How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Qingru had barely parted ways with Grandpa Hua when Guo Zixing and his group caught up with the place they had just passed.

As dawn broke, the tracks on the road became clearly visible. Guo Zixing spotted them immediately, raised his hand to signal the people behind him to stop, and dismounted.

The tire tracks were clear and the imprints were slightly deep, suggesting that a heavy object had been carried. Upon closer inspection along the route, the tire tracks became messy at this point, indicating that someone had turned the vehicle around, perhaps to change direction.

Guo Zixing stood up again and looked around carefully. Sure enough, he found the tracks of a carriage at the intersection ahead. The grass growing by the roadside had been trampled down, and the cart tracks were clearly visible.

With a light laugh, Guo Zixing revealed a smug smile. He ran his hand through the soil to feel its softness and then judged, "They haven't gone far. Let's chase them."

Whether it is true or not, let's bring him back first, so he can explain himself later.

Qingru slung the pear basket over her arm, bent low, and blended into the crowd of people entering the city early in the morning.

In the golden autumn season, the mornings are indeed excessively cool, and those who can afford it are already wearing light jackets to keep warm.

However, most people at that time did not have the means. A summer shirt and a pair of loose, coarse cloth trousers, patched upon patched, were considered good if they were clean and tidy.

Most of the people had the marks of life on their faces, their skin was chapped and dark, and their eyebrows drooped, making them look humble and sorrowful. Although Qingru was dressed up, she still stood out among the group.

Helpless, Qingru could only observe and learn at the same time. She secretly picked up a burnt piece of wood from the ground, touched her eyebrows and drew a few lines, making her delicate willow-leaf eyebrows thicker and droopier.

There were no mirrors available, so she had to rely on her senses. Fortunately, everyone around her was focused on the things she was bringing into the city to sell, and not many people were staring at her.

Before long, her originally dark yellow but plump face looked ridiculous, all her delicate features gone. In addition, because she was trying to imitate other people's appearance, it was hard to tell the real from the fake.

To avoid revealing more, she kept her hands tucked into her sleeves, not daring to show them to anyone, as they had no calluses.

With a loud bang, the city gate opened, and the crowd rushed in, with Qingru also squeezing in with the throng.

"Get out of the way, get out of the way, what are you doing? Go to the side and line up."

There were so many people rushing in that the guards used whips to drive them away, and soon a long queue formed at the entrance.

Taking advantage of her small stature, Qingru dodged left and right, squeezing into a slightly forward position in the middle.

"Hey, young man, it's me. I'm here to sell breakfast again."

The breakfast vendor was probably acquainted with the gatekeeper; he carried his load on his shoulder pole and greeted people in a very ingratiating manner.

The guard didn't even look at him, nodded disdainfully, grunted an "uh" through his nose, and let him pass.

"Okay, thank you, sir. I wish you great wealth and high office."

As he spoke, he hurried away carrying his load, afraid of being late and disrupting business.

Qingru glanced at a few more people passing through the city gate and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, as long as they could slip some things in, it wouldn't be too difficult.

Guo Zixing and his group found nothing again; they found the carriage but didn't see anyone.

At this moment, Guo Zixing's face could no longer be described as just ugly; it was like a powder keg ready to explode.

Chief Zhang and San'er exchanged a glance, both pursing their lips, wisely remaining silent.

Guo Zixing stood with his hands on his hips, his back to them, the whip at his waist poised to strike. He figured anyone who dared to approach him would immediately be given a beating.

Chief Zhang and San'er remained calm and unmoved, but the others might not have the same sense of propriety, or rather, they might have wanted to take this opportunity to show off in front of Guo Zixing.

"There's something else in this car." A voice suddenly appeared, and Chief Zhang and San'er's eyes widened in astonishment: Who is it that's so reckless?

Guo Zixing walked over, asking, "What is that?"

The man remained neither humble nor arrogant, but carefully examined the vehicle. "There's a hidden compartment under this seat, look."

As he spoke, he climbed into the car and started fiddling with things. Guo Zixing glanced at Chief Zhang, asking with his eyes, before Chief Zhang finally said, "Zhang Xun, what did you find?"

Zhang Xun drew his dagger and pried open the stool. Sure enough, there was something inside. He took out the bundle and handed it to Guo Zixing.

"Young Master, look."

Guo Zixing didn't take it, and Chief Zhang immediately sensed the situation, "What are you doing? Can the young master handle this himself? What if it's poisonous? You brainless idiot."

He then placed the bundle on the ground and used a knife to cut it open.

"A pile of...women's clothes?" Chief Zhang was taken aback, and the others came over to look as well.

Seeing that there was no danger, Guo Zixing squatted down and examined it himself. It was a moon-white printed silk dress, Western style, with long sleeves and a narrow waist, which was the popular style at the time.

The fabric was soft and warm to the touch, carrying a faint, delicate fragrance. It also featured a pair of round-toed leather shoes, a style commonly worn by female students these days.

Guo Zixing stared at the clothes, lost in thought, while Chief Zhang couldn't help but make a teasing remark.

"This young lady has a pretty slim waist, and she smells nice too."

"Hahaha," his brothers laughed at him, "Are you investigating a case, or are you thinking about women?"

"Go away, go away," Chief Zhang said, still mindful of Guo Zixing's presence. "Young Master, what do you say?"

"It seems we're on the right track. Keep investigating; the person can't have gone far."

"Yes."

Everyone responded in unison. They mounted their horses, loaded the carriage and its contents, and drove away.

The couple who bought the carriage were so frightened by the police that they collapsed to the ground. The police pulled the carriage away without uttering a sound.

Guo Zixing, however, noticed the couple who were trembling like quails and turned to them, saying, "You don't need to be afraid. We are just investigating a case. If we find that it has nothing to do with you, then everything will be fine."

After saying that, he threw down two silver dollars. "I left in a hurry and didn't bring much money. If you don't have enough, come to the police station or the Guo residence to get more. If you see the old man who sold you the carriage again, come and tell me immediately."

"Yes, yes, yes, I will definitely tell you everything I know without reservation. I, a humble citizen, would never dare to lie."

After confirming several times that the couple were not in the know, the group left.

Once they were out of sight, the old woman finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh dear, I was so scared! I was trying to take advantage of them, and I almost lost my life!"

The old man clicked his tongue twice. "You're one to talk. I didn't agree to it in the first place. It's so strange. Who would come to my door to sell a horse-drawn carriage so early in the morning?"

I'd better keep this silver dollar safe.

The old woman got up, picked up the silver dollar, and put it in her pocket, clutching it tightly.

The old man snatched it away, saying, "Come on, you spendthrift old woman, you almost got me killed."

"Hey, if you're so capable, go to the police station or the Guo residence and get the money. You didn't spend a single penny..."

……

Grandpa Hua was hiding in a haystack not far away. At this time, people had finished harvesting rice and were carrying it back from the fields, stacking the straw from the harvested rice into tall piles.

He sold the grain at a low price, and hearing the sound of horses' hooves in the distance, fearing he would be discovered, he went to the family who had bought the clothes, gave them the horse, and hid in a haystack, intending to rest for a while before going into the city.

Before long, a dozen or so policemen arrived, all looking for the woman who was driving a horse-drawn carriage with an old servant.

Grandpa Hua thought to himself, "Isn't this the person they're looking for?" He felt a wave of fear wash over him and hid in the haystack, not daring to breathe.

Fortunately, the elderly couple did not know where Grandpa Hua was, and they only saw Grandpa Hua coming alone to change his clothes, otherwise they would have been exposed immediately.

The group didn't even look for the nearby haystacks, perhaps thinking they had wandered too far away; this could be considered "blind spotting one's own back."

Upon learning that his family was indeed embroiled in legal trouble, Grandpa Hua was anxious and worried about his family. Fortunately, he still had some rationality. After a moment's thought, he followed Qingru's example and made himself look disheveled, like a vagrant, before carefully planning his next move to save his life.

It was almost Qingru's turn; there were only two or three people ahead of her.

"Clatter clatter clatter~" The sound of horses' hooves came, and Qingru looked up and saw a dozen or so policemen riding towards her.

My heart started pounding again. The young man in the lead was extremely cold and serious, and the policemen following behind him were also in formal attire. The one lagging behind was even leading a horse and pulling a carriage.

When Qingru saw the familiar car, her heart almost jumped out of her chest. She bit her lip and clenched her hands, and the sudden pain finally suppressed her palpitations.

Qingru was afraid that Grandpa Hua had been arrested. Although she didn't know what her family had done wrong, since it involved the police, it was something she couldn't possibly know.

The carriage was empty; as it moved, the wind blew in completely. The lifted corner of the curtain revealed that no one was inside, and Qingru finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Forcing herself to calm down, Qingru tried even harder to conceal her figure.

Guo Zixing slowed down as he passed the people queuing to enter the city. Chief Zhang personally dismounted and came over to greet the guards stationed in the city.

Guo Zixing sat on his horse, his tiger-like eyes surveying the crowd.

Qingru immediately tensed up; it was her turn to be examined, but the group of people was right in front of her…

With his head down and gripping the bamboo basket tightly, he walked step by step toward the guard.

"come here."

Qingru was stunned for a moment, seemingly incredulous.

Guo Zixing watched her from afar. The village girl was dirty, but her clothes were covered in fresh soil, unlike the other dirty beggars and vagrants. Moreover, she was hesitant and dazed.

Blinking, Qingru regained some composure and stammered, "I... I called you?"

Guo Zixing frowned, a hint of impatience in his voice. "It's you. Come here."

Qingru was extremely unwilling, afraid of being exposed, and lingered in place, saying, "I...I mustn't do anything wrong."

His voice trembled and was rough, with a sob in it, making him look exactly like someone who had never seen the world.

Sergeant Zhang stepped forward and grabbed Qingru's arm, saying, "Just come forward when I tell you to. Stop talking nonsense."

Qingru was practically dragged forward by him and thrown in front of Guo Zixing, causing several pears to fall out. Her drooping eyebrows dared not lift, and she hurriedly picked up the pears, crying, "These are all the pears my family has, we use them to exchange for food. How can we sell them now that they're broken?"

This annoyed Guo Zixing. "Fine, I just asked you to come and buy some pears for you to try."

"What?"

Qingru was crying so hard that tears streamed down her face, making her look quite unsightly. Her head was drooping, but it peeked out from her messy hair, and she looked completely incredulous.

He cheered up again, "Oh, at least I didn't do anything wrong, I'll sell, I'll sell pears."

Those eyes were incredibly clear, which puzzled Guo Zixing.

"Where are you from?"

“I’m from that little village next to Jiuhuangzhuang. I’ve run out of land at home, so I’ve come out to sell pears to earn some food.”

Qingru deliberately used a local accent, hoping to get away with it quickly.

After walking all night, exhausted and thirsty, Guo Zixing decided to buy the pears.

He beckoned to Chief Zhang to come over and inspect the bamboo baskets, picking out the broken ones and taking the rest away.

Qingru used her clothes to hold the few bruised pears, wanting to run away, but she couldn't; she had to pretend to be selling pears.

He still dared not extend his hands, keeping them tucked into his sleeves, supporting the front of his clothes, where several rotten pears clung, and slowly moved closer to Guo Zixing.

"Excuse me...excuse me, one pear costs two copper coins."

Guo Zixing glanced up at her, and Qingru immediately lowered her head, forcing a smile. Guo Zixing felt disgusted by her fawning appearance. "Zhang Gong, you come and pay."

"Yes, come and get it from me."

Chief Zhang smiled on the outside, but in his heart he was cursing: "What a lousy bum! He's broke, so why is he pretending to be something he's not?"

Qingru walked over with the pears in her arms. Sergeant Zhang threw in a few copper coins. Qingru didn't care how much he gave her. She quickly hugged the money and pears to her chest and said repeatedly, "Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir. May you be rich."

After saying that, she hurriedly ran away. The guards at the city gate did not stop her anymore and waved her over to let her in.

It was as clear as a dark passage; thankfully, otherwise I would have had to fabricate names and places of origin.