Gong Mingxia turned to look at Meng Xiuying, who was sitting to the side, holding her child and looking exceptionally weary.
"When the police arrive later, don’t be afraid. Tell them everything that has happened. Not only that, but you also need to get a medical exam and then divorce him. Remember, Xiuying, the Earth will keep spinning without anyone. If you keep tolerating this abuse, what you’ll get in return is nothing but more intensified persecution. Let me tell you a true story. There was a woman in our village who was abused by her husband. She went to the police, but her family kept telling her to endure it, and it would pass. Do you know what happened to her in the end?"
Gong Mingxia’s gaze was as cold as a scorpion’s as she scrutinized the Old Lady who was actually listening intently and snorted disdainfully, "That mother, who made her constantly endure, received her daughter’s cold corpse. She was beaten to death, beaten to death by her drunken husband. In the end, not only was he sentenced, but her mother-in-law, that divisive old hypocrite, faced the punishment she deserved. Because of their evil deeds, their own daughter couldn’t marry off, and they were ridiculed wherever they went. It brought calamity not just to three generations, but even their extended family suffered. I’m telling you this as a warning not to be a coward. Consider your own child. Can you really think growing up in such an environment will be good for them?"
"I’m also divorced and raising my daughter on my own. I’m surviving, so why can’t you? If you don’t mind, after we finish at the police station, you can come and stay at my place until you have contacted your parents. Then you can return to Beijing and get the paperwork sorted out. Don’t live with such scum anymore. Later, you have to tell the truth, especially about the human trafficking part. You need to be as detailed as possible, otherwise, he might retaliate. You must get him into jail to be punished, understand?"
Gong Mingxia whispered this part directly into Meng Xiuying’s ear. Her voice was very soft, yet Meng Xiuying clearly took it all in, and a glimmer of hope seemed to light up in her previously despondent and desperate eyes, "But my mom has cut ties with me. They won’t acknowledge me."
"How do you know they won’t acknowledge you? Have you tried? The flesh that falls from your own body, how could there be an overnight grudge between parents and their child?"
Their neighbors seemed to agree with these words, "Young lady, this lady is right. There’s no overnight enmity between parents and children. Even if they’re angry about your lack of resistance, they will still worry and miss you. I’ll call home in a bit. Someone will surely come to pick you up."
Mentioning her family, Meng Xiuying’s tears fell like broken beads. Liu Xueliang, who was on the ground, heard their conversation and struggled desperately, pleading with Meng Xiuying.
"Xiuying, Xiuying, I beg you. I was wrong. I was wrong. Please don’t go, okay? Let’s live a good life together. I swear I won’t hit you anymore. I really won’t hit you again," he pleaded.
The Old Lady seemed to have snapped back to reality, as she crawled on her knees to Meng Xiuying, "Xiuying, Mom is asking you. Please don’t go. Mom was wrong. I won’t yell at you anymore. I’ll help you with the child. I’ll cook. I’ll do laundry. I’ll do everything. Just please don’t go home, okay? Don’t leave. Don’t leave!" she begged.
Meng Xiuying coldly watched their mother and son performance, then turned her head away indifferently, before lifting her gaze to Gong Mingxia.
"Sister, the baby is tired from crying; she’s been hungry for a while. Can I go to your place to feed her?"