Liu Yun'er was stunned for a moment and thought to herself,
"Mom? Is it the mom that Liu Qiaozǐ has always been praising? She's back earlier than expected."
Liu Yun'er originally thought that Liu Qiaozǐ would be happy. To her surprise, there was no trace of joy on Liu Qiaozǐ's face. Instead, she looked panicked. In a hurry, she quickly pulled Liu Yun'er up from the sofa.
Anxiously, she pushed Liu Yun'er into the wardrobe in the inner room and hid her there. Just before closing the door, Liu Qiaozǐ, with a worried look on her face, told her,
"No matter what happens later, don't come out. Mom hates having other people in the house the most. I don't want to make her angry. It'll be quick. She'll leave soon."
She didn't have time to say anything more to Liu Yun'er. After closing the wardrobe tightly, she rushed to open the door.
Liu Yun'er curled up in the wardrobe, pricking up her ears to listen to the sounds outside. She heard the sound of the door lock being opened.
For some reason, Liu Yun'er's palms were already sweating, and an inexplicable sense of unease welled up in her. A sense of crisis crept over her.
Liu Yun'er listened intently to the commotion in the living room, fearing that she would be discovered by others. If she was found, it would cause trouble for Liu Qiaozǐ.
The sounds in the living room were intermittent. Liu Yun'er vaguely heard the voice of a middle - aged man, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.
Liu Yun'er thought that he must be Liu Qiaozǐ's father, even though she had never heard the word "father" from Liu Qiaozǐ's mouth.
But subconsciously, she was sure that the man who came back with Liu Qiaozǐ's mother must be her father.
As soon as the door opened, a clearer female voice was heard, saying affectionately,
"Oh, my dear baby, why is your face dirty? Come here quickly and let mom wipe it for you."
Then she heard the rustling sound of clothes. Liu Yun'er guessed that it must be Liu Qiaozǐ's mother patting the dust off her.
Liu Qiaozǐ, who had always been praising her mother in front of Liu Yun'er, now stood silently in front of her mother.
An eerie silence made Liu Yun'er feel a bit uneasy.
Suddenly, the male voice rang out abruptly. His tone was greasy as he said,
"Wow, you weren't kidding. Your daughter is really as beautiful as a celestial being. It's really worth the money I spent."
Liu Qiaozǐ's mother said obsequiously,
"Oh, Brother Wu, after being together for these few days, don't you know what kind of person I am? How could I ever lie to you? Have you checked? I guarantee you this deal is worth every penny."
But Brother Wu suddenly put on airs and said disdainfully,
"Well, you can't put it that way. Your asking price is too high. Don't think I don't know. Your daughter is no longer a virgin. Yet you're still asking for such a high price."
Liu Qiaozǐ's mother still argued, saying word by word as if it were for Brother Wu's own good,
"Brother Wu, I do business with integrity. Three hundred is the lowest price. I'm only giving you this price because of our friendship. Don't go around telling others after you leave, or else everyone will come here to bargain with me in the future."
"Tsk, Sister Liu, be a bit more lenient. Just look at your daughter's looks. I guarantee I'll come back many times to do business with you. Right? Make it a bit cheaper."
"I have a lot of repeat customers here. Don't try this with me. No bargaining means no bargaining."
Brother Wu seemed to want to say something else and opened his mouth...
Liu Yun'er covered her ears in disbelief, her eyes wide open in the darkness.
She couldn't bear to listen to the haggling in the living room outside anymore. Even if it was a misunderstanding, she didn't want to hear a single word.
From beginning to end, Liu Yun'er never heard Liu Qiaozǐ say a word.
But she vaguely guessed something from these conversations. However, the answer that came to her mind made her too afraid to be sure.
The sound of footsteps came from the living room, moving in her direction.
There was only one room in Liu Qiaozǐ's house.
Liu Yun'er tried her best to hide herself in the pile of clothes, pulling the clothes in front of her to cover her figure.
A female voice sounded beside Liu Yun'er's ear.
"Qiaozhuo, why are you still holding that piggy bank you picked up from the trash can? It has such an ugly face. It's so disgusting."
"Be a good girl, Qiaozhuo. Give it to mom quickly, and then go into the room with uncle. When you come out, mom will put more money in your piggy bank, okay?"
"Wasn't the piggy bank a gift from Liu Qiaozǐ's mother? How could it become something picked up from the trash?"
Liu Yun'er was extremely confused.
Then, finally, Liu Yun'er heard the first sentence Liu Qiaozǐ had said in so long. With a sob in her voice, she said,
"Mom, I don't want to put money in the piggy bank anymore. Can, can you make that uncle leave? I've always just wanted to be with mom."
As she spoke, as if she had remembered something terrifying, she burst into tears.
There was another silence. Except for Liu Qiaozǐ's crying, Liu Yun'er heard nothing else. It was as if her mother had already left.
But then,
"Slap!"
A loud slap sounded, followed by the familiar sound of punches and kicks and her mother's shrill scolding,
"You good - for - nothing! If it weren't for that dog of a man, your father, who abandoned me, would I have ended up like this? You cheap thing still dare to bargain with me. Damn it! If it weren't for the fact that you're still a bit useful, I would have thrown you away long ago and let you wander the streets alone."
Liu Qiaozǐ's mother was wearing thick - heeled high heels, but she didn't hold back her strength as she kicked Liu Qiaozǐ again and again. It was as if the person lying on the ground was not her daughter but a sworn enemy.
She even picked up the chair beside her and smashed it hard at the curled - up Liu Qiaozǐ on the ground.
Scolding in her mouth,
"Let you be disobedient! Let you be disobedient!"
She didn't seem to be Liu Qiaozǐ's mother at all. She was more like a devil from hell descending to the world.
She couldn't hear Liu Qiaozǐ's hoarse cries at all. She just wanted to vent all her negative emotions on Liu Qiaozǐ.
Liu Yun'er and Liu Qiaozǐ were only separated by a wooden board, but they were two people who were in the same miserable situation.
Liu Qiaozǐ's cries were heart - rending, echoing through the small house.
The cries were so clear in Liu Yun'er's ears. This was the person who had just saved her from trouble, but now she was suffering the same harm, yet Liu Yun'er didn't have the courage to stand up.
Liu Yun'er covered her mouth tightly, her fingernails digging deeply into her flesh.
She finally understood why Liu Qiaozǐ had the same thoughts as her. People who suffered the same pain would not only understand each other's thoughts but also feel each other's pain more deeply.
Each of Liu Qiaozǐ's cries was like a knife stabbing into Liu Yun'er's heart.