How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

The next morning, when the two sisters woke up, Lü Peijun had already prepared breakfast.

He never asked anyone else to prepare his stomach-soothing medicinal porridge or refreshing side dishes.

"Are you up? Let's eat."

The Qingru sisters hadn't eaten a meal cooked by their father in a long time. Because they lost their mother at a young age, the meals at home were either prepared by their grandparents or by their father himself. Now, eating it again, they felt as if they were tasting a rare delicacy.

"It's so delicious," Yan Ru praised, tears welling up and rolling into the porridge. Fortunately, the rising steam concealed her slightly red eyes.

The family enjoyed a warm and cozy breakfast.

“We’re moving soon, so I need to talk to Grandpa Hua’s family. They’re getting old, so I’ll let them stay home and enjoy their retirement. I can’t bear to keep them around.” The main reason is that Lü Peijun has future plans, and it’s inconvenient to have the two elderly people with him, so he’d rather send them back home as a favor.

"That's true. Grandpa Hua is getting old, and Uncle Hua and his wife are busy with their business and taking care of their grandson. It would be good for them to go back and help out at home."

Yanru agreed. She had been raised on Aunt Hua's milk since she was a child and had never treated them as servants. How could she possibly order them around now?

Seeing that they both agreed, Lü Peijun continued, "Alright, since you both agree, I'll go talk to the Hua family and find a slave trader to hire a young and strong man to work."

The mere mention of human traffickers sent a chill down Qingru's spine. This was a source of deep-seated fear and loathing for her, and she said, "Father, let's forget about it. Who knows where the people traffickers kidnapped came from?"

Qingru's expression was unusual, which worried Lü Peijun. "What's wrong?"

After hesitating for a moment, Qingru told the two of them about being deceived and trafficked by human traffickers. Otherwise, how could she explain the people she had rescued?

Lu Peijun clenched her fists tightly, trying to sound gentle as she asked, "Have those human traffickers been brought to justice?"

"Not yet. We've only caught Niu Da and Niu Er. Niu Da's wife, Li Niang, is already dead. Only Niu Er's wife, Du Tao, remains to be captured. Guo Zixing has already notified government officials along the route that anyone caught should be executed immediately without being escorted back."

Yan Ru was also quite frightened. "Sister, are these the cases you mentioned last night? You sounded so relaxed, but who knew they were so dangerous? You... how many more things are you hiding from me?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Peijun looked directly at Qingru.

Seeing her father and sister staring at her, Qingru finally steeled herself and recounted her experiences again. Even though she had simplified them as much as possible, they were still terrified listening to her.

Yan Ru covered her mouth and burst into tears. She thought she had suffered a lot, but compared to her sister, her little danger was nothing.

Lu Peijun was filled with remorse. If he hadn't been afraid of frightening the two women, he probably would have already stormed the Guo family's gate with a knife.

"So how many children have you adopted?"

Seeing that Mr. Lü had finally changed the subject, Qingru breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied, "Yes, they are all very well-behaved children. Dad will know when he sees them."

"Yes, let's speed up the move. It's better for our family to stay together. As for those children, since you've chosen them, I naturally believe they're all good." He was determined to assess the two children's abilities before nurturing them, so they could become Qingru's help in the future. He couldn't have adopted them for nothing.

"Yes, I will also regard them as my own younger brothers and sisters." Yan Ru also quickly expressed her acceptance.

After saying this, Father Lü went out, and Qingru also took Yanru in disguise and went out to see a doctor.

"You mean you're not pregnant?" Qingru asked in surprise.

The doctor put away the pulse diagnosis and looked at the two of them strangely. "Yes, she just has amenorrhea. The absence of menstruation doesn't necessarily mean she's pregnant. Besides..."

Seeing the doctor's hesitant expression, Qingru quickly asked, "Besides what?"

The doctor sighed and said, "Moreover, this lady must have been taking cold medicines such as Phellodendron bark and Lithospermum erythrorhizon for a long time. These two herbs are cold in nature and are used to clear heat and cool the blood. Long-term use can lead to uterine coldness and even infertility."

Yan Ruwei's eyes flickered slightly as she asked steadily, "May I ask, doctor, how long have I been taking this medicine before these symptoms appeared?"

"It must have been at least half a year, right? Think about it, before this month, did you always experience unbearable pain and heavy bleeding with clots during your periods?"

"Yes, but I always thought it was because I fell into the water?"

The doctor pondered, "Drowning in the water? Then she must have developed a high fever after falling in. It wouldn't be too noticeable if someone added these two herbs to her medicine, since they can also reduce fever. However, if a woman takes too much, I'm afraid it will damage her kidney qi, and over time it will damage her uterus, leading to infertility."

Yan Ru was stunned. How could she not understand? It turned out that someone had been plotting against her from the very beginning. Back then, only the little servant girl was taking care of her. Whether it was medicine or food, it was all brought by her. Something had been added to it, and she hadn't even known?

Qingru hurriedly asked, "Is there any medicine that can cure this? My sister is so young, there must be a way, right?"

After a moment's thought, the doctor said, "Actually, from observing your sister's body, I discovered that she had also taken saffron, and in considerable doses. I'm afraid it has already damaged her fundamental health. Whether she can be cured or not... I can't say for sure."

Qingru was alarmed. "How could this be? My sister is so young! Doctor, have you made a mistake?"

The doctor was displeased upon hearing this. "How many pulses do I take in a day? I am the most famous gynecologist on this street. If I can make a mistake, then you may as well ruin my reputation."

Qingru really wanted to ruin her reputation. Even if she had to apologize later, she was unwilling to admit that Yanru was too young to get pregnant.

Yanru wiped away her tears and comforted Qingru, "No need, doctor. Just prescribe the medicine. Whether she gets better or not is up to fate."

The doctor said, “Hey, little girl, you don’t believe in my medical skills. I can’t say I can cure you 100%, but I’m more than 50% sure. Come with me, and I’ll give you a prescription.”

Qingru burst into laughter through her tears, "You doctor are good at scaring people. It turns out it can be cured. Why did you make it sound so serious?"

The doctor pouted and muttered, "Do you think I want this? If I don't explain the situation, you'll come looking for trouble with me again if I can't cure you."

The two sisters understood now; it seemed the doctor had learned his lesson in this area, which was why he spoke like that.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, doctor."

"Hmm," the doctor said haughtily, his hands behind his back, as he went with his apprentice to prepare the medicine.

Qingru looked at Yanru with heartache. It turned out that she had been secretly taking this medicine for more than half a year. It seemed that someone was on guard against her as soon as she entered the Song family. She and Yanru were just suffering in different ways.