Li Xianglu felt a heavy thud in her head, a pain that was unbearable. She reached out to touch it but realized that both her hands were tied behind her, immobile.
What's happening, Li Xianglu shuddered, her consciousness initially foggy and unclear started to clear up significantly, yet she still felt weak and powerless, suffering immensely.
Li Xianglu forced herself to become alert and began to recall what had happened.
After eating dumplings, she saw the little girl beside her also feeling dizzy and couldn't help but lean over to support her, only to collapse to the ground first. Yes, she had fainted, drugged.
Before she lost consciousness, the faces she saw were blurred and indifferent: the wet nurse, Uncle Ge, Aunt Ge, two cousins, her own mother Ge Sanmei, and her second brother Li Jianwen all displayed cold indifference.
Li Xianglu bitterly smiled. She had been tricked. Because Ge Sanmei had gradually become kinder, her vigilance had significantly waned, allowing her to fall so easily into the trap set in advance.
She had thought Ge Sanmei really realized the wrongs she had done before and started to treat her daughter better; she did not expect that there was an even greater conspiracy waiting for her.
Now Li Xianglu understood the reason behind the events and tried to move her tied hands. Something was stuffed in her mouth too, preventing her from shouting out. It was dark, but the shaking and the cold draft let her know she was in a carriage or perhaps a donkey cart.
Since the speed was slow and she could hear the clopping of hooves on the road, it was pitch black, but light was shining through, indicating it was daytime, though she didn't know whether it was the second or the third day of the new year, as she had no clue how long she had been unconscious.
Rocking back and forth, a cold breeze would occasionally rush in; Li Xianglu felt her feet getting cold and tried to scoot further inside, leaning around her surroundings, feeling as if she was in a cage with a large quilt covering the outside?
It seemed to be the case, as her hands could feel the iron wires twisted into patterns, leaving neat imprints when she leaned against them.
What exactly did this family want to do? Were they going to sell her? Li Xianglu shuddered, burning with even greater anger in her heart. What kind of heart did Ge Sanmei have to be part of such a plot? This body was her biological daughter, yet was she willing to sell her own child?
After traveling for over an hour, she gradually began to hear the sound of people talking. Li Xianglu struggled a bit to no avail. As the voices grew louder, Li Xianglu knew if she didn't try to find a way out now, she would probably be transported to an even farther or more dangerous place. She mustered all her strength and began to shake the cage violently.
In an instant, the cage began to sway with her movements.
Then she heard someone pressing down with a heavy palm, steadying the cage at once, and muttering to themselves, "Oh, this lamb just loves to stir up trouble. Covered it with a quilt for fear of it getting cold: why is it being so restless?" The person then patted reassuringly, saying, "We're almost there, no need to fuss." Following that she heard the man's jovial voice, "Oh, I'm taking the family sheep over to relatives, their daughter-in-law just had a baby and sadly she has no milk, so they're borrowing our sheep to feed. The little lamb didn't want to leave its mother, so we're taking both along. They sure do like to make a fuss."
With those words, many people around them chuckled kindly.
Li Xianglu broke out in a cold sweat. This person was Uncle Ge. He was pulling her, but where to?
Li Xianglu couldn't afford to think about anything else at this moment and struggled desperately, wishing she could overturn the cage and fall off the cart to be seen by people.
But just as she felt she was about to succeed, she heard a voice that chilled her to the bone, "Little brother, you're here."
It was Ge Sanmei.
Uncle Ge said, "Hey, come up quick. This little lamb is making a fuss. Help me hold it down so it doesn't run off."
Once Li Xianglu heard this, she struggled fiercely, using her last bit of strength to try and forcefully push the cage off, but she felt two different forces sit on top of her and the cage. Then she heard Ge Sanmei say cheerily, "Brother, this little lamb is really naughty."
Li Xianglu was completely dumbfounded. Could Ge Sanmei still be considered human? How could she so casually conspire with others to traffic her own daughter?
The vehicle drove on to an unknown destination and after more than an hour, it finally stopped. Then a strange voice asked, "Why did you only arrive now? We've all been waiting."
Another voice then said, "Teacher Wang, I'm sorry, we were afraid of being seen on the way so we took separate routes."
That voice belonged to Li Jianwen. Was it him?
Li Xianglu became even more puzzled and struggled to shout, but she was tied up and something unknown stuffed in her mouth, producing only muffled sounds.
She then heard the Teacher Wang who had spoken earlier say, "Hurry and move it inside, take it straight to the attic."
No sooner had these words been spoken than two "ayes" were heard and she felt herself being lifted, still in an iron cage with the quilt on top not removed.
Li Xianglu didn't dare to be careless, silently counting to herself. After approximately sixty steps, her whole body tilted, head down and body curled up—it must be stairs. She counted fourteen steps. Where on earth was this place that had an attic?
Li Xianglu struggled, starting to twist her body, and the cage began to overturn as the two carriers quickly ascended the stairs.
Li Xianglu felt herself being set down on a flat surface again and she struggled anew, suddenly seeing a burst of light.
Li Xianglu, getting used to the light, stared straight at the four people in front of her.
Yes, four people. A unfamiliar middle-aged man, Ge Sanmei, Li Jianwen, and Ge Congliang from the Ge family.
Li Xianglu glared fiercely at them all, looking at Ge Sanmei with disbelief—her own birth mother had actually conspired with others to drug her and bring her here. What were they planning to do with her?
The middle-aged man inspected Li Xianglu from head to toe as if examining livestock. His gaze lingered on Li Xianglu's undeveloped chest as he frowned and said to Li Jianwen beside him, "This girl hasn't developed yet, how can she bear children?"
This statement almost made Li Xianglu faint. Were they planning to sell her to someone as a tool for childbirth?
These beasts were absolutely wicked, hotter than hot peppers, each more fierce than the last!
Simply evil!
Li Xianglu trembled with rage. Ge Sanmei, looking at her daughter, felt somewhat guilty, but as soon as she thought of the job that this man had promised her son, her spine straightened. This was a great opportunity to change the fortune of the Li family, what was the sacrifice of one daughter? Besides, this could be considered a good marriage; the Wang family had an uncle who held an office in the county, with plenty to eat and drink at home, certainly better than what they had. As Ge Sanmei thought this, she felt assured that she, as a mother, had considered a lot for her children.