Qiao Ran was brought into a dark, damp underground chamber filled with the musty smell of mold, and forcefully pushed into a cage made of iron.
Stepping briskly forward, he suddenly felt his foot press into something soft and tumbled onto the dry hay.
Under the dim light, he saw a skinny body lying on the ground that slowly moved.
"Child, what did you do wrong to be locked up here?" A faint and aged voice asked.
Then, a disheveled person with an indistinguishable face slowly lifted their head.
Before Qiao Ran could speak, the woman crawled towards him, overwhelmed with emotion.
"Yao'er, my Yao'er, you're not dead, you're still alive?"
But her body seemed extremely weak. She tried to crawl forward a few times but made no progress.
Qiao Ran quickly approached, crouched down, and helped her to sit up.
"I am not Yao'er, my name is Qiao Ran!" he said as he lifted the hair in front of her, revealing an old face filled with wrinkles and stains.