Volume One, Chapter Four: The Abduction
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Xia Niannian glanced at Xia Guoan, whose awkward toes seemed to be picking at the three-room, two-hall apartment, then without looking back, she headed toward the tiny, pitiful storage room tucked away in the corner of the second floor.
Xu Aiqin wanted to say something but was sharply glared at by Xia Guoan.
Immediately, downstairs erupted in chaos—shouting, cursing, and crying all at once.
Xia Niannian ignored it and slammed the door shut with a heavy thud.
……
The storage room was so small that it barely fit a bed measuring less than one meter by one point eight meters, alongside a makeshift table constructed from a broken wooden plank no longer than sixty centimeters and forty centimeters wide, supported by two stools.
A faded, washed-out tablecloth covered the tabletop, upon which sat a damaged mirror.
Staring at the reflection of her hair, uneven and ragged as if chewed by a dog, Xia Niannian casually grabbed the scissors from under her pillow and began snipping away in front of the mirror.
She cut by feel where she couldn’t see; in times like these, no one had the luxury to judge anyone else.
Ten minutes later, a perfectly convincing little boy stared back at her from the mirror.
The original owner was tall and slender, with some redeeming features; it wasn’t a smooth path, but wearing a tight tank top under loose clothes, she passed easily as a well-behaved little brother.
Xia Niannian nodded, satisfied. In this era, it was safer for males to roam outside. After tidying herself up, she donned a hat, slung her bag over her shoulder, and strode down the stairs.
She couldn’t bear to stay in that house for another moment. With her stubborn temper, she feared she might lash out violently at those two women come nightfall.
It was better to leave now before things spiraled out of control.
At this point, tearing ties wouldn’t benefit her. She’d wait until she gained some strength, then settle scores with those who had bullied the original owner.
Xu Aiqin saw Xia Niannian heading downstairs, backpack on and hat pulled low, looking ready to run away from home. She suddenly sprang up from the sofa and strode to the staircase. “Are you running away from home? Has the world turned upside down? You’ve actually learned to run away now.”
She reached out as if to grab her, but upon hearing Xia Guoan say that Niannian was going northwest to find Gu Nanzhou, she quickly withdrew her hand, finally easing her worried heart.
However, when Xia Guoan handed Xia Niannian a small change purse, she hurried forward, snatched it away, and opened it. Besides an introduction letter, there were three hundred yuan in small bills and over twenty ration coupons.
Xu Aiqin scowled, shoved Xia Guoan’s arm away, and shouted, “You! Xia Guoan, secretly hoarding so much money and now giving it to her? Do you want to give up on this life?”
She tried to rummage through Xia Niannian’s bag, but Xia Guoan pushed her away and shoved the purse back into Niannian’s hands.
“All for you. Want me to send it to your birth family?”
He rarely spoke, but that didn’t mean he was unaware of everything.
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Over the years, he had turned a blind eye to let Xu Aiqin treat Xia Niannian better, but what had she done in return?
Xu Aiqin was unexpectedly silent when Xia Guoan suddenly shouted at her.
Xia Guoan glanced awkwardly at Xia Niannian and warned her, “Don’t listen to Lu Yunche’s nonsense. Nanzhou is a good kid. You’re going there to get to know him first. If it really...”
He sighed and continued, “Then get a divorce and go to Modu. There’s an address.”
They had trapped Xia Niannian for eight years. The path ahead was hers to choose.
Xia Niannian nodded. “Dad, don’t worry. I won’t let myself suffer. You take care of yourself too.”
Xia Guoan saw her off at the train station, bought her a ticket to the northwest, and packed a large bag of food for the journey.
Looking at the large, slightly blackened bun bigger than her fist, Xia Niannian raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
The train departed at 11:30 p.m., nearly six or seven hours away. Watching Xia Guoan’s hunched figure gradually disappear, Xia Niannian turned and walked toward the waiting hall.
Perhaps because she had seen too much, she harbored no affection for Xia Guoan.
Nor did she believe his distance from the original owner’s current predicament was innocent.
……
The waiting hall grew colder as the night deepened; Xia Niannian’s toes began to ache from the chill.
Just as she stood to stretch and warm herself, something pressed against her waist.
A hoarse voice sounded behind her, “Don’t move. If you dare, I’ll shoot your kidneys out.”
“...”
Xia Niannian feigned terror, lowering her voice. “I won’t move. Please don’t hurt me.”
She hadn’t intended to alarm the others and cause panic, but a nearby woman suddenly opened her eyes, clearly spotting the gleaming handgun.
The woman clutched her child and jumped up, shouting to everyone in the waiting hall, “Gun! This person has a gun...”
The two who had been trying to quietly hold Xia Niannian hostage realized they had been exposed and stopped hiding.
The man with a small mustache on Xia Niannian’s left pulled out a bundle of explosives from a small bag and laughed loudly, “Want to bet we all go to hell together?”
In an instant, chaos erupted throughout the waiting hall.
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Seizing the confusion, the two men dragged Xia Niannian toward a nearby direction.
“Captain Gu, what should we do now?”
The security team stood helplessly, all eyes fixed on Gu Nanzhou, awaiting his orders.
“What kind of place is that?” Gu Nanzhou asked, looking toward where the men had fled.
The head of security wiped the sweat from his brow and hurriedly replied, “That’s the men’s restroom.”
Gu Nanzhou nodded, signaling the security team to evacuate the crowd immediately and contact the train operations department to adjust the schedule. Then, exchanging a glance with two subordinates,I'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.