"Then why did you come out? Isn't your family with you? Where are you going? How about I walk you home?"
The boy was relieved to realize her pale face wasn't because he had bumped into her. But since she was sick, he felt he should show some concern.
"I'm fine. I was just feeling a bit stuffy after lying down all morning, so I came out for some fresh air. My house isn't far, so there's no need to walk me back. What about you? Are you from our village? How come I've never seen you before?"
Zhou Gu'er voiced the question on her mind. It was mainly because the boy was so kind, and she felt a sense of familiarity with him. As a result, she was relaxed and at ease in his presence.
If the Zhou family had seen this, they would have found it utterly unbelievable. The Zhou Gu'er they knew was a quiet, timid person who would just blush, lower her head, and walk away upon seeing a boy, never daring to speak. But this Zhou Gu'er was not only talking to a strange boy, she was saying so much and even asking him questions. She was like a completely different person from the Zhou Gu'er they knew.
However, the Zhou family wasn't around, and the boy didn't know what Zhou Gu'er was usually like, so he didn't find it strange at all.
"My name is Liu Yuan. I'm not from your village. Do you know Dapang? His mom is my aunt. I came to visit my aunt's family today. It's almost noon and Dapang still isn't back, so I came out to look for him. I didn't expect to be in such a rush and bump into you."
The boy, Liu Yuan, told Zhou Gu'er his name and explained why he had been in such a hurry.
'So he really isn't from our village. No wonder. How could I have absolutely no memory of a young man like him?'
"Oh, so you're really not from our village. That explains it. I was thinking I'd never seen you before."
Zhou Gu'er nodded. She knew of the Dapang that Liu Yuan mentioned. She'd heard Zhou Cai talk about him several times and had seen him twice herself. In her impression, Dapang was a bit of a wild young man.
"I've visited my aunt's place a few times before, but I've never run into you. Which family are you from? What's your name?"
Liu Yuan had a good impression of Zhou Gu'er as well. People were simpler back then; he had no ulterior motives, he just wanted to ask for her name. Of course, if she didn't want to say, he wouldn't press her.
"My name is Zhou Gu'er. You should hurry and find Dapang, don't keep your family waiting. I'll be going now."
Zhou Gu'er gave her name but didn't mention she was from Zhou Mazi's family. In her heart, Zhou Mazi was not her father.
"Okay, take care then."
Liu Yuan nodded. He didn't know Zhou Gu'er well, so exchanging a few words was good enough. But as they parted, he still reminded her to be careful.
Zhou Gu'er walked in the opposite direction from him.
Zhou Gu'er walked aimlessly, with no destination in mind. When she finally stopped, she froze.
'I actually walked all the way here?'
In front of Zhang Da's house.
She knew her subconscious had led her here.
It was a place Zhou Gu'er never wanted to come to again, yet she had unconsciously walked right to it.
'It makes sense, I suppose.'
Zhou Gu'er gave a sarcastic smile. After leaving her adoptive father's home in her past life, wasn't this where she had ended up living?
Remembering that man's humiliation and abuse, remembering the heart-wrenching pain, Zhou Gu'er couldn't help but tremble.
————————————————————————
Sun Jiaming had just returned from the city. His house was only two or three doors down from Zhang Da's, so he had to pass by Zhang Da's place to get home.
As he approached, he saw a young woman standing at Zhang Da's gate, staring blankly.
'What kind of girl would just stand in front of Zhang Da's house like this?'
After all, Zhang Da was notorious in the village for being a real piece of work.
Never mind his love for drinking and gambling with his cronies; his character was rotten. He had sticky fingers, and he was known for making lewd comments to the village's young women and wives. He'd even been caught sneaking into a widow's house in the middle of the night.
His parents had died early, and he had squandered what little money they left behind. That was why, even now at nearly thirty, he still hadn't managed to get married.
The young women and wives in the village all steered clear of him, terrified of being taken advantage of. So why would someone be standing at his door now?
'Could it be that he bullied her?'
Sun Jiaming shook his head. 'In any case, it's none of my business.' He continued walking, carrying the things in his hand.
Zhou Gu'er didn't notice someone walk past her from behind. She just stood there quietly, thinking about everything that had happened in her past life.
As luck would have it, Zhang Da returned just then, having been out for a few cups of potent, home-brewed grain liquor from the Northeast. He was planning to come home for a nap, but to his surprise, he saw a girl standing at his gate. He wondered who would possibly come to his house. As he got closer, he realized it was Zhou Gu'er. His eyes immediately lit up, glinting with a lecherous light.
You have to understand, while there were plenty of young women and wives in the village, the most beautiful one was, by far, Zhou Gu'er. Even though he was a good-for-nothing with nothing to his name, he was still a man, and he had a man's eye for beauty—he only wanted the best. So, he had set his sights on Zhou Gu'er.
He had drunk with Zhou Mazi many times and gambled with him a few times as well. In private, he had secretly approached Zhou Mazi about marrying Zhou Gu'er.
But despite asking several times, Zhou Mazi never agreed. He knew that Zhou Mazi didn't care who Zhou Gu'er married, as long as he got paid for it.
Since Zhou Gu'er was the prettiest, her bride price would surely be the highest in the village—probably at least thirty or fifty yuan. And he couldn't afford that much. So for now, all he could do was covet her from afar.
Today, Zhou Gu'er had delivered herself right to his doorstep. How could he not be thrilled? He even secretly thought to himself, 'Could it be that I'm just so great that Zhou Gu'er has taken a liking to me and came looking for me on her own?'
"Well now, isn't it Sister Gu'er? What brings you to my house? Are you here looking for me, Sister Gu'er? Quick, quick, come on in."
Zhang Da said with great enthusiasm. He wished he could just drag Zhou Gu'er into the house right now. He wished she was already his wife, then he could do whatever he wanted with her.
The reason Zhou Gu'er hadn't left was that she was completely lost in her past life. An entire lifetime—the memories were too deep. How could she not be affected?
Staring at the familiar, hated face from her memories, at the forced, plastered-on smile, at the hand reaching out for her, Zhou Gu'er was thrown back to that night. She had been sitting anxiously on the kang bed when he came back, dead drunk. Without a word, he pinned her down on the bed, his foul-smelling mouth kissing her. He tore her clothes, ignoring her struggles, and turned her from a girl into a woman. The pain—it was still fresh in her memory even now.
"Get away! Don't touch me!"
Zhou Gu'er saw her past and present lives overlap, and she let out a scream.
Her cry not only startled Zhang Da, who was about to grab her, but also Sun Jiaming, who was still walking away.
The girl's voice was so shrill, it sent a chill down his spine. It sounded... it sounded full of hatred. 'Could it be that Zhang Da really did something to her?'
With that thought, Sun Jiaming stopped in his tracks.