“What did you say?” Hearing Wang Yuanyuan’s words, Xiao Manxue’s grip on the doorframe tightened. Although she harbored resentment toward Wang Meixia, she had still lived by her side for seventeen years. Hearing this sudden news, Xiao Manxue found it hard to accept at first.
But after the incident with Cripple Liu last time, she had instinctively become wary of Wang Yuanyuan. Yet recalling how Zhou Qichuan had said today that her mother’s wound had split open and there was some danger, and that her sister had stayed at the hospital to take care of her—and now seeing Wang Yuanyuan’s anxious expression, which didn’t seem like she was lying—her doubts began to waver.
Her mother had been so good to Wang Yuanyuan. Wang Yuanyuan wouldn’t make up such a story to deceive her, would she?
But she couldn’t trust anyone anymore. Xiao Manxue stood still, her hands clenching the doorframe tightly.
Seeing that she wasn’t moving, Wang Yuanyuan reached out and grabbed her arm: “Come on! If we wait any longer, it’ll be too late.”
Xiao Manxue took a step back: “Why hasn’t my sister come back?”
“Your sister has to stay with her. At the very last moment, you don’t want both sisters to be absent, do you?” Wang Yuanyuan saw that all her efforts were futile and Xiao Manxue was still hesitating. “You’re not going, is that it? Then I’m done here. When your mother passes, don’t blame me for not telling you.” She turned as if to leave.
Those words struck Xiao Manxue’s soft spot. She suddenly lifted her foot and shoved her house keys into Zhou Xiaomei’s hands: “I need to go to the hospital. Lock the courtyard gate for me and then go home. Thank you.”
It was only when Xiao Manxue heard that the hospital car was waiting at the village entrance that she fully believed Wang Yuanyuan’s story—because she knew her sister had done something meritorious at the hospital, and in an emergency, it was possible for the hospital to help pick someone up.
Xiao Manxue followed Wang Yuanyuan and ran toward the village entrance.
Zhou Xiaomei didn’t have time to ask more questions before they had already disappeared from sight.
Zhou Xiaomei looked at the empty house and the pitch-dark courtyard, and the more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. She simply locked the gate and ran back to her own home.
Just as she entered the courtyard, Zhou Qichuan hurried over: “Why are you back? Didn’t I tell you to stay with Xiao Manxue for a couple of days and keep her company?”
Zhou Xiaomei was timid and had run too fast. After catching her breath, she told him about Wang Yuanyuan coming to deliver the news.
“What? Where did they go?” Zhou Qichuan’s face changed color. He had also gone to ask about Wang Meixia’s condition during the day—it was only a superficial split in the wound, nowhere near as serious as Wang Yuanyuan had claimed.
“The village entrance. Wang Yuanyuan said the hospital car was waiting there…”
Before she could finish speaking, Zhou Qichuan turned and ran toward the village entrance. His leg hadn’t fully healed, so running was a struggle. By the time he reached the entrance, no one was there.
Zhou Qichuan immediately went to the production brigade leader’s house, planning to borrow the tractor. But the tractor wouldn’t be back for a while. Zhou Qichuan paced nervously, frantic with worry.
Meanwhile, Xiao Mandong lay on the hospital bed beside Wang Meixia, mulling over how to go to the black market at three in the morning tomorrow and how to get rid of Old Lady Wang.
Actually, not going back to the village wasn’t a bad thing. Leaving the village in the morning could easily get her spotted by Sun Wenbin, and having those people notice her would be a huge hassle. At home, Zhou Xiaomei was staying with her sister, and tomorrow Zhou Qichuan would move into the new house, so Xiao Manxue should be fine on her own at home.
Xiao Mandong drifted off into a light sleep.
Some time later, the duty nurse from the obstetrics ward came in: “Who is Xiao Mandong?”
Xiao Mandong hadn’t been sleeping deeply. She opened her groggy eyes, her voice still hoarse: “I am. What is it?”
“A man just came and asked me to give you this letter.”
Xiao Mandong took the letter and opened the plain kraft paper envelope with no stamp. The handwriting on the paper was wildly scrawled: “Xiao Manxue is in our hands. If you want her to remain safe, come alone to the old brick kiln behind the hospital. Do not call the police. Otherwise…” followed by a drawing of a knife.
Having spent a lifetime as husband and wife with Lu Jianguo in her previous life, Xiao Mandong recognized his chicken-scratch handwriting at a glance.
She put the letter in her pocket, her expression unchanged, and turned to leave Wang Meixia’s ward.
Old Lady Wang saw the messenger had gone and knew the plan had succeeded. Her heart was pounding with anxiety. She told herself this was all for Xiao Mandong’s own good—once they remarried and had a child, Xiao Mandong would understand. A second marriage could never match the original husband, and besides, this match was arranged by her father.
Old Lady Wang kept comforting herself with these thoughts. Though she was wicked, she had never done anything like kidnapping before.
Xiao Mandong returned to the internal medicine ward, found a scalpel, and put it into her space.
Then she went to the office and called the public security bureau. This era had no 110, but fortunately she had been in frequent contact with the police recently, so she knew the number.
“Hello, Comrade Officer. I want to report a case. Lu Jianguo from Kaoshan Village has kidnapped my sister…”
The calm on Xiao Mandong’s face vanished the moment she hung up, replaced by a fierce, ruthless look in her eyes. She was afraid that if something happened to her, at least the police would have a direction to investigate. But she had not told the police the address in the letter—because she didn’t know her sister’s current situation, and if the police arrived too early, she wouldn’t get her revenge.
She headed toward the old brick kiln behind the hospital.
In the distance, a tall figure walked alongside her figure into the moonlight…
Shen Linzhou’s gaze landed on the slim silhouette ahead. Why was she going to such a remote place this late? He furrowed his brow, his eyes deep and thoughtful, as he quickened his pace to catch up.
Xiao Mandong stepped without hesitation into the open yard of the brick kiln. Lu Jianguo, seeing that Xiao Mandong had come alone, allowed his racing heart to settle somewhat.
“Mandong, you came?” Xiao Mandong didn’t even spare him a glance.
Xiao Manxue was gagged, her hands and feet bound, thrown near one of the kiln openings. When she saw her sister arrive, she struggled desperately, letting out muffled sounds through her gag.
She was sorry to her sister. She wanted her sister to leave. She would rather die than let her sister face danger. It was all her fault—why did she keep getting tricked, making her sister rescue her again and again? She was just stupid. Knowing Wang Yuanyuan was no good, why did she still believe her? She truly felt she deserved to die.
Just then, two men walked out from another kiln cave. Xiao Mandong’s pupils constricted—one of them was the brother of the woman who had swapped the baby that day.
The two men stared at Xiao Mandong with grim, sinister expressions.
