Chapter 108: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 108: Plotting for Self-Rescue (Part 1)
The news of the disappearance of thirty girls and children during the Lantern Festival did not spread widely. Unaware of the truth, the common people assumed that the authorities were hunting down assassins.
However, three days had passed since then, and despite the extensive search, no trace of the "assassins" was found. Instead, many petty criminals were apprehended, resulting in a noticeable improvement in the city's security.
The families who had lost their children were on the brink of madness with worry. In a large mansion in the north of the city, the boss and his cronies were also in a dire situation.
"Boss, the situation is dire. If this continues, we'll be discovered by the authorities sooner or later."
After managing to send away the officials who came to search, one of the cronies rushed into the backyard, visibly agitated.
"These damn assassins! They couldn't have come at a worse time, blocking our path to riches!" The boss's face darkened as he smashed a piece of furniture to the ground. "Go and call Yan Niang and the others!"
The crony hurried off to do as he was told.
Once everyone was gathered, the boss spoke from his seat at the head of the room. "As long as the assassins remain at large, the search will continue. But we can't afford to wait. We must deliver the goods to Yan Cheng before the deadline, or our efforts will be in vain. Does anyone have a plan? Speak up!"
The twenty people sitting in the hall looked at each other, unsure. Finally, the only woman among them, Yan Niang, stood up. "Boss, why don't we split up and take the people out one by one? For the children, we can use medicine to make them sleep, and then we can carry them out. As for the girls, we can use threats with knives. They're all delicate flowers; I doubt they'll dare to resist. Once we're out of the city, it'll be easy."
The boss listened without nodding or shaking his head, then turned to the others. "What do you think of this plan?"
Most of them nodded in agreement, but one person stood up and said, "Using medicine to carry out the children is fine, but what about the girls? Can we guarantee that none of them will cause trouble? If even one of them refuses to cooperate, we'll all be in trouble."
The boss nodded, acknowledging the validity of the concern.
"Then let's find that nobleman and ask him to escort us out of the city."
Another suggestion came from the group, and the others brightened up, looking at the boss.
However, the boss disagreed. "With the current situation, that nobleman may not be willing to help. Plus, this time we acted on our own with the 'goods.' Even if he helps us, he'll likely take the lion's share of the profits. After all the effort we've put in, it would be a waste."
The others' faces darkened at this response. They had been in the "goods" business for twenty years, but the actual profits were not significant. Otherwise, they would have retired from this line of work long ago.
After much discussion, they couldn't come up with a suitable plan. Finally, they decided that if the situation remained tense in two days, they would proceed according to Yan Niang's plan.
During these two days, Mo Yan learned from Skinny, the man who brought them food, that Zhen'er hadn't been caught. Relieved of this worry, she began thinking of ways to escape.
She had considered various escape plans, but Skinny was very cunning. The food was pushed in through the iron gate, so they couldn't overpower him, grab the key, or even fake an illness successfully. Skinny had once said that if someone died, they would just be carried out. This cruelty made Mo Yan realize the true nature of the kidnappers.
However, Mo Yan wouldn't just sit and wait for death. If "death" for one person didn't matter to them, what if everyone was "dead"? Considering the situation outside the city gates on the Lantern Festival and Skinny's increasingly grim expression, she vaguely guessed that the situation outside was unfavorable for these kidnappers. This was her chance!
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