The next morning, just as dawn broke, Zhuzi pushed his motorcycle over.
Zhuzi's mother changed into clean clothes, wrapped Melody's entire head in a large red scarf, and had her sit between Zhuzi and herself.
Like two semi-guards, they took her out of the village.
The motorcycle rumbled along the bumpy dirt road, carrying two people. It swayed left and right, making the ride, for both the rider and the passengers, extremely arduous.
Melody estimated it took them at least an hour before they stopped.
She heard the sound of people talking and more and more motorcycle horns, suggesting they had arrived at a market.
Indeed, not long after the sounds reached her ears, Zhuzi's mother removed the scarf from her head, then grabbed her arm, telling her to get off the bike.
Zhuzi parked the motorcycle in front of a familiar acquaintance's place, locked the wheel with a large chain, and then came to meet them.
While Zhuzi was parking, Melody took the opportunity to survey the town.
The reason she guessed it was a town and not a county seat was simply because it was so run-down.
Although it was much livelier than the village, the shops lining the street looked like they had been around for at least 20 years.
The styles were old-fashioned, and the furnishings were simple.
The people walking on the street were mostly middle-aged and elderly, dressed no better than Zhuzi's mother.
They were either pushing bicycles or holding dirty children by the hand, their expressions numb and tired, certainly not what one would expect in a county seat.
After just a couple of glances, Zhuzi's mother pinched her hard on the inner arm.
"Behave yourself. What are you looking at? If you dare to try anything, don't think I won't take you straight back and sell you to Old Li!"
Melody believed she was capable of following through on her threat and didn't want to risk her own safety, so she stood there meekly.
Zhuzi returned, and the two of them, one on each side, escorted her to the bus stop.
Once they reached the county seat, away from their circle of acquaintances, the chances of escape would be much higher, and Melody's heart began to flutter with excitement.
Zhuzi paid two yuan for each of their bus fares, and the three of them squeezed into the last row of the bus.
The two of them stared at Melody as if she were a spectacle. They rode in silence, and soon they arrived at the county seat.
Zhuzi's mother had already asked the previous night, and Melody had said her savings were in the Agricultural Bank, so the three of them headed in that direction.
Along the way, the same warning was repeated: "Behave yourself. Don't think about playing any tricks. Otherwise, I won't let you off!"
Zhuzi's mother even produced a pair of scissors at some point and pressed them against Melody's waist as they walked.
After traveling for so long, it was getting late, and the sun beat down intensely.
The three of them walked for about ten minutes and were still not at their destination.
An old man driving a three-wheeled vehicle passed by and asked them where they were going and if they needed a ride.
Melody certainly wanted to take the ride, but unfortunately, she had no money.
Glancing at Zhuzi's mother, Zhuzi's mother asked how much it would cost. The old man said it started at four yuan.
"Four yuan. Why don't you just rob us?"
Zhuzi's mother muttered softly, then impatiently waved him away.
"No, we're not taking it, let's go."
To save a few yuan in fare, the three of them walked for a good half hour before finally reaching the entrance of the Agricultural Bank.
Seeing the large characters "Agricultural Bank," Melody felt as if she had found hope. The hardships of the journey were finally worth it.
Seeing the excitement in her eyes, Zhuzi and his mother immediately moved closer to her.
Melody raised her hands in surrender: "I know, I know, I'll behave."
The three of them went into the self-service banking hall.
Melody stood before the ATM, which had no staff. She thought to herself: These mother and son aren't too stupid. They knew to bring her to the ATM to withdraw money.
It was just a pity. Twenty thousand yuan, to withdraw it all at once, would require dealing with the bank staff.
She tapped a few times on the machine.
"Your system hasn't been updated yet, there's no facial recognition service. This machine can't be operated, you have to go to the counter."
"Also, there's a withdrawal limit on the machine, you can only withdraw 20,000 yuan per day."
Zhuzi remembered.
When he had withdrawn all his savings of tens of thousands of yuan before, he had indeed handled it at the counter.
With no other option, the mother and son followed her into the lobby.
What they didn't notice was that as soon as the three of them entered the lobby, the door was locked behind them.
Moreover, they were the only ones in the entire banking hall.
There was only one staff member in the lobby. Melody sat down at the counter opposite him and was about to state her business.
When she looked up, she was startled to see the person's face.
Wasn't the person sitting at the counter Lu Qingxu?
Lu Qingxu didn't give her much time to be surprised. He nodded at the three of them with a professional and friendly demeanor and asked in standard Mandarin.
"Hello, what business can I help you with?"
It was impossible to tell herself she had mistaken him for someone else.
With that familiar voice, that familiar tone, that familiar Nancheng accent, who else could it be?
Strange, how could he have found his way here? And how could he have found the bank so precisely!
Melody had intended to write a plea for help on the service form, but now, everything was simplified.
She spoke directly to Lu Qingxu.
"I need help. I'm being held hostage by these two people, please help me call the police."
Upon hearing this, Zhuzi's mother and Zhuzi's faces changed drastically. They hurriedly pressed the scissors they were holding against her again.
Lu Qingxu: "Okay, madam. We have received your feedback. Please look behind you, our staff have arrived."
Zhuzi's mother and Zhuzi turned around in terror and found that a group of tall, strong men in black suits had appeared behind them at some point.
Each of them had a stern and somber expression, like grim hell guardians, staring at them intently.
Their legs went weak, and Zhuzi, terrified, collapsed onto the ground.
Zhuzi's mother, trembling, pointed the scissors at the men.
"What do you want? I don't know you, what do you want?"
A tall young man walked out from behind the bodyguards, and the crowd parted automatically, clearing a path for him.
Zhan Beijue, dressed all in black, hands in his pockets, walked up to the three of them with an imposing aura.
He glanced at Zhuzi, who had fallen to the ground, then at the trembling Zhuzi's mother, and shook his head contemptuously.
"You're too much of a pushover. To think they found such a pathetic family for you."
"This isn't just about venting anger, it's practically an insult to your person. I'm not going to play around anymore. Tie them up and take them to Nancheng."
"I want to deliver the people to her, so she can see firsthand how much he hates our brother and sister."
Lu Qingxu walked out from behind the counter.
Seeing Melody's disheveled hair and dirty face.
No, she was dirty all over, emitting a strange odor.
He didn't go up to hug her immediately. Instead, he reached out and poked her on the head.
"You like to run, don't you? You like to block me, like to leave without saying goodbye? Think you're so capable, huh? Why aren't you running now?"
"If you're so capable, why don't you avoid being sold to some poor, remote place and coming here for help? Why aren't you showing off anymore?"