Melody woke up to pitch darkness.
She was lying on the ground, and everything around her was swaying, as if she were on a boat or in a vehicle.
The air was filled with an incredibly foul odor, accompanied by animal sounds. The smell was clearly coming from the animals.
Where was she?
Recalling the moments before she fainted, although she didn't know her location, she was certain she was in trouble.
Her hands were tied behind her back. She didn't know how long they had been bound, but they were aching terribly. She wanted to move and stretch her body, but she felt as limp as a puddle of mud.
Furthermore, the slightest movement caused her head to bump against animal cages, and her feet were also in contact with them.
It seemed the people who had bound her had custom-made the space just enough for her to be in this position.
The surroundings were noxious and hot. Her inability to move and the unknown darkness filled her with fear.
She wanted to call for help, but her throat felt like it was on fire, so dry that she couldn't make a sound.
Her mind raced. Realizing she couldn't move, she began to try and discern her surroundings in the darkness.
As soon as her eyes scanned the area, she heard the engine cut off. Soon, the swaying stopped.
The vehicle had stopped? Had they reached their destination?
What would she face next?
Many terrifying scenarios flashed through her mind, her heart involuntarily tightening. She quickly closed her eyes again.
Outside, there was a commotion. People were talking as they approached and opened the carriage door.
The animal cages at the very back of the carriage were moved aside, allowing a faint light and a flow of air to enter.
The carriage, which had been suffocatingly stuffy, finally became more comfortable. Melody, drenched in sweat with her hair plastered to her neck, closed her eyes and breathed greedily.
But she didn't dare for long.
The cages were completely moved away. In the dim light, she vaguely saw a short man hunched over as he approached her.
He first reached out and felt her nose, confirming she was alive, then turned to shout to someone outside, "Get me a cup of water."
The chickens in the carriage squawked in fear at his words and flapped their wings, releasing another wave of foul odor.
The man himself couldn't stand the smell and urged them to hurry. Soon, someone handed him water.
He grabbed Melody's mouth and poured the water into it bit by bit.
Melody dared not reveal that she had regained consciousness, fearing they might drug her again.
Feigning unconsciousness, she allowed some water to flow down her throat and some to spill onto her neck.
Seeing that she wasn't dead and had drunk some, the man patted his hands, relieved, and quickly jumped off the vehicle with the cup.
"Are we resting here, or are we leaving now?"
"Resting? You know the client wants us to be quick. They're paying a lot for this. You don't lack a few hours of sleep, so let's go."
The short man clicked his tongue.
"This girl is really beautiful. I've never seen anyone so beautiful in my life. Sending her off like this, isn't it a shame?"
"What do you want? You want to try her? It's not impossible, but I heard she's sick. If you're not afraid of dying..."
"Forget it, I was just saying. Nowadays, the prettier the woman, the more likely she is to get sick. I wouldn't touch someone like that."
"Good that you know. Beautiful women attract attention. By the time it's your turn, I'll be old news. We'd better find someone reliable. Let's go. After we deliver her, I'll take you somewhere nice."
After a brief exchange, just as Melody had taken a few breaths of fresh air, the rear of the vehicle was slammed shut again with a clang.
She didn't know where she was, and she couldn't make any sound from her throat. She wanted to call for help, but there was nothing she could do.
She could only continue lying there, her whole body in pain.
The vehicle soon began to shake again.
Melody knew she was being transported to an unknown place. Fear mixed with discomfort, and tears silently streamed from the corners of her eyes.
In the final journey of her life, she had had loving family and a caring lover who could have allowed her to depart comfortably.
It was all her fault for not cherishing them and for blocking Lu Qingxu.
Now, completely abandoned, no one cared if she lived or died.
Her mind was hazy. Although lying in such an awkward position was uncomfortable, the residual effects of the drugs made her fall asleep again.
When she woke up, the vehicle was still moving, but the light was less dim.
She knew that dawn had broken, and the time for her fate to be judged had truly arrived.
The initial pain had been from the cramped, stuffy conditions, and it later turned into jolting and nausea.
The vehicle seemed to have entered a road with very poor traffic, shaking violently and swaying from side to side.
Her head bumped against the chicken cages, and at times, disgusting chicken droppings fell onto her face. Melody felt both pain and the urge to vomit.
Amidst the immense pain, she gradually calmed down.
Driven by a strong will to survive, she didn't want her life to end like this and began to anticipate reaching their destination quickly.
Finally, after an unknown duration of shaking, after sleeping and waking multiple times, the vehicle stopped.
When the door was pulled open and a faint light shone in, she felt an unprecedented joy.
"This damn place is so hard to navigate. I wonder how the person is."
The short, stout man jumped back into the vehicle.
Soon, Melody was roughly dragged from the carriage to the edge by him and carried out.
As the two men walked, they talked and passed through a dirt road into a typical rural single-story house.
She
Everyone laughed.
"It's good that everything is fine. Your mother's efforts were not in vain. Perform well tonight and strive to let your mother hold her grandson soon."
The crowd exchanged pleasantries again. The woman invited them to stay for dinner, but the people who transported Melody said they had other matters to attend to and left.
After everyone dispersed and the door was bolted, the mother and son approached Melody.
Realizing they were alone, Melody pretended to have just woken up and slowly opened her eyes.
Her gaze fell upon a short, stout middle-aged woman, about 1.5 meters tall.
Her skin was dark. She was dressed plainly.
She wore an old-fashioned gray long-sleeved shirt, only seen in period dramas, black cloth pants, red sandals, and her face was full of wrinkles.
However, her teeth were surprisingly nice, appearing white and gleaming when she smiled.
Beside her was likely her son, Zhuzi.