“Yes,” Han Yunru replied flatly, “the kind that sells girls to remote rural areas in other provinces to be someone’s wife and bear children.”
When they were picking girls, the traffickers even discussed who had wider hips for childbearing, who had sturdy feet for fieldwork, cooking, and feeding pigs.
Because her hips weren’t wide enough, her feet not thick enough, and her hands too fair and tender with not a trace of calluses, she was deemed a defective leftover.
So the traffickers discussed selling her to the red-light district or keeping her around—useful for “entertaining” clients, and if not, sent out to work the streets for money.
Han Yunru overheard everything. She thought the worst would be being sold to the countryside and violated.
If she was obedient, maybe she’d live.
As long as she lived, there’d be hope of escape.
But now, even that sliver of hope was denied her.
In order to survive, Han Yunru took a desperate gamble. When the van drove over a bridge spanning a river, she seized the moment—and jumped.
Jiang Da held his wife tightly, veins bulging from the restraint in his arms, his jaw clenched like iron.
Even while recounting her jump, Han Yunru leaned quietly against the man, her voice unwavering, indifferent like a bystander.
She had no idea how deeply those words impacted Han Qishan and Shi Qingzhi.
The old lady could no longer hold back her tears; they streamed down her face. “Little Ru, my poor daughter…”
She couldn’t even bear to imagine what her daughter had endured at 18, alone, facing a group of ruthless human traffickers—forced to choose something as desperate as jumping into a river to escape.
Jiang Fuyue clenched her fists, her eyes red.
If Han Yunru hadn’t had that courage back then—if she had let herself be taken—then Jiang Fuyue wouldn’t exist. Nor would her little brother.
Han Yunru might have ended up in some sleazy salon in a red-light district, dressed scantily to serve clients. Or as a nameless pile of unclaimed bones in a back-alley bathroom. Or a drug mule. Or a bar hostess…
“Dad?!”
Han Qishan suddenly collapsed backward with a cry from Han Shen.
Qin Yuancheng immediately dropped his cane and, dragging his unsteady leg, rushed forward to help, catching Han Qishan with Han Shen.
“Hurry! Get your dad’s meds!”
Snapping back to his senses, Han Shen began frantically searching the old man’s body for the medicine.
Meanwhile, Han Qishan’s breathing grew more erratic, his face turning pale from lack of oxygen, and his lips tinged blue.
“…Got it!”
Qin Yuancheng pried open his mouth, and Han Shen shoved the pill in.
“Dad! Swallow it!”
Han Qishan’s throat finally moved, swallowing the pill.
Three long minutes passed before his breathing began to stabilize.
Qin Yuancheng: “Call 120! Now!”
…
The flight took off on schedule, but neither Han Qishan nor Han Shen was on it—and certainly not Han Yunru.
By then, everyone had relocated from the airport to the hospital.
After emergency treatment, Han Qishan was out of danger but had fallen into a deep sleep.
In the hospital corridor.
Han Yunru stood face to face with Shi Qingzhi—one silent, the other teary-eyed.
“Little Ru… I’m sorry. I couldn’t find you in time…” The old lady’s voice broke into sobs.
She didn’t dare ask for forgiveness. Her Little Ru had suffered too much—far beyond what a simple “I’m sorry” could ever heal.
“I…”
Suddenly, something soft touched her shoulder. The old lady looked up in a daze. The mother and daughter who’d been standing apart were now face to face.
Their matching peach-blossom eyes locked in a gaze, and that invisible blood bond tugged quietly between them.
“Mom…” Han Yunru spoke first. “I don’t blame you.”
The old lady’s lips trembled. “No… you should blame me.”
“It’s all in the past. I’m doing well now.”
Only then did the old lady dare to look at her properly. Her complexion was rosy, her skin fair, and her features radiated calmness and warmth.
She looked like someone well-loved, unburdened by hardship.
“Does he treat you well?”
Han Yunru smiled and nodded. “His name is Jiang Da. He seems rough, but he’s incredibly thoughtful. Also… he’s a great cook. You have to try his food sometime.”
Seeing no trace of reluctance on her daughter’s face, and the sparkle in her eyes when mentioning Jiang Da, Shi Qingzhi finally felt some peace.
“Alright. I’ve never had a son-in-law cook for me before.”
“Mom,” Han Yunru’s eyes lit up. “You and Uncle Qin…?”
A hint of shyness flickered across the old lady’s face. “After divorcing Han—your dad—I quit my job at the university and started looking for you while trying to start a business. Even your grandfather didn’t support my decision. Only your Uncle Qin stayed by my side.”
“Once, while on a business trip, there was a mudslide. I was buried underneath. He personally led the rescue team and dug me out. I remember it rained heavily that day. When the second mudslide hit, he shielded me with his body. I was unharmed, but he lost his right leg because of it.”
“After that… we got married.”
