Chapter 130 The Woman in the Wooden Box
Everyone looked puzzled when they saw this unusual little boy.
This little boy doesn't look like a trained assassin. So who is he? And why is he mixed in with these kids?
Suddenly, a very bold guess popped into Min Qiao's mind.
This child...could it be Jing Yao's child?
But is it even possible?
Would Jing Yao, an assassin, really risk her life to secretly give birth to a child?
While Min Qiao was lost in thought, A Jiu soon opened the last box.
Surprisingly, the last box contained a pretty young woman who looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with her hair styled in a traditional Chinese updo.
Unlike the other children, this woman was awake. Her hands were tightly bound behind her back, and her feet were also tightly bound. Her mouth was gagged, and her eyes were covered with a black cloth.
The person who put her in the box seemed to be afraid that she would make a sound, so they padded the box with cotton wool around it. Even if the woman kicked or slapped it, she couldn't make much noise.
When the box was opened, the woman subconsciously tilted her head to the side.
Seeing this, Ajiu reached out and pulled off the blindfold from the woman's eyes, then pulled out the rag stuffed in her mouth, looking down at her and asking, "Who are you? Why are you in the box?"
Min Qiao also walked to the box, looked down at the woman inside, and a strong sense of gossip instantly arose within her.
She was just wondering about the child when, sure enough, the child's mother appeared!
Sure enough, the woman, having recovered, struggled to sit up from inside the box and looked around. "Where am I? Where's my son? Fangfeng? Fangfeng? Where are you?"
All the wooden crates were opened, but the children were still inside. The woman's hands and feet were bound, and it was difficult for her to sit up. She couldn't stand up yet, and all she could see were the few wooden crates around her.
Upon seeing the child in the wooden box beside her, the woman's pupils dilated dramatically, her voice trembled, and she looked at Min Qiao and her companions in terror: "Who are you? Where are you taking these children?"
That's a strange question.
Min Qiao said in a deliberately indignant tone, "This is a large ship that I chartered privately. I didn't question how you people managed to get on board, but you're asking me?"
Min Qiao pointed to the children in the boxes around the woman, "Tell me, what's going on with you people? You were carried onto the ship while you were awake! Don't tell me you know nothing."
The woman choked, her thoughts churning, but she remained silent.
Seeing the strange expression on her face, Madam Min Qiao realized she clearly knew something. She immediately pressed on, saying, "So many children couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere, could they? My ship just left the Hangzhou dock not long ago. Why don't I have the ship turn back and hand these children over to the prefectural government?"
Upon hearing this, the woman's expression changed drastically. She looked at Min Qiao with pleading eyes and said anxiously, "No! Don't go back! These children are all unfortunate. Please do a good deed and save them."
Min Qiao's lips curled slightly; this woman was indeed in the know.
The woman hesitated for a moment, looked up at the people in the cabin, then at the large wooden crates around her, and suggested, "Could we take the children out first?"
Although the box was spacious enough to fit an adult like her, the children couldn't stretch their arms and legs properly and were uncomfortable curled up.
Madam Min nodded and instructed, "Bring all the children out."
Ayi and the others obeyed the order and began to carry the person out of the wooden box.
There are too many children to put them all on the beds. Plus, it's the height of summer, so lying directly on the floor doesn't feel cold.
So, after the children were taken out, they were temporarily placed on the wooden floor.
The woman stared intently at the children, as if searching for someone.
When she saw the fair-skinned little boy being taken out of the box, she burst into tears of joy, crying out, "Fangfeng! Fangfeng! My son!"
He looked pleadingly at Madam Min, "Madam, could you please ask them to let me go? Don't worry, I won't run away or cause trouble. Once these children are settled, I'll tell you everything! I swear on my life!"
Seeing that she looked anxious to see her son, Madam Min Qiao did not make things difficult for her and asked Ajiu to untie her.
Once her hands and feet were freed, the woman, ignoring the soreness and numbness in her limbs, staggered out of the large wooden box and rushed to the little boy's side.
She reached out and hugged the little boy tightly, crying and laughing at the same time, sometimes pressing her cheek against his, sometimes kissing his forehead...
Yes, she's definitely his biological child.
The children were all brought out and lined up in four neat rows.
The seven children from Min Qiao's house were also brought over.
There were forty-two children in total. Twenty-eight were boys and fourteen were girls. The twenty-eight boys also included the one in the woman's arms.
Ajiu and the others checked the breathing of all the children, and thankfully, all of them were alive.
Seeing that the woman's emotions had gradually calmed down, Madam Min Qiao reminded her, "Can you tell me now? What is your relationship with these children? Why were you sent to my ship?"
The woman kissed the boy's cheek again before reluctantly putting him down. She then turned to the people around Madam Min and said, "This is a matter of great importance. Please ask the old lady to temporarily dismiss everyone."
After thinking for a moment, Madam Min Qiao instructed Ayi and the others, "Ajiu, stay here. The rest of you, please leave first."
"Yes," Ayi replied, and led Ashuang and the others out the door.
After everyone left, the woman went to the door again to check. She saw that Ayi and the others had all gone to the other side of the boat, guarding the third-floor staircase, about ten meters away from this side. Only then did the woman feel relieved and close the door, turning back.
Min Qiao sat in a chair by the window, silently watching the woman's every move, quietly assessing her background, talent, and character.
After the woman returned, she bowed deeply to Madam Min Qiao and said politely, "My name is Mu Jin, and I am a traveling doctor. Ten years ago, when I was traveling in Jiangnan, I encountered bandits on the way."
Min Qiao's eyes lit up. Was Jing Yao playing the hero and saving the damsel in distress?
Just as Min Qiaoshi had this thought, Mu Jin said angrily, "Those robbers kidnapped me and took me to their den of thieves, forcing me to treat their illnesses and concoct poisons."
Min Qiaoshi twitched her lips; it wasn't what she had expected.
Forget it, let's get to the bottom of this as soon as possible.
Min Qiaoshi stopped trying to hide anything and said bluntly, "Alright, stop trying to fool me. What robbers? What den of thieves? You mean assassins and assassin organizations, right?"
Mu Jin was clearly taken aback by Min Qiao's words. "Who exactly are you? How do you know about the assassin organization?"
The old woman's accent clearly indicated she was from Beijing. How could she know such a top-secret information that even locals in Jiangnan didn't know?
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