"What are you crying for? You're such a coward!" Aunt Wang scolded, but then gently pulled her into a sitting position and lovingly smoothed her hair.
"Godmother, did you come in to see me?" Qin Xiaoyu cried for a while before she felt the tightness in her chest ease, and then she remembered to ask.
Unexpectedly, Granny Wang was incredibly resourceful, able to even visit her in prison.
"Silly girl, do you think you can get in here? I only got in because I committed a crime," Aunt Wang said irritably.
"What did you do?" Qin Xiaoyu asked, puzzled.
“I’m guilty of spreading feudal superstition.” As soon as Aunt Wang finished speaking, Sister Lian burst out laughing. When Aunt Wang glared at her, she turned her face away.
The female prisoners huddled together in twos and threes, seemingly discussing something, their eyes occasionally glancing over.
"Little Fish, think about it, who can save you? This time, things are going to get complicated," Aunt Wang whispered.
"I don't know either, could Director Feng step in and get me out of this?"
"After you were arrested, Director Fei immediately found Director Xie, and the two of them went directly to the Second Light Industry Bureau. Director Feng then took them to the Public Security Bureau, but your evidence was sufficient, so they couldn't do anything." Aunt Wang had figured out the situation before coming in.
When will my brother be able to come back?
"He should arrive around midnight tonight. I called him and took a taxi from the Zhou family's place," Aunt Wang added after a moment's hesitation.
"How is my uncle?" Qin Xiaoyu asked hurriedly upon hearing that he had gone to the Zhou family.
"He's in a hurry; his blood pressure is high and he's in the hospital. It won't kill him; the old man's got a tough life, he's brought death to two of his children." Grandma Wang's words were never pleasant.
"Even if my brother comes back, there's probably nothing he can do. I don't know what to do either," Qin Xiaoyu sighed.
"Where's the person who saved you last time? Can we find them again?" Qin Xiaoyu knew who Aunt Wang was talking about, of course. If it weren't for what happened in the provincial capital last time, there might still be hope. But last time, one slap probably settled everything.
"Don't even think about it, he won't care about me anymore." Qin Xiaoyu smiled bitterly. Besides, A Lei is currently far away in England, so there's nothing he can do to help.
"Alright, let's get through tonight anyway." Aunt Wang sighed and took something out of her bosom and handed it to Qin Xiaoyu.
Qin Xiaoyu then noticed that Aunt Wang hadn't even changed out of her uniform; she was really something else.
She squeezed the thing in her hand; it was soft, chocolate, almost melting from her body heat. She quickly popped it into her mouth—this was her lifesaver! But what did Aunt Wang mean by "get through tonight"?
The two men stood guard in the corner, and the women dared not move. Dinner was still cornbread, but each person was given a large jar of water. Qin Xiaoyu was extremely thirsty, and without caring how dirty the cup was, she drank it in large gulps.
"You're a tough kid, that's good, I like it." Aunt Wang pushed Qin Xiaoyu against the wall to lie down. Qin Xiaoyu felt a little uncomfortable and moved slightly.
"Behave yourself, it's safer this way." As she spoke, Aunt Wang pulled out a packet of some kind of powder from her pocket and blew it out towards them. The women looked at each other, all of them showing fear.
There was no toilet in the cell, so she had to use the chamber pot at night. Yesterday, Qin Xiaoyu was too tired and upset to pay attention to these things. Tonight was different. She had eaten and had family around, so she was feeling a bit sentimental and covered her nose, afraid to breathe.
Aunt Wang hadn't slept; her mouth kept moving, and it was unclear what she was saying.
Qin Xiaoyu became sleepy after hearing what she said and fell asleep without realizing it.
For some reason, she felt as if she were back in that terrible night in the provincial capital. Several people dragged her deeper into the alley, and she struggled desperately to break free, but she couldn't move at all.
Her breathing became increasingly labored, her chest felt like it was about to explode, and with a sudden effort, she opened her eyes to find everything in darkness, with something pressing heavily on her.
She wanted to move, but she couldn't.
A voice came from nearby; it was Granny Wang.
"If you dare to hurt my daughter! I'll make your whole family rot into a pulp and die without a burial place!" Qin Xiaoyu weakly stretched out her hand, but could only gently bend her fingers.
Right now, she's trapped in a nightmare, pinned to the bed, with no freedom whatsoever.
"Why are you making such a racket in the middle of the night?!" The iron gate was kicked twice, and Qin Xiaoyu felt her chest lighten a bit. Then something fell off her body; it was the short woman.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Sister Lian also pulled off the blanket that was pressing down on Qin Xiaoyu.
Aunt Wang managed to break free from the women and struggled to crawl to her side.
A large flashlight shone into the room through the window, lingering on each person's face for a few seconds. After scanning the area, the people outside seemed to fall silent.
"Help me take Qin Xiaoyu out of here, and I'll repay you!" Aunt Wang shouted hoarsely.
Silence remained outside.
"Please!" Granny Wang suddenly shrank halfway and knelt down.
"Godmother!" Qin Xiaoyu tried to pull her up, but her body was too weak to move.
"Come out." The sound of unlocking came from the doorway, and it turned out to be Xiao Wen outside.
"Qin Xiaoyu, come out!" Xiao Wen called out.
"Report, she can't move," Sister Lian replied.
"I'll take her!" Aunt Wang, whose thin body had already used up all her strength, dragged Qin Xiaoyu along but couldn't lift her up.
"Let me do it." Sister Lian pushed her aside, hoisted Qin Xiaoyu onto her shoulder, and walked out the door.
"Go to the cell," Xiao Wen ordered. Footsteps echoed down the corridor, and the cell fell silent, save for the sound of panting.
Qin Xiaoyu swayed gently on Sister Lian's shoulder, already much more awake.
She now realized that someone wanted to take her life. It wasn't as simple as locking her up for ten years; it would have been easier to just have her commit suicide out of guilt.
Aunt Wang had already guessed this, so she came in to protect her. Unfortunately, her strength was weak and she was afraid she couldn't protect her, so she resorted to this desperate measure, hoping that Xiao Wen would isolate her.
The smell inside the cellar was awful—sour and foul. When Sister Lian put Qin Xiaoyu on the ground, she almost vomited.
"I'll stay," Sister Lian suddenly said.
"What are you doing staying here! Go back!" Xiao Wen scolded.
"I'm not going out! If you let me out, I'll shout as loud as I can!" Sister Lian suddenly changed her tone, becoming very harsh. Xiao Wen seemed unwilling to escalate the situation, and angrily locked the two of them inside.
"Sister Lian, why did you stay?"
"If I don't stay, you might not survive tonight," Sister Lian said quietly, glancing back at her.
"Wasn't Gang the person my godmother entrusted to me?" Qin Xiaoyu sensed something was amiss in Sister Lian's words.
“These days, money talks, and whoever has the most money is the one who controls you. Your godmother wanted to use her connections to save you, but unfortunately, she may have played right into their hands and ruined you,” Sister Lian said with a bitter smile.
"Then why did you save me when we were just strangers?"
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