Ye Yunniang and the others huddled together, worried that the three men on night watch would rush towards them.
"Ah, don't touch me!" Suddenly a woman screamed, scrambling backwards.
Her cry made the others shrink back as well.
"Shut up." A man gripped his knife threateningly.
"Jin Laoliu, Brother Ma said it. We can't touch the tied-up ones."
"Damn Monkey, don't you dare use Brother Ma to pressure me." Jin Laoliu hated Monkey from their group the most, always going on about what Brother Ma said, what Brother Ma said. Annoying.
Brother Ma enjoys beauties every day, can't he have a little fun too?
"You know Brother Ma's temper." Monkey didn't care about Jin Laoliu's attitude.
Jin Laoliu stared at the tempting prize right before him that he couldn't have, and kicked the woman hard.
"Bitch."
Crack.
"Ah—my leg!" The woman's sharp shriek tore through the night air, interrupting the other five men who were getting worked up.
Brother Ma walked out of the tent with a dark expression. "What's going on?"
"Nothing, nothing." Jin Laoliu tried to cover it up.
"Brother Ma, Jin Laoliu broke a woman's leg." Monkey didn't hide the truth.
"Bastard. A woman with a broken leg is worthless." Brother Ma was furious. He walked over to Jin Laoliu and kicked him hard.
Jin Laoliu fell to the ground and, seizing the momentum, grabbed Brother Ma's leg. "Brother Ma, I was wrong. Please forgive me this once. I won't dare do it again."
"You think there'll be a next time?" Brother Ma used his other, free foot to kick Jin Laoliu repeatedly. He then turned to the woman with the broken leg who kept wailing, "Keep screaming, and I'll kill you."
The woman's voice cut off abruptly. Too terrified, she lost her balance and fell to the right, landing right on top of Wen Nuan.
Wen Nuan grunted, her body involuntarily leaning into Ye Yunniang.
Ye Yunniang steadied herself, shielding Wen Nuan.
"Old Cao."
The man among the three night watchers who had remained silent until now walked over and examined the woman's broken leg.
"The leg's broken, can't be set properly." Old Cao's answer made Jin Laoliu drop to his knees with a thud.
"Brother Ma, I was wrong. I couldn't control my leg. Brother Ma, please spare me."
Brother Ma looked at the kowtowing, pleading Jin Laoliu. "What did I say last time?"
"Brother Ma, I was wrong, I was wrong. My leg was wicked." Jin Laoliu slapped himself hard, hoping to earn Brother Ma's forgiveness.
Brother Ma's response was to draw his knife, swift and clean, slicing off one of Jin Laoliu's ears.
"Next time, it won't be your ear." As Brother Ma spoke, his gaze swept to Jin Laoliu's neck.
Jin Laoliu covered his ear, not daring to cry out in pain, and nodded vigorously. "I'll control myself, I will."
"Keep an eye on her, don't let her die." With that, Brother Ma returned to the tent.
Old Cao bandaged Jin Laoliu's wound.
"Old Cao, be gentle." Jin Laoliu muttered under his breath, but his eyes glared venomously at the woman with the broken leg.
It was all her fault his ear got cut off.
The woman with the broken leg, filled with lingering fear, tried to hide, but any movement of her leg brought pain. She whimpered as she shuffled backward.
Behind her, Wen Nuan was jostled until she couldn't sit still and toppled onto Ye Yunniang.
She tried to get up, but with her hands and feet bound and no strength, she just squirmed like a worm.
"Stop moving."
"I don't want to move either. The one in front of me keeps moving." Wen Nuan frowned. "You stop moving."
"My leg is injured, you should make way for me." The woman with the broken leg said as if it were obvious.
"We didn't injure you, why should we make way? Move again, and don't blame me for what I do." Wen Nuan's tone held a warning.
"Don't you have any sympathy? My leg is broken!"
"No."
Wen Nuan's blunt answer left the woman speechless, and she began to cry, feeling wronged.
"You bitch, cry again and I'll slaughter you." Jin Laoliu was already irritable, and the woman's sniveling made him even more agitated.
The woman didn't dare cry, and the others didn't dare speak either.
They spent a night filled with fright and fear until the sky finally lightened.
Ye Yunniang let out a sigh of relief.
The ropes were untied, their bound hands and feet swollen and painful. Supporting each other, she and Wen Nuan walked behind a tree. Keeping an eye out, they relieved themselves.
In the early morning, the traffickers were somewhat lax.
Ye Yunniang gazed into the distance, contemplating the possibility of escape.
"What are you thinking about?" Wen Nuan nudged Ye Yunniang's arm.
Ye Yunniang's body went weak, nearly falling.
Given her current condition, she wouldn't make it ten steps before dying if she tried to run.
"Sorry." Wen Nuan helped Ye Yunniang up and apologized.
"It's fine." Ye Yunniang leaned against the tree to stand straight.
Back at the camp, each received a breakfast of one rock-hard steamed bun and half a bowl of water.
After eating, they were herded back onto the cart to set off.
The cart traveled on small paths, hitting potholes now and then, making the ride extremely bumpy.
They finally endured until noon when the cart stopped. The traffickers let Ye Yunniang and the others off to rest and relieve themselves.
Afterwards, they were driven back onto the cart.
They got no food at noon.
Ye Yunniang and the others could only watch with empty stomachs as the traffickers ate meat and drank wine heartily.
The woman with almond eyes and peach-blossom cheeks from last night sat close to Brother Ma, sharing bits of food from his mouth.
"She's called Taohong. She's the wife of Wanhao, a neighbor who lived a few houses down from mine. Everyone envied Wanhao for being able to marry such a beautiful wife." Chunyan explained Taohong's background.
"They were very close, holding hands wherever they went. I used to be so envious, hoping I could be like them someday."
"How did she get kidnapped then?"
Chunyan's smile faded.
"Wanhao fell for a woman from the brothel. For her, he took all the family's money, and even..." Chunyan couldn't continue.
"And even sold Taohong." Chun'nuan finished for her.
"How do you know?" Chunyan was surprised.
"It's obvious. Men are all heartless and faithless." Wen Nuan said disdainfully.
"That's not true, my father and brother are both very good," Chunyan retorted.
"If they're so good, how did you get sold?"
"I wasn't sold, I was captured."
Chunyan recalled that day. She had taken the money her mother gave her to buy hair ribbons.
On the way, she happened to see Wanhao grabbing Taohong's hand, dragging her into an alley.
Taohong struggled, unwilling, but wasn't strong enough and was pulled inside.
Out of curiosity, Chunyan followed and witnessed the scene of Wanhao selling Taohong.
Too shocked, she made a sound, alerting the traffickers, and was captured.
Getting caught because she was curiously watching a spectacle made Chunyan feel somewhat embarrassed, but more than that, she regretted not listening to her parents.
Don't play around too much, don't run off curiously.
Not wanting to dwell on her own foolishness, Chunyan looked at Wen Nuan and the others.
"What about you? Sister Wen Nuan, how were you caught?"
"Sold by my stepmother and my man working together."
"I went out shopping and then was knocked out."
"I was out digging for wild vegetables and got tied up."
"An old woman came to the door asking for water. I brought her some water to drink. Then, I was knocked out."
... The others recounted how they were kidnapped.
Ye Yunniang said she didn't know.
"Don't know? How can you not know?" Chunyan was puzzled.
"I went to sleep and woke up on the traffickers' cart."
"You were sold by your family too."
"No, my family is very good to me, they would never sell me."
"Then how did it happen?"
"I don't know."
"Taohong is coming over."
