Wang Shunli kept his word. After receiving a nod from Old Man Li, he did not agree to any price, no matter how high it went.
Finally, Old Man Wang offered a price so high that everyone else was left in the dust.
Of course, this price was just for show.
When it was time to pay in the evening, only the lowest price would be given.
Wang Shunli had already informed the village chief in advance, so this time everything went smoothly.
Finally married to a new bride, both the old lady and Li Bai were extremely happy. They beamed with joy at the congratulatory words from the side, while Old Man Li remained his usual self.
Because the first three people had been very cooperative, and someone had been beaten for trying to escape just now, the remaining people were all very compliant.
Many groups of goods had come to this village, but Ning Wei and her group were the first to be so cooperative.
Although the village chief was surprised, his many years of work experience made him unafraid of these women causing trouble.
After all, the village had been doing this for decades. The most serious incident was when the village chief's wife escaped with a group of women.
The reason this was considered serious was that on that occasion, the village chief's wife had escaped with all the women in the village, and it was during the night. Not only that, but before they left, they had beaten their men.
This was a complete humiliation for the men in the village.
From the moment they were born, they had never been hit by a woman.
If it hadn't been for the traps set on the mountain, these women would have truly escaped.
So, after catching them, the first thing they did was to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys. The village chief could not escape responsibility, so he had to hand over his wife.
Others who were caught only had a leg broken. The village chief's wife not only had her leg broken but also had her tongue ripped out, and a long needle was inserted directly into her ear, stirred a few times inside to ensure her eardrum was ruptured.
This punishment was carried out in front of everyone. The men of the village watched with excitement, some even wanting to take action themselves.
The women who had escaped were forced to watch. The visual impact was too strong, so they no longer dared to think about escaping.
The village chief's recollection was suddenly interrupted by applause from below. The ritual had been completed.
Next, all the women would be locked in the village chief's house. During the day, those who married brides would prepare the feast. The villagers, holding bowls, could eat at any house they pleased, depending on how well the family treated them in the past.
The women were taken back to the Wang family by Wang Shunli and Wang Jianye.
Everyone then discovered that the Wang family had a cellar, about ten square meters in size. In the corner, many sweet potatoes and potatoes were stored, and there was an unpleasant smell in the air.
Above the cellar was a wooden board about a meter high, with some cracks through which faint light could penetrate.
Zhu Yilian suddenly let out a cry. She had stepped on something.
Yuanyuan immediately pulled her aside, and then they both stared intently at the ground.
Yuanyuan whispered uncertainly, "This looks like... like... excrement..."
It must be said that Yuanyuan was eloquent for her age. If it had been Ning Wei, she would have told Zhu Yilian directly, "You just stepped in shit."
Zhu Yilian's expression turned as ugly as if she had eaten excrement. She vigorously rubbed her foot on the ground.
"Stop rubbing, there might be urine on the ground too," Ning Wei suddenly said. She wasn't trying to disgust Zhu Yilian, but rather because the sound of her shoes scraping the ground annoyed her.
Hearing this, Zhu Yilian's face turned even darker. She leaned on Yuanyuan and stood in a cleaner spot, constantly rolling her eyes behind Ning Wei's back.
"What should we do now? Once it gets dark, we'll really become someone's wife." Yuanyuan was a little scared. She recalled the way that man looked at her and shivered all over.
"We trusted you and cooperated, so you must guarantee our safety," someone said from the darkness.
Ning Wei found it a bit amusing. Even if she hadn't made any promises, what could these women do on their own to escape?
Ning Wei completely ignored them.
She had already planned everything and was just waiting for the right moment.
There was a latch on the wooden board, so no one was guarding it.
The village chief wasn't afraid of them escaping because his family was also hosting a banquet today, with many people coming and going.
Five tables were set up in the courtyard, and all the food was prepared by the village chief's wife and Wang Jianye's pregnant wife.
Both of them had gotten up before dawn to prepare, and finally completed the five tables of food before the firecrackers were set off.
Village banquets naturally couldn't compare to large hotels. As long as there were soup and dishes, with meat and vegetables, that was enough. The fruits were from the trees in the village.
However, the village chief's house was different. Because Wang Jianye had just returned from outside, he brought a bag of big red apples.
At the dining table, the red apples were cut into small, tempting pieces by the village chief's wife.
Outside, it was incredibly lively. The sounds of children's laughter and adults joking with each other all reached the cellar.
Ning Wei and the others were tired of standing, so they took out some sweet potatoes from the corner and spread them on the ground to use as seats.
"How much longer do we have to wait!" someone said impatiently.
"If you want to leave, just go," Ning Wei replied, also impatient.
"You asked us to trust you, is this how you make us trust you?" the person retorted.
Ning Wei didn't want to bother with this person.
Without Ning Wei's reply, and being locked in there, listening to the vulgar jokes from outside, some people couldn't help but cry.
Some also cursed the male passengers, who could actually bear to watch them being bid on one by one.
Such emotions were easily contagious. So, one by one, people in the cellar began to cry.
Yuanyuan stood next to Ning Wei, looking at her with a wronged expression.
Ning Wei gently patted Yuanyuan's shoulder, her lips moving silently. However, Yuanyuan understood what she meant.
She said, "Trust me."
The families who had come to marry brides had already brought the price or the large pigs to the village chief's house.
Wang Shunli and his brother were preparing to deliver them to each family, door-to-door. They would not be responsible for what happened afterward.
Ning Wei calculated the time, and then there were three knocks on the wooden board. Finally, she smiled.
"In another ten minutes, go wait for me at the village entrance. The male passengers are already waiting for you there," Ning Wei told everyone.
Unfortunately, their emotions were not good at this time.
Since she had said what she needed to say, Ning Wei didn't care if they listened or not.
Ten minutes later, it suddenly became quiet outside, like the deep winter night.
Soon, the sound of footsteps approaching the cellar could be heard. Everyone huddled together, afraid of what was to come.