I coldly watched her making a fool of herself before me, with no intention of stopping her.

Not long after, heavy and hurried footsteps echoed from outside the door. I could tell it was Zhao Tiezhu returning.

He pushed the door open and entered straight away. In that moment, I seemed to catch a glimpse of smugness in Huang Sijia's eyes.

But the next moment, Zhao Tiezhu's slap mercilessly landed on Huang Sijia's face.

"Slap!" It was a crisp sound, and immediately, I saw blood drip from this woman's mouth, and she staggered from the blow.

"Busybody, meddling in my business?" Zhao Tiezhu cursed, dragging her down from the bed, his large foot clad in tattered slippers kicking her body relentlessly.

I took advantage of this commotion to retrieve my snatched shirt and hastily put it back on.

She was beaten terribly, her clothes covered in the forty-two size slipper prints from Zhao Tiezhu, lying curled on the ground like a twisted, wriggling maggot.

Yet even in such a state, I could still see the intense hatred and incredulity in her gaze as she looked at me.

"Get lost! Don't let me see you again, and don't let me hear anything I shouldn't!" In the end, it was Huang Sijia's husband who took her away, along with Zhao Tiezhu’s fierce threats.

The next day, rumors began circulating in the village about how Huang Sijia came to my house, attempting to incite me to escape, only to be caught red-handed.

Huang Sijia's reputation in the village was completely ruined.

Days later, when I went to see her at her house, she no longer had her previous ferocious demeanor. She was locked in a small room beside the outhouse, wearing a tattered shirt with all the buttons missing, completely naked from the waist down, utterly reduced to an instrument of pleasure.

I saw wounds on her forehead and several crooked scars across her wrists.

"Why, why have you not been discovered, why are you living so well, why do they not believe me?" Seeing me, she immediately turned into a crazed mother dog.

I restrained her limbs and easily pushed her aside.

I did not speak; I simply watched her with a smile.

"I'm not resigned! I'm not resigned! What's your trick? How did you manage to win over Zhao Tiezhu and those women in such a short time? I've been here for five years! Five years..."

I watched her kneel on the ground and howl, her whole being disheveled. Clearly, she was not yet thirty, yet she looked like she was nearly fifty.

"Yes, five years. Did you ever think about leaving here, going home?" I squatted down, aligning my gaze with hers, and looked into her eyes.

"Home"—this word seemed to have magic, instantly lighting up Huang Sijia's eyes. Her lips trembled for a moment, and then she collapsed to the ground as if all her strength had been drained away.

"When I was first sold here, I was like Meizi. My mind was filled with thoughts of escape. I didn't want to stay in this hellish place for even a moment," Huang Sijia spoke, as large tears rolled down her cheeks, "But I didn't even know where this place was. Every time I tried to escape, I could only run around like a headless chicken. So every time I was caught and brought back, and you saw how they punished me—they beat me, stripped me naked, and threw me into the pigsty. Sometimes, several men at once..."

She bit her lip and clenched her fists. "I was scared. I was really scared. I could only submit and try to blend into life here. But I couldn't give birth to a son. I had two daughters in a row. My husband doesn't treat me like a human being. Every night, he abuses me like an animal."

"So, you started abusing other girls, inciting them to escape, then tipping off to get them caught, pretending to be the one who persuaded them to come back to improve your standing in the village?"

"So what if I did? You can't escape anyway. Might as well make my suffering a bit less..." I could tell her tone was already numb.

"You suffer, so everyone must suffer the same as you? You want to trample others to boost yourself as a sycophant? Huang Sijia, did you ever think that if one day you could really leave here, when you reflect on your actions in the dead of night, can you truly forget all the evil you did here and live at peace?"

"What you lost is not only your dignity but also all hope of going home." I looked into her eyes, uttering each word slowly.

"Home," her eyes flickered, "But I don't even know where this place is. Can I really go back?"

"Stay alive. I have a way to get you home." I leaned close to her ear and gently whispered.

In that instant, it was as if a drowning person had suddenly grasped a piece of floating wood. Huang Sijia's eyes widened.

"Is this why all the women obey you?" In the next moment, she seemed to understand.

"That's right," I nodded, but then shook my head, "But it's not a secret; it's a promise."

She was stunned, then fell into a long silence.

Perhaps after a significant internal struggle, she finally nodded: "Fine, I trust you."

Sure enough, no one could resist the allure of going home.

"Wait." As I turned to leave, Huang Sijia called to me.

"What is it?"

"How did you hide it? You're a man!"