Way out
Lu Yu then said softly, "Auntie, we can't live here anymore. I'll take you to a safe place to rest."
Shi Guang's mother's eyes focused slowly on Lu Yu's face. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.
Lu Yu stood up and turned to Shi Guang, signaling in the direction of the bedroom with his eyes: "Go and get Auntie's ID card and cell phone, and bring a few changes of clothes. Nothing else is needed."
His instructions were clear and concise, giving the distracted Shi Guang a clear goal to act upon in this chaotic moment. Shi Guang nodded, turned, and walked into the bedroom.
Lu Yu carefully helped Shi Guang's mother up from the cold ground. He took the distraught woman and the silent boy carrying a simple luggage bag and walked out of the rusty iron gate without looking back.
They locked the nightmare that lasted for twenty years and the mess on the ground behind the door.
Lu Yu quickly booked a hotel on his phone at a chain hotel in Anhe County. The lobby was bright and warm, with a faint fragrance wafting through the air. After checking in and booking two adjoining rooms, he led the mother and son down a quiet, carpeted hallway.
"Auntie, you and Shi Guang live in this room, and I'm next door. If you have any questions, feel free to knock on the door or call me." Lu Yu swiped open the door and handed a room card to Shi Guang.
Warm light instantly poured out, illuminating everything in the room.
The night deepens.
About an hour later, there was a gentle knock on the door. It was time.
"My mother... wants to see you." His voice was a little hoarse, and there was a hint of uncertainty in his eyes.
Lu Yu nodded, without asking any more questions, and followed him into the next room.
In the room, Shi Guang's mother had already washed and changed into clean clothes. Although her face was still pale and haggard, her eyes were much clearer than before. She was sitting on a chair beside the bed. Seeing Lu Yu come in, she struggled to stand up, but Lu Yu quickly stepped forward and held her shoulders in a gentlemanly manner.
"Auntie, please sit down."
Lu Yu opened the takeout boxes one by one and pushed the warm porridge and a plate of side dishes in front of her: "You've been busy all day, eat something first. We can talk about anything slowly."
His thoughtfulness and consideration brought redness to Shi Guang's mother's eyes. She looked at Lu Yu, her lips trembling for a long time before she finally opened the conversation box that had been dormant for twenty years with a complex tone of guilt.
"Child...Auntie...I'm so sorry for getting you involved in this...this kind of scandal in our family..."
This is a beginning. Once it is torn open, the past that has long been rotten and smelly and has been accumulated in the heart will burst out like a flood that has found a gap.
Her story was a jumbled mess, filled with regrets and fantasies. She began by describing how she met and married □□, how he had once been a hardworking factory worker, and how they had lived a peaceful life. Then, the conversation turned to the gambling table that had devoured countless families.
She recounted how □□ had started out as a small-time gambler, becoming increasingly addicted and losing all the family savings; how he had turned to alcohol after losing money, and how he had turned all his frustrations and resentments in life into beatings on his wife and children; how she had spent countless nights filled with the sounds of smashing, smashing, and insults; and how she had repeatedly chosen patience and forgiveness, only to be met with ever-increasing violence.
Shi Guang sat silently by his side. The sound and video largely obscured his presence, with only the neon lights filtering in from the window occasionally illuminating his calm, watery eyes.
Every word his mother spoke wasn't news to him; it was a bloody re-opening of the long-scabbed scars of his childhood. The thunderstorms when he was locked out, the scorn he received for not paying tuition, the beatings and scolding that woke him from his sleep... All the fragments of memory, in his mother's narration, were pieced together into a complete and brutal black-and-white film.
He remained silent, but his hands on his knees had already unconsciously clenched into fists, and his knuckles had turned bluish-white from the force.
After an unknown amount of time, Shi Guang's mother finally collapsed from the combined exhaustion of body and mind, and fell into a deep sleep leaning against the headboard. Tear marks still clung to her face, her brow furrowed, and even in her sleep she was filled with anxiety.
Lu Yu gently tucked her in and dimmed the bedside light. Then, he walked over to the figure still shrouded in darkness, reached out his hand, and gently patted his shoulder.
"Let's go to my room and let Auntie have a good sleep."
In the sleepless night, some wounds are destined to be licked alone in silence.
After a night of rest, Shi Guang's mother regained some of her spirits. After breakfast, Lu Yu took the mother and son to the local police station to take a more detailed statement, as required by the police.
The atmosphere in the police station is solemn and cold. The white walls and the uniformed police officers coming and going make people feel nervous.
Faced with the police's formulaic questioning, Shi Guang's mother once again fell into a state of unease. She spoke incoherently, forgetting many key details out of nervousness. Whenever this happened, Lu Yu, who sat beside her, would gently remind her.
"Auntie, don't be anxious. Take your time to think about it. The police officer is asking, approximately when did he first hit you?"
"Auntie, please tell me how much he owes from gambling. If you are not sure, we can indicate it."
The entire process lasted nearly two hours. When the transcript was finally completed and the mother and son placed their bright red fingerprints on it, they both felt a sense of exhaustion.
The elderly police officer who greeted them was the same one from yesterday. He looked at the clearly traumatized mother and son, a flicker of sympathy in his eyes. He sorted through some documents and, with a hint of resignation, informed them of the final outcome.
"Based on your statements and our interrogation of □□ and the other three suspects, the situation is basically true." He cleared his throat and said, "According to the relevant provisions of the Public Security Administration Punishment Law, we have decided to impose a combined administrative detention of fifteen days on □□ for provoking disturbances and intentionally injuring others. The other three debt collectors have also been sentenced to administrative detention for provoking disturbances, ranging from ten to twelve days."
"Fifteen days..."
Shi Guang's mother repeated the number subconsciously, and her eyes, which had just relaxed a little because the transcript was completed, were instantly gripped by great fear again.
This number wasn't a punishment for her, but a countdown. A countdown to a nightmare starting all over again.
Her voice became shrill with fear. Instinctively, she grabbed the officer's sleeve and asked tremblingly, "Comrade Officer... then... then what about after fifteen days? What should we do after he... after he gets out?"
A flicker of pity flashed across the older officer's eyes, but he could only offer the most realistic answer: "Ma'am, you have to understand that fifteen days of administrative detention is the harshest punishment we can impose in cases like this. After fifteen days, if he comes out...if he attacks you again, you must call the police immediately. Once we receive a report, we will dispatch them."
He paused and added, "As for the debt issue between him and those individuals, it's a civil economic dispute, and we police can't directly intervene. We suggest you try legal procedures, or...mediation with the involvement of the community."
"Call the police...mediate..."
How many times had she called the police? How many times had she tried mediation, with the community and relatives? Each time, the situation ended in vain, with the other party offering hypocritical apologies and assurances, only to be met with even more violent retaliation. She had gone through this cycle over and over again, and she was already despairing.
On the way back to the hotel from the police station, the atmosphere was extremely depressing.
The afternoon in Anhe County is sunny and the streets are bustling with traffic, full of the breath of life.
Shi Guang's mother was completely dazed. She leaned against the back seat of the taxi, staring blankly out the window, muttering unconsciously to herself: "It's useless... It's useless... If he comes out, he'll beat me to death... He will definitely beat us to death..."
Back in the hotel room, Lu Yu finally stopped.
He took a deep breath, as if pouring immense force into every word he was about to say. "Auntie, running away and being afraid won't solve anything. The police have also given us guidance." He paused deliberately before continuing, "There's only one way to prevent him from ever hurting you again."
"Filing for divorce."
"We won't wait for him to retaliate, we won't wait for the next violent incident. We'll take the initiative and sue him in court. Citing his long-standing domestic violence and the massive gambling debts he's incurred, we're asking the court to grant us a forced divorce."
"At the same time," he looked at them, his eyes flashing with a calm and sharp light, "we will immediately begin collecting all evidence of his domestic violence, including your injuries, the testimonies of your neighbors, and his past police reports. We will use this evidence to apply for a personal safety protection order from the court. Once the protection order is in effect, if he dares to approach you, it will be a criminal offense."
"Divorce?"
These two words were like a depth bomb, exploding in Mother Time's already confused mind.
Her first reaction wasn't relief, but rather fear rooted in traditional values. In her world, divorce was a word laced with shame and failure. In a small place like Anhe County, a divorced woman was branded as abandoned, subject to endless gossip and criticism.
She subconsciously shook her head repeatedly, her face paler than before, her voice trembling: "No, no... Child, this is not possible... Divorce, how are we going to live? What will others think of us? I..."
Lu Yu anticipated her reaction and waited until she calmed down a little before continuing to analyze the situation.
"Auntie, what you're worried about now is your financial resources, your livelihood, and how others will view you after the divorce. These are all solvable issues. But have you ever considered that if you don't divorce, you and Shi Guang will face real violence in fifteen days. One is an unknown difficulty, the other is a certain danger. Between the two evils, choose the lesser one. Which do you think is more terrifying?"
His words were like a sharp scalpel, mercilessly cutting through all the tender fantasies and escapes from reality, leaving only the core.
Should I choose to face unknown difficulties or wait for certain death?
She couldn't avoid this question.
Shi Guang's mother opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't refute a word. Yes, compared to being beaten to death, what did other people's opinions matter?
Seeing her expression wavering, Lu Yu knew that no amount of persuasion would be as powerful as actual action. He then pulled out a number from his address book and dialed it. The call was quickly connected after only two rings.
"Hello, Uncle Zhang, hello."
"It's me, Lu Yu, Professor Lin's student. I'm so sorry to bother you."
The voice on the other end of the phone sounded calm and gentle: "It's Xiaoyu. Why are you being so polite? What can I do for you?"
Lu Yu glanced at the mother and son beside him who were looking at him nervously, then said in a deep voice, "Uncle Zhang, this is what I mean. I have a very important friend in Anhe County who's faced some very difficult legal issues, mainly regarding divorce proceedings and domestic violence evidence collection. I know you're a leading expert in this field in China, so I'd like to ask for your help. Could you recommend a reliable lawyer in Anhe County?"
On the other end of the phone, Uncle Zhang pondered for a moment and quickly gave an answer.
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