Newborn 1927

Speaking of tonight's operation, Yang Jiefang asked again, "Miss, have you seen my sister?" Gao Huilan replied, "Don't call me Miss anymore, just call me Xiaolan! I've seen your sister and the other two sisters. They're waiting for us to rescue them." Yang Jiefang breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good! Thank goodness we still made it in time." Gao Huilan exclaimed, "I really admire your sister. She's really tough, managing to hold out for so many days without giving in." Yang Jiefang asked urgently, "Is she suffering in there?" It was obvious she had suffered inside. Most girls who end up in brothels are not there willingly, so they need to be trained before they can serve customers, to prevent strong-willed girls from hurting their clients. How are they trained? Of course, through a combination of gentle persuasion and harsh methods, physical attacks combined with mental torture. It only takes three to five days to train them, turning strong-willed women into shameless individuals.

Gao Huilan said, "She's not just suffering; she's been beaten black and blue. She's tried to kill herself several times, but each time she's been rescued. She can't even go on a hunger strike; they force-feed her millet porridge. If this continues, she'll have no choice but to give in." Fatty asked with concern, "Miss, were you beaten too?" Gao Huilan laughed, "If I'd been beaten, I wouldn't be here. I went to rescue her, not to be beaten. I gave in before they even raised their whips. I'm probably the fastest girl to give in in the history of the Yihong Courtyard."

Yang Jiefang asked, "And then you were made to entertain guests? Why did Director Li suddenly take you away?" Gao Huilan replied, "How much money could you make entertaining guests? The most profitable way for a brothel owner is to send people to the pillows of those important figures. Director Li's gilded cage was ready a long time ago, but he hadn't found a suitable canary; it was his bad luck that he chose me today." Yang Jiefang asked, "So, you were determined to take his life?" Gao Huilan didn't answer, which was taken as tacit agreement.

The four hurried through the city before the gates closed; then, they split up. Yang Jiefang returned to the inn to rejoin the others; Gao Huilan and the other two women went to their rented room first, planning to act at midnight. When Yang Jiefang returned to the inn, Chu Shiwu was already impatiently waiting. Upon seeing Yang Jiefang, he immediately asked if Gao Huilan was alright, as she seemed more important to him. Yang Jiefang briefly explained what had happened, emphasizing that Gao Huilan would participate in tonight's operation. Chu Shiwu finally felt relieved and went to inform Sun Zhiyong, Lu Ziqi, and the Tie brothers.

At midnight, after the clock struck midnight, Yang Jiefang quickly gathered everyone downstairs. He had originally intended for Sun Zhiyong, Lu Ziqi, and the others to stay upstairs. However, after dark, the surroundings were pitch black, making it impossible for them to serve as lookouts from upstairs. Yang Jiefang knew he hadn't considered things thoroughly enough and had to change his plan. The hotel had already closed its doors, and the staff on duty were asleep. Chu Shiwu opened the door from the inside, and after everyone had left, he gently closed it again. At the corner, he bumped into Gao Huilan and her two companions, who had arrived earlier.

Chu Shiwu was completely relieved and immediately ran to open the door. Yang Jiefang arranged for guards and support from behind: the Tie brothers were on guard at the back door of Yihong Courtyard, while Sun Zhiyong and Lu Ziqi were positioned at a distance. Yang Jiefang, along with Zhao Changgui and Gao Huilan, formed the main force entering Yihong Courtyard. Chu Shiwu quickly opened the back door of Yihong Courtyard and then quietly slipped inside. There were dogs in the backyard, so he had to deal with them first. Chu Shiwu was experienced and carried a cooked chicken leg with him. Before the dog could bark, he threw the chicken leg from a distance. The dog was clearly not professionally trained, or perhaps it couldn't resist the temptation of the chicken leg. It rushed forward, snatched the chicken leg, and ate it in a few bites. However, it collapsed and couldn't get up for long. Chu Shiwu went forward to check and, after confirming that the dog was down, called Yang Jiefang and the others to go in.

Gao Huilan had been there during the day, so she had scouted the area beforehand and walked in front. Chu Gu and Pang Ya followed closely behind, while Yang Jiefang and Zhao Changgui lagged behind. Usually, two guards would watch over the newly purchased girls; they were probably asleep by now. Gao Huilan pointed out the guards' quarters, intending to have Chu Shiwu unlock the door, but it was ajar and opened easily. Without being told, Chu Gu and Pang Ya, each armed with a dagger, slipped inside. Yang Jiefang clearly heard two muffled groans from inside, knowing that the two guards had been dealt with in their sleep. These two girls, looking young, were clearly professionally trained. Gao Huilan quickly pointed out the place where the older sister was being held; the house was locked from the outside. Chu Shiwu stepped forward again and unlocked the door.

As the door opened, a woman's voice came from inside: "Who is it?" Gao Huilan didn't rush in but stepped aside. Zhao Changgui rushed in impatiently and whispered, "Lianhua, is that you? It's Changgui." "Changgui? Is it really you?" The room was pitch black, and no one could be seen, but the location could be discerned from the voice. Zhao Changgui quickly found Yang Lianhua and grabbed her hand. Yang Jiefang followed and called out, "Sister..." Yang Lianhua was obviously used to the darkness in the room. She grabbed Yang Jiefang and cried out, "Sanwazi, is it really you? You... really came to save me? Waaah..." Yang Jiefang replied, "Yes, Changgui and I came to save you. Don't cry! This isn't the place to talk. Are you able to move around? Let's get out of here first." Yang Lianhua replied, "I can still walk, but my feet are chained, and I can't break free."

Chu Shiwu quickly moved forward, found the chains, and picked them in the dark. And it must be said, Chu Shiwu's skill in lock picking was no exaggeration; he quickly unlocked the chains binding Yang Lianhua's feet. He then unlocked the chains binding the other two women, freeing all three. Yang Jiefang knew this was no place to linger and hurriedly urged Zhao Changgui to leave with his men. Yang Lianhua and the other two women didn't want to stay a moment longer and quickly followed him away.

Yang Jiefang was the last to come out. Just as he was about to call Gao Huilan and the other two women outside the door to leave, he saw three figures slowly approaching from a short distance away. Looking at their silhouettes, Yang Jiefang seemed somewhat familiar and tentatively asked, "Brother Yan, is that you?" The newcomer replied, "It's me, Brother Yang. You came in first? Where's Miss?" Sure enough, they were more concerned about Miss's safety. Gao Huilan, standing nearby, said, "I'm fine! You're late, and there's one more person here?" Yan Donglai hesitated, "Well… let Lao Gui explain!" He casually tugged at Gui Liqiu behind him. Gui Liqiu immediately stepped forward and explained, "Miss, this is Xiao Cui, the girl who accompanied me tonight. She was also forced into this place and wants to leave. Why don't we take her with us?" Gao Huilan didn't answer immediately, turning back to ask, "What do you think?" She was naturally referring to Yang Jiefang. To be honest, Yang Jiefang felt very uncomfortable. From the moment Gao Huilan got involved, these people seemed to naturally obey her orders. At this moment, Gao Huilan came to ask Yang Jiefang for his opinion, clearly not seeking instructions. Yang Jiefang replied, "Didn't you already say that you wanted to save every woman who ended up here? It would be good to save as many as you could."

Gao Huilan was quite satisfied with Yang Jiefang's answer and turned to ask, "Your name is Xiao Cui, right? Do you know who we are, yet you dare to follow us?" Xiao Cui replied, "I don't care who we are, as long as we can get out of this godforsaken place." Gui Liqiu quickly chimed in, "She was the one who led the way for us and helped us take down the guards, which is how we got here." Gao Huilan didn't agree immediately but asked, "Do you know where that old woman lives?" Xiao Cui immediately understood and said, "Are you talking about Granny Wang? I know." Gao Huilan said, "We can't let her get away with this so easily. Lead the way!" Her tone was firm, leaving no room for refusal. Xiao Cui quickly agreed and led the way. Gao Huilan, along with Chu Gu and Pang Ya, followed closely behind. Chu Shiwu naturally followed suit, and Yan Donglai and Gui Liqiu also hurriedly caught up. Yang Jiefang had no choice but to follow as well.

When Yang Jiefang arrived at the room of Wang Mama, the madam of the brothel, the people in front had already brought the situation under control. This time, there was no killing. Wang Mama's mouth was gagged, and her hands were tied behind her back. Gao Huilan slapped her more than a dozen times, shouting as she did so, "You look down on me! You look down on me! With my looks, how can I only be worth fifty silver dollars? What's wrong with me? You think fifty silver dollars is too expensive?" Wang Mama tried to dodge but couldn't, and tried to speak but couldn't, only making muffled noises. Yang Jiefang was dumbfounded. Yan Donglai and Gui Liqiu turned away, pretending not to hear.

After scolding and beating her for a while, Gao Huilan's anger subsided a bit. She said, "Doesn't she like money? Find it for me, find everything valuable here." Chu Shiwu, Yan Donglai, and the others had already started searching. Xiao Cui spoke up, "I know where she hides her money. I've seen her hide money before." Everyone was overjoyed and hurriedly followed Xiao Cui to find the money.

Yang Jiefang's heart skipped a beat. He walked up to Wang Mama and said, "You guys are really bold, daring to touch even our Marshal's daughter! You're courting death!" Wang Mama trembled with fear, then her body went limp and she collapsed to the ground, whimpering as if begging for mercy. Gao Huilan glanced back at Yang Jiefang, then ignored Wang Mama completely.

With Xiao Cui as the mole, things became much easier. The group quickly found Wang Mama's savings, and in the darkness, without time to count them carefully, they moved everything away. In this era, few people kept their money in banks; most people hid their gold and silver in their homes.

The guards had already been dealt with, so their entry and exit were very smooth. It's also possible that someone noticed them but didn't intervene. Yang Jiefang and his group left the brothel without incident. Zhao Changgui led Yang Lianhua and the other two women to their rented room first, while the Tie brothers waited at the entrance, and Sun Zhiyong remained on guard at a distance.

On the way back to their rented room, Gao Huilan suddenly asked Yang Jiefang, "What was the meaning behind your last words to that old woman?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Don't you understand? Tonight we robbed the brothel, and during the day we killed Director Li. You're involved in all of this; you've shown your face. If they investigate, even though you're not afraid, if they find any clues, it could leave a seed of trouble. If someone they fear appears, they won't dare to investigate, which might avoid some unnecessary trouble." Gao Huilan said, "No wonder people say scholars are cunning; it's true. You need to be more careful in the future, lest you be sold out and still be counting the money for them." Yang Jiefang was completely dumbfounded. What was she talking about? So he laughed and said, "I was just dealing with outsiders. I'm always very honest with my own people. Besides, with your fifty silver dollars, I really don't care." At this, Gao Huilan got angry, gritting her teeth in hatred. She turned around and glared at Yang Jiefang, then turned away helplessly. Then, she muttered to herself, "Fifty silver dollars it is! I've decided that when I get married, I'll ask for fifty silver dollars as a bride price. Hmm, I wonder which brat will get it." Yang Jiefang immediately stepped forward with a grin and said, "Why let the good stuff go to outsiders? How about I get it for free? I'll give you a hundred silver dollars as a bride price." Gao Huilan turned around and laughed, "Double the bride price? Then how about I bring two maids as part of the dowry?" If he dared to agree to that, he would have very low emotional intelligence. Yang Jiefang immediately said righteously, "I am a good man who is devoted to one woman. How could I have such a despicable thought?" Hearing this was nothing, and Gao Huilan obviously didn't take it seriously.

Following the pre-selected route, the group successfully returned to their rented room. Yang Jiefang arranged for Sun Zhiyong, Yan Donglai, and others to take turns standing guard in pairs, while the rest went inside to rest. Yang Lianhua and several other women were arranged to go upstairs. Gao Huilan, however, was not in a hurry to rest. She was more interested in the money found in the brothel and immediately had it counted. Two heavy wooden boxes contained silver dollars, gold bars, and various jewelry. It looked like a lot, and after counting, it was worth over ten thousand silver dollars. For Qinglongzhai in the past, this was definitely a huge sum of money. Now, carrying checks for over three hundred thousand silver dollars, the ten thousand silver dollars didn't seem so appealing anymore.

Yang Jiefang called Yan Donglai and Gui Liqiu aside and asked what had happened with Xiao Cui. Yan Donglai said, "I knew there was an operation tonight, so I didn't dare to delay it. I deliberately got the girl I was supposed to sleep with drunk. So, my operation wasn't affected." Gui Liqiu felt a little sad. Xiao Cui had a high alcohol tolerance and was clever; she almost got Gui Liqiu drunk even though she wasn't. But she pretended to be drunk and fooled Gui Liqiu. When Gui Liqiu checked his equipment and prepared to move in, Xiao Cui suddenly sat up. Gui Liqiu said, "I hesitated for a while, and even thought about killing her, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Speaking of which, she's a woman with a tragic fate." Yang Jiefang patted him on the shoulder and said, "Brother Gui, you usually seem unreliable, but you're decisive in crucial moments. A person should have a bottom line; using any means to achieve one's goals is unacceptable. But now that you've brought her out, what are your plans for the future? Don't tell me you haven't slept with her." Gui Liqiu blushed slightly and said, "If she's willing to follow me, I'll marry her. If I work hard, I'll surely be able to make a living!" Seeing that he didn't shirk his responsibility or look down on her background, Yang Jiefang was quite impressed and said, "Don't worry! I'll find a way to make a good life for all the brothers and sisters who are willing to follow us."