WBSGVS Chapter 113

The ordinary brick house didn’t provide much sound insulation, and Li Lanhua’s shrill screams reached the ears of the rest of the Tang family, even the nearby neighbors.

When they heard that the third daughter, just back from the mountains, had been sold by Tang Dashun and his wife, everyone was stunned.

It was one thing for people to sell their children when they were newborns and barely a few days old, but San Ya was already ten years old, and she was a girl—where could they sell her to?

Moreover, they had lived together for so long, and had built a bond; to think they would sell her!

The three sons of the Tang family also stood frozen, mouths agape in disbelief. They stepped forward to open the door to Tang Ersong’s room, only to see Tang Ersong being beaten by Li Lanhua, unable to fight back. They fell silent.

Seeing this, it seemed true.

Otherwise, Tang Ersong, no matter how weak, wouldn’t allow his wife to hit him like this.

The fourth son’s face darkened in anger as he scoffed and turned to leave. His second brother was foolish; he had sold such a smart girl like San Ya, all for an unborn son! He had truly lost his mind!

The fourth son’s wife, frightened, clutched her daughter tightly, her voice trembling with fear, “If you ever sell Wu Ya, I’ll fight you!”

The fourth son quickly shook his head, “I won’t! My children are mine—I’d rather starve than sell them!”

The eldest son’s family was already helping to break up the argument, and the third son’s family hesitated for a moment before joining in. But at this moment, Li Lanhua, consumed with fury, only wanted to beat the person in front of her to death. She was unwilling to let go of Tang Ersong and shouted, “Let go of me! I’m going to kill him! How heartless can he be? She’s his daughter, and he sold her!”

Qian Guiying and Tang Dashun had already returned, feeling guilty for their misdeeds and unwilling to face their son. They heard the commotion from the second son’s room but didn’t come out.

However, when they heard this, Qian Guiying’s face darkened, and Tang Dashun wasn’t happy either. Even though he didn’t like his son, no one should let their daughter-in-law beat their son. He said, “Go and take a look. How can she hit her husband?”

Qian Guiying immediately stood up and moved. When she reached the door to the second son’s room, she pushed aside her sons who were trying to break up the fight. “Useless bunch, can’t even stop a fight!”

She stepped forward, grabbed Li Lanhua’s hair, and slapped her hard. The crisp sound echoed, and she shouted, “You filthy woman! You’re hitting my son now? What do you want, to take control of your husband?”

Li Lanhua was slapped, her cheek burning, her hair painfully pulled. Her hateful gaze turned to Qian Guiying, ready to continue fighting, when she suddenly heard her daughter’s words and regained her composure.

She couldn’t act like this.

She needed to stay calm and think of a solution. Fighting wouldn’t solve anything, especially when there were more people on the other side.

Her anger cooled as this realization sank in. Pretending to be unable to retaliate, she lowered her head and remained silent. Seeing this, Qian Guiying let go, her face stern. “Ersong, how can you let a woman do this to you? Look at yourself!”

Tang Ersong bowed his head and said nothing.

Qian Guiying spat, waved her hand, and left. “See? Now he’s quiet.”

She looked sternly at the other sons and daughters-in-law. “Pretend you didn’t hear anything. Keep an eye on the second son’s wife these next few days.”

Though she wasn’t afraid—after all, it was her granddaughter, what could happen?—no one else knew where San Ya had been sold. If Li Lanhua started spreading rumors, the village leader might come to criticize them.

“Got it,” the others responded half-heartedly.

Li Lanhua remained silent as if stunned, listening to the sounds around her.

Tang Ersong, guilt-ridden, stood up, wincing in pain. His angry mother was now unleashing all her fury. If he took another blow, he feared he might not survive.

His head was spinning, but he still helped Li Lanhua up and spoke gently, “Don’t be foolish. Your parents won’t harm San Ya. That family only has one son. They’ll surely treat her well.”

At least she would live better than at home.

After all, they wanted San Ya to have children, so they would probably take good care of her before that.

Li Lanhua still lowered her head, a bitter smile curving her lips. Even after selling the girl, he still dared to claim they wouldn’t harm her.

Was it only by using a knife that they could solve this?

But she couldn’t argue with him now. She had to remain calm, calm down for sure!

Li Lanhua clenched her hands, and her trembling fingers slowly began to steady, signaling that her panic-stricken heart was gradually calming down.

At that moment, she suddenly recalled the situation from a few days ago when her daughter had taken her to the county—the government office and the police station, these places could help solve problems!

Had her daughter anticipated this?

Was she waiting for her to ask for help?

Li Lanhua’s emotions surged again, and she wanted to go out, to find someone to help rescue her daughter who had been sold. She didn’t know where she was, or if she was being mistreated. She had to hurry!

But as she glanced at her husband nearby, her racing heart slowed again. She couldn’t act yet. She had to find another opportunity!

The afternoon went on as usual with work.

Qian Guiying hadn’t been overly cautious with her daughter-in-law. They were all illiterate, unable to read, and were also ignorant of the law—one didn’t know they were breaking the law, and the other didn’t know they could seek help.

Naturally, they thought their daughter-in-law had no way to ask for help.

Even if the village leader found out, all they were doing was marrying off a daughter. He had no right to inquire further.

Tang Tiantian was also aware of the situation and still thinking about her ice cream. But when she heard the noise coming from the second son’s house at noon, she was frightened and didn’t dare go outside.

In the afternoon, still fearful, she followed Qian Guiying to the fields. They had a large patch of land to plow, and there was no one else around. Tang Tiantian whispered, “Mom, do you think Li Lanhua will go to the village leader?”

“It’s fine, the village leader can’t interfere with family matters,” Qian Guiying replied calmly.

But she still glanced at Li Lanhua.

When she saw Li Lanhua, her expression changed. The woman was focused on working in the fields, and after being slapped, she had indeed become obedient. If she hadn’t quieted down so quickly, Qian Guiying had planned to slap her a few more times.

Tang Tiantian felt relieved and happily said, “Mom, my ice cream!”

“I know, I know,” Qian Guiying replied impatiently. “All you think about is food.”

But when she saw her daughter’s sweet smile, her mood lightened.

A while later, she stretched and yawned, then looked toward her second daughter-in-law’s room, but she noticed that the woman was gone.

A jolt of unease ran through her, but when she glanced around, she saw the village chief still nearby and didn’t see Li Lanhua. She relaxed.

Li Lanhua was probably just slacking off.

That woman was truly lazy, always finding ways to avoid work.

Li Lanhua wasn’t looking for the village chief. She had other plans in mind based on what Sanya had told her about seeking help.

She borrowed a bike and rushed to the county, her heart racing with anxiety. She rode fast, cutting down the travel time by more than half, and arrived in the county in no time.

Li Lanhua’s mind was filled with Sanya’s words: the police station could help, but if they couldn’t, she would make a scene at the county government—if she made enough noise, someone would listen.

So, she decided to head straight to the county government.

Li Lanhua wasn’t educated, but she had a strong determination to get out. As she arrived at the county government just as the staff were finishing their workday, she saw the well-dressed people heading out. She rushed forward, knelt at the door, and cried out, “Help! My daughter’s been sold, I don’t even know where she is! Please, help me! My daughter’s only ten years old, and they sold her to be someone’s wife. Waaaaah…”

A mother crying on the ground stopped the staff who were leaving. They hesitated, then turned back.

When they heard that a ten-year-old girl had been sold to be a wife, their faces changed.

“Sister, calm down!”

“I can’t calm down, my child is gone! Please, I’m begging you…” Li Lanhua clung to one of the staff members’ legs, sobbing.

It was a scene so dramatic that no one dared to brush it off. People started to gather around. One of the higher-ranking officials helped her up and gently reassured her, “Sister, come with me inside, let’s talk. Once we talk, we can figure out how to find your daughter, alright?”

Hearing this, Li Lanhua quickly stood up, “Let’s go, hurry! My daughter just got sold, she must be scared! Waaaaah…”

The woman helping her, moved by the situation, gently spoke, “Don’t worry, we’ll find your daughter. First, let’s talk…”

The group entered the building, staying past closing time. They contacted the Women’s Federation and the police to get help.

Eventually, the county’s top official was alerted and came to see the distraught mother. After a quick look, he ordered, “We will reunite mother and daughter no matter what!”

Later that night…

Qian Guiying, unusually restless, couldn’t sleep. She felt uneasy, but she wasn’t sure why. Since realizing Li Lanhua had gone missing in the afternoon, at first, she thought the woman had gone to the village chief, then thought she was just slacking off. But when dinner came around and Li Lanhua was still nowhere to be seen, she began to worry.

Tang Dashun was snoring loudly. She nudged him and grumbled, “Husband, where do you think Li Lanhua went?”

Tang Dashun irritably replied, “Who knows?”

Qian Guiying frowned. “I have a bad feeling. What if something happened?”

“What could happen? We’re just marrying off a granddaughter, not buying land. The couple to worry about is Yang Lao and his wife,” Tang Dashun answered nonchalantly. “Stop bothering me, go to sleep. We’ve got work tomorrow.”

Qian Guiying tossed and turned, still uneasy. Then, she heard a knock on the door.

What’s going on? Is Li Lanhua back?

Qian Guiying jumped out of bed, no longer able to sleep. She was determined to teach Li Lanhua a lesson for making her worry all afternoon!

With a creak, she opened the door, tightly gripping a feather duster. She cursed as she stepped out, “Li Lanhua, where the hell are you—”

Her words caught in her throat when she saw a group of people in uniforms. Her heart nearly stopped, and she froze in place, too terrified to move.

This was the instinctive fear small people have when faced with those in power.

The leader spoke, “Are you Qian Guiying?”

“Y-Yes, yes I am! What’s going on?” Qian Guiying stammered.

With a wave of his hand, two officers grabbed her and began to drag her toward the police car, while the others stormed into the house, shouting, “Everyone, out! The police are here, everyone out!”

Qian Guiying’s legs went weak, and she screamed, “Help! What did I do wrong? Why are you arresting me?”

“We’ve been honest! What’s going on?” she cried out.

“I’m not going, I’m not going!” she protested.

The officers had no choice but to say, “You’re selling your granddaughter. That’s illegal! We’re taking you in for questioning.”

Qian Guiying instinctively retorted, “Selling? She’s my granddaughter! I’m marrying her off!”

The officer glared at her and snapped, “Not even your daughter can be married off like that! You can’t force marriages anymore, and you sold her off without her mother’s knowledge—what kind of thing is that? Your granddaughter is only ten! She can’t get married! This is human trafficking, a serious crime!”

Qian Guiying’s mind went blank. Her face turned as pale as a corpse, and she was too frozen to move, but still, she was shoved into the car.

With a loud “bang,” the car door slammed shut, and her world plunged into darkness as she collapsed in the back of the police car.

Had she… committed a crime?