Chapter 17 of the Dark Lady
The happy little house was now gloomy. Where the windows once stood, wooden boards were nailed to the wall. Only a little light filtered through the cracks, barely bringing a little light to this "little box."
Gao Xing didn't turn on the lights. She cradled her panda stuffed animal in her arms, sitting on the floor against the wall. For the past few days, her family, worried she might escape again, had boarded up the windows and door and only given her one meal a day. But Gao Xing didn't feel hungry. Instead, she felt like vomiting after even taking a single bite of the food. She found it strange. She had grown up eating this same kind of food here, so why did she now feel a physical aversion to the old taste? She hadn't been like this before. She used to be strong-willed but also an obedient girl. During the college entrance exam, she could have gotten into a university out of province, but she'd listened to her father and chosen the nearest junior college. When she was in middle school, her mother asked her to take care of her younger brother. Gao Xing would run home every day to pick him up, boil water, and cook. Even earlier, her younger brother had said he wanted to live on his own, so she'd given him her room... Gao Xing couldn't remember when she'd suddenly left home. Her heart ached, a feeling like something was tearing inside her chest. In order to relieve the pain, she beat her chest with her fists from time to time. She even thought, would it feel better if she broke her chest open?
Just as she was daydreaming, the door was opened.
Gao Wang brought in a bucket of water. He placed the bucket on the ground and fanned the air in front of his nose with his hand.
"Wash your face and dress up. You're getting married soon."
Gao Xing looked up at him slightly without saying anything.
Seeing that she didn't move, Gao Wang's tone became impatient.
"Are you stupid? Hurry up and wash up. Look at the smell in your room. It's even worse than a pigsty! You know what? You smell like a perfect match for that butcher."
Gao Xing lowered his head, still motionless.
Gao Wang crossed his arms and sneered.
"What? Are you still waiting for that wild man? Let me tell you, she already has a lover. It's you, a money-loser, who rushed to get close to her. So, let her dump you. You deserve it!"
Gao Xing suddenly rushed towards Gao Wang, but she was very weak and her impact on him was completely ineffective. Gao Wang pushed her back and then kicked Gao Xing's leg.
"Still want to run? I'll fucking break your legs!"
The news of Gao Xing's elopement still got out. This kind of thing is something that people in a mountain village would welcome, not to mention that Gao Xing is one of the few college students among them. Naturally, this became a topic of conversation among the aunts after dinner. Gao Wang was young and very proud, so he was naturally angry with his sister. He kicked her hard these times, but Gao Xing remained indifferent. Gao Xing didn't believe that Zhou Hao would abandon her, but he did not show up that night. Gao Xing didn't know how to explain this, she could only tell herself that what she was experiencing now was actually a dream.
Gao Wang was tired of kicking, so he turned around and went out to lock the door tightly again. During this time, he didn't even look at Gao Xing.
Gao Shuigen had been quite happy these past few days. He had already negotiated with the construction team, and the Gao family would soon have their own new house, a small one at that. Zhu Shun had a bad temper, but he was very straightforward with his payments, without a hint of hesitation. Gao Shuigen was thinking that once the new house was finished, he would definitely install a grand entrance, a double-leaf stainless steel door. He would also pre-furnish a nursery so that his grandson could move right in when he was born.
He was looking at the open space in front of him and thinking when Gao Wang came over.
"Dad, you have to take care of her! How is she going to get married the day after tomorrow if she doesn't wash her face or comb her hair?"
Gao Shuigen's face suddenly darkened.
"That's not up to her."
Our world is like this, not everyone can get what they want.
Over the next few days, Gao Xing couldn't stop thinking about Zhou Hao. She didn't believe he would abandon her, but she couldn't understand why he hadn't shown up yet. Sometimes she worried that the silly boy would be waiting for her at the station, and sometimes she fantasized about the two of them traveling far away, never to return. Sometimes she thought, why not just marry whoever my family said I should marry? That way, I wouldn't have to endure arguments, fights, or verbal abuse, and my parents would be happy too. As they say: How can anyone decide their own destiny?
Finally, the dark door opened, and my mother stood at the door holding a brand new red dress, which sparkled brightly under the bright light.
Gao Xing didn't resist. She obediently washed her face, combed her hair, changed her clothes, picked up her panda stuffed animal, and was then escorted to a strange house. Zhu Shun had no family or relatives, and he didn't hold any ceremonies or banquets, just some sumptuous food and wine. Gao Xing sat aside, neither eating nor talking. Zhu Shun didn't seem to mind, believing that a woman's silence was an advantage.
Zhu Shun drank a lot of wine, his face became redder and redder, and his eyes became bloodshot. Gao Xing stood up, said he needed to go to the bathroom, and walked out of the room alone.
Gao Xing walked into the courtyard, the only house in the village with a courtyard. She let her hair down, pushed open the gate, and ran towards the sun. She had no destination, she didn't know where she was going, she just wanted to get away.
But how can people decide their own destiny?
In fact, Gao Xing had only run a few steps when Zhu Shun caught up with her. Zhu Shun carried Gao Xing back to the room and threw her on the bed.
Zhu Shun was not angry. Instead, he seemed very excited, with beads of sweat oozing from his greasy skin.
"I was worried that you were like a piece of wood. Resist it, I like women who resist the most, hehe, it's exciting!"
Zhu Shun grabbed Gao Xing's hair and slapped her twice. Gao Xing's face immediately became red and swollen.
"Cry, cry quickly, I want to hear the cry!"
Zhu Shun suddenly tore Gao Xing's coat into pieces and threw it under the bed.
Gao Xing had never experienced anything like this before. After being assaulted by Zhu Shun, her mind went blank, her body resisting instinctively. As Zhu Shun pressed his bloated frame against her, she suddenly felt like vomiting. Her mind grew increasingly hazy, and within moments, she could no longer remember who she was, leading to a complete emotional breakdown.
Gao Xing suddenly burst into laughter, tears streaming down her face. She clamped her legs around Zhu Shun and scratched his face with her hands. Unbeknownst to him, he struck Gao Xing's head furiously, until he fainted.
When Gaoxing woke up, it was already afternoon.
Gao Xing found herself standing in an unfamiliar courtyard, wearing only her underwear, at a loss. She tried to recall her past memories, but her brain felt numb, followed by a tearing sensation in her lower body.
Zhu Shun walked out of the house and threw an apron on Gao Xing.
"Why are you pretending to be such a big shot? Why don't you go and cook?"
Gao Xing subconsciously covered her body with her apron, and looked at Zhu Shun vigilantly while backing away.
There were still a few scratches on Zhu Shun's face.
"Don't look at your thin figure, you're actually quite bad. I was fooled by your father, so I spent so much money on the bride price to marry a female college student. Now you want to play dumb, right? I'm telling you, it's no use! Hurry and get to work!"
Gao Xing was speechless. She had already retreated to the wall, completely at a loss as to what to do.
Zhu Shun burped. Seeing that Gaoxing didn't react, he went up and grabbed Gaoxing's hair.
"Are you dumb or deaf?"
Gao Xing was so frightened that she lost consciousness again. She kept waving her hands, crying and laughing at the same time.
Zhu Shun was angered again by Gao Xing's behavior. He slapped Gao Xing hard, carried him into a small room like a chicken, and pushed him into a basement.
Occasionally, a hissing sound would come from the tungsten lamp. This was the first thing Gao Xing saw after regaining consciousness.
Surrounding her were solid walls. One wall was covered with various torture instruments, while another had the Chinese character "正" carved in blood. Gao Xing tried to stand up, but her neck was tied to the ground with an iron chain. The chain was short, so Gao Xing could only squat, unable to stand up. A wave of cold air washed over her, and she realized she had been stripped naked.
Gao Xing closed her eyes and tried to recall what had happened. Disjointed fragments flooded her mind: Zhu Shun's greasy face, the torn wedding dress, the hand strangling her throat, and the bright red blood... Gao Xing's head hurt more and more, and she knelt on the ground, holding her head and crying.
Cold and hunger gradually quenched Gao Xing's sorrow. A deep fear crept into her, terrified of seeing that greasy face again. There were no windows, and even less time. Gao Xing's heart hung in the balance, thankfully for Zhu Shun. But soon, the stinging, panicked feeling in her heart didn't subside; instead, it intensified, fueled by loneliness, uncertainty, and a sense of powerlessness.
A pool of liquid oozed from Gao Xing's feet. She was incontinent. She subconsciously tried to move away, but the chains bound her, limiting her ability to move. Gao Xing thought of her small room with its windows nailed shut by boards, and her tattered doll.
Gao Xing carved a vertical line into the wall. The faint sound of a rooster crowing was her only way to tell the time. She thought about dying, figuring that if she banged her head against the wall, she would never have to suffer again in this life. And what about her next life? Damn it! Every time she made up her mind, the fear of death would stop her. Gao Xing didn't know how long she had been trapped in this cage. In this dark and lonely time, she even hoped that Zhu Shun would appear.
The iron plate above his head was pulled away, and Zhu Shun came down from it. He brought a bag of food: pig's head, eggs, vegetables, and water. Zhu Shun threw a bottle of water to Gao Xing.
Gao Xing was so thirsty that he drank all the water in the bottle in one gulp, and then stared at the food Zhu Shun brought. Zhu Shun was very satisfied with Gao Xing's reaction.
"Are you hungry? You're covered in dust. Wash yourself."
Zhu Shun connected a water pipe from outside and washed Gao Xing's body like washing livestock. During this time, Gao Xing did not move and let Zhu Shun do whatever he wanted.
"Are you hungry? Do you want to eat?"
Zhu Shun put away the pipe, threw a piece of cloth to Gao Xing, and motioned her to wipe herself dry.
Gaoxing didn't dare to look at Zhu Shun, but just nodded.
"Okay, turn around and lie down. If you serve me well today, all the food will be yours. If I'm not satisfied at all..."
Zhu Shun took a whip from the wall and swung it hard.
Gao Xing was frightened by the sound of the whip and turned around, allowing Zhu Shun to manipulate him like a puppet.
After venting his anger, Zhu Shun pushed Gao Xing to the ground like a broken sack.
"You bunch of bitches, each and every one of you deserves to be punished. Why aren't you resisting now? Why aren't you tickling me now?"
Gao Xing lay on the ground motionless.
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