A Farm Girl: Three Acres of Fertile Land Can Be Exchanged for a Country

The other detainees all looked at her, some with curiosity in their eyes, others numb, their gazes merely a reflex.

Those who are still curious are probably those arrested later; the numb ones have likely been imprisoned for some time. These human traffickers are used to pulling big heists. After arresting someone, they don't immediately resell them but transport them to distant places, such as at sea or in the Gobi Desert, to fetch a good price.

Wutong walked smoothly to the window. The toilet was not far away, so she had to pinch her nose and stand on tiptoe to look out.

The windows were filthy, as if they hadn't been cleaned for eight or ten years, covered with a thin layer of tattered oil paper that was barely noticeable.

She pinched her nose and squinted, peering through the hole in the oil paper. All she could see were gray-black walls; not a single patch of green could be seen.

A little anxious, she tore off all the oil paper, opening up her view. Just as she was about to get a good look, a fierce and menacing male face suddenly appeared outside the window, completely blocking her view and yelling at her:

"You filthy woman! What are you staring at? I'll stab you in the eye and blind you! Go back!"

Wutong immediately wanted to grab him by the collar, drag him inside, and give him a good beating. Although he couldn't get his body inside, hitting his head was no problem.

However, he didn't want his plan to be exposed, and he was also worried that there were accomplices outside.

He had no choice but to suppress his anger, pretend to be scared, and pull his head back inside.

The man waved his hand behind him, brought over wooden planks and nails, and completely sealed the already small window.

Wutong retreated to the corner where she had woken up earlier. The people who were imprisoned looked at her with disgust and complaints, as if they blamed her for causing them to lose even their last window.

Seeing this, Wutong became even more determined not to reveal the escape plan to anyone and could only fight alone.

After the human slave trader sealed the windows, he never showed up again.

Wutong closed her eyes, intending to doze off for a while, when she heard a hoarse cry coming from the cradle once again.

The sound was like that of an injured cat, which made Wutong's heart clench, and she instantly thought of the mouse that had been gone for a long time.

If the mouse were still alive, it would probably be able to walk and call for its mother by now.

She was already the King of Eastern Qi, able to give him the best life in the world, but she couldn't bring him back to his life.

The baby boy in the cradle was about the same age as the rat when it left. In Wutong's eyes, he was practically a second rat. She couldn't stand it, ignoring the overwhelming stench on him, and picked him up and gently rocked him.

The baby boy was pale and thin, clearly having not had milk for several days. His lips, which should have been soft, were now dry and chapped, and his face was covered with red rashes. It was hard to tell whether he was sick or had been bitten by insects. Wutong felt heartbroken seeing this.

His mother wasn't among this group of people; the slave trader must have secretly taken him away when his mother wasn't looking.

These human traffickers deserve to die! Heaven knows how many people have lost their lives at their hands.

If she doesn't kill them, she'll never have the face to face the rats in the underworld again.

The baby boy was too weak; he cried for a while and then fell into a deep sleep. Wutong held him, leaning against the wall without moving, her mind filled with countless thoughts.

After dark, the slave traders finally arrived again.

This time, a young man appeared, with a pointed face and monkey-like eyes that darted around like a rat. His shabby clothes covered his hunched body, and he didn't look like a good person at all.

After opening the door, he first scanned the room, as if counting heads. Once he confirmed that everyone was accounted for, he beckoned to the back, and two stronger men walked in, each carrying a large wooden bucket and an empty wooden basin.

The wooden buckets were filled with steaming hot porridge. They placed empty basins in the center of the crowd and poured the porridge into them.

People stared wide-eyed, so hungry they wanted to pounce on the barrels immediately, but they were afraid of the men's fists and dared not approach them casually.

Both buckets of porridge were poured out. It was hardly better than a main meal. The ground was already dirty, and now some thin porridge was spilled on it, mixing with the dust and dirt, making it look filthy. Along with the stench in the air, it made people want to vomit.

The skinny guy who came in earlier said, "Alright, eat up."

The two burly men stepped aside, and the crowd pounced on the wooden basin like hungry tigers. They ate it with their hands or licked it with their mouths, making slurping noises, and their behavior was no better than that of pigs.

They may have once been respectable people, or ladies from wealthy families, or stay-at-home wives and mothers.

But after being locked up like livestock for so long, his dignity has been gradually eroded.

As they swarmed around the wooden basin to grab the porridge, the three men stood by watching the spectacle, their contemptuous smiles quite irritating.

Wutong sat in the corner, holding the baby boy, glaring resentfully at the skinny man.

The skinny man was the one who spoke in the inn. She recognized him and wondered if he was one of the people who kidnapped her back then.

Perhaps her gaze was too intense, for the skinny man noticed and looked over at her. He then saw someone sitting there and demanded, "Why aren't you coming to eat? Don't think you can get away with a hunger strike! Dream on!"

Wutong didn't speak and looked away.

The person next to him reminded the skinny man, "Have you forgotten? She was just caught today. She'll definitely cause trouble for a couple of days first, right? She'll behave herself after a few days."

The skinny guy nodded: "No wonder she was so clean... Newcomers always like to cause trouble, you guys have to keep an eye on me, if anything goes wrong, Brother Jin won't let you off the hook!"

"Yes, Second Master."

The burly men were all a head taller than him, but they behaved obediently under his reprimands, clearly indicating that he held a high position in the gang.

Second Master... Brother Jin... Wutong silently memorized these two names, a ruthless glint flashing in her eyes hidden in the shadows.

The two large buckets of porridge were quickly devoured, and most people were still hungry, kneeling on the ground and licking the wooden basins with reluctance.

The burly man walked over, kicked the men away one by one, picked up the wooden basin, and left.

"Please, please give me some more food... I'm so hungry, I'm so hungry..."

Many people rushed over and hugged their legs, begging for more food.

Second Master cursed, "You bunch of pigs, what do you know how to do all day but eat? Get lost! Don't go looking for a beating!"

He didn't just give a verbal warning; he also grabbed a wooden stick and hit the person closest to him.

The man clutched his lower back where he had been hit, screamed in pain, and collapsed to the ground, curling up like a shrimp.

After being hit several times, the others, hearing the screams, finally dared not approach and shrank back into their own corners.

The second master spat out a contemptuous "Pah!" and walked away cursing.

After the door closed, Wutong heard a metallic sound, indicating that the door had been locked.

She seized the opportunity to peek outside before they closed the door, roughly confirming the time, and then hugged the baby boy in her arms even tighter.