The two entered the manor without any trouble, as if they were in an empty place.
They searched everywhere but couldn't find any trace of the children.
Liu Yingying frowned in confusion; "Strange, it's impossible for them to move so many children out in such a short time..."
Xue Ye looked around again, and then another possibility came to mind.
"Could it be underground?"
"underground…"
His words reminded Liu Yingying.
As expected.
When the two finally found the entrance to the basement, they went inside and discovered that there were about twenty or thirty boys aged between six or seven and twelve or thirteen being imprisoned there.
The children were dressed in the same clothes, and although they were being held in a basement, their living environment was relatively clean and tidy, and they were not dirty.
Perhaps because the owner of this estate wanted to use them to curry favor with the powerful, he would not treat them too harshly.
The children, upon seeing the two, huddled together in a panic.
These two people were the only two unfamiliar faces they had seen since they were imprisoned here.
They didn't know whether the two were good or evil.
Liu Yingying explained gently, "Don't be afraid, we're here to rescue you!"
Even with her explanation, the children remained extremely wary of them.
"Who are you? Why are you here to rescue us?"
Another child chimed in, "Why were you the ones who came to save us, not our family?"
These children suffered a lot when they were first abducted, and at first they thought about escaping.
But later, the steward of the manor, in order to make an example of them, beat the two boys to death right in front of them.
The scene was bloody and gruesome...
From then on, these children never dared to have the thought of running away again.
But in their dreams, they would also dream that after walking through a long, dark alley, their family would be standing at the end, ready to take them home…
Now they have finally been rescued, but it is not their family, which is why the child asked that question.
Liu Yingying's gaze swept over the group of children one by one, but she did not find Ah Chun's figure, and a hint of disappointment appeared on her face.
"Because a kid I know was also brought here. By the way, his name is Ah Chun, and he's very handsome. Have you seen him before?"
Upon hearing this, the boy standing at the front nodded after a moment's thought.
"I've seen him. He was brought here two days ago."
Liu Yingying's face lit up with joy. "Then where is he now?"
The boy continued, "The steward of this estate said he was handsome and would surely win the masters' favor, so he took him away this morning!"
He said this in a very casual tone, as if such things were nothing new to him.
Upon hearing this, Liu Yingying's heart clenched slightly.
She naturally understood what the child meant by what he had just said.
After Ah Chun is taken away, what fate awaits him...?
She dared not think any further…
But Liu Yingying quickly regained her composure. She glanced at the twenty or thirty children in front of her and said, "This place is not safe to stay any longer. Would you like to leave with me?"
"We are willing!"
They don't want to stay in this godforsaken place; they want to go back to their parents!
However, there are always exceptions.
While everyone else started to leave, three or four boys remained standing still.
There seemed to be hesitation on their faces, yet they also seemed to be silently making a firm decision.
"Why aren't you all leaving with the rest of the group?" Liu Yingying stepped forward and stood in front of them, asking in her still gentle tone.
The four children all lowered their heads, clenched their fists, and bit their lips, remaining silent.
Liu Yingying thought they were afraid of being caught by those people after running away and suffering even more severe punishment, so she comforted them.
"Don't be afraid, I will definitely get you away from here, and I will also try to find your families after we get out!"
However, these words did not seem to dispel the children's worries.
Finally, a boy suddenly raised his head and looked directly into Liu Yingying's eyes. He said, word by word.
"I don't want to leave here!"
"Why?" Liu Yingying frowned slightly, full of confusion.
The boy said, "My parents don't just have one son; I also have two older brothers and two younger brothers..."
"Originally... I actually had two older sisters... but our family was too poor, so my parents sold them to a pleasure boat, and they died later..."
"The eldest brother in the family is already twenty years old this year, but the family is too poor and he can't get married. His parents are so worried about this that their hair has turned white. But then the village head brought some news."
"They said the palace was recruiting a batch of eunuchs, and if someone was selected, the family would receive five taels of silver, which would help my older brother get married. So my parents were planning to send me to become a eunuch..."
At first, he didn't know what "eunuch" meant, and he was even quite happy about it.
As long as I do chores for others, my older brother will be able to get married, and our parents won't have to worry anymore...
But fate is cruel.
He was chosen, but he was kidnapped shortly after leaving home that day.
And then I arrived here.
Only after arriving at the estate did he realize what being a eunuch meant.
He also learned what "flower maiden" meant.
It turns out that his parents didn't love him and his sister, which is why they forced them to make such a sacrifice!
Children make comparisons. Here, he can eat white flour buns every day, and sometimes even meat. No one will force him to harm his body to become a eunuch.
If going back to that home means he will continue to live the same miserable life, then why would he want to go back?
After listening to the boy's story, Liu Yingying felt very heavy-hearted.
She knew that examples like the little boy were countless in this era.
Not all parents know how to love their children.
Not all parents are capable of loving their children!
In fact, a child may not necessarily be born out of love!
It's simply because we need it!
The experiences of the other three children were roughly the same.
They didn't want to leave, and Liu Yingying wouldn't force them.
However, once they leave tonight, the authorities will soon find out about this place, and the estate will surely be exposed to the public.
What will become of these children then?
That's not something Liu Yingying should consider; after all, they chose this path themselves.
So she took out a bag of loose silver from her bosom and stuffed it into one of the boys' hands.
"You can divide this money among yourselves. If you have the chance to leave here in the future, you can keep this money for yourself."
Time was of the essence, and Liu Yingying turned and left after saying that.
The villagers were still unconscious, so they encountered no obstacles as they left.
However, this place is quite a distance from the city center, and if we take the main road, we're worried about being discovered, so we have no choice but to take the side roads…
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