Chapter 78
Ye Jinmeng didn't know where she was. Before her eyes was a shabby little mud hut, with a few scattered households nearby, surrounded by towering mountains.
It seemed to be winter, with a thin layer of snow on the ground. In the courtyard, there was a little girl, probably around ten years old, whose clothes were patched all over, squatting and washing clothes. Ye Jinmeng had never seen this girl before and didn't recognize her.
The water looked cold, and the girl's hands were covered in chilblains.
Ye Jinmeng felt compassion and walked over, wanting to warm the girl's hands with her own. But to her surprise, her hands passed right through the girl's body, unable to make contact.
"Am I dead now?" Ye Jinmeng wondered.
"You good-for-nothing girl, hurry up and make some food! Do you want to starve your brother and me to death?" a shrill voice suddenly rang out.
Before Ye Jinmeng could process what was happening, an old woman, probably in her sixties, emerged from the hut.
"Washing clothes at such a snail's pace! Hurry up and make some food first, then you can wash clothes later! You're such a useless waste of money!"
The old woman glared at the girl with threatening eyes, making Ye Jinmeng roll her eyes repeatedly in outrage.
The obedient girl put down the clothes she was washing and ran over to the makeshift stove, starting a fire to boil noodles.
"Grandma, I'm so hungry. Has my sister not made the food yet?" A boy who looked about five or six years old snuggled up to the old woman, who had suddenly transformed into a picture of tenderness despite her earlier ferocity.
"Oh, my little darling, the food will be ready soon. Go inside quickly, it's cold out here!"
The boy's clothes, though not brand new, had no patches, and the old woman's clothes only had a patch or two. But the girl's clothes seemed to be entirely made up of patches sewn together.
Ye Jinmeng finally understood - this old woman valued her grandson over her granddaughter, treating the boy like a treasure and the girl like dirt. It was the first time she had witnessed such a scene.
"I really can't fathom why, even though she's a woman herself, she can't show a little kindness to the girl?"
As much as Ye Jinmeng wanted to help the poor girl, she was powerless, for no one could perceive her existence.
The scene then shifted, and Ye Jinmeng found herself in the same courtyard, now draped with white cloth.
"My child, my grandson, how could you leave this old woman behind and go away?" the old woman, formerly so fierce, was now collapsed on the ground in despair.
The girl looked to have grown taller, appearing around fourteen or fifteen years old now. She wore a white cloth headpiece and knelt beside the old woman, burning paper money bit by bit.
Ahead of them were three coffins, black-and-white photographs affixed to them. Upon closer inspection, Ye Jinmeng guessed that they must be the girl's parents and brother.
From the conversations of the villagers who came to help, Ye Jinmeng learned that the girl's parents had taken her brother to the town to buy new clothes when they were all bitten by a king cobra. By the time they were discovered, their bodies had already stiffened.
"My child, my poor grandson..." the old woman wailed, while the girl remained expressionless, showing no sign of sadness.
"Well, it seems the girl really has no affection for this family. But then again, if this was the kind of family she was born into, the further away she is, the better," Ye Jinmeng sighed.
The scene changed again, still in the same courtyard. Ye Jinmeng followed behind a middle-aged woman carrying an old, tattered cloth bag.
"Here's the Wang family's good-for-nothing girl. I'm leaving her with you. Just take care of her food and board, and you keep her monthly salary for yourself - don't give her a single cent!" The old woman's eyes glinted with greed.
The woman laughed, "Don't worry, auntie, I've got your words engraved in my mind!"
The girl followed the woman wordlessly, still expressionless.
Ye Jinmeng felt like spitting out a mouthful of old blood. This old woman was simply outrageous, sending her granddaughter out to work and earn money at such a young age, while pocketing every cent the girl made for herself!
She couldn't understand - this girl was the old woman's only remaining grandchild, yet she still couldn't treat her properly. Who would dig her grave for her in the future?
Sure enough, the scene changed again, but this time it wasn't the same small courtyard, but rather a small plastic processing factory.
The girl had grown up, and perhaps due to the factory's better food, her once thin face had become more rounded. Dressed in a work uniform with her hair in a ponytail, she looked clean-cut and full of vitality.
The girl entered the manager's office, where the middle-aged woman sat.
"Zhao Kui, you're eighteen years old this year. According to the agreement I made with your grandmother when you first came, I'll be sending you back home now that you're an adult."
The girl remained silent.
The woman sighed.
"Your grandmother just called me earlier. She said she's already found you a good match, from a well-off family who paid a sizeable dowry. Although, um... the groom might have some intellectual disabilities, but he'll definitely not mistreat you."
Ye Jinmeng listened to the woman's words, her eyes practically rolling into the back of her head as she gasped for air in outrage.
"Ahhh, what kind of people are these!"
"Ahhh, this girl is so pitiful, being treated like a servant from a young age, then sent to a factory to earn money, and now being sold off as a bride to an idiot!"
"Ahhh, is there no police officer who can intervene? This is infuriating!"
Ye Jinmeng watched as the girl's hands, hanging at her sides, clenched into tight fists, but she remained silent with her head bowed.
"Ahhh, quick, leave this place! Definitely don't go back!"
Ye Jinmeng shouted at the girl with all her might, but it was no use. She paced back and forth frantically, gasping for air from her rage.
Ye Jinmeng clutched her chest tightly. "Ahh, I can't take it anymore, I'm in so much pain from the anger... Ahh... Am I dying... I never imagined I'd be killed by rage..."
"It hurts... so painful..."
"Jinmeng, Jinmeng..."
Ye Jinmeng thought she heard Shu Ning's voice as the pain in her chest made it hard for her to breathe.
Slowly opening her eyes, everything was a blinding white.
Ye Jinmeng felt like crying - had she really died and gone to heaven?
"Jinmeng, you're awake, Jinmeng..." Shu Ning's face suddenly appeared before her, filled with relief.
Ye Jinmeng's vision finally focused. It was just Shu Ning after all. Phew, it seemed she hadn't died yet.
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