How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

After chatting for a long time, afraid of upsetting Sister-in-law Niu, the group finally held hands, looked at each other with tears in their eyes, and said goodbye.

The large shed in Sister-in-law Niu's house, which was used to store firewood, came in handy. Most of the girls were arranged to spend the night there, while a small number squeezed into the kitchen. As for Guiying, Sister-in-law Niu affectionately took her hand and led her into Qingru's room.

Outside, the wind was biting cold, but inside, it was warm as spring. As soon as Sister-in-law Niu stepped into Qingru's room, she couldn't help but feel an itch in her teeth. Damn it, all that charcoal was burning was her family's best! But thinking that Qingru would soon become a pile of gleaming silver dollars in her hands, she managed to hold back.

"Hehe, Qingru, this girl is a clean person, can she share a room with you tonight?"

Sister-in-law Niu spoke in a flattering tone, but Qingru felt that her eyes revealed a calculating "you are very valuable" mentality, so she smiled and said, "What's wrong with that? This is your home anyway. I'm just staying here temporarily. You can make the decisions."

"Oh, that's great."

Guiying wondered why Aunt Niu was being so polite to this person.

Qingru beckoned to Guiying kindly, "Come over here, squeeze in with me for the night, and we'll leave together first thing tomorrow morning."

Sister-in-law Niu asked in surprise, "How did you know... Oh, I mean what you were thinking, what made you want to go out?" She almost bit her tongue, so she quickly corrected herself.

Qingru smiled and said, "I was just about to discuss this with you. I was planning to go out and look for Brother Xin. My family must be looking for me soon. Also, I need to go to the hospital to get my leg checked out to see if there's anything wrong. I don't usually want to bother you, but it just so happens that I saw you were taking so many girls to the Dongyang Textile Factory today, so it's perfect that we can go together."

Even though Sister-in-law Niu was quick-witted, she couldn't make the decision on her own at this moment, so she could only decline, saying, "It's not easy to manage with so many people. Let me discuss it with my family first."

"Okay," Qingru replied, her eyes sparkling with a smile, yet it seemed as if she had seen enough of people's hearts.

Sister-in-law Niu rarely felt such clear and discerning gazes, so she hurried away.

A gust of cold wind from the north gate jolted him awake, and he slapped his thigh. "Hey, what am I feeling guilty about? I was going to take her with me anyway." He thought that was exactly how he was going to lie to her, so why did he end up talking about discussing it? Could it be that he'd gotten so used to lying that he actually considered her a friend?

Sister-in-law Niu couldn't understand it, so she simply shook off the idea and hurriedly went to the main house to find her second sister-in-law.

"Second Sister-in-law," Sister-in-law Niu called out as she entered the door, "Qingru said she wants to go with the female workers tomorrow, what do you think...?"

Second Sister-in-law was speaking when she was interrupted by her, who said sarcastically, "You really think you're a good person? You were going to have her come along anyway, so you don't need to make excuses now. You should come along too, so you don't give yourself away and cause any trouble. Just get her to where she needs to go safely, and you can get the money and have a good New Year."

"Yes," Sister-in-law Niu replied. Niu Da and his second brother and sister-in-law were talking together, and Sister-in-law Niu couldn't get a word in edgewise, so she stood aside and poured tea for them.

As a result, Niu Da thought she was clumsy and told her to hurry up, "Alright, alright, you can go out now. Keep an eye on those girls and make sure they don't cause any trouble."

Sister-in-law Niu felt strange for the first time, gave a few awkward laughs, and left without looking back.

Second Sister-in-law's eyes were sinister, filled with calculation. Niu Da avoided her gaze, while Second Brother said fiercely, "What? You still can't bring yourself to do it? You sold Geng Niang, who had been with you for over ten years, just like that, but you can't bear to part with Liniang?"

Niu Da drank a glass of wine at the gate. "Isn't that..." He subconsciously wanted to say something sinful, but then he remembered that he had already sinned, and couldn't bring himself to say anything against it.

The second brother tried to persuade her again, "If she doesn't leave, how will your little one get in the door? She's carrying your child."

"That wasn't...that wasn't an accident." Niu Da wanted to say that he and Li Niang had only been married for a few years, and it wasn't time to get tired of her yet. Besides, Li Niang wasn't as rigid and boring as Geng Niang. Although she was a bit shrewish, he was generally satisfied with her.

Seeing that he couldn't persuade Niu Da, the second brother was a little annoyed. However, his sister-in-law nudged him, indicating that he should bear with this for now. As long as the new bride was brought into the house, Liniang would soon be forgotten.

Sister-in-law Niu paced back and forth in the courtyard, first checking on how the girl in the woodshed was being settled.

The Niu family's woodshed was as big as someone else's house. Unlike other families who built a side room, they built a proper house with blue bricks.

Neatly stacked piles of firewood stood in the corner, suggesting the homeowner was a tidy person, not someone who had just piled things up haphazardly.

Sister-in-law Niu turned her head at the door, then walked in with a smile. "Oh, are you getting used to it? Just make do for one night. Tomorrow we'll go to the city, where it'll be much warmer than here."

A dozen girls were crammed into a room with a brazier burning in the middle. The room wasn't cold, but it smelled a bit unpleasant. This was understandable, since they couldn't even afford to eat. Which family would be willing to heat up water for a bath?

Sister-in-law Niu, being experienced, left the door ajar when she came in, just in case anyone suffocated. These girls were all very shy, and Sister-in-law Niu looked them over one by one; though dark-skinned and thin, they looked like they could do the work.

Satisfied, Sister-in-law Niu went to Qingru's room.

Qingru was telling stories to Xiao Erlang while holding him close, and Xiao Erlang was listening attentively with his head resting on her lap. Guiying sat by the brazier to warm herself, not because she was shy about talking to Qingru.

Guiying was somewhat pretty, but there was no comparison. Standing next to Qingru, she looked like an underdeveloped matchstick. Qingru's face was fair, smooth, and radiant, while Guiying's face, originally dark yellow from daily labor, had two red patches from the cold, and upon closer inspection, there were cracks. Her hands, always toiling in the fields, were wrinkled like old tree bark, as if unwashed mud was still stuck under her fingernails.

Qingru was like a graceful magnolia, shining even in the humble farmhouse. Guiying felt extremely inferior and didn't dare to speak to Qingru at all. Then she heard Qingru telling stories to Xiao Erlang. Her voice was soft and pleasant, crisp, like...like ice crystals breaking in winter.

While Qingru was talking to Xiao Erlang, she was also observing Guiying. She could tell the girl's embarrassment at first glance, but she didn't expose her, afraid of scaring her if she opened her mouth. So she told her a story to attract her attention.

"Qingru, I've come to see you."

Just then, Sister-in-law Niu pushed open the door and entered. Xiao Erlang immediately stood up and stared at Sister-in-law Niu.

As always, ignoring Xiao Erlang's gaze, Sister-in-law Niu stepped forward and affectionately took Qingru's hand, revealing a rare hint of sadness, "Sigh, the thought of you leaving really makes my heart ache."

Qingru knew she was lying, but she still played along, saying, "Who says otherwise? I've never seen anyone as kind-hearted as you, sister-in-law. Today, you've helped so many girls. You've truly done a great deed."

Sister-in-law Niu didn't catch the sarcasm in her words. She was still thinking about her own things. "Alas, what a pity, I don't have a good family to marry into either..." Realizing what she had said, Sister-in-law Niu shut her mouth, gave an awkward laugh, and fled as if she were escaping.

Guiying witnessed all this but didn't know what to say. Qingru looked at her and sighed inwardly, "Hello, my name is Lü Qingru, what's your name?"

When Guiying saw Qingru asking her, she became nervous. "Ah? I...I'm called Jiang Guiying."

Qingru, imitating Sister Niu, warmly took Guiying's hand and said, "Come sit here for a while. We're going to the city together tomorrow, so you should get to know each other better."

Xiao Erlang clung tightly to Qingru, afraid of being left behind.

Guiying hesitated, ultimately more out of shyness than anything else, sitting quietly to one side. There was only one bed. Qingru invited her repeatedly, but she resolutely refused to sit on it, clutching the hem of her clothes and saying, "I haven't changed yet. I'll just sit here. It will be dawn soon."

The fact that she hadn't changed her clothes meant she was bleeding and not clean, so Qingru let it go and just added more charcoal to her side.

She and Xiao Erlang had already packed their luggage and weren't worried at all about Guiying finding out anything. After all, although Qingru and Xiao Erlang sympathized with the girls, their own lives and property were more important.

As they chattered on and on, each lost in their own thoughts, more than half the night had passed.

It was almost dawn, but the rooster hadn't crowed yet, and it was still dark. The Niu family's house was quiet, except for some movement in the main house.

Originally, Xiao Erlang had a room, but since Qingru came, he always hangs out there, so it was left empty. Last night, Niu Da and his companion got the benefit.

Sister-in-law Niu had a sleepless night and was now in the perfect time to sleep. Seeing Niu Da already getting dressed in a flurry of noise, she couldn't help but feel annoyed. "What time is it? What are you doing?"

Niu Da gasped for breath, feeling cold too. "Didn't you hear that? There's movement in the main room. It looks like Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law are about to get up. Don't just stand there, get up and help them."

She finally managed to fall asleep last night, and it's so hard to get up now. But thinking of her second brother and sister-in-law, Sister-in-law Niu still got up reluctantly, gasping for breath like Niu Da, "Little Erlang, this room should have a heated kang bed all the time. I was freezing to death last night."

"Alright, stop dawdling, I'm going now."

Niu Da dressed quickly, without listening to his wife's complaints as usual. Spitting at his retreating back, Niu Da's wife also sped up her work; rather than dawdle in her clothes, she'd rather get dressed quickly and get to work.

Qingru is always a light sleeper; if she hadn't wanted to get enough rest, she probably wouldn't have slept at all last night.

Xiao Erlang was still fast asleep, and Guiying was breathing evenly. Qingru gently patted them awake, "Wake up, it's getting late."

Xiao Erlang was still half asleep, but since this was a day she and Qingru had planned long ago, he obediently got up and dressed.

Guiying was sleeping restlessly and was still a little dazed when Qingru woke her up. "What's wrong?"

"Time to get up. I hear some noise coming from my sister-in-law's place."

Upon hearing this, Guiying quickly got up, dressed, and tidied herself up, afraid of falling behind.

After tidying up, Sister-in-law Niu boiled some water and took it to the main house for her second brother and sister-in-law to eat. Her second sister-in-law reminded them, "Make some corn porridge for those people, so they can eat their fill before they set off."

"Sigh," Sister-in-law Niu felt like a maid, busy here and there, and all these people could order her around.

She went into the kitchen, scooped out a ladle of cornmeal from the cupboard, and called to a girl with an honest face, "You, come here. Don't say your aunt doesn't care about you. This ladle of cornmeal is fine flour. I'll cook it into a pot of porridge for you. Eat it so you can get on your way. You'll have a long journey ahead of you today."

The honest girl quickly took over, and the rest of them helped with cooking and other chores, and things quickly became lively.

Sister-in-law Niu called out to those in the woodshed and also summoned Qingru, keeping herself busy with all sorts of things.

Qingru can now walk on her own without crutches, though she has a slight limp.

Seeing this, the second sister-in-law instructed several strong men to take turns supporting her, as this was her most valuable "goods" and she couldn't let it break down halfway.

Qingru felt embarrassed, but her resolve to save these girls only grew stronger.

Niu Da then realized something was wrong and pulled Xiao Erlang out of the group, "Wait a minute, what are you doing with your luggage?"

Xiao Erlang ducked and dodged Niu Da's hand. "I want to go with Sister Qingru. She promised me."

"Hey, you brat, did you even ask your father's opinion?" Niu was furious. Did this kid even know what he was up to this time?

Xiao Erlang glared at his father and said, "I don't need to ask, I know it. I want to go with Sister Qingru. I want to go with Sister Qingru."

Niu Da slapped Xiao Erlang on the back with a "bang," but luckily he was wearing thick cotton, so it didn't really hurt.

Xiao Erlang tried to hold back his tears, but they welled up in his eyes. "No, I want to go with my sister, I want to go with my sister."

Niu Da was momentarily dazed and couldn't quite tell which "sister" Xiao Erlang was calling. He became angry and said, "Shut up, don't cause any trouble, lock me up at home."

Sister-in-law Niu's eyes lit up, and an idea came to her. She pretended to be a good person and said, "Why are you hitting the child? It's making him sad. So what if he only walks with you for a while? Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law are taking care of him, aren't they? The child will get tired after walking for a while."

Niu Da knew what his wife was up to as soon as he heard those words. He said angrily, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. No way, absolutely not."

Niu Da and his wife struggled to their feet, Qingru held Xiao Erlang tightly, and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.

The second brother and sister-in-law grew impatient and stepped forward to make the final decision, "Enough! Stop making such a racket. What's wrong with a little kid? Lock him in his room. Let's go, don't waste our time here."

This was a time they had chosen carefully, traveling before dawn so that few people would see their route, and even if someone wanted to investigate, no one would be able to catch up with them.

Xiao Erlang bit Niu Da's hand hard, and Niu Da, in pain, threw him away. Qingru quickly picked up Xiao Erlang and said, "Brother, what are you doing? Xiao Erlang is a child I have a connection with. Let him come with me. I'll bring him back to you in good condition after a while, okay? Don't worry, I'll treat him well."

How could Niu Da agree to her request? In his view, Qingru had no way out.

Just as he was about to object, his second sister-in-law interrupted, "Alright, come along with us. I'll bring the indenture back to you when we return."

Niu Da was terrified and didn't dare to ask his second sister-in-law. He turned to his sister-in-law and asked, "Second brother?"

His second brother patted him on the shoulder with a smile, "Tell your wife to come along too, and come back together on time."