The head of the band, along with two others and Lu Yi, headed toward the dismantled house, followed by the young man called Lu Ge’er.
The two people tied up in the wood shed were bound tightly, their eyes covered, and cloth stuffed in their mouths, rendering them unable to speak.
Despite this, Shen Yunshu could recognize at a glance who her husband was—one of them was Pei Huaian, and the other appeared to be his attendant.
Seeing Lu Yi nod, the head of the band couldn’t help but laugh heartily and ordered his men, “Tomorrow, send another letter to the Pei Family. Tell them their youngest grandson is also in my hands, and the ransom will increase by another 100,000 taels.”
“Another 100,000 taels?”
Lu Yi hadn’t expected such a brazen demand.
Worried, he said, “Head of the band, even if the Pei Family is wealthy, it might be difficult to gather so much at once.”
“If they can’t come up with it, then only one person can be ransomed,” the band leader said with a half-smile, casting a glance at him.
“After all, whether it’s 100,000 or 200,000 taels, we only plan to release one person, right?”
He didn’t mind saying this in front of Pei Huaian; like fish on a chopping board, they could only be at the mercy of their captors.
Upon hearing this, Pei Huaian struggled immediately, making muffled sounds, clearly wanting to say something.
The head of the band, in a good mood today, waved for Lu Yi to step back first, then ordered the cloth covering Pei Huaian’s mouth removed, allowing him to speak.
Pei Huaian’s eyes were still blindfolded, so he turned his head toward the person opposite, relying only on his hearing.
“Head of the band, where is my wife?”
The band leader mocked, “How would I know where your wife is?”
“I followed you here; I saw with my own eyes that you kidnapped her…”
That afternoon, Pei Huaian had taken half an hour off from his duties with Master, bringing Qing Wu out of the mansion to buy some supplements before heading toward Yongan Ward.
The snow grew heavier and heavier; there were fewer carriages on the road.
As they turned into an alley, Qing Wu spotted the approaching Pei Family carriage and waved for it to stop.
The coachman on the other side had his face covered.
At first, Qing Wu thought it was just to block the wind and snow, but as the carriage got closer, Qing Wu sensed something was wrong.
A corner of the carriage curtain was blown aside by the wind, revealing a person wearing a Hechang slumped inside.
Qing Wu turned to Pei Huaian and told him what he saw, and Pei Huaian immediately ordered a U-turn to give chase.
Partway along, the carriage stopped.
Pei Huaian saw with his own eyes that they dragged someone out of the carriage and stuffed them into another before leaving.
He and Qing Wu chased for a long distance, out past the city gates and into a mountain forest, where they were stopped by a group of bandits wielding knives.
The bandits were about to kill them on the spot, but to save his life, Pei Huaian revealed his identity.
Upon hearing it, they withdrew the knife pressed to his throat, tied him up, and dragged him into the mountains.
From what the head of the band said earlier, the ransom demand’s increase by 100,000 taels indicated that they had indeed captured Shen Yunshu before him.
“The head of the band probably knows my father has money, which is why they kidnapped us husband and wife. Never mind 100,000 or 200,000 taels—even 300,000. Just give my father time, and he’ll be able to raise it. Please, head of the band, spare us…”
The band leader chuckled, “Young man, I already told you, I don’t know where your wife is. Why don’t you understand?”
Pei Huaian suddenly recalled the Hechang—
Shen Youran often wore one too. Could it be…
“Is the person you kidnapped…You Ran?”
“Oh, so that young lady’s name is You Ran,” the band leader said, looking at the boy beside him and patting his shoulder.
“Did you hear that? That’s your wife’s name…”
“You Ran…”
The boy was stunned for a moment, eyes flickering with confusion and bewilderment.
You Ran, You Ran…
“Don’t hurt her!”
Pei Huaian pleaded.
“Whatever ransom you want, just please don’t harm her…”
“It’s not your wife, why do you care so much?”
The band leader ignored him, covering Pei Huaian’s mouth again and then slinging an arm over his own son’s shoulder as they left.
Seeing his son’s dazed expression, he shook him lightly.
“You silly kid, are you happy or just dumb?”
The boy snapped out of his daze, looked at his father, and grinned widely.
“Yes, Father, I can hardly wait…”
“Let’s eat first, then I’ll have your Second Father teach you some useful things…”
Late at night, the snow blanketed the hills, the world a sea of silver.
The main hall was thick with the scent of strong alcohol and meat.
Except for a few on guard or injured, everyone else was drunk to various degrees.
They took turns toasting the boy beside the band leader, but the boy didn’t drink much; the band leader drank most of the cups on his behalf.
The Second Father, injured, could only drink tea.
Seeing the late hour, he ordered someone to prepare a bath for the young master, then hooked his arm around the boy’s shoulder, leading him to his room and handing him a book with a teasing smile: “Study well. Don’t embarrass yourself tonight in the bridal chamber…”
Shen Youran was taken to another room.
When she opened her eyes, the room was simple but much better than the previous dirt hut.
The walls were smooth and decorated with various knives, swords, and bows.
There was a table and chairs, and a wooden cabinet half a person’s height.
Beneath her lay a hide of some animal—rough and carrying a faint smell of blood.
This was clearly not the room of an ordinary bandit; the owner must be a small leader to have his own quarters.
Being carried here late at night made her suspect the bandits’ intentions.
Shen Youran wasn’t sure if her life would be spared, but she knew her purity was about to be violated.
In the past, when facing danger, she could hide in her father’s arms.
Later, when her eldest sister came to the capital, she had someone she could fully rely on.
After that, there was Pei Huaijin.
Although he often scolded her with a stern face and liked taking liberties, she no longer disliked him so much…
They had all been by her side, but now none of them were here.
There was no one to lean on in this place.
Even if she cried, no one would come to save her.
Instead, she couldn’t even cry, recalling a phrase Pei Huaian once told her: “It’s nothing. Just think of it as being bitten by a dog.”
It’s nothing, just a dog bite…
Sob, but she didn’t want to be bitten by any other dog.
She only wanted to be bitten by Pei Huaijin…
No tears fell, but inside she was utterly hopeless.
Outside, noises gradually grew louder, mixed with ambiguous laughter, closing in.
The door was pushed open.
Shen Youran curled up at the far side of the bed and closed her eyes in despair.
A few drunk men spoke in lewd tones, offering congratulations, along with crude sexual remarks.
Finally, a lecherous voice said, “Alright, let’s all go back early and not delay our young master’s wedding night…”
After a flurry of footsteps, the door slammed shut, and the room fell silent for a moment.
Only a pair of footsteps approached the bed.
A brazier had been brought in, burning ordinary charcoal that crackled softly.
The man staggered to the bedside, rustling as he began to undress.
The smell of alcohol filled the air.
Shen Youran pressed her back against the wall, with nowhere left to retreat.
The bed sank as someone climbed on, and the alcohol breath grew stronger.
In her heart, Shen Youran frantically repeated: Just think of him as a dog, just a dog…
But when she was flipped over, she couldn’t bear it and screamed, “Don’t touch me, don’t touch me…”
He tore open her cloak, and unfamiliar breath swept over her.
“Please, don’t do this…”
Her sharp, broken, desperate cries drifted through the worn little window, drawing low laughter from eavesdroppers outside.
After only two screams, her voice was hoarse and raw, her throat feeling as if cut by a blade.
The tearing of clothes didn’t last long; instead, a large hand came to untie the ropes binding her wrists.
“You Ran, little sister…”
A very soft voice sounded in her ear, tinged with comfort and familiarity.
Only then did Shen Youran dare to open her eyes, meeting a pair of sharp eyes, wild like a hawk, yet with the clarity of youth.
He had neat brows, a flushed face from the cold, and stubble around his mouth that hadn’t been shaved clean.
“…”
“…”
Just as she was about to speak, he hushed her.
He glanced toward the window and whispered, “Speak quietly, they’re eavesdropping…”
Gradually recovering from fear, Shen Youran didn’t know what the boy intended, but at least he didn’t seem to want to harm her.
“What…what do we do now?”
“Haven’t you been married before?” he asked.
“You should know better than me how to act.”
“I…”
Shen Youran hesitated.
She and Pei Huaijin hadn’t even consummated the marriage yet.
How was she supposed to know how to pretend?
Seeing her tongue-tied, the boy pondered briefly, then said, “Then just cry out a couple more times…”
“How?”
“Like before…”
Like before, so those outside would think he was forcing her.
Understanding his meaning, Shen Youran awkwardly opened her mouth and let out a few more cries.
Her voice, hoarse from before, trembled and faltered quickly.
Outside came a few lewd laughs, then footsteps retreating.
The boy stayed propped above her, waiting until the eavesdroppers left before pulling away and sitting up.
“I’ll help you untie your feet, but you have to promise not to run…”
Shen Youran knew she couldn’t escape on her own and nodded obediently.
The bonds on her ankles were loosened, and she immediately curled up in a corner, hugging her knees, eyes wary.
She had heard them call him “young master,” so he must be the bandit leader’s son.
But why did he call her “You Ran, little sister”?
Before she could ask, he spoke first.
“Your name is You Ran?”
She nodded—he had already called her that once, so why ask again?
“Do you know me?”
The question was strange, and Shen Youran couldn’t process it.
“I don’t know you. This is the first time I’ve seen you today…”
Though it was their first meeting, she felt an indescribable familiarity when looking into his eyes.
“This is my first time seeing you too, but I think I’ve heard your name before,” the boy found it odd as well.
“When I heard you were called You Ran, I felt strangely familiar, like I’d known that name a long, long time ago.”
Not only did he know her name, but also called her “little sister.”
He scrutinized the frightened girl, taking in her brows, eyes, and lips carefully.
Such a gaze made Shen Youran’s still-beating heart flutter, her trembling lips sealed tight as she endured the fear without a sound.
He moved closer, and she hugged herself tighter.
“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you,” he said.
“I just feel like we should know each other. Have you ever had a playmate who was very close when you were little but disappeared later?”
Shen Youran shook her head.
“I didn’t have playmates as a child, just played with my older sister and brother…”
Both were safe now—one beside her, the other studying in Quanzhou.
The boy looked disappointed and fell silent.
Usually not one for deep thought, Shen Youran felt her mind spinning now, trying to piece together his words.
Suddenly, she understood his strange behavior: “You…did you get separated from your family when you were young and were taken by them?”
“Not taken, found. They found me.”
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