"Yan Country."
"Yes, yes, that's it, Yan Country," Li Pan chimed in.
"I also heard Mother mention Yan Country."
"I heard it too," Cai Damei added, describing the appearance and words of Ye Yunniang from her dream.
Li Pan and the other two listened on the side, supplementing details.
If one person dreams it, you could say it's thoughts by day, dreams by night.
But two, three, four people dreaming the same thing simultaneously?
It might be real.
"I didn't dream it," Bao Shuyi felt left out.
"Shushu, dream of sister-in-law tonight," Cai Damei picked up a small steamed bun and placed it in her bowl.
"Okay, dream of sister-in-law," Bao Shuyi picked up the bun and took a big bite.
"Master Bao, where is Yan Country?" Li An inquired.
"Yan Country is to the north. The nearest city is Beijiang City. Your mother... might be in Beijiang."
Bao Min pondered. No wonder they couldn't find her. Ye Yunniang had already headed north.
To go north, one must leave through the north gate of Jiang City.
That day, the north gate was guarded by Xing Wenzhi's men. Could it have been him?
Why would he target Ye Yunniang?
If it was because of Xing Jinxiu, shouldn't he have gone after Cai Damei instead?
Bao Min couldn't figure this point out.
"Master Bao, when are we going to Beijiang City?" Li Pan couldn't wait; she wanted to go right now.
"I'll send people to search immediately," Bao Min stood up to make arrangements.
Bao Min called for Luo Xin and instructed him to focus the investigation on Xing Wenzhi.
Ye Yunniang, having dreamed of her family, was in a cheerful mood. Even being assigned laundry duty didn't dampen her spirits.
Her good mood was noticeable to the other women washing clothes with her.
Chunyan couldn't help but ask, "Sister Yunniang, did something good happen?"
"I dreamed of my family."
"I miss my parents and brother too. I wonder how they are now?"
"They must be thinking of you, looking for you."
"I think so too." Chunyan never doubted her parents' and brother's doting love for her. But soon, her brow furrowed with worry. "I just don't know... if I'll ever get to see them again."
"You will. As long as you hold onto hope, you will."
"What's the use of holding hope? We've already been transported to Beijiang City. Who knows, we might be sold off any day."
"Sister Wenjing, don't always say such discouraging things." Chunyan disliked how Wenjing was always disheartened and demoralizing.
"I'm stating facts. We're surrounded by guards from the traffickers. They have weapons, and they've given us that muscle-weakening powder. There's no hope of escape at all."
What Wenjing said, Chunyan couldn't refute. But she stubbornly insisted, "My parents and brother would never give up on me."
"What can they do even if they don't give up? Our families are all ordinary commoners. What ability do they have to travel thousands of miles to rescue us?"
Chunyan fell completely silent.
"If they don't give up, we shouldn't give up either."
"Give up on what?"
"Give up on living. Do everything we can to stay alive." Ye Yunniang's voice was firm.
"Living a life worse than death?"
"Being alive means there's hope. Being dead means there's nothing left."
Wenjing scoffed at Ye Yunniang's words.
Ye Yunniang didn't wish to say more.
For a while, besides the sound of washing clothes, there was silence by the well.
After finishing the laundry, Ye Yunniang and the others received one flatbread each.
Finally, it wasn't cornbread.
She took a bite but couldn't bite through.
She tried harder, still couldn't.
Her jaw ached from the effort before she finally managed the first bite.
After eating about a third of the flatbread, Ye Yunniang couldn't eat anymore. Her teeth had no strength left.
But with some food in her stomach, it stopped growling.
Ye Yunniang picked up a stick and drew on the ground the places she had passed during the day and the patrol routes.
On the third day at the distribution point, a rare period of calm was broken by the arrival of two heavily made-up older women, one plump, one thin.
"Stand still properly, heads up," Jin Laoliu barked, hitting anyone who disobeyed with his stick.
Ye Yunniang was struck once for not lifting her head quickly enough.
The two older women inspected them one by one, commenting.
Some they even touched with their hands.
Those who were touched and tried to avoid it received a blow from Jin Laoliu's stick.
They could only endure the humiliation.
"Skin's too rough. Would cost too much to nourish."
"Hands rough enough to scrub pots. No good."
"This one's not bad."
"Hips are big. Xiangman Tower is for entertaining guests, not for bearing children."
"This one's good. Educated?"
Wenjing remained silent, not answering.
"Answer!" Jin Laoliu said, striking her twice with a thwack, thwack.
Wenjing's expression changed from the pain. "I've studied the Four Books."
"I'll take her." As the plump woman's words fell, Jin Laoliu beside her pushed Wenjing out of the line.
The two continued...
They came to stand before Ye Yunniang, looking her up and down.
"Not bad."
"This one's not available," Monkey walked over, interrupting them.
"Why? This woman has powerful connections?"
"The person who sold her insisted she must be sold to Yan Country." Monkey's words made Ye Yunniang wonder who hated her so much.
"This is the border. The seller won't find out," the plump woman was quite satisfied with Ye Yunniang.
"The other party has significant influence." Monkey said no more.
The plump woman didn't ask further and moved on to the next, stopping before Wen Nuan.
Looking at Wen Nuan's defiant, unruly eyes.
"Average looks, not worth the training effort," the plump woman assessed, then looked at the next.
Out of over a hundred women, they selected thirty-some. The remaining sixty-some were to be transported to Yan Country.
"I found a way to escape," Wen Nuan whispered to Ye Yunniang.
"Are you sure it will work?" Along the way, there had been escape attempts. All had died.
"Sure. Are you leaving tomorrow night?"
"I'm leaving." Ye Yunniang gave a definite answer. She did not want to be sent to Yan Country.
Ye Yunniang wrapped up the hard flatbread she had hidden. This was her rations.
The wait before the escape was long and agonizing.
Suppressing her agitation, Ye Yunniang did the chores assigned to her.
Today her task was to clean the rooms. The rooms vacated by the thirty-some women needed to be tidied.
The work wasn't light, but going from room to room gave Ye Yunniang time alone, preventing others from noticing anything unusual.
The sun finally set, and darkness fell.
When things outside quieted down, Wen Nuan was the first to open the door and step out. Ye Yunniang and Chunyan followed closely behind her.
Wen Nuan led the way, carefully avoiding the patrols, arriving at a section of high wall.
Wen Nuan cautiously moved aside the blockage covering a dog hole.
Wen Nuan gestured—she would go first, crawling out through the hole.
After a moment, she reached a hand back in signal.
Ye Yunniang nudged Chunyan, letting her go second, while she would be last.
Chunyan crawled in and soon was out.
Just as Ye Yunniang prepared to crawl through, she heard shouts.
"Someone's escaping! Chase them!"
Ye Yunniang plunged headfirst into the hole, scrambling to pull herself out.
Wen Nuan and Chunyan outside grabbed her hands, pulling with all their might.
Just as she was about to be free, Ye Yunniang's ankle was seized from behind.
