Chapter 23 Sophomore Year
Zhenmin and Nanjiu arrived at the town market and went their separate ways to pick and buy. Nanjiu, wanting to bring some food back for her father, went into a dried fruit shop. As she was paying, she heard a commotion outside. She looked out and saw a group of men surrounding someone entering an alley. A red cloth bag had fallen to the ground, the same pattern Zhenmin carried when she left the mountain.
Nanjiu didn't bother to grab her things and rushed out of the shop. When she reached the alley, three men surrounded Zhenmin and started beating her up. They threatened to tear her clothes off and show everyone on the street what kind of woman she was. They also threatened to take her back and sell her to Wang Xiazi, a blind man from the same village.
Nanjiu grabbed a brick from the corner and rushed into the alley. Her long platinum hair was striking. Rumors spread that a city girl had arrived in Chashan, a relative of Song Ting's. Several people immediately recognized Nanjiu. Their attitude toward her was relatively restrained, simply advising her that this was their family matter and to stay away.
"They think I'm Song Ting's sister and won't do anything to me. Once I charge, run away and don't come back!"
This was Nan Jiu's last words to Zhen Min. As she lifted the brick, she pushed Zhen Min's body back with all her strength.
Zhenmin didn't dare stop or look back, running all the way to the town police station. When she followed the police back to the alley, no one was there. A man selling apples nearby said the girl had been taken away by the men.
Zhenmin couldn't wait a moment and ran back to the tea mountain to find Song Ting.
As Song Ting rushed to the car, he took out his cell phone and called Director Liu: "Prepare the cash and go to Heishiwa immediately. Hurry."
Heishiwa Village lies further back in Nangan Mountain, nestled in a valley. Before the mountain road was built, many residents never left the mountains. The villagers prioritized sons over daughters, leaving daughters poorly fed and clothed. Sick girls were not treated, and many died young. With so many men in the village, finding wives became a challenge. Girls from outside the village were reluctant to marry into the impoverished village, so the men within resorted to all sorts of devious tactics to find wives.
Some years ago, someone from outside the village came to Heishiwa Village looking for their daughter. Not only did they fail to find her, but they were driven out by the villagers. Even calling the police proved futile; the men were surprisingly united, and the women were utterly timid. Without evidence and unable to find her, the police couldn't enforce the law. The matter was eventually dropped.
The sky gradually darkened, and the afterglow cast an eerie orange-red hue through the dense treetops. The mountain road was narrow and rugged, with a steep cliff on one side and a precipice on the other. The car engine let out a dull roar, like a maddened trapped animal.
Song Ting's grip on the steering wheel was clenched until it was pale. The mountain road before him was collapsing and twisting, and the entire mountaintop weighed heavily on his tense shoulders. The words Nan Jiu had said to him when they left last night kept ringing in his mind: "You will regret this!"
These words turned into needle tips, piercing his heart. The suffocating pain strangled his breath and almost tore his heart apart.
Shadows crept up from the depths of the valley, the mountain peaks gradually became blurred, and the earth blended into the twilight in a dead and eerie manner.
Zhenmin and her eighth uncle sat in the back seat. The closer they got to Heishiwa Village, the more she trembled, and horrific images kept flashing through her mind. She had been with the Zhu family for over a year, and besides her own experiences, she had seen how young girls were abused by the brothers of the same family.
She didn't dare to make a sound, not even to cry, and her fingers kept trembling on her knees.
The car's lights shone into Heishiwa Village. Following Zhenmin's guidance, it rolled through the dirt and stopped in front of the Zhu family's gate. Song Ting told her to stay in the car and not get out. The accompanying Old Eighth Uncle and the village Party Secretary, Xiang Zhiyang, got out and knocked on the Zhu family's gate to negotiate.
Zhu Dahai, who came rushing over after hearing the noise, picked up an axe and stuck it into the mud at the door, shouting that the person was not with them. He threw the girl out of the car halfway and asked them to go find her on the mountain themselves.
Uncle Ba and Xiang Zhiyang looked at each other. The mountain was so big and it was night time. Where could they find it?
While the two were still discussing, Song Ting passed by them, grabbed Zhu Dahai's neck, and with bone-crushing force, asked word by word, "Where is he?"
Zhu Dahai's face turned pale, and he raised the axe in his hand and chopped it down on Song Ting. Song Ting did not avoid or give way, his eyes like two bottomless pools of blood, full of hideous bloodshot, staring at him ferociously.
Uncle Eight hurried forward and pressed the axe in Zhu Dahai's hand.
Zhu Dahai was stunned by Song Ting's violent glare and didn't attack again. He had previously led people to cause trouble on the tea farm, damaging a patch of tea trees. Not long after, law enforcement officers came to his house and demanded the demolition of illegal structures. After three unsuccessful warnings, a bulldozer arrived and demolished his house.
From then on, he remembered Song Ting. He thought about revenge, and after asking around, he heard that Song Ting was not a simple person. He looked polite, but in fact he was very cunning.
He didn't go to the tea mountain to cause trouble for Zhenmin, in large part because he was afraid that it was Song Ting's territory. But now, Song Ting had stepped into his territory.
He curled his lips in a sinister manner and roared at the top of his lungs. Instantly, a large group of men rushed over, surrounding the car and the people, each holding farm tools.
Xiang Zhiyang was a man who had presided over large events. Seeing this, he raised his hand and pressed everyone, then raised his voice and said, "A girl from our village was taken away by a boy from your village. We are all from this land. It is reasonable for you to give us an explanation."
"No explanation was given. Which eye saw it in our village?"
"that is!"
One of them shouted, and a group of people echoed him.
"Someone saw it in town." Xiang Zhiyang tried to negotiate in a friendly manner.
Another villager immediately responded, "Go find whoever saw it. We didn't see it anyway."
Zhu Dahai held the axe, a sinister smile flashed across his face, and sneers rang out among the crowd.
The village chief heard the noise and rushed over. Seeing Xiang Zhiyang, he was surprised: "Why are you here?"
"I'm here to ask for someone. It's unacceptable for your village to hold Boss Song's family hostage, isn't it?"
While the villagers weren't familiar with Xiang Zhiyang, Village Chief Zhao was familiar with his background. Xiang Zhiyang was influential in the county and had some education. Several nearby villages had previously relied on him to secure the necessary paperwork for preferential policies. Since he had come in person, he had to go through the motions.
Village Chief Zhao immediately turned to the villagers holding farm tools and asked, "Is he at your house?"
Everyone shook their heads. Village Chief Zhao looked at Zhu Dahai again. Zhu Dahai raised the corner of his mouth and spat in Song Ting's direction: "He's not here."
Village Chief Zhao turned his gaze back and said to Xiang Zhiyang, "You can see that the person is not here. There is nothing we can do. We can't just conjure a living person out for you. How about I call a few people to help search for him in the mountains?"
Uncle Eight snorted coldly and said to the people of Heishiwa Village in a resounding voice, "You can count how many relatives we have from Ganjing Village and Heishiwa Village. If you even touch anyone from our village, never again will any of you be able to leave the mountain."
To reach the town, the residents of Heishiwa Village must traverse a rugged mountain road, and Ganjing Village sits midway up the mountain. Since their tea planting, the villagers of Ganjing Village, like Lao Ba, have become more gentle, but this doesn't mean they lack a sense of courage. Back then, when Heishiwa villagers tried to stop a road construction team, hoping to profit from it, Ganjing villagers led their men up the mountain to escort the team. During this period, the conflict continued unabated, and the people of Heishiwa Village were well aware of the weight of Lao Ba's words, "No one should even think of leaving the mountain."
Village chief Zhao winked at Zhu Dahai's father, Old Zhu Gui. As soon as Old Zhu Gui took a step, Zhu Dahai raised his axe and blocked his father's way.
Two blinding lights shone from a distance as Director Liu's car appeared at the village entrance. Song Ting glanced sideways, then turned his gaze back, his gaze fixed on Zhu Dahai: "How much will it cost to release him?"
Zhu Dahai's pupils contracted rapidly, and a greedy glint gleamed from his drooping triangular eyes. The arguing around him gradually died down, and the air suddenly became tense. The wind blew through the bamboo slats at the edge of the courtyard, making a subtle whimpering sound. Some people's eyes involuntarily glanced at Zhu Dahai.
"One hundred thousand."
These two words burst out from Zhu Dahai's mouth, and all that was left was dead silence hanging over everyone's heads.
Zhenmin anxiously clung to the car window. She only had more than 30,000 yuan of betrothal money left to pay, and Zhu Dahai was clearly asking for an exorbitant amount.
Her action caught Zhu Dahai's attention. He pointed at Zhenmin in the car with a sidelong glance and said to Song Ting, "Let's write off the matter with that woman as well."
Zhenmin clenched her hands against the glass into fists, her nails digging into her flesh.
The headlights were getting closer and closer. A black car stopped behind Song Ting and three men got out. Song Ting looked at Director Liu and asked, "Where's the stuff?"
"The trunk." Director Liu asked someone to open the trunk.
Song Ting walked around to the back of the car, bent down and took out ten bundles of money. Without bargaining, he threw them directly to Zhu Dahai: "Let him go."
Zhu Dahai hadn't expected Song Ting to be so forthcoming. He slowly picked up the money and handed it to his father. Then, he stood up, his facial muscles twitching almost morbidly. "I just said 100,000, but I didn't mention any additional conditions."
"You bastard, are you tired of living?" Uncle Eight was immediately furious.
Even Xiang Zhiyang's face turned cold: "How can you change something you agreed on so easily?"
Village chief Zhao coughed dryly and gave Zhu Dahai a look, reminding him to quit while he was ahead.
Director Liu and two other strong men pressed towards the Zhu family. Seeing this, the villagers holding farm tools surrounded them. The two sides pushed and shoved, and the situation was tense.
Old Eighth Uncle went up to block with his body, and rushed into the crowd with brute force. Song Ting took the opportunity to rush in. A kid holding a shovel tried to stop him, but he kicked him and the shovel to the ground, and rushed into the Zhu family's gate.
Mother Zhu yelled at the top of her lungs, "He's not here, he's not here, go away, go away!"
Song Ting ignored the call and searched every room, but there was no sign of Nanjiu. As he turned to leave, his heart sank, a chill spreading through his body. The incident had alarmed the entire village, but the second son of the Zhu family was nowhere to be found. A foreboding premonition spread like a crack, emitting a sharp and deadly cracking sound.
Song Ting's eyes were bloodshot, and his roar broke through the darkness: "Tell me, what are your other conditions?"
The confrontation, cursing, and pushing all came to an abrupt end, and the chaos at the door instantly went into slow motion.
Zhu Dahai pushed through the crowd and crushed the bamboo frame with one foot. The lines on his face twisted into strange shadows. He stared at Song Ting with undisguised hatred, "Only one condition. Last year, when I went to the tea mountain to see my wife, your people punched me. I've always held a grudge against you."
The stagnant air grew thicker, like water-soaked felt, tinged with the stench of earth. Without hesitation, Song Ting stepped forward to stand before Zhu Dahai. The soles of his shoes crushed the heavy gravel into slag, sinking into the earth.
Lao Ba said angrily: "Don't bother with that grandson, I'm going back to the village to call for help."
There is no time left. Every extra minute means more torture for Nanjiu.
Song Ting ignored the dissuasion of Lao Ba and Director Liu, stopped in front of Zhu Dahai and raised his chin.
With a "bang", the sound of fists hitting bones split the night, and the sporadic coughs and footsteps were instantly cut off.
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