The Tragedy of Art vs. Child Trafficking (Part 7)

The Tragedy of Art vs. Child Trafficking (Part 7)

Shen Xingyan and Mrs. Qian were sitting on a minibus together. There were not many people on the bus, and most of them were drowsy.

Shen Xingyan asked in a low voice: "Where are we going?"

"You'll know when you get there."

As the car drove further and further, the ground became more and more bumpy. From time to time, people would stop cars on the roadside, get in, find a seat, and close their eyes to rest.

The driver shouted: "If anyone is getting off, please let us know in advance. If no one gets off, we won't stop."

There was no bus stop on the road and no sign for the village, so I had no idea where the car was going. Shen Xingyan reached into her bag and touched the electric baton, and she felt a little relieved.

Suddenly someone told the driver to get out of the car, the driver stopped the car, and the man got out carrying the bag.

Mrs. Qian closed her eyes, as if she knew what she wanted to ask, "Don't worry, it's not here yet."

"I was hungry, so I had a bowl of porridge in the morning."

Mrs. Qian sneered, "When you pass the test, you can eat whatever you want."

Shen Xingyan immediately became happy, "Aunt, you have to help me."

"Don't worry, I introduced you. If you fail the test, I, Mrs. Qian, will have no place to put my face."

Ten minutes later, Mrs. Qian opened her eyes and said, "Master, stop the car at the intersection ahead." She took the bag from the rack on the roof and walked to the front door. Shen Xingyan followed behind. A white car drove past. Shen Xingyan took a look and then shifted his gaze to Mrs. Qian.

After getting off the car, Mrs. Qian led the way in front. The poplar trees on the roadside rustled in the wind, and every step on the dirt road raised dust.

The outline of a village gradually emerged. The houses near the entrance of the village looked a little shabby, and some of the roofs were covered with plastic sheets. Perhaps the houses were leaking and they had no money to repair them.

Mrs. Qian was familiar with the route, and after turning around a few times in the village, she finally arrived at the door of a house.

This family didn't even have a wall around their yard, just some broken wood to surround it. There was a stone mill in the middle of the yard, and a small donkey was tied to a crooked tree next to it.

Mrs. Qian walked straight into the yard and shouted, "Is anyone home?"

"I'm here." A man came out. He was wearing a sweatshirt. The sweatshirt was loose and the material was very thin due to washing. The man's face was a little dark, and he looked a little honest. "Is it Aunt Qian?"

"It's me."

"Come in."

The room was very dark. There were wooden chairs and an octagonal table in the main hall, with an enamel pot on the table.

In the inner room, a woman was half sitting and half lying, with a towel wrapped around her head and a baby in her arms.

When Shen Xingyan saw this, his heart skipped a beat and he vaguely understood what the so-called test was.

The man said, "I just ate and fell asleep."

Mrs. Qian climbed onto the kang, took a look, and nodded with satisfaction, "She's a beauty."

The woman shed tears when she heard this, "Are you really going to sell it?" The woman went to see her husband, and the man gritted his teeth and said, "Sell it. How can I have children if I don't sell it? The Chen family can't die out here."

"But……"

"Just think of her as being dead at birth."

When a woman cries, it is because she was born after ten months of pregnancy, so she has more emotions than men.

Mrs. Qian was very happy. She took out a handkerchief with money wrapped in it from her bag and said, "This is one thousand yuan. We agreed on it at the beginning. Take the money and take good care of yourself. When you are well, you can have another son."

The man took his daughter from his wife's arms, kissed her forehead, and put her into Mrs. Qian's arms. He took the money with trembling hands, turned around, and said in a painful voice: "You guys go!"

Shen Xingyan was stunned. He was going to sell his newborn daughter? !

Mrs. Qian turned around and left. Seeing Shen Xingyan still standing there in a daze, she kicked her and said, "What are you doing?! Go!"

Shen Xingyan glanced at the parents. The man had his back to them, his body tense. The woman whimpered and half stretched out her hands, as if wanting to hug him back.

She sighed softly and followed Mrs. Qian out, "Is that all?"

"Otherwise, I want to stay for dinner."

"them……"

"Stop talking nonsense and go!" Mrs. Qian walked quickly. The little girl was sleeping soundly in her arms. The little girl had no idea that she had been sold by her biological parents.

When they got to the main road, Mrs. Qian stuffed the child into Shen Xingyan's arms and said, "You hold it."

Shen Xingyan had never held a child before, so she felt the child was so soft. She didn't know where to get the strength from, and her whole body tensed up. "Are we leaving now?"

"What else?"

"This child?"

"You don't need to worry about it, just follow me."

Shen Xingyan frowned as she looked at the little girl sleeping sweetly in her arms. The little girl was fair and tender, with eyelashes as long, thick and like small brushes, a rosy little mouth, and her nose twitching occasionally. Her heart melted at the sight of her. How could her parents bear to let her go?

After waiting for a long time, the minibus finally arrived. The two got on and sat in the back seat. The car bumped forward, Shen Xingyan hugged the child, his whole body sticky, the child smacked his lips, as if he was dreaming.

For Shen Xingyan, every minute of the journey back to Nanfu City was torture. Yesterday she discussed with Gu Fang that if Mrs. Qian took her to kidnap the child, she would pretend to fail and not really kidnap the child.

But I didn't expect that he actually came out to buy a child.

Finally seeing Nanfu City, Shen Xingyan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Who knew that this car was not going to Nanfu, but turned a corner before entering the city.

"We're not going back?"

Mrs. Qian glared at her and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "We will take the child back. If the villagers ask about it, what will we say? Of course, we will just sell her."

Shen Xingyan's eyes widened, and Mrs. Qian covered her mouth, "Don't talk, I've already found a buyer, we just need to go and give the child to them."

Shen Xingyan suppressed the pounding heart and nodded.

Mrs. Qian let her go. "It's a matter of choice. Her parents don't want her anyway. Even if it's not me, there are others. This kind of business has no capital. Once it's changed hands, the price will double. Don't be stupid. You know the situation of your family. If you don't do business, how can you make money?"

Shen Xingyan said nothing and looked down at the little girl. It had been such a long time and she hadn't woken up yet. She didn't cry or make a fuss, so she must be a good child. She pressed her cheek against hers, poor child.

Mrs. Qian snorted, "Don't think she's cute now. When she wakes up and starts crying, you'll want to strangle her to death."

"Does Auntie have any children?"

Mrs. Qian turned her head and said, "No,...dead! All dead!" She gritted her teeth, hatred in her eyes.

Shen Xingyan didn't dare to speak, for fear that Mrs. Qian would get too emotional and do something extreme, especially since she had a child with her.

The sun was getting hotter and hotter, and the temperature in the car was getting higher and higher. The wind blowing in from the windows is hot, and many people fan themselves with their hands because they are so hot.

The child in her arms moved and opened her eyes. She looked at Shen Xingyan with eyes like black grapes, opened her mouth and started crying.

Shen Xingyan: ...

"What should I do?" She was a little panicked.

Mrs. Qian took out a bottle from her bag and was about to put it into the child's mouth.

Shen Xingyan turned sideways to block it, "What is it?"

"She can be quiet after drinking. She's too noisy."

"Sleeping pills?!"

Shen Xingyan's voice was a little loud, and everyone in the car looked at them.

Mrs. Qian yelled in a low voice, "Keep your voice down!" She looked at everyone and said, "It's okay, it's okay. The child is hungry."

Everyone turned around and went about their own business.

Shen Xingyan whispered: "I coaxed her, she is too young to drink."

"It's up to you. People younger than her have drunk it before. What's the problem? It's just a nap." Mrs. Qian curled her lips, annoyed that she was making a fuss out of nothing.

Shen Xingyan clenched her fists. If she hadn't been concerned about the child, she would have given the old woman a big bag. Giving sleeping pills to such a young child was simply inhumane!

Suddenly, Mrs. Qian stood up and said, "Driver, stop the car. We're here." She tried to pull Shen Xingyan, "Get out of the car!" To avoid arousing suspicion, she deliberately raised her voice and said, "I told you not to take her with you, but you insisted on taking her. Look how she's crying. Hurry up and comfort her!" She then explained to everyone, "This is my daughter-in-law. It's her first time traveling far away and she's worried about the child."

Everyone nodded, especially the older ones who had experience in raising children, and they agreed very much.

Shen Xingyan got out of the car holding the child, coaxing the child while rocking the car. She pulled the swaddling clothes that wrapped the child down, revealing half of her chest. The child actually stopped crying.

Mrs. Qian saw it and said, "It looks like it's hot."

"Where are we going?"

"See that bridge ahead? Go there."

There is a culvert not far away. It is so dark that not even light can penetrate. Shen Xingyan looked back and vaguely saw the front of a white car. He took a step and followed behind Mrs. Qian.

Mrs. Qian was very quick on her feet. She saw a culvert far away, but it was there in the blink of an eye. A couple was waiting, the woman was wearing a headscarf, leaving only her eyes exposed, and the man was wearing a hat and a mask. He first saw Mrs. Qian, his eyes curved, "You are here."

Mrs. Qian took the child from Shen Xingyan's arms and said, "The child is here. He is very well behaved. He doesn't cry or make a fuss. He looks pretty good too."

The man took one look and couldn't take his eyes away. The woman reached out to touch it, but Mrs. Qian turned sideways and blocked her hand. "Where's the money?"

"Here it is." The woman took out a wad of money from her purse.

Mrs. Qian chuckled a few times and said, "Yanyan, count."

Shen Xingyan took the money and counted it. There was actually five thousand yuan. She gave it to Mrs. Qian, who nodded and then gave the child to them.

The woman held the child and wouldn't let go, her eyes full of joy.

The man said, "Since the child has been given to us, she can only be our child from now on. Even if her biological parents come looking for us, we will not acknowledge her."

"Don't worry, they won't come, and they won't be found."

Thinking of the poor couple, Shen Xingyan felt a lump in his chest. They sold their daughter for one thousand yuan, but they didn't expect that they would get five thousand yuan in one go.

"That's best. You don't know us either."

"I've been in this business for so long, I know all the rules. If I betray you, I'll be struck by lightning."

The man was satisfied and left with his wife.

Shen Xingyan really wanted to rush over and take the child away, but where could she send the child if she brought her back? Her parents didn't want her, so even if she reluctantly kept the child by their side, would she be happy?

Not long ago, there was a case of a grandfather who favored boys over girls and killed his granddaughter with his own hands. Although her father would not kill her, he would not necessarily like her.

Shen Xingyan suddenly felt very powerless. She had originally wanted to rescue more children, but she didn't expect to be involved in a child trafficking case.

On the way back, she didn't want to talk, saying she had a stomachache, and kept closing her eyes to rest.

Mrs. Qian secretly stuffed a few hundred-dollar bills into her hand and said, "This is yours."

Shen Xingyan held the money and felt it was hot. But she had to express her attitude, this was the first step. She opened her eyes and forced a smile, "Thank you, auntie. I know I shouldn't take this money, but my family is too poor." She worried again, "I'm afraid my man will leave me if he knows how I make money."

"Then don't tell him. When you make enough money, you can have any kind of man you want."

"But I just like him."

Mrs. Qian was very disappointed with him, "You are useless! Then I'll keep it a secret until I know how long it will take."

Shen Xingyan nodded and closed her eyes again.

When she got home, Gu Fang was already there and waiting for her. As soon as Shen Xingyan saw him, tears started to flow for some reason. Gu Fang was terrified. He took out a towel and tried to comfort her, "What happened? What happened? Did Qiu Ming and the others not follow us?"

Shen Xingyan shook her head and told the story with sobs, "I just think being a girl is too pitiful." She empathized with the girl, fortunately her parents did not favor boys over girls.

Gu Fang raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, and finally put it on her back, stroking it again and again. "I thought they were just trafficking children, but I didn't expect they would buy children directly from their parents."

Shen Xingyan felt the warmth in his hand, and her aching heart felt better. She raised her tearful eyes and looked at him, "What should I do now?" Her eyes and nose were red, like a poor rabbit.

Gu Fang's voice softened unconsciously. "The child must be rescued. A child is a human being, not a commodity. How can they be bought and sold at will? These two families must pay the price. As for Mrs. Qian, she will be secretly arrested tonight and interrogated!"

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