NOVPUB
Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Human Trafficker
"Exactly!" Ma Xiulan revealed a smile akin to hooking a big fish. "I’m a group leader at the textile factory. I came back this time to recruit some people to work there."
With that, she sighed, "Sis-in-law, let me tell you something from the heart. Actually, I don’t want to do this kind of work. I need to worry about their safety when recruiting people. It’s hard work without gratitude. But thinking about bringing the sisters who grew up together in the village to earn money, I figure I’ll go the extra mile! We’re all family after all."
Tong Yao looked at Ma Xiulan again, with an added layer of scrutiny, and asked, "Which city do you work in and what’s the factory’s name?"
Ma Xiulan answered smoothly, "Jiang City, Tianyi Textile Factory. Our factory is large, with hundreds of workers."
"Do you recruit men?" questioned Tong Yao, with a playful blink, afraid to raise suspicion in Ma Xiulan, she quickly explained, "Boyi is idle at home if you recruit men too, he can go with Xiaohui, brother and sister can take care of each other."
"Oh! I’m sorry about that. Our factory does not hire men." Ma Xiulan explained with a laugh, "Sis-in-law, as you know men are rough and do hard manual labor, how could they do such delicate work as textiles! If they get angry, they might just snap all the silk threads!"
"You make a good point, Boyi is used to doing farm work at home, he certainly can’t do delicate work." Tong Yao agreed with a nod, playing along with the conversation.
Seeing this, Ma Xiulan changes the subject with a smile, "Sis-in-law, why don’t you come work with Xiulan at our factory! We provide food and accommodation, fifty yuan a month, bonus during the New Year, even the fare will be reimbursed. The conditions are quite good, if you guys go together, you can look after each other."
Tong Yao was just about to reply when two swallows under the eaves chirped.
[That’s it, she wants to trick Tong Yao into going too. Last night a man came to see her, asking her to pick the prettiest ones; she must have laid her eyes on Tong Yao.]
[Bad woman, she has deceived so many people and still wants to continue. Half the young girls in the village will be tricked away by her.]
Upon hearing this, Tong Yao’s heart skipped a beat. From the moment she first saw Ma Xiulan, she knew something was off. Being vigilant has led her to ask so many questions and it turns out she is a human trafficker.
In her previous life, she had heard about the number of fraudsters in the 1980s in online forums. Many girls were deceived by people from the same village. The luckier ones were bought to be wives, the unlucky ones would be sold several times. Those who dared to escape and were caught would be brutally beaten, even deliberately poisoned to prevent escape.
Those even unluckier would be sent to various entertainment venues, those who disobeyed were beaten. Some women, unable to bear the humiliation, committed suicide, some became numb, and some were directly beaten into psychosis, with a significant number being beaten to death. This is why many people disappeared without a trace.
Unexpectedly, the gossip she casually consumed in her past life is now happening to her. Looking at the situation, Ma Xiulan deceived quite a lot of people. How cruel must one be to stretch out their evil hands towards the playmates they grew up with?
"Sis-in-law, what are you thinking about? You look so lost." Seeing that Tong Yao had been silent for a long time, Ma Xiulan became alert.
She had heard that Tong Yao was a college student from Kyoto. She asked so many questions just now, it couldn’t be that she was sussing her out, could it?
Tong Yao came back to her senses and gave Ma Xiulan a seemingly naive and radiant smile, "I’m considering whether or not to go."
Ma Xiulan also laughed, although the smile did not quite reach her eyes. Seeing that Tong Yao was not too surprised at the mention of fifty yuan a month, she guessed it might be because Tong Yao, being a Kyoto native, had seen more of the world. Consequently, she dangled a bigger bait, "Sis-in-law, I’ve heard you’re a college graduate. You must know a lot. If you come with us, you don’t need to work in the workshop. You can just sit in the office and write a few words every day, the salary is even higher than textiles. At least a hundred yuan a month."
"My God, that high?" Tong Yao covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes sparkling, "I will go back and discuss it with Ahchen right away."
Seeing that the fish had bitten the hook, Ma Xiulan was delighted and quickly called Tong Yao to wait, "Sis-in-law, wait a moment." 𝓃ℴ𝓋𝓹𝓊𝓫.𝒸𝓸𝓂
"What’s the matter?" Tong Yao blinked with an expression that showed she was anxious to go home and discuss this with Si Chen.
Ma Xiulan looked around. Making sure no one was around, she whispered, "You guys are newlyweds, I guess Si Chen would definitely disagree with you going out to work. I suggest you and Xiaohui come with me secretly first and report later. Once you get there, you can call home. If you work for a year or two, your new house can be built."
"That doesn’t sound so good, right?" Tong Yao hesitated, "What if the folks at home think I’ve run away?"
"What’s wrong with that?" Explained Ma Xiulan, with an expression that said, ’I treat you like my own sister-in-law, that’s why I’m telling you these things’. "Sis-in-law, look at how much the economy has changed in the last two years. Everyone is rushing to the big cities to earn money! When you come back with money, you’ll be the boss at home. Everyone will treat you like a living bodhisattva. The quotas in our factory are limited. If you hesitate and can’t decide, it’ll be too late for regrets once the factory is full. Many people are trying really hard to get into our factory. Sis-in-law, you have to think it over clearly!"
Tong Yao hesitated for a while, "When do we leave?"
"Buy tickets tomorrow, leave the day after tomorrow." Thinking that Tong Yao was swayed, Ma Xiulan grinned slyly and began to discuss the plans. "Sis-in-law, you just go directly to Liushui Town, we’ll depart from there."
"Shouldn’t we go to the railway station if we’re taking a train?" Tong Yao feigned confusion, "Why go to Liushui Town?"
Noticing Tong Yao’s doubt, Ma Xiulan rushed to explain, "Here’s the thing, sis-in-law. The factory said that if we can recruit more than ten people, they will arrange a special vehicle to pick us up. Now that I have recruited fifteen people, the factory will definitely arrange a vehicle."
"Fifteen people already?" Tong Yao appeared to be amazed but was in fact quite shocked. What a piece of work, harming so many people at once, and they are all neighbors and relatives. This woman is truly wicked through and through.
"You bet, plus you and Xiaohui it will be seventeen." Ma Xiulan wore a proud expression and continued to entice Tong Yao, "Sis-in-law, our factory has good benefits and high wages, much better than working in Li City. When working in Li City, you will only make around twenty yuan a month after all the hard work, barely enough to eat, let alone saving money. Unlike our factory, where we provide accommodation and pay fifty yuan. If you work there for a year or two and bring back two or three thousand yuan, you’ll be the richest in the village. Even the village chief will have to greet you with a smile when he sees you."
"Wow..." Tong Yao was about to speak when she heard Si Chen’s voice from behind.
"What brings you here?"
Si Chen came from outside the wall of Ma Xiulan’s house.
Seeing Si Chen, Ma Xiulan was startled for a moment, and then tentatively called out, "Brother Si Chen, is that you?"
"..." Si Chen raised his eyebrows and looked at her with a hint of confusion in his eyes.
Once she was sure she had not made a mistake, Ma Xiulan laughed with familiarity, "I’m Xiulan! Don’t you recognize me? When I was a kid, I often went to your house to play with Xiaohui."
