How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 51 Selection

Seeing the two women crying, the second cousin, who had been too embarrassed to speak earlier, asked in confusion now that his mother was away, "Guiying, you're going to work, not never coming back, so why is my mother crying?"

Guiying glared at him reproachfully, "Then you won't be able to come back for several years." The slight annoyance in her heart was instantly dispelled by him.

Second cousin scratched his head and said, "Hehe, that's true. Guiying, if you can't come back, I'll come to see you."

Guiying blushed and said, "Who wants you to look at me? The new year is coming, and your aunt will be arranging a marriage for you."

The second cousin got anxious, "Guiying, you know me, I'm waiting for you."

Her voice was a little loud, causing some people to turn around and look. Guiying quickly moved away from him, saying, "Who asked you to wait? Stop talking, there are plenty of people here."

Considering Guiying's reputation, the second cousin finally kept quiet.

When they arrived at Sister Niu's courtyard, she said to the large group of people, "Alright, those who are seeing people off should hurry back. My courtyard is small; there's no room for so many people."

Upon hearing this, everyone agreed and hurriedly waited outside, pushing their girls forward.

Like a mother hen with her chicks, Sister-in-law Niu led twenty or thirty girls into the courtyard. The families who had brought the girls away refused to leave, waiting outside, in case they weren't chosen and they had to take them back.

Qingru and Xiao Erlang were warming themselves by the fire in the room, making the room cozy and cozy. Ever since she learned about Niu Da and the others' plans, Qingru had become even more generous, using their firewood every day to keep the house burning brightly.

Hearing the commotion coming from the courtyard, he was startled. He opened the window and looked out, and saw that the courtyard was full of girls.

Seeing that they didn't seem alarmed, Qingru was puzzled and asked Xiao Erlang, "What's going on? How did you manage to fool so many girls in such a short time?"

Xiao Erlang glanced outside, thought carefully, and said, "Maybe it wasn't a lie, but something their family sent over."

"What?" Qingru was somewhat surprised. Could it be that the parents here were willing to sell their daughters?

Xiao Erlang quickly explained, "No, they are different from those 'goods'. I heard my father say that girls in the village cannot be sold; they are properly introduced to work as factory workers in the yarn factory."

Qingru thought of some of her classmates who hadn't gone to university; some of them had indeed gone to work for foreign-owned companies, including a textile factory. But she hesitated, "Do they still have a conscience? Wouldn't they sell girls from their own village?" Niu Da had even sold his wife and daughters.

Xiao Erlang shook his head. "No, we do sell them, but only those without parents. We don't dare sell those with families and clans. They go to the city to work, and my father takes their indenture money."

"Indenture fee? What kind of money is that?" Qingru had a vague feeling that something was wrong. She had heard from her classmates who went out to work that when they were hired, they would sign a contract, which would stipulate how many years the employee would work and how much salary and benefits the employer would pay. She had never heard of any indenture fee.

Could it be that her classmate didn't tell her? Qingru quickly dismissed this idea; there was no need to hide it.

Determined to see what Niu Da and his gang were really up to.

Although she herself was in dire straits and barely able to save herself, Qingru couldn't simply stand idly by while so many girls were involved. Besides, more people meant more options; twenty or thirty people could surely defeat four, providing an extra layer of protection for her escape. Therefore, Qingru decided to hold back for now. Xiao Erlang, of course, had no objections; he had already packed his things and was ready to run at any moment. Moreover, he had a deep bond with the old ox, which could carry him at breakneck speed.

When the second brother and sister-in-law saw that Sister-in-law Niu had brought back so many people, the lines on the corners of their mouths deepened with their smiles.

Sister-in-law Niu told the girls to stand in line, and then stepped forward to support her second brother and sister-in-law, saying, "Look carefully, this is your second brother and sister-in-law from the city. Let them choose carefully, and then we'll go to the city to work. They are your great benefactors."

A group of girls saw that the second brother and sister-in-law were both petite and quiet, especially the second sister-in-law, whose eagle-like eyes scanned them back and forth, making them all afraid to make any rash moves.

He greeted them respectfully, "Second Brother, Second Sister-in-law."

The sight of them standing in unison made the second brother and sister-in-law feel comfortable, giving them a sense of superiority and the ability to decide the fate of others.

Second Sister-in-law waved her hand, "Quiet."

The group immediately fell silent. The second brother looked at the group of girls with satisfaction, and sneered inwardly, "They have to be from the village, they've never seen the world, they're so easy to fool."

The second sister-in-law symbolically picked and chose the girls, discarding those who were too young, and finally kept twenty, while the rest were taken home by their families.

Seeing the dejected expressions on their faces, Sister-in-law Niu couldn't help but say, "Let them grow a little more, they'll have another chance next year when they're older."

Those who weren't chosen wore bitter smiles; whether they'd survive until next year was uncertain. The harvest was bad, and families were starving. The only food they had had to be reserved for the able-bodied men; otherwise, the whole family would starve. Naturally, the girls were the ones who were eliminated.

Seeing this, the second sister-in-law also laughed. She stopped them with a sinister smile, "Wait a minute, I have a friend who has some connections. He knows some wealthy families in the city who want to hire maids, but they're selling them. If you're interested, I'll have him come over."

Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and the group immediately perked up, asking, "Which wealthy family is it? What kind of treatment do they offer?"

Second Sister-in-law gave a look, and Sister-in-law Niu immediately understood and said, "How can we tell you? People buy maids to use at home. If we tell you, what if they come to bother us every few days? Besides, it's much better to live in a wealthy family than to be a maid. They eat and drink well, and wear silk. If they're lucky enough to catch the eye of their master, it's like their ancestors' graves are emitting green smoke, and they'll enjoy great fortune."

"You're enjoying such a life, why don't you go?" One of the people in the crowd who wasn't chosen was somewhat resentful, feeling that Sister-in-law Niu was just fooling them.

Sister-in-law Niu immediately perked up, "Pah, what a load of bull! Nothing in this world is perfect. You want your girls to live, and I've already come up with a plan, and now you're making fun of me. Being a maid has a million advantages, but there's only one downside: you're sold to someone else, and from then on, you belong to someone else. Do you understand? Your future marriages won't be up to you. One contract will sever all ties, understand?"

The man looked embarrassed and shut his mouth without saying a word.

Second Sister-in-law then stepped forward, feigning kindness, "Don't be sad, everyone. It's not like there's no other way. No one wants to sell their children. I won't force you if you don't want to. I was just mentioning it. Your girls aren't old enough. If I took them to the factory, they wouldn't want them either. Why bother? That's why I said I needed maids. People prefer younger maids because they're easier to train. Older ones are more scheming and harder to manage. If you really don't want to, just pretend I didn't mention it."

The families who weren't selected were wavering and hurriedly tried to persuade their second sister-in-law to help them. The second sister-in-law refused repeatedly, but they became anxious and insisted that she help them.

The second sister-in-law then said with a troubled expression, "Oh well, what can I do? I'm just a kind-hearted person. I'll go talk to my friend about it, but I can't decide whether he can come or not."

Sister-in-law Niu thought to herself, "Wow, this is the kind of person who does big things! So composed! He clearly had designs on someone's daughter, yet he made her willingly come to him, even expressing her gratitude. No wonder she's the one in charge!" Sister-in-law Niu rarely reflected on herself. She often spoke harshly, which, while satisfying in the moment, had indeed earned her a lot of hatred afterward. It seemed she still had much to learn.

The second sister-in-law then smiled and saw the group off. She then said to the twenty girls, "Working as a seamstress is hard work, but you'll be free. After you finish your workday, you can still go home and be your great-aunts. Besides, once you've earned money and seen the world in the city, you'll be much better off than girls from the countryside. It will also be much easier for you to find a husband."

The girls blushed at his words. The second brother continued, “The city is nothing like the countryside. You’ll see when you get there. Hey, it’s all skyscrapers, bright lights, and foreigners. You’ll be warmly dressed and well-fed, and you’ll even have two days off a month. Why don’t you have your boss take you around? I guarantee you won’t miss your families anymore. Besides, what’s wrong with country girls? Country girls are the most honest and simple, and quite popular. Who knows, one of you might get lucky and marry a city husband, escaping your peasant fate, and having your child born a city person.”

The girls were immediately filled with excitement. Their sadness at leaving home was instantly replaced by the future described by their second brother. They became excited, as if they had already become city dwellers and were no longer the poor peasants who toiled in the fields, never having enough to eat or wear.

Qingru inwardly scoffed; her second brother and sister-in-law were such smooth talkers, it wasn't anything like what they said. Seeing that Xiao Erlang also seemed uninterested, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "You don't believe what he said either?"

Xiao Erlang said, "He's lying." Seeing Qingru looking at him in surprise, he added, "Many of my sisters went there four years ago, but none of them came back."

Qingru asked in surprise, "Then why didn't these people suspect anything? Didn't they ask about what happened to those girls?"

Xiao Erlang shook his head. "I asked, but they lied again, saying that the sisters were doing well in the city and didn't want to come back. They said they would come back when the contract period was over. Occasionally, they would give the family a silver dollar if they made a big fuss, so no one said anything."

Qingru frowned, worried about the fate of those girls. "Little Erlang, do you know where those girls went? Were they sold?"

“I don’t know, but my dad would bring back a stack of papers every time, saying they were indentures, one for each family, plus ten silver dollars.”

After thinking it over and over, Qingru couldn't come up with a good solution. She looked at the jubilant girls outside the window and shook her head with a sigh.

At the same time, she made a decision in her heart: she would not run away for now, but would go and see what her second brother and sister-in-law were planning before making a move.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but ask Xiao Erlang for his opinion. "Xiao Erlang, I think I should go with them first to see where these girls have been taken, and then find a chance to escape. What do you think?"

Xiao Erlang pouted, his face falling. "But we haven't escaped yet, how are we going to save them?"

Qingru is an adult after all. Despite her worries, she still has her own ideas. "Don't worry, I have a way. I just need your help when the time comes."

Xiao Erlang glanced at Qingru with a hint of resentment, but ultimately said nothing, only muttering, "Oh."

Seeing his obedient appearance, Qingru patted his head and comforted him for a while.

Seeing how easily her second brother and sister-in-law had won over the girls with just a few words, Sister-in-law Niu was filled with admiration. She interjected at the opportune moment, "Alright, alright, there's no need for so much talk. Quickly let us know that we're leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Just stay here in my yard tonight."

Upon hearing this, the girl quickly ran towards her family who hadn't left yet, babbling on about parting and her hopes. Guiying had no other relatives, only her second cousin sitting on a tree branch waiting for her, a blade of dry grass dangling from his mouth.

Seeing her arrive, her second cousin jumped down and asked, "What's wrong? I saw you all running out here. Did you not get selected?"

Guiying shook her head. "She was selected. Aunt Niu asked her to say a few words to her family. She's going to the city first thing tomorrow morning and won't be back for at least five years."

My second cousin subconsciously chewed on some dry grass and thought for a moment, then said, "If you ask me, it's not like our family is really going to starve. Why don't you just sign a three-year contract and come back after three years?"

Guiying hesitated and said, "Everyone else signs five-year contracts, I shouldn't be too special, let's all sign the same one. Besides, I have two days off a month, so we can still see each other."

My second cousin scratched his head, looked around at the people, and said with a red face, "Guying, you...you shouldn't look for city people. You don't know anyone here. Don't go with them."

In the darkness, her face was not visible, but Guiying felt as if these words were burning her face. She turned her back and said, "What are you saying? How could I leave with someone? I... I still want to come back."

My second cousin chuckled, "Guiying, are you... are you also... with me?"

Guiying laughed and punched him lightly. "Fool, I'm going to earn money to settle down and start a family. My father has no son, so I'm going to build a household for him."

The second cousin honestly replied, "Yes, that's for sure. My eldest uncle will have many children, and one of them will take his surname."

Guiying was so embarrassed that she pinched her second cousin hard. "Stop talking! Aren't you ashamed?"

Perhaps it was time to part ways, and he wouldn't see his beloved for a long time, so the second cousin became bold. Under the cover of darkness, he quietly took Guiying's hand and solemnly promised, "Guoying, we know each other inside and out. I will be good to you for the rest of my life. If you don't change, neither will I. I won't stop you from becoming a seamstress, but you must never forget me."

Guiying was extremely nervous. Even though everyone around her was absorbed in their own world, and even though she was standing in a secluded place, Guiying felt as if she had done something in front of others, and was afraid of being discovered.

She quickly tried to pull away from her second cousin, but the more she struggled, the tighter he held on, as if that would show how much he cared.

Seeing that she couldn't break free, Guiying stopped moving. Her heart was filled with excitement and worry, a mixture of anticipation and fear for the unknown future. "Just for this moment," Guiying said gently, then quickly pulled away. "Go back. I'll work hard, earn more money, and plan for the future. I won't go with anyone else, because... someone is waiting for me here."