Midnight Bookstore

Panda Novel

The van drove into the mountains. When it reached the village entrance, it stopped. There were a lot of people waiting there. There were men and women, young and old.

Some were smoking. Some were squatting and chatting. Some were playing with their phones.

Everyone was waiting silently.

Some people looked indifferent as if they were just there to make up the numbers. A small number of people were very nervous. They kept looking in their direction with anticipation.

It was like a rough wedding procession that lacked decorations and a little celebration. Many people hate formalities. They always felt that it was a burden.

For example, before any party activity began, the leader would go on stage to speak. He would read the same opening speech, and speak a lot of nonsense in the process. He would repeatedly greet the people below. Then, under the sparse applause, he would continue.

However, formalities were indeed needed and had their meaning of existence. For example, at a wedding. The complicated formalities could give a solemn feeling. Otherwise, it would be like this scene at the entrance of the village. So direct and so stiff. It was as if one was waiting to take back the mule that one had just spent money to buy.

The van arrived. The old driver got out of the van. He was still wearing his sunglasses. This was his stubbornness. It was not to show off. He was actually past the age of showing off. His eyes had been injured. He wore sunglasses just to cover up.

He came out alone. The other two had stayed at the junkyard. This was a common rule. Everyone had worked together for many years. They still had this bit of trust.

A group of villagers flocked over. They were all looking into the van. They observed. Some naughty children climbed directly onto the hood and looked inside. Everyone was very curious. What did the new wife look like?

At the same time, they couldn’t help but compare in their hearts. How much did Zhang San’er pay for a wife? What was her educational background? What did she look like? What was the price of the daughter-in-law that Li Si’s family had bought? What did she look like?

Which was fair? Which was dark? That one was curvy. She looked like she could bear children.

The advances of civilization had long entered this village. Many young people held smartphones in their hands. However, everyone instinctively enjoyed the convenience brought by civilization while insisting on maintaining their simplicity.

Take the money and give the goods. This was the rule.

Human traffickers only needed to ensure the health of the people they brought over. If there was not much age difference, the job was done. It didn’t matter whether you liked the fat, skinny or smart type. Sorry, there was no need to talk about it. Having a woman to carry your bed should be enough. Why demand so much?

Getting a wife was equivalent to winning an exciting lottery. In the city, many families used the savings of three generations to provide an apartment. Here, many families used all their savings to buy a bride. They would even borrow money from relatives and friends for this. However, many men bought an apartment to make it easier for them to marry a wife.

The two girls were pulled down by the old driver. They were taken away by the two families respectively. The people around them watched and made a fuss. There was no care for the two girls’ pleas and cries. They had seen this kind of scene many times. They had long become indifferent to it.

When he was done, the old driver did not intend to leave. He still needed to stay in the village for a while. He would have dinner and make a business appointment. He planned to retire. There was still one job in the car, and he would retire after finishing it.

However, he didn’t mind helping others to make connections. He can act as a middleman to earn some money after he retires.

The car drove into a house. The old driver went to the house to have a drink and talk about the price. The van was locked. A few nosy children were circling the van because they found the girl in the van.

A very cute girl. She was wearing very fashionable clothes. She looked different from the little girls who played together in the village.

Wang Rui was curled up in the corner of the van. On the steering wheel platform, the statue of the Bodhisattva was safely placed.

It was lunchtime. A few children who were circling the van were pulled home by their families to eat. The children were so noisy that they didn’t want to leave. They shouted and asked their parents to buy the girl in the van and make her their wife.

After about half an hour, the old driver came back. He got in the car. He looked at Wang Rui in the car and smiled. He started the car and left the village. When the van drove out of the village entrance, Wang Rui seemed to have sensed something. She raised her head. She looked at the back window and above the village entrance in the distance. A layer of dark clouds covered it. It was suffocating.

“It’s going to rain. The weather in the mountains is just like this.” The old driver lit a cigarette leisurely.

They drove along the mountain road for an hour. They did not leave the area of the mountains. They even went deeper. In this area, only small markets would occasionally appear near the provincial road. It was very remote.

However, as they drove, a three-story villa appeared on the dam in front of them. The dam was surrounded by cement walls. It looked very formal. The architecture made it look very foreign. It did not fit in with most of the buildings they saw along the way.

The van arrived at the door. The old driver took out his cell phone and made a call. He had changed his cell phone card after arriving here.

He did not know what a counter-reconnaissance was, but he had been doing this job for so many years without any problems. Naturally, he had his skills and experience.

Soon someone walked out of the room. It was two middle-aged men in black clothes. They opened the door and gestured for the old man to enter.

The old man smiled at them through the window. He drove the van in and parked it. However, he noticed that the two middle-aged men still had black gauze wrapped around their arms.

His heart skipped a beat. Was he too late?

The old man was a little annoyed. If he was late and someone had returned the goods, his idea of making a fortune on this deal and retiring early would be dashed. If he had known earlier, he would not have bothered with those country bumpkins.

He felt a little helpless. However, he still got out of the car.

A middle-aged woman wearing a black coat and a black muslin wrapped around her arm walked over, “Please follow me.”

“Okay.”

The old driver turned around and picked up Wang Rui. He followed the woman into the house.

He was probably too preoccupied and distracted. He forgot to bring the amulet in the car. Of course, it was nothing. He didn’t believe that. He had one in every car and in the place where he lived out of habit. He never thought that this thing would be useful.

When he went up to the third floor, the woman knocked on the door. Someone answered. The woman opened the door and signaled the old man to go in. The old man hesitated for a moment. Then, he put Wang Rui on the sofa in the living room and went in by himself.

Wang Rui sat there silently. She lowered her head. She didn’t speak. She didn’t look around.

The woman stood at the door. Her job was more like a secretary or a housekeeper. At this moment, she looked at the lovely girl sitting there.

The woman’s face was expressionless. There was no pity. There was not the slightest fluctuation of emotions even if she saw the girl sitting there with her shoulders twitching slightly and looked as if she was crying.

However, she wasn’t aware that the girl with her head lowered was expressionless too.

…

The old driver walked into the study room. This place gave people a very strange feeling. Before taking this job, the old driver knew that this family should have been doing business in the city in the past. When they got older, they chose to build a villa in the mountains of their hometown and live here. It could be considered a retirement.

In short, there should be a lot of money. Looking at the security and the ostentation, one could tell.

Moreover, some rich people would have hobbies and eccentricities that ordinary people could not understand. This was well known.

On the carpet sat a white-haired old man. Beside the old man was a small coffin.

“You’re late.” The white-haired old man said.

The old driver stood there, not knowing what to say. He could see a little boy lying in the coffin. The boy was wearing an exquisite black suit. His face was rosy as if he was still alive.

“Did you bring the person?”

“Yes, I did,” the old driver replied immediately.

The white-haired old man nodded. “Go out and get the money. I still want the person.” The white-haired old man looked at his grandson who was lying in the coffin as he said those words.

“I can’t let my grandson go alone. He had no parents since he was young. He can’t be alone on the road to the Netherworld, right?”

The old man was stunned. He was a human trafficker, not an executioner. Although he was responsible for a few deaths in the past, many of them had been stolen or had met unruly buyers.

He suddenly understood something after hearing the white-haired old man’s words. He didn’t say anything. When he realized that the goods were still wanted, his heart calmed down.

“Okay.”

“Go down and get the money from the woman” The white-haired old man waved his hand.

The old man immediately nodded and bowed. Then he turned around and walked out of the study.

The middle-aged woman standing at the door saw the old man come out. She nodded at him and said, “Follow me.”

“Okay.”

The old man took one last look at Wang Rui sitting on the sofa in the living room. He took a deep breath. Thinking of his retirement life in the future, he suddenly felt that he had a new goal in life. After hustling for most of his life, he could finally live a peaceful and stable life.

However, when the two of them were preparing to go down the stairs, the little girl who had been sitting there quietly slowly raised her head. Her hair fell. Her expressionless gaze swept towards the stairway. The corners of her mouth revealed a meaningful smile.

She spoke in a very cold voice, “Just like that? You’re simply leaving?”