, my mom wants you to help the bride with her makeup. Are you awake yet?"

Wen Li rubbed her eyes sleepily and said, "I'll get up right away."

Tan Xiaoxiao quickly fetched water for Wen Li to wash her face and whispered, "Actually, it's okay if you refuse."

"It's alright." Wen Li yawned and said seriously, "After all, we're only staying for a few more days. If we upset your mother, we won't even have a place to stay."

Tan Xiaoxiao: ...

Wen Li quickly got up, folded the quilt, changed into a black down jacket, and wore a pair of fleece-lined jeans.

Winters in G province are very cold, especially in the deep mountains. As soon as Wen Li opened the door, a gust of cold wind rushed into her neck, instantly waking her up from her drowsiness.

When Tan's mother saw Wen Li standing there, her lips and nose were red, and her long black hair was flowing down, seemingly glowing in the thin mist.

Mrs. Tan was completely stunned. After regaining her senses, she quickly stepped forward and said with a smile, "Wen Li, right? Now that you're awake, please help our bride with her makeup."

Wen Li learned that the bride was also from the same village, but when she heard that the bride was only fifteen years old, Wen Li fell silent.

She looked at Tan's mother with a slightly strange expression.

She observed that people in her village generally married at a young age, but at least after they reached adulthood.

Seeing Wen Li's strange expression, Tan's mother quickly laughed it off, saying, "We get married very early here. After all, having children early means you can have more children and hold your grandchildren sooner, so you can enjoy life later."

Wen Li really wanted to complain, but she and Tan Xiaoxiao remained silent the whole way.

After Tan's mother escorted the two to the bride's house and left, Tan Xiaoxiao said, "Tan Yaozu defiled that young girl. The girl's family also favored sons over daughters. After they found out she was pregnant, they demanded a dowry of 180,000 yuan from my family, or they would call the police. My parents were afraid that if things got out of hand, Tan Yaozu would really go to jail, so they didn't know where they got the 180,000 yuan dowry."

As she spoke, Tan Xiaoxiao led Wen Li to the bride's room, a dark room with barely any room to step except for a small bed.

The bride was wearing a red cotton-padded coat, not even a proper wedding dress. If you looked closely, you could see her slightly protruding belly under the heavy coat.

A child who is still a child is about to become a mother and a wife.

Wen Li's hands clenched slightly.

The bride was stunned when she looked at Wen Li, but after only one glance, her eyes returned to their previous blankness, as if she didn't care about the arrival of the two.

Wen Li told Tan Xiaoxiao to close the door so she could help the bride with her makeup and dressing.

After a long while, Wen Li noticed a tear rolling down the bride's cheek.

Wen Li lowered her head, her dark eyes meeting those of the bride.

"Sister, I don't want to get married."

The bride's voice was still very young, and her eyes showed numbness, fear, and even more so, terror and despair.

For the first time, she confided the words that had been bottled up inside her for the past few months to a stranger who had come from afar.

Tan Xiaoxiao looked at the little girl and said in a low voice, "Her name is Yu Pandi. We used to play together a lot when we were little, but I went to study in the county town later and we had less contact."

As she spoke, Tan Xiaoxiao felt a pang of pity: "If we can, let's save her."

Even if the chances of this happening are extremely slim, Wen Li would never agree to it.

To everyone's surprise, Wen Li laughed.

"The road ahead is bumpy, but there is a glimmer of light. Yu Pandi, when you told me your thoughts just now, your future had already changed."

From the very beginning, Wen Li had been waiting for this child to speak to her.

Yu Pandi was stunned.

"You don't have to get married, but you need to know that after today you can't stay in this village anymore, and you can never come back here again."

Yu Pandi's eyes were filled with shock, followed by surprise and joy: "Can I really leave here?!"

Wen Li nodded.

A glimmer of hope appeared in Yu Pandi's eyes, and her voice suddenly rose a few decibels: "I wish I could never be in this house again. I would rather not go to school and work in a big city like Sister Wen than live this kind of life. If I marry Tan Yaozu, my life will be over!"

Yu Pandi isn't stupid; the Tan family's older sisters are a case in point. What kind of good life could she expect if she married into that family?

Besides, she's only fifteen!

"Then let's call the police and have them come," Wen Li said calmly.

"Call the police?" Yu Pandi hesitated for a moment, but only for a second. She glanced at Wen Li, then at Tan Xiaoxiao, whom she had always idolized, and nodded firmly: "I'm willing to try."

If it fails, the worst that can happen is death.

But if she doesn't try, she won't find peace even in the underworld.

Wen Li looked at Yu Pandi and saw that the bloody aura covering the ground had instantly dissipated, and the brows that had been furrowed with worry had been smoothed out considerably.

Yu Pandi's appearance has completely changed.

Tan Xiaoxiao called the police after hearing Wen Li's words, and the police rushed over immediately.

But the mountains are high and the roads are long, it would take at least two hours to get here.

Wen Li wasn't in a hurry: "It seems we can't take our time looking for your third sister's remains. We have to find them before the police arrive."

"Are you looking for Sister Tan's remains? I know where her remains are buried."

Then, Yu Pandi revealed an even more shocking piece of news: "After Tan Sanjie died, she was sold by the Tan family to be married off in a ghost marriage. Everyone in the village knows this, and her remains are now in the He family's ancestral graveyard."

“But I heard that my parents asked the Tan family for a bride price of 180,000 yuan, which the Tan family couldn’t afford, so they sold Sister Xiaoxiao to the He family as well.”

"I heard that after the eldest son of the He family died, he appeared in a dream and said that he was not satisfied with Tan Sanjie because their birth charts were incompatible. He said he wanted Xiaoxiaojie, a cultured wife."

Yu Pandi whispered, "Sister Xiaoxiao, you shouldn't have come back."

Tan Xiaoxiao froze on the spot, tears streaming down her face.

If Wen Li hadn't accompanied her back this time, and if she hadn't come to see Yu Pandi, she might have been sent to the He family by her parents for a ghost marriage long ago!

A look of hatred flashed in Tan Xiaoxiao's eyes; she wished she could go back right now and die together with her parents.

However, her fist was gently squeezed.

It's a warm pear.

Tan Xiaoxiao's eyes cleared again, and she heard Wen Li say softly, "Your parents will bear the consequences they deserve. Your future life will be smooth. Why ruin your life because of irresponsible parents? Xiaoxiao, it's not worth it."

Immediately afterward, Tan Xiaoxiao saw Wen Li's eyes, beneath her curled eyelashes, suddenly darken: "Using a living person for a ghost marriage? The Tan family, the He family, they're really courting death!"