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

That night, Chen Hao asked his older sister to pass on a message, saying that they would meet at his older sister's house the next afternoon.

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling were squatting in the woodshed when they heard Erniu and Gou Dan drinking and playing drinking games in the yard outside, their voices carrying far away.

Liu Meiling pressed her ear to the crack in the door and listened for a while, then turned around and nodded to Sun Xiaoyan.

The next day at noon, the two went to work in the fields as usual.

Erniu squatted on the edge of the field smoking, glanced at them, and waved: "Go to the field at the foot of the mountain and weed. Be back before sunset."

Sun Xiaoyan lowered her head and responded, then picked up her hoe and left.

When the two arrived at the edge of the field, Chen Xiaodie was already waiting there.

The three people squatted behind the bean trellis, speaking in hushed tones.

Chen Xiaodie said, "My older sister said Chen Hao is coming to her house this afternoon, so we'll go later."

Liu Meiling glanced into the distance: "How do we get there?"

"Just say you're going to my older sister's house to learn embroidery," Chen Xiaodie said. "Auntie won't stop you."

Sure enough, when the old lady saw the three people carrying a basket of eggs out, she didn't ask any questions, only saying, "Come back early to cook dinner."

The three of them crouched low as they crossed several ridges in the fields, circled around to the back of the village, and by the time they reached the eldest sister's backyard, the sun was already setting.

The eldest sister was airing out her quilts in the yard when she saw three people come in and quickly waved to them.

She lowered her voice and said, "Chen Hao is waiting for you inside."

Sun Xiaoyan followed him into the house and saw Chen Hao sitting on a stool with a worn-out canvas bag beside him.

Seeing the three people come in, he stood up and said in a low voice, "The car is in the cornfield at the entrance of the village. We have to leave before it gets completely dark."

Liu Meiling asked, "And you, eldest sister?"

The older woman shook her head, glanced into the inner room, and said softly, "I have children, I can't leave. You should go."

Chen Xiaodie's eyes reddened, and she grabbed her older sister's hand: "Big sister, come with us."

The older woman smiled, but it was a bitter smile: "The child will cry if he doesn't see me at night."

Sun Xiaoyan didn't speak. She saw something flash in her older sister's eyes for a moment, then disappear.

Chen Hao glanced at the sky: "We can't delay any longer, let's go."

The three of them crouched down and followed Chen Hao as he climbed over the wall from the backyard, crossed a cornfield, and walked on the soft, crunchy soil.

Sun Xiaoyan's heart was pounding, and her palms were sweaty.

Liu Meiling gripped her arm tightly.

They made their way to the edge of the cornfield at the village entrance and sure enough, they saw a dilapidated bread truck parked on the dirt road, with steam rising from the hood.

Chen Hao said in a low voice, "Get in the car quickly."

Just as the three men climbed into the car, a shout suddenly came from behind them: "They got away! Catch them!"

The beams of flashlight swept across the village, their light flickering erratically in the cornfield.

The barking of dogs exploded, with seven or eight dogs barking at the same time, making people's ears ring.

Chen Hao pushed open the car door: "Close the door quickly!"

The bread truck started its engine, swerved sharply, and sped onto the ridge of the field.

The car was jolting violently, and Sun Xiaoyan's head hit the car window, causing her to see stars from the pain.

Liu Meiling gripped the seat tightly, her teeth grinding together.

As the car headlights swept out, seven or eight figures suddenly appeared ahead, rushing towards them with shovels and hoes in hand.

Erniu's voice boomed, "Surround them!"

The driver jerked the steering wheel, the tires slipped on the mud, and the car plunged into a ditch by the roadside, coming to a stop with a bang.

Erniu and his men rushed up, yanked open the car door, and grabbed Sun Xiaoyan by the hair, dragging her out.

Sun Xiaoyan screamed in pain, her scalp feeling as if it were being torn apart.

Liu Meiling was also dragged off the car by two men and fell onto the muddy ground.

Chen Hao jumped out of the passenger seat, kicked away the man who was grabbing Liu Meiling, but when he turned around, Gou Dan hit him on the back with a hoe from behind, and he fell to the ground.

The village chief arrived sometime earlier, pointing at Chen Hao and yelling, "You traitor! You've disgraced your father!"

Chen Hao scrambled to his feet from the mud, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva: "Are you even human? Trafficking women, illegally detaining people—you're the ones who are shameful!"

The village chief's face turned green. He waved his hand and said, "Tie him up!"

Under the moonlight, Erniu grinned maliciously as he tore open Sun Xiaoyan's clothes; the sound of tearing fabric was particularly jarring in the night.

Sun Xiaoyan was dragged naked to the old locust tree at the village entrance, where a rope was inserted into her wrists, and she was hung up.

Liu Meiling was also stripped naked and hung from another tree branch.

Liu Meiling gritted her teeth and cursed, "You beast!"

Erniu spat, pulled out a rattan cane from his waist, and swung it across Liu Meiling's bare buttocks.

With a crisp snap, the bloodstain immediately burst open, and the flesh rolled back.

Liu Meiling screamed and her body trembled violently.

Before Sun Xiaoyan could react, the rattan cane fell on her again.

A burning pain spread from her buttocks throughout her entire body. She gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound, but tears kept streaming down her face.

The villagers formed a human wall, watching everything with indifference. Some even lit cigarettes and smoked leisurely.

Chen Xiaodie was dragged out of another car by her husband and tied to another tree.

She cried in despair, her voice carried away by the night wind.

Erniu raised the rattan cane, about to strike again, when suddenly several beams of light shone from the end of the village road, sirens wailed, and several police cars stopped at the village entrance.

Fully armed police officers jumped out of their vehicles, their flashlight beams sweeping across the crowd: "Everyone, don't move! Drop your weapons!"

Erniu was stunned, and the rattan cane in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.

The villagers became agitated; some backed away, while others shouted, "It's the police!"

Police quickly secured the scene, and two officers untied the ropes binding Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling.

Sun Xiaoyan collapsed to the ground, feeling her whole body trembling.

Several policewomen took off their coats and draped them over the women, saying softly, "It's alright now."

Erniu suddenly roared, "This is my wife! What right do you have to arrest me?!"

Villagers gathered around, and some pushed and shoved the police.

Erniu shouted, "Even the woman I abducted slept with me; she's my wife. The authorities have no right to interfere!"

Someone reached out to grab the policeman's gun, and the policeman fired a warning shot into the air without hesitation.

A gunshot rang out, and the villagers finally retreated.

Chen Hao got up from the mud, wiped the blood off his face, and took out his ID: "I am the one who reported the case. The village chief, Erniu, and these people are suspected of trafficking and illegal detention."

The police immediately searched the village and found the abducted women in every household.

The woman delivering vegetables stood at her doorstep, holding her child, looking up at the police, her lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

The middle-aged woman lowered her head and remained silent, her eyes blank.

Inside the three rooms, seven or eight naked women huddled in a corner, their eyes vacant like those of the dead.

The police asked each of them about their origins, but the women all shook their heads and remained silent.

All night long, the police's notebooks were filled with dense writing.

The next morning, a car stopped at the village entrance, and a middle-aged man in a suit and a middle-aged woman rushed out of the car, hugged Chen Xiaodie, and burst into tears.

Those were her parents, who rushed over from the provincial capital overnight.

Chen Xiaodie's father released his daughter, looked her up and down at her injuries, and tears welled up in his eyes: "Dad is too late, Dad is sorry."

Chen Xiaodie also cried, but while crying, she pointed at Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling: "Dad, it's these two sisters who have always taken care of me. If it weren't for them, I would have..."

Sun Xiaoyan and Liu Meiling stood by the roadside, dressed in tattered clothes, their bodies covered in wounds that had not yet scabbed over.

The police officer approached and asked, "Is someone coming to pick you up?"

Liu Meiling smiled wryly: "No, we can walk by ourselves."

Sun Xiaoyan nodded.

The police registered their information and handed each of them two hundred yuan for travel expenses: "The investigation is complete, you can go now. We'll notify you if there are any developments in the case."

The two took the money and turned to walk along the mountain path in the morning light.

Behind them, police lights were still flashing as Erniu was put into a police car, while villagers surrounded the roadside, cursing and swearing.

Suddenly, footsteps and shouts came from behind: "Sisters, wait a minute!"

Sun Xiaoyan turned around and saw Chen Xiaodie and her parents catching up.

Chen Xiaodie's eyes were still red, but her gaze was resolute: "Do you two sisters have somewhere to go?"

Sun Xiaoyan was stunned.

Chen Xiaodie said, "My parents are business owners; they own a house and a factory in the provincial capital. If you two sisters don't mind, come with us. I'll find you a way to make a living back in the city."

Liu Meiling paused for a moment, looked at Sun Xiaoyan, then at Chen Xiaodie, and her eyes suddenly reddened.

Sun Xiaoyan's lips trembled; she wanted to say thank you, but the words caught in her throat and she choked up.

Chen Xiaodie stepped forward and hugged them both: "Let's go, let's go together."

The three of them hugged each other tightly.

The morning sun shone on the three of them, and the police car behind them was still sirens blaring, but the sound was no longer as piercing.