How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

The next day at noon, Qingru, filled with joy, secretly slipped into Zhang Yan's office.

Standing at the office door, Qingru was still a little uneasy. Maybe it wasn't? Maybe it was? Without giving herself much time to think, Qingru opened the office door.

"Guiying...?!"

"Who are you? Lü..."

Thank God, the person who came was Guiying, the Guiying from Niujia Village.

"Yes," Qingru nodded, quickly covered Guiying's mouth, and shook her head.

As clever as Guiying was, she immediately realized that this was not the place to talk.

Seeing that they had finally met, Zhang Yan quickly gave up her seat to them and went to stand guard at the door to prevent any outsiders from coming.

Seeing Guiying nod, Qingru finally let go of her.

"To make a long story short, I'm currently with Zhang Dali, and you're still working for Boss Hu?"

Guiying nodded repeatedly, tears welling in her eyes. She remembered Qingru telling her before she left that she should come to her if she needed anything. She had thought it was just a joke, but it turned out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

She had fallen into a wolf's den, constantly hoping for salvation. Now that the scene from her dream had come true, she was momentarily dazed and incredulous.

Guiying choked up and said, "I'm still working for Boss Hu. I never thought that going to the city to work would be like this. If I had known... if I had known, I wouldn't have come. Niu Da and his wife are liars. They sold us to be slaves. Sister Qingru, you should leave quickly. Don't come back. This is not a good place. This is hell. Get out of here quickly."

Qingru patted her back, trying her best to soothe her emotions. "Don't talk nonsense. I came here for you. How could I leave you? Listen to me. Many girls here want to escape, but they don't know how and they're afraid of being beaten and scolded, so they've become numb. Now I have a better way. Do you want to listen to it? Let's leave here openly and honestly."

Guiying was in a daze, then remembered that Qingru hadn't actually entered the textile factory. "Sister Qingru, how did you get in? And with so many guards here, how did you escape? Is it really possible to leave this cannibalistic place?"

"Of course," Qingru said calmly. It was precisely at this moment that she needed to have absolute confidence, otherwise Guiying might collapse first.

Qingru's resolute tone brought Guiying back to her senses, calming her down and wiping away her tears. Even when her father died and her grandmother tried to marry her off haphazardly, she hadn't given up hope. Now, she had only momentarily lost her way. Seeing Qingru's determination, she suddenly felt a surge of courage.

“Sister Qingru, I’m currently living in an open area in the southwest. There are many cement pipes there, and they stuff them with scraps of cloth from the yarn factory to make curtains. They eat pig swill, but I secretly watched and saw that the cooks go to the woods to collect firewood every day. There must be a dense forest around here, otherwise they couldn’t withstand burning it every day. Maybe we can get out from there.”

This surprised Qingru. She hadn't expected Guiying, in such a difficult situation, to notice these things. This was a place even Luchaibang'er hadn't mentioned, yet Guiying, who wasn't in charge of cooking, had already drawn these conclusions simply through observation.

Seeing Qingru staring at her, Guiying felt a little embarrassed. "I wanted to run away on my first day here, so I was extra careful."

"No, Guiying, you are very good. Even without me, you might be able to save yourself. As long as you don't give up, no one can stop you."

Qingru's words were a bit of an exaggeration, but Guiying needed to feel affirmed, so she was genuinely happy.

Zhang Yan knocked on the door. "Hurry up, someone's coming back."

Guiying's face turned pale, and she immediately took Qingru's hand and said, "Sister Qingru..."

Qingru quickly stopped her, "There's no need to say anything. I also live in the open space in the southwest corner. It turns out that we were only a hundred meters apart. It's a pity that we haven't seen each other. Once I'm ready, we'll escape together."

"I have my own connections, and I've arranged for backup outside, so don't worry. Oh, by the way, my name is Lü Xiaocui now, don't get it wrong. If you need anything, you can contact Luchaibang'er, her name is Xiaofuzi."

Guiying nodded and remembered, tears welling up in her eyes once again. She never expected that Qingru, whom she had just met, would treat her so kindly. How could she ever repay him?

Meeting an old friend in a foreign land is naturally a joyful thing. Moreover, Qingru had only gone to risk her life to rescue Guiying and the others in the first place, and now that she had found them, she felt much more at ease.

"I'm going back now. I only came out under the pretense of an excuse. If they find out, I'll definitely get another beating."

Thinking of those beatings, Guiying couldn't help but shudder. She quickly parted ways with Qingru, feeling much more at ease knowing that someone cared about her.

"What about the other sisters?..." Guiying was about to ask again when Qingru disappeared from behind her, and she quickly ran out as well.

Qingru's heart was pounding like a drum. This time, she was able to find Guiying so quickly thanks to Zhang Yan.

It was quite a coincidence that Zhang Yan's good friend's apprentice happened to be in Gui Ying's group, in the factory next door, which is why they were able to find him so quickly.

There was no time to explain further, so Qingru quickly returned to her post and began working.

This time, Sister Qing didn't make things difficult for her, but she glared at her fiercely as she passed by.

Guiying, Luchaibang'er, Qiushuang, and Xing'er are the bonded laborers I can currently contact. Zhang Yan is an outside helper. Guo Zixing has given me two weeks. How can I successfully bring them out? I also need to gather evidence of abuse and arbitrary beatings in the yarn factory. This is illegal, a form of disguised slavery. It must be made public to make these kinds of incidents disappear without a trace, otherwise more girls will only suffer.

That's it! A camera! Qingru thought of taking photos. Nothing is more impactful than real photos. Qingru knew that the foreign merchant had a lightweight camera that could be held in her hand and that wouldn't flash when pressed, which was perfect for her to take candid photos.

It wouldn't be difficult for Zhang Yan to bring the camera in. If even Guo Zixing, the eldest son of the Marshal's Mansion, couldn't buy this kind of camera, then no one in the entire Sifang City could.

But the problem is, how do I carry the camera with me? They search me every time I go out here.

Then... hide it in the bushes? Or even in the toilet, I'll sneak over with some reeds after work and take it.

Qingru made up her mind, her hands became more steady, and her speed increased significantly.

Even Sister Qing was puzzled, "Hiss~ What triggered this sudden enthusiasm?"

With a faint smile on her face and hope in her heart, Qingru didn't feel bitter.

When I went back and told Luchaibang'er and Qiushuang about the idea, they were both very happy.

Qingru still felt there were some shortcomings; it was too restrictive. Everything had to be done indirectly, and a slight mistake could result in a severe beating. The bonded laborers here were all at the bottom of society, and anyone could beat or scold them, and even if someone was beaten to death, no one would care.