Chapter 183 Is it really 520?
Dan Chuxue, who was in Mu Jianjian's arms, was obviously startled when the man suddenly opened the door and came in. She curled up and shrank into Mu Jianjian's arms, burying herself in them.
Mu Jianjian gently raised her eyes, subtly sizing up the man standing at the carriage entrance, and then hugged Shan Chuxue tightly in her arms.
The man, dressed in black cloth, had a fierce expression. His arms, with prominent veins, bore the marks of past fights. He held a thick, long black whip in his right hand and lashed it at the group of women in the carriage.
"Hurry up and come out! Don't keep the person in charge waiting!"
The man slammed the whip in his hand to the ground with a loud bang, startling the woman in the carriage. For a moment, no one dared to step out of the carriage first.
"Click—"
The sound of two iron chains striking the wooden planks rang out, and under everyone's gaze, Mu Jianjian and Zhuang Mei stood up at the same time.
Zhuang Mei glanced at the veiled girl with a calm expression, chuckled, and stepped out of the carriage, followed closely by Mu Jianjian, who was holding Shan Chuxue's hand.
After the three men left, the other women in the carriage, fearing they would be whipped for being too slow, quickly got off the carriage as well.
Under the scorching sun, everyone walked barefoot on the burning ground, and after a moment, the iron chains locked around their ankles also generated an uncomfortable temperature.
It seems we've arrived at the Red Mansion in Duyunfang.
Outside the small courtyard, which was carved with balustrades and jade tiles, there were five or six exquisite carriages. Women were still getting off, dressed in uniform clothes and with chains around their feet. Standing in front of the courtyard were the woman in the floral dress she had met before and the maid called "Rain and Dew".
Mu Jianjian was speechless: Life is unpredictable, like a large intestine wrapping a small intestine.
I just escaped from the tiger's den, only to fall into the wolf's lair.
In the original book, the female protagonist Sang Wanyue met the fourth and fifth male characters in Duyunfang, which started their romantic subplot. It's just unknown whether these subplots will still be triggered after she interferes with the plot.
Mu Jianjian looked down and saw the red marks on her ankle that had been carved by the iron chain. Helplessly, she lifted her foot and changed her standing posture.
Although she was forced into the Red Mansion, it was still much better than being tormented after her true energy was sealed by Jin Hongze's people.
I just don't know when they will find me.
"Sister...where are we? Xue'er's feet are so hot..."
A soft, sweet voice came from beside Mu Jianjian. She felt her sleeve being gently tugged, and when she turned her head, she saw Shan Chuxue's wet eyes.
The little girl's cheeks flushed an unnatural red, as if she were suffering from heatstroke. Underneath her tattered and worn-out dress were a pair of small feet that had been scalded with blisters.
"Don't be afraid, your sister is here," Mu Jianjian said softly, her heart aching. She gently stroked the little girl's black hair and looked at the women who were walking into the courtyard behind the woman. "Come here, let your sister hold you."
It would be very difficult for a thin and frail woman to hold a small child, but Mu Jianjian still reached out her hand.
After Shan Chuxue opened her arms and snuggled into Mu Jianjian's arms with a pitiful expression, she finally calmed down.
"Sister, Xue'er will be good." Shan Chuxue nodded sensibly, drawing pitying glances from the women around her.
"Pfft—" In the relatively quiet courtyard, a whip cracking sound suddenly rang out.
"If you keep dragging your feet, how will you serve the officials and cultivators?"
Mu Jianjian frowned and turned her head to look. She saw a woman who couldn't withstand the scorching sun. She had accidentally tripped over the iron chain and fallen. She was now lying on the ground, panting heavily, covered in sweat.
On her back was a whip mark inflicted by a man.
"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I'll get up right away..." The woman's stammering, crying voice echoed in everyone's ears, but after staggering a few steps, she still couldn't get up, seemingly because of the injuries on her feet and back.
After clicking his tongue, the man looked at the progress delayed by the woman and raised his right hand to wield the whip again.
The woman in the floral dress standing under the eaves in front of the courtyard was expressionless. She coldly watched the scene, as if she had long been accustomed to it.
The other women, though reluctant to see her punished, were powerless to do anything about it.
Mu Jianjian lowered her eyes, feeling the heavy smell of blood in the air, but still couldn't help taking out a talisman from her space and slowly sticking it to the man's body from a blind spot.
Hmm... after thinking it over, this talisman paper is still the most suitable...
It's impossible for her to stand idly by; it's never going to happen in her lifetime.
"Bang bang—" The man was completely unaware that after he lashed out at the woman twice with his whip, he found that the whip had actually hit himself!
"Ah—" The man screamed in pain as his hand trembled. The woman, who had been clutching her head on the ground, had not noticed the pain. Only now did she dare to open her eyes and find that the whip she had imagined had not fallen. She opened her mouth wide in disbelief.
The courtyard, filled with women, began to stir with noise because of this scene.
"Quiet! You can't even do this simple thing right, you're a complete waste." The lady in the floral dress glanced at the women in the courtyard and naturally noticed the farce unfolding here. She curled her lips in a sneer, and Yu Lu behind her immediately understood.
Moments later, the man was taken away.
The woman in the floral dress looked at the terrified women, curled her lips, and slowly spoke, "I'm not here to drag you into a den of dragons and tigers; on the contrary, I'm here to give you a chance."
As Mu Jianjian watched the queue approaching her turn, she lowered her eyes and listened to the woman's gentle sales pitch, and had to admit how clever she was.
Isn't this just so that these women will realize their situation and willingly risk their lives for her?
But this is for the best, it shows them the way forward, after all, smart people know how to adapt to their environment and survive.
"Xue'er, let me go in first." When it was Mu Jianjian's turn to enter the house, she put Shan Chuxue down and paused for a moment, her gaze falling on Zhuang Mei behind her.
Zhuang Mei took Shan Chuxue from her, watching the girl enter the house thoughtfully.
——
When Mu Jianjian was reading the original novel, she deeply hated the Red Chamber in Duyunfang.
The Dream of the Red Chamber captures impoverished girls from all over the mainland and imprisons them to train as concubines or slaves. It could even be said that in the Dream of the Red Chamber, the lives of animals are more precious than the lives of women.
If a woman is unwilling to accept this situation, her only way out is to keep performing to increase her value and become the top courtesan.
In fact, this is not only the case in the Red Mansion, but also in the entire Duyunfang. The lord of the fang is licentious and indifferent to worldly affairs, but he firmly grasps all the resources and power in this land in his own hands. The male 400 Li Mochen, as the lord's son, meets Sang Wanyue and together they seize power, becoming the new lord of the fang.
After that, the backward customs of Duyunfang began to gradually disappear.
"Name." There was a notebook on the table in front of the woman. She waved her hand, and the maid beside her immediately stepped forward and removed the girl's veil.
The maid paused, the look of amazement in her eyes fleeting, but after a moment of stunned silence, she ran her hand over the girl's face to check for the absence of a human skin mask.
Mu Jianjian spoke up, "Mu Yuanyuan."
"From now on, you will no longer use this name. Your number is 520. In the Red Mansion, low-ranking female slaves are not allowed to use names. Remember your number and don't forget it."
"Really? Is it 520?" Mu Jianjian asked lightly.
woman:……
Why do you seem so happy?
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