Abduction

Lin Qingqing didn’t sleep well to begin with, and curled up in the back. When she heard the voice of Old Lady Lin, she was very scared, and quickly went to get a stool, and she stepped on the stool to bolt the door to prevent those people from entering the room.

“Qingqing, Lin Qingqing,” Old Lady Lin called out as she and her group arrived after Lin Chengshan had left.

Old Lady Lin thought that since Lin Qingqing’s biological mother, Xiao Man, had run away, Lin Chengshan would eventually remarry. New wives wouldn’t be keen on looking after the children left by previous wives, especially since Lin Qingqing was a girl. Rather than let Lin Qingqing stay at home and be mistreated by a stepmother, Old Lady Lin decided it was better to send her away.

By “send,” she meant “sell.” Old Lady Lin had already made arrangements with others.

“Lin Qingqing,” Old Lady Lin banged on the door. “I know you’re inside. Open the door, it’s Grandma.”

Lin Qingqing covered her mouth to keep herself from making any noise.

The window of the room is not a glass window, nor a paper window, but a small window of 20 cm wide and 30 cm long at a higher position in the room. It is difficult for people outside to climb up through such a small window.

Originally, there wasn’t a curtain for this window, but Xiao Man didn’t like having no curtain. She had Lin Chengshan put up a small curtain that could be pulled down from below.

Despite this, Xiao Man was still dissatisfied with the small window and preferred glass windows that could be opened to view the outside scenery. She had once told Lin Chengshan, “Such a small window and a cramped room make living here feel like being in prison.”

As a result, Old Lady Lin and her group couldn’t get in through the window.

“Lin Qingqing, I asked you to open the door, did you hear me?” Old Lady Lin said, “You damned child, why are you so disobedient?”

Hearing Old Lady Lin’s banging on the door, Lin Qingqing huddled in the corner, too scared to move or go near the door.

“Such disobedience at such a young age, what will become of you when you grow up?” Old Lady Lin complained. “It’s our fault for spoiling you too much.”

Old Lady Lin quickly added that it was their fault for spoiling Lin Qingqing, as if to suggest they weren’t stupid. In rural areas, few people actually spoil their daughters. Daughters are often used as free labor before marriage and are seen as burdens after marriage.

Standing next to Old Lady Lin were people from other villages. Old Lady Ge, who had an eight-year-old grandson who had become mentally impaired due to a high fever, was worried that no one would want to marry her grandson in the future. The family was troubled by this, so they thought about finding a child bride for him.

Even for a child bride, Old Lady Ge wanted a good-looking girl. Since Old Lady Lin was ready to sell Lin Qingqing, and though she was a bit thin, she was still quite cute. Old Lady Ge had seen Lin Qingqing before and decided to offer some money to buy her.

“Are you coming out or not?” Old Lady Lin grew anxious, realizing that if Lin Chengshan returned, it would be more complicated. They needed to send Lin Qingqing away before he came back.

Once this was settled, even if Lin Chengshan returned, Old Lady Lin believed he would compromise.

She’s just a little girl, not a big deal.

After Lin Chengshan remarried, it would be fine if he could have not only a girl but also a son.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be an easy process?” Old Lady Ge frowned.

“Wait a bit,” Old Lady Lin said. “If necessary, I’ll have someone kick the door down. This child is really…”

Old Lady Ge didn’t see much of a problem with what Old Lady Lin said. As for Lin Qingqing’s disobedience, it wasn’t a big deal. Once Lin Qingqing was in their home, they could starve her a few times to make her obedient.

The children are still young, so they can still teach them and make them know what fear is.

When Lin Qingqing heard what Old Lady Lin said, her eyes turned red. She wanted to cry, but she didn’t dare to. Lin Qingqing didn’t dare to make a sound. She wanted them to leave and not come back.

However, Lin Qingqing’s wishes did not come true. Old Lady Lin indeed called for help.

The outer walls were made of mud, and the walls and door inside were wooden.

Old Lady Lin called her eldest son, who frequently worked in the fields and was strong. Lin Chenghai kicked the wooden door with force, and it was broken open.

Lin Qingqing was terrified. When the door was kicked in, she hid in the wardrobe. There weren’t many clothes in the wardrobe, and Lin Qingqing couldn’t cover herself fully with them.

“Ah, hiding here,” Old Lady Lin quickly opened the wardrobe.

The room was so small that Lin Qingqing was either under the bed or in the wardrobe.

Old Lady Lin easily found Lin Qingqing and yanked her out of the wardrobe with force. She didn’t care if Lin Qingqing was hurt. Even if Lin Qingqing stumbled and fell, Old Lady Lin thought it was Lin Qingqing’s fault for hiding. If she hadn’t hidden, Old Lady Lin wouldn’t have been so angry.

“Get up,” Old Lady Lin said disdainfully. “Now that someone wants you. You’ll go live with your new grandmother and enjoy good food and treats. Don’t think we’re being unkind to you. Once you’re there, your new grandmother will take good care of you.”

Old Lady Lin thought to herself that Old Lady Ge was very stingy and wouldn’t treat Lin Qingqing well.

“I’m not going, I’m not going,” Lin Qingqing cried as she got up from the floor. “Daddy asked me to wait for him. I’m being good.”

Lin Qingqing didn’t want to go with these people; she didn’t want to leave home.

“Alright, you can take her now,” Old Lady Lin said to Old Lady Ge.

Without needing further persuasion, Old Lady Ge took out twenty yuan to give to Old Lady Lin, which was considered payment for buying Lin Qingqing. In those days, twenty yuan was quite a sum. Some adults didn’t even have twenty yuan as a bride price. The most they get is 66 yuan or 88 yuan in urban areas.

In the countryside, sometimes even a bag of coarse grains could be exchanged for a wife.

Old Lady Ge mainly thought that since her grandson was mentally impaired, and Lin Qingqing was still somewhat presentable, spending the money on her was worth it.

Old Lady Lin did not dare to complain about the money being too little, as they had agreed on this amount from the beginning. After all, Lin Qingqing was still very young, and no one knew if she would grow up safely.

It’s just a little girl. Many people don’t want to raise a daughter, so they just throw the baby girl on the roadside. If someone picks up the baby girl, she can survive. If no one picks up the baby girl, she will just starve to death.

Old Lady Ge reached out to grab Lin Qingqing, but Lin Qingqing dodged her.

“Be a good girl. From now on, I’ll be your new grandmother,” Old Lady Ge said with a smile. She initially intended to look stern but thought it was more important to coax the child to her home. Once the child was with them, everything would be simpler.

“No, you’re not!” Lin Qingqing shouted loudly.

Old Lady Ge reached for Lin Qingqing and dragged her towards the door. Lin Qingqing bit Old Lady Ge’s hand fiercely, causing her to recoil in pain, and Lin Qingqing fell to the ground.

Lin Qingqing’s hair was in disarray, and she was still unwilling to go with Old Lady Ge.

“Your father agreed,” Old Lady Lin said deliberately to push Lin Qingqing away.

“No, my father did not agree.” Lin Qingqing firmly believed that her father would never abandon her. Even though she was scared, she had to hold on.

Old Lady Ge was indeed hurt by Lin Qingqing’s bite, but since Lin Qingqing was only a little over three years old and lacked strength, Old Lady Ge knew this was not the time to dwell on it. She just wanted to quickly take Lin Qingqing away and reached out to grab her again.

The village was relatively close to the town, about a thirty-minute walk. On normal days, there are no cars, but those who have bicycles can ride there quickly, arriving in just over ten minutes.

Lin Chengshan had quickly bought some items in town, spending about an hour in total. He was anxious not to stay too long in town, fearing that something might happen to his daughter alone at home.

Who would have thought that when Lin Chengshan returned and had not even reached the door, he saw people at his doorstep from a distance.

“What are you doing?” Lin Chengshan asked coldly, putting down the things he was carrying and rushing over. In just a few steps, he reached Lin Qingqing, who looked disheveled, with a large bump on her forehead.

Lin Chengshan quickly embraced his daughter and glared fiercely at Old Lady Lin. If looks could kill, Old Lady Lin would have died many times over.

“Your family accepted the money; this girl belongs to us now,” Old Lady Ge said before Old Lady Lin could speak.

“Who took your money? Go find them,” Lin Chengshan gritted his teeth. “This is my daughter. I did not agree to sell her!”

Lin Chengshan was furious. He had only gone to town to buy some supplies, and these people came to snatch his daughter. He wondered if it was the same in his previous life and lamented not knowing these things. He blamed himself for only thinking about buying food for the house and not realizing these people would come so quickly.

Old Lady Lin had deliberately sent someone to the neighboring village to get Old Lady Ge while Lin Chengshan was away, hoping to settle this matter before he returned.

“They live in a brick house and have money. Qingqing will not suffer there,” Old Lady Lin said. “As for the money, just consider it as covering the expenses Qingqing incurred over the years.”

“Get lost!” Lin Chengshan said coldly.

“I need to take this child with me. I’ve spent money…” Old Lady Ge insisted.

“I’ve already separated from them. If they took your money, go to their home. They still have girls there. Take one of them!” Lin Chengshan said. He saw no problem with his statement and could not care less about the so-called niece. Since these people had treated his daughter this way, there was no need for him to be kind to them.

“Those girls are not as good-looking as your daughter, so they’re not worth this price,” Old Lady Ge said to Old Lady Lin. “You can’t say one thing and do another.”

“Are you trying to kidnap children? Do I need to call the police?” Lin Chengshan’s eyes were cold as he stared at Old Lady Ge and the others. “Do you want to see what life in prison is like?”