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墨書 Inktalez
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Just after breakfast, I heard the sounds of "Three cannon shots outside the mansion, the Flower Cart is moving..." accompanied by the booming of firecrackers and the clamor of suonas and drums. This was the standard for a wedding procession around here.
Fourteen years ago, I had nothing to hold onto and feared nothing. But now it was different; I had too many things to worry about, and many people were concerned about me. Being at the mercy of others, marrying that old man—if it were in the past, I might have accepted it. But now, I was completely disillusioned with this family and them. There was no way I would trade my life for their so-called happiness and contentment!
I casually tucked a trowel used for bricklaying into my clothes.
The courtyard was bustling as the wedding procession arrived at the door. The locked door from outside was opened, and Aunt Hua led a group of tall and strong women into the house. In their understanding, once I stepped out of this room and onto the flower cart, everything else would be out of my hands.
I was pushed outside and onto the cart. The old man surnamed Jia sat beside me, grinning widely, even trying to take my hand. Aunt Hua handed a cash tray covered with red silk to my mother.
It was a blatant transaction! In this deal, I was merely a bargaining chip!
The wedding procession began to move, accompanied by the sounds of drums and music.
A Big G came barreling down the road, not dodging or avoiding but directly blocking the path of the wedding procession. The old man surnamed Jia knew my fiery temperament; not only did he have tall women accompanying him, but he also brought along several burly men.
Seeing someone aggressively blocking the road, one of his subordinates, Scarface, charged forward with a few lackeys: "Damn it, are you blind? Hurry up and clear the way; don’t ruin our Boss Jia’s auspicious time!"
The door of the Big G swung open, and four dark-skinned but muscular men jumped out, each wielding a Miao Dao over a meter long, resting them on Scarface and his men’s shoulders.
I pulled out the trowel from my clothes, smashed the window, and leaned out to shout in a language that others couldn’t understand at all. The leading man from across pushed back Jia's subordinates and rushed over to lift me out of the flower cart.
The crowd around us erupted like a boiling pot, a scene I had only seen in movies, TV shows, or short videos. My mother became the only one brave enough to stand up as a "hero." "Who are you? What right do you have to stop me from marrying my daughter? Is there still a rule of law?"
I slammed two bright red marriage certificates down in front of her. "Look closely, he is my husband!"
I snatched the phone from my brother and dialed a number. "Yes, this is..."
Realizing what was happening, Lao Jia became frantic, constantly making calls and trying to rally his men. His lackeys kept a distant watch on me and the few Black Titans beside me.
Da Hung and three others stood guard by my car, their long knives gleaming ominously. Lao Jia's men shouted but none dared to step forward.
"Call the police! They're wielding knives in broad daylight!" Scarface, who had just wet his pants in fear, hurriedly dialed.
"Get them down! I'll reward whoever takes them out with 5,000!" Lao Jia shouted, raising his hand.
A towering figure resembling a Black Titan charged at Da Hung with a stun gun in hand. I feared for Da Hung's safety and worried he might hurt someone! After all, they fought wild boars in the mountains with their lives on the line; even if there were disputes between villages, they showed no mercy when it came to fighting.
The man with the stun gun approached with crackling sounds. Da Hung sidestepped and struck the man's wrist with the back of his knife, causing the stun gun to drop to the ground as the man cried out in pain.
"Give me the hard firepower; I'll kill him!" Lao Jia shouted angrily at one of his subordinates.
The subordinate retrieved a tennis bag from the car, which surprisingly contained a Five-Shot shotgun (the kind used by Sun Honglei and his men in the TV series Conquest). The gun was loaded with a loud clatter, its dark muzzle aimed at Da Hung!
I stepped in front of him but was forcefully pulled behind him instead.
Police sirens grew louder as they approached. Lao Jia tilted his head back defiantly. "I don't care who you are or where you come from; you have no right to cause trouble here in Annan! You should find out who I am—Lao Jia has quite a reputation in Annan! Everyone grab your weapons; treat them like those stubborn households—do what needs to be done! If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility!"
"What kind of reputation does Lao Jia have? Let’s hear it! Are you part of some black organization or just a local thug?"
The police car came to a stop, and instead of following Lao Jia's orders to control us outsiders, they surrounded an official in an administrative jacket who walked toward me.
"Ms. Jiang, are you alright?" The official extended his hand from afar.
I signaled for Da Hung and the others to put away their knives and stepped forward. "Chen County..."
Since my son began to babble, I insisted on teaching him Mandarin and required him to speak it with his father and me. I told him stories, which led to more than twenty children from our village and nearby villages coming to learn from me.
I taught them arithmetic, pinyin, and English. I shared tales of the world beyond the mountains and encouraged them to speak Mandarin at home with their parents. As the days passed, I, a woman who had been trafficked, had become the most knowledgeable person within dozens of miles.
After sending my son to elementary school, I rented a storefront and warehouse in the county town and registered a company called "Cloud Mist Mountain Rattan Art Co., Ltd." Utilizing the abundant rattan resources from Cloud Mist Mountain in Shanghai, I developed a series of rattan products through a model that connected farmers with the company. These products were beautiful, practical, health-promoting, and durable, attracting overseas customers through the internet.
Later, I recruited a team for live streaming and short dramas as part of the cultural industry. After six years in Wenyuan, my recognition surpassed even that of the county chief. Besides state-owned enterprises, my company was not only the leader in Wenyuan but also a prominent player throughout the entire state.
The seemingly unremarkable rattan crafts held by mountain villagers were transformed into substantial amounts of dollars and euros! We had agents in several countries across Europe and America!
Under our influence, Wenyuan's economy developed multiple industrial chains and parks, prompting provincial leaders to visit for research. After being away from home for fourteen years, I wanted to return to Annan to see my long-lost parents and show off a bit.
Moreover, there were abundant wild vegetable resources on Horned Mountain in my hometown. I planned to invest in a wild vegetable processing factory to tap into overseas markets using existing channels. When I spoke with the investment promotion bureau in Annan County over the phone, the county chief surprisingly led a team to inspect my company in Wenyuan. Subsequently, County Chief Chen Daogong personally called me to invite me back for an inspection and discussion!
After three years of pandemic and a downturn in real estate, Annan faced an economic chill while my rattan art company generated over a hundred million annually (in dollars/euros). I was confident and capable of making Annan's wild vegetables thrive.
Fearing that Da Hung would hold me back, I concocted an excuse to leave Wenyuan alone and returned to Annan. Initially planning to settle family matters before meeting with county leaders, I found myself stuck in a quagmire at home.
Da Hung received my call made in our local dialect and drove over day and night with several brothers. He even brought along a Miao Dao that could only be carried within the autonomous region according to regulations.
News broke about my investment in building a factory in Annan. My parents flaunted it around the village again. My sister-in-law no longer demanded cars or houses or any bride price; she happily married into our family.
They took turns calling me: "We can't trust outsiders; let your brother be the factory manager!" Even distant relatives I didn't know were asking for jobs at the factory through them.
Don't get me wrong; after giving them five hundred thousand yuan, I wanted nothing more to do with them.
Lao Jia? Too many troubles; he faced continuous reports involving illegal demolitions, illegal possession of firearms, homicide, rape, etc., while he was stuck inside drinking noodle soup.
As for Da Hung?
I made a trip to my mother-in-law's house and just lost a few Miao Dao.
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