My sister has a developmental delay, with an IQ of a 7-year-old. Our family arranged a marriage for her. The groom was 36, slightly disabled, and owned a grocery store in the next county. On the day of the wedding, my sister was dressed beautifully, her eyes full of innocent curiosity. Mom lied to her: "We're going on a trip. Be good." She got into the car excitedly. After that, I never heard from her again. Until the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, she came back. She lay by the window and whispered timidly, "Sis, my body hurts a little." "C-can I rest at home for a few days?" 1 Although my sister Jenny is simple-minded, she is exceptionally beautiful, especially her eyes—dark and bright. Like an innocent little animal. So when she secretly peeked through my window, I spotted her immediately. "Jen?" Seeing her alone, I was shocked. It takes three hours just to drive from the county to our town, with transfers in between. I didn't know how she made it back. Through the window glass, I saw her eyes filled with tears. Her voice was very low: "Sis, my body hurts a little." "C-can I rest at home for a few days?" Saying the word "home," her mouth puckered slightly, trying hard not to cry. When I was bullied as a kid, she had the same expression when protecting me. I put down my homework, feeling complicated, and opened the window. Only when she was close did I notice a small sign hanging around her neck. Written in black marker: [Jenny Chen, has an owner, contact: 137xxx] "Who hung this sign on you?!" I frowned, trying to untie it for her, only to find it was a dead knot, and the string was wire. Like a collar, it couldn't be taken off. Jenny didn't hide her emotions; grievance and sadness flowed freely. "He hung it on me. I said no, I don't like it, he wouldn't listen." I froze. "He" must be my brother-in-law. I only saw him once at the wedding—tall and thin, with a slight disability in his right leg, walking unsteadily. He looked honest, but I didn't expect him to be this kind of person behind the scenes. Our house is self-built; my room is on the first floor, my parents are on the second, and there's no one in the living room. I quietly opened the door and let Jenny in. Back in the room, under the fluorescent light, Jenny's face was dirty, her clothes torn and dusty. I asked, "Did you run away?" She nodded, saying foolishly, "I asked a lot of people and took the bus for a long time to find our home." I lifted her collar and gasped. Her fair skin was covered with red marks, some healed, some new. I rolled up her sleeves; her arms were the same. "Who beat you?" I gritted my teeth. She blinked, tears rolling down one by one. "Many people. Him, his mom, his dad..." "Mia, I don't want to live with them." "I want to go home." 2 "Okay." I said, without any hesitation. "You hide in this room. Don't let Mom and Dad know. I'll bring you food when you're hungry." Jenny's sorrowful eyes finally lit up. "Really?" She asked cautiously. I made the bed and took out another quilt from the closet. "This is your room too." Our house has few rooms—one for parents, one for my brother. Before Jenny got married, I shared this room with her. I still kept her things. Seeing me make the bed, Jenny was excited, speaking like a child: "I must hide well!" I smiled helplessly. "I'll find pliers later to get that thing off your neck." "I'm going to get you some water now, don't go out..." "Mia! I want to play games!" Bang! The door was knocked open by brute force. I frowned, quickly blocking the door, shouting sternly: "Tyler, how many times have I told you to knock before entering my room!" Tyler froze, peering inside. "Is Big Sis back?" "I saw her." I put on a cold face. "No, you're seeing things." "Didn't you want to play games? Go out first, I'll find my phone." Tyler's eyes widened, declaring aggressively: "It's Big Sis! I saw her, don't try to trick me." "Mom said she's married now, she's not part of our family anymore." "I'm telling Mom and Dad!" He tried to run, but I grabbed his arm. "If you talk nonsense again, believe it or not, I'll smack you." Tyler was rebellious; he stretched his neck and started screaming. "Mom! Dad! Big Sis is back!" "Mia is going to hit me!" "Save me!" The next second, footsteps sounded on the stairs. Tyler grinned triumphantly and cheaply. I was furious and slapped him across the face, crisp and loud. He burst into tears immediately. "Mia, why did you hit Tyler?" Mom screamed, prying my hand away, glaring at me hatefully. "What if you hurt your brother? Are you going to support him?" Tyler wailed loudly. "Big Sis is back! Mia wouldn't let me tell you. She said she'd hit me if I did." As soon as the words fell, my parents' faces changed drastically. "Jenny ran back?" "Is she in your room?" They interrogated endlessly. I calmly blocked the door. "Tyler is talking nonsense." "The county is so far from town, how could she come back alone?" "I didn't let Tyler play games, so he lied." Mom was skeptical. "I didn't lie!" Tyler stopped crying, pushed me aside angrily, and squeezed into the room. The door was wide open, everything inside visible. No sign of Jenny. He looked confused. "Big Sis was standing right there just now." Tyler pointed to a spot. "Mom, I didn't lie, I really saw her come back." I sneered. Mom sighed. "Enough, what's all the fuss on Mid-Autumn Festival." "If Tyler wants to play games, give him the phone." "You're a senior in high school, studying is more important. What use do you have for a phone?" I swallowed my grievance and annoyance, went into the room to get the phone. "Here." Tyler held the phone, but his eyes stared fixedly at the closet. I yawned, pretending to be sleepy. "I have school tomorrow, going to sleep now." Mom led Tyler upstairs. I breathed a sigh of relief, ready to close the door. My hand just gripped the handle when someone's phone rang. Dad picked up his phone, glanced at it, and said, "It's the in-laws." I held my breath, heart racing. He pressed answer, smiling politely: "In-law, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, have you eaten?" Silence on the other end for two seconds, then cursing erupted: "Eat my ass." "Your daughter ran away!" 3 "What?!" Dad's pupils dilated, his smile vanishing completely. Mom stood frozen. The voice on the phone was furious: "If you don't find your daughter by tomorrow, return the dowry." Jenny was only 19, but she was exchanged for a $30,000 dowry. After getting the money, the house was renovated, Tyler enrolled in cram school, Dad bought a camera he'd been eyeing, and Mom wore a gold necklace. The family also bought a second-hand car. The $30,000 was long gone; my parents couldn't pay it back. Dad panicked, arguing: "Jenny is simple-minded, how could she run?" "Did you make a mistake?" "I checked the surveillance. She took a bus and ran. Destination is your house." "If you're playing games with me, I won't let your Chen family off." My heart was in my throat. Tyler suddenly shouted: "Big Sis is in Mia's room!" Mom's face darkened. Without any suspicion, she walked straight into my room. She opened the closet. Empty. She squatted to look under the bed. Still nothing. Mom questioned viciously: "Where did you hide her?" I pinched my palm, expression unchanged. "I don't know." "She didn't come back." Dad's lips curled down. He slapped me across the face, his voice loud and oppressive: "Still lying." "Besides you, who else can she go to?" Half my face burned with pain, a rusty taste in my mouth—probably bleeding. I covered my face, gasping, "She's a person, she has her own thoughts, she wouldn't be stupid enough to come back to this house." "If you don't believe me, call the police!" My parents looked at each other, falling silent. They dared not call the police. They knew selling their daughter was shameful. I confronted them with red eyes. "If you don't call the police, I will." I snatched the phone back from Tyler and quickly dialed 911. "Beep, beep—" Before the second ring, Dad snatched the phone away. He cut the call, cheeks trembling with anger. "Don't air dirty laundry in public!" Mom cursed: "That idiot! Others feed and house her, yet she still runs!" "What do we do? The in-laws are coming tomorrow." They rubbed their brows helplessly, looking anxious. Tyler rolled his eyes and looked up. "Just send Mia." My fingers trembled, locking eyes with him. He hid behind Mom, only showing his head, smiling brightly. "Big Sis and Mia actually look quite alike." "Mia can go deal with them for a few days. Once we find Big Sis, we'll bring her back." 4 A glint flashed in my parents' eyes. Sensing their thoughts, I firmly refused. "I won't go. I'm a minor. That's illegal." Mom smiled: "Mia, just treat it as playing for a few days. Once we find your sister, we'll pick you up." Dad's face softened. "Just keep it within the family. No one else needs to know." "Your brother-in-law is a decent guy. He won't bully you." Hearing their ghostly words, I laughed until I cried. I wiped the mist from my eyes and glanced coldly at Tyler. "Since you have to send someone, I think Tyler is the most suitable." "He's a boy. Maybe brother-in-law doesn't have that preference. Plus, he doesn't have school, plenty of time." Tyler pouted. "I'm not going." "Brother-in-law is a psycho. I don't want to be with him!" Mom looked at me dissatisfied. "You're the older sister now. Why don't you have any responsibility?" "No more discussion. Tomorrow your dad will drive you there. Stay in your room obediently." My jaw tightened. "If you want to go, go yourself." "The money came from selling your daughter. Pay it back yourself." After I said this, the two people in front of me turned cold. Mom grabbed my ear and slapped me several times. Her sharp, long nails scratched my cheek, leaving a trail of blood. "Did we spend no money raising her? With her IQ, she can't survive in society. Getting married early is the right thing." "She marries, we get some pension money. How is that selling a daughter?" I cried from the pain, heart cold. Dad took a rope, ignoring my struggles, and tied my hands. "Stop talking nonsense with her. Send her directly to the in-laws tomorrow." Just as I wanted to struggle, Jenny's faint crying reached my ears. "Don't, don't send Mia." My throat tightened. She crawled out of an inconspicuous cardboard box, clenching her fists nervously. "Don't hit Mia..." My parents stopped moving.
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