Chapter 2: Adapting to the Situation

She had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been just a few minutes or merely a few seconds.

Mu Mian felt as if her mind had turned into a pot of overcooked paste—thick, hot, and unbearably sticky.

A flood of images surged through her mind, crashing down in waves, making it difficult to distinguish between reality and a dream.

She could vaguely recall that yesterday was the Qingming Festival. She had specifically returned to her hometown to visit her grandparents’ graves and burn offerings.

Since it had been months since her last visit, she naturally chatted for a while with the familiar neighbors she met. Sitting together with a few elderly women, their conversation drifted from her childhood to the elders’ own younger days.

One of the elderly women spoke about a tragic incident from her childhood involving a family in a neighboring village. The family had been one of the wealthiest in the area, but everything fell apart due to a group of human traffickers.

The old woman of the family passed away in grief, the eldest son—who was a soldier—died during a mission, and the devastated parents quit their jobs to search for their missing daughter. After years of searching, they finally learned that their daughter had died long ago.

The story left a heavy weight in everyone’s hearts, stirring deep emotions.

Because of this story, Mu Mian had trouble sleeping that night. She tossed and turned until the middle of the night before finally dozing off.

She had heard countless heartbreaking stories before, some even more tragic than this one. Yet, while she had always felt sympathy in the moment, the feelings would soon pass—after all, it was difficult to truly empathize with suffering she had never personally experienced.

But for some reason, this time was different. The story lingered in her mind, leaving her with a deep, unshakable sorrow, as if a heavy stone was pressing on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

—

Lost in a daze, Mu Mian’s thoughts slowly drifted back to the present. She forced her heavy eyelids open, only to be greeted by a dim, grayish light that made it difficult to tell whether dawn was approaching or night was falling.

Through the hazy glow, the first thing she saw was a crumbling red brick wall.

Mu Mian blinked and instinctively thought, This must be a dream, the kind where your thoughts shape your dreams.

After all, there was no such rundown wall in her home—no house in her entire village was in such poor condition.

The images that had flashed through her mind earlier—the butcher father, the capable mother, the fierce and shrewd grandmother, and the soldier brother—every detail matched the story she had heard the previous day.

Mu Mian blinked again, feeling that this dream was just too realistic. The images in her mind were vivid, playing out frame by frame, as if she had truly lived through them.

But that wasn’t the most important thing right now. What mattered was—why was she still seeing that crumbling red brick wall?

As Mu Mian grew increasingly uneasy, she instinctively reached out to feel for the phone she had placed beside her pillow before sleeping. However, before her hand could move, she suddenly heard a voice behind her—a man’s voice.

The unexpected sound sent a jolt through her, instantly clearing some of the feverish haze clouding her mind. Her half-lidded eyes widened slightly.

It was only then that she noticed—besides the crumbling red brick wall in front of her, there were also two other people lying beside her.

More precisely, two children.

Even though the surroundings were dim, they were close enough that she could make out their figures. One was a boy, the other a girl.

Mu Mian’s pupils contracted slightly. It was only now that she realized—this wasn’t a dream. She had actually transmigrated in her sleep.

Strangely enough, her first reaction wasn’t panic. Instead, she felt an inexplicable sense of peace, as if this was how things were meant to be.

Before she could process the feeling, the voice spoke again, pulling her back to reality.

Mu Mian subtly turned her head toward the source of the sound. About three meters away, near the wall by the window, stood two men—one tall and one short. Beside them was an older woman, her hair wrapped in a cloth.

The dim lighting made it difficult for Mu Mian to see their faces clearly, but judging by their attire, she could tell they were older.

She couldn’t make out their features from her side, but the three adults also hadn’t noticed that one of the children on the broken brick bed had woken up. They continued their conversation, unaware of her presence.

Mu Mian remained still, keeping her original position. In just this short moment of wakefulness, she had already figured out her current situation.

Not only had she transmigrated into the body of an eight-year-old girl, but she had also ended up at the very scene of an abduction. The last memory imprinted in her mind was from yesterday at dusk, on a hillside.

Two little girls had been gathering firewood when they spotted a wild rabbit. Chasing after it, they had unknowingly strayed a bit too far from home.

With no one else around and the rabbit escaping, they decided to head back—only to run into two men. One of them had a limp and claimed they were from a neighboring brigade, unfamiliar with the area.

Having grown up in the countryside, the two girls had no sense of danger and even offered to lead the way.

And then—nothing. They had blacked out before even realizing what had happened.

Mu Mian pressed her lips together.

The current situation was grim—on one side, there were three adults. On their side, just three small children. The little boy with them was likely another child abducted from elsewhere. He was tiny, looking no older than three or four.

The power imbalance was obvious, and to make matters worse, she was burning with fever. Even without touching her forehead, she could feel how scorching hot it was—probably hot enough to cook an egg. Her whole body felt as if she had been stuffed inside a steaming basket.

As Mu Mian forced herself to stay alert and think of a plan, the two men by the window suddenly started arguing. They kept their voices low, perhaps wary of being overheard, or maybe they were just used to caution while committing crimes that could get them shot.

Even though they were whispering, Mu Mian still caught what they were saying.

Earlier, while half-conscious, she had already picked up bits of their conversation. The short man had repeatedly mentioned “waiting for my wife,” which suggested they had another accomplice.

Now, the tall man was grumbling that dawn was approaching and they needed to leave quickly, while the short man stubbornly insisted on waiting. Their argument escalated, with the short man snapping that the tall one was meddling too much—saying he shouldn’t have taken two little girls in the first place.

Mu Mian, one of the abducted girls, listened for a while and finally managed to piece together the situation. This group had their leader caught, which led to them being targeted as well. Now, they were preparing to relocate.

The short man kept mentioning his wife, who had gotten separated from them while they were on the run. For various reasons, she had not been able to keep up with them. However, she knew the rendezvous point, so the short man insisted on waiting for her before moving forward.

The tall man, on the other hand, wanted to leave before dawn, believing it would be safer that way.

As for her and Xu Lele, their abduction was not entirely a spur-of-the-moment decision. Mu Mian vaguely overheard the tall man saying, “Once we get there, we can make the trade. The price isn’t low.”

It seemed that someone had contacted him beforehand, expressing interest in buying a girl.

—

By the window, the two men did not argue for long before the elderly woman sitting there put a stop to it.

As the sky brightened, the short man grew restless. He pushed the door open and went outside, saying he needed to check if his wife had arrived.

The room was in terrible condition. Dust had accumulated thickly along the walls. Mu Mian inhaled some floating dust and was immediately overcome with a fit of coughing.

The next moment, she found herself locking eyes with the elderly woman, who had come over after hearing the noise.

For a brief moment, the air seemed to still.

It was only then that Mu Mian got a clear look at the woman. She had a kind and gentle appearance. If they had met outside, most people would assume she was an easygoing and good-tempered old lady. Who would have thought she was a human trafficker?

Their eyes met for a second before Mu Mian quickly put on an act. She sat up, her face filled with innocence. Blinking her big, confused eyes, she asked in a dazed voice, “Who are you? Why am I here?”

The elderly woman’s wariness eased a little, and she smiled kindly. “Silly child, how did you forget so soon?”

She nodded toward the tall man and continued, “Yesterday, my eldest son ran into you two on the mountain to ask for directions. But instead of leading him the right way, you two wandered off so far that you got exhausted and fell asleep. My eldest and second son had to carry you back.”

Mu Mian put on an expression that seemed to say, ‘it seems to be true, but I can’t quite remember’. She used the moment to glance around the room.

Earlier, she had been lying down and couldn’t see clearly, but now that she was sitting up, everything was in view.

The room was small and resembled an abandoned storage space. In the corners, random junk was piled up, and even the broken kang bed she was lying on had rotting baskets and rusted iron shovels scattered across it. The whole place was a mess.

As for the outside, if her guess was right, this was definitely not a farming brigade. Rural homes rarely used red bricks for construction since they were expensive. Yet, the red brick walls here looked old and worn, suggesting that this place was part of a commune.

What a nightmare of a situation—an unknown abandoned house, an unconscious companion, a gang of traffickers running a small-scale operation, and her own fever.

Mu Mian’s head started aching again, even worse than when she had just woken up. If this fever continued, she was afraid she might end up with brain damage.

Under the watchful, wary gazes of the elderly woman and the tall man, Mu Mian’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears. She sobbed, “Wuwuwu… my head is burning. I feel uncomfortable. I want to go home.”

Her delicate and whiny tone perfectly matched the fragile, pampered image her appearance suggested.

The elderly woman, known as Old Lady Li, had already noticed the girl’s flushed face.

She had never been in favor of bringing along two girls, especially ones this age. They were a burden and a risk.

However, this girl was undeniably beautiful—perhaps even more valuable than a boy. And judging by how slow-witted she seemed, she would be easy to control.

A pretty and obedient child was exactly what buyers preferred. Losing one like this would be a real waste.

Old Lady Li coaxed her gently, “You have a fever. We can’t send you back right now. Let’s wait until you feel better.”

As she spoke, she signaled the tall man.

The next moment, Mu Mian saw him reach into his pocket and pull out a folded paper packet.

He unwrapped it, and Old Lady Li pinched out half a tablet. “Take this. You won’t feel so bad after.”

Mu Mian took a close look. It was a familiar fever medicine, and there were even printed words on it. There was no issue with the medicine itself.

She had gambled on the fact that these traffickers wouldn’t want their goods falling apart.

Children often developed fevers due to fear and shock. If these people had been doing this for a long time, they were bound to keep medicine on hand.

Her bet had paid off.

She really couldn’t afford to let the fever worsen.

The room had no visible water, but Mu Mian didn’t ask for any. Instead, she swallowed the pill dry with her own saliva. She hadn’t forgotten that, in the memories of the elderly ladies in the village, her body’s original owner had died from a fever in a trafficker’s den.

After taking the pill, she put on an aggrieved expression and whined, “It’s so bitter~”

She looked thoroughly spoiled.

The tall man’s face twisted with impatience, while Old Lady Li remained composed. However, her patience seemed to be wearing thin, perhaps because daylight was approaching.

Just then, there was movement from the other side of the room. A drowsy, childlike voice mumbled, “Sister Mianmian, why are you at my house?”

As she spoke, the little girl let out a big yawn, her eyes half-closed and unfocused. Still half-asleep, she leaned against Mu Mian’s shoulder without a care in the world.

It was obvious that this little one had no idea what was happening and was completely out of the loop.

Mu Mian’s peripheral vision caught a flicker of cold malice in Old Lady Li’s eyes, and her heart sank.

This group was in a hurry to move. That meant they would likely drug them again along the way, just like the little boy beside Xu Lele. Who knew how much sedative they had used on him? He was still unconscious.

The fact that she and Xu Lele had woken up so quickly likely meant the two men had run out of strong sedatives at the time.

Mu Mian’s mind raced as she quickly assessed her surroundings, her gaze briefly landing on the broken baskets and rusted iron shovels. She was just about to feign nonchalance and respond to Xu Lele when Old Lady Li spoke first.

“Call Old Two back. We’re leaving.”

The tall man responded with a grunt and limped out of the room, moving surprisingly fast.

Mu Mian withdrew her gaze from the tightly shut door and saw the old woman rummaging through a bundle. It was obvious what she was looking for without even having to think about it.

They were about to be moved elsewhere. Since she was fully awake and Xu Lele was only half-conscious, they had to “fall asleep” appropriately.

Mu Mian clenched her fists tightly, her eyelashes drooping to hide the emotions in her eyes.

Then, she gently pushed the half-drowsy Xu Lele aside. As the old woman pulled out a handkerchief with an unknown substance smeared on it and walked over, Mu Mian suddenly shot up, gripping the thickest stick she could reach. Standing on the broken kang, she swung it at the old woman without hesitation.

The old woman never expected that this seemingly naive and easily deceived girl would suddenly fight back, and with such strength. She was caught completely off guard. A sharp pain exploded in her head, and blood trickled down her forehead.

Mu Mian did not give her a chance to recover. While the old woman was still in shock, she swung again, striking the back of her head.

Just like that, the old woman’s expression twisted in disbelief before she collapsed to the ground.

Seeing the woman fall, Mu Mian let out a sigh of relief. Her memory had not failed her—she was indeed as strong as ever, even stronger than she had been as a child in her past life.

If she took a gamble, there was a good chance they could escape. Either way, she couldn’t just sit around and wait for these traffickers to drug them again.

As Mu Mian was still contemplating how to deal with the two men outside, Xu Lele, who had just fully woken up, was utterly dumbfounded.

The little girl’s eyes widened in shock. “M-Mianmian… Sister…”

There was no time to comfort the child. Mu Mian explained bluntly, “She’s a human trafficker, and so are the two men from yesterday. We were kidnapped by them. Stay here and keep quiet.”

Xu Lele nodded numbly, too frightened to speak.

Mu Mian no longer paid attention to the two children on the kang. Clenching the large wooden stick in her hand, she stepped down, carefully crossing over the unconscious old woman and creeping toward the window.

It was much brighter outside compared to when she had first woken up. Soon, the sky would be fully lit. That was bad for the traffickers but good for her.

Once the sun was up, the streets would be full of people.

For now, she saw no one outside. Through the window, she could only make out a long, narrow alley stretching far into the distance.

In just a brief moment, she caught sight of two familiar figures approaching. The one in front was limping, while a short man followed behind him. There was no third person.

It seemed the short man had not found the “wife” he had been talking about.

Mu Mian pursed her lips and was just about to move toward the door when she saw the short man stop near the wall. He loosened his waistband and began relieving himself against the wall.

Mu Mian: “…”

She wasn’t sure if she would get an eye infection from this, but she did know that this delay worked in her favor.