How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Song Yi took Yan Ru out the door, turning back every few steps.

Yan Ru looks about five or six parts like the little thing, except that her waist is thicker.

The Song family residence is more than 20 li away from the Lü family residence; it would take more than two hours to walk there.

To make sure they could get there quickly, Song Yi called two rickshaws, both belonging to the Song family, who also owned a rickshaw company.

"Please don't eat the heart. Nobody in the manor knows who you are. They just think you're the master's new concubine," Song Yi said quietly, glancing around.

Yan Ru thought about it for a moment and then understood. The people from the Marshal's Mansion were looking for the two sisters. If a stranger were to appear openly in the mansion, the gossipy servants would probably leak the news.

However, if it were a newly acquired concubine, it would be reasonable to keep her in the building, and she would not be allowed to go downstairs on weekdays, which would prevent the news from leaking out.

For a moment, Yan Ru was unsure of Master Song's feelings for her, so she could only smile at Song Yi and lower her head, pretending to be shy.

Then it occurred to him, "If I walked around the mansion today, wouldn't many people have seen me?"

"You don't need to worry about that. No matter what, people will be curious about a new concubine. It will be fine in a few days. The master will definitely order a silencing of the matter. You can rest assured."

Yan Ru breathed a sigh of relief, afraid that she might ruin things because of her impulsiveness.

In truth, she was well aware that her actions would cause unnecessary trouble, but given the circumstances, if she didn't do something, she might really end up as a concubine in the Song family mansion without any status or identity.

Therefore, the only option was to stir the water to give her room to maneuver.

I went out at dusk, and by the time I reached the southwest, the streetlights were already on.

The streets here are noticeably more potholed, making it difficult for rickshaws to navigate, and the houses on both sides are much lower.

Tents were pitched in front of the gate, a dark mass of people, with many chatting and laughing under them. But at this time, there were few buyers; most were just watching the spectacle.

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. After dinner, we called on friends and family to go out and have fun. Although the times are not good, we still showed a kind of luxurious life on this day.

Although the people on the street were not as wealthy as those in the east of the city, the increased number of businesses on the street gave it a unique, bustling atmosphere.

Yanru sat in the car, very familiar with these scenes. In the past, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, her father would take her and her sisters out for a stroll, or buy some food and toys, but more often the family would gather at home together.

The rickshaw wasn't very spacious, and the canopy was pulled up, as if it had become a small world, tightly wrapping Yanru inside, and she actually had a moment of peace.

"Ahem, we've arrived."

Song Yi's voice broke Yan Ru's reverie, and she took his hand and got out of the car.

Looking around, it was still the same old people and scenery, but in less than a month or two, everything had changed.

Even though they were still two or three hundred meters away from Lü's shop after getting off the bus, Yan Ru felt as if she couldn't move, her steps heavy.

Song Yi nudged her with his elbow, and Yan Ru snapped out of her reverie, no longer daring to show any unusual behavior.

Song Yi had already mentioned on the way that there would probably be police patrolling around her house during this period, just waiting for her to appear.

Fortunately, there were many people coming and going on the street, so the two of them didn't stand out.

After finding a spot with a view of the shop, Song Yi ordered two bowls of wontons and said in a low voice, "Let's eat something. I'll call you Xiao Fang outside, you're the maid who serves you."

Yan Ru had no objections. She picked up a spoon and scooped up some wontons, but couldn't taste anything.

The lighting at night is not very good. The only illumination comes from the electric lights of a few larger restaurants, which can only provide light for about a hundred meters. Beyond that, it is difficult to see anything.

Even with the dim streetlights, Yanru could clearly see her shop. Two seals were pasted on the small storefront; the words were illegible, but she knew they were from the police station.

Having confirmed her suspicions, Yan Ru was clearly not in high spirits. She definitely couldn't get into the shop, but she didn't know if the courtyard gate would still be open.

After eating the wontons, Yan Ru didn't see any police officers among the passersby, but lacking experience, she had to ask Song Yi for advice.

"Brother Song Yi, do you see any danger around us? Is it feasible for us to go back through the courtyard?"

Song Yi was an old hand at dealing with people outside. While eating wontons, he carefully observed the people around him and, apart from a few plainclothes officers, he didn't notice anything else amiss.

"There are two or three policemen mixed in with the crowd, but we don't know why they're here. If..."

Yan Ru understood the unspoken meaning in Song Yi's words and nodded, saying, "There's no need to take risks. Let's just do our best."

Song Yi was a trained martial artist who often traveled outside and was familiar with both the legitimate and criminal worlds.

Yan Ru didn't want to give up this hard-won opportunity. Her home was so close by, she had to find a way to go and take a look, just in case her father had left any clues.

After discussing it, the two decided on a plan: Song Yi would sneak into the Song residence to investigate, while Yan Ru would wander around to see if she could run into Qing Ru, since there were many people around today and Qing Ru might take the opportunity to come back.

Yan Ru was dressed in the servant's clothes of the Song family and was not afraid of being offended by any petty people. After all, in this Sifang City, apart from the Marshal's Mansion, the Song family was the only other family that owned property.

Yan Ru told Song Yi about the Lü family's situation in detail. The Lü family's courtyard originally had three sections, but later, due to financial difficulties, they set aside one section and rented it out. The other two sections were for the Lü family to live in.

So whether you enter through the main gate or climb over the tenant's door, you can get into the yard.

Song Yi listened to Yan Ru's instructions and was about to get started when he reminded her, "Xiao Fang, just wander around here and don't rush things. I'm going to deliver a gift to an old friend and I'll be back in a bit."

Yan Ru also chimed in, "Okay, don't worry, big brother."

They exchanged a reassuring look and got to work.

Yan Ru continued to wander among the crowd, sometimes looking at the lanterns, sometimes at the pancake stalls.

She doesn't really impress anyone by just looking and not buying. After all, not everyone is rich, and there are quite a few people like her who just look and enjoy the view.

With Yan Ru gone, things became even easier and cheaper for Song Yi.

He didn't plan to go through the courtyard gate or the tenants' side. He looked around at the surrounding houses, roughly figured out the layout in his mind, and calculated the directions.

First, he entered a grain alley. There were few people browsing there, just a few in twos and threes, and no plainclothes officers in sight. Several shopkeepers were also at the door, fanning away mosquitoes with palm-leaf fans, looking drowsy. No one greeted him when he came over.

There was a well next to the rice shop. The people in the alley specially built a two-meter square pavilion to block the dead branches and leaves from falling in.

Seeing that no one was around, Song Yi flipped over and leaped, using the eaves of the pavilion to land in the courtyard next door.

This place is only a wall away from the Lü family's residence, yet people still live here, so even if the police wanted to set up an ambush, they wouldn't do it here.

An old woman was lying on a bamboo chair, enjoying the cool air. She had a silk handkerchief covering her face; it was unclear whether she was asleep or not.

Song Yi carefully avoided her, and using the artificial hill in the courtyard as cover, he leaped over it in a few steps.

The breeze gently lifted the old woman's silk handkerchief, revealing a pair of wide-open eyes, a stubble beard, and a rough voice that carried a hint of dissatisfaction:

"Sigh, I'm an old woman, why do people always think I'm blind and deaf?"

Song Yi did indeed climb over into the Lü family's courtyard. The outer courtyard was surrounded by walls planted with flowers and plants, and several plots of land were cleared out for growing vegetables.

A wide path and an open space were left in the middle, presumably for gatherings and entertainment. The left and right wing rooms each had two rooms, which looked like servants' quarters.

Nothing much has changed here, except that the flowers, plants and trees have been covered by weeds because no one is taking care of them. There is nothing unusual about it.

Upon closer inspection, however, traces of trampling were found, most likely left by the people who came to arrest Lü's father.

Song Yi then went to the inner courtyard. The house in the center should be where Lü's father lived, and there were two rooms on each side, which should be where the two sisters lived.

No one had cleaned it for nearly a month, and the ground was covered with withered branches and fallen leaves. It was desolate but not sloppy. The gate to the main courtyard was open, maintaining the way it looked when the owner left.

Song Yi cautiously crept inside, only to find broken porcelain and scrap iron scattered on the ground. All the valuables had been looted, and nothing was left.

The once-distant gauze curtains were torn to shreds, hanging on the window frame like rags. Every cabinet with a door was open, and no one had cleaned it up afterward.

Upon closer inspection, a layer of dust covered the area, and apart from Song Yi's own footprints, there were no other fresh ones.

They arrived at the east wing, and upon pushing open the door, they found themselves in an inner and outer room, which was as messy as the main room. In addition to dust, there was also a faint scent of feminine perfume in the air.

Although the place was smashed beyond recognition, the furnishings and decorations still revealed that the original owner was someone who appreciated the finer things in life.

Several Western paintings were torn to shreds, and the light pink curtains were stained with dirt. Apart from a bed and a table, nothing else was intact.

They went to the west wing, and the situation was the same. There were no signs of anyone having been in any of the rooms, indicating that Miss Lü had not returned, and there were almost no other clues.

But having reached this conclusion, Song Yi was satisfied and turned to leave.

"Don't go! Did you look carefully?"

The sudden sound startled Song Yi.

Several beams of bright light suddenly pierced through, and Song Yi's vision went white, and he could see nothing. He quickly closed his eyes and dodged.

After turning off the flashlight, Sergeant Zhang strolled out nonchalantly, tossing the "Dog Head" brand flashlight around in his hand, displaying a rather spoiled and arrogant demeanor.

Song Yi recognized the voice; it sounded somewhat like Sergeant Zhang Gong. So he tentatively asked, "Sergeant Zhang?"

"Hey! This is someone I know." Chief Zhang looked around. "Come on, let's see who this is."

Several people turned off their flashlights, dragged Song Yi into the main room, and turned on the lights.

Grabbed on both sides, Song Yi did not resist, only thinking about how to escape unscathed.

Judging from the quality of Song Yi's clothes, which were even better than those worn by Chief Zhang, and considering his words, they must know each other.

In fact, Chief Zhang had already recognized him, but he still asked, "Come and see, can this person recognize me? Is he a relative of any of yours?"

This time, Chief Zhang brought San'er and the two brothers, Wang Chao and Ma Han, along with several plainclothes officers.

San'er peeked out and recognized him. "Isn't this Song Yi? The Song family's personal attendant."

Song Yi then slowly opened his eyes, trying to adjust to the light.

He squinted and saw that Chief Zhang and the others were surrounding him. Feeling a little intimidated, he said ingratiatingly:

“Brother Wang San’er is right, my name is Song Yi. But I’m not Master Song’s personal attendant, just a handyman.”