Divorced woman with child travels through time

"Take those spare clothes too, they're all good quality, they can be sold for money!"

"Okay, boss!" The men packed up all the things and people and took them away.

Xiao Hao became increasingly lucid. Hanging upside down on his shoulder, he could clearly see the current situation: there were four men in total, three strong and one thin. Even if the two of them were awake, it would be difficult to win in one blow unless a killing move was used.

"Boss, there are even silver notes in here!" The clothes had fallen out because they weren't properly pocketed. The skinny man bent down to pick them up and found Chen Xuanyu's purse. He exclaimed in surprise, raising his voice slightly.

"Keep your voice down, let's take them back first!" The man in the turban leading the group couldn't hide his surprise and led them quickly outside.

Xiao Hao watched as the group carried the three of them out of the inn, even taking their horses with them. After walking about three to five miles, they finally stopped at a secluded courtyard two or three miles from the main road.

"These people are really bold! Committing crimes right off the main road? Are they trying to make it easier to escape?" Xiao Hao exclaimed, then quickly closed his eyes again upon realizing they had arrived.

The night is already very deep.

"Woo woo!..." Several whimpering sounds, like those of abandoned kittens and puppies, came from the next room.

"What are you crying for! Are you wailing like a mourner!" The burly man slammed his fist on the door, making a deafening roar, and the crying inside stopped abruptly.

"Bang!" The burly man unlocked the door and kicked it open, and several people filed in.

"Come on, put him down!" The man in the turban who was in the lead went into the room first, without even glancing at the person behind him, and threw Xiao Hao down.

"We've found three fat sheep today!" the men grumbled as they worked.

"Of course! I glanced at some of them, and those silver notes were worth a hundred taels! A hundred taels!" The man tossed Chen Xuan Yu aside and gave himself a thumbs-up. "Who among you is as sharp-eyed as me!"

"Yes, yes, you're the smartest! Come on, let's go have a drink!"

The man in the turban who was in the lead lit a lamp, glanced around the room to make sure that no one was missing, then turned off the lamp, locked the door, and left.

Xiao Hao suddenly opened his eyes. The house was obviously not very soundproof, and he could hear the excited shouts coming from the next room clearly.

"We've struck it rich! The total is nearly a thousand taels of silver! These three children must be the eldest grandsons of some powerful family!"

"Who cares about whether they're legitimate or not? We can sell them later and make a few dozen taels! We brothers won't have to work for years!"

"Big brother is right, he has the best judgment!"

"That's right, if it weren't for the fact that the eldest brother could tell at a glance that the kid was generous, we wouldn't have been able to catch such a fat sheep!"

"Second brother is right, come, toast to eldest brother!"

"Drink, drink, drink!" The sounds of clinking glasses filled the air. Although there were only four or five people, they managed to create the atmosphere of a grand banquet.

Xiao Hao was quiet for a while, then opened his eyes again. After his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw the situation inside the room by the light of the moon. In the large room, there was something that looked like a bed but not a kang (a heated brick bed). There was a pile of soil under the wooden frame and dry wheat straw on top. In the corner, there were several dark figures sitting or lying down. Judging from their size, they were children who were about the same age as them or a little younger.

Dry straw was piled up along the corner of the house, and children were huddled together on it. Xiao Hao could see very clearly that there were two children who were four or five years old among them.

Xiao Hao quietly observed the situation inside the room. Apart from a door and a window, there was nothing else. He didn't say a word, and the other children in the room were also looking at him. One of the children crawled towards him, and Xiao Hao reached out to stop him, making a shushing gesture. The child was stunned for a moment, then obediently lay on the ground without moving.

The room was eerily quiet. Xiao Hao strained his ears to listen. The group seemed to be having too much fun, and after drinking for a long time, they finally started muttering. The room outside also quieted down.

Xiao Hao waited quietly for another incense stick's time. Hearing snoring from next door, he confirmed that they must have fallen asleep. Only then did he sit up and stretch.

Xiao Hao came to Chen Xuanyu's side, covered his mouth with one hand, and pinched his inner thigh hard with the other.

"Ugh..." With a muffled groan that sounded utterly agonizing, Chen Xuanyu woke up. He opened his eyes to see the pitch-black room and Xiao Hao covering his mouth. He instinctively felt that something bad was about to happen, so he looked at Xiao Hao with questioning eyes.

Xiao Hao put his finger to his lips in a similar shushing gesture, and Chen Xuanyu understood, so Xiao Hao let go.

Chen Xuanyu shook his heavy head, and seeing that he was about to cover Shiwu, he quickly pushed him gently and whispered, "I'll do it!"

After saying that, he covered Fifteen and pinched her hard as well.

Xiao Hao watched from the side, grinning.

Fifteen was in so much pain that tears streamed down her face. She woke up while crying and then punched Chen Xuanyu hard.

Chen Xuanyu smiled silently.

Laughing aside, let's get down to business. Xiao Hao stretched out his hand, pointed to the next room, and gestured.

The two nodded knowingly. Fifteen pointed to himself, then to the door, and gave an OK sign.

The other two nodded in agreement. Fifteen took off his shoes, pulled out a long hook with a small knife attached, and tiptoed to the door. He stuck the hook through the crack, aimed it at the lock, and poked it repeatedly. Finally, he shrugged at the two men dejectedly, indicating that he was powerless to help.

Chen Xuanyu pointed to the window.

Seeing this, Xiao Hao climbed up and tried to pry open the thick railing, but it wasn't loose at all.

"Give me your knife!" Xiao Hao waved his hand.

Fifteen handed it to him.

"Crunch, crunch..." A soft cutting sound rang out. Chen Xuanyu sighed and sat down. Fifteen stood for a while, then sat down as well. All the children in the room watched quietly.

After cutting for a while, Xiao Hao got tired of squatting and started panting heavily.

Chen Xuanyu walked over and said, "My turn!"

Xiao Hao jumped out of the window and took over, then a little while later he took over from Shiwu. The three children took turns cutting, and after about an hour, they finally cut two railings crooked. Chen Xuanyu kicked them and they broke.

Fifteen, being the smallest, quickly climbed out and used a hook to open the door. As soon as the door opened, the children all stirred, excitedly trying to climb out, but still no one spoke, because they knew the bad guy was right next to them.

"What do we do now?" Fifteen was dumbfounded.

"Wait a minute!" Chen Xuanyu reached out to block the doorway and whispered, "There are too many of you. You can't run far. If you trust us, wait a bit. We'll deal with those guys and come back to rescue you later!"

The children looked at each other, unsure of what to do. A chubby boy stepped forward and said softly, "I believe you, but you must come back, okay? My dad will send you money to thank you after he saves me."

This child must have been abducted not long ago; he hasn't lost weight yet.

The other children remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.

"Okay." Xiao Hao nodded heavily, and under the children's hopeful gazes, slowly closed the door, but did not lock it.

If they fail, they can just run away on their own.