Chapter 380: A Heavy Tale of Sorrow

Chapter 380: A Heartbreaking Story

At this moment, Xia Miao's tears were falling in large drops, drenching her face.

Xia Miao rarely cried. Usually, she'd only get angry enough for her eyes to redden when she was truly bullied.

Not long ago, she had pursued Xia Chengan relentlessly without receiving any response from the one she loved, yet she hadn’t shed a single tear.

But now, she was crying—and crying so bitterly.

At this moment, Xia Chengan regretted everything.

Age, the mental barrier he couldn’t overcome, the fact that she was like a younger sister to him since childhood—none of that mattered anymore.

Seeing Xia Miao cry, his heart twisted painfully, aching so much he could barely breathe.

Flustered and uncertain, he wanted to pull her into his arms but hesitated, afraid she might dislike it. His outstretched hand paused midair.

But after only a few seconds of hesitation, Xia Chengan still drew the sobbing Xia Miao into his embrace.

"I’m sorry. Let’s give us a chance, okay? I promise I’ll treat you well from now on. I won’t see you as my little sister anymore—I’ll see you as a woman, my future wife. I’ll take good care of you. It was all my fault before. Please forgive me, okay?"

Xia Chengan coaxed her while gently patting her back.

"Xia Chengan, let me go."

After letting it all out, Xia Miao suddenly spoke with icy calm.

Respecting her wishes, Xia Chengan released her.

"I already have a boyfriend. Let’s keep our distance from now on. Let’s go home—Mom will worry."

Xia Miao spoke as if she hadn’t just been crying; her calmness was unsettling.

Xia Chengan wanted to say something, but in the end, he didn’t dare push her further.

He hadn’t expected that by the time he came to his senses, Xia Miao would no longer wait for him.

He was agitated, seething with frustration he didn’t know how to release.

The thought that Xia Miao might truly have a boyfriend—and that she might be intimate with him—drove Xia Chengan nearly mad.

Su He didn’t know where things stood between Xia Chengan and Xia Miao now, but when it was time to sleep that night, she still brought it up to Fu Tinghua.

"You said Xia Miao wants to go teach in the countryside?" Fu Tinghua sounded surprised.

"Yes. I tried to persuade her not to go. Though most people in rural areas are kind, there are still some unscrupulous people. I’m afraid a girl like Xia Miao might be bullied by the locals."

Su He had put it diplomatically.

Fu Tinghua was silent for a while before saying, "A female classmate from our medical school once went to a remote health center for her internship."

Su He sensed there was more to the story, so she asked, "And then?"

Fu Tinghua weighed his words before continuing, "Later, a local bachelor took a liking to her. His family conspired to kidnap her and forced her into marriage. The whole village was complicit—and supported the family’s actions."

Hearing this, Su He’s stomach dropped.

She’d suspected as much—such incidents must have happened in this era too. But with limited connectivity and the country’s push for development, such cases were swept under the rug.

If this were made public, not only would dedicated frontline workers hesitate, but even some merchants would be afraid to go to remote areas.

Once no one goes to those places, the economic development there would worsen, and more men would remain single, leading to more cases of human trafficking in the future. The country would become more unstable.

"What happened next?" Su He couldn't help but ask.

She wanted to know whether Fu Tinghua's female classmate had been rescued.

"Later—" Fu Tinghua smiled bitterly before continuing, "Later, her parents found out she had even given birth to two children there, and afterward, they never even went to see her. Perhaps because of the children, the girl appeared to resign herself to her fate and stayed with the man who had kidnapped her."

Hearing the ending of this story, Su He couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath.

Indeed, in this era, if a woman was kidnapped and forced to have children, and her own family wanted nothing to do with her for bringing shame to them, what else could she do but stay with that man?

Being able to attend university and study medicine, the girl’s family background must have been decent.

Yet even such a family abandoned her after she was violated, deeming her a disgrace.

"So, you’re right, and the Xia family won’t allow Xia Miao to go teach in the countryside either."

After saying this, Fu Tinghua couldn’t resist reaching out to gently run his fingers through Su He’s hair, his touch tender.

Having just heard such a tragic story, Su He’s mood was heavy.

In a rare moment, she hugged Fu Tinghua on her own, nestling her face against his chest.

"Scared?" Fu Tinghua stroked Su He’s face gently before kissing her forehead.

"Don’t be afraid. In our family, I won’t allow such things to happen." As he spoke, his face darkened.

Su He sighed and said, "I just feel like the world is so unfair to women, no matter the era. Our Niu Niu is so well-behaved—what will become of her?"

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but worry.

"Isn’t being well-behaved a good thing?" Fu Tinghua asked, amused, puzzled by his wife’s logic.

"It is, but when I think about her growing up and possibly experiencing having her feelings unreturned, I get concerned."

Su He couldn’t help but think of the storylines in books and sighed softly.

"Don’t overthink it. I’ll protect both of you well," Fu Tinghua reassured her while gently stroking her hair.

"Mm, I’m not overthinking. But after hearing what you just said, if I put myself in Niu Niu’s place, I’d go crazy with anger. I think I might lose control, rush to that village, and make sure every last one of them paid."

Su He wasn’t joking—she truly believed she was capable of such a thing.

Her Niu Niu was so sweet and kind. If someone ever hurt her like that, Su He wouldn’t think twice about breaking the law.

"Mm, I’d be right there with you. But you don't need to worry—I'll never let that happen," Fu Tinghua promised again.

"Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. Actually, there’s something else I need to tell you," Su He suddenly said.

"What is it?"

"Your sister is seeing Yu Xu now. She's going to tell the family this week," Su He added, not forgetting to share this news with Fu Tinghua.