Her hands and feet were tightly bound by hemp rope, and she couldn't move. She tried to struggle, but found that the rope was tied very skillfully, and the more she tried, the tighter it became.
She dared not move again and began to observe her surroundings. It was a dilapidated house with mottled walls, a drafty roof, and dry grass under her. The air was filled with a musty smell.
The main door was tightly shut, leaving only a dilapidated window that could not be closed properly due to years of neglect. It was still dark outside, and Meng Zhao could only barely see the situation inside the house by the moonlight filtering in.
At the same time, she also noticed that there was another person in the room beside her. The person was lying on the bed board next to her. He was burly and could be vaguely identified as the masked man from before. He was snoring regularly, but Meng Zhao hadn't heard him because her head was spinning. She only realized his presence now.
Meng Zhao held her breath instantly, afraid of waking the man. At the same time, she pricked up her ears and listened carefully to the sounds outside the house. In the distance, she heard the calls of many small animals, like birdsong or insect chirping. Her heart sank. The kidnapper hadn't stuffed anything in her mouth, which meant he wasn't afraid of her calling for help. Combined with these ambient sounds, she guessed that she might no longer be in the county town.
Furthermore, even though she was lying on the ground, she could still see the treetops outside through the window. With such tall trees, could she be in the mountains right now?
Even though Meng Zhao is usually very calm, she couldn't help but panic in this situation. She forced herself to calm down and began to think about who she had offended recently.
Qin Niangzi's brother-in-law had recently been harassing her, but Meng Zhao had him driven out. There was some animosity between them, but Meng Zhao ran a women's teahouse, which meant she had opened up a new customer base and hadn't taken away much of their business. Logically speaking, a few verbal disputes shouldn't warrant someone kidnapping her.
Then there's Li Baoyan. Although he's incredibly persistent, based on Meng Zhao's several encounters, he's just a landlord's foolish son. At most, he'd just hire a few thugs to cause trouble. But these two kidnappers managed to tie her up in the city and take her outside, and the knots they used were so tight. They must be experienced.
Who else could it be? Zhenbaoge recently launched two types of cosmetics, stealing a lot of business from cosmetic shops in the county. Could it be them? Or those scalpers who couldn't buy the double-layered gift boxes? Or perhaps the vendors who wanted to join the braised pork shop last time but were rejected?
Thinking about it, Meng Zhao suddenly realized that because her business was so good, she had offended quite a few people. But even if the conflicts were big, it shouldn't have come to the point of kidnapping, right? She felt a sense of helplessness, but now was not the time to dwell on that; the most important thing was to escape.
With her hands and feet bound, she couldn't do anything without freeing herself. So, she began searching the house for anything that could loosen the ropes. She moved carefully, afraid of waking the people next to her.
Just as she noticed a sharp stone in the corner and was about to move it to pick it up, she suddenly heard footsteps outside. Meng Zhao's heart tightened, and she quickly closed her eyes, pretending that she had never woken up.
Meng Zhao first heard the sound of a lock being opened, followed by footsteps approaching. They passed by her lying on the ground, walked to the bedside, and kicked the sleeping person. The person woke up with a start, saw the newcomer, and immediately said cautiously, "Boss, you're back."
A deep voice rang out, tinged with anger, "I told you to keep a close eye on people, and this is how you do it!"
"Boss, don't worry, I'll tie her up really tightly, I absolutely won't let her escape."
Meng Zhao heard the person moving around in the house, the footsteps getting closer and closer, and she felt a gaze hovering over her.
"Since you're awake, stop pretending," the deep voice said coldly.
Meng Zhao's heart was pounding, but she still dared not move and pretended to be unconscious.
"Ha, stop pretending. A person's breathing sounds different when they're asleep and when they're awake." The voice carried a hint of sarcasm.
Meng Zhao knew he couldn't keep up the act any longer, but he still didn't open his eyes. He said with his eyes closed, "Brother, we have no grudge against each other. I don't know why you kidnapped me. If it's for money, you can just tell me, and I'll have someone bring the money over. I was unconscious the whole time, and it was dark, so I didn't see your faces clearly. I promise you, I will never report you to the authorities. What do you think?"
The stuttering man chuckled, "This little... this young lady is quite clever. But... we're not after money."
Meng Zhao's heart tightened, and he suppressed his panic, "If you two aren't here for money, then what are you here for?"
The deep voice rang out again, carrying a hint of pressure, "How did you get to know the girl who lives in your house?"
Meng Zhao was puzzled. A young lady? Wei Jinglan had always lived in his house, and Meng Jianqiu and He Jianxia also often stayed there. So he tentatively asked, "My family is large. I don't know which young lady you are referring to?"
The man seemed very dissatisfied with her answer and kicked her hard. Meng Zhao was kicked so hard that she rolled twice and her back hit the wall, making her gasp in pain.
"You're in my hands now, so you'd better not try to fool me, or I'll make sure you don't even know how you died." The man's voice was icy cold, carrying an undisguised threat.
Despite the pain, Meng Zhao gritted his teeth and finally spoke, "Is the girl this brother is talking about Wei Jinglan, Miss Wei?"
Upon hearing this, the man immediately grabbed Meng Zhao's shoulder and demanded, "Tell me, when did you see her?"
Meng Zhao was in so much pain that sweat beaded on his forehead, but he didn't dare to hesitate at all. "More than a year ago, on a snowy night, I met Miss Wei who was sick. Out of kindness, I took her home, and she has been living in my house ever since."
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