How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 54 Chilling

Qingru felt a chill run down her spine, her spirits sinking to rock bottom. She understood the unspoken meaning perfectly; she guessed the woman was heading to some kind of brothel.

The other girls, unaware of this, couldn't help but feel envious and jealous.

Boss Hu looked around and pointed to a few people. "These are the ones. Let's sign the contracts."

"Yes," the second brother replied, calling out the people who had been called out, including Guiying.

Just as Sister-in-law Niu was about to speak, her second sister-in-law stopped her. Sister-in-law Niu was puzzled; weren't they going to sell Guiying... why send her to the factory?

What Sister-in-law Niu didn't know was that her second brother and sister-in-law had already decided to abandon them and find work elsewhere. They were being closely watched here lately, and it was crucial to quickly clear out their stock and convert it into cash.

If Qin Huailou hadn't paid a hefty price for her, she would have sold Qingru off on the spot and run away long ago.

"This is the foreman of the Dongyang Cotton Mill. You can call him Boss Hu. You'll be working for him in the mill from now on."

Guiying and the other girls became eager and busied themselves for several days, finally putting their minds at ease. Having a place to go made them feel much more at ease.

The other girls who weren't chosen became anxious. "Auntie Niu, what should we do?"

Sister-in-law Niu didn't know what to do either, so she could only look to her second sister-in-law for help. The second sister-in-law said, "Don't worry, there are thousands of people in this factory. Besides Boss Hu, there are other foremen. If there are too many foremen, we might not be able to take care of them all."

The girls calmed down a bit after hearing this. After a while, two more bosses arrived and divided up the remaining girls.

The second brother called out, "Come on, everyone sign your indentures. They're all for five years. After five years, you can go home with lots of money."

Qingru became suspicious and tried to look at the contract, but her second sister-in-law stopped her, saying, "What, are you going to the yarn factory too?"

Qingru said urgently, "Why not? There are girls in the city who do needlework too."

Second Sister-in-law laughed and said, "Weren't you going to find your lover? What's the rush? You haven't even seen him yet."

Qingru knew this was most likely a lie, but she dared not miss this chance. What if it led to Xin Wuhui's whereabouts? If she missed these people, she didn't know where she would be able to find them.

My heart was filled with mixed feelings and I was deeply conflicted.

Sister-in-law Niu was unaware that her family had become someone else's pawn, and chimed in, "Yes, your Brother Xin has worked so hard for so long, you should go and see him. We've settled Guiying and the others in, we'll go in a bit."

Qingru hadn't made up her mind yet, but she nodded with a frown.

Guiying and her group signed the contract and were led away by their respective bosses. Guiying came over and handed her bundle to Qingru, saying, "Take care, I'm leaving now."

Qingru felt a pang of guilt, and she hesitated to tell Guiying the truth. Watching Guiying run off into the distance, she couldn't help but call out, "Guiying, don't worry, if you encounter any difficulties in this city, just come to me." Although her own home had been sealed off, she called out this in the hope that they would be more cautious and not do anything bad to Guiying.

Guiying turned around and paused for a moment, then smiled and ran away.

Qingru kept the words "Dongyang Cotton Mill" that she had glimpsed during the argument firmly in her mind, including the location where her second sister-in-law had allegedly disposed of the body. She knew that one day the truth would come out.

After seeing off the group, the second brother and sister-in-law visibly relaxed, but they still kept a close watch on Qingru, almost following her every step of the way.

By the time they headed back, it was already broad daylight. Their stomachs were empty, so Qingru suggested, "I see a wonton stall over there, why don't we eat there before we go?"

Second Sister-in-law was very alert. Seeing that the surrounding area was vast and there were only a few people on the road, she asked, "Where is the wonton stall? You've mistaken us for someone else. Hurry up and come back with us."

Qingru was a little anxious, but she held back, "Didn't I see someone picking up orders? You were busy delivering the orders and didn't see them, but I saw them. If you don't believe me, walk over there."

Second Sister-in-law frowned, "No need, even if there is, we won't go eat. Let's hurry back to the courtyard."

The young man quickly shouted, "I want to eat! I want to eat! You have money, what's wrong with coming out for a meal?"

Niu Da hurriedly went over to cover his mouth, but Xiao Erlang slipped away, sticking out his tongue, "Hehehe, if you don't eat, I'll eat." After saying that, he ran away.

This was something he and Qingru had agreed upon; he only needed one look from Qingru to know what was going on.

The second brother scolded, "What kind of behavior is this, Niu Da? Why aren't you chasing the child back right now?"

Niu Da quickly ran towards Xiao Erlang, and Qingru became nervous, her breathing becoming rapid.

Xiao Erlang was used to running, and he dodged left and right, making it difficult for Niu Da's strong body to catch up.

The second sister-in-law noticed Qingru's trembling body and, after a moment's thought, immediately understood, "Quickly chase after them, is that child trying to escape?"

Second Brother rushed over, and before Sister-in-law Niu could react, he and Second Sister-in-law grabbed Qingru on either side, preventing her from moving. Second Sister-in-law was furious, "You little hussy, when did you find out? I actually underestimated you!"

Sister-in-law Niu was truly stunned. She had always thought she had disguised herself very well. "Wh...what? What do you know?"

Second Sister-in-law spat, "Pah, you idiot, she knows what kind of business you're in."

Sister-in-law Niu looked at Qingru in disbelief, as if she had done something terribly wrong to Sister-in-law Niu.

Seeing that the pretense had been laid bare, Qingru no longer held back. "Heh, so what? The net of heaven is vast, yet nothing escapes it. You think you haven't slipped up, but in reality, there are flaws everywhere. Your retribution is coming soon, just wait!"

Sister-in-law Niu was so angry that she pinched Qingru hard, leaving her bruised and purple. "I've been so good to you, and you actually doubt me."

Qingru looked at her as if she were a fool. "I trusted you completely, and you wanted to betray me too? Come to think of it, you were the one who wronged me first."

"you…"

"Enough," the second sister-in-law said, not wanting to hear their strange talk anymore. "Shut up and keep a close eye on the person."

Xiao Erlang had developed agility through training in the mountains, so Niu Da and his companion could never catch up with him; he was as slippery as a snag.

No matter how agile he was, he was still just a child. He had been running around all night without having breakfast, and he was about to be caught up with. Little Erlang became anxious.

Qingru was also very worried.

When you get anxious, your breathing becomes disordered, and your steps become erratic.

When they were still two or three meters away from Xiao Erlang, the second brother revealed a strange smile. Niu Da, for reasons unknown, chased after him while deliberately interfering with the second brother.

"Gotcha!" The second brother reached out and grabbed the young man's collar tightly.

The little boy, his throat gripped, kicked wildly, shouting, "Let me go!" His face flushed red as he uttered those words.

Niu Da, being Xiao Erlang's father, couldn't help but feel sorry for him and said, "Second brother, put him down. He's still a child."

The second brother kicked Niu Da away, his eyes bloodshot and turning red, like a demon from the underworld. "Get lost! I don't need this one life. You little brat, you think you can run fast? Go ahead and run again!"

Niu Da coughed up blood and struggled to get over. Xiao Erlang's face was already purplish-red, but he still did not give in.

Qingru also wanted to rush over, but her second sister-in-law held her back tightly, "Little Erlang!"

Sister-in-law Niu hurriedly stuffed a handkerchief into Qingru's mouth to prevent her from screaming, her heart pounding.

Niu Da worked so hard, yet Second Brother actually wanted to kill Xiao Erlang. Does that mean that he and Niu Da weren't worth anything?

A chill ran down my spine, and I was momentarily at a loss for what to do.

Niu Da remembered what his sister-in-law had said yesterday, and realized that she had been prescient. Niu Da didn't want to lose his only son, so he disregarded his fear of his second brother and stepped forward to tear at him.

The second brother could have killed him with one move, but who knew that the youngest brother was so resilient? And with Niu Da causing trouble for him, he dared not make any big moves. This was the outskirts of the city, and someone might come over at any time.

Niu Da had just been kicked in the chest and coughed up blood. His words were incoherent, but he held onto his second brother tightly with both hands, pleading, "Second brother, this is my only son. Please, for my sake, let him go."

The second brother's eyes reddened, and he couldn't listen to any of this. Besides, he had long regarded Niu Da as his prey. "Stop talking nonsense, I'll find you another good one and have ten or eight children for you."

Niu Da refused to let go and, in his haste, suddenly bit his second brother's arm, his teeth piercing through flesh and striking the bone hard.

The second brother yelled, "Ah!" and threw the younger brother away in pain.

Niu Da hurriedly got up, picked up Xiao Erlang, and ran away. For some unknown reason, he turned around and ran towards the city gate.

Seeing this, the second sister-in-law quickly knocked Qingru unconscious with a palm strike, then dragged Niu Dasao away from there.

Niu Da ran, which aggravated his wounds, and he coughed up mouthfuls of blood while holding a child with a purplish-red face in his arms.

The people at the city gate dared not touch him. Niu Da staggered, and when he saw soldiers running towards him, he was actually quite relieved. He mumbled incoherently, "Save...save my child." After saying that, he collapsed.

The little boy in her arms rolled out, tumbling several times, and the pearl earring in her arms slipped out, just in time to be seen by Zhang Xun.

He was out of town on business when he happened to see this scene and took a few more glances. Something slipped out of the child's arms, and the more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed. So he dismounted and quickly walked over.

Picking up the earring and looking at it, he couldn't help but frown. "What's going on?"

The soldiers guarding the city were also at a loss, looking at each other in confusion. "We only saw this man running and bringing the child over; we don't know what happened."

In an instant, countless guesses surged through Zhang Xun's mind. Looking at Xiao Erlang's swollen face and Niu Da spitting blood, he hurriedly ordered, "Quickly find a doctor to save him. This man is of great use."

The soldiers guarding the city dared not be careless and immediately sprang into action, carrying people away and searching for doctors. Zhang Xun dared not relax. Although he didn't know where the child got the necklace, he didn't want to let go of this rare clue. He had been neglected for a long time because he had missed the opportunity to do something for Guo Zixing last time. The child's arrival was timely, just as Guo Zixing was concerned about Qingru's whereabouts.

The second brother witnessed Niu Da carrying the child and running into the city, shouting loudly and attracting the attention of the soldiers. He couldn't help but curse under his breath. "I knew things wouldn't go well from the start. Fortunately, we've got the money. Let's just pretend Niu Da accidentally killed him." As for Qingru, he had to take her to Shanghai and sell her off quickly. He couldn't let her be stuck with her; that would be the real problem.

On this side, Second Sister-in-law was carrying Qingru and Sister-in-law Niu, which inevitably slowed them down. People on the road saw them running briskly and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you two running? This girl is on your back, it must be quite a bump."

The second sister-in-law's expression changed, revealing a simple and naive look. "My sister is seriously ill, we need to take her home quickly."

The man asked in surprise, "Sifang City is just ahead, why are you worried about not having a good doctor?"

Second Sister-in-law clutched the hem of her clothes, embarrassed, and said, "Well, my family doesn't have any money either." After saying that, she grabbed Sister-in-law Niu and hurriedly left.

The man was still clicking his tongue, "Tsk, what a pity. If he had a disease and was this erratic, he would probably die from it."

The second brother left Niu Da behind and ran away. Seeing that his sister-in-law was nowhere to be seen, he knew she had already slipped away. Just then, he heard the voice again, and his face darkened as he chased after it.

Two figures were lying in the soldiers' rest area at the city gate. They looked frightening, and no one dared to move.

A soldier practically carried the doctor over at breakneck speed, making the old doctor break out in a sweat.

"Oh dear, these old bones of mine!" The doctor began to stretch his muscles as soon as he was put down.

Zhang Xun stepped forward and said politely, "Thank you for your trouble. Please see if these two people can still be saved."

Despite the old doctor rolling his eyes at him, he still came over to check on the two men's expressions.

He rummaged through the medicine box, took out a brown pill, and stuffed it into Niu Da's mouth. Turning to Niu Da, he said, "This big guy probably had his sternum broken by a kick, with bone fragments embedded in his heart. He's probably in grave danger. I'll give him a nitroglycerin pill to keep him alive for now, and then take him to the hospital to have a foreigner remove the bone fragments. Maybe then he can be saved."

After finishing his explanation, the old doctor went to check on the young boy. He saw that the boy's face was purplish and swollen, and thought to himself, "This is bad." He quickly placed the boy on the ground, pressed his hand against his chest several times, and then performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Slowly, the boy took a deep breath, coughed a few times, and his breathing gradually stabilized. The old doctor checked his pulse, confirmed that everything was alright, and then relaxed and sat down on the ground.

"Oh dear, I'm exhausted."

Zhang Xun rushed over and helped the old doctor up, saying, "Dr. Li, you've gone to so much trouble."

After resting, Dr. Li ignored Zhang Xun's attempt to persuade him to stay, saying, "Excuse me, ten silver dollars."

Zhang Xun frowned. "So expensive?"

Dr. Li was displeased. "Hey! How can you talk like that? These are two lives at stake. And that heart-saving pill is made from century-old ginseng and thousand-year-old lingzhi... There are only a few of them. I even got a bargain. Do you know how hard it is for me, at my age?"

Zhang Xun was a little embarrassed, so he quickly saw the person off, saying, "Oh, it's not expensive at all. I'll have someone take you home safely first, and then I'll have the police send you the money later."

Dr. Li stared at Zhang Xun suspiciously, "You're not trying to renege on your debt, are you?"

Zhang Xun's face darkened. "Don't worry, you'll get your share."

"Hmph," Doctor Li finally got up, satisfied, and swaggered out the door.