Uncle Ronin immediately got up from his rocking chair and walked in to see what was happening in the room. Sure enough, he spotted the girl sitting up on the bed, and he happily stroked his goat beard.
“Howard’s wife, you’re finally awake.”
This address was undoubtedly unfamiliar to Nora, and she found it difficult to accept her new identity.
She had been abducted to this remote and backward mountainous area during her stupor, forced to marry a rustic man. But the man in her memory had been extremely kind to her. He would coax her into taking medicine, take her to see the sheep and pick wildflowers to make her happy, cook for her because he feared she wouldn’t be used to the food here, and stay up all night taking care of her when she was sick. Nora had never experienced such warmth before. It turned out that being loved and cherished by someone was so sweet.
But he only loved the simple and kind Nora; she was a sinner who had done many wrongs. Nora found herself deeply conflicted. The two personalities of Nora kept arguing in her mind, like a battle between an angel and a demon. The endless tug-of-war gave her a splitting headache.
Nora: “You have nothing left. Why bother clinging to the past? Howard loves you so much. Why not stay here and live happily with him?”
Nora: “You were raised by your mother according to the standards of a proper young lady since childhood. Are you willing to stay here and be an ordinary village woman?”
Nora: “What’s wrong with being a village woman? You spent the first half of your life pursuing marriage into wealthy families, but how many of those men truly cared for you? Don’t forget, your child died, and he didn’t even glance at him!”
Nora: “What about your talent and dreams? What about your brother, who took care of you for five years… don’t you want to go back and see him?”
Nora: “Howard is almost dying for you. He loves you so much, how can you abandon him? Admit it, you’ve fallen in love with him.”
The two little voices in her head were still fighting, with no clear winner. Meanwhile, the real Nora was clutching her throbbing head in agony and shouting loudly, “Stop it, I’m Nora, I’m Nora!”
In an instant, her face turned as pale as paper, and she seemed to go mad, repeatedly hitting herself on the head with her hands. This frightened Uncle Ronin.
“Kid, are you okay? If you keep hitting yourself like this, you’ll become stupid again. If you’re not feeling well, shall I take another look at you?”
As Uncle Ronin approached with a silver needle in his hand, Nora remembered someone from her memory. He was the most feared and envied person to her.
“No, don’t come any closer. I’m fine.”
Now Uncle Ronin noticed a hint of fear in her eyes as she looked at him, obviously afraid.
“Alright, alright, I won’t come over. Don’t get agitated. Your condition is still unstable, you shouldn’t be stimulated.”
“I’ll go out and find some medicine for you. You stay here and don’t wander around.”
Uncle Ronin naturally didn’t want to leave her alone here, but there was no one else in the house to take care of her.
Moreover, she was now fully awake and had a normal mind, so she shouldn’t run amok. Just in case, he’d better go and come back early.
As soon as Uncle Ronin left, Nora ignored his advice and, following the route in her memory, stumbled back to the place where she and Howard had lived for over a month.
When Nora set foot here again, she felt an indescribable sense of oppression. After a long while, she finally took the first step and climbed the stairs.
The bamboo-made house had a natural fragrance, and there were two dried wildflowers hanging at the door. She had picked them five days ago and deliberately put them there.
Under the eaves, there was a small stove, with medicine jars and bowls placed on top of it. Howard would brew medicine for her here every day, then patiently coax her into taking it.
Every item in the room reminded her of the ruggedly handsome face of that man. He wasn’t much of a talker, but there was always plenty to say when he was with her.
Honestly, Howard was definitely not Nora’s type. But the image of the man stepping forward to protect her had remained vivid in her mind. “What should I do?” Nora slumped on the bed in despair. Perhaps it was her bad luck, but as she sat down, she inadvertently pressed a switch.
Click- A faint sound echoed in the room, followed by the appearance of a square hole in the floor out of nowhere. Nora, with wide eyes, approached curiously. Peering down, all she saw was pitch darkness.
“This… is a cellar?” She had lived here for over a month without ever discovering this secret. Driven by curiosity, she decided to take a look. Glancing around, she found a flashlight in a box and descended the stairs with its light.
After descending about a dozen steps, a tunnel appeared in front of her. It was narrow, allowing only one person to pass, and there was no light around, just pitch darkness. Nora grew increasingly afraid as she walked, her mind filled with guesses about what lay ahead.
Finally, she arrived at a relatively spacious area. To her astonishment, at the end of the tunnel was a prison cell. Through an iron gate, she saw several women and even a child detained inside. Her presence lifted their spirits, and they began clamoring for release.
“Who are you? Can you let us out?”
“Where’s Howard?”
“Please, let us out. My family is wealthy, I’ll make sure my dad gives you a million.”
Nora was dumbfounded. She had thought Howard was just an ordinary villager, but to discover that he was keeping so many women imprisoned… These people clearly weren’t from around here.
“I…” Just as she was at a loss for what to do, a little girl from the crowd approached her. The girl suddenly reached out with her dark little hand and grabbed Nora’s wrist.
“Nora, why are you here?”
“Do you know me?”
Now it was Nora’s turn to be shocked. She didn’t recognize the child in front of her, yet the girl could accurately call out her name. The look in the girl’s eyes didn’t seem like she was lying. Did she truly not recognize her own face?
Cheche was momentarily stunned. She forgot that Nora didn’t know her in this world.
“Ahem… If you let me out, I’ll tell you a secret, deal?”
“What secret?” The little girl smirked, deliberately teasing her. “You have to let me out first before I can tell you.” After weighing her options, Nora agreed.
However, she admitted she didn’t know where the key was. With that, everyone’s spirits sank again. Without a key, how could they escape?