Considering that Tao Tao's entry into high school at the age of ten had already caused enough of a sensation, she ultimately failed to register for this year's college entrance examination.
But on her way home for the weekend, she ran into Zheng Yuan, a senior from her second year of high school, once again.
"It's been a while since I've seen my senior brother!"
"I didn't attend many classes last semester. I was away at training camps and participated in several competitions. I've already been admitted to the architecture department of Tongda University. I can go to the school to register directly in the fall. I was too bored at home, so I came to the school to keep my classmates company and help them out."
Xiao Jiu's mouth gaped open in an "o" shape. So this was already happening in this era. How outstanding must one be!
Tongji University's architecture department is very famous, and studying architecture in the future is definitely a very forward-looking endeavor.
However... the prerequisite is that she has to make it to the 1980s. As for whether it will be easy to get by during those ten-odd years, she doesn't know.
So, besides offering congratulations, Xiao Jiu didn't know what else to say.
Instead, Zheng Yuan looked at her and said, "I heard that you are very good at foreign languages. I originally thought it was Su language, but I didn't expect it to be English. I'm also very surprised. Why did you choose English instead of Su language for your foreign language?"
What could she say? Could she say that she didn't know Suzhou dialect at all?
"I felt that the pronunciation of Su language was not pleasant to hear and difficult to learn, so I taught myself English. Fortunately, I also had English classes in high school in recent years, so it didn't make me too embarrassed."
"Don't flatter me, senior. You'll make me arrogant. Besides, what can you really achieve by self-studying? It's all just superficial knowledge. As long as you don't get a zero, that's good enough. Being able to even take a foreign language exam is already quite an achievement."
This is true. Although you have a foreign language score, you can choose which version of the foreign language exam to take. There are two versions: one in Jiangsu and one in English. You have to choose one. Of course, you can also write both, but the total score will only be 20 or 30.
The main subjects tested are Chinese, mathematics, current affairs, history, physics, and chemistry. Foreign languages are considered a bonus; if you know them, you get points, and if you don't, you don't lose anything.
Xiao Jiu wouldn't make such a fundamental mistake. Whenever anyone asks, she only knows the basics and has never shown much ability. She always maintains an English level equivalent to that of a third or fourth grader in elementary school; anything higher would be considered outstanding.
"The fact that you got into Class 1 shows that you're not particularly weak in any subject and your overall level is consistently high. If your test scores are good, you could actually try taking the college entrance exam this year."
"Senior, I already struggled a lot in high school. How could I possibly skip the second year and go straight to the college entrance exam? No way, I know my own level. I don't have that confidence."
The more they talked, the more Xiao Jiu felt that this Zheng Yuan was not genuine.
He could even tell you her ranking in the grade, and how her physics teacher, Mr. Zhang, and chemistry teacher, Mr. Cai, evaluated her.
No, they've only met a few times on the bus and at a scrap metal yard. They wouldn't need to know every little detail, would they?
What do you want to do?
The sheer number of swindlers in later generations made her instinctively more vigilant, and she became wary of all his questions.
If you can answer, give a few casual replies; if you can't, just be ambiguous and talk about something else.
She finally arrived at the bus station, and before she could even react, a woman rushed towards her, raising her hand as if to slap her across the face?!
She wasn't tall enough to react in time, and just as the slap was about to come, a strong force pulled her back, allowing her to dodge it skillfully. When she turned her head, who else could it be but Zheng Yuan?
Before the two of them could even stand still, another man rushed out from behind the woman and started hitting Zheng Yuan.
"So, you're the pretty boy who seduced my daughter, aren't you?"
I was wondering why she wasn't going home. Turns out you seduced her?
"What are you trying to do, you little brat? My daughter's so young, and you're already trying to elope with her?"
The loud noise immediately blew her and Zheng Yuan away, leaving them both charred and scrambled inside.
What the heck, eloping? Her and Zheng Yuan?
Haha, what a familiar famous line!
When Xiao Jiu finally recognized the woman in front of her, she remembered that she had helped her lift her luggage, which was about to fall, at the L City bus station before, and they had chatted for a few minutes.
She told herself she was going to Meng County, so how did she end up in Yan County?
Could it be that she didn't notice that we were on the same train?
She frowned as she watched the male trafficker attack Zheng Yuan. Luckily, Zheng Yuan was tall, and the two quickly wrestled together.
When the girl saw that the boy next to her was being held back, she quickly came over and spit on her, looking at her with a disappointed expression.
"Tao'er, why are you so stubborn? What's so good about this pretty boy? Come on, listen to me, come home with me. The family I've found for you is much better than this pretty boy. I guarantee you'll never have to worry about food or drink after you marry him, and you'll be pampered. I've been through this, would I lie to you?"
If she hadn't been so clear-headed, she might have been fooled by the woman's confident demeanor.
In 1961, they already had the most common scams in later generations?
Because they had just gotten off the bus and were still carrying their luggage, onlookers were easily drawn into the scenario they created.
Xiao Jiu was so angry she laughed. How eager were they to abduct someone? They actually dared to jump out and say that she and Zheng Yuan were a couple who had eloped after they arrived on their own turf.
Although girls and boys get married early these days, can't you be this blind? How old is she?
Judging from the accents of these two old men, they also speak the accent of western Henan. I just don't know if they're from Yanxian County.
While she was thinking, the old woman suddenly grabbed her right wrist. Xiao Jiu struggled a few times but couldn't break free. She immediately took an awl in her left hand and stabbed it into the back of the woman's hand!
With a bloodcurdling scream, she stabbed the exposed back of the hand of the male trafficker who was wrestling with him.
As the two human traffickers rolled on the ground clutching their hands, Xiao Jiu immediately grabbed Zheng Yuan and ran outside.
Unexpectedly, some of their people were among the onlookers. As soon as they saw the group trying to run away, they shouted loudly.
"How could you be so insensible, my little girl? Those are your own parents! How could you do such a thing?"
"Exactly, you're quite heartless. Your parents went through so much trouble to find you, how can you be so ungrateful?"
"You're not allowed to leave. If you leave, where will your parents find you? Listen to me, hurry up and come with your parents. As for you, you pretty boy..."
"Don't you have any sense of propriety? Didn't you see that her parents have already come looking for you? Get as far away as possible, or when her family arrives, they'll beat you half to death before they're satisfied!"
Oh, what does this mean? They've actually learned to threaten people in broad daylight?
It seems she was being watched from the start, otherwise it wouldn't have been possible for such an orderly operation with multiple people working together.
Wherever Xiao Jiu and Zheng Yuan went, people would block them from leaving, and anyone who gathered around would be persuaded to leave.
"Don't delay your journey. This is our own family matter. The child is young and doesn't understand, but he still wants a good reputation. Everyone, please go about your business. If you all crowd around, my child will feel embarrassed."
...
As a result, only about 60-70% of the onlookers, especially those who had just gotten off the bus with them, left.
The last time was when her luggage was mistakenly taken at the bus station. How long has it been? She's already being targeted again.
She couldn't help but click her tongue: "No, what do you see in me? How old am I? What would you do with me if you kidnapped me?"
Zheng Yuan grinned and whispered in her ear, "Become a child bride, then you can start working as soon as you get back, and after a few years you can have a son!"
Xiao Jiu turned her head and glared fiercely at Zheng Yuan. "Shut up. Don't forget, you're with me now. If you run away, I'll report you to the school and ruin your reputation."
"Sis, their target is you, not me. If I run away, I can call the police for you, or even send a message to your family. If we're both here, they'll only believe we're together. Look at the way the people around us are looking at us now; they clearly believe them!"
Upon hearing Zheng Yuan's words, Xiao Jiu looked up in disbelief: "What do you mean? You're just abandoning me like this?"
Zheng Yuan looked heartbroken. "What can I do? If they really bring people here, neither of us will be able to escape."
If you were sold to a remote mountain village, you might survive, but I, a man, was sold there and was treated like a mule!
"Sweetie, just go with them. I'll definitely find someone to come pick you up!"
Xiao Jiu never expected that a grown man, a real man, would abandon his post and run away before the battle even began.
Zheng Yuan really did run away. If he was just playing around just now, after explaining things to Xiao Jiu, he turned around and used his absolute height advantage to kick the human trafficker with the injured hand to the ground, shouting as he ran.
"Help! Catch human traffickers! Someone's abducted! A female student has been abducted! Police? Police?"
"Come out quickly! That group of people are human traffickers; they're trying to kidnap that female student! Everyone, don't just stand there, call the police and have them arrested!"
Seeing Zheng Yuan running and shouting, two people actually chased after him.
On the surface, it seemed that he really cared about her, and even lured her away.
But for some reason, the more she listened, the more grating it became, especially when the onlookers around her were whispering and pointing at her.
With a helpless expression, he explained to them, "I really don't know them, sir and ma'am, could you please call the police for me?"
They are human traffickers, not my parents, and that man from earlier wasn't my boyfriend either.
Look at my youthful face, do I look like someone who has a boyfriend?
We were just attending classes at the same school; we weren't the couple who eloped as they claimed.
I'm only ten years old. What kind of girl runs off with someone at ten?
Besides, how could those two ugly people have given birth to such a fair and lovely little daughter as me?
"You little bitch, I'm your mother! How dare you talk to your parents like that? You're heartless! God, you're blind! Look at this girl! I've raised her for nothing! She even dares to lay a hand on her own parents! Fine, you're calling the police now?"
"Then report it! Let the police deal with you, you unfilial bastard! We've raised you for nothing! What's so great about this man that you've lost all sense of shame?"
"We don't mind that you're ugly, but you actually think we're ugly! You'd do anything for a guy! What a disgrace to our family! Waaah, I'm so unlucky to have given birth to such an ungrateful wretch!"
Ignoring her own bleeding hands, the female trafficker clung to her and entangled her. Seeing the snot, tears, and blood smeared on her clothes, she immediately turned pale, grabbed her hair, gritted her teeth, and shoved her forward with all her might.
"Aren't you filthy? Who told you to stand so close to me? Get away!"
When the male trafficker saw how she treated his girlfriend, even though he was in pain and his face turned ashen, how could he let go of this duck that was already in his mouth?
Just as he raised his uninjured left hand, intending to teach Xiao Jiu a lesson, he was tightly embraced by his 'suffering' mother.
“Her father, calm down, calm down. The child is so big now, you can’t hit her. No matter how much she hits or scolds me, it doesn’t matter. As long as she can come to her senses and come with us, this trip will not have been in vain. Tao’er, listen to your mother, come home, come home with your mother, okay? Your grandmother is still waiting for you at home!”
As soon as he said this, a chorus of admonitions rose from the crowd. Seeing that this method might work, the two traffickers' eyes lit up. The male trafficker put away his sinister look and instead pleaded helplessly.
“Peach, listen to your father and come home with me. That man is obviously not the kind of person who can support a family. If you go with him, won’t you be living a life where you don’t know where your next meal will come from? When that happens, you’ll really be left with no one to turn to.”
Honestly, even I was completely impressed by the superb acting skills of this couple. Coupled with the naivety of people in this era, they completely accepted it all as a perfectly normal drama. As for the human traffickers and the police, they didn't believe it at all.
Xiao Jiu didn't confront them head-on. She had her own space, so what was she afraid of? Besides, with so many people around, they wouldn't dare to tie her up; at most, they would just try to persuade her.
However, they usually operate in groups. After the male and female traffickers persuade her, someone in the crowd immediately acts as a bystander and, under the cover of their own concern, offers seemingly well-intentioned advice, such as how she doesn't listen to her parents and how hard her parents work. Every word they say touches the hearts of parents and indirectly complains about how rebellious and shameless she is.
Her parents have done so much for her, why isn't she satisfied?
Zheng Yuan was definitely worried about leaving their gang, so he secretly followed a few of them. Xiao Jiu saw this clearly.
She couldn't expect Zheng Yuan to save her; she had to learn to save herself. As darkness fell and she was surrounded by hurried pedestrians, she was surrounded by five or six adults who spoke the gentlest words while holding knives to her waist and threatening her in a low voice to follow them.
She wasn't afraid, but she didn't want to create a more unfavorable situation for herself, so she was easily threatened and taken away by them, and put on the cart they had prepared at the entrance of the bus station. They even kindly prepared warm blankets for her.
"It's so cold today, don't let my daughter get cold. Come on, sit down quickly and make sure you're all bundled up. If only you had done this sooner, we would have been home much sooner. Hurry up and sit down, don't just stand there, give me the luggage!"
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