Chapter 90 Kidnapping Den 1
The traffickers unanimously agreed that only during special times when large numbers of young men and women leave their homes and do not become wary of strangers are the best opportunities for them to "buy" in bulk.
This is much more convenient and faster than them going to great lengths to disguise themselves and get close to their target, only to sneak away with one or two "goods" in the end.
They thought their plan was flawless, but among the young girls they treated as "goods," there were not only exceptional individuals like Xie Wanniang, who was well-versed in pharmacology and immediately held her breath to prevent herself from being affected, but also girls whose elders and brothers were all bodyguards and who were skilled in martial arts.
After the woman left, "Old Five," who was in charge of guarding the gate, took Xie Wanniang to the west room of the main house where they were storing the "goods."
Because he still had to receive other "goods," "Old Five" did not stay long in the room where the "goods" were being held. He pushed Xie Wanniang inside, locked the door again, and then went to squat at the front door.
What he didn't know was that not long after the woman left, Jiang Yuan, who was guarding the alley entrance, knocked her unconscious and handed her over to the yamen runner who had come with Hao Yu.
The constables found another dilapidated, uninhabited courtyard in another alley. Those kidnappers who returned to "deliver goods" and were then intercepted and knocked unconscious at the alley entrance would all be placed in this abandoned, dilapidated courtyard.
As the woman was being dragged away, Xie Wanniang had already taken out her silver needles and two small porcelain bottles that she always carried with her, and began her plan to save the woman.
In her porcelain bottle were painkiller powder and anti-nausea pills. She planned to first use silver needles to help the girls in the house regain their senses, and then give them the painkiller and anti-nausea pills so that they could escape on their own two legs without being affected by the aftereffects.
As for the two boys locked in the east room, she planned to rescue them after knocking out the "fifth brother".
Inside the house, Xie Wanniang was busy giving acupuncture, feeding medicine, and explaining things, finally managing to get the four captured girls to understand their current situation.
Perhaps because someone came to rescue them, and the girl who came to rescue them was so calm, none of the four girls panicked or lost their minds after learning that they had been kidnapped.
Although two of them had red eyes and were clearly terrified, they still remembered Xie Wanniang's initial instructions and pursed their lips tightly to keep themselves from making a sound.
The other two were much calmer. One of them whispered to Xie Wanniang, "My name is Wang Yuzhi. My father is a bodyguard. I have been practicing martial arts with my brothers since I was a child. I will help you deal with that guy called Lao Wu later."
Another one said, "My name is Zhao Yueniang. My father is a pig butcher. Although I have never practiced martial arts, I am brave and dare to fight to the death. I also have a lot of strength."
Her grandparents, maternal grandparents, uncles, aunts, and maternal uncles all passed away early during the war years, leaving only her parents to support each other and barely survive.
Unfortunately, her parents had three daughters in a row, and their fourth child was a son. Now her younger brother is only five years old, and the family can't rely on him for anything, big or small.
To survive, her mother and her three sisters had to stand on their own two feet and support their family together with their father.
They had done all sorts of dirty and tiring work, and they had also used kitchen knives, wood-chopping knives, and pig-slaughtering knives to fight against thugs, vagrants, and bandits who had designs on their family, all alongside their father.
If the kidnappers hadn't drugged her unexpectedly, causing her to lose the initiative, she would have dared to grab a stick or a knife and fight them head-on.
Meeting these two girls, Xie Wanniang felt like she had struck gold. Without hesitation, she took out the boning knife she always carried with her and said, "Yuenniang, you can borrow this!"
As for Wang Yuzhi, who had practiced martial arts, Xie Wanniang pointed to the earthen bed covered with half a tattered mat and said, "Later we'll take the edge of the bed off and use it as a stick for you."
The edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) is made of wood, as thick as an adult man's arm. It's a bit difficult to hold with one hand, but you can definitely wield it with great force if you grip it with both hands.
If we give that fifth brother a good whack on the head, he'll be completely helpless.
Of course, this job can only be done by someone like her or Wang Yuzhi who has practiced martial arts and can accurately control their strength. If it were any other young girl, she would easily hit too lightly or too hard.
If they hit them too hard, the person will die. It doesn't matter if they die, since they are all deserving of a thousand deaths. But if they hit them too lightly, so that even though the other party is dizzy and disoriented, he is still able to fight back, then they will still have some trouble later.
After the three discussed their plan, Wang Yuzhi, who had practiced martial arts, used a broken piece of porcelain to carve and fix one of the adobe walls along the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
Zhao Yueniang wasn't idle either. She couldn't find a suitable piece of broken porcelain, but she found two chopsticks that had rolled onto the ground.
She poked and poked with the sharp tips of her chopsticks, and the mud bricks made of soil and straw quickly crumbled into pieces.
Xie Wanniang was both amused and exasperated to see that she clearly had a knife but was reluctant to use it.
She took the boning knife she carried for self-defense, untied the cloth wrapped around it, and then used the knife to cut the wood and the joints between the adobe bricks underneath.
Working together, the three of them quickly dug down the wooden edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
Thinking that these four people had been imprisoned for who knows how long, Xie Wanniang took out the half of the millet cake, honey sesame candy, sugar-roasted chestnuts, and donkey rolls that they had left over.
Are you hungry? If you are, eat something.
Wang Yuzhi and Zhao Yueniang shook their heads. They had eaten before being captured. The other two girls, who were less timid, had not only not eaten any snacks at the lantern festival, but had also only drunk a bowl of thin soup for dinner.
They were all daughters of poor families in the town. They didn't come out to visit the lantern festival, but rather to take this opportunity to sell some insoles, soles, purses, and other items they had sewn themselves, in exchange for some copper coins to help support their families.
The two were too embarrassed to reach out and take Xie Wanniang's snacks, but they both unconsciously swallowed.
When Xie Wanniang saw them like this, she knew they were hungry. She smiled and handed the food to the two girls, saying, "Eat up, so you'll have the strength to fight the bad guys and run home."
The two thanked each other quietly, and then each took a donkey roll and ate it in small bites.
Xie Wanniang took a millet cake and started eating. While eating, she stuffed oil paper packets into Wang Yuzhi and Zhao Yueniang's hands, saying, "Chestnuts and sugar won't fill you up, so you two should eat some too."
After all, the matter of catching human traffickers might not end until late at night, so they should eat something to replenish their energy while they still have time.
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