Meng Zhao readily agreed, and even enthusiastically helped Wei Jinglan choose a dress that would greatly enhance her complexion.
"Big sister, where are you going?" Wei Jingru had been talking to Shen Yun and the others outside the door since she came out of the house. When she saw Wei Jinglan change her clothes and realized that she was going out, she immediately ran over.
Looking at her younger sister's innocent face, Wei Jinglan's heart softened slightly, and she said softly, "I've been staying at home for a long time and I feel a bit stifled, so I thought I'd go out and see some friends."
“Then I’ll go with you.” Wei Jingru immediately grabbed Wei Jinglan’s sleeve.
After thinking about those people's situation, Wei Jinglan shook her head, "No need, you don't know those people, I'll go by myself."
Wei Jingru pouted and muttered, "I know all of my sister's friends." But seeing Wei Jinglan's insistence, she stopped arguing and reluctantly let go of her hand.
After telling the driver her location, Wei Jinglan got into Meng Zhao's carriage. Shen Yun chattered on and on about what had happened in Shenjia Village since Wei Jinglan left. Wei Jinglan listened quietly, her face occasionally showing a longing expression.
When the carriage arrived, they happened to encounter a man in military uniform with a cold and solemn expression. It was Chen Han, who was participating in the bandit suppression. Upon seeing Wei Jinglan and the others, he took the initiative to walk over and said in a steady tone, "Madam Wei."
Wei Jinglan was slightly taken aback, then introduced Meng Zhao: "This is my good friend, Meng Zhao, and this is Chen Han, the commander in charge of this bandit suppression operation."
The two nodded to each other as a greeting. Chen Han's gaze lingered on Wei Jinglan for a moment before he said, "I have something I'd like to say to Madam Wei alone."
Meng Zhao glanced at Wei Jinglan, and seeing her nod, he took a few steps to the side, giving the two of them some space.
Wei Jinglan stood side by side with Chen Han, feeling somewhat uneasy. She asked in a low voice, "Is there something you want to say, Commander Chen?"
During the bandit suppression campaign, Wei Jinglan had a lot of contact with Chen Han, and the two were quite familiar with each other. Wei Jinglan asked in a low voice, "Is there something you want to say, Commander Chen?"
"I would like to thank Madam Wei."
"No need for thanks, Commander Chen. Those bandits have committed countless atrocities and harmed countless civilians. I am only doing my part."
Chen Han shook his head, "It's not just for that."
Seeing Wei Jinglan's puzzled look, Chen Han lowered his voice a few decibels: "It's also because of the arrow in the body of the bandit leader Lu Ming."
Wei Jinglan's face turned pale instantly, and her fingers unconsciously clenched her sleeves. "What does Commander Chen want to say?"
Chen Han noticed her nervousness and softened his tone: "Madam Wei, please don't misunderstand. In the military camp, different officers are issued different arrows. The arrow you used that day just happened to be mine, which gave me the credit for killing the bandit leader. I'm here to thank you for not telling anyone about it."
Wei Jinglan only then noticed the change in Chen Han's clothes, guessing that he had been promoted.
Chen Han continued, "This matter is known only to the two of us. I am even more afraid of the matter being exposed than Madam Wei, so Madam Wei can rest assured that even if someone seeks revenge in the future, they will come after me."
Wei Jinglan breathed a slight sigh of relief. She didn't want others to know about this, so she said, "Thank you, Commander Chen. Of course, I won't tell anyone about this."
Chen Han nodded slightly: "Then I won't disturb Lady Wei any longer." After saying that, he turned and left.
Seeing Chen Han walk away, Meng Zhao went over to him. She didn't ask any questions, but gently patted Wei Jinglan's shoulder and then went with her to knock on the door.
A young woman, about seventeen or eighteen years old, opened the door. When she saw that it was Wei Jinglan standing outside, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes: "Madam Wei, you've come?"
She was one of the women who almost burned to death that day. Her name was Fang Xiaohua. That day, she hid in the deep mountains for a long time with the cloth given to her by Wei Jinglan. She had no food or water and was injured. Fortunately, a hunting dog smelled the cloth and found her. Otherwise, even if she hadn't encountered bandits, she might have died in the mountains.
Fang Xiaohua excitedly welcomed them into the courtyard while calling out to the house, "Come out quickly and see who it is!"
Several women came out and were very excited to see Wei Jinglan; they were all people who had been in the house.
Wei Jinglan introduced, "This is my friend, Meng Zhao. He came with me to visit you today." Everyone nodded to each other and found a place to sit down.
Wei Jinglan then realized that there were not only a few of them in the courtyard, but also many other unfamiliar women, totaling about thirty or forty people.
Fang Xiaohua said, "They were just like us, kidnapped by bandits and taken to the mountains, but they were imprisoned in different places." As she spoke of the bandits, Fang Xiaohua's eyes reddened.
Another older woman said, "Madam Wei, we really don't know how to thank you. If it weren't for your help that day, we probably would have died in the mountain stronghold. So we've been looking for an opportunity to thank you."
Wei Jinglan shook her head. "No need to thank me. Anyone would lend a hand in this kind of situation. But what are you going to do afterward?"
The woman sighed and shook her head: "The government officials just came and said that this courtyard was rented for us temporarily, and the lease expires at the end of the month. They said they want us to go home as soon as possible."
When the word "go home" was mentioned, many women in the courtyard lowered their heads. This courtyard originally housed dozens of people, but in recent days, those who wanted to go home and those who were able to go home have all left. Most of those who remain here now are unable to go home.
Meng Zhao could roughly guess the women's situation, so he asked, "What do you usually eat and drink?"
“The government sends us some food every day, so we cook for ourselves. There are also kind aunties in the neighborhood who give us some clothes they don’t need. But when the lease on this courtyard expires, we’ll probably be homeless.”
Shen Yun, being young, couldn't help but tear up upon hearing this. Huang Cui also frowned and asked, "Didn't you think about going out to find some work?"
The girls in the courtyard all lowered their heads. Many people had seen them when they were taken down the mountain, and everyone around knew who lived in the courtyard.
Most of them had been touched by bandits. Even if a few had just been captured and brought up the mountain and hadn't been touched by bandits yet, they couldn't explain such things no matter how hard they tried.
Even though they are victims, they still suffer a lot of scorn and discrimination. They had thought about going out to find some work, but as soon as they went out, they felt uncomfortable all over, whether it was the pitying looks from the kind aunties outside, the people who used them as gossip, or the greasy looks from some lewd men.
Gradually, everyone stayed in the courtyard, and no one wanted to go out.
Only Su Meng could completely ignore the gazes of those people. Ever since she came to the courtyard, she had been thinking about going out to find work. She didn't know how many times she was turned down before she finally found a job washing clothes. She could only earn a dozen or so coins a day by working hard. Two days ago, she said goodbye to the girls in the courtyard, saying that she was going home to find her husband, and she has not been seen since.
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