"Shen Jian!" Zhuang Su could no longer stand and rushed over to hug Shen Jian tightly. "Are you alright? Are you alright?" She blurted out, her voice trembling with tears.
"Noisy." Shen Jian frowned.
Zhuang Su glanced at him with displeasure, bit her lip, and silently helped him up, carefully as if afraid of hurting him. It seemed that not an inch of his skin was intact.
The manager glanced at them coldly, snorted, and pointed a finger: "Take this kid downstairs and get some medicine."
No sooner had she finished speaking than two gatekeepers appeared and, without a word, snatched Shen Jian from Zhuang Su's arms. They were about to leave with Shen Jian on either side when Zhuang Su blocked their way again: "Let me go with you. I can apply the medicine." She stood there motionless, her eyes fixed on the steward.
The doorman was about to slap him when he heard the steward say, "Let her go with us."
Zhuang Su felt reassured and followed the gatekeeper into the side courtyard.
Upon entering a room, Shen Jian was thrown onto a bed, followed by several bottles of medicine. Zhuang Su hurriedly took them, and the two doormen turned and left the room, closing the door behind them. The sound of the door being locked from the outside could be faintly heard.
Only the two of them remained in the room, and the atmosphere was strangely quiet.
"Take off your clothes." Zhuang Su started to take action without saying a word, but was unexpectedly stopped by Shen Jian.
"What are you doing?" His tone was somewhat strange.
Zhuang Su looked at him strangely: "How can you change the dressing without taking off your clothes?" She was only seven years old and had no conventional concept of gender differences. Looking at Shen Jian, she found him to be very strange.
“I can do it myself.” Shen Jian frowned.
His clothes were stained with blood and flesh, a bloody mess that was unbearable to look at. Zhuang Su's hand trembled slightly as she bit her lip and said, "Alright." She reached out to hand him the medicine, her hand trembling slightly.
Shen Jian reached out and tore the silk open, revealing deep, long whip marks. His chin was somewhat pointed, and his fair skin appeared almost translucent. He had willow-leaf eyebrows, a straight nose, and slightly disheveled hair. He was thin, but exuded a resolute air. He never displayed any overly exaggerated expressions; occasionally he would grit his teeth or furrow his brow, as if the wounds were merely shallow.
There was a clean set of clothes next to him, and the clothes he had changed out of were thrown aside. It was a patch of red, an unusually glaring red.
Before Zhuang Su knew it, he felt a wetness in the corner of his eye.
After changing her clothes, Shen Jian noticed that Zhuang Su's eyes were slightly red. Her expression paused for a moment, and she reached out to wipe away the wetness: "Why are you crying?"
"Who's crying?" Zhuang Su turned her head away, avoiding his hand.
Chen Jian's hand paused in mid-air, momentarily lost in thought, before slowly retracting it. For a moment, no one spoke; the atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
It was night outside, with a heavy wind occasionally howling.
Shen Jian leaned against the bedside, tilted his head, and looked at Zhuang Su standing there, motionless as if she were angry.
"Hey, you!" After an unknown amount of time, Zhuang Su suddenly turned around, glaring angrily at Shen Jian. "From now on, you're not allowed to act on your own, do you hear me!"
"Oh?" Shen Jian exhaled lightly, seemingly quite disdainful. "You want to take the whipping yourself?" He raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.
It's mockery.
Zhuang Su angrily leaned closer, pointing at his nose and saying, "I just want to take it myself! It's none of your business!"
"..." Shen Jian stared at her fingers, which were inches away, his eyes deep and unfathomable. She had a very beautiful hand. He turned and leaned back into the bed: "Go to sleep."
Her gaze clearly conveyed anger, but he seemed oblivious. Silence fell again, broken only by the dim, eerie candlelight. After what seemed like an eternity, Shen Jian felt someone move slightly closer to him; through his clothes, the warmth of their body gently touched him…
That restless hand slowly wrapped around him from behind. A gentle breath fell softly on his neck and back, warm and comforting.
His body stiffened slightly, but he did not push her away.
Her hands weren't as warm as his. But it was very heartwarming.
The night was very quiet.
She was still very young. Originally, she should have had a nice home. She shouldn't have ended up here. She was different from him... Shen Jian's eyes closed wearily.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Zhuang Su, still half-asleep, saw several gatekeepers burst into the room and, without a word, grab Chen Jian and try to drag him outside. Startled, she was instantly wide awake, her heart pounding with fear. She rolled over and grabbed one of the gatekeepers' hands, her voice rising loudly, "What are you doing! Where are you taking him?"
The doorman tried to shake her off but failed. His brows furrowed, and he looked very impatient. Just as he was about to make a move, Shen Jian's calm voice rang out: "Zhuang Su, stop arguing. They won't do anything to me."
Zhuang Su glanced at his expression, then at the fierce-looking doorman, somewhat reluctantly, but gradually loosened her grip. The doorman, finding an opening, hurriedly pulled Shen Jian away to prevent the crazy girl from causing trouble again, leaving Zhuang Su alone in the empty room, her small frame appearing rather thin.
"Will he really be alright?" Zhuang Su thought of the whipping yesterday, the hideous wounds. Turning around, she saw most of the medicine on the bed had been used up. She bit her lip, finally feeling relieved. He should be alright, otherwise she wouldn't have kindly given them medicine last night... Just then, a few more people came in, shouting for her to come with them.
Zhuang Su lowered his head slightly and obediently followed.
Arriving here, it felt as if everyone's fate was predetermined; no one could escape, especially since they were all so young. Even if they wanted to escape, they should wait until they were a little older. Zhuang Su made up her mind. She always remembered the phrase Aunt Liu had taught her—"conceal your abilities and bide your time." Aunt Liu had told her that her own mother had understood the meaning of this phrase, which was why they had survived in this chaotic world.
Aunt Liu said that she would tell her about her mother when she grew up.
The gatekeeper led her along the way. It was early morning, and the leaves on the surrounding branches were covered with glistening dewdrops, hanging from the tips of the leaves. With a gentle breeze, the dewdrops would sway gently in an arc before falling into the mud and seeping in droplets.
The villa's pavilions and rooms are elegantly arranged, with a brick and tile structure and a winding corridor. They walked along a long, narrow path paved with small pebbles, the end of which was intertwined with various trees. Whether it was a deliberate design or not, it prevented people from seeing the distant scenery. Therefore, there was a vague sense of depth and mystery, but it was also warm and pleasant.
"Are human traffickers starting to care about romance these days?" Zhuang Su couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement. Just as she was thinking this, she was led to the location.
As soon as the door opened, she felt everyone inside turn their gaze to her, and she realized she had officially rejoined the group. The moment she stepped inside, the door behind her closed and locked from the outside.
The children inside all stared at her with wide eyes, their expressions almost uniformly fearful, which made Zhuang Su feel very uncomfortable. No one spoke to her, so she found a quiet corner and squatted down, curling up there lost in thought.
"You...hello..." A faint, insect-like voice sounded in her ear. When Zhuang Su looked up, she saw a girl standing in front of her with her head down, her face flushed, and her two fingers fidgeting nervously.
Although Zhuang Su's face was also dirty, he smiled kindly and said, "Hello, what can I do for you?"
"I..." the girl bit her lip, stammering, "I...I came to thank you...you all."
"Thank you?" Zhuang Su waved her hand dismissively, recalling what happened yesterday. "Someone always has to take responsibility. You don't need to..." She suddenly remembered something, abruptly looked up at the delicate-looking girl in front of her, and asked tentatively, "That sound, it wasn't you who called out to me, was it?"
"..." The girl was silent for a moment, and after a long while, she gritted her teeth and replied, "Yes."
Although her clothes were dirty, one could still vaguely make out the expensive and beautiful silk dress. The workmanship was exquisite and unique, clearly indicating that she was from a wealthy family. Zhuang Su wanted to rush up and give her a good beating, but seeing the glistening tears in the corners of her eyes, she couldn't help but sigh deeply: "Never mind, if you were to get a beating, you'd probably lose your life."
"You forgive me?" The girl looked at her with disbelief.
There was nothing she could do but forgive her... Zhuang Su didn't want to talk to her and continued to curl up next to the haystack to doze off. Unexpectedly, the girl also sat down next to her and boldly started to talk to her in a disjointed way.
"My name is Su Qiao, what's your name?"
“Stake element”.
"Did you and that boy already know each other?"
"I only met him after I was arrested yesterday."
Where were you taken after that?
"I don't know where it is, but I've applied medicine."
I'm so sorry about yesterday.
"I said it's okay."
"I will definitely repay your life-saving grace when I have the chance in the future."
Zhuang Su, who was originally drowsy, looked up at her upon hearing this and unconsciously raised the corners of her mouth: "Then thank you." Originally, she wanted to ask "What makes you think you should apply?" but seeing Su Qiao's bright eyes and her slightly raised, pointed chin with a very determined look, she changed her mind.
At that time, she never thought about how this frail girl could repay them in the future, so her "thank you" was said very lightly, as lightly as a wisp of mist, which was quickly covered up by the melodious chirping of birds outside.
Shen didn't come back until evening.
Zhuang Su immediately grabbed his clothes and started tearing at them from all sides. Then, seeing his somewhat gloomy and annoyed expression, she chuckled dryly and said, "They didn't do anything to you, did they?"
His eyes were as deep and unfathomable as a bottomless pool, and he parted his lips slightly: "No."
Zhuang Su complained, "Can't you say more?"
Shen Jian turned away from her, chose a spot on the haystack, turned over, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.
His attitude was as if he had just gone for a walk outside, making Zhuang Su feel that all her worries of the day had been unnecessary. Angrily, she kicked the haystack to the side, sending the straw flying. Su Qiao had been secretly watching their actions, and quietly tidied up the scattered straw.
The children around them stared at them with wide, curious eyes; it seemed to be the most touching event in the prison cell.
Exhausted, Zhuang Su bit her lip and reluctantly leaned closer to Chen Jian, snuggling up to him and falling asleep. "I don't want you to hide anything from me..." she tugged at his clothes, her voice muffled, like a murmur from a dream. Chen Jian, who seemed to have fallen asleep long ago, suddenly stiffened involuntarily. His eyes, which had been turned away from her, silently opened, a hint of hurt lingering in his still-calm expression.
That night, the moonlight outside was already very bright, so bright that it felt exceptionally lonely.
The next day, several gatekeepers came again and took Shen Jian away, only releasing him that evening. Zhuang Su still couldn't find any injuries on him, but she sensed that he was becoming more and more silent and thinner each day.
Until the day Shen Jian was taken away, another group of people arrived, shouting menacingly that they all had to leave. Su Qiao fearfully clung to Zhuang Su's clothes, hiding behind her. Zhuang Su smiled gently at her and stepped out. At this moment, without Aunt Liu or Shen Jian, she seemed to have no choice but to rely on herself.
As soon as she stepped outside, the wind felt rather chilly, stinging her face. Zhuang Su was momentarily unaccustomed to the bright sunlight and instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes, but a satisfied smile played on her lips.
Perhaps this is what it feels like to see the light again...
Chapter Two: A Startling Dream in the Garden (Part 1)
Zhuang Su and his group were led to a courtyard. It was spacious and bright, with a wooden plank floor in the middle. The carved railings were exquisitely made, and tables and chairs were placed on it. A long curtain was drawn in front of it, trailing to the ground. From a distance, only a hazy image could be seen behind the curtain, but it was not clear.
From the moment she stepped into the courtyard, Zhuang Su vaguely felt a gaze upon her. She looked up, but saw only curtains everywhere. The gaze was faint, indistinct, and fleeting, as if it were a dream.
The children were herded onto the stone platform and made to stand in line. Zhuang Su pulled Su Qiao to stand in a corner and stole a glance at the steward from yesterday, who was standing not far away watching them with a smile on his face, but it was a smile that seemed forced.
This couldn't be good. Zhuang Su thought to herself, glancing around furtively, only to see that several intersections were guarded; there was no way to escape. Left with no other option, she could only stick close to the others, constantly keeping an eye on her surroundings.
The steward slowly walked up to the first child, pinched his cheek and patted it twice on the left, then twice on the right. There was someone vaguely visible in the curtain behind him, probably someone of higher status, making his actions seem somewhat deliberate, as if they were meant for that person's benefit, leaving a lingering impression.
After examining her thoroughly, as if she were a work of art, the steward's lips curled into a smile. He ordered, "Number One, take her to the east wing." A scholar nearby, holding pen and ink, hurriedly wrote it down. Seeing that he had noted it down, the steward nodded in satisfaction and moved on to the next person. It was a girl, who had forgotten to cry by now, terrified. The steward reached out and pinched her cheek, gently stroking it twice, a hint of amusement in his small eyes: "Number Two, take her to the south wing. (Understood)"
One by one, they came forward, and those taking statements wrote down their notes with great speed. Most of the boys were sent to the east and west wings, while the girls went to the south wing, with only a few remaining to be sent to the north building. Zhuang Su didn't know what the north building was, only vaguely sensing that the children sent there were the same few who neither cried nor made a fuss.
When he reached Su Qiao, the steward's eyes lit up. He reached out to lift Su Qiao's chin, but Su Qiao was startled and instinctively hid behind Zhuang Su. The steward's hand missed its mark. He was taken aback but not angry. He smiled and said, "Take this number sixteen to the South Courtyard and tell Miss Murong to keep an eye on him."
Upon hearing this, the person taking the statement couldn't help but glance at Su Qiao again. Zhuang Su noticed that after he finished taking the statement, he put a red checkmark on the back, which was rather glaring.
"You..." The steward stood in front of Zhuang Su, hesitating slightly. The person in front of him was somewhat thin and small, not as strong as a boy, but compared to the girls, he was less delicate. He stood there looking directly into his eyes, as if he was not afraid of him at all.
"Sir, can you tell me where Shen Jian went?" Zhuang Su, having been stared at for a while, finally mustered up the courage to ask.
"Shen Jian? Who?" The steward was puzzled by the question. The scholar beside him whispered a few words in his ear, and he suddenly realized, "Oh, that kid, I remember now, you're that girl from back then." He glanced at Zhuang Su and said indifferently, "Why are you asking this? This is none of your business."
"Wherever Shen Jian went, I will go too." Zhuang Su said it almost word by word, very firmly.
"You want to go with him?" The manager looked at her, his expression suddenly becoming somewhat strange.
Could something have happened to Shen Jian? Zhuang Su's heart skipped a beat when he saw his expression. Just then, he heard the steward say leisurely, "Alright then, in that case—send number seventeen to the North Building."
North Building… Zhuang Su silently pondered the meaning of this place, then felt someone tugging at her clothes. Turning around, she saw Su Qiao, her eyes brimming with tears. Startled, she suddenly remembered that they were about to part ways…
The group was inexplicably assigned tasks, and the steward beckoned, summoning several gatekeepers who led them back. Zhuang Su turned to follow, but inadvertently glanced back and noticed a maid emerging from behind the curtain, beckoning to the steward. The steward's expression immediately turned solemn, and he respectfully hurried over.
The curtain rose for a fleeting moment, then fell again in an instant.
That one glance was like a fleeting moment in time. Zhuang Su saw a pair of deep, unfathomable eyes, a masked face, and only glimpsed the color of that single glance. In that instant, she felt as if she had fallen into it. Strangely, she felt that the person was smiling, a smile containing a touch of soul, extremely subtle, yet captivating her entirely.
Just now, this person had been watching her the whole time.