Chapter 9 Kidnapped

This morning, the system reported the progress of the task.

[Task Completion: 80%]

Song Yitang, upon hearing the good news, felt joyful in body and mind. She believed that with the rewards she would surely make rapid progress.

Aunt Liu went to work and immediately grabbed Song Yitang to inquire about gossip, wanting to know if she had been troubled that day.

Song Yitang gave a simple explanation and then dropped the subject.

"Your mom, I don't know when she'll come to her senses, seems like she was beaten by your dad again last night."

At those words, Song Yitang's face fell instantly, the smile disappearing completely as she recalled what Liang Xiulian had said yesterday.

"Let's get back to work, Auntie."

Aunt Liu got the hint and closed her mouth, not bringing it up again.

After registering the work points and returning the farm tools in the evening.

Kikking everything away at night, Song Yitang turned off the lights and was just about to enter the space to study.

Before she could enter, the door was pushed open with force. Three people suddenly burst in amid the darkness, but Song Yitang still recognized Liang Xiulian.

It was mainly her figure, easily recognizable at a glance under the moonlight.

"Who's there? Auntie?"

"Are you all dead? Go up and grab her!"

Liang Xiulian, realizing she had been recognized, didn't bother to hide it anymore and gave the order.

Song Yitang's heartbeat accelerated as she curled up in a corner, but soon she was crawling along the wall attempting to escape.

Suddenly, one of them bumped into her leg and immediately clamped down hard.

"Caught you!"

"You beast, why are you yelling so loud, are you afraid others won't know you're here to abduct someone?"

Song Yitang kicked wildly and in the cover of darkness, slapped that person several times across the face.

The slaps echoed, the burly man being kicked and slapped repeatedly.

"You little wretch, got this much strength?"

"Help, murder!"

"Fire, fire! Help put it out!"

"Help with the fire!"

Seeing things getting out of hand, Liang Xiulian also began to panic.

"Light the candles, are you fumbling in the dark?"

Another person then lit a candle, making it more convenient for the three of them to commit their crime with a light source available.

Song Yitang was restrained, her eyes glaring angrily at Liang Xiulian and the other two.

She hadn't expected Liang Xiulian to be so daring.

However, she had a space of her own; if her life was in danger, she could hide in the space. She had not hidden before because she feared exposing the space.

Her light had been turned off just a second ago, and in the next second, they had broken in.

It must have been a planned move.

They stuffed Song Yitang into a sack.

Liang Xiulian was from the next village over, which was extremely close to her own brigade—the distance was merely the demarcation line.

Just an hour's walk away.

Wondering if Li Qianjin had heard her cry for help just now, Song Yitang thought anxiously.

She had anticipated that Liang Xiulian wouldn't let things go, and had prepared a backup plan.

After Fu Hao left, only Li Qianjin was near enough to learn of any incidents immediately.

So she had asked Li Qianjin to come to her house first thing if he heard a particularly loud commotion at night.

Li Qianjin, sleeping soundly when he heard shouts for fire, turned over and continued sleeping.

Suddenly recalling Song Yitang's words, he woke up immediately, got out of bed, and rushed out with his shoes on.

Indeed, when he arrived at Song Yitang's house, there was no one there; he saw the signs of her struggle with the aid of the kerosene lamp.

Li Qianjin, a simple-minded person when panicked, completely forgot what Song Yitang had told him, merely remembering to find Secretary Zhao and Captain Zhang.

Taking the kerosene lamp, he ran non-stop to Captain Zhang's house.

After finding Captain Zhang, the two of them hurriedly made their way to Zhao Shouzhong's house.

Zhao Shouzhong had just finished public business and had not yet gone to bed, preparing to write a letter to send back to the capital to check on the situation there.

"Secretary Zhao, Secretary Zhao!"

Li Qianjin banged on the door urgently, shaking off layers of dust.

A tremor ran through Zhao Shouzhong's hand, and a sheet of paper was wasted.

He got up to open the door, annoyed, thinking that even if the sky were falling, he would first have to scold someone.

Always so clumsy and heedless!

"Secretary! Quick, quick..." Li Qianjin was so anxious that he stammered, and his forehead broke out in sweat.

Finally, Li Qianjin blurted out, "Comrade Song has been kidnapped!"

"What?!" Zhao Shouzhong's lamp fell from his hand, his previously sleepy eyes now wide open.

Li Qianjin grabbed his hand, "She's really gone, what should we do?!"

The three of them were as frantic as ants on a hot pan.

Captain Zhang asked, "Has she met anyone recently?"

Suddenly, Li Qianjin had an epiphany and quickly said, "Right! Comrade Song has an aunt, next door in the Huilong Brigade of Jixiang Village."

"She said if she ever disappeared, we should go there to find people first!"

"And you only mention this now!" Captain Zhang was so angry that he slapped the back of his head.

"Old Zhang, you go and find some of the young, strong men in the village, then head over together, I'll go first with Qianjin!"

"Okay!"

"Go get Uncle Li's ox cart; we'll be faster that way."

After speaking, Zhao Shouzhong, in his urgency, practically flew out of the door, pulling Li Qianjin with him without even locking it.

"Hurry up, we haven't eaten yet."

Liang Xiulian felt uneasy. There were still two miles to go.

"Aunt, the girl has stopped moving, she couldn't have..."

Song Yitang initially struggled, but after getting tired, she lay quietly inside the sack, conserving her energy, contemplating how to escape later.

"What's there to be afraid of with this breathable sack, it can't suffocate anyone, can it?"

"Move faster!"

Liang Xiulian ordered the two men impatiently.

Captain Zhang called five or six sturdy young men late at night; as soon as they heard that someone from the neighboring brigade had come to their brigade to kidnap someone:

The Golden Brigade had an old grudge with the neighboring Huilong Brigade.

Knowing that someone from the next brigade had come in the dead of night to kidnap someone from their own, they all expressed enormous indignation and followed without a word.

"Sister-in-law Song, your daughter has been kidnapped!"

As soon as Aunt Liu got word, she rushed over to inform them. Hearing the news, Liang Xiulian's legs went weak, and she collapsed on the ground, while Song Jianguo also knew his aunt was behind it.

Song Chenghao was also shocked when he heard the news.

If it weren't for him telling his great aunt where Song Yitang lived, would she have been...?

The ox, woken up in the middle of the night, moved very slowly, despite Uncle Li's constant urging with his whip.

Zhao Shouzhong didn't care; as long as it was faster than walking, it was fine.

This young lady seemed to have anticipated everything.

Zhao Shouzhong sat in the ox cart, his thoughts dark and obscure at the bottom of his eyes.

Liang Xiulian and her two companions had already reached the Yao Family; by morning, they had already spread the word to the Yao's.

The Yaos opened the door as soon as they heard movement.

"No one followed you, right?" Zhou Chunlan, the wife of the Yao household, looked behind cautiously.

"Don't worry. Is your silly Zhu asleep?"

"He's been asleep for a while; hurry up and get her inside."

The three of them relaxed a lot upon reaching their destination.

Song Yitang was let out, her hair disheveled, her mouth gagged.

"This scrawny thing, she's not as... as you said," Zhou Chunlan said disdainfully, upset that her expensive thirty yuan matchmaking fee had only procured a skinny girl.

She didn't look like she would be good for bearing children.

"Shut up! With your silly Zhu looking the way he does, you're lucky to have her at all!"

Song Yitang glared deathly at the people before her.

"You guys go back first."

Liang Xiulian sent the two strong men away.

Then she approached Song Yitang, smiling slyly, "Weren't you very arrogant yesterday?"

As she spoke, her hands didn't stop, ready to strip off Song Yitang's outer garment.

Song Yitang realized her intent and twisted her body to keep Liang Xiulian from succeeding.

"Don't just stand there, strip her and throw her on silly Zhu's bed!"