"Don't be afraid, we're here to rescue you. We need to find the key to this lock. I'll go find the key first."
As he spoke, Boss Lu handed the torch to He Jiu Niang and prepared to go out to find the key.
"Brother, I can open this lock."
The child had a high fever, but He Jiu Niang didn't care about anything else. She took out two wires from her bundle and easily unlocked the door.
These days, the inside of a lock is quite simple, and picking it isn't difficult.
Although Lu was shocked, he didn't say anything. His third sister-in-law had become incredibly powerful after dying once, and he was already used to it.
After unlocking the locks for everyone in turn, Old Master Lu said, "We've already killed the bandits, let's get out of the cave first!"
The woman holding the child stood up to leave, but her legs went weak and she almost fell. They hadn't eaten for days, and their limbs were so weak that they could barely stand, let alone hold the child.
He Jiuniang reached out and took the child, taking the opportunity to check the child's pulse, and then comforted him, "The child will be fine, don't worry."
After leaving the cave, Boss Lu returned to the grove to find the Lu family members, while He Jiuniang stayed at the mountain stronghold to look after them.
"That's the bandits' kitchen over there. There are steamed buns and rice in the pot, and a vat of water next to the stove. Go and eat something to fill your stomachs first."
Upon hearing that there was food, everyone's eyes lit up. Cui'er licked her lips and looked at He Jiuniang with some unease. She wanted to eat, but she was also worried about her son.
He Jiuniang understood: "Go ahead, I'll hold the child for you."
The child was still unconscious and naturally couldn't eat. Cui'er thanked He Jiu Niang profusely before finally eating.
He Jiuniang carried the child into a thatched hut, which must have been where the two women lived. It was quite clean and had no strange smell.
Taking advantage of the fact that no one came in, she took out a fever-reducing injection and gave it to the child. In front of everyone, she couldn't reveal that she knew medicine, so this was the only way.
Little Bamboo was awakened by the pain, feeling someone pricking his bottom with a needle. He woke up with teary eyes, but it wasn't his mother he saw. Just as he was about to cry, He Jiu Niang gestured for him to shush: "Little Bamboo, don't cry, we're safe now."
"Mother, I want my mother..."
Although he didn't cry out loud, his voice still carried a sob, and his little mouth was pouting, making him incredibly pitiful.
He Jiuniang wiped away his tears: "Your mother is going out to get something to eat, she'll be back soon, be good."
Xiao Zhu stared blankly at He Jiu Niang for a while before recognizing her. She asked uncertainly, "Are you Gou'er's mother? Third Aunt?"
The Lu family had many children, and the village children often played together. Five-year-old Xiaozhu would also come to the Lu family to find friends. He had seen the sickly Gou'er and his third aunt, who was even prettier than his mother.
I only remembered that this third aunt was not very talkative, she would just smile at them and the children. I never expected that she would hold him and coax him like his mother.
"Yes, little bamboo is so smart!"
To reassure the child, He Jiuniang smiled.
Her smile made her already beautiful features appear even more approachable and gentle, instantly putting Xiaozhuzi at ease.
Because she was still sick and had little energy, she obediently nestled in He Jiu Niang's arms, waiting for her mother to return.
Perhaps it was because of taking care of the dog during this time that she developed maternal instincts. Seeing such a thin, bony child with a big head and a small body made her feel very sad. He Jiu Niang took out some hot milk from her space and poured it into a bamboo tube for him to drink, just like she had done for the dog.
Xiao Zhuzi, whose lips were dry and peeling due to dehydration, thought it was water and drank from the bamboo tube. He was stunned by the rich and mellow taste and then wolfed it down.
"Is it good?"
He Jiuniang asked with a smile.
"Mmm!"
Little Bamboo didn't even have time to reply to her; it could only make a sound from its throat.
The child had been hungry for a long time and couldn't drink too much on an empty stomach, so He Jiuniang gave him half a steamed bun to eat.
Fearing he might have indigestion, I made sure he ate a bite of steamed bun and then drank a sip of milk.
After Cui'er had managed to grab some food and fill her stomach, she hid a cornbread to save for her son when he woke up. When she came to check on her son, Xiao Zhuzi had already eaten and drunk his fill and was lying in He Jiu Niang's arms, half asleep.
"mother!"
Upon seeing her mother, Xiao Zhuzi immediately perked up.
"Little Bamboo, you're awake? You're finally awake, my child! Waaah..."
Cui'er took her son from He Jiuniang's arms with a pleasant surprise, touched his forehead and found that it didn't seem too hot anymore. She couldn't control her emotions and started crying while holding the child.
"Jiu Niang, thank you so much! You and Brother Lu are truly our saviors!"
Cui'er recalled the days she spent in the bandit's den, and it was simply unbearable to look back on.
The only saving grace was that the bandits, in their attempt to recruit them, hadn't resorted to violence. Otherwise, who knows how these women and children would have been treated?
"We just happened to find out you were captured, so we came to try our luck. Luckily, there weren't many of these bandits, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to do anything."
He Jiuniang didn't want to take credit; these people had already suffered enough, and there was no need to add to their burden.
After letting Cui'er and her mother rest in the room, He Jiu's mother went outside to check on the others.
Fortunately, apart from being a bit thin, there aren't any major problems. Now that he's eaten and drunk his fill, he has regained his strength.
"The bandits are all dead. Let's spend the night here. Everyone, please tidy up first."
Although this place is rather unlucky, it's still much better than sleeping in the woods in the open.
Everyone now regards He Jiuniang as their savior, so naturally they obey her every command.
There were still the bodies of bandits in the village. Several brave young men worked together to carry them out, while the women cleaned up all the unlucky things in the house before they dared to sleep at night.
When everyone had finished tidying up, the Lu family arrived. The women and children rushed forward, especially several women who were on good terms with Madam Yu and Madam Qin, who were already hugging each other and crying.
"It's good that you're alive, it's good that you're alive. Our family lagged behind you for a while, and when we caught up, all we saw were corpses all over the ground. We thought you had all met with misfortune. Sigh!"
Seeing this scene, Sun was also envious. At her age, she had to go through all this. She wondered if she had done something terrible in her past life.
Hearing Sun say this, everyone was reminded of the tragedy of that day, and their emotions, which had finally calmed down, broke down and cried again.
After everyone finished crying, they began to explain what had happened: they had originally intended to go to Liujia Town to wait for Old Man Lu's family, but before they even reached Liujia Town, they were ambushed by that gang of bandits. Without saying a word, they started attacking people with knives. The heads of the families were either killed or injured and rescued by villagers. It was the women and children who had originally wanted to hide who ended up falling victim to the bandits.
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