Chapter 84 Human Traffickers
"These toys are so exquisite," Song Yushu said after walking around. He had certainly broadened his horizons.
Luban locks, wooden carts and puppets, tiger-head clubs... each one was made with care and painted. Even an adult like Song Yushu liked them, let alone the children.
"Ten of these, and this one too... Did you make all of these?" Song Yushu picked out a few and asked the shop owner.
"Of course, I love tinkering with these things in my spare time..." The shop owner was an elderly man with gray hair. Seeing the admiration in her eyes, he felt proud and started talking about these things endlessly.
"I do know a few good things that I might be able to make for me..."
When Song Yushu came out, it was already noon. The three of them ate a bowl of wontons at a roadside stall and then planned to go back.
"Hey! Be careful!" Just as Song Yushu was about to help the child who had bumped into Xiong Erni up, the child got up and ran away.
"Oh no!" Xiong Erni exclaimed and chased after the child in the direction he had run.
"Erni!" Song Yushu also noticed something was wrong, but she couldn't stop anyone.
"What's wrong?" Aunt Yang asked, looking bewildered.
"We've encountered a thief, Aunt! Go back to the inn and wait for us!" Song Yushu saw Xiong Erni running away and quickly chased after her.
Song Yushu could still see Xiong Erni's figure, but she disappeared as soon as she turned into the alley. She hesitated for a moment about whether to go in, but thinking of Xiong Erni, she took the gamble.
“Auntie, could you please go and find the officials for us? My sister has been caught in the fire, and I’m worried something might happen to her,” Song Yushu said, pulling the passing old woman aside and slipping her a tael of silver.
"Alright! I'll go right away!" Seeing that there was money to be made, the old woman quickly turned around and went to find the officers who usually patrolled the area.
Fearing that something might have happened to Xiong Erni, Song Yushu went in to check first, but he couldn't find her at all in the maze of alleys.
"I didn't expect to have such an unexpected gain, but this woman is incredibly strong. Look how badly she hurt my face. I'm so glad you came to help."
"Sell this woman, and we'll go have some fun!"
After saying that, the two men opened the wooden door to the side and carried the person inside.
Song Yushu hid among the clutter and, seeing that they didn't come out again, noted down where they had gone in and started running out.
"Sir! There are human traffickers!" Song Yushu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the officials.
"Human traffickers? Are you sure you saw them?" the officer asked Song Yushu.
“I’m sure, she’s inside. I can lead the way…” Song Yushu was afraid that if they went too late, the traffickers would move to another location, and the chances of finding Xiong Erni would be even slimmer. So he wanted to lead the officers in to arrest the traffickers.
“Alright, then lead us there,” the officers exchanged glances and followed Song Yushu into the alley.
"This is it! We don't know how many human traffickers are inside. Sir, if we rush in, will we be able to handle them?" Song Yushu was worried that there were too many human traffickers and they wouldn't be able to cope.
"What are you afraid of? Just go in," one of the officers said, kicking the door.
Something was amiss when Song Yushu noticed that the officials still appeared nonchalant.
"Who is it!" came the voice of the human trafficker from inside.
"It's us..."
Song Yushu turned and ran into a nearby alley.
"What happened?"
"Hurry up and chase after them! You've been spotted! That woman came here to report a crime. If we hadn't brought her here, word would have already gotten out!"
Song Yushu had never been so embarrassed. There were just too many alleys, and she dared not be distracted in her search, for fear that she would be arrested if she stopped.
Seeing that the people behind her were about to catch up, she quickly called out for help.
But for some unknown reason, no one opened the door until one of the vermilion wooden doors opened, and Song Yushu went inside without hesitation.
“There are human traffickers outside…cough cough…” Song Yushu saw the door being closed and was about to breathe a sigh of relief and thank him when he looked up and saw that the man’s face was covered in bruises.
"Bang!"
Song Yushu was heartbroken and was bound tightly before being thrown into the house.
The room was full of women and children who had been captured. They were all huddled in the corner with their heads down. They didn't react at all when Song Yushu was brought in. Their numb expressions were chilling to look at.
"I heard you caught two more women today?" a gruff voice rang out.
"Yes, I originally just asked the kids to steal some silver, but I didn't expect it to attract people. One of them even wanted to report it to the police. Luckily, she didn't get away."
The voice sounded familiar to Song Yushu; it was the man who had opened the door for her after Xiong Erni had punched him in the face. She felt a chill run down her spine. If the officials in the prefecture were colluding with human traffickers, what about those in higher positions? How clean could they be? There were five women and six children in this house. With so many people missing, did the authorities really not know?
"She saw it?" The rough voice rang out again, and the footsteps grew closer. Soon, the door was opened.
“That’s her! She’s pretty fast, but even if she’s fast, she’s still walking right into our trap!” The man with bruises on his face dragged Song Yushu in front of the boss.
"She knows too much; she can't be allowed to live."
Song Yushu looked up and saw that the owner of the rough voice had a mask on and was looking at her with a sinister gaze, which sent a chill down her spine. Was she really going to die here? She had two children, and Wei's mother and the others were waiting for her to return. Xue Huai'an…
"Boss, this woman is pretty good-looking and could fetch a good price. It's a shame to kill her. How about we sell her to a brothel? She won't be able to get out..." The trafficker with the injury on his face said regretfully.
Seeing that Song Yushu had her head down, the masked man assumed she was timid and frightened, and didn't think she was too dangerous. After listening to his subordinate's words, he looked her over and found her to be quite presentable.
"I'm leaving this to you. Get rid of these people as soon as possible," the masked man instructed before quickly leaving with his men.
By the time the door opened again, it was already evening.
"Eat quickly!" The person at the door threw the steamed bun in.
The women and children, who had been numb, suddenly rushed over to grab the steamed buns. Seeing this, Song Yushu quickly joined in. If they were to go hungry for several meals after just one, she was afraid she wouldn't even have the strength to run away.
As darkness fell and the man still hadn't returned, Aunt Yang, who was waiting at the inn, grew increasingly anxious.
"Shopkeeper, have you seen a woman, tall and slender..."
"Hasn't he returned yet? This shouldn't be happening at this hour. I advise you to report this to the authorities as soon as possible. Quite a few people have gone missing lately..." The restaurant owner sighed and started calculating again, showing no intention of helping her any further.
"How could this be..." Aunt Yang could no longer sit still and hurriedly went to find the two masters who had come with her.
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