It was another sleepless night.
That night, Lin Wanyi and Wang Hao weren't the only ones awake.
Many others were also having trouble sleeping.
One of them was Liu Siyue.
She was in so much pain.
Her entire body ached.
It felt as if her body was falling apart.
She didn't know how the baby had come to be, nor did she know whose it was.
But she remembered exactly how she lost it.
She couldn't see anything else; she only saw blood, gushing out of her body in thick streams.
At the time, she thought she was going to die, that she would never survive.
She even thought it would be better to just die, so she wouldn't have to endure this torture anymore.
Yet she couldn't resign herself to that fate. She was only twenty years old. She had a happy family, with parents and an older brother who loved her dearly.
She had a bright future ahead of her.
Why should she die like this?
While Chen Guanshan and Chen Daniu could go on living?
She refused to accept it.
And so, through sheer willpower, she pulled through.
Chen Daniu stood beside her, smoking.
Between puffs, he said,
"Just be obedient. Why bring suffering upon yourself?
"No one who comes here ever leaves. In our village, and the next one over, do you know how many have tried to run away?
"In the end, they were all caught and brought back, and their fate was even worse.
"We just caught another one yesterday. She jumped into the river and was still fished out.
"Be a good wife now."
Liu Siyue desperately wanted to get up and beat him to death, but she couldn't move.
She was still running a high fever, her mind filled with thoughts of her parents and brother.
Meanwhile, in a hotel suite, Liu Siyue's well-dressed parents had red, anxious eyes.
Her mother, Su Jing, wept endlessly as she gripped Liu Jiannan's arm.
"Are we just going to wait like this? Honey, is there no other way?"
Liu Jiannan stared at the heavy snow outside the window, his brows deeply furrowed. Finally, he said,
"After tonight, no matter how heavy the snow is, we must find a way into the village tomorrow.
"At worst, we'll bring more people. Even if we have to walk, we will go in and get our daughter out."
Standing in front of them, Liu Renzhi, dressed in a woolen coat, suit, and black leather shoes, took a fierce drag of his cigarette.
"We don't need to wait for tomorrow. I'm going right now.
"Mom, Dad, wait for my news."
Su Jing was worried. "I'm anxious too, but you are unfamiliar with this place. I don't want you getting trapped in there as well.
"Renzhi, we need to find more locals to help, otherwise it will be too difficult."
Locals?
Liu Renzhi suddenly remembered the person who had called the police. If she could make that call, she must know the situation there.
He immediately asked the plainclothes officers who had come from out of town to contact Chen Tingting. Without a moment's delay, Chen Tingting gave Lin Wanyi's WeChat contact to Liu Renzhi.
When Lin Wanyi saw the black profile picture, her heart pounded wildly.
She was scared, terrified that this wasn't Liu Siyue's real family.
She was afraid of being discovered, just like the others before her.
She cautiously asked, "Who are you?"
The other party quickly replied, "Hello, I am Liu Siyue's older brother. Are you the one who provided the clues?"
Still uncertain, Lin Wanyi said, "Send me a photo of the two of you together."
A few seconds later, Lin Wanyi saw photos of Liu Renzhi and Liu Siyue together—dozens of them, from childhood to adulthood.
Lin Wanyi almost burst into tears. Trying her best to suppress her overwhelming emotions, she sent him a voice message:
"Hurry up and save her. If you wait any longer, she definitely won't make it.
"Quick, you must be quick. She is in the very first house at the entrance of Wangjia Village, Chen Guanshan's house.
"You'll see her as soon as you enter Wangjia Village.
"You must hurry."
Liu Renzhi clenched his fists tightly. He heard that his sister was dying, and he heard the desperate, tearful urgency in the woman's voice.
He asked Lin Wanyi, "Can you lead the way? I will reward you handsomely."
Lin Wanyi fell silent. She looked at Wang Keke, who was sleeping soundly on the bed.
She wasn't worried about anything else; her only concern was Wang Keke.
She was afraid of retaliation.
Liu Renzhi also realized he had been too presumptuous and abrupt.
He immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, I was just too anxious. I'm sorry, you've already helped us so much.
"We will find our way there. Once I find my sister, I will definitely thank you in person."
He ended the voice chat, put on his snow boots and hat, and headed out with the two plainclothes officers.
He couldn't wait any longer. He didn't know if his sister could survive until tomorrow.
He had to go immediately.
Lin Wanyi tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
She blamed herself, feeling that she was too cowardly.
She felt her heart was too hard.
In this heavy snow, outsiders wouldn't be able to find their way into the village even with navigation.
How could they get in without someone to guide them through the small paths filled with ditches and pits?
Finally, after half an hour, she got up.
She asked Li Suhua to look after Wang Keke, then grabbed Lin Jiajun and left.
Hearing that they were going to save Liu Siyue, Lin Jiajun didn't hesitate at all. He said,
"I wanted to take her away last time. I've been thinking about it these past few days.
"Sis, will this delay your divorce tomorrow?"
Lin Wanyi hadn't thought that far ahead. She could get a divorce any day, but Liu Siyue might not be able to wait.
She was careful not to wake Wang Hao.
Only after going downstairs did she text Liu Renzhi: "Where are you? I'll take you there."
Liu Renzhi never expected Lin Wanyi to actually agree. A woman, so late at night, actually agreeing to go with him to save his sister.
Liu Renzhi's heart was deeply moved.
He immediately sent his location to Lin Wanyi.
It wasn't far.
When Lin Wanyi and Lin Jiajun hurried over, Liu Renzhi could only see her bright eyes above her mask.
He almost dropped to his knees before her.
"Thank you, truly thank you. My sister, she..."
Lin Wanyi interrupted him.
"No need to say all that. I married into this place from out of town too, and I really can't stand to watch this happen anymore.
"Follow me. The road is long and difficult to navigate, so you need to be mentally prepared."
She led the group, and they first took a car to the outskirts.
The heavy snow had blocked the roads, making it impossible to drive further.
She walked in front with a flashlight.
"Just follow me."
She trudged forward, her feet sinking into the uneven snow, as snowflakes drifted down onto her.
Lin Jiajun cautioned her, "Sis, be careful. You're still pregnant."
Liu Renzhi felt a pang of guilt again. She was actually pregnant. What if she lost the baby?
What a grave sin that would be on his conscience.
Lin Wanyi suddenly turned around and told him,
"Don't worry. I didn't want this child to begin with, maybe..."
She didn't finish her sentence, just continued walking forward.
Faster, a little faster.
A human life was at stake.
From the moment Lin Wanyi saw the photos of Liu Siyue and Liu Renzhi, she knew how happy Liu Siyue's life had been growing up.
But now, she had been reduced to this state.
It shouldn't be like this for her.
It just shouldn't.
With these thoughts racing through her mind, Lin Wanyi led Liu Renzhi and the others forward, step by step.
They walked for hours, stumbling through the snow and leaving a long trail of footprints behind them.
Finally, she heard the crowing of roosters.
They weren't far from Wangjia Village now.
But she was truly exhausted; she felt dizzy and faint.
She felt like she couldn't take another step.
Liu Renzhi noticed it too; her pace had visibly slowed down.
Just as he was about to suggest that Lin Wanyi take a break, Lin Jiajun bent down.
"Sis, get on. I'll carry you!"
