Tao Qin wanted to argue, but when she looked up, she found everyone glaring at her angrily.
Even Ms. Tao looked at her coldly without saying a word on her behalf.
She was stunned for a mont, then broke down crying, "It’s not my fault, why are you blaming ? I want to go ho, I want to go back..."
Shu Yu said, "Can soone shut her up?"
A woman nearby didn’t hesitate to grab a foul rag and stuffed it into her mouth. Tao Qin tried to struggle, but her hands and feet were tied with ropes, so she couldn’t move at all.
Not to ntion, after struggling a few tis, her wounds reopened, causing her to sweat from the pain.
No one wanted to see her bleed to death, so an aunt nearby reluctantly dragged her to one side, drew the curtain, and re-bandaged her wounds.
However, her force was not gentle, and Tao Qin was shocked and angry, her whole body hurting, and soon fainted.
Finally, it was quiet again, and everyone turned back to look at ng Yunzheng, "So what do we do now?"
ng Yunzheng said, "I need to find soone."
He suspected that his father might already know the whereabouts of his uncle, but couldn’t rescue him, hence the delay in returning.
Since he was here in Chenggu County, he couldn’t just wait without doing anything.
Shu Yu reached out and grabbed him, "I’ll go with you."
"It’s already very late today, let’s go tomorrow. I’ll go too," Uncle Gao imdiately said, "The county town has a curfew once it’s dark. Anyone who goes out at night is caught as a petty mountain bandit. Let’s wait for daylight tomorrow."
When ng Yunzheng and his party arrived, it was already evening. With the delays, the sky was about to get dark, making it unsuitable for action.
Moreover, it was pitch black at night, rendering searches impossible.
Besides, after several days of travel, even ng Yunzheng looked exhausted and needed a rest; otherwise, everything might go wrong.
He nodded, "Alright, let’s go early tomorrow morning, but Uncle Gao, you should stay. There are so many people here, who knows if the mountain bandits will co again? If they do, you can offer so assistance here."
Uncle Gao thought for a mont, looked at the forty or so people in the secret room, and finally nodded in agreent.
ng Yunzheng and Shu Yu had a quick al and then rested. ng Qi specially partitioned off two spaces for them in the corner using the shelves originally in the secret room.
Conditions were limited, and nothing else could be managed.
Everyone there was escorts and their families, used to handling matters conveniently while traveling; under special circumstances, safety took precedence over gender separation.
Everyone was very considerate, knowing they were tired, stayed silent, and quietly leaned on the makeshift bedding to drink water and eat.
Shu Yu was indeed very tired and soon fell asleep.
The others gradually rested too, leaving only those on night watch still awake.
As if ng Yunzheng’s presence comforted them, everyone inexplicably felt at ease, and the night passed particularly peacefully.
Especially ng Han and ng Qi, two young teenagers who looked at ng Yunzheng and Shu Yu as their stabilizing force, no longer felt anxious.
That night, they finally slept well.
In the corner, Tao Qin woke up once in the middle of the night but didn’t dare to speak. She just silently cried, knowing no one here would sympathize or pity her anymore. At this mont, she only wanted to go ho to see her parents, but where had her family gone? Not even a ssage was left.
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