Sent to the countryside, I turned the health center into a top-tier hospital.

She didn't say anything, but tears suddenly streamed down her face.

At first it was just tears, then gasping for breath, and then my whole body was shaking.

She hadn't dared to cry like that in five years.

Crying is useless in that place; it will only invite a harsher beating.

She learned to swallow her tears, to remain silent, and to shrink herself into a tiny dot so that no one would notice her.

But at this moment, the familiar scent on her mother instantly transported Lin Wan back to the past.

It's like going back to when I was in college, back to when I was a little princess at home.

"mom……"

Lin Wan slowly opened her mouth and called out.

Hearing this long-lost cry, Lin's mother cried even more bitterly and loudly.

Lin Wan's brother stood by the bed without saying a word, his glasses fogged up.

He took off his glasses, wiped them vigorously with his sleeve, and then put them back on.

He saw the old scars on his sister's wrist, one after another, like centipedes.

He tried to say something, opened his mouth twice, but finally only managed to squeeze out, "Wanwan, I'm sorry."

Lin's father stood at the back of the room the whole time.

He didn't go to the bedside, nor did he say anything; he just stood there.

The man in his fifties stood ramrod straight, but his shoulders were trembling uncontrollably.

He watched for a while, then turned around, rubbed his eyes hard with his rough hand, buried his face in his palm, and sobbed silently.

The young woman and the teenager looked at Lin Wan on the hospital bed and both started to cry, but no one made a sound.

The ward was quiet, save for the family's sobs and the first light of day breaking outside the window.

Chen Ping left the ward and closed the door. At this moment, the entire ward belonged to Lin Wan and her family.

Chen Ping stood in the corridor, leaning against the wall, his eyes a little red.

Zhou Jie and Wang Tao stood in the corridor, listening to the crying from the ward, their expressions also solemn.

"Sister Lin Wan, it's too hard..." Zhou Jie sighed softly.

Chen Ping hummed in response and said nothing more.

He had witnessed much suffering—illness, poverty, and being repeatedly crushed by fate—but every time he faced such a scene of triumph after hardship, he couldn't help but feel a surge of determination within him.

Fortunately, this hardship is over.

When the morning light shone through the window, the crying in the ward finally stopped.

A short while later, the ward door was opened from the inside.

Chen Ping glanced around and saw Lin Wan's parents, brother, and sister-in-law all coming out of the ward.

Several people walked up to Chen Ping, said nothing, and knelt down with a thud.

This startled Chen Ping, who quickly reached out to help him up.

With so many people, he didn't know who to help.

"Wang Tao, Zhou Jie, quickly help him up."

While ordering Wang Tao and Zhou Jie around, Chen Ping forcefully lifted Lin Wan's father, saying, "Uncle, what are you doing? Get up..."

"Dr. Chen, Wanwan told us that if it weren't for you, she wouldn't have been able to escape at all."

"Thank you, thank you for saving my daughter."

Lin's father was moved to tears, his face filled with gratitude.

"Uncle, anyone would feel the same way I would if they encountered something like this. You should get up and have a good talk with Lin Wan."

Chen Ping said.

With the help of Chen Ping, Wang Tao, and Zhou Jie, the family was able to stand up from the ground.

The family entered the ward again, and Chen Ping followed them in.

Lin Wan's mental state was noticeably better than yesterday.

Perhaps seeing family finally put a weight off my heart.

"Lin Wan, give the baby to Zhou Jie and let her hold him for a while. You can have a good talk with your family."

Chen Ping was afraid that the child in Lin Wan's arms would disturb the family's conversation, so he said...

"Need not!"

Lin Wan tightened her grip on the baby. "It's time to breastfeed soon, or he'll cry."

It's clear that after that night, Lin Wan's maternal love for her child has begun to overflow.

She didn't want her child to suffer any injustice.

Chen Ping didn't say anything more, but instead glanced at Lin Wan's family.

The whole family looked at the child in Lin Wan's arms with complicated expressions.

"Wanwan, I'm so sorry. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be in this situation now."

Lin Wan's brother took a step forward toward Lin Wan, and then slapped himself hard across the face.

It was very forceful and made a loud noise; it even knocked my glasses askew.

But his parents and wife were watching, and no one spoke up or stopped them.

Chen Ping was also a bit confused, not understanding the situation, and didn't say anything.

"Brother..." Lin Wan called out to her brother, and only then did the other party stop.

After talking with him, Chen Ping finally understood that Lin Wan had been tricked into going to the mountains to find a job because her brother had forced her to.

After graduating from university, Lin Wan couldn't find a suitable job for a while, so she went home.

She stayed at home for a while, during which time her brother constantly nagged her and told her to find a job.

In a fit of anger, Lin Wan packed her bags and left home to look for a job.

But five years have passed since then, and there has been no news of him!

For the past five years, her brother has lived with guilt and self-blame.

But now that the family is reunited and things have been discussed openly, everything is fine.

Just then, a sudden screech of brakes sounded, and a police van pulled up in the yard.

Chen Ping knew they must be there to take Lin Wan's statement, so he got up, walked out of the ward, and went to meet them.

"Dr. Chen, we are about to escort the suspect to the county, so we need to bring the statement with us."

Officer Liu saw Chen Ping and spoke to him proactively.

"No problem, she's in her room, I'll take you there!"

Chen Ping led Officer Liu into the ward.

When Lin Wan's family saw Chen Ping bring in a policeman, they were all taken aback.

"Uncle, Aunt, Brother, Sister-in-law, please go outside and leave for a moment."

"The police officer is going to take a formal statement from Lin Wan. He'll ask her a lot of detailed questions about the case, all of which are upsetting things from the past. With so many people around, she might lose her composure."

Upon hearing this, the family immediately nodded, their hearts filled with heartache.

They know all too well that the memories of being imprisoned, beaten, and abused are excruciating to recall, each time they are etched with pain.

Lin's parents quietly left the ward, and his brother and sister-in-law followed with their child, gently closing the door behind them. They stood quietly outside in the corridor, not daring to disturb them in the slightest.

The ward fell silent instantly.

Officer Liu took out his notebook, turned on his body camera, and asked questions in a gentle manner, trying to slow down his tone.

From being tricked into leaving home five years ago, to being trafficked into the mountains and forcibly detained, to the daily beatings, abuse, and torture inflicted by the mother and son, including the several times they escaped but were caught and brought back, all the grievances and violence they suffered, were verified and recorded one by one.

Every problem is tearing open Lin Wan's wounds that have barely begun to heal.

Lin Wan held her sleeping child in her arms, her fingertips tightening slightly, her face turning pale repeatedly, and her voice breaking and trembling uncontrollably.

The darkness, despair, and pain that had been buried for five years resurfaced clearly in her mind with each question, crushing her nerves.