Chapter 340 Tonight is the only chance to escape
In the end, Boss Ma gained the upper hand, picked up Ji Ying in one swift motion, and pinched her legs hard a few times in the process.
Ji Ying was thrown into a mud-brick house where grains were stored. Suppressing her nausea, she began to explore her surroundings.
When she took off her blindfold, she knew that this was a remote mountain village, and the villagers' houses were scattered about, with no adjacent courtyards.
As the three traffickers left, one of them said he needed to get back to town before dark. So there was a town some distance from the village. If she could get back to the town, she might be able to find a way to contact Liang Yizhi.
As she was thinking, she heard a conversation between a mother and her two children outside the door.
"Mom, can't we sleep tonight? I really like this woman. I'll use her as soon as I buy her."
That's Ma Lao Er's voice.
Then Aunt Ma snorted, "What do you know? I've found someone to pick an auspicious day. We'll hold the banquet on that day, and you're guaranteed to have a son smoothly."
"Which day?" Boss Ma asked.
"In three days."
So she only had three days to escape from here.
Ji Ying unconsciously clenched her fingers.
As dusk fell, the house was dimly lit, and Ma Lao Er brought him his first meal of the day.
They were two potatoes that had been roasted until they were blackened.
He put the potatoes on the ground, then stood in front of Ji Ying and pulled down his trousers.
"You've served men before, you know how to do it, right?"
Ji Ying immediately understood what he was going to do, and immediately covered her face with her hands, refusing in a soft sob, "No, I don't want to."
Ma Lao Er slapped her across the face.
"You're a slave I bought, I can do whatever I want with you!"
As he spoke, he grabbed Ji Ying's hair and pressed her in front of him.
"Second brother!"
Hearing the noise, Boss Ma rushed in, grabbed Boss Ma's neck with his elbow, and forced him to let go.
"Mom said we can only do it when the time comes, so you can't touch her now."
Ma Lao Er's face turned purple from being strangled, so he had no choice but to loosen his grip on Ji Ying.
Seeing that he listened to advice, Boss Ma let go of him.
Ma Lao Er took a few deep breaths and said, "Pah! What are you pretending to be so serious about?"
He spat on the ground, glared at Ji Ying, slammed the door, and walked out.
Boss Ma picked up the two black potatoes from the ground, dusted them off, and handed them to Ji Ying.
"This is our staple food here, you'll have to get used to it. If the second brother bullies you again, just call me."
Ji Ying was wary of him, her bright, watery eyes looking at him timidly.
Boss Ma felt hot all over from her gaze.
Just then, Aunt Ma appeared at the door, hands on her hips, and yelled at Old Master Ma, "Why did you lay a hand on your brother again?"
Old Ma put the potato back on the ground and turned to look at his mother.
Why don't you ask what the reason is?
"I don't care what your reasons are, you shouldn't have laid a hand on your brother!"
Boss Ma was speechless. He pinched Ji Ying's waist hard, got up and walked out.
Aunt Ma continued, hands on her hips, "On the day of the banquet, let your younger brother sleep first, then you can sleep."
Ma Laoda frowned. The chances of getting pregnant the first time are the highest, so why should the second child get the benefit?
"Mom, why do you always favor the second son?"
“Your brother is weak, what’s wrong with you being a little more accommodating to him? I’m your mother, and what I say is law.”
Boss Ma clenched his fists and walked away unhappily.
Ji Ying just huddled in the corner and watched quietly.
Aunt Ma was furious. She took the two potatoes off the ground and brought in a basin of water from outside, which she then poured directly onto Ji Ying.
"You vixen, you've already caused my two sons to quarrel before the wedding banquet even started. If this happens again, I'll make you mate with my cow."
With that, he locked the door.
Ji Ying was soaked to the bone, her lips turned purple from the cold night, and she was shivering uncontrollably.
The room was filled with coarse grains like dried corn kernels, which were far from enough to fill one's stomach.
Yet, amidst this cold and hunger-ridden predicament, she calmly discerned the delicate and tense relationship between the Ma family mother and her two children.
A bold plan took shape in her mind.
The next day, Ji Ying developed a fever.
It was Boss Ma who discovered it.
Aunt Ma grumbled as she went up the mountain to find some herbs, which she then boiled for her to drink.
"With such poor health, I don't even know if I can have a son. You damned bastard, don't try to fool me with some useless thing after giving me money."
"Oh dear, Mom!" Old Ma fiddled with the potato porridge in his hand. "You poured cold water on her and didn't even give her anything to eat. You've ruined her life. The wedding is the day after tomorrow. Whether she can have the baby or not, we'll know in two months, won't we?"
Aunt Ma snorted, "Don't try anything funny, I'll make sure your brother sleeps first, you hear me?"
Boss Ma lowered his head and remained silent.
By evening, Ji Ying's fever had subsided, and Boss Ma came to bring her corn porridge again.
Ji Ying held the warm, broken bowl and looked at him shyly, "Brother Ma, you're so kind."
Boss Ma's ears turned red instantly. "You'll be my wife in the future, how could I not treat you well?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Ying's watery eyes became even more shy.
“I’ve accepted my fate of being sold here, but I’m afraid of your brother. I just want to stay with you.”
A hint of emotion flashed across Boss Ma's eyes, but he still maintained a reasonable demeanor.
"The second son isn't in good health; he can't handle much. Don't worry, from now on, I'll be your only proper man."
"……Um."
Ji Ying responded softly, ate the porridge in small bites, and obediently handed the bowl back to him.
Ma Laoda was captivated by her docile and dependent appearance. After taking the bowl, his rough hands quickly groped Ji Ying's waist before he walked out, satisfied.
He looks honest, but he's a lecher.
Ji Ying looked away, seemingly shy, but a cold killing intent flashed deep in her eyes.
The door closed from the outside.
As soon as Boss Ma hung up the lock, Boss Ma Er emerged from the shadows.
"My brother's only purpose in life is to work for the family. Mom told you to take good care of me, and you're already thinking about women. You think I can't last three minutes? Fine... I'll show you then. I'll use you until you're worn out, and I won't leave you any!"
After saying that, he glared at the locked wooden door, then turned and left.
Boss Ma stood there, his face gradually darkening...
The day of the banquet arrived quickly.
The village was so poor that they could only solve the problem of bachelors by buying wives, so naturally they didn't have the money to buy wedding clothes or red silk.
Aunt Ma had asked someone to bring back a pair of red candles from town the day before, which was already considered quite a thoughtful gesture.
When she unlocked the door and went inside, Ji Ying was still fast asleep.
Aunt Ma grabbed her chin, lifted her up, pried open her mouth, and poured a bowl of dark, murky medicine down her throat.
"This is a fertility remedy obtained from a witch doctor. Drinking it guarantees twin sons."
Ji Ying choked and coughed repeatedly, trembling all over from the pain.
Seeing that she was about to vomit, Aunt Ma grabbed her by the neck and said viciously, "If you dare to vomit, you'll have one less son, and I'll chop you up and feed you to the dogs."
Ji Ying's neck was being pinched painfully, and tears streamed down her face as she forced back the nausea rising in her throat.
Aunt Ma let go of Ji Ying's hand when she saw that she was cooperating, but she still kept kissing her.
"I don't mind that you're secondhand goods that someone else has used. Once you're married, behave yourself and give me a few more grandsons, and you'll have food to eat. The nearest town is at least dozens of miles away, and we're surrounded by several villages. If any wife is disobedient, we'll kill her and bury her without a sound. You should think it over carefully."
After threatening her, Aunt Ma went out to prepare dinner.
Ji Ying pinched her palm, trying to calm herself down.
Hold on.
Tonight is the only chance to escape.
If she doesn't succeed, she'll die here.
...
At this moment, in Beijing.
Dusk is approaching.
As Liang Yizhi looked out the window at the gradually brightening lights of countless homes, his heart turned icy cold, as if even the last vestiges of his life were about to vanish.
At this moment, Jiang Ran pushed open the door and ran in.
"Mr. Liang, we have news."
Liang Yizhi turned to look at her, and his eyes, which had been cold and lifeless just moments before, suddenly blazed with intense fire.
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