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The Crimes of the Deep Forest
墨書 Inktalez
My name is Xia Wei, and I have just crossed over. The overwhelming resentment has caused the world to collapse, and I am here to resolve that resentment and gain merit and golden light.
The original owner has a foolish son named Zhou Tiezhu.
He looks like a big water buffalo, with a face full of stubble, yet he has a little wife who loves to act cute.
“Mother, I’m hungry.”
He rubbed his belly, but in his eagerness, he lifted his shirt too high.
I couldn’t help but sigh.
This foolish boy, in his twenties, still behaves like a child.
However, he is strong and can help with the farm work.
In this remote village, the mother and son have relied on each other for nearly ten years.
In their dilapidated house, under the dim oil lamp, there is a table filled with simple home-cooked dishes.
It should have been a life as calm as still water.
Until that woman arrived.
Her name is Fang Xiaoxia.
Her memories flooded into my mind, reminding me of my former self.
She was a top student from a prestigious university but was tricked and sold by her friend Li Ting at a class reunion.
Li Ting was jealous of her good boyfriend and humiliated her in every way possible, ultimately colluding with traffickers to sell her to a remote mountain village.
She thought that if she died, no one would know the truth.
Little did she know, her memories were passed on to me.
In fact, I had long wanted to save her.
I saved so many women, yet she alone refused to leave.
She lay in bed, burning with fever, calling out for her parents.
There was a foul stench in her room.
Her foolish husband wouldn’t change her clothes; her bedding was soaked, and there were bloodstains on her iron chains.
Men had become beasts; what hope was there for women?
I remember the first time I saw her; she looked like a broken doll.
I was chained in the cellar, while my foolish son cooked for those men who played cards, drank, and shouted loudly.
It was New Year’s Day, and they said they wanted to bring my foolish son some good luck.
So she was the first.
When they brought her back, I swallowed my disgust and dragged her into the cellar.
Her eyes were vacant, and there wasn’t a single piece of good flesh on her body.
I gave her some water, and she drank it little by little.
I thought she was dead, but to my surprise, she was still alive.
The men took turns with her and then dragged her away.
It was later that I learned her name.
Fang Xiaoxia.
What a beautiful name.
What a pity; she shared the same fate as mine.
The village I stayed in is called Zhoujia Village, remote and inaccessible.
No one can enter from outside, and those inside cannot leave.
The women are locked by the well, while the men drink and play cards at the Village Chief's house.
For every woman taken, a spot is freed up.
Wealthy families with more spots can buy more women.
Families with fewer spots send their daughters out to exchange for a place.
This cycle has continued for hundreds of years.
Fang Xiaoxia had been staying at my house for half a month, and her health gradually improved.
I noticed her gaze shift from fear and suspicion at first to tentative trust later on.
She began to sense my kindness and gentleness.
After all, she was also a mother.
"All the women here have been trafficked; they have been forced to accept this reality. Men profit from women, and women survive through men. This is the truth," I sighed as I explained.
"How could this happen?"
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"What do you think?"
She began to cry, clutching my sleeve. "Sister Xia, please let me go. I can't stay in this place."
"I want to leave too, but how can we? The village is filled with men; how can we women escape?"
Fear gripped her as she curled up, hugging her knees.
Yet, seeing that neither Zhou Tiezhu nor I meant any harm, she chose to trust my words.
We discussed our plan and decided to thoroughly understand the village environment before taking any action.
The plan was to go out at night to survey every road and household.
That evening, I went out with Zhou Tiezhu.
As soon as we pushed open the courtyard door, we were greeted by a chorus of barking dogs.
All the dogs in the village had been let loose.
If we were discovered, there would be consequences.
She looked at me in despair.
"It's okay, there will always be a way," I reassured her.
"Mom, I'll go take a look," Zhou Tiezhu said as he grabbed a hoe and stepped outside.
That night, we failed.
The next evening, I went to the neighboring courtyard.
I reached out and struck the snoring man on the back of his head; he merely rolled over and continued to sleep.
This was my first time taking action.
My neighbor next door was known for his love of drinking and fighting.
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