The General Under the Skirt - Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Qingrong was taken away again, but this time she walked back on her own. Although her walk was a little strange, her face didn’t have the usual almost palpable disgust.
Shen Roujia moved to make room for her. She had been in a bad mood since the child had been taken away. So, she didn’t greet Qingrong with her usual smile or try to distract her from her despair and grief.
She opened her mouth to tell Qingrong a joke, but found that she couldn’t smile. Nevertheless, she curved her lips to Qingrong and said, “The weather seems to be very good today.”
Qingrong nodded.
“Yes, I just came in from outside. The sun is out today, it feels warm on my skin.”
Qingrong smiled as she spoke, which reassured Shen Roujia. She was afraid that Qingrong would eventually be driven mad one day.
“Hey, I’m from the north. The winters there are much colder than here. This sunshine feels so good, it’s like my bones are melting.”
Shen Roujia leaned against the wall, watching Qingrong’s happy recollection of the sun outside, and her own mood lifted slightly. Since she had met Qingrong, she had rarely seen her smile.
Most of the time, she was frowning, a shadow hanging over her face.
The sliver of light coming through the crack in the door fell on them.
Shen Roujia turned to look at her. The light illuminated Qingrong’s face, making it glow. Shen Roujia could even see the fine, downy hair on her skin. Her eyes were crinkled with a smile, and her lips were pursed. Despite the dirt on her face, her skin was pale and delicate, her eyes bright as if they contained stars.
A lotus flower emerging from clear water, naturally beautiful.
Qingrong reached out and caught the ray of light, her palm glowing red. She looked at Shen Roujia with childlike wonder.
“Look! Xiao Jia, I caught the light.”
In the past few months, Shen Roujia felt she had experienced all the highs and lows of life.
Being bestowed with the title of Crown Princess, being punished with confinement for defying her father, the death of Huo Zhao, being dragged onto this very ship – everything she had seen and experienced was misery and cruelty beyond anything she had ever known. A group of people worse than beasts, a life steeped in darkness, parted by death or separation. Whether she survived or not, these things would leave an indelible mark on her life.
Having witnessed such filth, she found Qingrong’s spirit all the more pure. Having endured the most horrific experiences, yet possessing the kindest heart, she offered warmth in the darkest of times.
No one gave Shen Roujia hope, but Qingrong did.
She taught her to have hope for the future, to cling to life.
***
They were told that the next trading point was approaching. There would be another exchange of people.
Shen Roujia now understood what they were doing.
This was something expressly forbidden by Dachang law.
Human trafficking.
Their cargo ship, ostensibly transporting grain, was actually trafficking women from one region to another. These women could be sold to brothels, to wealthy merchants as concubines, or into slavery.
These were the relatively fortunate outcomes.
Many would be sold to remote, isolated mountain villages. They would be trapped for life in these godforsaken places, forced to bear children for the savage men who lived there.
Endless work, endless abuse and endless childbirth.
“Xiao Jia, eat something.”
Qingrong placed a bowl of porridge in front of her and looked at her with a smile. Shen Roujia followed her gaze and saw that today’s porridge was unusually thick, unlike the usual watery gruel. There were even red beans in it, boiled soft and emitting a faint fragrance. Steam rose from the porridge. On top of the soft cooked grains was a spoonful of pickled vegetables.
This was the best food Shen Roujia had seen since he had been on the ship.
Shen Roujia looked up and exclaimed, “Qingrong, how did you get this?”
Qingrong sat down beside her, smoothing her clothes, a slight smile on her lips, and said, “Who do you think I am? All right, eat up.”
She added, “I saved it especially for you.”
Shen Roujia swallowed her saliva and said, “Aren’t you going to eat any?”
Qingrong laughed.
“Silly girl, of course I ate it before I gave it to you. Eat.”
Shen Roujia picked up the bowl, but before she could take a bite, the door was flung open again. This time several men came in. She didn’t know what they would do.
“Get up! All of you, get up!”
Qingrong’s expression changed slightly, then she looked at the bowl in Shen Roujia’s hands.
“Xiao Jia, eat quickly, don’t mind them.”
While talking, those people had already come in, and without saying anything, they roughly pulled up those who were too hungry to stand up, and then pushed them out.
Shen Roujia stood up, her body tensed, watching the men warily. She still held the bowl of porridge in her hands, the warmth radiating from the bowl into her palms.
“Xiao Jia, you won’t be able to eat later, so eat now…”
“Didn’t you hear me? Move!”
Before Qingrong could finish, a man pushed Shen Roujia from behind, causing her to stumble. She almost fell, but managed to hold on to the bowl. But then the man snatched the bowl out of her hand and threw it to the ground. The porridge splattered everywhere and the bowl shattered with a loud crash.
The warm, thick porridge – not a single mouthful had been tasted – spilled out onto the floor, the grains of porridge gleaming faintly in the dim light.
“Xiao Jia!”
Qingrong stared at the spilled porridge, her expression hardening.
They were herded out, beaten if they moved too slowly.
As soon as they were outside, the men tied their hands and feet with ropes so tight that they seemed to cut into their flesh. Some of the women resisted for reasons unknown to Shen Roujia. But resistance was clearly futile and only brought more brutal punishment.
Gags were forced into their mouths, silencing them.
“Get in!”
Many crates were piled up. They were open, and it was hard to imagine that these crates were meant to hold people, but they were.
“Hurry up!”
Shen Roujia didn’t know what these people were up to. But she knew she couldn’t resist, or she would be punished even harder. She was pushed into a small crate. As she entered, she saw Qingrong. She was also bound tightly, her hair disheveled. She stared at Shen Roujia with tears in her eyes.
Shen Roujia, suddenly tied up, panicked. The men continued to push her. She looked up and met Qingrong’s gaze.
Qingrong’s eyes were so bright, so concerned. She couldn’t speak, but Shen Roujia could clearly see the worry and comfort in her eyes. Qingrong nodded reassuringly. She knew that if Qingrong could speak, she would pat her hand and tell her gently, ‘It’s okay, don’t be afraid.’
Both of them were pushed into crates. The lids slammed shut with a bang, plunging them into darkness. Shen Roujia was afraid of the dark. She didn’t know what they were going to do, and the fear of the unknown and the despair of the future began to consume her. But the thought of Qingrong in the crate next to her gave her a strange sense of security.
“Are they all inside?”
“Yes, all of them. Not one is missing.”
Liu Gang spat on the ground and said, “This damned court, what’s there to inspect about a shipment of peanuts?”
Liu Wei glanced at Liu Gang and replied, “All right, hide them well.”
***
The crate Shen Roujia was in was incredibly cramped. Her hands and feet were bound, making her immobile. Staying in one position for too long made her limbs numb, but she couldn’t move much. She could only turn her body with great effort.
Her limbs were stiff. She couldn’t feel the passage of time, the change from day to night. In her daze, she thought of many things. Her former life of luxury seemed like a distant dream, the only reality being the present pain.
The days dragged on with no end in sight, no awakening from this nightmare. If she died like this, it wouldn’t be so bad.
But then Shen Roujia thought she had to live.
There were still so many people in her life worth living for. She had people she loved, and people who loved her. There were so many beautiful things in this world that she hadn’t seen yet. How could she die so easily in this unknown place?
She thought that when she got out, she would give Qingrong the best life possible. She would give her the most expensive jewelry, delicacies, and a home in a place she loved. She would never have to worry about making a living again.
As she drifted in and out of sleep, an unknown amount of time passed.
Finally, a blinding ray of sunlight pierced the darkness. Shen Roujia’s eyes, unaccustomed to the light, squeezed shut. She frowned, slowly adjusting to the brightness.
A man pulled her out and removed the gag from her mouth. Her jaw, stiff from being held open for so long, wouldn’t close. She tried several times before she finally managed to close her mouth. A man held her chin. Shen Roujia didn’t even have the strength to turn her head to get rid of the hand.
“Fuck!” Liu Gang cursed.
Liu Wei pursed his lips and looked at the dazed Shen Roujia with a complicated expression.
“That fucking bitch! Brother, what should we do with this woman now?”
Liu Wei said, “She’s already been sold, what else can we do?”
Shen Roujia finally came to her senses. She looked at the two men anxiously, her shoulders hunched, and asked quietly, “What… what are you going to do?”
Liu Gang looked at Shen Roujia’s face, a lewd expression spreading across his features.
“Since that bitch has made a mistake, why don’t we enjoy this woman ourselves?”
“Brother, look at this face, she’d be amazing. Let’s keep her on the ship for our brothers’ entertainment.”
Liu Wei didn’t reply. He frowned at Shen Roujia. She understood what Liu Gang meant, her face turned pale.
“W-What are you talking about? What do you mean…”
Liu Gang grinned.
“Why are you pretending? What else can I mean?”
Shen Roujia’s chest heaved. She clenched her fists and said, “You dare! If anything happens to me, my father, my brother, they won’t let you get away with it.”
Liu Gang said, “I don’t care who your father is. Are you trying to use your family name to intimidate me? I’m telling you, I don’t care if your family is noble, even if you’re a princess, if I fuck you to death on this ship, who’s going to know?”
“Liu Gang!”
Liu Gang stopped at Liu Wei’s voice. Shen Roujia trembled, thinking that if they tried anything, she would kill herself.
She wanted to live, but not at the cost of her dignity.
“Enough, you’ll die in a woman’s bed sooner or later. Leave her alone, let them out first.”
Shen Roujia felt a surge of relief. Liu Gang looked angry, but he stood up with Liu Wei. Someone untied Shen Roujia. Deep red marks circled her wrists and ankles, but she didn’t care. She scrambled out of the crate and stumbled towards the next one.
“Qingrong, Qingrong!”
She reached the crate, but the person emerging from it wasn’t Qingrong.
This was impossible, she clearly remembered Qingrong being placed here.
No, she had been in the crate for so long, it was possible that they had moved her.
A feeling of panic washed over her.
There were a lot of people around, but she couldn’t find Qingrong.
“Qingrong, Qingrong!”
Shen Roujia grabbed someone at random and asked, “Have you seen Qingrong since we were let out?”
“No.”
“It’s not surprising that you can’t find her. She was probably sent away.”
Sent away?
Shen Roujia loosened her grip on the woman’s sleeve, her face stiffening. Being sent away was a good thing, right? Better than staying on the ship. At least there was a chance of freedom. Staying on the ship would only lead to death.
But without Qingrong, Shen Roujia suddenly felt lost, unsure how to face what lay ahead.
“Looking for someone?”
A man’s voice came from behind. Shen Roujia recognized it and turned around in alarm. Liu Gang was standing there, holding a rope and grinning maliciously at her.
“You mean that woman? She was sent away yesterday.”
Before Shen Roujia could speak, he continued, “The family she was sent to is very wealthy, a rich family by the river. She’ll be a servant there, fed and clothed. The master is an old man on his deathbed, but he’s incredibly lecherous. If she plays her cards right, she can seduce him and inherit a small fortune when he dies.”
“That’s the best outcome anyone’s had on this whole trip.”
Shen Roujia felt there was something wrong with Liu Gang’s tone, but she was happy for Qingrong.
Even though it wasn’t ideal to become the concubine of a dying man, Shen Roujia knew it was better than being with several men. At least Qingrong wouldn’t have to worry about being beaten, abused or starved.
“Are… are you telling the truth?”
Liu Gang said, “Why would I lie? But…”
He looked into Shen Roujia’s eyes and continued, “That happiness was meant for you. She secretly swapped places with you.”