Chapter Sixty-Three: Covered in Scars

Xiang Fuqiang also pulled Li Meilan back, offering her a graceful way out, "Forget it, anyway he picked up the money. That toy gun looks rather expensive, so there probably isn't much left."

Li Meilan immediately took the hint. In truth, when it came to her precious son, she couldn't bring herself to beat him severely.

In their hearts, there was still a vast difference between sons and daughters.

Having gotten his way, Xiang Hao wiped his tears and snot with the back of his hand, smeared it across his clothes, and without caring about anyone else's gaze, followed them home in high spirits.

Xiang Yu did not go back to sleep. She performed a mind-and-energy-reviving exercise for herself and then resumed reciting English vocabulary.

By noon, figuring that the morning market should be wrapping up and Xiang Hao and the others should have already headed back, she went downstairs and ate a bowl of rice noodles at a roadside stall.

A bowl cost two yuan. She skipped the meat and paid an extra fifty cents to double the portion of noodles.

Eating like this meant one meal would suffice for two.

As for whether her nutrition was adequate, she didn't want to worry about it; under the present circumstances, this was all she had.

Besides, examinations tested the ink in one's mind, not the grease in one's stomach.

When she returned to the dormitory building, she ran into Teacher Zhang, who was hurrying over.

Upon seeing Xiang Yu, he let out a sigh of relief. The police station had called him to say that Xiang Yu had been tied up by her family, cut her ropes and escaped from home during the night, and was now missing. Her parents had been terrified when they reported the case.

He had been genuinely afraid that this girl with such a rugged and bitter fate would do something desperate.

Approaching her, Teacher Zhang asked with a sympathetic tone, "Xiang Yu, are you alright? The police station called me and said your parents tied you up... Why on earth would they do that?"

Xiang Yu's throat suddenly tightened with emotion, but she forced down the pain in her heart and maintained a calm expression. "They wanted the two thousand yuan that Ye Nuanxin's family compensated me with, and I refused to give it to them."

Teacher Zhang sighed, then suddenly noticed thick, red welts on Xiang Yu's arms, swollen and inflamed.

How could parents bring themselves to lay such heavy hands on a lovely, blossoming daughter?

"Your parents actually hit you?"

Xiang Yu paused for a few seconds, realizing that her parents had likely not told the police the whole truth—at least, they hadn't mentioned beating her.

She pondered silently whether she should teach her parents another lesson so they would never dare treat her so recklessly again.

Otherwise, her high school entrance examination would be affected. That morning, she had fallen into deep, distressing nightmares, which were surely caused by the terror of the previous night.

Even though she had been reborn and her inner self was clearer and stronger than before, she couldn't withstand such relentless torment.

Besides, certain parts of her body were indeed in severe pain.

Having made up her mind, she raised her head calmly. "Teacher Zhang, I'll go to the police station shortly to speak with them directly. Thank you for making a special trip here."

Teacher Zhang nodded.

Xiang Yu first went to the town hospital for a full body checkup.

Then, she took the medical report directly to the police station.

She had multiple soft tissue injuries across her entire body, and a slight fracture on her scapula.

Xiang Yu also rolled up her trouser legs; her fair legs were covered in interlocking bruises and dense injuries, and both knees were scraped raw.

The police officers could not bear to look at it.

Sternly, they called Xiang Fuqiang, ordering him and his wife to come to the police station immediately, or else a police car would be dispatched directly to their home.

With no other choice, Xiang Fuqiang and Li Meilan had to rent a motorcycle and return to the town.

Only upon arrival did they discover that Xiang Yu was going to report them for domestic abuse.

Everything went dark before Li Meilan's eyes. Furious, she pointed at Xiang Yu and yelled, "We are your parents! You wouldn't listen, you drove your sister away, and you caused this huge mess with the Ye family for us—didn't you deserve a beating? As for tying you up, it was because you turned into a completely different person, as if possessed by an evil spirit. We spent a lot of money to hire a shaman to perform rituals for you, and we only tied you up because we were afraid you wouldn't cooperate. Once the ritual was finished and the evil spirit driven away, we would have let you go!"