Chapter 717 Human Sacrifice
Zhou Yuchang couldn't help but take a look inside, and saw the child lying on the ground like a dog eating, with his entire face buried in the dumpling bowl.
He slurped while eating and was quite rude.
Aunt Rui corrected his posture, but he whimpered to protect his food, and raised his dirty face to bare his teeth at Aunt Rui.
Aunt Rui slapped him on the forehead: "Who are you being mean to?"
Agou whimpered in pain, loosened his teeth, and opened his mouth to reveal a dark hole.
"vomit!"
Zhou Yuchang's throat was churning, and she couldn't help but cover her mouth and ran out. She didn't hold on to the wall in the corridor before she started to retch.
She was vomiting profusely, her face was even paler than when she attempted suicide before, and her hands that were holding onto the wall could hardly support her.
Tang Ning patted her back gently, and only handed her a handkerchief after she finished vomiting.
Zhou Yuchang's eyes and nose were red, and her throat felt burning and painful.
Tang Ning whispered, "Do you still want to hear it?"
Zhou Yuchang gritted her teeth and whispered, "I want to."
Tang Ning pulled her into the house, asked her to sit down, poured her a cup of warm water to rinse her mouth, and then said, "Aunt Rui used to be a prostitute in a brothel. She was sold to a brothel when she was young to learn how to serve men. Later, because of her outstanding appearance, she became the most popular prostitute in the brothel."
"She was once incredibly popular, with countless men falling for her and spending vast sums of money on her. But a woman's beauty doesn't last forever, and there's no shortage of beautiful girls in the entertainment industry. By the time she was only in her early twenties, she was replaced by a better and prettier girl."
"When a woman in a brothel is at the peak of her beauty, she is naturally sought after by thousands and has no shortage of money. Many people would throw away thousands or even tens of thousands of taels of silver just to win a woman's smile. But once she becomes a has-been and has no patrons, even the most glorious woman will become worthless. A prostitute who cannot attract customers in a brothel will have no place to stand."
"Aunt Rui went through a very difficult time. After saving money for several years and with the help of the friend she mentioned earlier, she finally redeemed herself after turning thirty."
Aunt Rui is the Hua Niang who once took care of Xue Ru, and the Qingguaner she mentioned who has outstanding musical skills and a voice like an oriole is Xue Ru's biological mother.
After Tang Ning brought Xue Ru out, Xue Ru wanted to take Aunt Rui to live in Jiyun Lane, but Aunt Rui was afraid that her past identity would tarnish the reputation of Tang Ning and the others, so she refused to agree. She said at the time that she had found a lover who was handsome, rich and had land. She said she wanted to marry him and enjoy a good life, and that man was willing to marry her in a formal way and give her a legitimate status.
After Aunt Rui left, Xue Ru felt uneasy.
Tang Ning sent someone to check the man's background. He originally just wanted to see if he was a good match. He also thought that if he was really suitable, he could help so that Aunt Rui could be taken care of and live a stable life in her later years.
But who knew that the problem would be discovered after this investigation.
That man was not the country gentleman he claimed to be, and his business was not a legitimate one. All the men, women, and children in their village, from top to bottom, were beggars. Although their fields and properties were real and they lived a very wealthy life, all the money they earned was from kidnapping children.
Tang Ning said, "We originally just wanted to bring Aunt Rui back and hand those people over to the authorities, but who knew that after my brother sent people to investigate, he discovered that there was a larger gang behind that person. The matter is far more complicated than we thought."
"Not only did they kidnap and sell children and girls, they also had connections with local gentry and wealthy families, and even provided protection to some government officials. From top to bottom, they were in cahoots with each other, sometimes even openly kidnapping children and forcing their parents and relatives to death."
"My brother was in charge of the Privy Council at the time, and happened to be investigating the grain tax case. He took advantage of the situation and sent people to the Jiangnan area to investigate the matter thoroughly. That's when Ah Gou was found, and even several children from the Jishan Hall were rescued at that time."
Most of those children are very young, and some of them don’t remember anything at all.
Xiao Yan ordered his men to send the people to the local government office and posted notices to look for their parents and relatives. Most of them returned home, but some were orphans and beggars, or they could not remember where their homes were. The government office had no way to accommodate them properly. If Agou was left there in his current state, he would probably be regarded as a demon and would not be able to survive.
Xiao Yan ordered people to bring them back to the capital and send them to Jishan Hall.
Aunt Rui misjudged the person and nearly died in a tiger's mouth. Xue Ru refused to let her leave no matter what, and she was unwilling to go to Jiyun Lane. Finally, Tang Ning came forward and asked her to come to Jishan Hall to take care of these children. Only then did she agree to stay here.
Tang Ning still remembered that when Agou was first sent here, he was like a wild beast who wanted to bite everyone he saw. The children in the yard were also very wary of people, like wolf cubs, looking at everyone with suspicion and caution. It was not until a long time later that they let down their guard and became what they are now.
Zhou Yuchang listened in a daze as Tang Ning talked about Aunt Rui and Agou, and the abducted children, her eyes red.
She asked softly, "Can Ah Gou... return to his previous state?"
Tang Ning shook her head: "Sister Qin came to see it, it was very difficult."
The hair on Agou's body has grown together with his body, and over the years it has become his own "skin".
If you want him to recover, you have to peel off the skin again, but the hair is already covering almost half of his body.
Although Xiao Yan also had his skin and bones shaved off in the past, it was only because he had no choice and only changed his face. But Agou now has to replace the skin on most of his body. With such a large area of trauma, it is difficult to ensure that the wound will not fester.
Back then, Agou was able to survive because of "secret medicine" and "luck". Being the only one who survived among twenty or thirty people, his "good luck" might not allow him to survive this time. Once the wound festeres and is difficult to heal, he will die directly.
Even Madam Qin was not sure at all.
Tang Ning said softly, "Sister Qin said that she could heal his limbs and remove his tail. If he's well-educated, he might be able to live a few more days like a normal person, but..."
Agou's foundation was damaged. When those people "reformed" him, they just wanted to use this monster to exchange for the money of some "curiosity-seeking" people. They didn't think about taking care of his future or how long he would live.
Madam Qin said that if Agou was not rescued, he would only live for a few years. Even if there were medicine to keep him alive and make Agou look like a normal person, he would not live long.
Zhou Yuchang felt extremely heavy when she heard Tang Ning's words. The discomfort and depression made her feel a little breathless.
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