Endless darkness loomed before her. Reaching out, Xia Ruzheng felt the cold cage. She pulled her hand back as if struck by lightning. How could she be caged like a dog? She felt her breathing grow increasingly difficult. She felt a ring around her neck, tightening ever tighter. Reaching out, she discovered a genuine leather ring with metal rivets! Xia Ruzheng struggled mightily, only to hear the chains rattle as she struggled. She began to cry for help, only to find that all that came out of her mouth was, "Woof woof woof!"
She heard the devilish voice: "How is it? My trained dog is good, isn't it?"
Xia Ruzheng felt like he was about to pass out. After struggling hard, he was able to breathe again. After opening his eyes, he realized that he was dreaming.
"Zhengzheng, what's wrong? Are you in a nightmare?"
Xia Ruzheng opened his eyes and looked at his father in front of him. He was only wearing a coat and ran over without even wearing shoes. It was his sister who was woken up and lit the kerosene lamp.
After blinking his eyes, Xia Ruzheng's tears began to flow, he was afraid that this was also a dream.
Seeing Xia Ruzheng crying, Xia Chunfu hurriedly hugged his daughter in his arms: "Zhengzheng, don't cry. Your father has driven away all the ghosts in the dream. Your father was a leader in the past, and ghosts and gods would hide away when they saw him! Zhengzheng, don't be afraid, don't be afraid."
The warm and rough big hands gently patted Xia Ruzheng's back, and Xia Ruzheng's emotions gradually calmed down.
Xia Chunfu went back to sleep only after seeing his two daughters fall asleep. But he couldn't fall asleep because he tossed and turned, and he was very anxious thinking about his daughters crying and shouting in their dreams every day.
The next day, Xia Chunfu said to his youngest daughter, Xia Ruqian, "Go get some medicine from Guibozi. Make a broth and give it to your sister."
Xia Ruqian was obviously used to being ordered around by her father, and she quickly bought the medicine, boiled it, and brought it to Xia Ruzheng.
Xia Ruzheng sat on the edge of the bed in a daze. Xia Ruqian approached cautiously and said, "Sister, Dad asked me to boil some medicine for you. Please drink it!"
"Medicine?!" Xia Ruzheng couldn't help but tremble when he heard this word.
"Yes, you've been haunted lately, and he's worried about you!"
But when it came to medication, Xia Ruzheng was deeply resistant. In memories she couldn't tell whether they were dreams or reality, she was constantly being urged to take various medications. Everyone told her she was sick and needed them. But the medication didn't make her feel better. Instead, she felt increasingly unwell, as if someone was constantly whispering in her ear, but she couldn't hear clearly.
Seeing that her sister didn't want to eat, Xia Ruqian sat down next to Xia Ruzheng and said, "Sister, did you bump into something unclean? You always wake me up talking in your sleep at night. It sounds so scary!"
After saying this, Xia Ruqian shuddered. Her sister screamed at night as if someone was chasing her. She screamed so miserably that it was creepy just thinking about it.
Xia Ruzheng was thinking slowly, sister? Yes, he had a sister, very strong-willed and capable. I heard that she later went on to become a big businessman. A sister who was doing big business and still so young?
Xia Ruzheng looked at Xia Ruqian twice. Xia Ruqian was confused. Why did she feel like her sister didn't seem to recognize her?
Xia Ruzheng refused to take the medicine, and Xia Ruqian didn't dare force her. Her father and mother had five children, but the first four had died within three years. This sister, born in 1960, had gone through great pains to keep her alive, so she was especially precious. So the two sisters sat by the bed for most of the day.
Xia Ruzheng kept wondering if her past was a dream. She dreamed she'd married a man, and then from then on, she'd be forced to do housework every day, unable to play the piano or study. He locked her up at home, saying he was afraid she'd get into trouble. Later, he beat and scolded her, forbidding her to go to work. She said her family was struggling, so she tried to start a small business, but he sent thugs to smash it, even though it was doing well. Later, they had a son and a daughter. The daughter hated her and cut off all contact with her, while the son, like his father, called her a psychopath and refused to acknowledge her as his mother.
Xia Ruzheng felt that it was a very long dream.
Since Xia Ruzheng refused to take the medicine, Xia Chunfu did not force her. Seeing that she had not had any dreams for two consecutive days, he thought it was okay for her not to take the medicine.
We were having dinner at home that day when Mrs. Chunhua came.
"Hey, Brother Chunfu, are you eating?"
The two sisters called Chunhua Pozi, and Xia Chunfu said, "Yes, Sister Chunhua, have you eaten yet? Let's have a bowl together!"
Xia Ruqian stood up and went to get a bowl for Chunhua Pozi. Chunhua Pozi hurriedly grabbed Xia Ruqian and said, "Qianqian, don't go. I'm here to eat. Brother Chunfu, don't think I'm here to eat for free."
"So what are you doing here?"
"You don't know me yet? Of course I'm running errands for people! Brother Chunfu, you have a daughter who is sought after by hundreds of families, so I'm just doing a good deed to accumulate some virtue and come to help you put in a good word. I watched Zhengzheng grow up, and she's the only one of her kind in our area, so of course I want to help her choose a good one! Look, I think the person this time is good, so I came to tell Brother Chunfu."
Xia Chunfu asked with great interest, "Whose family is this?"
"He's Huang Zhong from Tile Village. You know him, right? He's the one who lost his father and has only one mother!"
Xia Ruzheng trembled all over when she heard the name. She thought of that long, horrible dream. That man was Huang Zhong! There was only one Huang Zhong in Tile Village, and Huang Zhong really only had one mother. His father was criticized and died.
"No, I don't want him!" Xia Ruzheng refused without waiting for Xia Chunfu to speak.
The smile on Chunhua's face suddenly faded. They had originally planned to discuss the marriage behind their backs. Xia Chunfu loved his daughter, and she knew that, so she hadn't avoided the topic. She hadn't expected him to reject her outright. It was truly disrespectful. After all these years of discussing marriage, she had never been rejected in such a direct manner by a younger generation.
Xia Chunfu's expression remained unchanged. He said, "Look, Zheng Zheng doesn't want to do this, and I won't force her. Thank you for making this trip today, sister. I have two eggs at home. Take them back as travel expenses."
These days, physical objects are more useful than money, and there are many things that cannot be bought with money.
Xia Ruqian went to get a few eggs for Chunhua. Xia Chunfu said, "Thank you for keeping an eye on my daughter. You know me. If you have anything good in the future, don't forget to tell me."
Mrs. Chunhua agreed verbally, took the eggs and left.
Xia Chunfu said, "Okay, let's eat. Zhengzheng, don't worry. I won't marry you off to someone you don't want."
After hearing this promise, Xia Ruzheng felt a little happier.
Xia Chunfu was helpless. His wife died early, and he couldn't understand the worries of his two daughters. His daughters couldn't tell their worries to him as their father.
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