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墨書 Inktalez
In a daze, I floated to a shallow bank along the river.
"There's someone there! A woman, Brother Shui Sheng," one of the men exclaimed.
"Let's go take a look!" the other replied.
I heard their conversation as I struggled to regain my senses.
One of them patted my back gently. I coughed up water, and through my blurred vision, I saw the unfamiliar face of a man whose cheeks were reddened by the cold.
The camphor scent from his military coat mixed with the musty smell of old wood, reminding me of the tailor's shop at the village entrance when I was fifteen—the light blue cotton shirt that should have belonged to me had ended up as a tablecloth for Shen Mingyuan's wedding banquet.
"Chen... Chen Shuisheng?" I stammered, recognizing his face, a metallic taste in my throat from the cold. Wasn't this the man from the neighboring county who had been forced into an arranged marriage after passing the teacher's exam?
At that moment, he was using a copper pipe tied with twine to scoop warm water and feed it to me, the mouthpiece engraved with "Women's Literacy Class Commemorative."
"What’s so unbearable that you would consider ending it all?" he asked softly.
I remained silent, lost in my thoughts.
"Did one of the men in your family hit you? It looks like you have a bruise on your face."
"Enough! If you don’t stop talking, I’ll just call the police and have them find your family," I shot back angrily.
"You really think all men are worthless? You don’t need to be kind; I could just jump again," I retorted bitterly.
"Do you have nowhere else to go? Why not stay here for a while? It’s quite a distance from your home; he won’t find you here right away."
With that, he picked up his pipe again and stepped outside to smoke.
As night fell, the Shen Family was as noisy as ever, but this time the commotion did not come from Lin Wanqiu and Shen Mingyuan. Instead, it was the siblings Shen Mingyu and Shen Mingyuan.
Shen Mingyuan was restless, constantly checking his watch. He had never imagined that his usually compliant wife would suddenly disappear.
At that moment, Shen Nian discovered an envelope at the bottom of an old suitcase, addressed "To my dear daughter." With trembling hands, she opened the envelope to find Lin Wanqiu's handwriting:
"Dear Nian Nian,
Mom has left for a faraway place and will never return. I am so sorry to leave you like this.
Over the years, I have not been a good mother, often losing control of my emotions and making you afraid. But please believe that I have always loved you deeply.
In my life, I was never properly cared for. I was treated like a commodity by your Maternal Grandparents and looked down upon by your father's family. I have never truly lived freely.
I have been confused throughout my life—falling in love without clarity, getting pregnant without understanding, marrying without self-love, which led to no one loving me in return.
I lacked the energy to love myself. So now I must take my leave. Please forgive my selfishness; I cannot accompany you on your journey ahead.
After reading the letter, Shen Nian burst into tears. She looked at Shen Mingyuan and said, "Dad, Mom might be gone!"
"Where did she go?"
Shen Mingyuan snatched the letter from her hands, his face turning pale instantly.
"It's all my fault... it's all my fault..." he muttered. "I shouldn't have hit her yesterday."
"I told you not to lay a hand on her! You should have talked things out! Now look what’s happened—she's gone! Who will take care of Nian Nian?" Shen Mingyu scolded her brother relentlessly.
“It’s all your fault, you troublemaker. I’ve given you the money, yet you still keep stabbing her heart, making me argue with her all the time.”
“Shen Mingyuan, how can you blame me? That Mad Woman wanted to leave on her own; no one forced her to go,” Shen Mingyu retorted defiantly.
The news quickly spread throughout the village. The villagers began to gossip:
“Have you heard? The Shen Family’s Mad Woman has run away!”
“How pitiful, such an honest person driven to that point.”
“Shen Mingyuan seems so honest, but who knew he could be so cruel to his wife?”
“Well, he brought this upon himself!”
In the dead of night, Shen Mingyuan sat there in a daze, his eyes vacant. He finally realized that he had always thought he could buy his wife with money, but she actually had her own soul and dignity.
“Don’t worry, Nian Nian and I will take care of it. I’ve already called the police; don’t take it too seriously. Without money, where can she run to?” Shen Mingyu said.
Meanwhile, Shen Nian held a photo of Lin Wanqiu and softly said, “Daddy, let’s go find Mommy. I want to tell her that I love her and I want her to come back.”
Shen Mingyuan snapped out of his daze and nodded, “Yes, let’s go find Mommy together. This time, I’ll sincerely apologize and beg for her forgiveness.”
As the lights in the village gradually dimmed, only the Zhang Family's lights remained on, as if waiting for the runaway Mad Woman to return home.
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