It snowed that night, not too much, and it melted as soon as it hit the ground, making the already cold winter night even colder.
The next morning, the ground was frozen solid and hard, making it uncomfortable to walk on. The snow never came down, and only a few unmelted snows remained on the leaves of trees in shady places.
Xiao Jiu got busy early this morning. She prepared the dough last night and opened it this morning, wanting to steam some buns to improve everyone's meals.
Unexpectedly, her older sister came over early in the morning and secretly told her, "I went for a run today and heard people in the village say that last night, the blind old woman from the west end of the village, Liu, said that her daughter-in-law hadn't come back all night. It was still raining in the middle of the night, and nobody wanted to look for her, especially not a widow. So, as soon as it was light, she called a few people to search everywhere. Do you think the sound we heard last night could be...?"
Xiao Jiu was taken aback, then shook her head. "Sister, maybe we're overthinking it. It's really not easy for that widow Liu to raise two children on her own, especially since she also has to take care of her mother-in-law who has cried herself blind. This has made her have a fiery personality, and no one in the village dares to mess with her. She is also very cautious and never goes out after dark, for fear of being gossiped about. How could it be her? Maybe something came up and she was delayed."
Although Cuihua felt the same way, that cry for help that night became a thorn in her side.
If Widow Liu hadn't come back early in the morning, the eldest sister would probably have felt terribly guilty.
Last night, Widow Liu received a message from her family village saying that her mother was sick. There was no one home at the time, so she hurriedly left, thinking she would be back in the evening. She didn't expect to be delayed. She didn't expect her mother-in-law to care about her so much, asking around to find her. All her years of taking care of her were worth it.
Since no one in the village is complaining about anyone's daughter or wife going missing, that night must have been just a hallucination.
However, when Xiao Jiu returned to school to get her admission notice, she heard from her junior high school roommates that a young woman in her twenties had gone missing in their village that week.
Xiao Jiu quickly asked, "Which village are you from?"
"Wangzhuang Village? I remember you're from Xihe Village, we live quite close by. Hey~ speaking of which, that young woman from our village seems to be from your village. Her in-laws said she had a fight with her husband last night and ran away in anger. When I came to school today, her husband rushed home saying she hadn't gone back to her parents' house and was missing!"
Xiao Jiu's heart skipped a beat. The girls from their village... were they really not imagining things, but someone was really calling for help?
Although the ninth graders had taken their exams, they hadn't officially started their summer vacation yet. Even though the results weren't out, Xiao Jiu went back to school following the ninth graders' schedule.
When she returned home for the weekend, she nervously approached Tang Cuihua.
"Sister, I heard that a woman from Wangzhuang Village..."
Before she could speak, her older sister quickly covered her mouth: "Alright, Xiao Jiu, stop talking. Yes, that's true. But it was the right thing for us not to go there that night. I heard that she was gang-raped to death by several men and buried in that forest. Later, wild dogs dug her out. After the police autopsy, the young girls and wives in the nearby villages were terrified."
"She really died?" The eldest sister's expression was solemn. "She died a terrible death. Now her family goes to her husband's house every day to make trouble. In the end, it's all because her husband did nothing. It was so late, and it was already dark, yet he didn't catch up. What a pity, she was already four months pregnant."
Xiao Jiu clicked her tongue in surprise, and at the same time, a sense of guilt rose in her heart. Wasn't Cuihua the same? But she was gang-raped to death. Who knew how many people were in the grove that night? If they had really gone to save her, no one knew if they would have come out alive.
These past few days, Cuihua has been comforting herself with this possibility. In fact, like Xiaojiu, it would be a lie to say she doesn't feel guilty.
"Is the world really this chaotic? Let's not go out at night anymore."
"Yes, we were still worried and scared when we talked about it a few days ago. What if that young woman hadn't been walking ahead of us that night, and we hadn't ridden past on our bicycles? What if...?"
The thought of this possibility sent a chill down Cuihua's spine, and Xiaojiu quickly tried to comfort her.
"No, we're not that weak. Besides, you know I have tools for self-defense."
"That's true, but nothing is absolute. It's always better to be more careful in the future. During famine years, weddings were basically canceled, and many people went out to beg for food. That's how the world got into chaos. Godfather said that if you get out of school late, he'll let you stay in our mother's or your third sister's dormitory instead of going back home."
Xiao Jiu nodded obediently, "I understand, big sister. I'll be more careful in the future."
After a week of classes, the exam results came out, and it was time for other grades to return to school to pick up their admission notices.
Xiao Jiu ranked first in the second year of junior high school and tenth in the third year. When she received her two report cards, the school immediately approved her request to skip a grade. After returning to school, she did not go home and attended classes for another week before she was officially on vacation. By then, it was already the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month.
Xiao Jiu didn't have much luggage this holiday, so she packed it all into her space. She took the bus back to town, and on her way home, she unexpectedly ran into Tang Youtian again.
Compared to last time, he seemed older this time. Not only was he unshaven, but his cotton-padded clothes were tattered and torn, making him look like a beggar. He walked unsteadily, his eyes were dull, and he walked in a daze, as if he had been starving for a long time.
He overheard people talking and learned that his wife had left with their son. He ran after her but couldn't catch up. From that day on, he would linger at this bus stop every day.
Xiao Jiu then remembered that in the story of her fifth sister's transmigration, during this period, the family survived the famine by selling off their daughters and eating human blood buns. Now that the daughters had left in this life, there were no more human blood buns to eat and no benefits to be gained. If they stayed any longer, they might starve to death. It was Zhang Yanhong who abandoned Tang Youtian first.
Did they think Tang Youtian was no longer of any use, so they went back to find Ma Laosan?
Xiao Jiu felt no sympathy for him whatsoever, but seeing him acting erratically, repeatedly muttering, "Xiao Hu is my son, who said he isn't?" and "Zhang Yanhong, you bitch, I'll never forgive you!" "Cuihua, Dad regrets it, Dad really regrets it, but where are you?"
Did he reveal the truth before leaving, that he knew her son wasn't his?
Xiao Jiu was somewhat gloating, but fearing that Tang Youtian would recognize her if she continued watching the commotion, she quickly left and went home to tell her sisters the good news.
"It was bound to happen sooner or later. Every household would suffer during a famine. Tang Youtian only had so much skill; he was the type to spend two for every one he earned. There was no way he could save any money. Zhang Yanhong was only concerned with herself; how could she possibly suffer with him and squeeze him dry? Of course, she would have to leave. He's already in this situation and he hasn't starved to death yet. It's truly a case of God being blind!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com