"What does 'sharing a wife' mean?" Chunyan, the youngest in the carriage, asked the others in the carriage, puzzled.
"Sharing a wife means that a family of brothers is too poor to afford more than one wife. So they share one," Wen Nuan directly explained when others didn't know how to put it.
"One wife with multiple husbands!" Chunyan exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes. Not only in the State of Yan, but also in some remote mountains in our country, there are quite a few families practicing wife - sharing.
There was a sister in my natal village who was exchanged in marriage into such a family. Since she got married, she kept giving birth to children for the brothers in that family.
She had eight children in ten years. When she was having her ninth child, she died of excessive bleeding," a woman in the carriage recounted a real - life incident.
"No, no, I don't want to be a shared wife," Chunyan shrieked in fear.
Bang, bang.
The people outside the carriage knocked on the carriage wall twice with a stick.
"What are you screaming for? Be quiet," a rough voice roared from outside.
The people inside the carriage shivered at the harsh shout.
"You may not even make it to the State of Yan," Wen Nuan's words frightened everyone in the carriage again.
"Will they kill us?"
"The further we go towards the border, the more unstable it gets. There could be bandits and robbers. Of course, these are not the scariest things," Wen Nuan paused here.
"What's the scariest thing?"
"Of course, it's how to smuggle us to the State of Yan.
Our dynasty doesn't allow human trafficking to other countries. There are daily patrols and inspections at the border.
In order to transport us across, the human traffickers will hide us in secret compartments. It's air - tight in there.
In the last batch of the convoy, 60 people were transported, but only 20 of them made it to the State of Yan alive."
"Forty people died!"
"Maybe it's better to die. At least you don't have to suffer," someone thought death was a relief.
"Do you think death is a relief? Dream on. Your body will be eaten like beef or mutton," Wen Nuan said.
"Eaten!?"
"The State of Yan has a tradition of cannibalism," Wen Nuan replied firmly.
"The State of Yan practices cannibalism!"
"How terrible!"
"I don't want to be eaten. Mom, I want to go home," Chunyan couldn't bear it and started to cry.
Some of the other women in the carriage also sobbed softly.
"Are you really not in cahoots with the human traffickers? You seem to know so much," someone suspected Wen Nuan.
"This is not a secret. Some scholars who went to the State of Yan recorded in their travel notes that the people there practice cannibalism," a gentle - looking woman said.
"If we're not bought, will we be served on the table?" Ye Yunniang asked.
"You asked a good question. If we can't be sold, to avoid losses, the human traffickers will sell us as livestock," Wen Nuan replied.
"Whether we're alive or dead, it will be miserable for us in the State of Yan," someone sighed.
"I'd rather die than go to the State of Yan," the gentle - looking woman said again.
"It's not up to you. We're like fish on the chopping block now," Wen Nuan's words were harsh but true.
"We'll definitely find a way out," someone said optimistically.
"We should escape," another suggested.
"Aren't there military patrols at the border? We can ask them for help," someone proposed.
"Asking them for help is worse than waiting for death.
Some of the patrolmen are in cahoots with the human traffickers," Wen Nuan knew a lot. Even Ye Yunniang, who didn't suspect her at first, began to wonder if Wen Nuan was on the side of the human traffickers.
The carriage stopped and the door opened.
"Get out," a scar - faced man holding a knife shouted at the people inside the carriage.
When Ye Yunniang stepped on the ground, she felt weak. While stretching her body, she took a look around.
There were two carriages, seven or eight burly human traffickers, and about twenty abducted women and girls, but no children.
"You, what are you standing there for? Go and do some work," a man shouted, driving Ye Yunniang and seven or eight other women to gather firewood.
Ye Yunniang and the others were gathering firewood in front, with two men behind them, one holding a knife and the other an arrow.
Snap!
"Work faster. Don't dawdle," the man with the knife whipped the air.
The sound of the whip made Ye Yunniang jump and she quickened her pace of gathering firewood.
"Ah -" a scream interrupted Ye Yunniang's efforts.
She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a woman fall with an arrow in her back.
"Why did you kill her?" the man with the knife was dissatisfied with the man with the arrow for killing the woman directly.
"I've been craving some meat these days," the man with the arrow said as he slung his bow on his back, walked towards the woman, grabbed her foot, and dragged her towards the camp.
Ye Yunniang, who was the closest, heard his words.
"The State of Yan has a tradition of cannibalism," Ye Yunniang recalled what Wen Nuan had said and felt a wave of nausea.
She suppressed the nausea and focused all her energy on gathering firewood.
Ye Yunniang gathered a bundle of firewood, which satisfied the human traffickers and she didn't get beaten.
Two women who didn't gather enough were beaten until they rolled on the ground.
"This is what will happen if you don't work hard," the human traffickers said, using this as an example to intimidate the others.
This method was very effective, and the women worked much more quickly.
At night, the women sat huddled together for warmth.
The human traffickers distributed food: a bowl of broth and a steamed bun for each person.
Ye Yunniang looked at the broth and retched.
"Not going to drink it?"
"I get carsick and can't stand the smell of meat," Ye Yunniang explained.
"What a useless thing," the human trafficker cursed and took the broth from Ye Yunniang and gave it to the woman next to her.
Ye Yunniang gnawed on the steamed bun dryly.
"I watched when they made the soup. It's wild chicken soup, not that kind," Wen Nuan sat down next to Ye Yunniang with a bowl in her hand.
"I can't drink it," Ye Yunniang felt nauseous just thinking about what that man had said. She wouldn't eat meat for a long time.
"If you don't eat meat, eat more of the steamed bun," Wen Nuan broke half of her bun and offered it to Ye Yunniang.
Ye Yunniang didn't take it. "Why?" Why was Wen Nuan being so kind to her?
"I've always had good intuition. I think you're my hope," Wen Nuan said and then took a sip of the chicken soup.
Ye Yunniang smiled. Was she Wen Nuan's hope? Then where was her own hope?
When gathering firewood, she had looked around and found the place completely unfamiliar. She was sure that they were not in Jiangcheng.
After finishing the steamed bun and drinking a bowl of water, Ye Yunniang and the others had their hands and feet tied with ropes.
"Sir, please don't tie me up," a woman with almond - shaped eyes and peach - blossom - like cheeks pleaded.
"I won't run away."
"I'll be very obedient."
"Sir, please, don't tie me up."
"Don't want your hands and feet tied?" the man who was tying the ropes stopped and looked at the woman.
"Yes, sir. I'll be good," the woman saw a glimmer of hope and kept promising.
"Are there any other women who don't want to be tied?"
"I don't want to be tied either."
"Me neither."
...
When others spoke up, Wen Nuan reminded Ye Yunniang, "Don't say a word."
Ye Yunniang hadn't planned to speak anyway.
She felt that if she said she didn't want to be tied, she would end up in a bad situation.
"Brother Ma, there are five women who don't want to be tied," the man said excitedly.
The five women who didn't want to be tied were pulled out.
By now, if you still didn't understand, you were a fool.
Where could these women escape to?
Soon, there were cries and pleas for mercy from the women and excited gasps from the men.
The remaining three men guarded the tied - up women, looking at them like hungry wolves.
