Chapter 55
The carriage traveled south until dusk fell and the afterglow faded, finally stopping with a creak in front of a small courtyard enclosed by a wooden fence.
This little garden was clearly a makeshift structure, poorly constructed, with splinters sticking out of the wooden railings. Lin Yi easily got her skirt caught on them. Given Qiu Qing's meticulous attention to detail, she probably rarely came here.
There are a few tiled houses in the courtyard. They look unremarkable, but the warm yellow light and voices coming from inside create a cozy atmosphere.
Lin had mentally prepared himself before coming here.
In the original novel, besides constantly causing trouble for the male and female protagonists, Qiu Qing also had another major achievement—poison making. She kidnapped a group of young girls from who-knows-where to make and test poisons for her. The book doesn't describe the poison-testing process, but the comments section is buzzing with speculation about how utterly wicked and heinous this poisonous woman was.
When Lin Yi read this part, besides morally condemning Qiu Qingye, she also had a slight change of opinion—the original owner wasn't completely brainless; she did have some tricks up her sleeve. For example, this pampered, sheltered young lady actually thought of establishing a small organization to develop drugs specifically for her harmful schemes. In modern times, that would be a full-fledged research team.
However, the author did not elaborate on this part, and even wrote about it rather hastily, so Lin Yi had not thought of this matter even after being here for so long.
It wasn't until she heard Xueya suggest going to the outskirts to hide at the dinner table at Zuixianlou that she suddenly remembered that there seemed to be one of Qiu Qingye's drug production bases in the outskirts.
This matter is too disgraceful. If Qiu Qing also harms innocent people, or if there is some bloody scene, it would be inappropriate for others to see it, especially Xie Chengnan. Lin Yi absolutely does not want him to know.
So after dinner, she borrowed Erhei to drive the carriage, saying that she remembered that she had bought property in the suburbs before, and hadn't been there for a long time, so she came to see if it was still there.
Although Xie Chengnan looked puzzled, he did not stop or question Lin Yi, which made Lin Yi feel much more at ease.
Standing in front of the door, one could faintly hear the woman's laughter coming from inside.
Lin Yi thought it was strange. Had these people been tortured to the point of madness? How could they still be laughing and talking?
She took a deep breath and told herself not to panic no matter what happened. She would clean up the mess herself. After all, she was the one who had taken over someone else's persona!
Lin Yi raised his hand and pushed the heavy, mottled wooden door all the way down, the door panel hitting the wooden table inside the room with a low thud.
The laughter stopped abruptly the moment the door opened.
Meanwhile, the system message reads: [Congratulations, host, on unlocking a hidden storyline. This poison-specialized team will play a significant role in your journey as a villain.]
...
The entire room is open and unobstructed, with no partitions or barriers.
There were more than a dozen communal beds on the brick floor, and almost every bed had a woman sitting on it, some fat and some thin, some young and some old. When they heard the door open, they all turned their heads in unison, and when they saw who it was, they all fell silent.
Lin Yi breathed a sigh of relief. No one pounced on her and tore her apart, no one hid in a corner or climbed out of a window to escape; their reactions were fairly normal... normal, right?
Lin Yi waved his hand, his smile gentle and bright: "Good evening, everyone!"
Naturally, no one responded to her greeting. Almost simultaneously, everyone stood up abruptly, looking at her with fear in their eyes.
Okay, I'm still afraid of her. But that's normal, this is already much better than she expected.
Lin Yi walked into the room, coughed lightly, and took out the speech he had rehearsed many times on the carriage: "Recently, I returned home to study medicine with my father, and I have had many reflections, especially on my past actions. I disregarded your wishes and forcibly confined you here, which was truly wrong, and I feel deeply ashamed. Today, I have come here specifically to let you all go home and return to your freedom." After speaking, Lin Yi bowed deeply.
"..."
"..."
...
Silence reigned.
Only Xueya asked in surprise, "Miss?"
Lin Yi coughed awkwardly. This was just too childish!
She wanted to disappear into a crack in the ground. How could she have come up with such tongue-twisting lines? She must have been too nervous and focused on writing her little essay, completely forgetting that these were all poor women from powerless backgrounds. It would be strange if they could understand her nonsensical words.
"I've been reading too much lately, and it's damaged my brain. Let me repeat myself."
"Reflecting on my past actions, it was utterly despicable of me to forcibly lock you all up here without consulting you. Now I've changed my ways and have decided to let you go. Everyone can go home and find their families again, how about that?"
A woman who looked to be in her thirties, not yet forty, stared at her with fear in her eyes and stammered, "Miss Qiu... are you going to send us away?"
Lin nodded vigorously. "Mmm-hmm—hmm?"
"We're not kicking you out, we're letting you go home."
The woman said sadly, "What difference does it make?"
What does this mean? Lin Yi was a little confused. Could it be that these people didn't want to go home and wanted to stay in this dormitory?
One after another, many more people pleaded, "Miss Qiu, please don't send us away!"
"Miss Qiu, did I do something wrong and make you angry...?"
Lin Yi grabbed Xueya's arm as if seeking help.
Xueya grasped her hand in return, a sorrow similar to that of the other women appearing on her face: "Miss, please don't send them away. They can't go back to that kind of place!"
"That kind of place?" What kind of place is "that kind of place"? Could it be that these people weren't women that Qiu Qing had forcibly taken, but rather victims she rescued from human traffickers in her act of chivalry? So, is Qiu Qing actually a good person too?!
Qiu Qing was certainly no good person either. Even if she did one or two good deeds, it wouldn't change the fact that she was vicious. But this situation was truly beyond expectations. Lin Yi was at her wits' end. She held her forehead and said weakly, "Xueya, I'm a little dizzy right now, my mind isn't quite clear..."
Upon hearing that she was dizzy, Xueya immediately became anxious: "Miss! How are you? Were you injured during the day? I'll send someone to take you home—"
"No need—no need for that trouble. I just can't remember some things. I'll rest for a bit. Tell me, how did they get here in the first place?"
You've come to the right person.
Xueya was the person who knew this place best besides Qiu Qingye. No, it should be said that even Qiu Qingye himself wouldn't remember these details so clearly.
Xueya said as if she knew the story by heart: "This is Sister-in-law Wang. She has been subjected to domestic violence by her husband for a long time. That day, she was being beaten by her husband on the street and was trying to kill herself. Just then, you happened to pass by, Miss, so you scolded her and then brought her here to settle down."
"This is Xiaodouya, she's only 8 years old, and her parents sold her..."
"This is Yu Furong, she escaped from the brothel, she has nowhere else to go..."
Whenever Xueya introduces someone, the person being mentioned will nod and greet Lin Yi.
Lin Yi didn't know how to respond. She hadn't done these things.
Judging from the current outcome, Qiu Qing has indeed done a great thing by taking in homeless girls and women.
That is, if we disregard her purpose in gathering people together.
Qiu Qing may have been born with a deep-seated resentment towards women who endured humiliation and lived miserable lives, a resentment born of disappointment and frustration.
Lin Yi was willing to believe that her initial intention in gathering these people might not have been so deliberate or calculated. She simply saw their lack of ambition and, out of anger, rescued them on a whim. However, Qiu Qing wasn't entirely a kind-hearted person either; even if she did a good deed, it had to be in her own best interest.
Reputation is no longer of any use to her; all she needs are these people to help her achieve her goals.
In the original book, her goal was always the same – to obtain the Crown Prince. If she couldn't, she would destroy him and Zhan Xian as well.
Moreover, based on Qiu Qingye's understanding, she did not feel that she was taking advantage of someone's kindness; on the contrary, she felt that she was helping these weak women find greater value.
Lin Yi, still not entirely convinced, asked her again, "You really didn't force them to stay here?"
"It can't be called coercion. Although when Miss arranged for us to be here, she said in a fierce tone, 'It's better for you to bully us than to let those men bully us.' But everyone is still very happy here," Xueya said.
Very good, this dialogue is very "Qiu Qingye".
Although there's no coercion, it's best to clarify some things as early as possible.
Lin Yi carefully chose his words before speaking: "A lot has happened recently, and I can't quite remember what happened before. But I do remember that when I settled you here, my intentions weren't entirely pure. There are truly good people in this world, but I'm not one of them. I also considered having you help me do some heinous things."
"Although the initial intention was not entirely pure, it did help you get out of your original predicament. We didn't have a chance to make you do anything wrong, so we're even. Let's call it a day."
"Miss Qiu—"
"Miss Qiu..."
Lin Yi interrupted them with a smile: "I'm not saying this to send you away. Of course, I'd be happy for you if you found a good place to go. If not, you can stay here. Or, you can tell me what you want to do or where you want to go, and I'll do my best to help you achieve it. What do you think?"
Her words were truly from the bottom of her heart.
No one present was a fool, and they all nodded in agreement. Some suggested leaving, while others were unwilling to go and only wanted to continue following her.
Lin Yi seems to possess a certain magic, perhaps due to his personality, which always makes people unconsciously lower their guard.
She had only been in there a short time, and the fear that everyone initially felt when they saw Qiu Qingye had already lessened by half.
The remaining half is because Qiu Qingye's image as mean and vicious has been deeply ingrained in people's minds and cannot be reversed overnight.
Lin Yi didn't expect to be able to turn things around.
However, how to settle these people has become another problem.
The history of women's liberation, written over thousands of years, is the result of the collective efforts of countless individuals and the times, leading to the self-reliance and strength of women in the new era and gender equality. However, in the 21st century, where equal pay for equal work is possible, deep-rooted gender biases such as cut-off driving and workplace discrimination still exist.
In the real world, Lin Yi didn't feel it deeply; she only felt powerless and sad when she occasionally read about it in history books and news headlines. And in this world, the choices available to women are pitifully few.
Many more people are unwilling to leave, and they don't know what they should do or what they can do.
Perhaps in the original book, their being forced to do those bad things for Qiu Qing was just another form of retribution against society.
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