The next morning, just as dawn broke, Zhuzi pushed his motorcycle over.
Zhuzi’s mother changed into a clean set of clothes, wrapped Melody’s entire head in a large red scarf, and had her sit between Zhuzi and herself.
Like semi-prisoners, they took her out of the village.
The motorcycle bumped along the uneven dirt road, carrying two people. It swayed left and right, making the ride strenuous for both the rider and the passengers.
Melody guessed they stopped at least an hour later.
She heard the sounds of people talking and more and more motorcycle horns, suggesting they had arrived at a market.
Indeed, shortly after the sounds reached her ears, Zhuzi’s mother removed the scarf from her head and then, grabbing Melody’s arm, had her dismount.
Zhuzi parked the motorcycle in front of an acquaintance he could talk to, locked the wheels with a large chain, and then came to rejoin them.
While he was parking, Melody took the opportunity to survey the town.
The reason she guessed it was a town and not a county seat was its sheer decrepitude.
Although it was much livelier than the village, the shops lining the street looked like they had a history of at least twenty years.
The styles were old-fashioned and the furnishings simple.
The people walking on the street were mostly middle-aged and elderly, dressed no better than Zhuzi’s mother.
They either pushed bicycles or held grubby children by the hand, everyone with a numb and weary expression, nothing like what one would expect in a county seat.
After just two glances, Zhuzi’s mother pinched her hard on the inner side of her arm.
“Behave yourself. What are you looking at? If you dare to pull any tricks, don’t think I won’t take you straight back and sell you to Old Li!”
Melody believed she would do as she threatened and, not wanting to risk her own safety, stood still with downcast eyes.
Zhuzi returned, and the two of them, flanking her on either side, escorted her to the bus stop.
Once they reached the county seat and were away from their circle of acquaintances, the chances of escape would be high, and Melody’s heart began to flutter with anticipation.
Zhuzi paid two yuan for each of them, and the three squeezed into the last row of the bus.
The two watched Melody as if she were something extraordinary, and soon, without a word spoken, they arrived at the county seat.
Zhuzi’s mother had already asked the previous night; Melody had said her savings were in the Agricultural Bank, so the three headed in that direction.
Along the way, the same warning was repeated: “Behave yourself. Don’t think about playing any tricks. Otherwise, I won’t let you off!”
Zhuzi’s mother had even produced a pair of scissors at some point and, as they walked, held them against Melody’s waist.
After all the travel, it was already late, and the sun beat down fiercely.
They walked for about ten minutes, still not at their destination.
An old man driving a three-wheeled vehicle asked them where they were going and if they needed a ride.
Melody certainly wanted to, but she had no money.
Glancing at Zhuzi’s mother, she asked how much it would cost. The old man said four yuan to start.
“Four yuan? Why don’t they just rob us?”
Zhuzi’s mother muttered indignantly and waved him away impatiently.
“No, no, let’s go.”
To save a few yuan on fare, the three walked for over half an hour until they reached the entrance of the Agricultural Bank.
Seeing the large characters spelling out "Agricultural Bank," Melody felt a glimmer of hope; the hardships of the journey finally seemed worth it.
Seeing the excitement in her eyes, Zhuzi and his mother immediately moved closer to her.
Melody raised her hands in surrender, “Alright, alright, I’ll behave.”
The three entered the self-service banking hall.
Melody stood before the ATM, which had no staff, thinking: This mother and son aren't completely stupid. They know to bring her to the ATM to withdraw money.
Too bad. Twenty thousand yuan. To withdraw it all at once, they would have to deal with the staff.
She tapped a few times on the machine.
“Your system hasn’t been updated yet; there’s no facial recognition service. This machine can’t operate it; you have to go to the counter.”
“Also, there’s a withdrawal limit on the machine; you can only take out 20,000 yuan per day.”
Zhuzi remembered.
When he had withdrawn all their savings of tens of thousands of yuan before, they had indeed gone to the counter to handle it.
With no other choice, the mother and son, along with her, went to the lobby.
What they didn't notice was that as soon as they entered the lobby, the door was locked behind them.
Moreover, they were the only three people in the entire banking hall.
There was only one staff member in the lobby. Melody sat down at the counter opposite him, just about to state her business.
When she looked up, she was startled to see the person’s face.
Wasn’t the person at the counter Lu Qingxu?
Lu Qingxu didn’t give her much time to be surprised. He nodded at the three of them with a professional and friendly demeanor and then asked in standard Mandarin.
“Hello, what business do you need to conduct?”
She couldn’t even tell herself she had mistaken him.
That familiar voice, that familiar tone, that familiar way of speaking from Nancheng; if it wasn’t him, who else could it be?
Strange, how could he have found her? And how could he have found the bank so precisely!
Melody had intended to write a plea for help on the application form, but now, it was all so much simpler.
She spoke directly to Lu Qingxu.
“I need to report a situation. I’m being held hostage by these two people; please help me report it.”
Upon hearing this, Zhuzi’s mother and Zhuzi’s faces changed drastically, and they quickly pressed the scissors in their hands harder against her.
Lu Qingxu replied, “Okay, ma’am. We have received your feedback. Please look back; our staff has arrived.”
Zhuzi’s mother and Zhuzi turned around in shock, only to find a group of tall, strong men in black suits had appeared behind them at some point.
Each with a stern and solemn expression, like grim Yama kings, they stared at them unblinkingly.
Their legs gave out, and Zhuzi, terrified, collapsed to the ground.
Zhuzi’s mother, trembling, pointed the scissors at the men.
“What do you want? I don’t know you; what do you want?”
A tall, imposing young man emerged from behind the bodyguards, and the crowd parted automatically, clearing a path for him.
Zhan Beijue, dressed entirely in black, hands in his pockets, strode before the three with an imposing aura.
He looked at the fallen Zhuzi and then at the trembling Zhuzi’s mother, shaking his head contemptuously.
“This is truly looking down on someone. To find such a pathetic family for you.”
“This isn’t just about venting anger; it’s an insult to her person. I won’t be lenient any longer. Tie them up and take them to Nancheng.”
“I want to deliver them to her, so she can see firsthand how much she hates our siblings.”
Lu Qingxu walked out from behind the counter.
Seeing Melody’s disheveled hair and dirty face.
No, she was dirty all over and emitting a strange odor.
He didn’t immediately rush to hug her but instead reached out and poked her on the head.
“You like running, don’t you? You like blocking me, liking leaving without saying goodbye? Think you’re so capable, don’t you? Why aren’t you running now?”
“If you’re so capable, why don’t you avoid being sold to a poor, remote place? Why come running for help? Why aren’t you showing off anymore?”