Chapter 382: Betrothal Gift

I swallowed slightly.

I hadn't eaten for almost a day and hadn't even drunk any water. I might as well drink this cup of milk and get some early sleep. I picked up the milk and drank it all in one go, but I felt a bit nauseous. This milk seemed expired again; after swallowing, it left a heavy bitter taste. I hoped I wouldn't get diarrhea during the night. I could tolerate a bad environment, but I really couldn't stand a bad toilet.

I picked up my phone and sent a Weixin message to Xiao Sun: "Can you come pick me up earlier tomorrow? I'll be waiting at my location. Call me when you arrive."

"No problem, jie." Xiao Sun replied instantly. "I'll be there around seven o'clock."

"Make sure you stay safe."

"Don't worry, jie. You get some early sleep—I'll bring breakfast for you."

His message put me at ease, and as the night breeze gently blew through the window, sleepiness quickly washed over me.

In a daze, I heard people chatting in my room.

But for some reason, I couldn't open my eyes.

Woman said:

"You pa er duo, how much did you put? Don't poison her to death—that's illegal."

Man said:

"Don't worry, it can knock out a pig but won't kill a person."

Woman said:

"Really? You pa er duo actually came up with this idea. Later, call Cheng Cai to help move her. We've taken the money, and ten thousand yuan isn't a small amount."

Man said:

"Don't babble. Whoever wants her can come move her. You go call him."

I felt tense inside—the situation wasn't right. I could hear what they were saying, but I still couldn't open my eyes.

It was as if I was falling into a dark pit, with all the light gradually fading away from me.

What was happening to me?

When I opened my eyes again, I felt extremely weak.

My head was dizzy, and everything in front of me was blurry. Vaguely, I sensed I was in a small room, with dry straw under my feet.

After a few seconds, I realized I was in a completely unfamiliar place, so I quickly reached out to feel for my phone, but it was gone.

I was lying barefoot on the dry straw, which was very uncomfortable.

I slowly furrowed my brow... What on earth was going on?

I never imagined my own biological parents would harm me.

Had they locked me up?

How ridiculous!

"Hey!" I reached out and banged on the old wooden door. "What are you doing?! If you have something to say, open the door and talk about it. This is illegal! Do you hear me?"

To my surprise, it was completely quiet outside, as if no one was there.

Wait... Had they gone to hold the wedding?

Where was I now?

I'd never seen this room before. Was it newly built during the years I was away?

Or...

Combining what I'd heard in my half-dream state, a more terrifying thought swirled in my mind—

Had I been sold?

Absurd, utterly absurd!

Those were my own biological parents!

I quickly calmed myself down and started looking for any tools I could use in the room. The good news was that no one seemed to be guarding nearby, so I had a chance to escape, but the bad news was that besides the dry straw, the room appeared to have nothing else.

The house was a rammed earth structure, very old and rundown, with a small window high up on the wall.

Even if I could climb up, I probably couldn't escape through that tiny window.

So, I turned my attention back to the wooden door in front of me.

If I could smash it open, I should be able to escape.

I stepped back a few paces, took a short run, and threw my whole body against the door with all my strength. But the next second, I heard the clanking sound of iron chains.

I instantly realized the door was securely locked with chains. Even if I broke the door, I couldn't break the chains.

So, smashing the door wasn't a good idea at all.

The best plan now was to conserve my energy. I had to wait for them to open the door on their own, then find a way to escape.

If I wasted too much energy trying to break the door now, not only would I exhaust myself, but I might also draw unwanted attention.

Thinking of that, I found a corner and slowly sat down. I had to stay calm.

No matter what happened, the only thing a person can rely on is themselves, so I had to stay calm.

But I never expected this wait would last an entire day.

In the sweltering room, I was parched and starving, feeling like my body was on the verge of dehydration.

The most important thing now was to preserve water and energy as much as possible; otherwise, I wouldn't be able to escape.

They were truly outrageous.

Even if they were my family, I would make sure they went to prison.

It wasn't until nightfall, when the room grew dark, that the chains on the door finally rattled.

My heart jumped to my throat—I was a bit scared, to be honest.

For humans, the most terrifying thing is the unknown.

But I quickly steadied my emotions. No matter who opened the door, they had some nerve—illegally detaining someone or depriving them of personal freedom in other ways could lead to up to three years in prison, detention, or control.

They had earned their own prison meals.

The door lock rattled, and the wooden door was suddenly flung open forcefully. A tall, burly man appeared there.

The bad news was, he didn't look like an old man or Cheng Cai; he was a stranger.

"Smack!"

A beam of flashlight light hit my face, making me quickly shut my eyes.

"Oh, you're awake?"

Because the light was so strong, I couldn't make out his face.

"You..." I wanted to say something, but I was a little afraid.

After a long pause, the man spoke: "You don't recognize me? Need me to introduce myself?"

His voice was rough and unpleasant, like he had gravel in his throat.

"N-no, no need to introduce yourself." I swallowed and said to him, "I advise you to stop what you're doing right now. I suspect you've detained me for over twenty-four hours, which constitutes 'illegal detention.' Everything you say now will be recorded and used as evidence against you."

"Ha?"

The man paused for a moment, then slowly walked toward me.

I was squatting on the ground, feeling vulnerable, so I stood up immediately.

If I could find an opportunity, I could run past him.

But to my utter shock, the man suddenly kicked me hard in the abdomen.

I'd never been beaten like this in my life. I felt my stomach churning, and my whole body doubled over.

He pushed me to the ground and kicked me hard. I kept spitting up bile, feeling my consciousness slipping away.

"Stinky woman! Stinky woman!"

He shouted while kicking: "I gave your mom ten thousand yuan! We took the bride price, and you're talking to me like this?!"

"Wha...?"

Even though my whole body was in pain, that statement made me shiver.

"What do you mean by bride price?"

He stopped kicking and slowly raised the flashlight, shining it on his own face.

The light from below revealed his horrifying features.

It was a fifty-year-old face covered in acne.

He was the village butcher, surnamed Ma. I knew about him from childhood.

He was rich but ugly, with a bad temper. He spent his days drinking and gambling, and no one dared get close to him over the years.

But... why?

Why had my family accepted his bride price?