It turned out they were teachers for the support education program, no wonder she was so pretty and could be out and about.
When they heard about the physical examination, the master had nothing more to say, "Two yuan and five jiao each."
After deducting five yuan for the trip there and five yuan for the trip to the county town, they only had forty yuan left.
Forty yuan, was that enough to get to the city?
The two looked at each other, holding hands, their hearts filled with uncertainty.
The weather was fine that day, and by the time they reached the bus stop, the bus was just about to leave.
Without much setback, the two embarked on their journey to leave this godforsaken place.
Sitting on the bus, watching the dilapidated scenery slide by, both of them were so excited they wanted to cry.
They held each other's hands tightly, leaning on each other. At that moment, there was no one closer to them in the world.
After a journey with frequent stops, the bus finally entered the county town bus station.
Looking at the rows of cars parked there, with signs for various destinations on their windshields, they saw the dawn of victory!
Unfortunately, they didn't have enough money.
The county town was too far from the city, and the fare for one person was 44 yuan.
"What do we do?"
After asking the price, Zhang Wei panicked.
She had already sacrificed too much. If she couldn't leave today, the consequences of returning were all too clear. Just thinking about it made her want to die.
Zhan Jingchun, running away for the first time, had a relatively smooth journey, so her state of mind was better than Zhang Wei's.
"Don't panic. If it doesn't work, we won't go to the city for now. We'll go wherever the money allows and figure things out when we get there. The priority is to leave here first."
"Okay, thank goodness I have you, Chun Chun. My heart was about to jump out of my chest. We have to succeed!"
Zhan Jingchun went to ask the ticket seller again. Forty yuan could buy two tickets to somewhere.
The ticket seller was successfully drawn to their attention.
"Where exactly are you two going? No destination? What's going on?"
"We want to go to the city. We lost our wallet and don't have enough money, so we'll buy twenty yuan worth of tickets first and contact our families to send money when we arrive."
The ticket seller looked them up and down doubtfully, even poking his head out of the window to look behind them. Seeing that they were fair-skinned, dressed cleanly, not injured, and not accompanied by anyone, he half-believingly gave them the tickets.
The two boarded a bus heading to a county town on the way to the city. Once the bus started moving, their pounding hearts finally calmed down a little.
On the way, the two felt they had finally escaped, and began to plan their next steps.
Zhan Jingchun said she would sell her hair.
"A ticket for 22 yuan per person is enough. My hair is so long, it should be worth fifty yuan, right? We'll find a place to stay tonight and the remaining money will be for your food. We'll definitely get through this."
"We've escaped, Zhang Wei. We're about to succeed, and it's all thanks to you!"
The two unfortunate girls were so excited that they even shed tears.
At that moment, their minds were filled with thoughts of their worried parents and the good life they once had, oblivious to the two furious men behind them.
Wang Kang had been too happy recently and had become careless. He thought that with the birth of the child, his wife was completely settled and didn't consider the possibility of escape.
After chatting with Peng Fei for a few minutes, seeing him constantly looking towards the door with a preoccupied mind, he comforted him.
"What are you so anxious about? A woman who just had surgery, a foreigner who knows nothing of the outside world. They've only gone to the restroom for a moment, how could they disappear?"
"In broad daylight, no one would dare to lay a hand on your wife, don't worry."
"Look at you, you're so useless. No wonder Auntie always says you..."
As they were joking, Wang Ma returned with a basin of dried diapers.
She looked at the empty bed and her expression immediately changed.
"Why are there only you two? Where is Zhang Wei?"
"She went to the restroom, and Peng Fei's wife went with her."
It was only then that Wang Kang realized.
After speaking, he saw his mother's expression and started to panic as well.
"She went, she's been gone for a while. Mom, why don't you go check?"
Wang Ma and Peng Fei rushed out.
When they reached the restroom, they found that, indeed, the people were gone.
The two searched the hallway like madmen, and soon someone told them.
"Two pretty girls? They left a while ago."
"One of them seemed unwell, and the other was supporting her. They went downstairs, I thought they were going for a check-up..."
Wang Kang shoved the baby into his mother's arms, and he and Peng Fei practically leaped downstairs.
The two rode a motorcycle, speeding towards the bus station. The previous bus had already left more than ten minutes ago.
Without stopping, the two rode their bikes to the county town. By the time they inquired with the ticket seller, that bus had already departed.
The ticket seller even said regretfully, "I thought those two were acting strangely. Turns out they really were!"
"Hurry up and chase them! The bus to Siping left just a few minutes ago, you can definitely catch up!"
The two rode their bikes to Siping.
However, they had never left the county town in their lives.
Let alone Siping, they couldn't even recognize the roads in their own county town.
Asking for directions as they went, their motorcycle ran out of gas halfway. In the end, they fell further and further behind...
The two girls successfully arrived at Siping County.
Upon arrival, they got off the bus and looked at the unfamiliar faces, finally smiling with joy.
However, they still didn't dare to let down their guard. They walked along the corners and found a secluded hair salon. The hairdresser, taking advantage of the fact that they were outsiders, agreed to give them fifty yuan after much persuasion.
Miss Zhan, who had been accustomed to a life of luxury, had never had to worry about money before. Now, for fifty yuan, her hair was cut into a buzz cut.
Fortunately, her looks were striking. Hair that would make others cry with ugliness had a rebellious charm on her.
Holding the hard-earned fifty yuan, the two bought two flatbreads from a roadside stall in a deep alley and shared them. Then, they went to the hospital lobby to get some water and waited for dawn.
This was the most difficult night of Zhan Jingchun's life.
It was even more difficult than the day she first entered Peng Fei's house.
Mosquitoes swarmed in the lobby at night, the smell of disinfectant was pungent, Zhang Wei was restless with the pain from her incision, and the two were constantly worried, not closing their eyes for a moment. It felt like an eternity.
When dawn finally arrived, the two went to wash their faces, planning to buy another flatbread before heading to the station. However, even though it was daylight, their nightmare had returned.
As Zhan Jingchun was helping Zhang Wei around a corner from the restroom, she saw two tall figures.
As if they had seen a ghost in broad daylight, their blood instantly froze.
With a scream, they instinctively tried to retreat, but Wang Kang, furious and seeming like he could devour them, gave them no chance.
He rushed forward two steps, pushed Zhan Jingchun aside, pulled Zhang Wei to him, and without a word, raised his hand and slapped her twice.
"Bitch! You still want to run after giving birth? Don't you have a heart? Didn't I treat you well? Didn't my family treat you well? I gave you everything, satisfied all your desires, and you're still not content? I think you just deserve a beating!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand to slap her again, and Zhan Jingchun rushed forward desperately.
"Don't hit her! Stop it! You have no right!"
"She was never yours in the first place, why should she stay with you for life and not be allowed to leave? What you're doing is illegal, let her go!"
Wang Kang stared at the short-haired Zhan Jingchun as if she were crazy, looking her up and down with an incredulous and ridiculous expression.
"Peng Fei, hah, look at the woman you've raised!"