Chapter 22: An An’s “Nightmare” Returns

As the crowd surged toward Zhou Susu’s home, she suddenly recognized the old woman at the forefront.

It was An’an’s paternal grandmother, Old Mrs. Zhang!

Behind her trailed An’an’s shifty-eyed uncle and his shrewish-looking wife.

Why were they here? And judging by their aggressive, all-out mobilization, they had clearly come to cause trouble.

Zhou Susu’s expression darkened instantly. She instinctively turned to scoop An’an up and retreat into the house, but it was already too late.

An’an had also heard that familiar voice—the one that chilled her to the bone. She slowly raised her small head, and when her gaze met that of Old Mrs. Zhang, who was currently causing a scene nearby, a loud buzzing sound filled her ears.

An’an felt her consciousness slip away. All colors and sounds vanished in that instant. Her world narrowed into an endless, freezing darkness.

The horrific memories she had struggled so hard to suppress broke free like shackled demons, flooding her mind with violent intensity: the suffocating terror of being locked in a pitch-black closet; the desperate hunger that made her stomach cramp while she was forced to chew on moldy buns; the piercing agony of needles shoved under her fingernails and cigarette burns pressed into her back.

And the venomous curses echoed again:
"You money-losing wretch! Why aren’t you dead yet?"
"You’re nothing but a burden! Sooner or later, I’ll sell you off for cash!"
"You little mute! Keep crying and I’ll cut your tongue out!"

"No... don't..."

An’an’s face turned deathly pale, drained of all color. The small twig she had been holding dropped to the ground with a soft *clack*. Her large, vibrant eyes—which had only recently begun to shine with life—were instantly filled with terror. Her pupils dilated, and her entire body began to tremble violently.

This was her nightmare. The root of all her suffering. And now, her nightmare had returned.

At the gate of the courtyard, the Zhang family continued their theatrical performance.

"Oh, woe is me! They won’t even let us in! Is there no justice left in this world?" Old Mrs. Zhang sat on the ground, wailing earth-shatteringly. "I just want to see my poor granddaughter! My poor, suffering little girl!"

"We heard our niece was being fed until she was plump and healthy by this stepmother, so we just wanted to come and see if she was doing well. Is that a crime?" the uncle complained, feigning injury to the guard.

"Exactly!" the aunt shrieked in agreement. "Who knows what that woman surnamed Zhou is planning? Maybe she’s fattening the child up just to sell her for a higher price!"

They didn't mention money, only their "longing" for their granddaughter. But in truth, they had heard that Zhou Susu was raising An’an like a pampered little princess, making her beloved by everyone, and their greed had been piqued. In their village lived a bachelor in his fifties with some savings who had long wanted to buy a young girl as a "child bride." If they could snatch An’an back and sell her, the bride price would be enough for them to build a large tiled house!

The guard was at his wit's end, besieged by their relentless badgering. "I told you, you’re not getting in! This is a military residential area, not a place for you to run wild!"

"We don't care! If I don't see my granddaughter today, I'll die right here!" Old Mrs. Zhang began her shameless routine.

Just then, the corner of her eye caught the small, motionless figure in the yard.

"An’an! My precious granddaughter!"

Old Mrs. Zhang’s eyes lit up as if she had spotted a gold mine. She shrieked at the top of her lungs, "Grandma is here to see you! Come here and let Grandma hold you!" As she shouted, she scrambled to climb up and charge into the courtyard.

"Ah—!"

A shrill, piercing scream rang out. Everyone turned to look.

An’an was clutching her head with both hands, letting out a cry of sheer, desperate terror. Her small body was convulsing violently from the intensity of her panic.

"Don't come over here! Stay away! Bad people! You’re all bad people!"

Her mental state had completely shattered. Her post-traumatic stress disorder had been fully triggered.

Zhou Susu felt as if a knife were carving into her heart. Ignoring everything else, she lunged forward and pulled her daughter, who was spiraling into a manic state, tightly into her arms.

"An’an! An’an, don't be afraid! Mommy is here! Mommy is right here!"

But the little girl in her arms seemed unable to hear her. Her small hands flailed in the air, struggling, as she let out incoherent, pained whimpers.

"Don't hit me... don't lock me away... I’ll be good... I won’t ask for food..."

Those broken, tearful pleas made everyone present feel a sharp ache in their chests. What exactly had this child been through?

The Zhang family at the gate watched the scene with hearts as rotten as stagnant compost. Instead of feeling a shred of pity, they wore triumphant smiles.

*Let it escalate! The louder, the better! Let everyone think this stepmother has driven the child insane!*

Old Mrs. Zhang seized the opportunity, throwing herself back into her performance. She pointed at the mother and daughter huddled in the yard and wailed to the surrounding neighbors:

"Do you see that? Do you see it now?"

"My poor, innocent granddaughter has been tortured into this state by this wicked woman!"

"She must have been abusing her! Why else would the child be so terrified the moment she saw us?"

"Oh, Heavens! I beg you, open your eyes and save my poor, suffering granddaughter!"

Old Mrs. Zhang’s cries were dripping with feigned blood and malice. Her inversion of the truth was so convincing that even the neighbors who had just begun to doubt the Zhang family now felt uncertain.

*That’s true... if the child hadn't been abused by her stepmother and left with deep psychological trauma, why would she suddenly go crazy like this? Could it really be Zhou Susu’s doing?*

Li Sao and a few others who thrived on chaos found a new direction for their gossip, whispering among the crowd:

"I told you, no stepmother truly cares about someone else’s child."

"She must have been putting on an act while Commander Lu was home, and now that he’s gone, she’s showing her true colors!"

"The poor thing, her life is so hard—barely out of the tiger’s den, only to fall into the wolf’s lair..."

The oblivious onlookers discussed the situation with great interest. The tide of public opinion shifted in an eerily efficient way against Zhou Susu.

But Zhou Susu had no time to worry about that. Her entire world was occupied by the trembling, delirious child in her arms.

"An’an, An’an, look at Mommy. It’s me, it’s Mommy..."

She held her daughter close, calling her name over and over, desperate to pull her back from the darkness. But An’an remained trapped in a nightmare from which she could not wake. Her small face was turning bright red from lack of oxygen and terror, her breathing grew increasingly ragged, and she began to convulse.

*This is bad! An’an is in danger!*