The village party secretary acted quickly. After receiving the letter of introduction, Old Lady Wu bid farewell to her sons and the village party secretary and embarked on her journey north.
One is in the south and the other in the north, there is no direct train, and I had to change trains twice along the way.
Despite the cold northern winds, Old Lady Wu wrapped herself up tightly and simply carried a wicker trunk as she got off the train.
A gust of cold wind blew in, causing Grandma Wu to wrap her clothes tighter around herself.
"Excuse me, comrade, where is this place?"
What are you doing?
Grandma Wu replied with a smile, "Visiting relatives."
“That’s easy. Come with me. There’s a public information station right outside the train station. I’ll take you there to ask.”
He glanced subtly at the older woman in the brown overcoat in front of him.
I followed this woman out of the train station, and after many twists and turns, we arrived at a deserted alley.
"Judging from your accent, you're not a local."
"As I said, I'm here to visit relatives."
"Wow, look at my brain."
Grandma Wu looked around. "Didn't you say there was a public information station right outside the train station? We've been walking for so long and we still haven't arrived?"
The woman glanced at the fork in the road ahead and said, "We're here, we're here. It's in that courtyard over there."
Grandma Wu pretended to trust her and thanked her repeatedly.
The woman in front of her sneered. She pulled Old Lady Wu inside and waved for the people at the door to lock it.
Grandma Wu still had a smile on her face. "Sister, is this the information station you were talking about?"
One of the men looked Wu up and down and said, "Sister Wang, is this woman mentally ill?"
"So your surname is Wang?"
Sister Wang sneered, "As long as there's nothing wrong with their body, that's fine. It's even better if they have mental problems, so we don't have to worry about them later."
Grandma Wu craned her neck to look around, and seeing that she didn't shout or make a fuss, Sister Wang asked the younger brother beside her, "Where are the other goods?"
"They're all inside, all pre-ordered goods, they'll be shipped out tonight."
Old Mrs. Wu paused as she turned her neck, and Sister Wang pointed at her, "And this too, sell it along with us. It won't fetch a good price, but it'll be enough for the brothers to live well for a month."
"Can you take me where I need to go?"
"Yes, of course..." Sister Wang smiled.
Grandma Wu obediently followed the person in front of her. She glanced around and noticed that all the windows in the houses that let in light were covered with black cloth.
Just as she reached the threshold, a force pushed her from behind, and Grandma Wu fell into the house. It took her a while to adjust to the sudden darkness.
A foul, fishy smell lingered in the air. Old Mrs. Wu frowned. After her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she realized that the place was very large, and there were many dark figures moving around in front of her.
He turned around and glanced at the spot where he had just come in, then reached out and pushed the door, only to find it locked from the outside.
As soon as the noise started, shouts and the sound of sticks hitting the door came through the crack.
Before she could make another move, a voice suddenly came from behind her, "You were kidnapped here too, weren't you?"
"It's no use, we can't escape."
"Give up."
Grandma Wu squinted as she watched the trouser leg disappear through the doorway, then stopped a step away from them.
"Kidnap?"
"Were you all abducted? By that Sister Wang?"
Some of the girls had already started to sob softly. The same voice rang out again, and Old Mrs. Wu's gaze fell in the direction from which the voice came.
"Yes, some of us are here to visit relatives, some are educated youth sent to the countryside, and there are quite a few local girls as well."
Upon hearing that there were still educated youths involved, Old Lady Wu's pupils contracted. If educated youths are missing, why aren't the police looking for them?
This is no small matter.
Hearing Old Lady Wu gasp softly, the voice laughed bitterly again, "There are at least eight or ten educated youths here, and so many have gone missing. You must have been investigated by the authorities after you got off the train?"
A chill crept up Wu's back.
"I'm also an educated youth. I've been here for half a year. They want to sell me out? Ha... I'd rather die than let that guy surnamed Wang get away with it!"
Old Mrs. Wu's nose twitched; the stench of blood seemed particularly strong on her.
“Once I escaped and tried to find the police. I had barely stepped into the police station when they caught me. What did you tell them to the police?”
"They said I was crazy! That I came from the countryside to see a doctor... and that policeman actually believed me? He believed me!"
"Hahaha, don't you think this is ironic?"
"There's no escape, no way out..."
Old Mrs. Wu's face was gloomy.
An eerie silence fell over the room again, even the soft sobs from before had ceased.
Grandma Wu put down the wicker basket in her hand, took out the flashlight inside, and turned it to the lowest setting. The weak, glaring light shone in the darkness.
The crowd instantly stirred, and the sound of sticks banging came from outside the door again. "What are you doing! What are you doing!"
Grandma Wu quickly covered the light source, signaling them to be quiet.
Once it quieted down, the footsteps outside the door faded away.
Grandma Wu took the flashlight out again.
Only then did I get a clear look at the girl in front of me.
Her face was covered in black and red grime, and her eyelids drooped weakly, a stark contrast to her earlier cold and sharp voice.
The clothes on his body were so faded that their original color was no longer visible, and his wrists were covered with a thick layer of scabs.
"You still have your medicine with you?"
Grandma Wu nodded, "Bear with it, it might hurt a little."
The girl gave a bitter laugh, "Pain? I'm not even afraid of death, why would I be afraid of pain?" As she spoke, she used the lamplight to examine Old Mrs. Wu's features.
"Aunt?"
Seeing that she was not young, he tentatively called her "Auntie".
"My name is Ma Xiaoyan. What's your name?"
"Wu Mingxia".
"Aunt Wu."
Ma Xiaoyan has many injuries, big and small, many of which were caused by beatings.
But the most serious injury was the deep, bone-revealing scar on her wrist.
Looking at her bandaged hand, Old Mrs. Wu sighed. Even if the hand heals in the future, she'll probably never be able to use it properly.
Suddenly, a sound came from outside the door. Old Mrs. Wu quickly gathered her things and saw someone carry in a wooden bucket and place it heavily on top. "This is your last meal here today. You'd better eat well and don't try anything funny, or you won't even know how you died!"
Looking through the person who entered, Old Mrs. Wu noticed that the light outside the door was dim, indicating that she had been inside for some time.
After he finished speaking, the door slammed shut with a loud bang.
"The last meal? Where are they going to sell us to?"
Several timid girls had already started crying their eyes out.
People come here every day; the person who was crying just now only came in the last few days.
Grandma Wu stroked her chin, recalling what she had overheard the woman surnamed Wang saying in the courtyard.
It looks like they're going to sell all these girls tonight.
Using the light of her flashlight, Grandma Wu glanced around and saw that there were at least fifteen or sixteen girls here. With so many people... how could they possibly sell them all so quietly?
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