How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Back at the pipe, Qingru was so tired she could barely lift her arms. The thought of waking up and having to repeat the same routine made her want to grab them and get rid of them immediately.

Lu Chai Bang'er is cooking porridge again. The clear and watery vegetable porridge actually whetted Qingru's appetite. After all, she hadn't eaten or drunk anything all day. She could even swallow a bowl of dog food now.

Qingru was surprised to find that her thoughts were subtly changing, and immediately put them out of her mind.

She understood why those female workers all seemed numb and indifferent. It was because of the pain they were in, because they were repeating simple yet arduous work every day, until their bodies were exhausted and only needed to eat and sleep. Of course, they gradually gave up everything else.

When people are well-fed and clothed, they know etiquette; when they are hungry and cold, they live only for basic instincts. How easy is it to awaken them?

While Qingru was still pondering, the other female workers had already started scrambling for the vegetable porridge. As usual, Mrs. Zhang gave everyone half water and half porridge, giving it to those who were going to work first, and then adding some water to the rest to cook it before serving it to those who had just returned from work.

Don't want to eat? Fine, then you won't get any for this meal or the next.

Therefore, few people had the thought of rebellion, which is why Zhang Yan said they were cautious and didn't like to talk. They weren't cautious at all; they were clearly too hungry to speak.

Qingru was at the back of the line. She received a bowl of thin porridge and swallowed it down in a few mouthfuls with her neck stiff.

Only after eating warm food did I feel a little full.

Luchaibang looked at her worriedly and quietly slipped her a piece of the root of some unknown plant, saying, "It's edible, it's not poisonous."

Qingru nodded, quietly hiding the piece of material in her sleeve, and asked, "Where did you dig this up? How much is it?"

"Not much, just a little bit. I dug it all up. There won't be any left if you wait any longer." Luchabang'er thought she was hungry, so he added, "If you're hungry, I'll go get that piece of candy for you."

Qingru's eyes widened slightly. "Wasn't that what you gave to Sun Qiao'er?"

Luchabang'er said nonchalantly, "Living people are always more important."

Qingru choked, unable to refute, just feeling something was off.

After finishing her meal, Qiu Shuang secretly hid away, covered her head, and cried bitterly. She couldn't even vent her grievances to her heart's content. She was so frustrated and didn't know when it would end.

As if she had made up her mind, Qiu Shuang hobbled over to Qing Ru with her limp, "I'm going to escape, do you want to come with me?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Qingru's eyes. "How are you going to escape?"

"There are fewer guards at night, so let's keep her under control, make her lead the way, and escape under the cover of darkness."

Luchaibang moved behind Qingru to avoid Qiushuang's pointing finger.

"She doesn't know the way either. Besides, are you really sure?" Qingru asked tentatively.

"Think it over? Do we even need to think it over? If we stay any longer, we'll all die!" Qiu Shuang suddenly became agitated, panting heavily as she shouted, "I want to go home! I can't take it anymore! I can't stay here another day!"

Qingru quickly covered her mouth, "Stop shouting, let's plan carefully first, we must come up with a foolproof plan."

"I don't want to, I don't want to think about it, I want to go home, I want to go back." Qiu Shuang completely lost control, treating Qing Ru as a guard blocking her way, frantically shaking and resisting, "Let me go back."

Qingru held her tightly, while Luchaibang stuffed a rag into her mouth and pressed her down with Qingru.

Qingru was also getting angry and slapped him hard. "Calm down, are you in such a hurry to die?"

A slap landed, her ears rang, and Qiu Shuang snapped back to reality.

Dejected, she collapsed to the ground and wept. Qingru and Luchaibang'er exchanged a glance and both saw the helplessness in each other's eyes.

Qingru hugged Qiushuang and comforted her, "Don't be afraid. What era are we living in now? The Qing Dynasty is long gone. This is the Republic of China. If we are wronged, we can report it to the police, make our voices heard everywhere, and express our opinions. Don't risk your life to fight back."

Qiu Shuang also came to her senses, nodded through her tears, and huddled next to Qing Ru and Lu Chai Bang'er to draw a little warmth.

Qiaofeng and Xinlan, who came with her, were from the same village. They grew up together and had a very good relationship, but at this moment, both of them had gone to work and were probably being beaten.

Seeing that she had calmed down, Qingru gave Luchaibang'er a look. The two already had a tacit understanding; they could understand each other's thoughts with just a glance.

First, Qiushuang was sent back to rest, while Luchaiban quietly climbed up the pipe where Qingru was sleeping.

A female worker opened her tired eyes and vaguely saw someone go to Qingru's pipe. She ignored them, assuming that Qingru was sleeping alone and cold, and that paying attention to these people was not enough for her to sleep.

"Little Fuzi, you're always out and about, how much do you know about this place?"

Reed Stalk thought for a moment, "Not a lot, not too little. What do you want to know?"

"I have a younger sister I know named Guiying, I think her surname is Jiang. Have you ever met her?"

Luchaibang shook his head. "No, I don't usually talk when I go out, and I don't even know the names of the people I meet."