Chapter 19

The air here was thick and murky, but Yu Jingxuan couldn’t care less. What mattered to him now was that the others hadn’t covered their eyes, and they were clearly planning to leave the city.
The fact they didn’t cover their eyes could mean they were wearing masks, but it seemed unlikely as they were driving, and wearing masks while doing so was impractical.
Moreover, they had already left the city and were heading farther away. On the one hand, it was to make it harder for the police to find them, and on the other hand, it would increase the difficulty and risk of returning them.
The combination of these two issues made it very likely, they probably didn’t intend to leave them alive.
Yu Jingxuan looked at Shui Shui in front of him. Sweat covered her little face, and her bangs were stuck to her forehead, just like when they first met.
At that time, he had thought that she was healthy and would surely have a bright future.
It was him who was dragging her down. If it weren’t for him, Shui Shui would still be at her home, with her parents.
The car seemed to have entered a rough road, causing it to bump and shake. Being tied up like this was incredibly uncomfortable.
Lin Miao struggled, using her body to support her brother so he wouldn’t hit his head from the bumps.
Fortunately, the car stopped soon.
The young master quickly signaled Lin Miao to close her eyes.
He closed his eyes for a moment, then touched Lin Miao’s forehead with his.
Lin Miao quickly copied him and closed her eyes.
Soon, the trunk was opened.
Sunlight and fresh air poured in. Yu Jingxuan was thinking, "Shui Shui, don’t open your eyes halfway."
“They’re still not awake,” a young man’s voice said.
The young master shook his head, signaling that he was awake.
Another young woman found it odd and tore off the tape from the young master’s mouth.
The young master was worried Lin Miao would open her eyes when she was picked up, so he said, “Shui Shui, don’t open your eyes.”
Actually, it wasn’t a big deal. If she opened her eyes, she wouldn’t see anything, but the young master feared she might roll over.
Then he spoke to the group, “Let’s be clear, my sister and I are only eight years old. You want money, we just want to live. Neither of us will look at you or harm you, and my family will pay.”
The young woman smiled, “You really speak well for a rich kid.”
“I’m just telling the truth. You want money, there’s no need to involve two lives. Besides, if my sister and I return alive, my family won’t investigate. They’ll think that if the killer’s not found, then they won’t search any further. But if we’re both dead, it’ll be different. My family only has the two of us kids,” Yu Jingxuan said calmly.
Then they heard the voice of a middle-aged man, “Cover their eyes first.”
Yu Jingxuan knew that part of what he said had gotten through to them.
But they were still in danger. They had likely already left the city. To return them now would be too risky.
They would definitely weigh their options, and so they probably wanted to leave a way out.
Then, they each carried one of them, not sure how far they walked, and changed carriers midway.
Finally, they reached a place and set them down on the ground.
The group was out of breath, and one of them said, “Let’s go, we’re having a meeting.”
They left for the meeting.
Lin Miao thought her brother was amazing. Even though she couldn’t see, she could smell the sweet fragrance of the wild grass.
After coming out, she stopped struggling and obediently tried to make the man she had bitten forget about it.
Both children cooperated well, so no one remembered the bite.
After they left, the young master said, “Shui Shui, don’t be afraid.”
Lin Miao wasn’t as scared anymore; her brother was so capable.
Although she couldn’t see, her hearing had become sharper. She immediately crawled toward her brother’s voice.
She quickly reached him.
At that moment, the door opened again.
A few people walked in.
They took a few pictures of the two children.
Then, they spoke to someone on the other end, “Fifty million. If you give it to us, we’ll release them.”
Mother Yu cried, “We’ll give you the money, just don’t keep them tied up. Xiao Yu is sick and can’t walk; they won’t run.”
The young woman heard this and felt that this woman was quite quick to give money. She immediately felt that their asking price was too low and said, “Add another ten million, and we won’t tie them up. We’re just after the money, no need to hurt them.”
“Fine, you release them, and send me photos,” the mother replied.
One of them quickly untied both children.
Just by untangling them, they had earned ten million!
A total of sixty million, how rich they were! They sent the photos immediately.
Once Lin Miao was untied, her limbs were numb, like they were pricked with needles, but she quickly rushed to her brother’s side.
She anxiously checked his forehead. There was no fever, thankfully.
Since coming outside, she had been worried. Back at the villa, she always felt her brother shouldn’t be exposed to the wind.
The photos were received, and the person on the other end saw the bruises on the children’s wrists and ankles.
“We won’t call the police. The children are more important. How do we give you the money? As long as you keep your word, we won’t report anything once the kids are back.”
“Wait for our message.”
Then the call ended, and the group cheered.
“Sixty million! A whole sixty million!”
Lin Miao and the young master stayed quietly in a corner.
They weren’t blindfolded anymore and could now see four people in total: a young man, a young woman, and two middle-aged men, all with black markings on their faces.
From their looks and voices, they could tell their ages.
“Really two little treasures,” one of them said.
At that moment, someone else ran in. “Sis, I brought Da Huang!”
“Woof woof woof!”
A young man with his face smeared with coal dust came running, pulling a big dog.
The Da Huang dog was very, very thin, but had a slightly swollen belly.
The young man tied the dog outside the house with a long enough leash to ensure the children wouldn’t try to escape. The dog would attack if they did.
It was enough to scare the kids.
Then they said, “Let’s go back and make an alibi.”
The dog kept barking outside.
The young man kicked the barking dog. “Stop barking! If they try to run, you’ll bark!”
The dog whined twice and then went quiet.
They quickly shut the door, and the sound of the lock being turned echoed.
Only then did the two children start talking.
Lin Miao touched her brother’s wrist. It was bruised badly, and she felt heartbroken and almost started crying, “Brother…”
“It’s fine,” the young master stroked her head. They still had to find a way to escape.
These people weren’t very smart, and although they were swayed by his words, it was clear they weren’t the masterminds.
Even though the mastermind behind this hadn’t left any evidence, Yu Jingxuan already had someone in mind.
But why did they want him dead? He didn’t fully understand.
Lin Miao had slowly walked to the door. The house they were kept in was a mud hut, probably abandoned for a long time, as the inside was covered with grass.
The door didn’t look very sturdy, but as soon as Lin Miao got near, the Da Huang dog started barking loudly.
Then a person ran over.
“What are you doing? Don’t even think about escaping! Our Da Huang has killed people before. If you try to run, he’ll bite you to death. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”
The young master quickly stepped forward, pulling Lin Miao behind him. “Can you give us something to eat? My family will want to confirm I’m alive before the transaction. I’m not well, and if I die before the deal, it won’t be good for you either.”
The man cursed, kicked the still-barking dog, and ran off.
Lin Miao and the young master used this chance to see the outside situation.
It was a barren land, covered in dried-up grass.
Lin Miao recognized this as "horse deep grass," commonly cut to feed cattle in their village. When it grew, it was immediately cut.
But this area was far from any settlements.
Lin Miao told her brother about this discovery, and they both sat down on the dry grass inside the hut.
After a long while, the young man returned, bringing a few boiled sweet potatoes and a bottle of water.
The two children were really hungry.
The skins of the sweet potatoes hadn’t been peeled, and they were already cold.
Lin Miao peeled one and said, “This is sweet potato. It’s really good.”
The young master copied her, peeling his own. They both slowly ate.
Seeing how obedient the children were, not crying or making noise, and knowing that they were getting sixty million, the young man said, “I’ll bring more food tomorrow.”
After thinking for a moment, he added, “Don’t run. I’m leaving now. If the dog bites you, I won’t be able to save you.”
Then he left, closing the door behind him.
Lin Miao wasn’t used to eating much at the villa, so her stomach had shrunk. After eating one sweet potato, she was already full.
Outside, the dog kept barking.
Lin Miao looked through a hole in the wall and saw how thin the dog was. It seemed like just skin and bones.
Their village also had a big dog, the village chief’s, who was very fat.
When she came back from school, the dog would always greet her.
Lin Miao took half of her sweet potato and said, “Brother, I want to feed it to the dog. It looks like it hasn’t eaten anything.”
The young master didn’t refuse and nodded.
As soon as they approached the wall, the dog started barking fiercely.
Lin Miao gathered her courage and threw the sweet potato over the wall. Then the two of them quickly backed away, still a little scared of the dog.
The young master comforted her, “Once they get the money, they’ll let us go.”
But the situation didn’t look optimistic. The biggest possibility was that once they got the money, they’d be left here, the dog would never be fed again, and they...
The dog outside stopped barking.
Lin Miao hugged her brother and gently touched his forehead. She was relieved when she didn’t feel any fever.
“Brother, look, I’m making the bed,” Lin Miao said.
She stood up and smiled as she began pulling the dry grass from the corner.
The young master stood up too. There was no point in thinking too much now, they just had to take things step by step!
So, he also began pulling dry grass. The two of them found a spot in the hut where they could make a bed.
Since they were already in this situation, they decided to improve their living environment as much as possible.
They found a place with a hole in the wall and started laying the dry grass. There wasn’t enough grass, but they managed to make a thin layer and felt a sense of accomplishment.
Lin Miao looked through the hole again and stared at the dried grass outside. She really wanted to pull it...