"Why were you brought in?" Qin Xiaoyu asked curiously.
"Same as you." Sister Lian smiled.
"Speculation and profiteering?" Qin Xiaoyu asked in surprise. This Lian Jie was so carefree; she didn't realize he was a businessman.
"I trade grain coupons and cloth coupons. I have no choice. The men die young, and there are many children in the family. One after another, they all open their mouths to eat. If I don't do something crooked, I can't support them." Sister Lian said it casually, but Qin Xiaoyu felt a tightness in her heart.
"Yes, it's not easy. You've worked hard."
"Ha, what are you saying? Who has an easy life? You?" Sister Lian retorted stubbornly, but her eyes were bright and glistening with tears.
"Yes, it's not easy for anyone." Qin Xiaoyu gave a wry smile. She was still feeling sorry for others, but she didn't know how she was going to wash off her own embarrassment.
"I go out every day to clean their toilets. If I get any news, I'll find out for you. Just stay calm. There are all sorts of people in here. Don't cause trouble. Keep a low profile," Sister Lian whispered to her.
"Can't a person get any sleep?!" someone cursed. A shoe flew over, and as they turned their heads, the shoe hit the wall, tumbled, and fell down.
"Go to sleep. You won't be able to sleep during the day tomorrow, and I'll probably have to keep you up."
"What are you doing to me?" Qin Xiaoyu asked nervously.
"Interrogation? They'll be asking you all sorts of questions for days. This is a big case. I have to say, you're quite capable. I only dealt in a few hundred kilograms of grain coupons, and you've already traded in color TVs, a thousand of them!" Sister Lian's words were tinged with envy.
"Didn't I say it's all because of life's hardships?" Qin Xiaoyu hugged her knees tightly. It was May, and although it was hot during the day, it was still terribly cold in the house at night. She had no luggage, and her uniform had been washed countless times. The cotton fabric was almost worn through and offered no protection from the cold. Plus, she hadn't eaten anything and was shivering from the cold.
"Are you cold?" Sister Lian sighed, moved her body closer, and Qin Xiaoyu leaned against her. The warmth from her warm body helped her fall asleep.
Sister Lian is really experienced. The next day, she was interrogated again. This time, she wasn't handcuffed, but the questions she asked were almost the same as the day before.
Qin Xiaoyu was afraid of saying the wrong thing, so she insisted on not seeing a lawyer and not speaking, which annoyed the police.
As they left, they whispered a few words to the policewoman, and Qin Xiaoyu knew that they were trying to put pressure on her.
She stood up and followed the policewoman back. On the way, she saw Sister Lian carrying a bucket of water and gave her a wink.
Qin Xiaoyu couldn't understand the meaning behind that look, but she understood when she reached the door of the cell.
The policewoman shoved her hard in the back, and she stumbled into the doorway.
The atmosphere in the room was off.
Qin Xiaoyu cautiously slipped to the corner and sat down. The women slowly returned to their original positions.
Lunchtime arrived, and the two policewomen, along with Sister Lian, went door to door distributing meals. It was basically just a dark yellow cornbread for each person, so hard it could hit someone.
Sister Lian brought in the basin, and it was snatched up in the blink of an eye. Qin Xiaoyu also got one.
Sister Lian carried the empty basin out, and the policewoman slammed the door shut.
Qin Xiaoyu was so hungry that her stomach was practically sticking to her back. She put the cornbread to her mouth, about to eat, when she was shoved hard on the shoulder and crashed into the wall, the cornbread rolling off her hand.
"Who told you to eat that!" A short woman walked over and picked up the cornbread.
"Mine!" Qin Xiaoyu tried to stand up, but another woman came over and shoved her hard, sending her crashing against the wall.
Qin Xiaoyu's whole body ached. By the time she got up, everyone in the room had already finished eating, and her cornbread was nowhere to be seen.
She was too weak to sit up; her whole body was trembling, and she was drenched in cold sweat. She had low blood sugar. She wanted to ask for help, but the shadowy figures flickering before her eyes were filled with hatred. She hadn't offended them; what had she done wrong?
After some time, the door opened and Sister Lian walked in.
It turns out that she usually does manual labor for the policewoman, so she has more freedom.
She walked over and sat down next to Qin Xiaoyu without saying a word.
"Old Lian, do you have anything good?" The short woman walked over.
Sister Lian took out half a cigarette from her pocket and threw it into the air. A group of women swarmed forward and instantly became a chaotic mess.
She then took out half a cornbread and quickly stuffed it into Qin Xiaoyu's hand.
Qin Xiaoyu didn't care about anything else anymore. She wolfed down the food, chewing and swallowing it. She choked so badly that her eyes rolled back. This was her lifesaver.
"You really do have powerful backers, but it's a pity you can't leverage them," Sister Lian said in a low voice.
"What do you mean?" Qin Xiaoyu recovered a bit and sat up with the help of the kang (a heated brick bed).
“I heard them talking about it while I was cleaning the toilets outside. Your godfather brought soldiers to demand your return, and they almost got into a fight. He then passed out and had to be carried away.”
"What!" Qin Xiaoyu exclaimed, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Sister Lian gave her a disapproving look.
"I told you to stay put and not talk nonsense!" Sister Lian shouted.
Qin Xiaoyu understood that she was outnumbered and that Sister Lian didn't dare to openly protect her.
But how is Commander Zhou now? Her heart clenched.
The old man was hospitalized, and he panicked when he heard the news. He hadn't been this impulsive even when Zhou Xing was in trouble, but now he's risking his life for Qin Xiaoyu.
Qin Xiaoyu was extremely anxious.
By the time she realized something was wrong, the people in the room had already surrounded her in a semi-circle.
"What are you doing? You're all women, why are you doing this?" Sister Lian had barely finished speaking when she was pushed aside.
Qin Xiaoyu had just eaten something and had some strength, so she supported herself and stood up.
These women came with ill intentions. Although Sister Lian wanted to protect her, she was powerless and was quickly ostracized from the circle.
Qin Xiaoyu gritted her teeth. Today, she had no choice but to fight to the death. The situation she was facing now was even worse than when she was in the Tang family.
"Little wench, you look like you've never suffered before. Come on, let me show you what it's like!" The fat woman stepped forward and grabbed Qin Xiaoyu's collar.
Her uniform was too big; a single tug would pull out a huge handful. Qin Xiaoyu struggled, but she couldn't hold on.
Unexpectedly, a woman reached out from behind and grabbed Qin Xiaoyu's hair.
Qin Xiaoyu had only ever seen women fighting and pulling each other's hair on TV, but now that she experienced it firsthand, she knew it really hurt.
She screamed and tried to pry those hands off, but her waist was already being held back. Then she felt waves of excruciating pain all over her body as the women pinched and twisted her.
Bang! The door was kicked open. These women knew better than to fight in front of the policewoman.
They let go of each other's hands and stood back in their original positions as if nothing had happened, leaving Qin Xiaoyu standing there in a sorry state.
She slowly raised her head, and a familiar face appeared at the doorway. Aunt Wang walked in expressionlessly.
The policewoman closed the door behind her.
"Wang Pozi?"
"What's she doing here?" the women whispered among themselves, all backing away as if Granny Wang carried a virus that would kill anyone who touched her.
"Godmother, how did you get in?" Upon seeing her relative, Qin Xiaoyu rushed over, hugged Aunt Wang, and burst into tears.
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