The Quagmire of Desire: From Gambling Addict and Village Flower to Movie Queen

Li Chun and Erhu sat by the window, watching the fields outside rush past.

Erhu lit a cigarette: "That girl, she's quite a pretty young wife, what a pity."

Li Chun didn't speak, he just looked out the window.

After a while, he spoke up: "She's involved with my sister, so she's practically one of my people. Anyone who messes with her will regret it."

Erhu nodded: "Understood."

The train rattled along as it rushed toward the city.

At this moment, the mountain village is shrouded in deep night.

Sun Xiaoyan was unaware that someone was on their way to rescue her.

But she didn't care anymore.

She lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), her eyes closed, and all she could hear was silence.

Sun Xiaoyan has been imprisoned in a dilapidated house in a mountain village for who knows how many days.

Every day, the man would pull her out of bed and violate her in front of the other woman.

She lay motionless, like a piece of wood. Her eyes were open, but she didn't see anything.

"Damn it, she didn't even make a sound." The man patted her face after he finished. "How can you get pregnant like this?"

Sun Xiaoyan did not respond.

The man cursed a few more times, then turned and left, leaving her lying naked on the kang (a heated brick bed).

The woman brought in a bowl of corn porridge, placed it on the edge of the bed, and said softly, "Have some."

Sun Xiaoyan didn't move.

The woman sighed, pushed the bowl towards her, and turned to leave.

After a while, the little girl peeked in. She had a fresh handprint on her face, and half of her face was swollen.

"Sister, I'm sorry..." the little girl said again, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

Sun Xiaoyan glanced at her this time, but didn't say anything.

The little girl gritted her teeth and said in a low voice, "Sister, my mom and I have talked to each other. You should run away while my dad is out."

Sun Xiaoyan's eyes flickered.

"I know the way out," the little girl ran to the door, looked around, and then came back. "If you go west out of here, there's a dirt road that takes about two hours to reach the main road. Once you get to the main road, there are minibuses that go to the city."

Sun Xiaoyan remained silent.

"Sister," the woman said, "if you don't leave, he'll keep you locked up! And once you're pregnant, you'll be even less likely to leave!"

Sun Xiaoyan's eyes finally focused, looking at the little girl's swollen face, her chapped lips moved slightly: "He will hit you."

"Fine, let them hit me then," the little girl bit her lip. "I'm used to it."

Just then, footsteps sounded outside, and the little girl quickly shut her mouth and shrank into the corner.

The door was kicked open, and the man returned, carrying a bottle of bulk liquor and humming an off-key tune.

"I'm happy today," he said, shaking the bottle. "Wang Laosan, the guy who introduced me to women yesterday, said that a piglet seller came to town, and he's cheap."

He glanced at Sun Xiaoyan, then at the little girl, his eyes filled with disgust.

The little girl huddled even tighter.

The man ignored her, sat down at the small table, tore open a roast chicken, and drank and ate heartily.

The woman quickly brought over a plate of pickled vegetables, and the man slapped her on the buttocks. She didn't dare to make a sound.

Sun Xiaoyan drank a few mouthfuls of corn porridge and lay back down on the kang (a heated brick bed).

After the man finished eating and drinking, he dragged her down and raped her in front of the mother and daughter.

This time he strained extra hard, muttering, "This time I'm definitely pregnant, I'm definitely pregnant."

Sun Xiaoyan remained silent.

After finishing, the man lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed) and soon started snoring.

In the middle of the night, the little girl gently nudged Sun Xiaoyan: "Sister, he's asleep."

Sun Xiaoyan opened her eyes.

The woman also came over and handed her a crumpled plastic bag: "There are two steamed buns and a pot of water inside. Walk along the road west of the village, but don't take the main road; take the side road."

Sun Xiaoyan looked at the woman; the scars on her face were particularly noticeable in the moonlight.

"you……"

"Hurry up," the woman interrupted her, "Don't dawdle."

The little girl ran to the window, looked out, and then said, "There's no one outside."

Sun Xiaoyan sat up, put on the tattered jacket, put on the trousers, and wore the cloth shoes with her toes sticking out.

The woman took her hand, pulled her to the back window, and forcefully pushed open the dilapidated wooden window.

"Jump down, walk close to the wall, and turn into the wheat field after you pass that locust tree."

Sun Xiaoyan climbed onto the windowsill and looked back at the mother and daughter.

The little girl smiled at her, a rather ugly smile, but her eyes were bright.

"Sister, you should go now."

Sun Xiaoyan jumped down.

She almost fell the moment her foot touched the ground.

Standing on the muddy ground by the back window, I turned around and saw the woman closing the window. The little girl waved to her.

She turned and ran.

The moon was very bright, making the village appear glaringly white. She ran close to the wall, her heart pounding, her back covered in sweat.

After passing the big locust tree, she disappeared into the wheat field. The wheat was waist-high, and the leaves stung her face. She didn't care and ran as fast as she could.

She ran for an unknown amount of time before stopping and looking back; the village was already far away.

She collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

The moon hung in the sky, and the wheat fields rustled. She suddenly wanted to cry, but couldn't.

After resting for a while, she stood up again and continued running.

Keep running, until the east turns white.

I ran onto that dirt road, and ran until the sun rose.

She saw the main road.

The road was empty, with only the occasional truck passing by.

She stood by the roadside and flagged down three cars, but none of them stopped.

The fourth vehicle was a tractor hauling bricks. The driver, an old man in his fifties, glanced at her and asked, "Going to town?"

Sun Xiaoyan nodded.

"Get in the car."

She climbed onto the tractor, sat on the bricks, and bounced forward.

The old man didn't ask her why she was by the roadside so early in the morning, nor did he ask where she was going; he just drove on.

When they reached the outskirts of the city, the old man told her to get off: "The city is just ahead, you can walk by yourself."

Sun Xiaoyan nodded and jumped out of the car.

She stood on an unfamiliar street, unsure of where to go.

As she walked, she realized she was heading towards the underpass—

For some reason, she subconsciously felt that it was safe there.

There used to be a few homeless people living under the bridge in the west of the city.

She crawled into a bridge arch, leaned against the cement wall, and was so tired that she could barely keep her eyes open.

I had just closed my eyes when a voice rang out.

"Wow, this woman has a big ass."

Sun Xiaoyan opened her eyes and saw a disheveled man staring at her.

He walked over, squatted down in front of her, and pinched her cheek: "Where are you from? A homeless person?"

Sun Xiaoyan did not speak.

The man laughed, revealing a set of yellow teeth: "Perfect timing, it's been a long time since I've been with a woman."

He pounced on her and tore at her coat.

Sun Xiaoyan remained motionless.

She was so tired that she didn't even have the strength to resist.

The man pinned her to the ground, saying as he did so, "You're really honest, aren't you? Are you stupid?"

Sun Xiaoyan closed her eyes and mumbled, "Hurry up and finish, I'm going to sleep."

The man paused for a moment, then laughed even more unrestrainedly: "Fine, you sleep yours, I'll do mine."

He didn't know how long he had been struggling with this.

Sun Xiaoyan was in a daze, feeling like she was floating on the sea, sometimes cold and sometimes hot, her mind filled with all sorts of chaotic images.

The card table, the chess and card room, Xiaohui's kitchen, that dilapidated house in the mountain village, that little girl's face...

"Meiling, one more round..." she muttered.

After saying that, she fell asleep and knew nothing more.