Chapter 118: The Terrifying Part [3]

Eighteen years ago.

The new century had just begun, and the nation was celebrating, but Wang Fugui of Fengmen Village could not bring himself to be happy. His son, Wang Yong, was twenty-five years old, but because of his hideous appearance and a grotesque tumor growing on his neck, no woman was willing to marry him. Even though Wang Fugui was willing to offer his own funeral savings as a dowry and the matchmaker had talked until her throat went dry, nothing came of it.

In that era, twenty-five was considered "over the hill" for a bachelor. Wang Fugui sat in his courtyard, puffing away on a pipe in frustration. He knew clearly that his son would never find a wife through traditional matchmaking. As people reach a certain age, their desires can become obsessive; for instance, at that time, Wang Fugui was desperate to hold a grandson.

Since matchmaking wouldn't work, why not just buy one?

Buying a wife was not a new concept in Fengmen Village. Vietnamese brides used to cost five thousand yuan each, but the crackdowns had made them impossible to find. Wang Fugui waited for half a year without an opportunity. Just as he was at his wit's end, the village tailor, Old Zhang, came knocking.

"Village Chief Wang, I hear you're looking for a wife for your son?"

"Indeed. It’s all his mother’s fault for giving that little brat an extra 'head' when he was born. If he were just ugly, someone would have married him by now."

"What do you think of my daughter?"

Wang Fugui was startled. "Your daughter is only eighteen, isn't she? I heard she's studying in the city and her grades are quite good. Are you really willing to..."

"Sigh, a daughter is just a waste of money. She’ll be calling someone else 'Mom and Dad' sooner or later. She just got into university, but we simply don't have the money to support her schooling," Old Zhang sighed.

"What's your price?" Wang Fugui asked directly.

"Twenty thousand." Old Zhang held up two fingers.

Wang Fugui took a drag of his pipe. "Twenty thousand is no small sum..."

"I know, I know, but my son still needs to study. The boy says he likes photography and wants me to buy him a camera. That thing is expensive..."

"Let me think about it."

In the end, Wang Fugui borrowed the money and bought Old Zhang’s daughter, Zhang Weiwei. Old Zhang forcibly dragged her back from Rong City. She resisted, so he beat her until she was bruised and swollen, kneeling and begging for mercy. Several times she tried to run, only to be dragged back. The worst incident was when Old Zhang personally broke both of her legs.

Eventually, terror broke Zhang Weiwei’s spirit. She succumbed and married Wang Yong, the ugliest man in Fengmen Village. Zhang Weiwei had once been a bright girl with a sharp memory, consistently ranking in the top ten in her class. Her teachers always praised her, predicting she would go to university and become a doctor or a lawyer. She never imagined that just as she was about to realize her dreams, her own parents would drag her back to their hometown and cast her into the abyss.

Shortly after, her parents took the twenty thousand yuan and, with great joy, left Fengmen Village with her younger brother, Zhang Qi, to live in another city. On the day they left, Zhang Weiwei stood on her tiptoes, peering over the courtyard wall. She watched as her parents used the money from selling her to buy a camera for her brother. The family rode away on a donkey cart, never once looking back at her.

Although she had been sold, Wang Yong treated her reasonably well. However, Zhang Weiwei was so consumed by fear that she dared not run, resigned to spending the rest of her miserable life there. Yet, two years passed, and she still hadn't conceived. This made Wang Yong suspicious. He and Wang Fugui concluded it was a physical issue with Zhang Weiwei, so they threatened her and tortured her daily, forcing her to find another wife for Wang Yong.

Zhang Weiwei eventually thought of her high school roommate, Ye Han. She called Ye Han to meet her, but Wang Fugui, Wang Yong, and the butcher, Li, went into the city together and kidnapped the unsuspecting girl. Upon learning the truth, the desperate Ye Han jumped off a stone bridge before even reaching the village, drowning in the stream outside.

Wang Yong was incandescent with rage and vented all his fury on Zhang Weiwei. Finally, she broke. She stopped resisting and stopped trying to escape. She would simply sit by the stream at the edge of the village, giggling to herself all day long. She would often harass the villagers, causing trouble for Wang Yong. The villagers, knowing she was insane, bullied her mercilessly. At night, when she walked through the village, she was often dragged into the fields by the village bachelors to be violated.

Wang Yong no longer cared and ignored her completely. Years slipped by until recently, when Yan Yu and his group arrived in Fengmen Village, prompting Wang Fugui to tell Wang Yong to keep an eye on her. The seemingly harmonious and beautiful Fengmen Village was, in reality, inhabited by devils with human faces.

...

"Beasts! You are nothing but beasts!"

After hearing Wang Fugui’s confession, Fatty and Hao Zhuang could no longer contain themselves and began raining punches and kicks upon him. Wang Fugui was an old man, and although Yan Yu wanted to beat him too, he feared they might accidentally kill him, so he held them back.

Wang Fugui collapsed to the ground, weak but defiant. "I only wanted a grandson. What did I do wrong?"

"You think that because you wanted a grandson, you had the right to strip away someone else's life and destroy two girls and two families?!" Yan Yu roared.

There are people who commit heinous acts, and that is not what is most terrifying. What is terrifying is that they do not believe their actions are heinous at all. In their minds, everything they did was only natural. They feel no guilt, and if given the chance, they would do it all over again.

Zhao Qingqing stared at Wang Fugui. This was the old man who had ruined her two roommates. Although she remembered nothing now, she could imagine the agony her friends had endured. Zhang Weiwei, having returned to her dazed state, watched Wang Fugui being beaten and scolded, merely giggling and occasionally clapping her hands.

"We will deal with your crimes later. Now, tell me, do you know where your son went?" Yan Yu grabbed Wang Fugui by the collar.

"He... he is in the melon-watching shed at the foot of North Mountain."

"What is he doing there?" Yan Yu suddenly remembered what the butcher Li had said to his wife before he died.

"He... he is the one who kidnapped your female classmate."

"Yang Xuefei?!"

Yan Yu’s expression shifted. He threw Wang Fugui to the ground and turned to sprint away.

"Old Cao, Fatty, take Zhang Weiwei with you. We’ll meet at the foot of North Mountain. Big Guy, go to the mortuary, find Teacher Lin, and tell him everything!"

In an instant, Yan Yu vanished from the courtyard. His heart was burning with anxiety. If Yang Xuefei were only in Wang Yong's hands, perhaps he wouldn't be this nervous. But now, even Wang Yong had fallen into the hands of someone else—someone who had cruelly severed his fingers. It was hard to say what kind of nightmare that person might be inflicting upon Yang Xuefei.