Chapter 3: Lin Dahu
The window of the Wuling van rolled down. The scenery outside was beautiful, and it looked as if they were about to enter the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
Liu Ruyan gazed at the road disappearing into the woods in the distance. If they entered the deep mountains, she feared the signal would cut out and her livestream would go dark!
If that happened, she would be in grave danger!
Liu Ruyan looked at the kidnappers in front. The four of them were clearly in high spirits, staring ahead and humming tunes, not one of them paying her any mind.
She hurriedly rummaged through her pocket, grabbed some tissues, and tore them into tiny scraps. Then, when the kidnappers weren't looking, she tossed them out the window.
This sight naturally left many in the livestream room confused.
"Wait, why is Sister Ruyan throwing out trash?"
"Uh, maybe she's trying to leave a trail? I've seen that in movies before."
"Doesn't she have GPS tracking? Why would she need to do that?"
"Congratulations, you’ve hit the nail on the head!"
Lin Xian, who had been watching the scenery outside, suddenly noticed a paper ball fly past his eyes. At first, he didn't pay it any mind, but when one paper ball after another flew by, he grew annoyed. Damn it, who had no manners? Littering from inside the car! How did they even get a driver's license?
He whipped his head around and immediately saw Liu Ruyan, who was preparing to toss more trash.
Seeing Lin Xian turn around, Liu Ruyan frantically tried to signal him with her eyes.
"Lady, could you stop throwing your used tissues outside? It’s incredibly rude!" Lin Xian couldn't help but say.
Liu Ruyan was so angry she nearly passed out. What was this kid saying?
The leader, sitting in the passenger seat, immediately turned around, glaring at Lin Xian and Liu Ruyan with an unfriendly expression. "You two, behave yourselves. Don't pull any stunts in the car."
"Exactly. You're riding in someone else's car and you're littering? It’s not like you’re the one getting points deducted!"
Lin Xian rolled his eyes.
Liu Ruyan felt even more indignant, but after the leader’s warning, the kidnapper in the back seat fixed his gaze on her, which kept her from daring to make another move.
She also realized that there were hardly any "deep mountains and old forests" left these days; most places had a signal, so she didn't need to worry about whether the SWAT team could find her.
The van drove along the winding road.
Soon, they entered the mountains.
After navigating a few side paths, they arrived at a mountain village.
At the entrance to the village, Lin Dahu, his face covered in scars, watched the van approaching in the distance. A look of joy instantly appeared on his face. He looked at his fat, simple-minded daughter beside him. "Daughter, your future husband is here! Those people said he’s a college student!"
His daughter displayed a vacant, foolish expression, a trail of saliva hanging from the corner of her mouth. "Heh heh, college student, husband, marriage."
Seeing his daughter’s foolish state, Lin Dahu’s face wore a look of helplessness. If it weren't for the fact that she was intellectually disabled, ugly, and still single in her thirties, he wouldn't have resorted to this desperate measure: hiring human traffickers to kidnap someone to be his son-in-law.
Suddenly, Lin Dahu noticed a group of people walking out of the village.
A look of surprise appeared on his face. Why were these people coming out?
By all rights, at this hour, the villagers of Linjiacun Village should have been busy preparing for the New Year. The deity processions and the rituals for the Great-Grandfather hadn't even begun yet!
"Grandpa, why are you out here?" Lin Dahu asked the village chief, who was leading the group.
The village chief leaned on his cane, followed by the crowd. "Heh heh, Dahu. Great-Grandfather said he’s coming back. Calculating the time, he should be here just about now."
"What about you? Why aren't you at the village ancestral hall helping out? Why are you here with your daughter?" Grandpa Lin Zhang asked, eyeing Lin Dahu.
Cold sweat broke out on Lin Dahu’s back. He’d forgotten about that! It was the time of year for Great-Grandfather to return for winter break. If Great-Grandfather found out about this business, he’d be in serious trouble!
Everyone knew that the thing Great-Grandfather hated most was illegal or criminal activity!
"Heh heh, it's nothing, Grandpa. Just picking someone up, heh heh," Lin Dahu said hastily. He watched the approaching van. "Ah, they're here. I'll go pick the person up first and get them out of here quickly. It wouldn't look good if Great-Grandfather came back and saw a car blocking the way!"
Grandpa nodded; that did make sense. Everyone was busy welcoming Great-Grandfather, so it wasn't right to have a car parked in the way.
"Go on then, be quick about it. Great-Grandfather should be here any minute now," Grandpa said, waving his hand.
Lin Dahu nodded repeatedly and ran toward the van.
"Boss, that's him in front, right?" the driver said, looking at the man charging toward them.
"Let me see," the leader said, looking down at his phone before glancing up. "Right, that's him. Get the goods ready. When you get out, keep an eye on him. Don't let him run. One hand for the money, one hand for the goods."
"Heh heh, don't you worry, he isn't going anywhere," Li Gou said with a grin, looking at Lin Xian.
He’d never seen such a dense college student. Were college entrance exams really that easy nowadays?
Liu Ruyan watched the dark-faced man running toward them, a wave of despair washing over her. If she were sold into the hands of this brute, life would be worse than death!
The netizens in the livestream noticed him too.
"Holy crap, he looks terrifying! Is Sister Ruyan going to be sold to this guy?"
"If she really falls into his hands, Ruyan is finished! She'll be ruined!"
"Wuwuwu, I want to cry just thinking about Sister Ruyan becoming a breeding tool for this savage."
"It might not be Sister Ruyan, though. What if it's the guy?"
"Wait, does the little mountain village have those preferences too? I thought that only happened in Panda City."
"As a proud citizen of Panda City, I lower my head."
"If that guy is the one being sold, wouldn't that be even more tragic?"
*Screech!*
The van came to a hard stop.
The leader opened the passenger door and stepped out.
Lin Xian looked at Linjiacun Village in the distance and the people waiting to welcome him. A smile appeared on his face. However, what he didn't expect was that this Lin Dahu guy would be so excited to run all the way over here to greet him.
As he thought this, he prepared to get up and walk out of the van.
"Stay put! Don't move!" Li Gou glared at Lin Xian viciously.
"Uh... I've arrived, haven't I? I’ve already paid you guys, just let me go," Lin Xian said, looking at Li Gou in astonishment. They were at the destination; why wouldn't they let him off?
Liu Ruyan felt a sense of helplessness. Hadn't he realized something was wrong until now? It was too late.
Outside was the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. Trying to run away would be impossible.
"Heh heh, you've arrived, sure. But you can't get out just yet," Li Gou said with an sinister laugh.
This kid was about to be bought as an live-in son-in-law. He heard the bride was a foolish, fat girl. Heh heh, who knew what kind of misery this pretty boy would go through?
"Why?" Lin Xian stared at Li Gou, still not understanding the situation.
"Look there. You haven't paid yet," Li Gou said, gesturing toward Lin Dahu.
"Money? I already paid you guys. Are you trying to hike the price now?" Lin Xian frowned.
How could these illegal taxi drivers be so dishonest?
On the other side, Lin Dahu looked at the man in front of him. "Where is he?"
"In the van behind us," the leader said, pointing a thumb backward.
"Let me see," Lin Dahu said, unable to wait any longer.
If his daughter didn't get married soon, she’d be forty, and it would be impossible for her to have children.
"Fine, let's go. Cash on delivery," the leader said.
Lin Dahu nodded. This guy was actually quite professional.
The two men arrived at the van.
"Where's the back door? Open it up and let me have a look," the leader said, tilting his chin.
Lin Dahu nodded, then pulled the door open with a jerk. Inside were two men and one woman.
When Lin Dahu saw the young, handsome man among them, he stood there stunned. "Gr... Gr... Great..."