Cassandra's Quest Through the Gorges Chapter 6

This was the first time Cassandra Liu was arrested in her life. She had never expected that she would be stuffed into a prison van as a prisoner.

The police car was obviously going downhill. The road was full of potholes and it was impossible to drive fast, but the car was still bumping badly. The siren on the roof of the car screamed so shrilly that she had to block her ears with her hands. The police asked the arrested people to sit on both sides, and Cassandra Liu, the only woman, sat in the corner, while two police officers stood in the middle to monitor. There were two iron pillars in the car, and each of them grabbed one. Cassandra Liu was next to Yue Ming, which made him very embarrassed. While maintaining his balance, he tried to be as far away from her as possible so as not to bump into each other.

There seemed to be a police car escorting us behind us, with its siren blaring non-stop.

The car suddenly hit hard and probably ran over a huge puddle. The policeman who grabbed the iron pole in the middle was almost shaken around, and the people sitting on both sides were almost piled together and pushed back. The car was like a Dustpan, people tumble in it. Yueming almost fell on Cassandra Liu. Cassandra Liu's hands were used to plug her ears, and she was unable to sit firmly. When she was pushed back by the elastic force, Yue Ming stretched out her hand, but failed to catch her. She almost fell into the middle of the car, and her knees were hit by the iron pillars. She screamed. , you don’t need to look at it to know that it is a big green block.

The police escorting the car started to curse, scolding the police driving in front for not having eyes. The people sitting in the car were not stumbling as badly as they were, so no one said anything. Fortunately, the sirens on the roof stopped this time, probably because they felt that there was no need to make a big noise.

Cassandra Liu felt that Yueming smelled like the people on the street, smelling of sweat. Perhaps this bachelor's clothes had not been washed or mended. There were stains on his sleeves, his shoes were wet, and the laces of his left shoe came loose. Cassandra Liu's eyes only stayed on it for a moment before Yue Ming noticed it and bent down to tie it. She saw several long stains on the clothes on his back, which looked like he had been hit with a baton.

She didn't look at his face, and he didn't look at her. A strange atmosphere enveloped the entire prison van.

When the car drove to a relatively flat road, most of the arrested people began to tell the police that they were not delivering letters and that they were arrested because of a misunderstanding. The two policemen were just young men, and they said nothing and had no expression on their faces. But those people continued to complain about their injustice. Yueming did not say a word, and he still looked very worried.

The fire truck screamed in the distance, and the momentum was very scary. Unfortunately, I couldn't see it from inside the car, so I didn't know where the fire broke out.

The police car drove around for more than 20 minutes before arriving inside a walled compound. This is really not a big enough city.

After the car stopped, the door was opened and two policemen went down first. There was no ladder, so the people inside jumped down one by one and lined up at the bottom.

When she was put on the car, she was almost pushed and thrown by the police. She was put on the car before she knew what was going on. Now she wanted to jump out of the car, but she found that the car was quite high. She needed the police to help each person on the side to prevent them from falling.

Cassandra Liu heard some chattering on the intercom, maybe something was being arranged in the house.

The police may not have realized that there would be a woman among the people they arrested, so there were no female police officers at the scene. Finally, it was Cassandra Liu's turn. She saw a male police officer below preparing to help her, and suddenly felt that something was wrong. She grabbed the vertical pillar in the car and refused to jump down. The policeman stretched out his hand, as if to pull her, and she dodged.
 
Cassandra Liu stayed in the car and refused to jump off, which made the policeman below quite embarrassed. He looked no more than 18 or 19 years old with a black mole on the corner of his mouth. He might have just graduated from the police academy and started working. He wanted to learn the tone of the old police officer to teach and drive away the criminals, so he yelled and cursed. It turned out to be an educated woman dressed in city clothes. The words got stuck in his throat and he couldn't say them all at once, but he couldn't help but get angry and cursed fiercely. Cassandra Liu guessed it was a swear word, but the other party spoke too fast and too loud in Sichuan dialect, so she couldn't understand it. She simply sat down in the police car and ignored the policeman.

The wall around the courtyard was very high, with rusty barbed wire, and the big wooden door was old and thick, requiring two policemen to push hard to close it. This was a small, two-story old-fashioned house, and you couldn't tell what color it was before. The walls had been painted with slogans many times, old red paint on top of even older white paint, and many notices were posted on them. The entire wall had become a layer of sediment from every political movement, and all colors had turned gray.

After a short stalemate, Yueming took a step forward and stretched out his hand. Cassandra Liu also gave him her hand and jumped down lightly.

But Cassandra Liu blushed, but fortunately no one saw it. She didn't expect Yue Ming to do this. When her hand touched his, she felt a close warmth, a feeling she hadn't had for a long time, the feeling of family, solid, trusting, and no need to worry about being betrayed. It feels really strange.

Being arrested should have made her even more angry, but maybe it was lucky? She consoled herself. Not only was it a new experience, but mainly because she didn't have to deal with those bastards and look at genetically modified rice. Who knows if what these people make is real or fake? I'm afraid nothing is real.

Moreover, she didn't have to worry about Yueming when she got here. Otherwise, she would have to rush to Aunt Mabel's place and make random reports, which would only make Aunt Mabel, who had a cancer patient to take care of, anxious, and the family would be in chaos, running around to beg for mercy. Therefore, she didn't regret getting involved in this matter at all, and even felt that this was where she should be.

Cassandra Liu was very glad that she didn't wear high heels today and didn't make a fool of herself. This pair of lightweight leather shoes were not even half-high heels. Although the style was not like sneakers, the performance was the same and she could walk and jump.

At this moment, the policeman with a black mole on his face walked up to Cassandra Liu with a fake smile, took out a pair of handcuffs, grabbed one of Cassandra Liu's hands and handcuffed him. He said, "It seems that you are accomplices. Let me show you what it feels like to be disobedient in the detention center!" Yueming angrily stopped the police from handcuffing Cassandra Liu. He protested, "How can you do this?" As soon as Yueming finished speaking, he found that his hands were also handcuffed, and they were handcuffed with the same pair of handcuffs.

Cassandra Liu looked at her left hand and Yue Ming's right hand cuffed together. She was so angry that her throat was smoking. Before she could recover, she was pushed into a dark room, and the iron door slammed shut.

The Jiuliang County Public Security Bureau was completely emptied out, even the glass windows were missing. The smell of the toilets was blown by the wind to every corner of the corridor. The sky became dim and yellow. Several muffled thunders rolled over the eaves. They were taken into a room with relatively neat tables and chairs. There were two rows of long wooden chairs against the wall, and there was a door next to it that led to an inner room. All those who were captured were brought here. The police told them all to sit down. Only the corner seat was empty, and Cassandra Liu and Yue Ming sat there one after the other and sat side by side.

The arrested people began to cry out again, claiming that they were just watching the fun, and probably understood that it was useless to defend themselves to the young policeman. They said this to the older policeman who was guarding the room leading to the next door. The policeman seemed to have more authority, but he told them to shut up in a business-like manner. He said, "Whether your attitude is good or not is the most important thing. Go inside and make it clear to the leader, confess your guilt properly, and stop being naughty!"

There were already people sitting in the inner room. The arrested people were called in one by one. The length of time for each person was different, but they were not released after they came out. They were still ordered to sit and wait for the "bureau leaders" to make the final decision. Some people were still mumbling, but they didn't shout as loudly as before. It seems that these citizens who were crying out for injustice are still afraid of the "bureau leaders". I couldn't hear what was said inside the room, but the sound insulation effect was good. It might just be to register an identity profile. In the end, Yueming and Cassandra Liu were the only two people in the room waiting to be called in to register. Cassandra Liu raised her head to look at Yueming, and Yueming turned his head to smile at her.

This was strange, because in her memory, this man never had a smile on his face. He was either humble or respectful, or he was completely indifferent. Why was he smiling now? His smile made his face look surprisingly peaceful and peaceful, especially his eyes, which were spotless and clean.

This is too strange, Cassandra Liu thought. In this messy environment, only the two of them are at peace. Just now in that dark room, she was very scared, with an indescribable fear, and her heart was beating non-stop. She asked Yueming where this place was. Before Yueming could speak, the guarding police opened the small iron window on the iron door, and the face framed was very scary. The guard scolded fiercely: "No talking here." The small window was slammed shut, and it was dark again. Cassandra Liu could not see Yueming's expression clearly.

She knew that she would definitely be let out, but what about Yueming? I'm afraid he was the only one who actually submitted the complaint letter among those arrested. If we were to find the "troublemaker" among these people, it would be him. But on the surface, he didn't care at all. Maybe he really had a confidence that made him not care about all this.

Cassandra Liu thought that maybe she should speak before Yue Ming. If they were called in, she could disrupt the "procedures" of the local police, so maybe they would let Yue Ming go. After all, what Yue Ming mentioned was a complete pedantry. Opinion: Rural primary schools have had a serious dropout situation for many years. The instability of migration only makes parents feel more at ease with their children dropping out of school.

However, it is even more unreasonable to say that Yueming is wrong. I am afraid that no one talks about education issues. It will never hurt to talk more, because no matter how loud you talk, few people will listen.

Then again, there were a total of eight people arrested here. She had just counted them clearly. These eight people were probably participating in the sit-in. The passers-by who were watching were running fast beside them. At most, it is just a letter to the city government. For some unknown reason, they each asked different questions, but they came together to submit them. But is there any reason why we can’t make friends together? On the contrary, Director Wang was "persuading" fiercely and refused to accept the letter. Instead, he attracted a large crowd of people to watch and blocked the traffic in the city. Why couldn't he receive the letter sender in the office? A building that big should always have a place to receive people.
 
Someone came out of the room inside. Cassandra Liu stood up. Yue Ming was not prepared and was pulled up by handcuffs. They were about to go in when she heard Director Wang's voice coming from the other end of the corridor. Their room had no door closed, and there was only one policeman, heavily armed, standing at the door with long strides, preventing anyone from entering or exiting. The sounds in the corridor outside were clearly audible:

"Nonsense! That's ridiculous! You are so outrageous!"

In between his roars, a voice seemed to be the defense of the head of the Public Security Bureau, mumbling and inaudible. Cassandra Liu estimated that the instructions received by the Public Security Bureau were just to disperse the crowd and arrest the core figures. This was a common practice. As a result, those who did not have time to escape, including her, became fish in the net. The sound of the door colliding was heard, and then the footsteps reached the door. There were several people, led by Director Wang and a police officer with full collar badges and cap badges. Director Wang poked the person in charge, and the person in charge walked into the room and said to Cassandra Liu very respectfully:

"I'm sorry, it's a mistake. The police officer on duty didn't see the situation clearly. Misunderstanding, misunderstanding." He took the key in his hand and immediately opened the handcuffs. Cassandra Liu wanted to stop him, but her wrists were too painful, so she gave up. After releasing her wrists, she couldn't help rubbing them and found that several places were red, swollen, and purple, and the skin was broken.

Director Wang immediately came up and held out his hand to support Cassandra Liu, saying, "We didn't do our job well and made such a big mistake. Please forgive us, Professor Liu."

This attracted everyone's attention, both the arresters and the arrested, and they all wanted to watch the fun. Only the policeman at the door was still blocking the door with his hands and feet crossed.

Cassandra Liu crossed her arms in front of her chest, preventing Director Wang's hands from touching her. There was a stain on the man's glasses. He looked very busy. Those people apologized profusely, but she remained silent. The people who were arrested stood up and looked at her in surprise. It wasn't until everyone said enough and had seen enough that she looked at the smiling faces and said:

"So, it was a mistake to arrest me?"

Director Wang did not answer, because he knew that Cassandra Liu's words were not good. The head of the Public Security Bureau said, "Of course it's wrong, of course it's wrong."

Cassandra Liu asked slowly, "Why is it wrong?"

"Because you're not a troublemaker."

"Who is the troublemaker who should be arrested?"

"There may be a few of these people, we are investigating, and some may be bystanders. We are just registering them." The person who spoke was the police officer who originally registered in the back room. He was defending his work.

"Good answer. This comrade is brave enough to take responsibility for his actions, unlike you who just want to shirk responsibility." Cassandra Liu turned around and asked the police officer, "So, who is the troublemaker?"

"It still needs to be checked," the person in charge couldn't say, "it takes time to check."

"I'm asking for a definition," Cassandra Liu said, "What kind of things are considered making trouble?"

Everyone fell silent. Cassandra Liu turned around and looked at Yue Ming and said, "This man, I saw him handing in a letter reflecting that the migration had interrupted primary education. Was he wrong?"

Everyone turned around and looked at Chen Yueming. He was sitting in the corner, motionless, and his hands were still cuffed. Everyone looked at him, and he lowered his head as if he was a little embarrassed.

"You're still beating people!" Cassandra Liu's voice was very angry. "People are still handcuffed to this day!"

Director Wang suddenly came to his senses and said, "Take off this man's handcuffs! Let them all go!" he shouted with a red face. "Let me all go, go, all go!"

Only the police officer responsible for registration walked up to Chen Yueming and said, "Comrade, can't you register? If you are not wrong, it doesn't matter if you register. This is not an interrogation."

Director Wang walked up to the police officer angrily and asked, "What are you still registering for?"

Yueming stood up and said, "It doesn't matter. Since we are here, we should still register and let the police comrades have a record to explain."

Then he went into the room with the officer, and the police began to urge others to leave. When those people saw that there was no danger, they wanted to stay and watch the fun. The police pushed and shoved them, but they didn't touch Cassandra Liu. When everyone was driven to the corridor and outside the detention center, Yueming also came out and was immediately pulled outside. He only had time to turn around and smile at Cassandra Liu, his eyes were deep, different from before, and he didn't know whether he was encouraging her or thanking her. But he was pushed out almost without standing on tiptoe.

Those people were waiting for Cassandra Liu to stand up and walk out, but she pretended not to see them. She simply lowered her eyes and waited to see what these people would do.

She didn't know what strategy those people were playing. Soon, everyone inside and outside had left, and even Director Wang was gone.

Now Cassandra Liu was the only one left in the room. She rolled up her trouser legs and saw that both knees were bruised. There was a big bruise on her left knee, which was extremely painful when touched. Fortunately she wasn't wearing a skirt and didn't have any injuries. There seemed to be footsteps in the corridor, and there seemed to be people walking upstairs. They were chattering in the corridor on the other side, their voices low, as if they were discussing something. But no one dared to come and chase her away. Only the female cadre who was sitting in Director Wang's car came to take a look. Maybe she was called by Director Wang to persuade Cassandra Liu. When she saw the cold face of Cassandra Liu who was waiting for a quarrel, she immediately retreated.

The policeman guarding the door came back once, took the notebook from the back room and left.

Cassandra Liu found the place empty, and she felt relieved. She didn't want to quarrel with anyone, but she felt that she had been wronged enough. As a person, she couldn't give up so easily after being violated. The footsteps gradually faded away and disappeared in the yard. As the sky darkened, the house suddenly became quiet, and no human voice could be heard.

No one turned on the lights. The lights in the corridor were on, casting no shadows. The windows that were not closed tightly seemed to be snapping in the wind. It felt like the roof suddenly rose and expanded. The house was gloomy and scary. She sat on the bench without moving, looking at the table and chairs opposite her and the places where the paint was peeling on the wall.

I really don't know why she is here and wants to stay here? Is she a child who has been wronged? Or is she a wife of an official who is deliberately throwing a tantrum? No, she is not that kind of person. She did not come to the reservoir area to be an imperial envoy, but she could not let go of those who insulted her unreasonably, even if they were "wrong". Those people deliberately involved her in this so-called "trouble" for other purposes, and her being stuck in this place was an unexpected incident, beyond those people's expectations. Then, she also had reason to see what explanation they would give her. The whole world was too unreasonable, and there was nothing that made her happy, so she simply insisted to the end and see how they would clean up the situation.
 
The only sound in the corridor was the sound of the window being blown by the wind. Occasionally there is the whistle of a large ship in the distance. Dim light, a lamp far away, slanted in through the wide open door. There was thunder and lightning, but there was no sound of rain.

They want her to feel lonely, bored, or scared and leave the place on her own. A pampered lady like her would not stand a place like this.

Cassandra Liu had already completed her mission to protect Yue Ming, so she didn't need to take it seriously anymore. But for some reason, she felt that this place, which had a faint smell of urine and sweat, was quite warm and more comfortable than that star-rated hotel. No one came to disturb her anymore, and this natural loneliness, where she didn't have to think about anything, made her feel very comfortable.

There was a steady beam of light in the dark room. She was a little surprised. This old public security bureau, which is made of cement brick buildings, had no idea what it was used for before. But somehow she felt a familiar feeling, as if she had been to this house before, many years ago, especially the sound of the window hissing in the wind, which seemed to be an echo of some distant memory, very familiar.

She wanted to stand up and check other rooms, but her whole body felt weak and her eyelids kept drooping. She seemed to get a hint in her heart: Don't worry, nothing will happen.

She lay down on the bench, curled up like a baby in its Mother Evelyn's womb.

After a while, she fell asleep.

Horrible scar

Her Mother Evelyn said that Cassandra Liu was too uneasy in her belly, and everyone said he should be a son.

The Mother Evelyn said that she almost gave her own life in exchange for Cassandra Liu's life. But the daughter who was exchanged for a life was not close to her or similar to her at all. This was so strange.

Cassandra Liu leaned towards her Mother Evelyn and held her hand. "Maybe it's a little bit different, but we are still very close. Didn't I brave the strong wind and sand to come and see you?"

"It's an honor to have you here." Mother Evelyn never misses an opportunity to mock Cassandra Liu.

She knew what her Mother Evelyn meant by "life for life". When she was a child, her Mother Evelyn asked her to touch a scar on her belly. It was big and long, in the middle of her belly. There were many scars on it, tangled into a long strip. Her Mother Evelyn often asked her to touch it with her little hand, saying that this was where she came out. She remembered that the place was not smooth, with scars and scars, very ugly, like a terrifying centipede. When she was about six years old, one night, she woke up with a loud cry. Her Mother Evelyn asked her what happened? She said she dreamed of a big centipede.

After that, her Mother Evelyn stopped letting her watch it.

At the age of fourteen, long after her menstrual period, she still thought that the child crawled out by scratching the woman's belly, like a chicken pecking through an egg shell.

When her Mother Evelyn finally gave her "sexual enlightenment", she blamed her Mother Evelyn for being inconsistent in her words. I'm afraid this is one of the reasons why she has never wanted children. This whole story is so scary, that giant centipede is so scary. My Mother Evelyn has said that she will never go to a public bathhouse in her life, and her six-year-old daughter will never be seen by "anyone" except her daughter. Only later did Cassandra Liu understand why her Mother Evelyn had such a cruel expression when she said "anyone". Perhaps, this "anyone" included her father, or maybe her Mother Evelyn meant her father.

That day many years ago, my Mother Evelyn said that she was in pain and was biting the pillow on the bed, which was made of reed catkins. She chewed through the pillowcase and the reeds flew all over the room. She passed out. When she woke up but had not yet slipped into consciousness, she heard the sound of horse hooves in the yard. She hoped in her heart that this was her husband's return at last, and she imagined him jumping off the horse before it could stop. Sure enough, she heard his familiar footsteps and ran into the house, followed by some people. She wanted to open her eyes but couldn't. She heard her husband shout:

"Where's Doctor Qi?"

Some people are saying that Doctor Qi is at Sister Chen's place and she is giving birth to a baby. The husband interrupted the man and shouted:

"Call him here! No matter what the situation is, come here immediately, someone is going to die here!"

Someone lifted her Mother Evelyn up, and she didn't know where she was lifted. However, she immediately felt her husband's strong arms holding her. Finally, someone called: "I borrowed the slide bar, get out of the way." She was placed on a shelf. Lying on her back, the turbulence in her stomach was slightly better, but her heart began to panic. Liquid was discharged from her lower body. She knew it was blood. The smell of blood and sweat made her feel dirty, and everything around her Maybe it's also horribly dirty.

Doctor Qi finally arrived. He pressed his Mother Evelyn's belly and immediately screamed:

"The fetus is inverted! What happened? Yesterday I checked the fetus and it was in the correct position, head down. How did it suddenly become head up? When did it happen?"

The Mother Evelyn felt the cold stethoscope fall on her heart, and she opened her eyes with difficulty, and saw that Doctor Qi's face was covered with sweat, and Commissioner Liu was shouting some unknown order. Doctor Qi was close to her, and she could hear clearly what Doctor Qi said anxiously:

"Hurry up and send them to Chongqing. West China Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital has a way to handle it. Hurry up. Maybe both the adults and the children can hold on for a while."

"Can you hold out for a day and a night?" Commissioner Liu asked grimly. "The captain promised to hurry up. It will take at least a day and a night against the current." At this time, his voice was like commanding a battle. "Captain is responsible for hurrying up. You prepare for the worst. You will handle the final moment."

Doctor Qi's face was covered with sweat. "I am a military doctor, a surgeon specializing in surgical injuries, not a gynecologist. I cannot handle the sudden misplacement of the fetus at this time."

Mother Evelyn grabbed Doctor Qi's hand and asked him to come closer. She said with difficulty, "Give me a painkiller injection."

Doctor Qi raised her head and said something to Commissioner Liu. Commissioner Liu kept asking questions again and again, but she couldn't hear clearly. After a while, Doctor Qi leaned over and said to her:

"The fetus can't tolerate morphine. Just bear with it for now. I'll give you the injection right after the baby is born."

When things came to an end, my Mother Evelyn stopped saying anything. Her hair was wet with sweat and tears, and several strands were stuck into a lock, covering half of her face. My vision was blurry, but I still knew that I was being carried outside to the market. The sky was very blue and the white clouds were shining brightly. Those who carried her took a shortcut at the pace of a hasty march, and there was a neat clicking sound on the bluestone road. She tilted her head to one side, and the surrounding mountains flashed quickly in her eyes. Those mountains had different shades of green, some lighter and some thicker. What kind of place does this look like? Her consciousness became clearer. This was Liangxian County. She came here to make revolution, but ended up dying here. Thinking of this, tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Hurry up! Hurry up!" someone urged from behind.

The people who were carrying her walked so fast that she could no longer hear the footsteps. The voices also faded away. She could only feel the blue sky above her and the clouds pressing down low, pressing her to the point of being almost breathless.

"Be careful, keep it flat."

The Mother Evelyn felt that she was being moved to a room with a frame. At this time, the sound of horse hooves could be clearly heard on the wooden board, step by step, gradually fading away. The place where she lay was shaking constantly, as if she was being thrown up and down. The child in her belly suddenly became obedient, probably understanding that she was going to Chongqing. But after a while, she began to doubt. The child did not move. Could it be that the child was dying? Otherwise, why did the pain ease and not be so heartbreaking? At this time, a stream of water rushed out from under her body, and she fainted from fear.

Doctor Qi's voice was heard from afar: "The heartbeat is slow, and it may be heart failure. The amniotic fluid has broken, and the baby's umbilical cord may have prolapsed. It's very dangerous. We can't wait to get to Chongqing Hospital."

I don't know whether he was talking about her or the child.

It was still the voice of Dr. Qi. He was busy working on the Mother Evelyn's belly while arguing: "I don't know how to do a caesarean section!"

When the Mother Evelyn woke up, she found herself on a boat, the engine roaring harshly, the green mountains and bare rocks on both sides of the canyon, and the clear river water that seemed to flow into her body. She supported herself to prevent herself from fainting again, but her consciousness was still vague.

"I've only seen someone do it once." Doctor Qi emphasized.

"Do it boldly, I trust you." Someone is saying.

Doctor Qi's voice: "The Mother Evelyn may not be saved. The child may be saved."

"If we hold on any longer, we might not be able to save both of them. I'm sure the Mother Evelyn won't be saved."

"Two lives are at stake. Commissar Liu, you give the order and I will carry it out."

That was the last conversation my Mother Evelyn heard, followed by the clinking of metal utensils. The speed of the boat suddenly slowed down, and she deliberately drove slowly. She felt that the surroundings were white, and it seemed that the operating room was temporarily enclosed - her Mother Evelyn had seen a field hospital. She felt cold metal on her stomach, and suddenly thought that they might really want to open her stomach, not just talk.

The Mother Evelyn opened her eyes in fear, and saw her husband looking at her with worried eyes. His face was also filled with fear, and he had obviously lost weight. She held his hand tightly, wanting to beg him. Tears welled up in the Mother Evelyn's eyes, and she had no strength to speak, but she refused to close her eyes. She didn't know the time, nor how far the boat was from Liang County. Looking at her husband, he turned his face away, and her vision gradually blurred and her eyes gradually became scattered.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. The pain made her roar loudly like a wild animal. Her body instinctively jumped up and struggled. However, several people pressed her hands, feet, and head. Her whole body was like a bird, being fucked. It was nailed to death like a specimen and could not move at all. All the white surrounding her turned to blood red. The blood red rapidly expanded and turned into lightning, and there was a dense rain on the river.

Then, the Mother Evelyn felt her whole body relax all of a sudden, as if a tight leather band had suddenly snapped. She heard a strange cry from afar, as if it came from the primitive woods deep in the canyon on the other side, and she lost consciousness.

Cassandra Liu had seen many women who had had caesarean sections, and thought of their neat scars that were almost invisible. Some had good surgical skills, and the scars were less than two inches. After special skin treatment, they were not even visible. You can see that you can still wear short shirts and walk around with your navel exposed. Only then did she imagine what kind of shock her Mother Evelyn had gone through back then. That big, disfigured scar recorded all the horror of her Mother Evelyn being treated as a victim.

"Tang Monk's Meat"

"Xiao Cui," a familiar voice was calling her. She moved her head alertly and wanted to get up, but she couldn't. She struggled hard, trying to grab something, but she couldn't grab anything.

"Wake up, Xiao Cui."

She opened her eyes and found that it was Victor Li, holding her head with concern. She was still lying on the bench in the detention center. The room was still dark, only the light from the corridor came in, and it was raining heavily outside.

She sat up suddenly, hugged Victor Li, rested her head on his chest, and said involuntarily, "They threw me from the boat into the river and wanted to drown me. It's terrible! It's terrible!"

"It's okay," Victor Li coaxed her, "I'm here, it's okay." He returned to being the older brother he used to be.

Only when she was a teenager did she act like a spoiled child to him. She liked to go to him for everything, whether at home or at school. His parents, her adoptive parents, also spoiled her. Victor Li was the only son. Aunt Li gave birth to him on the march and got sick and could not have more children. They liked Cassandra Liu very much. Uncle Li always called her "our female successor."

After going to the Inner Mongolia Production and Construction Corps, she was assigned to a hospital and her personality became a bit calmer. Later, when I returned to Beijing to study, the two of them talked and laughed only when they were together. He always picked her up on Saturday afternoons and the two loved walking home while the family waited for her to have dinner. The most intimate time they had was holding hands. When she misses him, she always sees her running with him in the morning, just like every other morning. Only once did she feel like she was flying while running with him. Once their relationship is established, she is no longer the little sister and he is no longer the older brother.

In fact, they could not fall in love with someone else in the end. From the beginning, they thought that the other person was an outstanding person. They always saw the extraordinary talent in each other and felt that the other person should not act like an ordinary person. In each other's eyes, they were almost indifferent to the world. There were no tears, and the bathroom door was closed tightly. They had to face some embarrassing details, but they turned a blind eye. Cassandra Liu could hardly imagine that she could be in such a "girly state" like tonight, and it was a natural instinctive reaction. In this evening, in such a place, being bullied, thrown into a cell, and being entangled in nightmares on a hard bench, all these grievances needed someone to understand.

Victor Li kept holding her and stroking her head and shoulders. She was trembling all over and her face was pale. He asked: "Are you cold?"

She shook her head, not wanting him to give her his coat, but the words reminded her and finally woke her up completely.

How did Victor Li find me here? As soon as the question popped into her head, she was startled. Of course it was the local cadre who reported to Victor Li and brought him here. They didn't dare not report it, and in fact they might have been waiting for him to come. Then those people might be outside the detention center, lying in wait in the dark, or in the half-dark corridor, or even hiding in the next room.

Thinking of this, Cassandra Liu blushed. Without asking Victor Li, she knew that someone must be listening to her "complaint". Those people are so unruly, God knows what they are going to do? To deal with these local cadres, she knew that she had to suppress them.

So she sat up straight, with a clear voice, and said to Victor Li seriously:

"Lu Sheng, the country has paid a huge amount of relocation fees, why doesn't it give it to the immigrants?"

Victor Li was stunned when he saw her sudden change in attitude, but this man was very smart and immediately understood what Cassandra Liu's intention was. He said: "The relocation work, including the use of the relocation fee, is not handled directly by the headquarters. It has all been distributed to the localities. I believe the local government can do a good job."

"So if the relocated people have any complaints, can they report them to the local government?"

"Of course, governments at all levels should be supervised by the people." Victor Li smiled self-deprecatingly, "The government is the servant of the people."

"Does submitting a letter reporting a problem count as causing trouble?"

"As long as there is no violation of public order, it is not a disturbance."

"If government officials mishandle the situation, causing confusion and traffic jams." Cassandra Liu finally had the opportunity to direct her anger at the target, "Then who should be responsible for causing trouble and who should be detained?"

"Government officials have the responsibility to guide the people," Victor Li understood that Cassandra Liu wanted him to make a judgment, but he did not want to be evasive because he was still speaking to his wife on the surface, although he also knew that there was a group of people behind him listening to his position as a leader. He said clearly: "Conflicts should never be intensified."

Cassandra Liu said, "That's good. I saw the whole process with my own eyes. I can testify who is exacerbating the conflict." She stood up, as if she was going to go out and capture all the relevant people to hear her testimony.

Victor Li stood up as well. He had to distance himself from the matter: "There's no need to make a big deal about this. The headquarters leaders trust that local governments at all levels can handle civil disputes related to migration," he repeated, "All kinds of civil disputes can be resolved by turning big things into small things and small things into nothing."

Cassandra Liu walked out of the room. There was only a pale yellow light in the corridor, and no one was there. After thinking about it, she understood. She walked back quickly and opened the door to the next room. There was no one inside. Obviously, it was impossible for her to catch a spy. These people could hear everything they said just now as long as they put a receiver, or even a turned-on mobile phone, somewhere. It is entirely possible that they put the mobile phone away first and then led Victor Li in.

But she had already pointed out the problem and threatened enough. Then, the next thing was to leave this troubled place. But in order to ensure the safety of Yueming and the others, she could consider staying in Liang County for a few more days and listen carefully to the news.

She turned around and found Victor Li looking at her with some doubt. She walked closer to him and whispered in his ear: "Lusheng, thank you."

There was only a Toyota sedan in the small yard, leaning against the wall. The rain had stopped, but there was a lot of water in the yard, shining under the street lights. Cassandra Liu thought she could ask him now. "How did you get here?"

"I borrowed the car from Jinyue Hotel." Victor Li walked over and took out the keypad of the car key. The lock automatically popped open. He leaned down and opened the door for Cassandra Liu. "I told their driver not to come."

Cassandra Liu thought, thanks to Victor Li coming here and being smart enough to come alone, otherwise she might not leave here tonight, which would be good. She looked back at the dark courtyard. The whole building seemed to have only a little light in the corridor, which was slowly being soaked by the surrounding darkness. She didn't know how she could stay in such a place without feeling scared at all.

After getting into the car and closing the door, Cassandra Liu asked:

"Where to?"

"I will stay in your room," Victor Li put on his seat belt and said very gentlemanly, "Madam, is it okay?"

"Just pay half of the room fee." Cassandra Liu smiled.

Victor Li told her to fasten her seat belt, and then she remembered and asked eagerly, "Where is the money you promised to bring me? Have you brought it?"

"I put it in the hotel." Victor Li said jokingly, "It's rare that you are interested in buying art. The sun sets in the east. You have to let me see it - I mean after I buy it."

"You can refund the money if you think it's not worth it, right?" She stopped after saying this and refused to go any further.

Victor Li started the car and was turning it. His movements were very skillful, and he pulled over in one turn, and the big wooden door of the yard opened. Victor Li turned the wheel slightly to the left and drove out. However, it seemed that there was a policeman there to open the door, and Cassandra Liu became alert again.

She thought that since it was a hotel car that was captured temporarily, there would be no time to pretend to be eavesdropping. But to be on the safe side, she turned on the radio in the car. The radio was broadcasting news that Chongqing Municipality was conducting an activity to "carry forward righteousness and praise the Three Gorges".

Cassandra Liu said bluntly, "Director Wang is so sneaky in what he does. I still don't know what tricks he is playing!"

Victor Li didn't react at all, with no surprise on his face. He didn't ask Cassandra Liu what she meant, nor did he explain anything to her. He just said to her:

"Relocation is the most troublesome thing. The headquarters has sent all the money to the localities early, just because it doesn't want to get involved in this matter! Think about it, this shabby Liangxian County used to have a GDP of only tens of millions of yuan a year. I received more than 300 million yuan in relocation fees for 120,000 people at once, it would be strange if nothing happened!"

The car drove out of the narrow road and onto the crowded streets of the old city. Pedestrians crossed the road at will and did not follow the rules at all. Victor Li could only turn on the lights and walk slowly. "If there is no big trouble, it will be God's blessing!"

"You mean the higher-ups know that local officials are withholding relocation fees?" Cassandra Liu never discussed these matters with her husband. If Victor Li didn't bring it up, she wouldn't ask; in fact, even if her husband did, she wouldn't necessarily be interested in listening.

Victor Li smiled. He slowly turned the wheel and moved forward. This was a habit he had developed in the United States. He was not like Chinese drivers who kept honking their horns and swearing.

"The relocation fee cannot be given to everyone at once. What's the attraction of moving to a different place after receiving the money? The government has to build houses for the people in the new place and then pay for the travel expenses. The remaining money will be left there waiting for them. Of course, there won't be much left - if you let the farmers build mud houses themselves, of course it will cost less."

"Why can't the local government trust the people? Isn't it going to cause conflicts if they spend money like this?" Cassandra Liu was a little angry.

"My dear wife," Victor Li gritted his teeth. Because he slammed on the brakes and avoided a person who was crossing the street without caring about his life. He simply turned on the high beams to illuminate the whole street so that people could get out of the way early. "This is China! How could those peasants have ever seen so much money in their lives? A family of five, more than 100,000 yuan, like winning the lottery, money falling from the sky! Gambling, drug use, prostitution, and gossips came to rob them, and they were all gone in a few seconds."

"Is it safe if the money is placed in the hands of cadres and distributed by them?" Cassandra Liu didn't like Victor Li's sarcastic tone, which sounded very much like officials protecting each other.

From the front, it looked like they were rushing to buy something. Everyone was carrying a big bag out of the store. There were many people standing on the road. Victor Li simply stopped the car. The radio is singing Sichuan Opera, a funny modern drama, nondescript. Victor Li turned down the volume slightly and said:

"The dynamic investment approved by the National People's Congress is only 50 billion, which is only a quarter of what is needed for the actual project! We submitted this plan because we thought that the money would make a profit. The development company - that's me - must rely on this basic amount of money to raise funds. We need cooperation from all parts of the reservoir area. If every county is not given the opportunity to borrow money, will they listen to me? "

Only then did Cassandra Liu suddenly realize, and she said harshly: "It turns out that the Three Gorges is the meat of Tang Monk, and all ghosts and monsters will take a bite of it! Even if you bite, you have to let these guys bite you?"

Victor Li didn't want to answer, so he slowly slid the car forward. But people did not disperse in front of the headlights, and now I saw those people rushing to buy discounted eiderdown quilts. Victor Li began to honk the horn impatiently, and the crowd slowly moved away to make way for the car.

"Don't worry!" Victor Li said briefly, "Whoever bites me, I will make him spit it out in the end!"

After struggling to get out of the old district's road, the car was pushed into third gear and roared down a slope into the new district. It was a spacious central avenue with six lanes. There were many cars parked on the side roads in front of those bright restaurants, but the car could still be driven smoothly in the middle.

Victor Li let out a big breath. I don't know whether it was because he got rid of the crowd and drove out of the old city that was completely unsuitable for driving, or because he had nothing to say to the sharp-tongued Cassandra Liu. His face softened and he smiled. .

The car soon drove into the brightly lit main entrance of Jinyue Hotel. There were already several people standing there, looking anxious, and some were looking at their watches. Someone is talking into a mobile phone.

Victor Li looked at the electronic clock in the car and said, "Oh no, I'm late." He braked the car and jumped out quickly. Among the people waiting was Director Elliott, who came around very attentively and opened the door for Cassandra Liu. He was the only one who was not anxious.

Victor Li was already talking to someone, so he turned around and said to Cassandra Liu:

"It seems I can't have dinner with you. I have an urgent matter to deal with. You should rest after eating."

Cassandra Liu walked up to him and lowered her voice very low: "You go about your business, but give me the money!" There was no smile on her face.

Victor Li smiled apologetically, waved to Director Elliott, said something, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Soon, Cassandra Liu had a briefcase for men in her hand, and the others left in a hurry. She stood alone in this magnificently decorated hall covered with marble and mirrors, facing a bunch of gorgeous flowers, with the charming red and yellow bird of paradise about to fly out of the flowers. She felt very depressed and felt that staying in the dark detention center was not as confusing as it was.

Every time she returned to this surprisingly grand hotel, she felt like she was in the wrong place. This strange Liangxian County should not have such a symbol of wealth that is uniform across China.