Bai Ting let out a soft moan, her body trying to escape, but then she remembered something, gave up struggling, and placed her slender hand on Zhang Fan's hands, placing them on his two cloud-like breasts. She closed her eyes and waited for Zhang Fan's next move.
Bai Ting's hands were very rough, with more calluses on her palms than Li Chunyan's. Her body, like her appearance, seemed underdeveloped.
Zhang Fan's gaze fell on Bai Ting's face, and he then carefully examined her.
Dry, yellow hair, thin, sallow skin, sunken cheeks, and even dull, lifeless eyelashes—it looks like he hasn't eaten a single drop of oil in a month.
Zhang Fan frowned slightly. Bai Gui was fat and big-eared, Bai Qing was fat and chubby, and Bai Ting was even malnourished. Bai Gui was really a "talent"!
"Why did you come to find me?" Zhang Fan whispered in Bai Ting's ear.
The warm breath sprayed all over Bai Ting's earlobe. Bai Ting turned her neck to the side, and the feeling of fear disappeared. Shyness took over, and her heart suddenly raced.
Zhang Fan felt the heart pounding like a drum beneath his palm, and only then did he realize what was happening and silently let go of his hand.
Bai Ting remained embracing Zhang Fan, her skin pressed tightly against his muscles. She could clearly feel his tall, strong physique, especially the muscular chest that exuded power. Seeing that Bai Ting still didn't answer, Zhang Fan's icy voice came again: "If you don't talk, I'll unleash Xiao Hei to bite you."
"No...no!" Bai Ting trembled, tears streaming down her face, and confessed everything.
It turned out that Baijia Village had suffered a loss today, and the villagers' anger towards Bai Gui and Bai Qing grew stronger. When they returned home, they vented their anger on Bai Ting and scolded her.
They saw that important person talking to Zhang Fan today, and Zhang Fan was also the one who came up with the idea to put out the fire last time. They thought that Zhang Fan must be a big shot, and that if they could curry favor with Zhang Fan, they could get free water.
Zhang Fan smiled. Bai Ting thought the matter was settled and breathed a sigh of relief. She said with delight, "I'm sorry, I know the people in Baijia Village are bad, but I won't do it. When Bai Gui comes out, he will beat me to death. My mother told me before she died that I must live no matter what."
Zhang Fan's voice was icy: "I'm an idiot..."
Bai Ting suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with disbelief and incredulity.
She had heard that there was a fool in Zhangjiapo, but she never imagined that the fool was Zhang Fan.
Then everything she did today was meaningless.
Bai Ting's face turned deathly pale, her shoulders slumped limply, and tears welled up again: "So be it, this is my fate."
She covered her face, slowly squatted down, curled up into a small ball, and cried silently: "Mom, I'm sorry, I might not be able to keep my promise to you."
When Bai Ting cried, there was no sound of sobbing; only the sound of her sniffling and muttering to herself could be heard.
Zhang Fan looked at the person curled up on the ground, their body trembling with sobs, and didn't know how to comfort them.
From Bai Ting's rambling words, Zhang Fan gleaned information about Bai Ting's background.
Bai Gui favored boys over girls and always disliked Bai Ting for being a girl. He would beat and scold Bai Ting's mother. Bai Ting's mother fell ill during those oppressive days and told Bai Ting before she died that she must live on no matter what.
Bai Ting was only two years old at the time. Her mother's words were deeply imprinted in her heart, and she took them as her life goal.
So when Bai Gui beat her up, called her a worthless piece of trash, and bullied her by Bai Qing, she endured it all.
Actually, Zhang Fan's situation was somewhat similar to Bai Ting's for a period of time. Seeing Bai Ting crying her eyes out, Zhang Fan felt some sympathy for her.
He gently patted Bai Ting's shoulder: "Have you ever thought about leaving Bai Gui's life?"
Bai Ting sobbed, "I...I ran away from home. Later, Bai Gui asked a villager to look for me. When they found me, I was beaten so badly I was barely alive."
She pointed to two thin scars on her shoulder and said, "Here, he burned me with a red-hot fire poker."
She pointed to the circular scars on her arm: "When they're in a bad mood, they'll burn me with cigarettes."
Bai Ting had just turned 18, an age when she should be studying, but Bai Gui thought that it was a waste of money for women to study. He planned to raise Bai Ting for two years and then marry her off to collect a dowry, which he intended to use to subsidize Bai Qing.
Exhausted from crying, she collapsed to the ground, her empty, dim eyes unfocused, as if speaking to Zhang Fan or talking to herself: "I've thought about dying, but even if I die, he'll still arrange a ghost marriage for me. I can't escape it."
Zhang Fan asked, puzzled, "They've already locked everyone up, what are you afraid of?"
Bai Ting paused for a moment, then suddenly stopped crying. These words were like a wake-up call, instantly waking her from a dream: "Yes, this is a good opportunity."
Bai Ting wiped away her tears, her eyes gradually hardening: "I'm going to escape."
She crossed her arms over her chest, grabbed the dress, and hurriedly put it on, but the zipper at the back was broken, so the dress only covered the front, leaving her entire back exposed.
It's alright now that it's nighttime, but if it were daytime, it would be very dangerous for her, a frail woman, to be outside.
Bai Ting's eyes darted around, and she said in a voice that sounded like she was coaxing a child, "Zhang Fan, can I talk to you about something?"
Zhang Fan asked in a naive tone, "What is it?"
"Lend me one of your clothes. I'll definitely buy you another one when I have the chance."
As she spoke, she covered her chest with one hand and explored the room with the other. Fortunately, the moon was very bright tonight, and Bai Ting quickly found a T-shirt and wide-legged pants, which she put on.
Zhang Fan was tall and strong. Bai Ting, who was malnourished, looked like a child wearing an adult's clothes when she wore Zhang Fan's T-shirt. The neckline was too big, exposing most of her shoulders, and the waistband was too big. It would fall down if she let go. In the end, she had to find a rope to tie around her waist to keep it in place.
Although it looks extremely mismatched, it's much better than wearing a torn dress.
Bai Ting picked up the torn dress, held it in her arms, walked to the door, raised her hand to the door, and was about to open it when she suddenly remembered something: "Zhang Fan, remember, no matter who asks, don't say you saw me today."
"Um."
Bai Ting sincerely said to Zhang Fan, "Thank you. If I survive, I will definitely repay you in the future."
As she spoke, she opened the door and was startled by the small black figure at the entrance, but then she resolutely continued walking forward.
Her back was straight, her steps firm, as if she were walking towards a new life.
...
Zhang Fan was lying in bed when he heard footsteps outside, but they weren't close to his house, so he didn't pay much attention and closed his eyes to sleep.
I slept soundly that night, but was woken up by shouting before dawn.
"Oh no! My pigs! They're all dead?!"
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