Tangli Fried Snow

That day, Shirley took some time to go shopping with Xiao Tao'er. Lin Wanjun naturally gave the two of them some more instructions, "Xiao Tao'er, you stay with the girl and don't go too far. Come back after playing for a while."

The two happily agreed.

Sherry usually behaves very well, which allows Lin Wanjun to keep a slightly looser grip on her than before.

As before, they bought some food and household items and lingered for a while in front of a pastry shop.

Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the crowd. A horse neighed, and a carriage, for some unknown reason, suddenly went berserk and rushed into the crowd. People and horses were thrown about, vendors were in trouble, their goods were knocked to the ground, and children were crying loudly in fright. The crowd was packed together and became agitated. A group of people squeezed in from somewhere, and Xue Li and Xiao Tao'er were instantly separated.

If you don't run now, when will you wait?

Sherry ran with the flow of people until she reached an alley. With her amazing memory, she successfully ran from Copper Lock Street to Flower Alley. The houses here were grand and all lived in by the wealthy. Not far away, there was a bustling and crowded place. She ran over and was overjoyed.

This place turned out to be a small market where you could hire horse-drawn carriages. Perhaps the wealthy people often needed to use horse-drawn carriages, so people would come here to offer them services, somewhat like modern taxis.

This is like someone bringing you a pillow when you're about to fall asleep!

Sherry chose a carriage with a sidecar and asked the young man, "How much does it cost to rent the carriage for a day?"

The coachman was in his thirties, sturdy and reliable-looking. He looked Xue Li up and down a few times. This young lady was really beautiful, and her clothes were bright. He wondered which wealthy family she belonged to. After thinking for a while, he said, "Sixty copper coins per hour, two hundred copper coins per day. May I ask where you wish to go, young lady?"

Go anywhere is fine! Just leave this place!

Sherry had already made up her mind. She said, "Take me to the escort agency first. I want to go north with the agency."

After saying that, he climbed onto the carriage and lowered the curtain.

Now no one can see her. She needs to leave Jiyue City first. There's a war in the south, so she should head north. She can't travel far by herself, so she can go with a caravan that delivers goods. As long as she spends some money, she can leave this place with a caravan that has escorts.

She changed her clothes into men's clothing, disguised herself as a man, and waited until she reached a bustling metropolis. She went straight into the city, rented a courtyard to live in, and had everything she needed in her own space, including food, supplies, money, identity documents, and travel permits. She ran a small business and became self-sufficient. Finally, she regained her freedom. How wonderful! Thinking of this, she couldn't help but want to roar to the sky.

The carriage swayed and wobbled for more than half an hour. They must have been quite far from Tongsuo Street by now. She stuck her head out to look around. The surrounding area was an unfamiliar and desolate place. Some low farmhouses came into view. Was the escort agency built in such a remote place?

Sherry couldn't help but ask the man driving the cart, "Brother, how much longer until we arrive?"

The man didn't even turn his head and said, "We'll be there soon, just wait a little longer."

She waited patiently for a while longer, asking him several times, but he always gave her the same answer. A strong sense of unease gradually welled up in Shirley's heart.

She shouted at the driver, "Stop the car! Stop right here, I want to get off!"

The man didn't stop, but instead whipped the horse hard, and the carriage speed increased suddenly. Shirley stumbled and almost fell over.

"What are you doing! Didn't you hear me say I wanted to get off the bus?" Sherry shouted.

“Girl, look! That big house up ahead is it. We’re almost there. Stop calling.” The coachman said, turning around.

Shirley looked outside and saw a black and white house not far away. It occupied a large area and looked like a wealthy family's house, somewhat like a security escort agency. She waited patiently for a while longer.

The carriage swayed and came to a stop by the roadside. Shirley immediately jumped off her horse, and the coachman also dismounted. Shirley took out some copper coins and gave them to him, saying, "Thank you. Here's the fare. Go back now."

The man laughed and said, "Miss, I know the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) here. I can put in a good word for you and ask him to take better care of you."

Sherry said, "No need, you should go back."

Seeing the intensity in her eyes, he knew she wasn't someone easily fooled, so he gave a cold laugh and said, "You'd better come in with me obediently, or you'll suffer."

Sherry's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, this doesn't seem like a good person.

She tried to run away, but the man grabbed her from behind and carried her into the mansion like a child, no matter how much she struggled.

"Brother Shan, open the door!" he shouted.

One person opened the door in response, saw the two people come in, quickly glanced outside, and then quickly closed the door again.

He carried Sherry into the main room and threw her to the ground, where she landed on her bottom.

The man complained, "Er Gouzi, don't break her. Such a delicate beauty deserves a good price."

Suppressing her fear, Sherry said in a deep voice, "I am a girl from a good family, not the daughter of some poor family who can't afford to eat. How can I just sell myself like that?"

Er Gouzi sneered and said, "Hmph! What kind of good family girl is this! A good family girl looks like you? A good family girl, wanting to go north with the escort agency all by herself? You must be some concubine who escaped from a brothel, a runaway concubine, and you're so arrogant! Be careful, my brother and I will sell you to a brothel, where you'll be ridden by a thousand men and trampled by ten thousand!"

Sherry didn't bother arguing with him: "Can you even call this a dental clinic?"

Er Gouzi laughed: "Hey, Brother Shan, this woman is not bad. She's seen some of the world. I heard she's not afraid of being sold to a brothel. You wouldn't happen to be from a brothel, would you?"

Shirley didn't argue with him, but instead threatened him: "I'm a respectable girl from a respectable family. How can you sell me without a contract of indenture? I have an older brother and sister-in-law who run a big business. They'll definitely come looking for me, and they might even report me to the authorities. Why don't I give you some money and you let me go? Wouldn't that make everyone happy?"

The man called Brother Shan said, "You don't have a single bundle on you, not a single piece of jewelry. What are you going to give us? We're not afraid of reporting you to the authorities. Aren't we easy to get a contract of indenture? We're in the business of human trafficking. Come here, get a girl right now!"

Two more young men in their twenties or thirties arrived, and the group, ignoring her resistance, tied her up tightly. Brother Shan then brought over a piece of paper with a written agreement, took some red ink, and pressed her red handprint onto it. He said smugly, "White paper, black words, and red handprint—that's the indenture we have!"

"Wait!" Sherry shouted. "I'm really a good girl from a good family. This indenture of yours is obviously fake. It will be found out sooner or later. I just had a fight with my brother and sister-in-law and I'm going north to go home to find my parents. They will definitely report me to the authorities!"