Remembering the unclosed eyes of my sister-in-law, I wanted to rush forward to stop it, but my legs felt as though they were filled with lead and couldn't move. I am the youngest in the family and my words carry no weight. Mom and my older brother wouldn't listen to what I have to say.

I returned to my room in a daze, images of my sister-in-law and the child filling my mind. I woke up the next day just as the sky was getting light. I had nightmares all night, and my mind was hazy. I planned to splash cold water on my face to wake up.

As soon as I reached the doorway, I heard a woman's voice. I tapped my head, thinking I must have misheard. But the voice was distinct, I hadn't misheard, there really was a woman in the house.

I cautiously followed the sound and ended up in the room where we store firewood. As I looked inside, my eyes widened in disbelief!

I saw a woman about the same age as my sister-in-law, tied to a post with ropes. She was dressed very fashionable, with delicate makeup and revealing clothing, showing off fair skin and a beautiful figure, even more attractive than my sister-in-law!

I couldn't help but stare, and I didn't even notice when Mom came in.

My mom smacked my head hard with her hand, mocking me, "Surprised, Pillar? But this is for your older brother. I paid a high price for him. If you want, go to the city and find one for yourself. The women there are lively."

She paused for a moment, looked the woman up and down, and then smiled with satisfaction, "With a figure like hers, she can definitely give birth to a big, healthy child for my son!"

My mom pointed at me and said, "Pillar, come with me. There's something for you to do."

I followed my mom outside, and she didn't say anything, just led me all the way to Uncle Zhang's house. She said to Uncle Zhang, "Uncle, I'm really busy these days. There are some things you can ask Pillar to do, he'll definitely get them done for you!" Then she quickly walked away, swaying her hips.

Uncle Zhang smoked a cigarette, glanced at me, patted my shoulder, and whispered, "Pillar, I know you're a sentimental child, reluctant to let go of your sister-in-law. But don't worry, I won't let you do anything. These days, you just need to stay with your sister-in-law's body, light seven incense sticks every day, and watch them burn."

He glanced at me again, meaningfully, and said, "Don't blame Uncle either. You and my fourth son were good friends. We can't let him go and be all alone, you understand."

With these words, I had no reason to refuse, but bitterness filled my heart. I returned home exhausted like this.

During these two days, my daily routine was to stay with my sister-in-law's body. Occasionally, I could hear the heart-wrenching screams of the abducted woman and my brother's angry shouts. And my mother was busy all day, it was evident that she attached great importance to this wedding.

Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, it was dusk two days later.

That day, as usual, I leaned against the wall in my room, watching the burning incense sticks to see if they were finished, so I could replace them in time.

When the seven incense sticks burned down, they said it was time for my sister-in-law to go on her way.

I looked at my sister-in-law's body on the straw mat. Her face was pretty, but now it was pale, without a trace of color. Those eyes that used to be like autumn water were wide open, unable to close, filled with lingering resentment.

As I sighed, I suddenly saw my sister-in-law's eyes blink, but in an instant, they were gone again.

I was frightened, thinking it was just an illusion caused by my exhaustion. Looking at the faint night outside, I gradually felt a strong drowsiness, unable to resist, and fell asleep.

In my dream, I saw my sister-in-law as beautiful as before, sitting by the window, playing with the child in her arms, like a beautiful painting.

When she saw me, my sister-in-law softly said, "Pillar, have you seen your brother and them? I've been looking for them allthis time, but I can't find them anywhere. Pillar, you have to help me, find them and bring them back."

I nodded vigorously in the dream, "Sister-in-law, I promise I'll find them and bring them back, so you can be together again."

My sister-in-law smiled gently and touched my face, "Thank you, Pillar. I know I can count on you."

Just as I was about to ask her where to find them, I suddenly woke up. It was still dark outside, and the incense sticks had burned out. I quickly lit new ones and went back to my sister-in-law's side.

As the first rays of dawn appeared, I heard a commotion outside the house. I looked out and saw my brother, disheveled and covered in dirt, running towards our house. Behind him was the woman who had been tied up, also in a panic.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I rushed out and hugged my brother, tears streaming down my face. "Brother, you're back! And you brought sister-in-law back too!"

My brother looked at me with a mixture of relief and guilt. He said, "Pillar, I'm sorry for leaving you alone all this time. I couldn't bear to leave, but I had no choice. I had to find a way to escape and bring our family back together."

I didn't care about the reasons anymore. I was just happy that my brother and sister-in-law were safe. I turned to the woman who had been tied up and asked, "Who are you? How did you escape?"

The woman took a deep breath and said, "My name is Mei. I was abducted and brought here against my will. But last night, I managed to free myself when they were distracted. I found your brother and we ran away together."

I looked at Mei gratefully and said, "Thank you for helping my brother and sister-in-law. You saved them."

Mei smiled and replied, "I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. No one deserves to be treated like that. We need to put an end to these practices."

With my brother and sister-in-law back, our family could finally start to heal. We reported the incident to the authorities, and they launched an investigation into the human trafficking operation in our area.

It was a long and difficult process, but eventually, the criminals were apprehended and brought to justice. The women who had been abducted, including Mei, received support and assistance to rebuild their lives.

As for my sister-in-law, she slowly recovered from the trauma she had endured. We surrounded her with love and support, helping her regain her strength and confidence.

Our family became closer than ever, cherishing the bond we had and appreciating the value of each individual. We vowed to fight against injustice and protect others from suffering the same fate.

Although the scars of that dark period would always remain, we chose to focus on the future, determined to create a better world for ourselves and for others.