Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Distress

When I came out of the restaurant after drinking a lot of wine, it was already dark.I found a random hotel on the street to stay.After resting in the house for a while, I just felt that the alcohol was surging, so I simply went to the yard to get some air.There were just a few guys in the yard enjoying the cool and chatting, so I joined in and consciously led the topic.So from the mouths of these guys, I have a deeper understanding of Feng'an Town. The area of ​​the town is less than 20 square kilometers, with a permanent population of 20,000 to 30,000.After the Republic of China, new schools, hospitals and a police station were built in the town.In addition, the county's first mental hospital was also established in the town two years ago.Many "lunatics" from wealthy families will be sent to this place where mountains and rivers meet for treatment and recuperation.

The seven or eight mines in the southern mountains are currently the most profitable industry in the town, and these mines are basically monopolized by the Ling family, which is also the economic basis for the Ling family to gain power in Feng'an Town. Ling Mufeng's grandfather was the magistrate of the county in the old dynasty, and it was at that time that the Ling family began to accumulate their current wealth and connections.There are three brothers from Ling Mufeng's father's generation, among which Ling Mufeng's father is the eldest, and Ling Mufeng is also the eldest grandson of the Ling family.More than twenty years ago, the Ling family suffered a change, and Ling Mufeng's father died unexpectedly.At that time, Ling Mufeng was under ten years old, and outsiders thought that he had been reduced to the fringes of his family since then.But I didn't expect that Ling Mufeng was young and mature, not only did not sink, but instead read poems and books, perfect accidents, and soon became the pillar of the family's younger generations.The current era coincides with the transition of the government and the opposition, and Ling Mufeng seized the opportunity to make friends with many upstarts in the county's political power and establish good relationships.In this way, even the two uncles had to obey him.Ling Mufeng seems to have become the head of the Ling family.

At the end of the chat, I pretended to be casual and said: "The Ling family is so rich, the house must be very grand, right? I have to open my eyes someday." A clerk said: "The Ling family's old house is magnificent. It has the best feng shui in the town, and you can enter and exit three times. But Mr. Ling has not lived in the old house for a long time." "Oh?" I asked again, "Why?" "Mr. Ling is an elegant person and likes to be quiet. So he built a small western-style building outside, and lived alone with his wife and children." I pretended to sigh: "Based on his taste, that small building must be a good place, right?"

"That's right, it's like in a painting." The man said enthusiastically, "If you want to see the building, it's easy to find: there is a small river half a mile to the east after going out the door, follow the river to the south, and walk for a while. Two or three miles away, there is a large bamboo forest by the river, and a small western-style building stands in the forest—that’s it.” I secretly remember it in my heart.After those guys left, I left the hotel and headed east.After walking not far, I saw a small river.The river is not wide, but the river is fast, presumably formed by the collection of mountain streams.The river rushes northward, and finally flows into the Yangtze River.

I turned south and continued upstream along the creek.At this time, the night was dark, and the town was silent.Looking around, I can't see a few lights, only the faint moonlight sprinkled on the river bank, making me dimly see the road under my feet. After walking for about ten minutes, I suddenly saw an arch bridge not far away. The body of the bridge was built with bluestone, which is antique and has its own charm.I strolled to the bridge, looked into the distance by the moonlight, and saw that the river had changed its course upstream, forming an inward bend on the west side. The inside of the bend was dark, with bamboo shadows whirling, and a small building with white walls just Standing out from the bamboo forest, it is particularly eye-catching in the night.

My heart moved: this is it!Looking from a distance, the lower half of the small building is covered by bamboo forest, while the upper floor is dimly lit with dark red lights, as if the owner has not yet rested.I thought that the girl was probably in the same room with Ling Mufeng at the moment, and her chest was like a heavy stone, and she was extremely depressed. After seeing this small building, I don't want to go any further.I stood on the bridge and stood and stared at the white building.My thinking seems to have been frozen, even though the early autumn evening wind blows by, I don't feel the coolness.

After an unknown amount of time, a strange voice suddenly sounded in the silent night, floating intermittently with the wind, it was like a woman's suppressed cry!I shivered suddenly, and the muscles all over my body tensed up. When I was about to distinguish it in detail, the crying sound suddenly disappeared again. The night has returned to silence, but my heart is flustered.More than ten seconds later, another scream pierced the night sky.This time the caller turned into a man, and the volume was much louder. At the same time, the shout was very urgent, and it stopped abruptly in just a short moment.

This time I heard clearly that the shout came from afar from Xiaobailou!Knowing that my feelings had changed, I immediately rushed off the bridge, heading straight for the dark bamboo forest.This journey didn't stop at all, and after a while, he arrived outside the bamboo forest, only to see a black shadow flashing in front of him, and a weak figure staggered out of the bamboo forest. The person who came was disheveled and in a state of extreme embarrassment.His long hair hung down in a mess, covering his entire face.But I still recognized it at a glance, and that was the girl I was so concerned about!

I froze for a moment, then hurriedly greeted the girl.The girl seemed a little panicked, she stumbled and didn't see my existence.When I was about to approach her, she suddenly tripped and was about to fall to the side of the road.I quickly took a step forward and was holding the girl in my arms. The girl let out a scream of "ah", her voice was extremely frightened.I hugged her shoulders and whispered in her ear, "Yunyun, it's me!" The girl recognized my voice, she hastily raised her head, her long hair parted to the sides.When her face was exposed in front of my eyes, I couldn't help gasping, I couldn't believe my eyes!

The moving beauty no longer exists, what I see is a ghostly and terrifying face!The cheeks were swollen and deformed, the eye sockets were black and blue, and the corners of the mouth were streaks of dark red blood, how could it be seen? After the initial shock passed, I hurriedly asked: "You... what's wrong with you?" The girl turned her hands around and grabbed my arm tightly, like a drowning person grabbing a life-saving straw.Then she began to cry bitterly, but she didn't dare to let go of her voice completely, and only made a "woo woo woo" sound, which was terrifying in this silent night.Amidst the crying, the girl mumbled three words repeatedly: "He hit me...he hit me..."

Heartache and anger took over all my emotions, I hugged the girl to my chest, and asked with wide eyes, "Who?" The girl raised her bruised and tearful eyes, choked with sobs, and said, "That's... that person..." I immediately guessed: "The one whose surname is Ling?" I gritted my teeth fiercely, "Where is that guy? I'll settle the score with him!" "Don't go!" the girl begged, hugging my arms tightly, "take me away quickly, I'm so scared..." good!I calmed down a bit, the most important thing now is to send the girl to a safe place!Thinking of this, I put my arms under the girl's armpits, supported her weak body and said, "I'll take you to the hospital." But the girl shook her head again: "No, don't go to the hospital...he will find it...take me to your place..." The girl's voice trembled violently, seeping out the fear like a tide in her heart.There is no doubt that this fear comes from the man who hurt her.What kind of demon is that guy? I briefly checked the girl's injuries. Although she was severely swollen, there were no fractures or serious bleeding all over her body, so she didn't necessarily need to go to the hospital.Besides, if he really went to the hospital, what should he do if the surname Ling finds him?So I decided to take the girl's advice and take her back to my place first. I helped the girl and walked away from the bamboo forest.Along the way, the girl kept turning her head, her expression terrified and uncertain.I knew she was afraid of Ling Mufeng chasing her.Fortunately, this situation did not happen, and we both staggered all the way, and finally returned to the hotel smoothly.The hotel was closed long ago, and the men were all asleep.I took the girl back to the house quietly without disturbing others. I first helped the girl to bed to rest, and then lit the oil lamp in the house.With the help of the light, I realized that not only was the girl's face bruised and swollen, but her limbs were also left with many bloody scars.And her clothes are messy, not enough to cover her body. Heartbroken, I silently pulled a thin quilt to cover the girl.Then I went to the yard and fetched a basin of cold water to scrub the girl with cold compresses. The girl gasped deeply.Her mood calmed down slightly, but the physical pain still made her shudder from time to time.I looked at her withered face, like a rose crushed in the mud.Such scenes tormented me and left me languishing in a purgatory of self-blame.In the end I couldn't control the soreness in my nose, and a few tears rolled down my cheeks. "Are you crying?" The girl noticed this scene and asked hoarsely.At the same time, she tried her best to raise her wrist, as if she wanted to wipe it off for me. I held that hand tightly in my palm, and said with emotion: "Do you hate me? I shouldn't have brought you here, let alone handed you over to that man..." "How could I hate you?" The girl smiled generously and comforted me, "Who would have thought that he...he would be like that?" Yes, who would have thought?The Ling Mufeng I saw is clearly a gentle gentleman, he is so infatuated with girls, but what did he do?What a grotesque contrast between the brutality he inflicted upon the girl and his appearance! "Why is that?" I asked in pain. The girl was silent for a while, before she said: "He insisted that there was... adultery between you and me. If I refused to admit it, he would beat me..." I opened my mouth wide, feeling extremely absurd: "This...how is this possible?" The girl gave a wry smile, and slowly told what happened after the separation. After Ling Mufeng brought the girl home, he was still affectionate at first.He even cooked the kitchen himself, and took the girl and the younger daughter to have a reunion dinner together.After dinner, the servants took the little girl to bed, and Ling Mufeng began to reveal his true colors. The person surnamed Ling didn't believe our words. He concluded that the girl had been with me for the past three months.Of course the girl would not admit it, so Ling Mufeng tore away the hypocritical tenderness and started beating and scolding the girl. "Bastard!" I felt that I had been humiliated for nothing, and I was indignant. "He's a devil! He's very ruthless. I thought... I thought I'd be beaten to death by him." Recalling the horrible experience not long ago, the girl couldn't help but trembled again. Needless to say, the girl, just looking at the scars on her body, I can imagine the brutality of the atrocity.In addition to being sad, I was also a little confused: "Then how did you escape in the end?" The girl closed her eyes, with pain and humiliation written all over her face.After a long time, she said with difficulty: "After he hit me, he still wanted to insult me...he took off my clothes, and stuffed his...his dirty things into my mouth...I bit down hard I took a bite of him. I escaped while he fainted from the pain." As a man, I certainly know what that "dirty stuff" refers to.A wave of anger was stuck in my heart, and I took a few deep breaths before barely calming down. "You two are husband and wife! He... how could he do such a thing that is inferior to a beast!" "No!" The girl suddenly raised her voice with excitement, "I'm not his wife!" "Huh?" I was stunned.In the restaurant in the afternoon, this matter has already been settled, why the girl suddenly denied it now? "After dinner, he showed me his wife's diary and said he wanted to help me recall the past. I read it, and it wasn't my handwriting at all!" The girl said this very quickly, as if she was in a hurry As if to prove something. My heart moved, and I understood what the girl meant: Although she lost her memory, her handwriting should not change.If the handwriting in the diary is different from her usual handwriting, doesn't it mean that she is not Ling Mufeng's missing wife?Thinking of this, I asked again: "Didn't you tell that surnamed Ling about this?" "I told you. I even wrote for him on the spot. But he didn't believe it at all..." The girl was aggrieved with tears in her eyes, "He said I was faking it, and started beating me when he said he was in a hurry." I thought about it and felt that there is a question that must be asked clearly. "Then you...do you have a large birthmark on your butt?" The girl was embarrassed to answer, but nodded slightly. I showed a frustrated expression again: "If you weren't his wife, how could he know you so well?" The girl froze for a moment, seemingly unable to answer.Suddenly she screamed with all her strength: "Anyway, I'm not his wife! I can't marry this devil!" I was taken aback by the other party's outburst, so I quickly took her hand and comforted me and said, "Don't get excited, I believe you..." The girl looked at me with tears in her eyes, her expression was so helpless.Because of the bruised eye sockets, her big bright eyes are now narrowed into a thin slit. I reached out a hand and stroked the girl's cheek.My palms only dared to pass by emptyly, and I couldn't bear to exert any force.But the girl deliberately turned her face to the side, and took the initiative to lean against my palm. I felt the girl's trust and attachment to me, and my heart ached more and more, so I could only say with a choked voice: "Okay, don't think too much, just take a good rest." The girl still refused to go, she looked at me and said, "Take me away tomorrow, I want to leave here." Her voice was weak, but her attitude was so decisive. The girl closed her eyes reassuringly until she nodded at me. I gently took the opponent's little hand, not daring to let go.This way she can feel my presence even when she is asleep. In this strange town, I have become her only support and expectation. Under the double torment of pain and fatigue, the girl slept deeply.I stayed by her side all the time, because I kept the same sitting posture for a long time, half of my body was numb.I also wanted to loosen my muscles, but I was afraid of disturbing the girl, so I had no choice but to give up.When it was daylight, I was really sleepy, so I leaned against the bed and took a nap with my head half-supported on my elbows. I didn't know how long I had been asleep in a daze, when there was a knock on the door next to my ear.The girl and I were awakened almost at the same time. The girl grabbed me tightly with her backhand and asked anxiously, "Who is it?" "Dong dong dong." The knock on the door sounded again, accompanied by a voice saying, "Open the door, I'm the police!" Although the speaker was a man, his voice sounded old and hoarse, completely different from Ling Mufeng.The self-reported identity is also reliable enough.The girl let go of my hand, and my mood stabilized a little. I patted the girl on the shoulder lightly and said, "I'm here, don't be afraid." Then I got up and walked to the door, and opened the latch. I opened the door a small crack, blocked the door with my body, and looked out at the same time.I saw a man in his mid-fifties standing at the door. Not only was he short, but he was also skinny. Although he was wearing a police uniform, the clothes hung loosely on him, giving the impression that he had stolen them. Same. I looked at the man, and the man also raised his eyelids and glanced at me, then he asked in a daze, "Is Chu Yun with you?" Knowing that the person was looking for the girl in the house, I frowned and asked, "What do you want?" The man didn't answer, he stooped, and glanced into the room from my armpit.I quickly moved my body to cover it, and at the same time asked with a more serious tone: "What are you doing?!" But that person had already seen the situation inside the house.He turned a deaf ear to my question, but turned his head to look to the right, and said lazily, "He's here." I poked my head out of the door and took a look: there were a few men standing not far from the door, the one at the head was wearing a long gown, his face was as pale as water, who was it not Ling Mufeng? Before I had time to speak, Ling Mufeng was already walking towards the door.The old policeman moved consciously to make room for Ling Mufeng.After the latter stood still, he gave me a bow, and said with a smile, "Detective Feng, I have caused you trouble again by asking you to take care of Yunyun tonight." His smile passed like a spring breeze.It would be a great pleasure if I didn't know his details.But when I see his smile now, my heart is filled with anger and disgust.When the girl in the room heard his voice, she shouted excitedly: "Don't...don't let him in!" The voice trembled and was full of fear. I looked back at the girl with concern, then turned around, suppressed my anger and refuted Ling Mufeng: "Don't blah, blah - I tell you, she is not your wife, and you are not allowed to pester her again in the future!" "Not my wife? Did she say that?" Ling Mufeng looked into the room with a look of sadness and love on his face.Then he turned his head and said helplessly to the other men beside him: "Look, she is really very sick." Those men were all wearing white coats and looked like doctors in a hospital.The leader was a fat middle-aged man. He looked at Ling Mufeng with a smile, and said in a flattering tone: "Mr. Ling, you need to be treated for any illness. Ma'am, it's not a day or two. You have to take care of yourself. But don't be in a hurry." Ling Mufeng turned to me again, Shi Shiran said: "Mr. Feng, please step aside, I want to take my wife for treatment." Looking at his hypocritical face, I couldn't help it anymore, and angrily said: "What disease are you here to treat? You beat her like this! You are a policeman, don't you care about this matter?" I said the last sentence to the old policeman on the side, but the guy just spread his hands and said with a grin: "What should I do about this man beating his wife?" I opened my mouth and was stunned for a moment, then said: "That girl is not his wife..." The old policeman smiled "hehe" and completely ignored me. Ling Mufeng stood aside calmly, and when I finished speaking, he said again: "Detective Feng, you misunderstood. What I want to take Yunyun to treat is a mental illness." Mental illness?Isn't this crazy?I said angrily: "Who is mentally ill? I think you are the mentally ill!" Ling Mufeng still maintained a smiling attitude, he didn't care about me at all, he just turned his head to greet the men in white clothes and said, "Masters, please forgive me!" "Hey, Mrs. Ling's wife, is it troublesome or not?" The fat doctor said as he walked into the house.But I blocked the door with my body to prevent him from passing.The fat man was not interested in being polite to me, so he waved his hand and said, "Let him avoid it!" Fatty's words were for his subordinates, who were four strong young men.Two of them immediately stuck up, clamped me from left to right, and pulled me out of the door.I resisted vigorously, but my fists were no match for my four hands. My hands and feet were quickly entangled by them, and I was dragged out of the hut involuntarily. The fat man took the lead and led the remaining two boys into the hut.Ling Mufeng followed confidently at the end.I heard the girl yelling in horror from inside the house: "Don't come here. I'm not his wife, I don't know him at all!" But her words became a trick for Ling Mufeng to use, but the latter said distressedly: " You see, her mind is completely deranged." The voice of the fat man said: "Mr. Ling, you don't have to worry. We have all seen worse conditions than hers. After being hospitalized and recuperated slowly, they will always get better—take the patient away quickly." Immediately, the girl's shrill screams sounded in the room, and it seemed that they had already started to do it.My heart ached, and I cursed and struggled desperately, but under the hold of two strong men, all this was in vain.At this moment, I noticed that the old policeman not far away was looking at me with sympathetic eyes, so I shouted at him again: "It is the era of the Republic of China now! Even if they are husband and wife, that girl still has personal freedom. There is no right to take her away! You are the police, you can't sit idly by!" The old policeman walked towards me, suddenly there seemed to be two more hooks in his eyes, shining brightly, trying to pierce people through.I was stunned by this gaze, and shut my mouth involuntarily. The old policeman stopped in front of me, and then he pointed to the girl in the room and said: "She is mentally ill. Now her man is going to send her to the hospital for treatment. I can't control this matter if I come here! Don't fucking say anything to me In the Republic of China or not in the Republic of China, I do a lot of things! Do you understand?" I am speechless.At the same time, I was surprised to find that this old guy looks wretched, but his thin body is actually full of strength.This power is not obvious on weekdays, but once it erupts, it is no small matter. Just when I was panicking, the screaming of the girl in the room suddenly disappeared, replaced by a vague sob. I stared at the door of the hut with wide eyes, watching the two young men carry the girl out.The poor girl has been put on a special compression garment for mental patients, and a mask is also sealed on her mouth.She only had two eyes that were stubbornly exposed, and her eyes were full of panic and helplessness. I knew I was powerless to stop this.When the girl was being carried past me, I yelled, "I will definitely get you out!" The girl's eyes lit up, she saw me.When her tears fell instantly, her eyes were filled with infinite expectations. Ling Mufeng and Fatty followed behind, talking and laughing as they walked, they didn't even look at me, as if I didn't exist at all.When passing the door, Ling Mufeng greeted the old policeman. "Officer Wu, please take this trip." He said with a half-smile, "Can you see my wife's whereabouts clearly this time?" The old policeman gave a "hmm" and then said lazily, "It's better to recover as soon as possible." "For your kind words. Thank you very much!" Ling Mufeng bowed, turned and left with the fat doctor.It wasn't until they disappeared completely that the two boys who were holding me down let me go, and then they also walked away.I was left standing there blankly, dumbfounded. "Hey, what detective? You're just trash!" A teasing voice sounded nearby.I followed the sound and saw the old policeman leaning against the door frame with a freshly lighted cigarette in his hand, rather gloating.His hat was drooping obliquely, and the hair under the brim was greasy and untidy. He looked like a down and out bandit. I didn't have time to talk to him, I just murmured to myself, "What should I do now?" The old policeman insisted on answering my words, he said slowly, puffing out smoke, "If I were you, I would leave quickly." I shook my head resolutely: "How can I leave? The girl is still in their hands!" The old policeman sneered sneeringly: "Are you still thinking about Chu Yun? You can't protect yourself! Let me tell you, don't look at Ling Mufeng being polite to you, he hates you to the bone! Come on, run quickly. As long as you leave Feng'an Town, it won't be easy for Ling Mufeng to mess with you." "Why am I running away?" I stubbornly raised my chin, "I act upright and stand upright, what can Ling do to me?" The old policeman flicked his cigarette finger at me, and a wisp of ash fell in front of me. "You really don't cry until you see the coffin. Then just wait here, I'm leaving." He finished speaking slowly, turned around and was about to leave. "Wait—" I yelled, "Are you leaving me alone?" The old policeman stopped and turned around. He rolled his eyes at me: "What do I care about you? What do I have to do with you?" yes.What does he have to do with me?We just met for the first time.But why do I have a strong feeling: If I want to rescue the woman I am obsessed with, I must get the support of this old guy. Because of that girl!Is it that girl that makes us both have an unspeakable sense of common hatred, or in other words, sympathy for each other? Thinking of this, I tentatively asked: "Then you don't care about Chu Yun?" The old policeman was taken aback for a moment, he narrowed his eyes and looked at me through the cracks in his eyelids.After a while, he grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow cigar teeth. "Why am I telling you so much? You're just a waste!" After saying this, he threw the burnt cigarette butt under his feet and stomped it, then turned and strode away.