This town, which the local residents find strange, is actually not very big. If you look from a high place, there is only one main street with seven branches extending outwards. In the center of the town is a vaulted castle. Compared with the stone houses of the lords on the Minzel continent, this castle can be described as magnificent and exquisite.
The wall surrounding the town is very low. Perhaps because there has not been a war for a long time, the wall has actually lost its original function, and no one will stop the residents of the town from entering and leaving.
But after observing for a whole morning, Ye Zhou only saw local residents coming in and out of the town.
"It's indeed a bit strange." Cao'er said during lunch, "If there is a town like this in our area, people from all over the country will go there. Even if it's not a market day, they will occasionally go to the grain store or cloth shop."
Cao'er took a bite of the sandwich and drank a sip of milk. After swallowing, he continued, "There must be something strange."
Then she went to get another sandwich.
Actually, she doesn't like sandwiches, but this dislike is only compared to roujiamo.
The roujiamo is full of finely chopped meat. Although it is more lean than fat, the meat is not dry at all because it is drizzled with sesame oil. Stuff it with some vegetables and it will leave a lingering taste in your mouth. Cao'er can eat five of them by herself.
But it’s better to eat sandwiches outside. The taste is not much different when it’s cold. Roujiamo will not taste as good when it’s cold.
Cao'er ate the meat with relish, and Ye Zhou's appetite improved a little, but he still only ate one and put it down.
"Immortal, let me go in and take a look first." Cao'er volunteered to go out with them, feeling that she wanted to play a role.
Ye Zhou did not stop him. He brought Cao'er out to serve as the vanguard.
Just as Cao'er herself said, she is not tall and is a girl, so no matter who sees her, they will not be too wary of her.
Letting Zou Ming go and letting Cao'er go will definitely lead to two different results.
However, Ye Zhou still said: "Remember what you said before. Zou Ming and I will always watch over you, but the one who can truly protect you is still you, so you must be careful."
Cao'er nodded. She brought a pistol with her, an extra extended magazine, and enough bullets.
There was also a dagger pinned to his calf.
Although she couldn't gain the upper hand in the fight with Wu Yan, it was still easy for her to deal with people who had never learned fighting.
Before Ye Zhou learned it, he thought that in the face of absolute power, any skills were just fancy moves. After learning it, he realized that in fact, most of the time, people do not have absolute power.
Absolute strength is not between men and women, but between weight. A 200-pound woman can easily beat a 100-pound guy.
It is unlikely for a woman weighing 80 or 90 kilograms to defeat a man weighing more than 100 kilograms.
But for a woman weighing 120 or 130 kilograms, it is not difficult to beat an untrained man weighing less than 150 kilograms as long as she trains long term.
Cao'er now weighs about 120 kilograms. Due to long-term training, Cao'er's body fat is much lower than the average body fat of women.
If you really get into a fight with someone, you can hit the opponent's temples or chin with one punch and basically be able to escape with one strike.
But that was a one-on-one fight. If others rushed over, not to mention Cao'er, even Zou Ming would not be able to fight in such a chaotic battle.
The purpose of carrying a gun is to scare the other party, to act as a deterrent, and to buy Cao'er time to escape.
Otherwise, once the time comes to change bullets, you will be ready to be killed.
So when Cao'er left, Ye Zhou couldn't help but give her another long-winded warning: "Don't think that you are infallible just because you have a gun. What if they don't fight you? If they attack you while you are sleeping, it will be useless even if you have a gun."
Cao'er immediately said, "I will definitely not eat their food, nor drink their water, and I will not spend the night in this city."
Ye Zhou was still worried and was about to go in with Cao'er when Zou Ming grabbed his shoulder.
"Let her go." Zou Ming whispered in Ye Zhou's ear, "She is a refugee, not a child."
Ye Zhou took a deep breath, and finally nodded to Cao'er: "Go."
Cao'er agreed and walked towards the town with two silver coins.
"It was you who said you wanted to train them." Zou Ming handed Ye Zhou a bottle of water.
Ye Zhou understood what Zou Ming meant.
He wanted to allow his employees to train and grow, but when it came time to let them experience danger, he couldn't help but worry.
Ye Zhou smiled bitterly and said, "I know it in my heart, but the truth is that, but..."
But after spending so much time together and developing feelings for each other, he couldn't help but worry when he saw her walking into danger for the supermarket.
"You feel you have a responsibility towards them," Zou Ming suddenly said. "You feel you let them work in the supermarket, and you are the boss, so you have a responsibility towards your employees."
Ye Zhou nodded: "If they are taking risks for their own sake, I might also pay attention, but I won't be so nervous."
Zou Ming looked at Ye Zhou's profile.
Ye Zhou has always been like this. Ye Zhou is a person who is particularly protective of his shortcomings. It is not obvious at ordinary times, but it can be seen when something happens.
He would rather take the risk himself than let others go.
"Like you said, if you don't give them a chance, how can they grow?" Zou Ming, "Are you going to take care of them for the rest of their lives?"
"I know, I know." Ye Zhou didn't want to continue this topic. "I understand the reason."
Zou Ming didn't continue talking.
Zou Ming loves Ye Zhou's character. If Ye Zhou didn't have such a character, he wouldn't have saved him, raised him, or taught him.
But he also hated Ye Zhou's character, because there were always people like him at that time who needed Ye Zhou's care and help.
He lowered his head and his eyes, there seemed to be no emotion in his dark pupils, yet a storm seemed to be brewing.
·
It was the first time Cao'er did something on her own. She was a little nervous, but more excited.
She knew that she was not smart and not as capable as Chen Shu and the others. What she could do, others could also do.
Mother always told her that the good life they have now was given by the immortals, but the immortals were willing to give it, and they couldn't always accept it with a shameless face. Only when you have ability will others look up to you. Like Sister Chen and Sister Sarah, they don't have to know how to clean, or wash clothes or cook. As long as they can do what others can't, they can live their lives according to their own wishes.
Cao'er didn't understand at first, but after her mother kept nagging her for a long time, she finally understood what her mother meant.
She would definitely not return to the Liang Dynasty. What would she do if she went back? Marry a man who would cook for her, and if she was lucky, give birth to a few sons? Then she would arrange for the sons to find wives? Her life would be predictable.
When you are young, listen to men; when you are old, listen to your sons.
Cao'er felt her scalp tingling just thinking about it.
Her mother asked her to make progress, and the immortal was willing to give her a chance. She had never had the chance to make progress before! What can a girl make progress for? Wash more clothes, or cultivate more acres of land? Girls from wealthy families can learn to play the piano, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but even if they do, they just want to marry into a good family in the future.
Cao'er walked to the city gate and checked the translator on her chest again.
This time she wore two translators, one pinned on her chest as a "brooch", and the other as an earring.
If one is missing, there is still another one, and I have one in my bag.
She just looked up at the city wall, and someone was walking over. It was an old woman wearing a long skirt. Unlike the nearby farmers, she was not covered in dirt or dust, and her hair was combed meticulously, as if she had put something on her head. Although it had a smell, her hair was black and shiny, and she looked very decent.
Her face is a little round, and although it has wrinkles, she doesn't look mean. Instead, the wrinkles make her look amiable.
Cao'er looked at the old woman and even saw the shadow of her mother in her.
No, her mother is not that kind, she is extremely fierce.
"My lady." The old woman looked at Cao'er with a smile, "Are you here to visit your relatives or are you passing through our town?"
Cao'er immediately took out the prepared words. She shrank her neck slightly, acted timid and cowardly, and said carefully: "I came here to try if I can find a living person here."
The old woman looked at her and found that although the young girl was a little short, she did not look like she came from a poor family. Her skin was rough, but her face was fleshy and her body was strong and could hold up her clothes.
"Where are your parents? Are they willing to let you find a job on your own?" The old woman came closer to Cao'er, warmly grasped Cao'er's wrist, and smiled generously, "Come on, let's go in first. It's almost time for dinner. Why don't you come to my house for a meal?"
Cao'er quickly said politely: "No, no, I, I'll find a hotel..."
The old woman immediately said, "You are from outside, you don't know our town, and you don't know where to find a job. I like you when I see you. Come with me, and I will help you find a job."
"So, who are the people in your family?" Cao'er whispered, "I'm still unmarried and can't stay with a man."
The smile on the old woman's face grew wider. Nowadays, in larger towns, many women work. Although the money is still paid by the husband, there is absolutely no such thing as not being able to eat with other men.
Only very isolated small villages still have such rules.
The girl came from a remote village and had no relatives in the town, so it wouldn't matter even if her parents and brothers came to look for her.
What's more, it would be better if her parents and brothers came.
The old woman took Cao'er into the town. She held Cao'er's wrist and said that she was old and needed someone to hold her hand to walk steadily. In fact, if Cao'er moved the slightest bit, she would leave and drag Cao'er to her side.
After entering the city, Cao'er felt that more things were wrong.
Although she is an outsider and not a local, people here will look at her a few times, but normally they would never be so enthusiastic.
As they walked in, people greeted them along the way, and many people wanted to take Cao'er home.
Cao'er has never been such a "delicious bun" in her life.
But she knew one thing very well: anyone who shows kindness to others for no reason is either a traitor or a thief.
If she couldn't give them any benefits, even if there were kind-hearted people who wanted to help her, they wouldn't be so generous.
Cao'er quietly looked at the old woman who was pulling her.
This old woman must have never suffered any hardship, or she hasn't suffered any hardship in the past two years. She has a smile on her face and a gleam in her eyes. Cao'er is very familiar with this look.
Who hasn't she met while fleeing?
In order to survive, people will think of any despicable methods.
Selling oneself as a slave was already respectable. As long as someone was willing to buy, one could have food to eat even if one was sold to a lowly place.
It is better to live a miserable life than to die a good death. Everyone wants to live.
There are many dishonorable ways to do things, such as eating one's own children, and even killing someone for a wild vegetable.
She had seen hell on earth and met countless people with good faces but more vicious than evil spirits, but those people did it because they wanted to survive. What about the old woman in front of her?
What is this old woman doing?
Besides, she was a poor girl from another place, what could the other party want from her?
Cao'er was alert in her heart, but did not show it on her face.
All along the way the old ladies kept telling her how wonderful the town was.
"We don't have beggars here," the old woman said with a smile, "and no one urinates or defecates on the street. Once you come in, you can find a good job and don't have to worry about anything."
The old woman also let passers-by who greeted them with a smile: "The people here are all good people, very warm and willing to help others."
But Cao'er felt her scalp tingling when she saw the smiles on those people's faces.
It would be fine if only one person was laughing like this, but everyone was laughing like this, as if the smiles on their faces were carved from the same mold, and everyone was the same. The uniformity felt weird.
Soon they arrived at the old woman's house.
The old woman was indeed very wealthy. Most people lived in bungalows, but she lived in a two-story building with a small yard enclosed by a fence at the door. The yard was planted with flowers and plants, and even a small vegetable patch.
Cao'er followed the old woman into her home.
After entering the house, Cao'er became even more nervous because she was not the only one brought here by the old woman.
The living room was almost full of people. It was obvious that these people were not locals because they were dressed in rags, their hair was greasy in wisps, and they looked up at them in panic.
These people include men, women, and even children, and they are of different races.
Only then did Cao'er realize that the old woman did not seem to be a human either. She was only about 1.4 meters tall.
It was only because the people of Daliang Dynasty were not well-nourished and there were many short people that she did not think that the old woman was not human.
This old woman should be a dwarf?
As expected, most of the poor people in this house are dwarves.
When the dwarves saw the old woman coming back, they became excited and the children came over to ask for food.
The old woman smiled and said to them, "Please sit down first. I will prepare food for you."
She then said to Cao'er, "They are all like you, coming to town to find work. You can sit with them."
Cao'er nodded. She sat on the chair next to her and watched a dwarf child walk up to her and pick up the kettle to pour water into his mouth. She turned her head and looked at the other dwarves, and found that they were all looking at the kitchen eagerly. So she leaned forward and whispered to the dwarf: "Child, are you her relatives?"
As he spoke, Cao'er took out a candy from his pocket.
Although the dwarf didn't know what it was, the candy wrapper was shiny and his eyes lit up. He imitated Cao'er and whispered, "No, my parents said they came here to work. We just arrived in the city and she said she would let us live in her house until we find a job."
The dwarf was somewhat happy: "Mom and Dad said she was a good person!"
Cao'er nodded slightly.
She also gave the candy to the dwarf, but she peeled off the candy wrapper and put it directly into the dwarf's mouth.
As soon as she stuffed it in, she said, "I don't have much candy. If you tell others, you will have none left."
The dwarf immediately covered his mouth and shook his head, indicating that he could not say anything.
Although she had only been here for a short while, Cao'er already had an idea in her mind.
These people are poor people, and the only thing they have is their bodies.
This old woman... must be a human trafficker.
Cao'er pursed her lips and was about to go out to inform the immortals.
·
Ye Zhou was holding a telescope. He watched Cao'er and an old woman enter a two-story building, and then he didn't see Cao'er come out.
"The people in this town are quite welcoming." Ye Zhou was talking to Zou Ming. When he moved the binoculars, a figure suddenly came into his sight.
Zou Ming noticed that Ye Zhou was in a bad mood: "What's wrong?"
Ye Zhou put down the telescope and looked at the alley behind the castle in a daze.
The man with ragged clothes, disheveled hair, and who could only crawl on the ground.
Why did it make him feel like... Sarah?
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