Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

When she encountered the soldiers guarding the city gate for inspection, Liu Wenying's hope was rekindled, as if she had grasped a lifeline.

"Stop! What are you pulling?"

The harsh, shouting voice drew closer, and the sound of official boots clattering on the ground could be heard.

With her throat blocked, Liu Wenying couldn't scream. She could only desperately kick the cart floor beneath her with her bound feet.

"Thump, thump-thump—"

The soldier paused, then looked towards the back of the carriage: "What's that commotion?"

Liu Wenying kicked even harder.

The man reacted quickly, stepping to the side and blocking the rear of the carriage from the soldiers, a smile plastered on his face.

"Sir! These are just some worthless junk, and a sauerkraut jar brought from my hometown. They're bound to make noise from bumping into things on the way."

The woman, without anyone noticing, approached the soldier and slipped him a few silver coins, displaying her shrewdness.

"Sir, you've worked hard. Please buy some tea to soothe your throat. We are just honest and hardworking farmers, and we just want to get back to the village before the sun goes down."

The soldier leaned out and saw that the carriage was piled high with old, broken boxes, sacks, and even several bundles of farm tools covered in mud, which blocked out the narrow space behind, leaving only a dark void.

As soon as the curtain was lifted, the smell of pickled cabbage and earthy odor filled the air.

Liu Wenying and the others could see the shadows of soldiers peeking out from behind the clutter, but he clearly hadn't checked carefully enough and hadn't found them.

Extremely anxious, Liu Wenying wanted the children to make a commotion as well, so that they could be saved if they spoke up.

But the children were so badly beaten that they dared not make a sound.

"Alright, alright, let's go."

The soldiers didn't investigate further, let them pass, and turned to check the people behind them.

The carriage curtain fell, cutting off the last glimmer of light and hope.

The wheels creaked and turned again, and we left the city.

The flame that had ignited in Liu Wenying's heart was completely extinguished, leaving only a pile of cold ashes.

The carriage swayed and rocked on the rugged dirt road for an unknown amount of time before finally coming to a stop again.

The carriage curtain was roughly lifted, and the night wind rushed in, blowing the straw around wildly.

The woman in the grey shirt came in carrying a dim oil lamp and looked at the children huddled in the corner.

The children immediately lowered their heads like startled quails.

Finally, she looked down at Liu Wenying and curled her lips.

"Hey, you woke up pretty quickly. Now that you're awake, you'd better behave yourself! Don't expect anyone to come and save you."

As if remembering something, she leaned closer, the oil lamp almost scorching Liu Wenying's hair, and added fiercely.

"If we hadn't run out of sleeping pills in the car, we would have drugged you too, so you wouldn't have caused all that trouble and almost killed us!"

She raised her foot and kicked Liu Wenying in the shin.

The hard sole of the shoe slammed into my bone with a dull thud.

Liu Wenying curled up in pain, biting the gag tightly as she glared at her.

"Tsk, you dare to glare at me?"

The woman was enraged by that look and wanted to kick him again.

The man also leaned in and stopped him, saying, "That's enough. If you break it, it won't fetch a good price, and we'll be the ones who lose out."

He had triangular eyes with droopy eyelids, and his lewd gaze lingered on the undulating curves of Liu Wenying, who was bound by hemp rope, before he smacked his lips.

"This trip wasn't a complete loss. Although this woman is a nuisance, her looks and figure... tsk tsk. Once we get there, we can clean her up and sell her. She might be worth more than all these little brats combined."

"Pooh!"

The woman abruptly turned her head, causing the oil lamp to flicker. "Stop with your cunning! Your eyes are practically glued to my body. Do you think I don't know what's going on in your head?"

The man immediately raised his hands, making a begging gesture.

"Oh dear, I'm doing this entirely for your sake, for the sake of our business deal! Even if you gave me a hundred lives, I wouldn't dare! She's just a commodity, no different from those jars and pots. Once we get the money, won't it be up to you, my wife, to call the shots?"

The woman snorted, her eyes darting back and forth between the man and Liu Wenying, before saying nothing more.

She put down the oil lamp and began to roughly check whether the ropes binding the children were secure. She then pried open one of the children's mouths to examine his teeth, her movements as practiced as if she were inspecting livestock.

The man squatted at the entrance of the carriage, took out his pipe, lit it by the oil lamp, and took a deep drag.

Amidst the swirling smoke, he squinted, his gaze still occasionally drifting towards Liu Wenying, tinged with nauseating lust.

The two men, working in unison, treated the people in the carriage as merchandise about to be sold, haggling over their quality and price without any restraint.

Liu Wenying knew perfectly well that in this desolate wilderness, the bandits were keeping a close watch, and forcing her way in would only lead to certain death.

She could only suppress her anxiety and quietly huddle in the corner of the carriage, trying to conserve her energy.

The flower sellers didn't keep them locked in carriages all day.

Every three or four hours, the man would park the carriage, lift the curtain, and herd the children down like livestock to take care of their eating, drinking, and relieving themselves.

Those older kids were already terrified of being beaten.

At the man's command, they lined up obediently, not daring to utter a single cry.

If you're even slightly slow to move after being abducted, you'll get a slap on the back of the head or a hard kick.

Every time Liu Wenying saw these things, she felt extremely heartbroken, but she was powerless to do anything about it.

She can't even take care of herself, let alone protect these children.

The woman was even more wary of her, and except when she needed to relieve herself, she never untied her.

Even when she needed to relieve herself, she was only allowed to go to the bushes not far from the carriage, and she had to stand in place and keep an eye on things.

Liu Wenying regarded this little bit of freedom as a chance to save her life.

Each time she was forced off the train, she would secretly grab a handful of straw from the carriage when the woman wasn't looking.

When she reached the place where she could get rid of the straw, she squatted down and threw it down.

The straw, smelling musty from inside the carriage, stood out starkly against the green weeds by the roadside, making it an excellent marker.

She did it very discreetly, only pressing a small amount each time, afraid of being discovered.

As the days passed, on the third day since Liu Wenying was kidnapped, the summer heat grew even more intense.

The sun was so scorching hot it felt like it was on fire, making the car roof scorching hot.

The enclosed carriage was like a sauna, the sweltering air mixed with the stench of sweat, urine, and rotting straw, making people dizzy.

The children's faces were flushed, their lips were dry and cracked, and they didn't even have the strength to cry anymore, so they slumped down listlessly.

Even the men and women outside the car couldn't stand the smell.

After noon, the carriage deviated from its original road and turned into a densely wooded path, following the sound of water, and stopped by a fairly wide river.

The woman was the first to jump off the vehicle, took a deep breath of the forest air, then covered her nose in disgust and glared back at the carriage.

"A bunch of filthy scum, they stink like a cesspool! How are we going to sell them for money?"

The man stepped forward and lifted the car curtain, his gaze sweeping over the dejected child inside.

Ultimately, the spotlight fell on Liu Wenying. Although she was disheveled, the delicate features of her eyes and brows remained, though her skin was flushed and looked unhealthy from being stuffy.

…………