Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 426 - 424: The Sinful Tile Hut

In a tile-roofed house tucked away at the end of an alley, seven or eight children, ranging from four to six years old, were curled up.

Zooming out, one could see there were a total of six such tile-roofed houses in this dilapidated courtyard, all devoid of windows and light, covered with oil tiles that barely let in any light.

The children inside lay haphazardly, with occasional cat-like moans and sounds of bodies shifting.

Little Qingyu slowly woke up, her surroundings were very dim, and she immediately called out in her childish voice, "Mother, mother?"

However, that familiar voice that usually calmed her did not respond, and instead, another childlike voice replied, "Your mother isn’t here."

In the darkness, little Qingyu struggled on the mat and realized she was tied up, the burning pain at the back of her neck reminding her of the attack she had suffered earlier.

The events before she passed out gradually resurfaced in her mind, and little Qingyu remembered.

Today, she was playing hide-and-seek with her newly acquainted friends in the workshop, hiding behind a large water jar in the corner.

To avoid being discovered, she had sent away her animal companions so they wouldn’t reveal her location.

But just after hiding, an older boy found her. He put a finger to his lips, saying he saw a beached big fish at the seaside and asked her to help save it.

"Why save the fish? Isn’t fish something we catch to eat? Mother loves seafood," little Qingyu thought the boy was silly. If a fish got stranded on the beach during low tide, why not quickly bring it home to cook!

At Lin Family Manor, catching fish during tidal retreats was the most exciting, fish were a big catch, very valuable!

Hearing little Qingyu’s words, the person’s face stiffened, and he pointed ahead saying her maid Rongrong had already gone to catch the fish, wouldn’t she want to help?

Little Qingyu stretched her neck and indeed saw Rongrong heading towards the sea.

A child shouldn’t go to the seaside alone, her mother reminded her daily, so Rongrong was wrong to do so.

Little Qingyu decided to call Rongrong back, but just as she was about to shout, the strange older boy covered her mouth, mysteriously said they were now playing a game where no one could make a sound.

Something’s not right, this older boy is very suspicious.

Though little Qingyu was young, she wasn’t dumb. She immediately sensed the danger and was about to push the stranger’s hand away to call for help.

Realizing something was off with her, the person swiftly changed tactics, resorting to force when coaxing failed, knocking little Qingyu unconscious. The next she knew, she found herself here, tied up.

Memories from last year popped up in little Qingyu’s mind, she seemed to have been tied up like this by an old woman before. But she couldn’t recall the details.

"Where is this place?" Little Qingyu’s eyes gradually adjusted to the dim light, seeing the scene inside the house.

There were six other children, like her, tied up. Some wore tattered clothes, some didn’t have clothes at all, and her little follower Rongrong wasn’t here.

The girl who had spoken earlier continued, "This is where kidnappers raise children."

Little Qingyu gazed at the speaking child, although tied too, there wasn’t a trace of fear on her face, just sharp eyes staring at little Qingyu’s luxurious silk dress.

"You must be a landlord’s daughter, noble ones like you usually travel with a host of maids, how did you get kidnapped?"

Little Qingyu didn’t answer her question, instead, she asked, "You don’t seem afraid, why?"

Most children here were either still asleep or sobbing, but little Qingyu and the girl speaking to her were exceptions.

The little girl snorted at Qingyu’s question, "Why be afraid? I have no family, I survive on begging. If not caught by the kidnappers, I’d have been taken by the beggar bosses in town sooner or later. I’d rather be caught by the kidnappers, at least there’s a meal."

Little Qingyu was silent for a moment, sighing, "My mother told me kidnappers break children’s limbs, leave them on the street to beg. What should I do? I don’t want to lose my limbs."

The girl was startled by little Qingyu’s words, pausing before she replied, "Nonsense, broken limbs aren’t worth anything, how would they sell us later? And begging doesn’t earn much, everyone’s poor, who gives money to beggars daily?"

This question stumped little Qingyu; she didn’t know either.

Her mother always warned her not to wander alone in town, as kidnappers might be around. She said kidnappers loved to break children’s limbs and gouge their eyes for others. If they cried or made noise, their tongues would be cut out. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

So when she woke up tied, she resisted crying.

"My mother is amazing, she will definitely come to save me."

"Hah—" The girl snorted again, rolling her eyes, "I’ve begged in town for half a year, never seen a missing child return."

Little Qingyu didn’t argue, there was no need, she firmly believed her mother would come to save her. Her mother could do anything.

Just then, a shadow slipped through the tightly closed but drafty doorway, letting out a short meow.

Little Qingyu’s eyes lit up immediately with joy, exclaiming, "Kitty! You followed me here too!"

This wild mountain cat was a tabby frequently sneaking into little Qingyu’s animal troupe for food.

Little Qingyu was very laid-back about her animals, with no intention of tying them down. Except for the little red horse and big white goose, which were often confined by Ajing, Ran Xiang, and Mo Xiang because they were too troublesome, the other animals had plenty of free time.

She even had a giant sea turtle that occasionally crawled ashore from the sea to play with her.

And even more animals sneaked down from the mountain to play with her; little monkeys, silly deers, and squirrels, so many.

The wild cat in front of her was one of the animals from the mountain that came to little Qingyu, lingering around Lin Family Manor’s back mountain because it often got fed.

"Kitty, come quickly and bite off the hemp rope on my hands, it’s hurting me so much!" Seeing the wild cat felt like seeing a family member, little Qingyu flipped over to expose her hands tied behind her.

The wild cat seemed to understand little Qingyu’s words, as it stepped forward and cautiously pawed at the hemp rope.