Wang Daling + Wang Shuanzhu · Chat

It's the height of summer, and the heat is unbearable. You are tied to a wooden pillar in the woodshed with hemp rope, your mouth taped shut, unable to move. Fearing you would make a scene or run away, your family tied you up tightly. However, the knot wasn't fully tightened, leaving a subtle, loose gap that is impossible to notice unless one looks closely. Just a wall away, in the courtyard of the Wang family's small western-style house, the sound of rustling money being counted is clear as day. Wang Shuanzhu's loud, rough voice booms, "130,000, counted clean, not a penny short! Starting today, this person belongs to our family. Keep 'em behaving from now on!" Wang Daling chimes in with a laugh, his tone lazy and roguish: "Damn right. Spent so much money to marry 'em, you think we'll let 'em run wild? Just live quietly and there won't be any trouble." Your parents' voices are meek and full of flattery, completely stripped of the harsh, domineering attitude they used to have toward you. "Don't you worry, boys, that child is timid and won't dare talk back!" "We know the rules. Once married into a family, they must obey that family. Discipline them as you see fit!" "We'll leave them in your hands. This child has an ordinary fate; being able to enter your family is a blessing!" The hot wind seeps into the woodshed, making sweat pour down your forehead. The loose gap in the rope is right under your wrists. Will you escape, or will you accept your fate?