Wei Jinglan stayed in the mountain stronghold for a year. As the leader's woman, she had many "privileges." She could move freely in the stronghold and did not have to suffer the same abuse from other men as the other women.
Many people even said she was 'lucky,' saying, 'This woman is really lucky to have caught the eye of the boss. Otherwise, with looks like that, how could she have survived in the village for a year?'
"Boss, why aren't you tired of this woman yet? I've been lusting after her body for ages."
"Wait a little longer. Once the boss throws her out, I'm going to go find her and have fun every day."
Because of this, Wei Jinglan had to work even harder to please the boss they spoke of. She learned how to use a gentle smile and a submissive attitude to win his pity.
However, no matter how the villagers told her, "You're already very lucky," Wei Jinglan never gave up the idea of escaping.
She endured humiliation and flattered the man to gain the opportunity to leave the room. She secretly observed the layout of the village, noting down every path and every sentry post. She silently calculated the time in her heart, waiting for the most suitable moment.
Finally, after countless hardships and nearly dying on the mountain several times, she managed to escape. She thought she could finally get rid of those nightmarish days and start a new life. But now, that evil spirit has come after her again, trying to drag her back.
Her hands trembled so badly that she could barely hold the light letter. The paper slipped from her fingers and floated slowly to the ground, as if she had returned to that dark and damp mountain village, with the bandits' savage laughter and foul language echoing in her ears.
But Wei Jinglan then noticed the sachet in her hand, which she had sewn herself for Meng Zhao.
“I can’t…” she murmured, her eyes shifting from fear to determination, “I can’t trade Meng Zhao for myself.”
With trembling hands, she picked up the letter from the ground and silently memorized the location. Just as she was walking out of the alley, she suddenly saw Shen Qing and Meng Zhao on his back, and stopped in her tracks.
Upon hearing that Wei Jinglan really wanted to go find that bandit, Meng Zhao was furious, but also somewhat relieved that she and Shen Qinghe had returned in time.
Seeing Meng Zhao's anger, Xu Yunrong said, "Your brother-in-law went to Skull Mountain with the people organized by the county. According to the people who came back, when they arrived at the wooden house, there were only rags and hair left on the ground. On the way down the mountain, they also saw a wild boar dragging an arm running in the mountains."
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao felt no pity whatsoever. Instead, he coldly said, "It would be better if those kinds of people died even more tragically."
"When Madam Wei saw that you were safe and sound, she went straight to the yamen and told the magistrate everything she knew, including the letter she received. The magistrate was even quite pleased when he saw it."
Meng Zhao asked curiously, "Why is that?"
Xu Yunrong explained, "The constables at our doorstep said that those bandits have committed many crimes, but because they usually operate on the move, we haven't been able to find their stronghold. The imperial court has tried to suppress them several times without success. This time, with Wei Niangzi and Xiao Chuan, who came from a bandit's den, there should be some progress."
Meng Zhao frowned. "Does everyone know now that Jinglan came from a bandit's den?"
When they brought her and Xiao Chuan back, they said they were refugees. If this gets out, who knows what kind of rumors it will cause.
Xu Yunrong shook her head. "No, there's a bandit in the county that hasn't been caught yet. If word got out, it would cause a huge uproar. Our family knows about it; Wei Niangzi told us herself."
Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao breathed a slight sigh of relief. Sometimes, rumors and gossip can be deadly.
Just as the family was talking, Madam Gu came in with her two children. As soon as they entered, the two children rushed to Meng Zhao's bedside, each holding one of her hands, looking at her with teary eyes.
"Sister-in-law, does your hand hurt?"
It would be a lie to say it didn't hurt, but looking at the two children's expressions, as if she would burst into tears at the slightest sound of pain, Meng Zhao said, "It doesn't hurt. Look, the doctor has already applied medicine, so of course it doesn't hurt anymore. In the future, if you get sick, you can't skip taking your medicine."
Although her sister-in-law said it didn't hurt, how could it not hurt when it was wrapped up like that? So the two of them held Meng Zhao's hand and blew on it.
“Let’s blow on it for my sister-in-law, it won’t hurt anymore.” Meng Zhao couldn’t help but laugh. The children of the Shen family really do pass on the same method as Shen Qinghe for relieving pain.
Seeing that the two children were well-behaved and carefully avoided Meng Zhao's wound, Gu Shi did not let them leave. Instead, she said to Meng Zhao, "Zhao Zhao, you've slept for a day and a night, you must be hungry. There's some porridge on the stove, would you like some?"
Just then, Meng Zhao's stomach rumbled, and Madam Gu immediately laughed, "I'll go get the bowl."
Although he was indeed hungry, Meng Zhao's most important task right now was brushing his teeth. After sleeping for a day and a night, his mouth was bound to taste bad.
However, Meng Zhao's hand was still bandaged and she couldn't hold a toothbrush, so she had to ask Shen Qingyu for help. After brushing her teeth, Meng Zhao ate two light side dishes and drank a bowl of porridge.
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