Horse Bandit Officer (V)
Facing the questions from Xiao Lin and Mu You, the eyes of the woman in front of him instantly became as sharp as a knife. She leaned back slightly, wrapped her arms around the child more tightly, and unconsciously clenched the corner of the child's clothes.
"I'm asking, who are you to Ai Ye?" she asked.
The woman's words threw Xiao Lin off balance, but seeing her resolute expression, he could only stammer, "I...we are old friends of hers. I heard she was here..."
"Do you have any evidence to prove what you said?"
"Yes... yes..." Although Xiao Lin had her doubts in her heart, she honestly took out the item that Tong Huan had given her from her bosom. "This is the pendant she gave me when she was young. It should be considered a token of love..."
It was an extremely crude wooden pendant, the surface of which had been polished smooth by him over the years. If Tong Huan had not introduced that it was carved like a rice dumpling, she would have thought it was just a rather irregularly carved equilateral triangle.
The woman squinted her eyes, took a look, and immediately pushed open the fence and walked out. After looking left and right, she suddenly stretched out her hands, grabbed the wrists of the two men, and half-dragged and half-pulled them into the house.
The child next to her was also pulled into the house. When the door slammed shut behind her, she seemed to be able to relax a little from the tension at that moment.
The woman's five fingers were like iron pliers, tightly clamping Xiao Lin and Mu You's wrists, fearing any mishap.
She didn't release her rough hands holding the two men until she was sure that there was no one around.
She changed her hawk-like gaze just now, and now she showed a hint of fear.
Before Xiao Lin could come to his senses, the woman opened her red lips and said, "But Ai Ye told me that her childhood playmate was only one young man..."
As soon as she said this, Mu You immediately raised his hand to acknowledge his identity: "Oh, yes, it's me."
"So you found this place to rescue her?"
The woman's eyes were full of sincerity, and her anxiety also stopped, and her breathing became more rapid.
Xiao Lin took a step forward and stood between her and Mu You: "You... know Ai Ye?"
At this point, the woman finally came to her senses. She licked her lips, which were cracked from breathing, and smoothed the loose hair from her temples, tucking it behind her ears. "Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is... my name is Si Niang. I'm twenty this year. I've been in contact with Ai Ye for the past few years. I couldn't wait for my family to come looking for me, but she waited for you first."
"Fourth Lady?" Mu You asked, "What's your last name?"
"I... don't remember my name. My family always calls me Si Niang..."
In an instant, Xiao Lin and Mu You realized that they had said the wrong thing and both fell speechless.
But Si Niang didn't care. Instead, she kept asking questions: "But Ai Ye remembers, she remembers her name, you have to save her! No, when do you plan to save her? And how do you plan to save her? Do you need to report to the police? But reporting to the police doesn't seem to work..."
Faced with Si Niang's series of questions, Xiao Lin didn't know how to answer.
The two of them were silent for a moment, looking at each other, and then Xiao Lin spoke up: "Si Niang, can you take us to see Ai Ye first?"
After hearing this, Si Niang stopped her endless muttering, turned to look at the two of them, froze for a moment, and nodded.
Then, she half turned around, held the child who had been hugging her thigh, whispered a few words of comfort, and then led Xiao Lin and Mu You out.
She carefully locked the door, put the key in her inner pocket, smoothed her sweat-soaked hair, and said to the two of them, "Let's go. I'll take you to see Ai Ye, but we have to move quickly. Liu Mancang won't let me go out for too long, otherwise I'll get beaten."
The three of them walked at different paces, Xiao Lin was closer to Si Niang, and Mu You was slowly falling behind.
When he had time, Xiao Lin took another closer look at Si Niang's appearance - she clearly had a very nice bone structure, but perhaps because she had not had enough food for years, she was a bit thinner than an average person. Coupled with the sun spots that spread to her ears, she looked older than she actually was - indeed, she was not Ai Ye.
The alley was so quiet that even the sound of wind blowing through hair could be clearly heard.
So, Xiao Lin took small steps forward and asked in a low voice, "Si Niang, how did you and Ai Ye know each other?"
I thought Si Niang would be hesitant to reopen the wound, but unexpectedly, she looked calm and talked about it with Xiao Lin: "Ai Ye is about five years older than me, and she saved my life."
"Savior?"
"Hmm." Si Niang lowered her head as she walked. "I was originally a good girl. Once, I was selling vegetables alone on the street and they took a fancy to me. They put drugs in my kettle, and that's how I fell into their hands. When I first came here, I was stubborn and refused to obey them. I was beaten to death, but in the end, I couldn't resist and ended up marrying Liu Mancang..."
Xiao Lin really couldn't bear to hear these tragic things. The more indifferent Si Niang was, the more her brows furrowed.
"Liu Mancang is very concerned about her reputation. She announced to the public that I was her legitimate wife and called me 'Si Niang' every day. But I know that's not my name. I can't remember what my name is, so I just accepted the name 'Si Niang'..."
"I have a strong temper and cannot tolerate humiliation. During my convalescence, Liu Mancang did not touch me. I also met Ai Ye at that time and learned that she was also the victim of those thieves and ended up like this."
"I told her a lot, saying I wanted to die and didn't want to be humiliated by people like Liu Mancang, but she stopped me. She told me that she had thought the same thing before, and that's why she killed her first husband and ended up in prison. She almost died in prison, but luckily she got sick and was thrown out by the officials. She was saved by Zhao Mugen and survived..."
Wait, Zhao Mugen? Why does this name sound so familiar?
Xiao Lin concentrated for a moment, his brows furrowed even tighter, but after thinking about it, he couldn't figure out where she had heard of the name Zhao Mugen, so he could only shake his head and continue to listen to Si Niang.
Si Niang, her feet breezing under the shade of tall trees, recounted her tragic story under the scorching sun: "Later, she found me and told me that no matter how desperate we were, we had to save our lives first. Only by staying alive could we escape the sea of suffering, and only by surviving could we hope to reunite with our relatives and friends. That's why I didn't bite my tongue to commit suicide and survived for several years."
In just a few words, she expressed the sadness of her life.
Xiao Lin didn't dare to guess how much courage Si Niang mustered, and how many times she had rehearsed in her mind and heart to comfort herself, so that she could speak so freely without any resentment.
A business deal that was only worth a few copper coins, but behind it were the futures of several families ruined.
Ai Ye and Si Niang survived, but what about the other abducted women? In what year and month, and in what narrow alley, did they meet their end?
Just thinking about it made Xiao Lin's hair stand on end.
However, in human trafficking transactions, not only women but also many children are victims.
"That Si Niang, your child..."
"Of course, Liu Mancang bought her from a thief." Si Niang said it very simply, without any hesitation. "That bastard, for the sake of his so-called perfect family, he emptied out his family savings to buy A Ling."
Xiao Lin listened, hesitated for a moment, swallowed his words, and finally asked what she was thinking: "Then... when they forced you, couldn't you struggle and run away?"
As soon as she said this, her voice became like a deflated balloon, becoming increasingly weaker.
Hearing this, Si Niang suddenly looked back, looked Xiao Lin up and down, and asked, "How old are you?"
"Ten... sixteen..."
Then, Si Niang leaned forward again and pointed at Mu You: "Aren't you two husband and wife?"
"No, no, no, no!" Xiao Lin denied repeatedly, his face flushed with shame, "We are just friends..."
"So you're not married yet?"
"No...no...it's still early..."
"It's getting late!" Si Niang's voice suddenly became louder, instantly pulling Xiao Lin back from his thoughts. "I was sold here when I was your age."
For a moment, Xiao Lin was speechless.
After a moment, Si Niang also put away her previous emotions and waved her hand casually: "Forget it, you will understand after you get married. We women are almost powerless in front of them."
Xiao Lin: “…”
"I shouldn't be telling you all this. As long as you're healthy and stable, that's the best. Whether you get married or not, let it go."
Yes, in this era, girls can get married when they reach the age of 15. I remember Tong Huan also said that Ai Ye fell into the hands of human traffickers when she reached the age of 15.
Life is shattered at the slightest touch.
After that, Xiao Lin and Mu You didn't know how long they had been walking behind Si Niang. They waded through vegetable soup several times, stepped over several stone pits, and finally, sweating profusely, they arrived in front of a thatched hut filled with the smell of blood.
"Ai Ye! Ai Ye!" Si Niang knocked on the wooden door without saying anything else. "Ai Ye, someone is looking for you!"
What? This stinking house is actually Ai Ye's home?
Before Xiao Lin could react, another female voice from the yard interrupted her thoughts.
"Ahri! Go open the door!"
The voice was full of energy, not like that of someone who had been trapped for many years. It seemed that Zhao Mugen had not yet abused Ai Ye.
As the sound of small footsteps got louder and louder, the oily wooden door began to open a crack.
He was a boy about five or six years old, with two pigtails on his head and chubby cheeks. He looked well-fed.
It seems that he must be Ahri.
Xiao Lin met his eyes, but they were speechless. Feeling a little awkward, she was about to reach out and say hello, but Ali took a step back.
The next moment, a woman came out from the inner room.
She wiped the remaining water droplets on her hands on her apron and walked out with her eyes dazed.
Si Niang took the lead and entered the courtyard. She took Ali's hand and half-turned her body to introduce her to the girl: "Ai Ye, these two said they are your old friends and are here to look for you."
"Old friend?" Ai Ye blinked a few times, looking puzzled. "I seem to..."
Xiao Lin naturally understood that their lies were self-defeating. In order to keep Ai Ye, she could only subconsciously shout at him: "Tong Huan! Do you still remember Tong Huan?"
Obviously, from Ai Ye's frozen gaze, it can be seen that she not only remembers him, but this name is also a spell that haunts her dreams.
"We are Tong Huan's friends..." Mu You protected Xiao Lin with one hand and tried to take a step forward, "He came here to take you home, Ai Ye..."
Seeing the glitter in Ai Ye's eyes, Mu You thought she had some thoughts, so he led Xiao Lin to quicken his pace.
Immediately, Ai Ye reached out and fumbled around to her side, then grasped the handle of the boning knife. She immediately raised the knife and rushed towards the two of them fiercely.
Seeing this, Mu You quickly changed his forward movement to backward movement, and his hands unconsciously made a surrender and defensive gesture. Even when facing the butcher's knife, he still did not forget to protect Xiao Lin behind him.
"Don't try to bluff me! Do you two have any evidence?"
"Yes, yes, yes! Of course!" Xiao Lin was really frightened by Ai Ye's unstoppable momentum. As soon as she said this, she hurriedly took out the pendant from her arms, but because her hands were shaking, she accidentally dropped it to the ground.
Seeing this, Ali quickly stepped forward, picked it up, and deftly handed it to Ai Ye.
After taking the pendant and fiddling with it in her palm, her eyes became moist. The boning knife slowly fell onto the chopping board, and her voice choked unconsciously.
It seems that after all these years, she still remembers Tong Huan.
"This... are you really Ah Huan's friends?" Ai Ye blew his nose, forced himself to suppress the sadness in his heart, and asked tremblingly.
Mu You nodded.
Only then did Ai Ye completely let down his guard. He clutched the pendant in his palm, pressed it against his collar, and said, "You two haven't had lunch yet, right? Come in and talk. I lost my composure just now."
After this incident, Xiao Lin and Mu You didn't know what to do. They paced back and forth for a long time before entering the house at Si Niang's urging.
Lifting the curtain, Xiao Lin hid on Mu You's shoulder, blinking his big eyes, wanting to take in everything he saw.
This house is not big, it only has a few rooms.
In the center of the main hall stood a rough wooden table, on which were placed several copper wine utensils, shining with a faint luster.
In the left corner of the wall, a row of wooden shelves were neatly stacked with various knives, some long, some short, some wide, some narrow. Each one was sharpened to an extremely sharp edge, and the blade gleamed coldly under the dim light.
The handles of these knives were all wrapped in linen, and became shiny due to years of grease.
On the right is a huge stove. Sparks are jumping on the black stove wall, reflecting Ai Ye's face, making it look even more rosy.
On the stove, in addition to the food being steamed with mugwort leaves, there was also a large iron pot lying quietly. A few drops of grease hung on the edge of the pot, and the aroma of stewed meat could be faintly smelled from the pot.
"Ali, quickly put the dishes on the table, we're going to eat soon."
At Ai Ye's command, Ali obediently took out five bowls from the cupboard in the corner and placed them neatly on the table.
Xiao Lin and Mu You looked at each other, looking at the dark-colored bench beside their legs. They didn't know whether to sit or stand, and they felt uncomfortable.
"What are you standing there for? Sit down! We can eat as soon as the dishes are out of the pot!" Ai Ye lifted the steamer and turned his head to glance at Xiao Lin and Mu You.
Looking at her busy back, with Si Niang already seated beside her and Ali picking up the bowl and chopsticks to add more rice, Xiao Lin couldn't help but bite his lower lip so hard that it turned white.
An indescribable feeling surged into her lips and teeth - Ai Ye's life now didn't seem as bad as she thought.
Now that she has settled down and has children, will she still want to escape?
Xiao Lin couldn't help but ask himself.
But soon, Ai Ye came over with a plate of steaming glutinous rice dumplings in one hand and an oil lamp in the other, saying, "Have a seat! These are homemade glutinous rice dumplings. They smell so good!"
Since they were invited so warmly, they had no choice but to sit down.
However, the bowls and chopsticks in front of him were chipped, and the dishes in the center of the round table were also simple, with no wine or tea.
"By the way, where is Ah Huan now?" Ai Ye scooped a spoonful of water from the water tank, washed his hands quickly, and then sat down slowly.
Xiao Lin awkwardly picked up a piece of lettuce, placed it between his teeth and took a nibble. "He's at the county government office."
"County government office?" Ai Ye was shocked. "Did he commit a crime?"
Mu You shook his head as he picked up some food: "No, he is the newly appointed county magistrate of Hanlu."
As soon as these words were spoken, Ai Ye and Si Niang were immediately stunned. They looked at the two of them at the same time, and the wooden chopsticks in their hands suddenly hung in the air.
It was at this moment that Xiao Lin caught a glimpse of Ai Ye's exposed wrist.
It was the height of summer, and the light was excellent. Even if it was upside down, she could make out the bulging scars on her wrists at a glance - the words "mugwort" were clearly engraved on them.
She finally understood how Ai Ye had preserved her name.
"He's been looking for you for ten years." Xiao Lin said, tears welling in his eyes, "He wants to take you home."
It was not until Xiao Lin spoke again that Ai Ye's wandering thoughts were brought back to the dining table in front of him.
But what followed was not her nod of agreement, but a heavy breath.
She put down her bowl and chopsticks slowly, a smile stretched across her lips, both delighted and self-deprecating: "No, I don't want to see him."
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