What? You're a notorious bandit? What a coincidence, me too!

A motorcycle carrying a young man came to a stop after crossing a ditch in the mountains.

Liu Sen got off the car, took out ten yuan and gave it to the other person, then trudged along the rugged mountain road.

In the distance, villages are scattered about, with thin wisps of white smoke rising from the chimneys of a few houses.

Liu Sen, carrying a bag, quickened his pace.

Just one more mile and I'll be home, and then I can take my little sister away.

Pushing open the creaking wooden gate, the yard was a mess. A motorcycle with muddy tires was lying in the yard, with a few tattered clothes draped over it.

Liu Sen took a deep breath, pushed open the half-closed door, and went inside.

A strong smell of alcohol wafted over, but Liu De remained slumped on a low stool in the center of the room.

He was holding a chipped bottle of liquor in his arms, his head bobbing up and down, his drunken eyes half-open and half-closed.

Grandma sat by the stove, tending the fire: "Chaochao's back."

"Yes, Mom," Liu Sen nodded and said. Chaochao was his nickname.

Liu De slowly raised his head, squinted at him for a long time before recognizing his son. He then let out a drunken hiccup, mumbling something incoherently.

Liu Sen didn't waste any words with him. He unzipped his backpack and took out stacks of money tied with rubber bands.

With a loud "thud," it slammed down on the broken table in front of Liu De.

"The money is here, thirty thousand, not a penny less." Liu Sen's voice was cold.

The mother was completely dumbfounded.

Liu De, who was originally drunk, saw the money on the table and his eyes lit up instantly, and he sobered up most of the time.

He lunged forward, grabbed the money, brought it close to his eyes to smell it, and clicked his tongue in amazement: "Holy crap, it really...it really is thirty thousand!"

He looked at it repeatedly, then put it in his pocket, patted it, and a greedy and smug smile appeared on his face.

"You're something else! It wasn't a waste of money sending you to that lousy university! I was right not to burn your acceptance letter back then..."

"Where's Ahua?"

Liu Sen impatiently interrupted him, glancing around the room but not seeing his sister.

Liu De picked up the bottle on the table, took a swig, wiped his mouth, and said, "He's inside."

Liu Sen turned and walked towards the room next door, but he didn't see the hesitation in his mother's eyes.

His younger sister, Liu Hua, is now living in the room that used to be his.

He reached out and pushed open the dilapidated wooden door.

The room was empty.

The quilts on the earthen bed were folded crookedly, but no one was there.

A sense of foreboding gripped Liu Sen's heart instantly. He turned and rushed back into the main room, asking, "Mother, where's Ahua? She's not in the room!"

Cao Yunfen's expression changed as she sat by the stove, but she kept her head down and tended the fire, as if she hadn't heard Liu Sen's voice.

This sight made Liu Sen's heart sink.

He turned to look at Liu De, who was still drinking, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger: "Where did you take Ahua?!"

Liu Dezi took a swig of his drink, put down the bottle, let out a burp, and said nonchalantly, "What's the rush? If you could really get the money back, I'd think you were just bragging..."

"I'm asking you where Ahua is!" Liu Sen stepped forward and grabbed Liu De's collar.

Liu De was jerked off balance by his grip and pushed his hand away: "What are you yelling about? She's just a money-loser, isn't she? I've already married her off."

"Married?"

Those two words struck Liu Sen's heart like a heavy hammer.

He had actually guessed the outcome the moment Liu De spoke.

"What did you say?"

He couldn't help but tremble all over, his voice squeezed out from between his teeth, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"We made a deal, you promised you wouldn't force her to marry anyone as long as I scraped together 30,000! You fucking promised me!"

"How dare you talk to me like that!" Liu De frowned and said unhappily.

"You fucking bastard!"

Liu Sen could no longer hold back, so he grabbed a wooden stool from the side and threw it at Liu De.

Liu De reacted a beat too slow and failed to dodge, resulting in the wooden stool hitting him squarely on the head.

A muffled thud.

Blood instantly flowed down Liu De's forehead and down his cheeks.

Liu De was stunned for a moment, touched the blood on his head, and instantly roared in a rage:

"You little brat, you dare to lay a hand on me? You've gone too far!"

He suddenly stood up, grabbed Liu Sen by the hair, and slammed him to the ground.

Liu Sen struggled to resist, and the two instantly began to wrestle.

Just like last time, Liu Sen quickly fell into a disadvantageous position and was pinned to the ground by Liu De, who punched and kicked him.

"Where did you sell her?!"

Liu Sen's mouth was bleeding from the beating, but he still gritted his teeth and shouted viciously.

"I sold her far, far away!"

Liu De hit and cursed at the same time, "Don't even think about causing trouble. I'm telling you, you'll never find her in this lifetime!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Sen became even more anxious. He seized the opportunity, suddenly opened his mouth, and bit down hard on the arm that Liu De was pressing against his chest.

"Ouch! You son of a bitch, you dare to bite me!" Liu De cried out in pain and let go of his grip.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Liu Sen got up from the ground and rushed into the kitchen next door like a madman, grabbing a kitchen knife and pointing it at Liu De.

"His mother's gotten so tough, huh! Daring to point a knife at me?"

Liu De, clutching the blood on his head, stared at Liu Sen, who was holding a cleaver. Far from being afraid, he became even more enraged.

"Looks like I'm really going to skin you alive today!"

"Every morning!"

The mother was frantic and rushed over, grabbing Liu Sen's arm tightly.

"He's your father! You can't do that!"

"I don't have a father like that!"

Liu Sen struggled violently, his emotions growing more and more agitated. A familiar, piercing itch welled up from the very marrow of his bones, making him dizzy and his vision blurry.

His mouth was extremely dry, his breathing became rapid, and the kitchen knife in his hand began to tremble slightly.

"Chaochao, listen to your mother, put the knife down..."

Grandma kept trying to persuade him, "Anything is negotiable, your father is only doing this for Ahua's own good..."

"Shut up!"

Liu Sen was extremely agitated. Hearing his mother's indiscriminate advice, he roared and suddenly flung his hand away, trying to push her away.

He was trembling all over, but his movements were filled with uncontrolled brute force.

The old woman was already unsteady on her feet, and with his push, she staggered backward.

With a loud "thud," the back of his head slammed hard against the corner of a cabinet in the corner of the main room.

Liu Sen glared at Liu De and shouted angrily, "Liu De, you fucking tell me, where did you sell Ahua to?!"

Seeing his son dare to lay a hand on him, Liu De, drunk and clenching his fists, picked up a long bench and threw it at Liu Sen.

"How dare you talk to me like that? I'll teach you a lesson!"

The two started fighting again.

No one noticed that after Grandma bumped into the cabinet, her face turned pale and she became motionless within seconds.