It turned out they were teachers coming to support education, no wonder they were so pretty and could travel outside.
Hearing that they needed medical check-ups, the driver had nothing more to say, "Two yuan and five jiao each."
Excluding the five yuan for this trip, and another five yuan for the trip to the county town, they were left with only forty yuan.
Would forty yuan be enough to get to the city?
The two exchanged glances, holding each other's hands, their hearts filled with uncertainty.
The weather was favorable today, 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 recede, both were so excited they felt like crying.
They held each other's hands tightly, leaning on each other. At this moment, they were closer than anyone else in the world.
After a journey of stops and starts, the bus finally entered the county town bus station.
Looking at the rows of parked buses, with signs on their windshields indicating destinations, they saw a glimmer of hope!
Unfortunately, they didn't have enough money.
The county town was too far from the city, and the fare alone was 44 yuan per person.
"What should we do?"
After asking for the price, Zhang Wei panicked.
She had 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 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. We'll go wherever the money is enough, and figure things out when we get there. The priority is to leave here first."
"Okay, thank goodness for you, Chun Chun. My heart was about to jump out of my chest. We must succeed!"
Zhan Jingchun went to ask the ticket seller again. With forty yuan, they could buy two tickets to anywhere.
The ticket seller was successfully drawn to their attention.
"Where are you two going? No destination? What's going on?"
"We want to go to the city, but we lost our wallets and don't have enough money. We'll buy 20 yuan worth of tickets first, and then contact our families to send money when we arrive."
The ticket seller looked them up and down suspiciously, even leaning out of the window to look behind them. Seeing their fair skin, clean clothes, no injuries, and no one following them, she half-believingly gave them the tickets.
The two boarded a bus heading to a county town midway to the city. Finally, as the bus started moving, their pounding hearts began to calm down a little.
On the way, feeling that they had finally escaped, they started planning what to do next.
Zhan Jingchun said she would sell her hair.
"A fare of 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 overnight, and the remaining money will be for your food. We'll definitely get through this."
"We've escaped, Zhang Wei, and we're almost successful. It's all thanks to you!"
The two unfortunate girls were so moved that they even shed tears.
At this moment, their minds were filled with thoughts of their worried parents and the beautiful life they once had, oblivious to the two furious men behind them.
Wang Kang had been too happy recently and had become careless, thinking that after giving birth, 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 restless expression, he comforted him.
"What's the rush? A woman who just had surgery, and an outsider who doesn't know anything. They're just going to the restroom, how could they get lost?"
"In broad daylight, no one dares to lay a hand on your wife, don't worry."
"Look at you, so useless. No wonder Auntie always says you..."
As they were joking, Wang Ma returned with a basin of dried diapers.
Looking at the empty bed, her face immediately changed.
"Why are there only two of you? Where is Zhang Wei?"
"She went to the restroom, Peng Fei's wife went with her."
It was only then that Wang Kang realized what was happening.
After speaking, seeing his mother's expression, he also started to panic.
"She's been gone for a while, Mom. Why don't you go check?"
Wang Ma and Peng Fei immediately rushed out.
They ran to the restroom and, sure enough, the people were gone.
The two searched the corridor like madmen, and soon someone told them.
"Two pretty girls? They left long ago."
"One seemed a bit unwell, and the other was supporting her. They went downstairs. I thought they were going for a check-up..."
Wang Kang shoved the child 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 left more than ten minutes ago.
Without delay, they rode their motorcycle towards the county town again. After asking the ticket seller, that bus had already started.
The ticket seller even regretted, "I thought those two were up to something. So it turns out they were!"
"Hurry and chase them! The bus to Siping left just a few minutes ago, you can definitely catch up!"
The two rode their motorcycles and chased after Siping.
However, they had never left the county town in their lives.
Let alone Siping, they didn't even recognize the roads in their own county town.
Asking for directions as they went, they ran out of gas halfway, and eventually fell further and further behind...
The two girls successfully arrived at Siping County.
Upon arrival and disembarking, looking at the unfamiliar faces, they finally smiled with joy.
However, they still didn't dare to relax their vigilance. They walked along the corners and found a secluded hair salon. The hairdresser, taking advantage of their being outsiders, only agreed to give them fifty yuan after much persuasion.
Miss Zhan, who had lived a life of luxury since childhood, had never struggled for money. Now, for fifty yuan, she had her hair cut into a buzz cut.
Fortunately, her looks were striking. What would have been a hideous haircut on someone else looked rebelliously charming on her.
Holding the hard-earned fifty yuan, the two bought two flatbreads from a roadside stall in a deep alley, shared them, then 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 from the pain of her incision, and the two were constantly worried. They didn't sleep for a moment, feeling as if they had lived through a century.
Finally, as dawn broke, the two washed their faces and prepared to buy another flatbread before heading to the station. However, even though it was daylight, their nightmare had returned.
As Zhan Jingchun helped 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 froze for a moment.
With a scream, they instinctively tried to retreat, but Wang Kang, furious and wanting to devour them, gave them no chance.
He rushed forward two steps, shoved Zhan Jingchun aside, and pulled Zhang Wei in front of him. Without a word, he raised his hand and slapped her twice.
"Bitch! You gave birth and you still want to run? Don't you have a heart? Didn't I treat you well? Didn't my family treat you well? I gave you everything, satisfied you, 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 to begin with, why should she stay with you for a lifetime 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 expression of disbelief and amusement.
"Peng Fei, hmph, look at the good woman you've raised!"