Chapter 18 of the Dark Lady
The bride has to return to her parents’ home on the seventh day after her marriage.
Gao Wang, carrying a bag of cheap fruits, hesitated for a long time, and finally knocked on Zhu Shun's door.
After a while, the door was finally opened and Zhu Shun stood shirtless inside. When he saw Gao Wang, he didn't smile at all, just nodded.
Although Gao Wang disliked Zhu Shun, he still forced a smile on his face.
"Brother, the day to return home has passed a few days ago. Go home with my sister today. Don't let people gossip."
Gao Wang poked his head out to look into the yard and asked casually.
"Happy?"
Zhu Shun used his body to block Gao Wang's view.
"She has something to do. She's cooking."
"What to cook at this time?"
Gao Wang walked sideways into the yard and looked around.
"Happy, come out. You didn't go home on purpose, did you? Do you want to see your family make a fool of themselves?"
Gao Wang thought Gao Xing was deliberately avoiding him, so he rushed straight into Zhu Shun's bedroom.
Zhu Shun did not stop Gao Wang. He turned around and closed the door.
Gao Wang didn't see Gao Xing in the room, and there was only a pillow on the bed. Gao Wang walked back to the yard and looked at Zhu Shun suspiciously.
"You said you were happy to cook, but where are you?"
Zhu Shun glared and spoke rudely.
"How dare you ask me that? That bitch ran away the very day she got married!"
"What nonsense! If she ran away, why haven't you come to my house to look for her yet? Zhu Shun, let me tell you, we are all from the same village, don't go too far."
Zhu Shun heard that Gao Wang's words seemed to imply something, so he reached out and touched his neck.
"I haven't even finished my fucking sentence, what are you yelling about? She ran away, and I caught her and locked her in the house again."
"Okay, then let her out. I have something to tell her at home."
Zhu Shun patiently said "OK" and walked into the warehouse. A moment later, Zhu Shun came out with a disheveled woman. She was wearing a sweatshirt and stood there mechanically with dull eyes.
Gao Wang leaned his head out and looked at the woman in front of him for a long time before he recognized that it was Gao Xing.
"Zhu Tuzi, you're treating my family like this, aren't you? Don't think I can't see the injuries just because you're wearing thick clothes. You have to pay for this!"
"You want me to pay you money? I'm even going to cancel the engagement! How do I handle this matter when you marry a lunatic to me?"
The two men's argument intensified, and soon they began to fight. Zhu Shun was strong and powerful, and in two blows, he knocked Gao Wang to the ground. Gao Wang's nose was bleeding, and he rolled on the ground, begging for mercy.
Gao Xing on the side suddenly reacted. She clapped her hands and laughed, as if she saw something interesting.
When Gao Wang returned home, he told his parents the story in an exaggerated way.
Gao Wang had a piece of toilet paper stuffed in his nose, covered his cheek with one hand, and kept cursing Zhu Shun.
"Zhu the butcher has bullied our family so badly, I think we need to call the police. He'll never let me off unless he gets 80,000 or 100,000 yuan!"
Gao Shuigen held a cigarette in his mouth and nodded continuously.
"Second brother, you should visit Zhu Shun's house more often from now on."
Gao Wang shuddered and the toilet paper on his nose fell out.
"What's gotten better about him?"
"What if he hits your sister again?"
Gao Wang blinked.
"what to do?"
"You have to pay compensation too!"
The Gao family was still discussing how much money Zhu Shun should pay in compensation when Zhu Shun came to the Gao family holding Gao Xing's hand.
Zhu Shun thought carefully. After all, he and the Gao family lived in the same village, and everyone knew he had married Gao Xing. If he acted too harshly, he would be unable to explain himself. Gao Xing was now dull and incompetent, unable to do housework, and even tried to set himself on fire. Annoyed, Zhu Shun took Gao Xing back to the Gao family and proposed to break off the engagement.
Gao Shuigen was naturally unhappy. How could he break off the engagement after sleeping with the girl? He could break off the engagement if he wanted, but he'd give him some compensation. Zhu Shun, in turn, said, "You've married a fool to me. Not only must you return the betrothal gifts, but you must also compensate me for your losses." Just as the two sides were exchanging offers, Gao Xing disappeared.
Gao Xing, clutching her stuffed animal, returned to her little room. She boarded up the windows, closed the door, and lay quietly on her bed. These past few days, her mind had often felt numb, her body unable to control itself. Sometimes, Gao Xing would even forget what she had been doing the moment before. Now that she was back in her little room, the sunlight could only sneak in through the cracks, yet she felt a sense of security. She had finally come to a realization: How could anyone determine their own destiny?
In the days that followed, the Gao family ignored Gao Xing, and her spirits gradually recovered. Gao Xing removed the wooden board from the window and looked again at the floating white clouds and flying insects outside.
A new set of clothes was thrown on Gao Xing's bedside. She was getting married again. While the Gao family was arguing with Zhu Shun, they found someone to introduce Gao Xing to a family. Although Gao Xing had been married before and was somewhat mentally unstable, the Gao family still wanted a high price.
This time Gao Xing didn't run away. She obediently lay down on a strange bed. She thought there couldn't be anyone worse than Zhu Shun, right? But when she saw his twisted and hideous face, she knew she was wrong.
When Zhu Li was a child, he knocked over a kettle on the stove, severely scalding his face. From then on, he covered his face whenever he went out, lowered his head, and walked around everyone he met. He knew his face was unsightly, and on several occasions, he frightened children to tears, earning him even beatings from their relatives. They told Zhu Li to stay home if he was ugly and not to go out and scare children.
Zhu Li was powerless to resist those people, and he became even more silent. Zhu Li lived like this for more than 40 years. Not to mention touching women, even looking at them a few more times was a luxury for him. Fortunately, there was a crazy woman here, and fortunately, the Gao family only looked at the betrothal gift and not the person.
Zhu Li climbed on top of Gao Xing and stared at her face. It was youthful, fresh, and without any scars.
Gao Xing didn't dare to look at the man on her body. She closed her eyes tightly and didn't dare to speak.
Zhu Li stuck out his tongue and licked Gao Xing's face.
"Open your eyes and look at my face."
His eyes closed tighter with joy.
"Are you like them, too afraid to look at me?"
Zhu Li suddenly felt a surge of anger that had been suppressed for decades. He tore off Gao Xing's clothes with both hands and kept groping her body. But he soon stopped. He had never touched a woman before and he didn't know what to do.
Zhu Li got out of bed and lit a red candle.
"I know you all look down on me and say I'm a monster."
Zhu Li slowly tilted the red wax in his hand, and a drop of red liquid dripped onto Gao Xing's skin. Gao Xing cried out in pain and tried to push Zhu Li away.
"Hurt? Yes, it really hurts when it gets burned on your face."
Zhu Li dropped a few more drops of wax on Gao Xing, expecting her to scream in pain.
A wave of numbness and confusion washed over Gao Xing's brain again. She didn't know where she got the strength from, but she pushed Zhu Li to the ground. Gao Xing took off all her clothes, turned around and lay on the ground.
Over the next few days, Gao Xing would take off his clothes and lie prone on the ground whenever he saw Zhu Li. Later, without warning, Gao Xing would run to the intersection outside and strip off his clothes piece by piece. Zhu Li's family had many relatives, and rumors were spreading like locusts, which made Zhu Li, who already had low self-esteem, even more ashamed. Zhu Li simply followed Zhu Shun's example and sent Gao Xing back to the Gao family.
Seeing his daughter taking off her clothes at every turn, Gao Shuigen could only lock Gao Xing back into the hut.
Gao Xing, returning this time, felt very unfamiliar with the room. She picked up a worn-out stuffed panda beside the bed, looked at it, and tossed it aside. Gao Xing moved everything out from under the bed, then lay down under it herself, moving some cardboard boxes back to block herself.
Gao Xing lay under the bed, swinging her feet and humming a tuneless song. Who taught her to sing this? Zhou Hao? Zhou Hao... who was he?
In the days that followed, Gao Xing's spirit constantly swung between clarity and confusion. She began to lose her sense of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, and even lost her ability to react to the stimulation of outer clothing. Until she was once again sent to a strange family and laid in a strange bed.
Chen Quezi is not only lame but also old, otherwise why would he spend money to buy a mentally ill daughter-in-law? In fact, for the Chen family, whether a woman is mentally healthy is not important, what is important is that she can give birth to a son. However, their wish is likely to be in vain, because Chen Quezi, lying in Gaoxing, realized that he is not capable of it.
Chen Quezi was filled with shame and anger. He turned his misfortune into torture for Gao Xing. When he went out, he tied a rope around Gao Xing's neck like a dog. When he returned home, he made Gao Xing strip naked and sleep in the corner.
Gao Xing lived in a daze for several months at Chen Quezi's house. One inconspicuous afternoon, she escaped from there or got lost. Gao Xing didn't know where she was going, she just ran towards the sun based on her instinct.
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