Chapter 61: Chapter 55 The Domestic Abuser in the Community Chapter 61: Chapter 55 The Domestic Abuser in the Community The night grew denser, and a few noisy disturbances came from the quiet neighborhood, suddenly waking Jiang Ning from her deep sleep.
Half a minute later, the confusion in her eyes gradually dispersed, and Jiang Ning finally discerned what those noises were.
Next door, a cruel instance of domestic violence was happening!
The man’s angry shouts and the woman’s pitiful cries for mercy pierced through the walls into Jiang Ning’s ears.
Jiang Ning frowned and got out of bed impatiently, heading towards the balcony. At the same time, she asked in her mind, “System, aren’t you going to do something about this?”
[This…] The System also heard the commotion next door and after scanning it, replied with some difficulty: [He’s committing domestic violence, but it doesn’t constitute a crime.]
Jiang Ning countered, “Isn’t domestic violence intentional harm?”
The System bowed its head, fiddling with its fingers: [No, Host, the assailant must inflict injuries classified as a Grade II minor injury or above for it to be considered intentional harm.]
Jiang Ning’s eyebrows knotted, and by the time she finished chatting with the System, she had already stepped out onto the balcony.
Standing on the balcony, without the wall and sliding doors to muffle the sound, the man’s angry violence was even clearer and more piercing in the quiet of the night.
Jiang Ning rested her hands on the balcony railing and yelled out, “What the hell are you doing at this hour? Can’t people sleep? Who’s the worthless coward who beats his wife late at night? If you like to perform so much, why not open your door and let the whole neighborhood watch the show!”
As soon as Jiang Ning spoke out, the noise from next door ceased instantly.
Jiang Ning waited on the balcony for a while, and after confirming there was no more commotion, she turned around and went back to her room.
That shout had driven away Jiang Ning’s drowsiness as she glanced at her watch—it was one-thirty in the morning.
If some loser dared to beat her up at one-thirty in the morning, he wouldn’t escape being beaten half to death and kicked out of the house, or she wouldn’t be called Jiang Ning!
After drinking a cup of warm water, Jiang Ning lay down on the bed to continue sleeping.
A dreamless night passed.
Early the next morning, Jiang Ning got up early and practiced a set of boxing moves on the balcony, which offered an excellent view.
It had been a long time since Jiang Ning had practiced these moves, but after stretching her muscles at the Martial Arts Gym in the past few days, these techniques sealed in her mind quickly became familiar again.
The dawn’s sun rose gently, its golden rays piercing through the clouds, draping over the city in strands and wisps.
Jiang Ning changed her shoes and went out for an even-paced ten-kilometer run around the neighborhood.
After using the facilities at the bottom of the apartment building to do some stretching, she slowly walked back home.
The sun, which had just peeked out when she left, was now high in the sky, casting a golden brilliance, and the number of people coming and going beneath the buildings progressively increased.
Jiang Ning chose not to take the elevator but the stairs back to her home.
Having run ten kilometers and climbed more than ten flights of stairs, she was sweating profusely by the time she got home.
Jiang Ning pressed her fingerprint to unlock the door when a woman carrying bags full of items emerged from behind her.
Seeing Jiang Ning’s figure, the woman paused for a moment, then stepped forward, approaching Jiang Ning with a friendly voice, “Would you like some fruit?”
Suddenly noticing a stranger by her side, Jiang Ning, who was about to enter the house, tilted her head to glance at the woman, “Thanks, but I have fruit at home. No need.”
“Thank you for helping me last night,” the woman said, prompting Jiang Ning to notice the redness and swelling on her face and the unnatural way she was holding the bags.
She set down the items on the ground and handed Jiang Ning a bag of apples, with a grateful tone mixed with a hint of fear, “If it hadn’t been for you, he might have killed me last night.”
Jiang Ning looked at her, “Did you fight back last night?”
Qin Taoran paused, “…What?”
“He was about to kill you, did you hit him back?” Jiang Ning asked again.
The events of the previous night flashed before her, and Qin Taoran’s expression turned fearful as she shook her head subconsciously, “I… I didn’t dare… Can you help me?”
As soon as she spoke, Qin Taoran almost bit her own tongue, unable to believe she had uttered that last half-sentence.
The young woman before her was clearly in her early twenties, probably still a student.
Even though the girl had bravely spoken up to help her last night, she seemed to be just a frail young lady.
How could she have the nerve to ask a young girl for help!
Qin Taoran’s expression was one of shame, and she hurriedly tried to make amends, “I was talking nonsense.”
[A random task detected, help Qin Taoran escape from the domestic abuser Ruan Jiahua, reward 3 days’ life value, 10 Merit Points.]
Hearing the System’s voice, Jiang Ning’s eyes deepened as she looked at Qin Taoran, who was still anxiously trying to explain herself, and Jiang Ning spoke up, “Okay.”
Qin Taoran was stunned.
Jiang Ning looked at the several big bags of stuff that she had just placed on the ground and said, “Are you going back to make breakfast? You can come over after you’re done, and we can analyze what to do.”
Reminded by Jiang Ning, Qin Taoran suddenly realized that the place where the two of them were standing was not suitable for chatting.
Qin Taoran nodded, “Okay, I’ll come over to find you later.”
Qin Taoran picked up the things from the ground, and they each went into their respective homes.
About an hour later, Qin Taoran pressed the doorbell of Jiang Ning’s apartment.
Jiang Ning had been at home the whole time, and after she let Qin Taoran in, she casually poured a cup of hot tea for her.
Sitting on the couch, Qin Taoran looked around Jiang Ning’s place and noticed that Jiang Ning’s home was sparsely furnished, with nothing but the necessary furniture and appliances, the living room so clean it appeared ready for someone to pack up and leave at any moment.
Jiang Ning didn’t mind Qin Taoran’s scrutiny, she also poured herself a hot tea and sat opposite Qin Taoran, “Tell me, what’s the matter?”
With a bitter expression, Qin Taoran recounted her issues with her husband, Ruan Jiahua.
Qin Taoran grew up in a single-parent family and originally she did not want to get married, but she could not stand her mother’s relentless pressure.
At the age of 32, when her mother was critically ill, her only wish was to see her get married and have a good place to call home.
Qin Taoran was raised through the hard work and suffering of her mother, and it could be said that aside from the many conflicts that arose between mother and daughter over Qin Taoran’s marriage, they otherwise shared a deep bond, dependent on each other.
Her mother’s illness made Qin Taoran extremely sad, and to put her mother’s mind at ease, Qin Taoran compromised.
Once Qin Taoran softened her stance, Mother Qin immediately had a matchmaker set Qin Taoran up, and that’s when she met Ruan Jiahua.
After the first meeting, Qin Taoran discovered that the man introduced by the matchmaker was actually a former primary school classmate of hers.
Encountering a primary school classmate in a blind date made Qin Taoran feel a bit awkward.
However, Ruan Jiahua seemed interested in her and would often ask her out, actively offering rides to and from work, and after learning her mother was ill and in the hospital, he frequently brought fruit to visit.
Ruan Jiahua was a local, with a car and a house, good-looking, and with a respectable job, and was about the same age as Qin Taoran.
Mother Qin was extremely pleased with Ruan Jiahua.
Originally, Qin Taoran hadn’t felt any attraction to Ruan Jiahua, but as he persistently pursued her and under the strong urging of her mother, her attitude towards Ruan Jiahua gradually softened.
From their blind date reunion to applying for a marriage certificate, it took less than three months.
Half a year after they got married, Mother Qin passed away due to her illness.
One year after getting married, Qin Taoran became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter.
It was after the birth of the daughter that Qin Taoran noticed that Ruan Jiahua’s attitude towards her was gradually changing.
Ruan Jiahua’s attitude toward Qin Taoran began to grow impatient, and on several occasions, he even yelled at her over trivial matters.
The Ruan Jiahua who was gentle and patient with Qin Taoran early in their marriage, who would take the initiative to share housework, had changed. Now, as soon as he came home from work, he would lie on the couch playing with his phone, leaving Qin Taoran to handle all the affairs, and sometimes he wouldn’t return for the entire night.
As she spoke, Qin Taoran couldn’t help but tear up, “He seems like a completely different person now.”
Jiang Ning focused on the key point, “How many times had he hit you before yesterday?”
Qin Taoran bit her lip, struggling to speak, “I’ve lost count.”
She put down the tea cup in her hand and lifted her sleeves and the hem of her shirt to show Jiang Ning.
On Qin Taoran’s arms, stomach, and waist were various overlapping bruises and swelling, a shocking sight to see.
These were all marks left by Ruan Jiahua just the night before.