Li Qiong and Wang Yuan had just woken up. They were in a fragile state, and seeing Liu Lanhua act this way, they were very moved.
"Thank you, Aunt Liu, Director Li," Li Qiong said, expressing deep gratitude to Liu Lanhua. In contrast, she showed no appreciation for Zhao Nuanyue, the one who had actually saved them. To this day, they still hadn't realized who was good and who was bad.
Li Guihua and Liu Lanhua gave a few more instructions, telling Zhao Nuanyue to take care of Wang Yuan and Li Qiong, then hurried off to the village committee to see if the culprit had been found.
Zhao Nuanyue stayed behind to look after them, anxiously awaiting the results of the village's investigation.
After placing two bowls of congee and some pickled vegetables on the table, Zhao Nuanyue said, "Li Qiong, Wang Yuan, come have something to eat."
"Thank you, Nuanyue," Li Qiong said gratefully. "You're still helping us even when we're in trouble."
Seeing that no one else was around, Zhao Nuanyue asked, "What did you do and say when you saw Aunt Liu?"
"Nuanyue, you suspect Aunt Liu?" Wang Yuan was taken aback. Although she felt grateful to Aunt Liu, she also sensed that something wasn't right. 'There are so many young women in the village, so why did it happen to us?'
The memory of Yang Guanghui's earlier warning made Wang Yuan think more deeply. She had lost her innocence this time; she couldn't just let it go.
"I just feel like she's been overly nice to you," Zhao Nuanyue replied. "My elders always told me that when you're away from home, people don't act without reason, whether for good or bad. Everything has a motive. When I realized you hadn't come back for lunch, I went to find the village chief. Aunt Liu kept insisting you were south of the village, trying to lead us that way. But then the village chief heard from someone else that you were in the north, so he sent people to search in both directions, and that's how you were found. If everyone had only searched to the south, you two would have been done for."
Wang Yuan's eyes were red and swollen, her face was pale, and she was terrified.
Zhao Nuanyue's explanation was perfectly logical. Li Qiong fell silent, carefully trying to recall the events of that day.
After a long moment, Li Qiong said, "I hadn't realized it until you said something. The last person we saw before we blacked out was Aunt Liu. She said she was thirsty and asked if we had any water. We let her borrow our canteen, she poured some into an enamel mug, and then gave it back. After we parted ways, we got tired and both drank some water. After that... I don't remember a thing."
Wang Yuan was horrified. It all came back to her now. 'That's exactly how it happened.'
"When Aunt Liu had your canteen, was she in your line of sight the whole time?" Zhao Nuanyue asked the crucial question, forcing Wang Yuan and Li Qiong to realize that the "Aunt Liu" they thought they knew was not who she seemed.
Li Qiong and Wang Yuan exchanged a look, seeing the terror reflected in each other's eyes.
After a moment, Wang Yuan said slowly, "When Aunt Liu was pouring the water, her back was to us. We only heard the pouring sound; we didn't actually see her. In that case, it's definitely possible she drugged our water."
Li Qiong sank onto the stool, utterly devastated. Covering her face, she said, "Now I understand what my grandmother told me before I left home. She said to keep my distance from people, because the human heart is impossible to fathom. If you stay distant, life might be a bit harder, but at least people can't hurt you."
Hearing Li Qiong say this, Zhao Nuanyue finally felt a sense of relief. 'They've started to suspect Liu Lanhua. That's a small victory, at least.'
But this was just speculation. They all knew it couldn't be used as evidence, and it would be useless to report it.
As long as Li Qiong and Wang Yuan were now on guard against Liu Lanhua, it would be much harder for Liu Lanhua and Wang Dadan to try anything in the future.
"Yeah, I was careless," Wang Yuan said, her head bowed. "You shouldn't seek to harm others, but you must always be on guard. I've already paid a heavy price, so we have to be more careful from now on. We can't be sure it was Aunt Liu, but she's the prime suspect. The human heart truly is the hardest thing to read. Those of us stranded in a place like this have to be extra cautious."
"Exactly," Zhao Nuanyue agreed. "From now on, we have to be careful about every aspect of our lives. We're girls, and a single misstep can lead to a lifetime of regret. We don't know when we'll be able to return to the city, so all we can do is protect ourselves and wait for government policies to change."
"Thank you, Nuanyue. Even though you're the youngest, you're the most cautious one here. If only I had listened to you... this... this wouldn't have happened... WAHHH..." At the thought of her tragic plight, Wang Yuan broke down sobbing again. 'I've lost my innocence... what am I going to do now?'
Seeing Wang Yuan cry, Li Qiong was also overcome with sorrow. Although she hadn't been violated, she had been found lying naked in that cave. Her reputation was as good as gone.
Zhao Nuanyue saw they could do nothing but cry, but she understood. They were, after all, only eighteen or nineteen years old and had never experienced anything like this. It was natural for them to feel completely lost.
So, Zhao Nuanyue prompted them, "This has already happened. What are you going to do now?"
Wang Yuan and Li Qiong stopped crying, stunned. They looked at Zhao Nuanyue through tear-blurred eyes.
"After what's happened to me... I'm too ashamed to go on living," Wang Yuan said between sobs. "A future...? What future is there for me...?" Grief washed over her, and she again had the urge to end her life.
Fearing Wang Yuan would try to smash her head against the wall, Li Qiong grabbed her and held on tight.
"Wang Yuan, be strong," Li Qiong comforted her. "My grandma always said that every hardship can be overcome. If we get the chance to return to the city, who will ever know what happened to us here!" She hoped Wang Yuan would look on the bright side and keep living.
After working side-by-side for so long, they had grown close and didn't want to see anything happen to one another.
Zhao Nuanyue thought for a moment, then said, "That's right, Wang Yuan. You've seen how Li Guihua and the others in the village want to sweep this under the rug. They're searching for the culprit now, but there's no guarantee they'll find him. To get the best possible outcome for yourself, you have to put pressure on the village chief. If they can't find the perpetrator, they'll have to compensate you."
Hearing this, Wang Yuan was swayed. 'If there's a chance to live, who would choose to die?'
"Alright then," Wang Yuan said, grinding her teeth, her eyes flashing with rage. "If they don't give me a satisfactory answer, I'll raise hell until they finally give in."
So, Wang Yuan put on a show, pretending to smash her head against a wall and hang herself, while Zhao Nuanyue rushed to the village committee for help. The village cadres, including Miao Cunzheng and Li Guihua, were frantic. In the end, the quick-witted Li Guihua promised that she would secure a spot for Wang Yuan to return to the city as soon as an opportunity came up. She also offered to make both Wang Yuan and Li Qiong teachers for the village's upcoming literacy campaign, exempting them from manual labor. Only then did Wang Yuan and Li Qiong finally calm down.
Of course, the village also promised to find the culprit as soon as possible and give the young women a proper resolution.