They didn't dress her, they just threw a tattered blanket at her.
She lived like an animal, manipulated and abused at will, her life a living hell.
She thought about dying every day, but she was unwilling to accept it. Even if she died, she would still go find Zhao Meilan. She had ruined her life so badly, and she could not let her live a carefree life.
The second time he escaped was when someone in the village was having a wedding.
With all three men in her household gone, she knew this was her chance.
To remove the iron chain, she rubbed a large chunk of skin off her foot.
Despite the pain, I found one of their outfits in the room.
She put on her clothes and ran towards the mountains. The fog in the mountains was so thick that she couldn't tell which way to go, and she just kept walking in.
Her feet were in excruciating pain, but she still dared not stop.
She walked for an unknown amount of time, until she was too exhausted to go any further, and found a cave on the mountain to rest.
Soon she heard footsteps in the distance. She felt like she had walked a long way, but those big men were walking much faster than her.
She was too scared to leave the cave, trembling with fear, but if she didn't go out, it was only a matter of time before they found her.
She eventually overcame her fear and walked step by step toward the cave entrance.
She had just walked to a big tree when someone grabbed her clothes.
She was so startled that she almost screamed.
The man covered her mouth, made a shushing gesture, and whispered, "Don't make a sound."
Then he pulled her back step by step.
The two came to a thicket of bushes, and the man led her inside to hide.
"Don't say anything, I'll go and distract those people."
Zhou Yuting dared not utter a sound; she prayed that she could escape this calamity.
At that moment, she felt as if God had heard her voice.
Because the man was in the opposite direction, he deliberately made noise to lure the people who came looking for him away.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw them walk away.
Then they quietly emerged from the bushes and continued walking forward.
At that time, she felt that if she stopped, she would be dragged back again.
She walked for another hour, until she could barely stand up, before she stopped.
No sooner had she sat down than the man who had helped her before reappeared.
After Zhao Meilan and the woman who had previously reported her for running away, she dared not trust anyone anymore.
Seeing the man approaching her, Zhou Yuting backed away step by step; "Who are you? Are you here to arrest me?"
By the moonlight, Zhou Yuting could tell that the man had a rather refined appearance.
"If I wanted to catch you, I would have told them right away. Why would I help you hide?"
Zhou Yuting remained silent; she could no longer trust anyone.
She endured the excruciating pain in her feet, ignored the man, and continued walking forward.
The man frowned when he saw her feet. "If you keep walking like this, your feet will become useless. You wait here. I know some herbs that can reduce inflammation and stop bleeding."
As he had instructed, the man quickly found the hemostatic medicine and crushed it.
He said to Zhou Yuting, "Don't be afraid, I mean no harm. I'll apply the medicine to your feet."
As he spoke, the man took a few steps closer to Zhou Yuting.
Zhou Yuting didn't move. The man squatted down, took her foot in his hand, and began to apply medicine little by little.
The cool, refreshing sensation relieved some of her pain.
After applying the medicine, the man said again, "My name is Atu. I don't know your name yet?"
Zhou Yuting didn't reply, but whispered, "Thank you for the medicine."
After saying that, she continued walking forward. Even though Atu gave her the impression of being a good person, she couldn't trust anyone in the village.
She only feels a little safe when she's alone.
"Your foot is injured, don't walk anymore. Those people won't be coming today. You rest well, I'll go catch a rabbit for you to eat."
After he left, Zhou Yuting forced herself to walk faster and faster.
She had been walking on the mountain for an unknown amount of time, but still hadn't made it out.
Just as her stomach was growling with hunger, someone behind her handed her a large rabbit leg: "Hungry? Eat something to tide you over, or you won't have the energy."
Seeing that she wouldn't take it, Atu handed it directly to her.
"Eat up! Isn't what you want to do to leave this place? I know this mountain well. Eat well and I'll take you away."
Zhou Yuting was tempted; she was too tired from walking.
No matter which way you go, you can't leave this mountain.
She took a bite of the rabbit leg; it was the first time she had eaten meat in months.
"Are you really willing to take me away from here?"
Atu nodded. "I'm willing. I know you were forced into this, and I don't approve of what they're doing. It's just that I don't have much say in the village, and they don't listen to me at all. But since we met on the mountain, it means we're destined to meet. Even God is guiding me to help you, so don't worry."
"I promise you'll be able to leave the mountains tonight, and I'll take you to catch the train back tomorrow morning. You'll be able to see your family the day after tomorrow."
She couldn't see Zhou Yuting's family, but the thought of leaving this place gave her renewed energy.
She wanted to go back and learn about Zhao Meilan herself.
She quickly finished the rabbit leg, then looked seriously at the man named Atu in front of her and said, "Are you really willing to take me out of the mountains and let me go back? Aren't you afraid they'll cause you trouble afterward?"
Atu's lips curled slightly, his face flashing with inexplicable excitement, but Zhou Yuting didn't notice.
"Don't worry, I'll take you away. They won't cause me any trouble."
Looking at the misty mountains and the endless road, Zhao Meilan thought to herself, "Now I have no choice but to listen to him."
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