Li Zecheng was pleased with his wife’s tact and understanding.
Li Zelin, meanwhile, was overjoyed. He hurriedly clasped his hands toward Second Madam in thanks.
Second Madam’s expression did not change. She turned aside to avoid the gesture, then patted her eldest son, fourteen-year-old Li Changming, who stood beside her, and quietly gave him a few instructions. She pushed him toward his father, then led her twelve-year-old eldest daughter, Li Wenxin, to stand behind her mother-in-law.
As Second Madam moved, Li Zecheng’s concubine, Madam Zhou, looked reluctantly at the Second Young Master, ten-year-old Li Changxiao, beside her. Her gaze toward her husband, Li Zecheng, was full of pleading.
Madam Wen watched everything in silence, lowering her head as she led the ten-year-old Second Miss, Li Wenyue, to stand behind Second Madam.
Seeing this, Madam Liu hurriedly tugged along her nine-year-old daughter, Third Miss Li Wenyun, and quickly followed.
Chaochao paid no attention to all these changes that had taken place in the blink of an eye. Seeing that Silly Dad was acting strangely, she stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and shook it. “Dad.”
Li Zelin lowered his head and looked at his well-behaved daughter, who was standing at his feet with her head tilted up toward him. His heart was filled with reluctance, and worry showed in his eyes. He crouched down and gently tidied his daughter’s disheveled hair, softly stroking it as he leaned closer and lowered his voice to give her warm instructions.
“Good girl, Chaochao. Don’t be afraid. When you and Dad are separated in a moment, stay close to Grandmother and Eldest Aunt. Whatever you do, don’t run around. You must protect yourself. Hide the thing on your wrist. If someone discovers it and tries to take it, obediently give it to them. Your own safety comes first—it’s only an external object. Nothing is more important than you yourself, understand?”
Chaochao nodded, then shook her head. As for hiding her belongings, she knew to do that even without Silly Dad telling her. But Grandmother, Eldest Aunt, and the like… The little girl’s lips pulled into a pout.
Seeing his daughter’s little expression, how could Li Zelin not understand what was behind it? But there was nothing he could do at present. His daughter was still young, and now that the entire household had fallen into captivity, he was afraid that if no one looked after her…
“Damn it, you’re taking forever just to form a line! Move any slower and I’ll beat every last one of you to death!”
The threatening crack of a whip rang out. Startled, Li Zelin’s illegitimate younger brother, Li Zefeng, and his Fourth Younger Brother, Li Zekang, hurriedly reminded him with concern.
“Second Brother!”
Li Zelin understood and appreciated their concern. He turned back and nodded at his younger brothers, then withdrew his gaze. He patted his daughter’s tender shoulder heavily and gently pushed the child toward her birth mother and her eldest sister-in-law. Facing the two women, he bowed deeply, his expression earnest and solemn.
“Mother, Eldest Sister-in-law, I’m entrusting her to you.”
The hurried crack of a whip sounded again. The prison chief led the jailers forward, shoving and urging them along, giving them no time at all for warmth or farewells. Chaochao did not even have time to turn around and look at Silly Dad once more before a rough hand viciously shoved her into the line of female prisoners.
Her balance failed, and she staggered, about to fall. Then Silly Dad’s urgent cry reached her ears.
“Chaochao, watch out!”
It was too late!
The teachings Mom had given her in the past flashed rapidly through Chaochao’s mind. Instinctively, she bent her arms to shield her head and chest, assuming a self-protective posture to minimize her injuries as much as possible while waiting for the pain to come.
Unexpectedly, her arm suddenly grew warm, and her falling momentum came to a stop.
Huh?
Chaochao looked up in surprise and immediately met the gentle gaze of Third Aunt Song.
“Chaochao, watch out.”
Chaochao came back to herself, straightened up, and thanked her. “Oh, thank you, Third Aunt.”
Madam Song shook her head, her expression calm. Once she had steadied Chaochao, she immediately withdrew her hand.
Across from them, Li Zelin had been placed at the end of the line of male prisoners. Seeing that his daughter had been caught by his younger brother’s wife, he breathed a great sigh of relief and hurriedly clasped his hands toward Madam Song in thanks.
Madam Song shook her head at this. She held the hand of her five-year-old younger son, Fourth Son Li Changying, tightly, but her gaze passed over her second elder brother-in-law, Li Zelin, to the husband standing behind him, Li Zefeng, and the seven-year-old eldest son at her husband’s side, the third-born Li Changmao. Her eyes were full of worry and reluctance.
Li Zelin had intended to ask his Third Younger Brother’s wife to look after his good daughter. But before he could speak, the jailers’ vicious shoving and driving came right after them.
There was no time for Li Zelin to delay. He could only watch helplessly as his daughter’s tiny figure walked at the very end of the line and disappeared into the gloomy passage opposite, leaving him with nothing but a face full of worry.
Crack, crack, crack…
“Move, move! Stop dragging your feet!”
The dungeon was truly dark. Even in broad daylight, it was pitch-black inside. Only a little light filtered through the narrow skylights high along the walls on either side, illuminating the passage. Along with the vicious urging and the continually cracking whips, low sobs soon rose from the line.
“Waaah, Mother, Jiaojiao is scared.”
That was the voice of five-year-old Li Wenjiao from Fourth Uncle’s family. Right behind her voice came the wails of her two-year-old younger brother, Fifth Son Li Changzhuo.
“Mother, Mother, waaah…”
“Don’t cry, don’t cry. Be good. Mother’s here, Mother’s here.”
Bringing up the rear, Chaochao heard Fourth Aunt He comforting her children. Then, right after that, she heard the shriek of the proud rooster Li Wenxin at the front.
“Ah! There’s a mouse! Mother, there’s a mouse! I saw it…”
The moment the mouse appeared, the line fell into chaos. Cries and screams echoed through the deep passage, and Chaochao shuddered.
Chaochao instinctively covered her ears with both hands and moved a little farther away. Right afterward, the whips began cracking again inside the pitch-black passage. This time, the sound was no longer crisp, but accompanied by muffled grunts—clearly, someone had been struck. The jailer’s curses followed close behind.
“Son of a bitch, it’s only a mouse, not a tiger! What are you making such a fuss about? You’re already locked in prison, yet you still expect to be treated like Ancestors! Every one of you is so delicate and precious. Let me tell you, this dungeon has plenty of everything else too—mice and cockroaches in abundance. You’re already carrying on at the sight of them from far away. What are you going to do when you have to eat and sleep alongside them every day from now on? Are you all going to go insane?”
Weren’t they already going insane?
When they heard that they would have to live alongside mice and cockroaches every day, the female members of the household, who had remained relatively docile from the confiscation of their home until now, completely lost control one after another. They screamed themselves hoarse and resisted fiercely.
“Ah! No, I don’t want to! Let me out…”
“Mother, I don’t want mice! I’m scared!”
Unfortunately, all their struggling and resistance was futile. Chaochao watched coldly, her little claws unconsciously stroking the invisible smart bracelet on her wrist. She knew that all of this was only the beginning.
Xiaoyi had already given her lessons about it, complete with pictures and videos.
She had to be good, minimize her presence as much as possible, and work hard to protect herself.
The little girl clenched her fists. While all the women around her were still squawking and whimpering, she kept her eyes on everything and her ears open in every direction.
When she saw that the jailers had opened one of the cell doors, the little one nimbly slipped through the crowd and darted inside. She decisively abandoned the foul chamber pot and the damp, freezing wall, then squatted down in a corner by the bars, farther from the cell door and nearer the passage.
This was to be her little corner for the days she would spend in prison.
Chaochao curled up against the wooden bars and watched coldly as the fools outside were whipped and driven along. Only then did they enter, whimpering and complaining. Chaochao smacked her lips, shook her head, and sighed.
Once everyone had entered, the cell door clanged shut and was locked. The jailers cursed and grumbled as they walked away, while the whimpering behind them continued without pause.
Chaochao felt annoyed. They were even more annoying than Huahua. Her head hurt.
Unable to resist, she bumped her head against the wooden bars beside her. Unexpectedly, her head passed straight through the empty space.
Chaochao tilted her head, her eyes full of wonder.
She instinctively moved, and her head came back without the slightest obstruction. Slowly—very slowly—a grin spread across Chaochao’s face, and her eyes shone brightly.
All right, all right. Make as much noise as you like. The best thing would be for all of you to wear yourselves out completely.
Having discovered a whole new world and begun making little plans of her own, Chaochao no longer thought they were more annoying than Huahua. Her heart was full of anticipation.
Just then, a strange yet familiar voice rang out.
“Chaochao, Chaochao, Chaochao…”
The cell fell silent in an instant. Everyone turned toward the direction of the voice, only to see a familiar little head poking through the narrow skylight overhead.
Oh! If it wasn’t Huahua, who else could it be?
Speak of Huahua, and Huahua appeared. Chaochao was delighted and hurriedly waved up at Huahua.
Huahua bent its body and struggled through the narrow skylight. Flapping its wings, it flew straight to Chaochao’s shoulder, then repeatedly pecked at her bun with its hooked beak, full of grievance.
“You scared this bird to death! Scared this bird to death…”
It had flown for such a long time, followed her for such a long time, and searched for such a long time before finally finding its wretched master. The bird was exhausted!