ATFBETIBM Chapter 315.2

Amidst the wild weeds, Sun Ning whispered, “Come on, I know where the well is.”

As they approached the well, they saw Sun Ning throw something inside.

Curious, Li Cancan peeked in and saw it was just a matchstick.

The matchstick was still burning, casting a faint light into the deep well.

Li Cancan observed the well for a moment. “This well seems normal, it’s filled with leaves and debris, and nothing sunk at the bottom.”

“I’m thinking about a question. If they can see us now, does that mean we can intervene in what’s happening?” Li Cancan looked towards the direction of the school gate, lost in thought.

Sun Ning: “It’s better not to. We shouldn’t interfere with a woman’s revenge.”

“You’re right,” Li Cancan agreed.

“Li’s wife, where are you going?”

From beyond the school gate, a greeting suddenly came.

“Oh, I’m going to the school area to get some grass and make straw toys.”

“You’re really talented, you can do everything.”

Hearing the voices getting closer, the three hurriedly found a hiding spot.

The moment they hid, Ah Jing walked in, carrying the bag she had before.

The bag was still heavy, and its angular shape could be vaguely seen from the outside.

The moment Ah Jing entered the school, her smile vanished instantly.

She walked to a corner with a cold expression and muttered to herself, “Put it here?”

“No, it will be discovered here.”

After saying this, Ah Jing moved a little to the side and found another corner.

This corner was only separated from the place where the three were hiding by a wall.

The three held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

The woman stood on this side of the wall, and they stood on the other side. In this moment, time seemed to freeze.

Ah Jing stood at this corner, lost in thought for several seconds. Then the three heard a low, long sigh, “This place isn’t suitable either.”

With that, Ah Jing turned her head and walked to another corner.

She wandered around the courtyard for a while before finally stopping in a dense thicket of grass close to the well.

Standing there, she nodded in satisfaction, “This place is good. It’s concealed and you can see clearly.”

Only then did Ah Jing smile to herself.

She placed the backpack on the ground and carefully took out the items inside, arranging them one by one.

Li Cancan and the others cautiously peeked out from the corner. When they saw what Ah Jing was holding, Li Cancan’s pupils dilated.

They were two memorial tablets.

The one on the left said Liang Tingting, and the one on the right said Pan Pan.

Memorial tablets for Liang Tingting and Pan Pan…

After carefully placing the two memorial tablets in the hidden thicket, Ah Jing gently caressed them. “Tingting, Pan Pan, be good. Tonight, I’m going to play hide-and-seek with the uncles and aunties in the village. Pan Pan, Auntie is very good at playing hide-and-seek. Later, I’ll show you how good Auntie is, I’ll catch many people for you.”

Ah Jing pointed to the dry well not far behind her, “Each person I catch will be put here. You guys count how many I can catch.”

“Tonight’s game will be very exciting. You will definitely like it.”

After saying these words, Ah Jing touched the two memorial tablets once again before walking away.

When Ah Jing was far enough, the three came out from their hiding spot.

Looking at the two memorial tablets in the corner, Li Cancan’s voice trembled, “So, this is what Pan Pan mentioned before, the hide-and-seek game?”

“Pan Pan was indeed hidden, but it wasn’t Pan Pan herself, but her memorial tablet.”

…

Several more hours passed, and the sky had darkened.

The once empty little square, which only had a few tables and chairs, was now filled with people. Bai Lixin and the others were also among them.

The tables were full of delicious food and wine, and some people had already started eating.

One of the tables was occupied by particularly special individuals.

They were considered special because Bai Lixin recognized several familiar faces at this table.

The woman and four men.

They were the ones who brought the three women into the village earlier.

However, Bai Lixin found the other people sitting at this table and the one next to it to be strangers, they weren’t villagers.

As the night grew darker, the small tables on the square quickly filled up with people.

Tonight, Ah Jing wore a beautiful white floral dress. Clearly, she had dressed up carefully. Her long hair that had been tied up now fell loose, and a hint of makeup adorned her face, with a touch of red lipstick.

When she smiled, Bai Lixin was momentarily reminded of the once carefree woman with short hair.

Ah Jing raised her glass towards the table with unfamiliar people, “I thank my matchmakers and their colleagues for taking the time to join my birthday banquet. I am truly touched.”

Matchmakers and their colleagues.

So the people at the two tables are involved in human trafficking?

Ah Jing was relaxed, but some people at the table seemed a bit uneasy, smiling awkwardly.

One woman stood up. She seemed familiar with Ah Jing, evidently the one who brought Ah Jing to this village in the first place.

“Ah Jing, do you believe what we said back then now? We are all good people, but we are misunderstood by outsiders. Look, if it weren’t for us, how could you have such good villagers as friends and a husband?”

“Yes,” someone at the table, clearly drunk, chimed in. “Exactly, we were clearly doing good deeds, helping men and women match up. Who wouldn’t expect some benefits for their efforts? Yet they called us human traffickers. How could we be human traffickers? It’s so unfair! I can’t stand this injustice!”

Ah Jing’s smile grew wider, “Yes, thank you all. I thank you on behalf of our entire village and my husband. If not for you, we wouldn’t be sitting here together today. It’s wonderful.”

The woman looked deeply moved, “Ah Jing, you do have a conscience, unlike some people who run away and curse us.”

“Sister, you don’t know,” an elderly villager spoke up, “Ah Jing also ran away before, but she came back on her own later.”

“Right, she went out and saw the world, only to realize our village is the best.”

“Exactly, Ah Jing is a good child. Although she made mistakes initially, she’s sensible. After coming back, she has been helpful to the villagers. Ah Jing has done a lot of practical things for us. We really like her.”

“Old Li, it’s your Ah Jing who’s good, unlike the one from our family. She ran away and never came back, sigh!”

“Ah Jing knows how to repay kindness; she knows it’s not easy for Old Li. Your Ah Jing is different from mine, a white eyed wolf. I treat her so well but she didn’t appreciate it.”

After getting drunk, the men in the village started praising endlessly.

Throughout, Ah Jing just maintained her smile, raising her glass.

Despite her smiling face, her eyes were indifferent.

Bai Lixin, Li Cancan, and Sun Ning huddled in a corner, silently observing this farce before them.

Bai Lixin noticed that the number of people in the village had decreased significantly compared to the previous years.

Almost only the elderly and men were left; most of the women and children were gone.

“This is truly evil,” an angry man exclaimed, “I’ve kept my wife under lock and key, but how did she manage to escape?”

“You’re puzzled, I’m puzzled too. I even put a chain on mine. How did she manage to escape?”

“These damn women, not only did they run away themselves, but they also kidnapped the children. Those children are our lifelines!”

“I was relying on these lifelines to support me in my old age. Raise children to get protection in old age; isn’t that why we raise children? Daughters are eventually meant to be married off. Once a daughter is married off, she’s like spilled water, we even need to provide a dowry.”

“Daughters are nothing but a money-losing venture. When they grow up, it’s not bad, maybe we can earn back the dowry money. But if they die outside, it’s all a waste.”

There was a loud “bang,” and Ah Jing quickly frowned and apologized, “I’m really sorry, I accidentally broke something.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” several men from the village waved generously. “Accidents happen, it’s a sign of good fortune on your birthday.”

“I’ll clean up the broken glass, so no one gets hurt later. You all continue eating and drinking, enjoy yourselves.” Ah Jing bent down, picking up the glass shards one by one. Some were too small to pick up, so she buried them in the ground with soil.

On the dining table, glasses clinked.

“Ah Jing, we’re out of wine!”

“Oh, alright, I’ll get some more.”

“Ah Jing, these dried shrimps are delicious, and they got done so quickly. Are there more?”

“Yes, there are, I’ll get you more.”

“Ah Jing, do you have cigarettes?”

“Yes, yes, here they are, for you.”

This was Ah Jing’s birthday banquet but these people treated her like a servant, not as the birthday protagonist.

At her own birthday party, the celebrant was as busy as a spinning top.

They didn’t genuinely come to celebrate Ah Jing; they just wanted a free meal and drinks, taking advantage of the situation.

When some suggested leaving after having their fill, Ah Jing finally stopped her busy movements. “Hey, don’t go yet, there’s a surprise later.”

Aa she said this, Ah Jing winked mysteriously.

The person who was about to leave quickly halted. “A surprise? What is it?”

Ah Jing smiled mischievously, “If I tell you, can it still be a surprise? You’ll find out soon!”

The few people who were about to leave sat back down after seeing Ah Jing’s mysterious expression.

Ah Jing then put down the wine pot in her hand. “Have you all eaten enough? How was my hospitality as the birthday girl?”

The villagers drank comfortably, and all gave her a thumbs up. “Good, excellent! Ah Jing, you are sensible.”

A hint of amusement glimmered in Ah Jing’s eyes. “That’s good to hear. I was afraid I didn’t host well. Since you’ve all eaten, how about we chat for a while?”

“Shall we start with those runaway brides?”

One villager impatiently interjected, “Why talk about them? It’s such a good day, don’t bring bad luck. If there’s nothing else to talk about, why not show us the surprise!”

“Don’t,” Ah Jing said, “Wine gets better with time, and so does this surprise. Waiting a bit longer will make the surprise even more exciting. Weren’t you curious earlier about how those brides managed to escape?”

“I know why.” Ah Jing chuckled, her laughter ringing like silver bells.

The villagers, now quite drunk, looked at Ah Jing in confusion. “How do you know?”

“Was the new bride from the Wang family wearing a red floral dress on the day she escaped? The Wang family kept her locked in a small room, you know. But I know they like to hide the key under a brick. When nobody’s around, one can open the door and let her out.”

“And the bride from the Zhao family in the back of the village, the one locked up with chains. Those chains were thick. It took more than ten attempts with pliers to break them. How can you use cow chains on a bride? That’s too cruel.”

“Hehehe, and there’s the bride from the Sun family, Sun Er-ge’s wife, and the bride from the Yang family…”

Suddenly, a villager interrupted Ah Jing, “How do you know all this so clearly, even knowing it took more than ten attempts with pliers? Did you… did you witness it?”

“Ahahaha,” Ah Jing’s expression suddenly turned crazy. “You fools, I’m the one who let them go. I’ve said so much, haven’t you understood yet? I released the Zhao family bride, I broke the chains. All those runaway brides escaped under my help!”

The noisy tables fell silent. The villagers looked at Ah Jing in bewilderment. The alcohol had numbed their nerves and hindered their thinking.

Finally, someone reacted.

Slamming the table, he stood up to confront Ah Jing.

But as soon as he stood up, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground.

Ah Jing put away her ferocious expression, staring at these people as if they were already dead. “Don’t bother. I put drugs in the food and drinks you consumed. It’s the perfect time for the drugs to take effect now. I’ve been lurking for five years, gaining your trust step by step, gathering all the culprits together, all for today.”

The villagers were still unaware of the impending disaster, arrogantly pointing at Ah Jing. “Ah Jing, you bitch, what do you want?! Do you think we can’t band together and beat you to death?!”

“Beat me to death?” Ah Jing sneered. She casually picked up an empty beer bottle and slammed it onto a stone stool, turning the bottle into a sharp weapon.

Holding the bottle neck, Ah Jing slowly walked toward the man who had spoken earlier.

The man continued to look at Ah Jing disdainfully, his eyes filled with contempt. In these people’s eyes, women’s inferiority was deeply ingrained.

They would never change.

In the arrogant gaze of the man, Ah Jing raised the broken bottle high and stabbed down forcefully!

“Ah!!!! It hurts so much!!!”

A piercing scream tore through the air. At the same time, fresh blood spurted out from the man’s body.

“You want to kill me? Hehe, alright, then I’ll let you see who will kill whom.”

The gushing blood splattered on the woman’s ferocious face and her pristine white dress, instantly turning her beautiful face into a terrifying sight.

Amid her contorted features, there was a sense of satisfaction and vengeance. The dark green bottle was swung repeatedly, gradually turning from green to crimson.

In the midst of the screams, the man slowly collapsed into a pool of blood.

Before his death, his eyes widened, as if he couldn’t believe he was dying in this manner.

One person’s death instantly terrified everyone present.

The once arrogant and disdainful gazes disappeared completely, replaced by fear and shock.

“Ahhh, she’s killing people, she’s really killing people!”

“Help, she’s gone mad, Ah Jing’s gone mad.”

“This crazy woman, she’s insane!”

They wanted to escape, they tried hard to prop themselves up by the table, attempting to stand up.

However, they quickly realized that they were just like the man on the ground, unable to stand up.

“Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.”

They were crying, screaming, and shouting.

But she was laughing.

She stood among the collapsed crowd, her eyes turning red with hatred.

The white dress that was once adorned with flowers, had now turned into a mosaic of red and white.

“I said it before, none of you can escape!”

“I saved all the women, but I couldn’t save the one I wanted to save the most.”

“It’s all because of you that she died. Every single one of you deserves to die, and none of you can escape. You all will accompany her in death!”