TDU Chapter 386
Chapter 386 Unfair
Nearly twenty years had passed, and no matter where Teacher Ning had gone back then—now it was I who was about to die.
What would I become? Around here, there was nothing but cockroaches and bugs.
Would I turn into an insect?
No… I don’t want that.
I loathe insects.
I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness, yet I was still just one meter away from that bottle of water…
Let me drink, just a sip. I’m so very thirsty.
A tremendous clamor erupted outside the door, but in my eyes there was only that bottle of water.
{Bang}!
The door was kicked open, and I heard footsteps rushing inside.
“Zhang jie!!!”
Zhang jie what? Whatever… right now, I don’t want anyone touching me. I only want water.
I felt myself being lifted up, a wave of searing pain flooding my entire body.
Don’t touch me. Please, no one touch me…
“Zhang jie!!” The voice cried again, tearing through the air, so raw and desperate it cracked despite its brevity.
With great effort, I turned my head toward the figure before me.
Who was he?
He looked like Xiao Sun.
But… Xiao Sun doesn’t look like this.
This man’s face was unshaven, his eyes bloodshot, his hair unkept and matted. His clothes were nothing but wrinkles, and he looked, just like me, as though he hadn’t bathed in over twenty days.
How could this possibly be Xiao Sun?
“I—I’m calling the police now!!” He shouted.
“Wait—”
Hearing the words {police}, I finally grasped the situation. Slowly, I reached out and held the man’s hand.
“Don’t call the police…” I rasped. “Just…Just take me away.”
“Ah…?” The man froze for a moment, then furrowed his brow. “Zhang jie, are… are you sure?”
“Yes…” I used the last of my strength to say, “Please, don’t call the police… I beg you…”
When I opened my eyes again, all I saw was a pure white ceiling.
I didn’t know where I was, only that I was lying somewhere comfortable.
Was this heaven?
Faintly, I felt someone touching my arm.
I let out a startled cry and instinctively pulled my hand back. It felt as though I had recovered some energy, though my flesh was still withered.
“Ah!” A woman in a nurse’s uniform jumped back, startled. “Ms. Zhang, y–you’re awake? Please don’t move—I’m giving you an IV.”
“Don’t touch me!!” I screamed. “No one is allowed to touch me!!”
The nurse seemed terrified and stumbled back half a step.
“Zhang jie!!”
A man and a woman pushed the door open, followed by someone in a doctor’s coat.
Only then did I recognize him—this man before me was truly Xiao Sun. He looked so weathered, as if ten years had been added to his face.
The other woman was Mengmeng, her face full of worry.
Had her honeymoon ended? Had I caused her trouble…?
“Zhang jie, you’re finally awake. Do you feel any discomfort?” Xiao Sun asked anxiously. “Does your abdomen hurt? Are you dizzy?”
He reached out to grab my arm, but I recoiled in terror.
No. I couldn’t let Xiao Sun touch me.
I’m far too stained.
“Don’t touch me,” I whispered. “No one touch me.”
“Zhang jie…” The rims of Xiao Sun’s eyes turned red. “It’s okay now. You’re safe. We’re here with you. No one will hurt you again.”
“No… I’ll never be safe,” I muttered, shaking my head blankly. “All of you go… no one look at me… no one touch me…”
“But you need the IV; you’re malnourished,” Xiao Sun said softly, his voice tender. “Once you’ve recovered a little, I’ll take you to have your favorite dessert, okay?”
The softer Xiao Sun spoke, the sharper the ache in my chest.
The happiness I had once almost reached, tiptoeing and straining with all my might, was now forever out of reach.
“Yeah!” Mengmeng squatted in front of me, tears in her eyes. “Zhang jie… I bought you your favorite peaches, but you can’t eat them yet. Be good and listen to the doctor, okay? I’ve also scheduled a session with the best psychologist in Chengdu. You’ll meet them soon.”
Seeing my state, the person in the doctor’s attire slowly stepped forward and spoke softly, “Ms. Zhang… I deeply sympathize with your ordeal, and I understand that you don’t want anyone to touch you… but right now we need to treat you. Please, make an exception. Normally, we wouldn’t touch you, but in urgent situations and during medical procedures, it’s necessary. Otherwise, your condition could worsen.”
Urgent situations… and medical procedures?
Yes. Except for urgent moments and medical settings, no one may touch me.
I slowly lay back, pressing my head as close to the pillow as I could—this feeling was incredibly comforting.
“Zhang jie…” Xiao Sun sat beside me. He seemed like he wanted to take my hand, but lingered, frozen for a long moment. “I’ve been looking for you all this time… I’m sorry… I was too stupid… I didn’t realize you were so close to home…”
“It’s okay,” I said with a bitter smile. “Xiao Sun, don’t blame yourself. Even I never expected my own parents to do something like this.”
Soon, the nurse started my IV and, together with the doctor, left the room.
Once they were gone, Xiao Sun dragged his chair closer to me, while Mengmeng, ever perceptive, stationed herself near the door, watching passersby through the window.
I had never seen him wear this expression before.
“Zhang jie…” he frowned, his voice tense, “why didn’t you let me call the police…? I don’t know what you were thinking at that time, but that man shouldn’t escape legal consequences. Without your permission, I’ve already collected his samples from your body. If you want, we can make him go to prison immediately. No matter what leverage he has, I can use my connections to immediately dispatch the authorities—he won’t have time to react.”
Put Butcher Ma in prison?
No… I don’t want to do that.
I let out a long breath and looked steadily into Xiao Sun’s eyes. “Xiao Sun, in our village, once parents' consent is given and a bride price is paid, a couple is considered married. There was a girl once, sold into our village. And she, under the branch secretary’s mediation, received a marriage certificate and was made to stay here forever.”
“What…?” Xiao Sun froze, clearly shocked. “Zhang jie, what are you saying? How could such a thing happen…?”
“You’ve never handled a villager case, right?” I said with a bitter smile. “Often, local customs are a key factor in how cases are judged. My parents accepted his bride price, so according to custom, we are already married. Even if it’s illegal, it’s still the local way of doing things.”
“You mean…”
“Xiao Sun, let me quiz you.” I slowly turned to look at him. “What crimes did that man commit?”
“Unlawful detention, intentional injury, human trafficking, sexual assault," Xiao Sun answered immediately.
“{Human trafficking} is now difficult to prove. Even if the other three charges are all confirmed, if he were punished for multiple crimes, what’s the maximum sentence?”
Xiao Sun squinted and thought it through.
“Unlawful detention—twenty days… intentional injury… sexual assault…” He soon saw where the problem lay. “If the case is deemed severe, typically results in life imprisonment. If the circumstances are especially egregious… it could go as far as a deferred death sentence…”
“Now tell me, how long does {life imprisonment} actually last?”
“At best, with good conduct, it won’t exceed twenty-two years.”
“And how is a {deferred death sentence} carried out?”
“{Deferred death sentence}…” Xiao Sun lowered his head silently, unable to continue.
“You and I both know, a {deferred death sentence} doesn’t actually lead to death, so I cannot let him go to prison,” I said. “If he were to live comfortably in jail, that would be unfair to me.”
TL Note: Rant goes here ( •̯́ ₃ •̯̀)
