Capítulo 23: Banxi Pavillion 1

Granny Li's farm stead, Duan

As her new friend Xiaolian had predicted. Their dinner was brought in by two guards just as it got dark. Liqiu stiffened as the door opened and the light came in from the lamp in the hallway.

She drew back, silently feeling the ground around her for anything that could be used as a weapon.

She did not let down her guards until two guards stepped in with a lamp and lit the lamp hanging by the wall a short distance away from the door

After turning on the old single lamp on the wall the guards instructed them to line up and collected their dinner.

It was nothing much just a piece of round sticky rice ball and water, two guards delivered the basket of rice balls and water

Liqiu who hadn't eaten in days accepted the rice ball gratefully. Her stomach rumbled as soon as the scent of the rice balls enter her nose.

She ate slowly so as not to upset her stomach. Not because the food was particularly savoury or unique but because she did not want to fall sick.

The food was bland and cold but she felt grateful for the food, after everything she had been through these past few days. Liqiu understood that things would never go back to normal.

Her parents were dead and her family had abandoned her, she had no one to depend on but herself. She had to survive and she needed to eat to survive.

Liqiu barely slept that night, her eyes felt heavy

the next day. They were locked inside the room and apart from when they delivered their breakfast, the guards never badged in.

Liqiu sat up as the door was opened and eight new girls were pushed into the room.

One of the girls threw a tantrum and attempted to run out of the room. A tall guard backhanded the girl without batting an eye.

He kicked her on her stomach. The girl screamed as she fell backwards. "Shut up or I will make you wish you were dead," the guard said glaring down at the girl before going back out and shutting the door.

The girl's cries were ignored. The other seven girls drew back eyes wide as the girl was kicked inside.

Although Liqiu felt a little bad for the girl, she kept to herself just like everyone else.

She did not know her fate and saw no need to play the hero. She had better luck saving herself than saving someone else.

The girl seemed to have learned her lessons because she kept a low profile from then on. The next day they were all led out of the room and forced into a goods carriage.

*******

Days later, Granny Li's layover camp in Huanju, a commercial town just outside the capital city, Lianxi.

Liqiu had lost track of how many stops they had since their journey began.

They spent a day at every stop and although they were never allowed out of the small storage room where they were kept during each stop. They were fed a merger breakfast and dinner every day.

Granny Li came in early the next morning after they arrived with a set of guards and selected a set of girls to be sold.

Most of the girls never returned which meant that they were sold at the auction to matrons as maids or to brothels as slaves.

By the time they arrived at Huanju more than half of the girls had been sold. Unlike the other stops, Granny Li did not come to select a few girls, this time she led a skim older man into the room.

The girls were instructed to line up, Liqiu made sure to stand in between two older girls.

The man surveyed each girl by lifting their faces and instructing them to show teeth. He made remarks about their hair, body and faces as he went.

Liqiu felt irritated when it got to her turn, the man's lecherous gaze made her skin coil. She suddenly felt the urge to step back but the man grabbed her chin and raised her face.

The man had a huge black mole on his cheek and dull eyes. He quickly sneered when he noticed the swollen half of her face.

"Tsk tsk, this one isn't suitable for my master", he let go of her face like she was filthy and wiped his hand with a handkerchief.

He moved to the next girl, in the end, the creepy man left with six girls that were around her age or younger. They left bright and early the next day.

***

Two days later, Lianxi, the capital city of Western Liang.

Liqiu sat on the farthest end of the carriage silently and hugged her knees to her chest. She did not bother looking out of the carriage like the rest of the young girls in the carriage with her.

The girls talked among themselves, most of them had never been to the capital and were amazed by the sights of the lively streets.

Liqiu glanced at Xiaolian who was motion sick and sat with a bucket next to her. They had just passed the city gates and were now riding through the market. Liqiu unlike the other girls was a little bit familiar with the capital.

Her father had a few businesses in the capital and the entire family travelled to the capital twice a year.

She went sightseeing with her mother and elder brothers while he checked on his businesses. The memories of their family trips that always brought a smile to her face now made her heart hurt.

She raised her knees to her chest and rested her head on her knees before closing her eye.

Liqiu tried to clear her head by counting from zero to ten and back. That was the only thing that held back her tears, she raised her head when the carriage stopped.

Four armed guards open the door and instructed them to come down, the guards led them through a slim alley.

They stopped in front of a slim door at the side of a building, the carriage was parked at one end of the alley so they did not know where they were.

Granny Li knocked five times and stepped back, Liqiu noticed a certain pattern to her knock.

They heard a loud lock being pushed back on the other side of the door a few seconds before the door opened and a huge man appeared.

Granny Li handed him a nameplate, which he checked before stepping aside for them.

Liqiu glanced around as they were led through a dim hallway. A woman dressed in a bright yellow, low-cut gown and heavy make-up stood in front of a door.

Granny Li took the woman aside to talk, Minutes later they separated and the woman glanced at every one of them slowly.

She stood in front of the door and with a small smile said, "Welcome to Banxi Pavilion, I am m Madam Liu".

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