The little child clung to the car door, crying desperately, "Waaah, Mom, don't sell me! I won't go! I'll never ask for fish soup again, Mom, don't sell me!"
The burly man was ruthless; he delivered a karate chop to the back of the child's neck.
The child fainted and was stuffed into the carriage.
The child's mother grabbed half a sack of grain, lowered her head, and quickly ran away.
"What a tragedy, they are so pitiful!"
Tao Hongying kept shaking her head. When she heard her daughter making some noises, she realized that her daughter's face was flushed from holding her breath, so she quickly let go.
Jiayin took a few breaths, feeling heartbroken. This was like selling a child!
Half a bag of grain can save a life!
The burly man continued shouting, "Grain for children! Ten catties of millet for girls, twenty catties for boys! Anyone interested in trading? Hurry up and come over!"
“Keeping the boy and girl around is just a burden when we're trying to escape. If we exchange them for food, the whole family can survive, and they can find a way to live!”
A basket of millet, placed under the blazing sun, looked even more golden, making one's mouth water.
Some families were already poor, and after traveling for half a month, they had run out of food.
So, one after another, boys and girls were thrown onto the car while crying loudly, and their families, carrying millet, shrunk down dejectedly.
The Li family members watched from under the shade of the tree, all sighing.
Family members separated from their loved ones—a human tragedy!
Not to mention Zhao Yuru and Tao Hongying, even Wu Cuihua didn't say anything harsh, after all, they were all mothers and couldn't stand this.
Li Jiayin nestled in her mother's arms, feeling terribly cold inside.
Although she knew these were chaotic times, she tried her best to help the Li family have enough to eat.
But now that I've truly witnessed such a tragedy, I understand the real meaning of the words "chaotic world."
Better to be a dog in a prosperous era than a human in a chaotic one.
She instinctively leaned against her mother's pounding chest. Tao Hongying looked down and saw that her daughter had grabbed her hair and looked unwell, so she quickly patted her a few times to comfort her.
Hearing the noise, Old Lady Li gently scolded.
"The child is still young and her mind is not yet settled. Why take her to see such excitement? Quickly turn your back."
Tao Hongying chuckled, wishing she could put her daughter back into her belly.
Those human traffickers probably knew they weren't doing anything legitimate. After going around to different places, they didn't try to persuade them any further and quickly jumped onto the carriage and left.
Old Mrs. Li tapped her pipe a couple of times and ordered, "Call the children back, hitch up the cart, let's go!"
The Li family, young and old, all got busy. Suddenly, Li Laosi asked, "Where are Jiaxi and Jia'an?"
"We were just under that tree over there!"
Li Jiaren set off to look for them, but the two boys were nowhere to be seen!
The Li family members became anxious and began searching and calling out nearby.
The same kids who had snatched the stewed fish last night pointed at the carriage that had driven away and reminded him, "They got dragged onto the carriage!"
The Li family members' expressions all changed.
Li Laosi quickly unloaded the cart, slung his hunting bow and arrows over his shoulder, and rode off on the donkey that pulled the cart.
Li Lao Er and Li Lao San, along with others, also wanted to chase after them, but Old Lady Li loudly instructed them.
"Grab your sickles and cleavers! We'd rather bleed than not get our children back!"
The three boys, Li Jiaren, Li Jiayi, and Li Jiahuan, even pulled out their weapons from under the car and chased after it with all their might.
Grandma Li was worried and called out to Zhao Yuru, "Third son's wife, take care of fourth son's wife and Fu Niu'er!"
Then, she chased after him.
The slave trader's cart slowed down after rounding the mountain bend, and just as he was celebrating his good haul, Li Laosi caught up on his donkey.
The man escorting the cart couldn't help but sneer, "That guy riding the donkey, is he trying to outrun our fine horse?"
Before he could finish speaking, a long feathered arrow grazed his cheek and pierced the carriage shaft.
"Stop the car! If you don't stop, we'll shoot you all!"
Li Laosi held a bow with a long arrow at his side, running and aiming at the man driving the cart.
The man valued his life, and hesitated for a moment before the man ran close.
He dismounted from the donkey, put his hands on the cart floor, and with a little effort, the cart overturned with a loud crash!
The two men were startled and hurriedly jumped aside.
The horses pulling the cart tipped over and began to neigh.
"You little brat, you're asking for death!" The two burly men were enraged and drew their long swords from their waists, ready to step forward.
At this moment, Li Lao Er and Li Lao San arrived with their three lads.
They charged forward, brandishing their machetes and shouting.
"Fourth brother, Mother says she's not afraid of bloodshed, she must get the child back!"
Upon hearing this, Li Laosi's eyes turned even redder, and he kicked open the carriage door.
The children inside were all tangled up in a heap. Two of them, whose hands and feet were tied and mouths were gagged, were Li Jiaxi and Li Jiaan!
Upon seeing their family, the two boys cried with snot and tears streaming down their faces, sobbing and yelling.
The two men became anxious and stepped forward to confront the Li family, refusing to let them rescue the person.
Just then, Grandma Li arrived. She was relieved to see that her grandson was still alive.
"My two esteemed gentlemen, my child was playing and accidentally got into your carriage. You're in this business to make money, so surely you don't want to cause any trouble, right?"
"If you release my child, we'll go our separate ways. Otherwise, we'll fight to the death to save one of your lives!"
Li Lao Er and the others raised their gleaming machetes and sickles, while Li Lao Si drew his bow and aimed an arrow at one of them.
The human traffickers were actually just doing it on the side, since it was a business with no initial investment.
Who would have thought they'd run into such a tough opponent? This kid's family is so united and brave.
The two exchanged a glance, both of them having second thoughts.
"Since it's a misunderstanding, hurry up and bring your child out; we're in a hurry to get going!"
Li Laosi did not put down his bow and arrows. Li Laoer stepped forward, pulled out his two nephews, quickly untied the ropes, and tore the rags out of their mouths.
The two children started crying loudly, but were each slapped by Old Lady Li and immediately shut up.
Seeing his family retreat more than ten steps, Li Laosi put away his bow and arrows, then with a surge of strength, flipped the carriage over again.
One of the men, watching with great interest, couldn't help but probe.
"Brother, it's a waste of your strength. Why don't you come and do business with us..."
Li Laosi ignored them and strode back. The man looked unwell, but eventually got into the carriage and continued on his way.
The Li family only breathed a sigh of relief after the carriage had disappeared from sight.
"Hurry back, only Hongying and the others are left to watch the luggage."
When Grandma Li urged them on, everyone realized that all the men in the family had arrived.
Leaving only the woman was too dangerous, so Li Laosi rode his donkey back.
Good things don't come true, but bad things do!
At this moment, next to the Li family's luggage cart, the wheelbarrow filled with grain sacks was empty and overturned on the ground.
Tao Hongying, holding her child, and Zhao Yuru stood close by the donkey cart.
Zhao Yuru held a stick, while Wu Cuihua hid under the donkey cart.
"Anzi's father... Where is Anzi? Has he been found?"
Tao Hongying, who is usually outspoken and straightforward, also shed tears at this moment.
Even Jiayin, still in her swaddling clothes, strained her neck to look out, as if afraid that her adorable and mischievous older brother would be taken away.
Li Laosi quickly replied, "Found them, Jia'an and Jiaxi have been found, they're behind us, they'll be back soon."
Zhao Yuru also started crying, "It's good that they found it, boohoo, it's just that our grain was stolen! You had just left when those people came and grabbed the grain sacks. Hongying was pushed down, I couldn't stop them..."
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