How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Zhang Xun took the two injured people to the hospital, found someone to watch over them, and told them to notify him as soon as they woke up. He then took the earring and went to the other courtyard to deliver the message.

Second Sister-in-law and Sister-in-law Niu, holding the unconscious Qingru hostage, hid and eventually found her in a courtyard in the suburbs.

This courtyard was much smaller than the one in town, but it was also surrounded by high walls, probably another hiding place for Second Sister-in-law and her gang.

Once inside the courtyard, there was no other sound. Second Sister-in-law leaned all of Qingru's weight on First Sister-in-law Niu and went to open the door herself.

After entering the courtyard and then the house, Second Sister-in-law led Sister-in-law Niu into the study. Her face was gloomy, so although Sister-in-law Niu was puzzled, she dared not ask any questions.

I didn't see my second sister-in-law fiddling with the bookshelf for a few moments before a small door, about half a person's height, slowly opened.

A foul stench wafted over, causing Sister-in-law Niu to take a few steps back.

Second Sister-in-law stood at the entrance, her face unchanged, her gloomy eyes frightening. When the door was fully opened, the smell dissipated somewhat, and Second Sister-in-law beckoned to Sister-in-law Niu to drag Qingru inside.

Qingru was unconscious, like a limp strip of cloth, being roughly dragged along by Sister-in-law Niu.

Upon entering the basement, there were no winding corridors, but rather a small, cramped space of about forty or fifty square meters. There were only a few small ventilation openings overhead, and the rest was pitch black.

As the door opened, a little light shone in, and Sister-in-law Niu could barely make out the scene before her.

The underground area was dark and damp, with most of the ground covered in straw. Squeaks could be heard from the corners, probably from rats or other creatures.

Sister-in-law Niu couldn't help but shudder. Second Sister-in-law took Qingru directly, threw her on the ground, and scooped a bowl of water from the bucket with a broken bowl and splashed it over her.

The sudden shock jolted Qingru awake, though her eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the darkness.

Second Sister-in-law, furious, slapped Qingru across the face. "You're the one who gave Xiao Erlang the idea to report to the authorities, aren't you? Bah! You won't escape my grasp. You've cost me two lives in one go. You'll never have a good life." Second Sister-in-law pinched Qingru's chin hard. "I'll sell you to the lowest-class brothel, making you work your way to death. There's no right to choose your customers there. They're all filthy, smelly lowlifes. Their greasy, unwashed hands will touch your body, catching you venereal diseases. You won't even die in peace."

Hearing her threat, Qingru felt a chill in her heart, but also a sense of satisfaction. "Two people have been killed at once? Haha, that's satisfying, that's satisfying! You are utterly heartless, forcing innocent women into prostitution. You deserve to go to hell and suffer retribution."

"Hmph, I've never known what retribution is since I started this business." The second sister-in-law was still not satisfied and beat Qingru severely until she was barely breathing before she stopped. She stepped on Qingru's face and spat, "Pah, all you have is a pretty face. If you weren't worth anything, I would make you wish you were dead."

"Keep an eye on her." After beating her, Second Sister-in-law clapped her hands and left, while Sister-in-law Niu didn't dare to move an inch. A moment later, she threw down two bottles of wound medicine and ordered, "Apply this to her. Don't let her die, or I'll hold you responsible. I'm going to find the buyer who took this little bitch now, and while I'm at it, I'll find out if your man is dead. Stay here quietly."

"Okay," Sister-in-law Niu quickly agreed, and the door closed, extinguishing the last ray of light in the basement.

Qingru was in pain all over, and gasped for breath, "Ha, you've been running around for them all, and you're just a maid who does odd jobs. Do you think she'll sell you off too when she sells me?"

Sister-in-law Niu reluctantly replied, "Impossible." But in her heart, she knew that Qingru might be telling the truth; she just didn't want to believe it.

The dark basement was filled with a damp, putrid stench. Qingru frowned, her inner alarm bells ringing. "Sister-in-law Niu, smell this. What's that smell in the air?"

Sister-in-law Niu was clearly a little uneasy. "What? I can't smell it?"

"Smell again, what's rotting? It looks like meat. Could it be a rat? Or maybe a person?"

"Ah!" Sister-in-law Niu was startled. "You... what nonsense are you talking about? There are only rats here, yes, rats." Although Sister-in-law Niu followed them to do some shady things, she had never personally harmed a human body, so she couldn't accept it.

Even though there was a suspicious smell in the air, she refused to believe it.

"I...I'll apply the medicine for you." Trembling, Sister-in-law Niu applied the medicine to Qingru with shaky hands. Since she couldn't see, she could only touch Qingru's body and sprinkle the medicine haphazardly.

Qingru endured the pain, unable to cry out anymore. Fortunately, it was winter, and fortunately, it was only a superficial injury. As long as she could endure this pain, as long as she could survive, there was still hope.

Xiao Erlang has already escaped. Qingru doesn't know if Guo Zixing will come to rescue her, but she doesn't care anymore.

As long as she has a life left, she will never give in.

Sister-in-law Niu scattered a bottle of medicine right next to the only living person in the dungeon. Fortunately, Qingru was injured and didn't have the strength to push her away. In this dark and gloomy environment, this was the only comfort.

Song House.

Yan Ru was restless all day, as if something important had happened, and she was very agitated.

Seeing her pacing back and forth in the room, the little one couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong? Why are you running around like that?"

Yan Ru glared at him, and the little thing immediately fell silent. "I don't know either, I'm feeling really anxious. Has anything happened in the manor recently?"

The little thing shook its head. "No, the master is still out and hasn't come back yet. The ladies in the manor are all quiet, and the young ladies and young masters don't have anything new to say. Oh, right, it's probably because it's almost New Year's, and the manor is starting to get busy."

Seeing that none of this was what Yan Rujian wanted to know, she waved for the little thing to leave, "Wait, have Song Yi come here."

The little girl looked at Yanru in surprise. She rarely took the initiative to see the people around the master. This time, the master took Song Ren and several stewards with him, while Song Yi was left at the mansion.

Yan Ru, confined to the inner quarters, knew very little about the outside world; the only information she had came from Song Yuanliang. Therefore, she summoned Song Yi, who had accompanied her to the Lü family and should know some things about the outside world.

After Yan Ru had drunk a cup of tea and waited for a while, the little one finally arrived late with her entourage.

"How could it be you?" Yan Ru asked in surprise, because the person who came was not Song Yi, but Song Fu.

Song Fu cupped his hands and said, "Sixth Madam, Song Yi has other duties and is afraid he won't be able to come for a while, so I came to report first. I was afraid that if you have any important matters to attend to, there would be no one to tell you."

Yan Ru was somewhat disappointed, but Song Fu was also someone who traveled extensively, so she let it go.

"Xiao Fang, you can go out now. I have something to ask him."

The little thing's eyes widened. "He's a man, is it appropriate for the two of you to stay together if I go out?"

Yan Ru lost her patience. "I said it's nothing, so it's nothing. Don't say anything more."

The little thing was just refuting out of habit, and ultimately dared not provoke Yan Ru now. So it knew to leave, but simply closed the door and stood guard outside.

Qingru felt a little embarrassed in front of Song Fu. "Well, I called you here to ask you some questions."

Song Fu respectfully replied, "Please speak."

"What's the situation outside? How's the Lü family doing?"

Song Fu said, "The situation outside is similar to before, and the Lü family is still under lockdown. However, I haven't heard of any other Lü family members being arrested, nor have I heard any news of anyone looking for your two sisters."

Yan Ru found it strange. Why did things suddenly turn cold? Why did they stop arresting the sisters? Were they useless or unnecessary?

If it's no longer necessary, does that mean the person is dead, or that the Guo family has already gotten what they wanted?

With so little information, Yan Ru was unable to glean any useful information from the fragmented and incomplete news, which made her somewhat anxious.

"Then... what about my father? Lü Peijun?"

Song Fu said, "You can rest assured that since that day, the master has instructed me to find a way to rescue Master Lü. As far as we know, he is still alive."

In fact, Song Fu had been close to the warden for quite some time, and he had finally managed to establish himself in that alley, but he hadn't had time to do much more.

This time, he happened to be returning to the manor to report his mission, and when he saw that Yan Ru's people wanted to see Song Yi, he took their place.

Hearing that her father was still alive, Yan Ru finally felt relieved. Although the anxiety still lingered, it was much lessened.

"Thank you very much. If you have nothing else to do, I would like to ask you to do something for me."

Song Fu was originally a spy, but when Yan Ru asked him for help, he blurted out, "Please tell me."

Yan Ru said, “I have an old servant in my family, everyone calls him Master Hua. He lives in the north of the city. If you have time, go to his house and see him. If he is having financial difficulties, give him these things.”

Yan Ru turned around, took out a hundred yuan from her dressing box, handed it to Song Fu, and then stuffed a string of pearls into his hand, saying, "Here you go."

The warm touch lingered in his palm for only a moment before the cold beads settled in his hand, and Song Fu felt at ease.

"it is good."

He made a promise, and Yanru, taking it as a sign of his loyalty, nodded and let him go.

The little creature followed Song Fu around again. Although Song Fu had no power or influence, he had one advantage: he was good-looking! So the little creature was willing to take a few more glances at him.

Yan Ru was unaware of so much. In the past six months, her life had shrunk to just this small space, and she couldn't imagine so much.

Whenever the little one was away, Du Juan would always come forward to serve her attentively. However, Yan Ru still disliked crowds, so she wouldn't let anyone get close to her except for meals and baths. Therefore, the fact that Song Yuanliang came from time to time had not yet been discovered.

The night was chilly, but the banquet hall remained unaffected; even the flowers on display bloomed brightly, always surrounded by a faint, fresh floral fragrance.

The wind was howling outside, tearing snowflakes wildly through the air.

"It's snowing!" a maid exclaimed in delight.

Yan Ru heard this, put down her book, and couldn't help but feel a little curious.

She opened the window and looked out. The wind was blowing fiercely, sweeping through the veranda and pelting snowflakes directly into her face.

The ground, the trees, the grass... all seemed to be covered with a thin layer of white gauze. The snow had just started falling and had not yet completely covered the ground.

Yan Ru reached out her hand, and in the dim night, glistening snowflakes fell into her palm, melting instantly. Yan Ru smiled happily.

She put on her white fox fur coat, opened the door, and quietly moved to the veranda, ready to admire the snow-covered landscape.

Wearing a pair of velvet slippers, Yan Ru seemed to be without socks, reluctant to disturb the thin layer of snow on the ground. From the outside in, the snow gradually spread out, creating a gradient effect.

Yan Ru standing there was a breathtaking sight. A beauty in the snow, her delicate face unparalleled in the mortal world. Her spirit was like the waters of a spring lake, her eyebrows like the dark mountains of spring.

Song Yuanliang watched from afar, finding it indescribably beautiful.

It wasn't too late yet, and Song Yuanliang stood at the window of the study opposite, gazing into the distance.

Seeing her engrossed in admiring the snow, Song Yuanliang felt a mischievous urge.

She tore off a piece of paper, folded it into an airplane, and flew it towards Yanru. Yanru's skin was delicate and she couldn't withstand even the slightest blow. The sharp tip of the paper airplane poked her face, startling her so much that she leaned back.

Upon receiving the paper airplane, she discovered it was the tool used in the crime. She picked it up and immediately locked onto her target.

Seeing that Song Yuanliang was indeed mocking her by the window, Yan Ru pouted unhappily. She made a punching gesture at him, indicating that she wanted to "get revenge" on him.

Song Yuanliang laughed so hard he bent over because of its non-aggressive appearance. When a kitten scratches you, it only makes you feel ticklish and not scared at all.

Yan Ru walked towards the covered walkway, trying not to be seen by Song Yuanliang. That rascal always loved to tease her, preventing her from enjoying the snow scenery for a while.

Song Yuanliang was itching to get his hands on the food, but unfortunately it wasn't too late yet. The lights were still on in the small building where the banquet was being held, and the servants were still busy. He could only wait until they were all fast asleep.

Suppressing his longing to get closer to her, Song Yuanliang forced himself to focus on his studies. After all, only by becoming independent from the Song family could he possibly provide Yanru with a better life. She was so delicate; without sufficient strength, he feared he wouldn't be able to protect her.

That night, Song Yuanliang came to Yanru's room as usual. Yanru had gradually gotten used to it, having initially resisted.

Master Song hasn't returned for over a month, and it's estimated that everyone in the Song household except the two of them is worried about his safety.

“Look at this sentence, he wrote it so well.” Yan Ru picked up a copy of “Border Town” and pointed out a sentence to Song Yuanliang: “The drizzle continues to fall, and a wisp of smoke rises from the stream.”

"Although I've never been there, his writing makes it feel like I can see it there."

“And this line,” Yan Ru read aloud, “Everything has its coincidences, yet the outcome is like an inevitable destiny.”

"I don't quite understand, but I still think this statement makes a lot of sense. We all have the same brains, so how did he come up with this?"

Seeing Yan Ru's excited eyes, Song Yuanliang felt comforted. He had found these novels for Yan Ru to read, to enrich her life.

The two read books together, chatting about their school days, just like a loving couple. They even slept with their arms around each other at night.

Even though Song Yuanliang never actually did anything to Yan Ru, it still made him feel sweet inside.

Song Quan was his personal servant. From that time on, he knew that his master seemed to have some secret that he couldn't tell anyone, and he often used him as a cover. What else could he say? The two had grown up together since childhood, and this friendship was already worth protecting, not to mention that Song Yuanliang was his master.

With Song Quan's constant protection, Song Yuanliang became even bolder, often going out at night and staying in Yanru's room during the day, which often left Song Quan's heart hanging in the balance.