Chapter 90: Chao Chao’s New Friend

This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.

The carriage rolled grandly out of the Capital City.

Lu Chao Chao huddled in a corner, clutching a small milk bottle, obedient and quiet.

A four-year-old boy, dressed in luxurious clothes, had tears glistening in his eyes as he surveyed the surroundings. “They’re human traffickers. We’ve been kidnapped!” he stammered, his voice trembling and panic unhidden.

Lu Chao Chao stared at him, startled.

“Little Pot Pot, you just realized?” she asked, blinking innocently.

The boy froze. She already knew? Yet, looking at the girl—just a year old—he sniffled. [What would a one-year-old know anyway?]

The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. His tears fell harder.

“There must be an accomplice in the Capital. How else could they smuggle out so many people unnoticed?”

“Father and Mother must be worried sick.”

“My grandfather is the Chief Minister. My family has only had one heir per generation for ten generations. Do you think if I tell them that, they’ll let me go?” he sobbed, showing his pampered upbringing.

Chief Minister?

Lu Chao Chao froze for a moment. Her maternal grandfather, the Grand Tutor, might have been on equal footing with the Chief Minister before his retirement. But now, even though her second uncle was a Second-Rank Official, the gap was vast compared to the Chief Minister.

This boy was truly a top-tier noble, the sole heir of ten generations.

He looked at her, his big eyes brimming with tears. The little girl blinked back and chirped, “Then… they’ll kill you, oh.”

The boy’s tears turned into wails.

“What’s your name?” Chao Chao asked curiously.

“Wahhhh… My name is Yuan Man. You can call me Man Man. Wahhhh… Will we ever escape?” Yuan Man’s crying was heart-wrenching.

Chao Chao guzzled the rest of her milk. When the bottle ran dry, she let out a burp.

The carriage began to jolt more violently, and faintly, the chirping of birds could be heard outside. In the carriage, another girl slowly woke up. As soon as she realized her surroundings, she began crying in terror.

“Where is this? Who are you? Let me go home…”

The girl looked around fifteen or sixteen years old. There were three girls in the carriage, all with stunning looks. Two wore patched clothes, looking quite poor. The other, though dressed as a maid, had an exceptionally delicate face, more like a wealthy young lady.

“Where are we? Let me out!” The girls sobbed in despair. Only the maid shrank into a corner, warily observing the surroundings. When her gaze landed on Chao Chao and Yuan Man, her brows furrowed slightly.

“Crying, crying, crying! What’s there to cry about? You’re lucky we’re taking you to the mountains for a better life!”

“Once you’re on Fufeng Mountain, you’ll eat and drink well. Stop thinking about running away.”

The speaker was a man with a scarred face. His menacing appearance made everyone quiver, suppressing their cries. The women trembled even more, their fear palpable.

While the others cowered, Lu Chao Chao climbed to the window, stretching out her tiny hand. “Milk!”

Scarface looked at her, bewildered. Chao Chao glared back with her wide eyes.

“Me! One-year-old! Drink milk!” she pointed at herself indignantly. [If I’m not drinking milk, what else should I drink?]

The man sighed and took her bottle. Muttering as he left, “Next time, don’t kidnap kids this young. Now we have to make milk on the road?”

A woman’s voice murmured, “But she’s so pretty. We can sell her as a child bride.”

“Fine, make the milk then. At least she’s not crying. Although… she’s a bit odd. Keeps sitting there giggling for no reason…”

Their whispers continued. When they passed through the next town, they bought her a fresh bottle of milk. Chao Chao didn’t mind at all and happily drank away.

While others cried endlessly, she drank nonstop. Squeezing the soft flesh at her waist, she patted her now round belly. Her clothes were getting snug.

…

By nightfall, they were dragged out of the carriage. It had stopped at the foot of a mountain. Only now could they see that the area was surrounded by five or six armed men.

“Up the mountain. Now, move!” the men barked, their expressions tense.

“You left the Capital for half a day, and they’ve already locked it down. Good thing we left quickly.”

“Who knows what happened in the city? They’re searching everywhere.” The group spoke nervously.

“Please, let us go! If you need money, my family can pay!” one girl pleaded on her knees, sobbing.

The towering cliffs of Fufeng Mountain loomed ominously in the dark. Once up, coming down alive seemed impossible.

The men laughed maliciously.

“Ransom?”

“We don’t need money. If we did, we’d just rob someone.”

“What we need are people!”

“Move it! Stop talking, or we’ll chop off your hands and feet and feed you to the bears. This mountain’s full of bears anyway,” Scarface threatened, silencing the group.

The girls’ weeping softened into trembling sobs as they stumbled forward. Yuan Man trailed behind, his feet pierced by thorns and bleeding.

Chao Chao stretched her hands toward Scarface.

He stared at her, stunned.

“Carry me,” she demanded, pouting. She pointed at the grass and then at herself. [I’m not taller than the grass. How can you expect me to climb up? I’m still a baby!]

“Carry her. She can’t walk,” a woman urged. “And pick up that boy too, or we’ll waste more time. The Chief is back at the stronghold tonight. Let’s not keep him waiting.”

With a grumble, a man hoisted Yuan Man onto his back while Scarface carried Chao Chao. The group trudged up the rugged mountain path. The women stumbled repeatedly, crying with each fall. The mountain’s steepness and the distant howls of wolves made their fear unbearable.

“Why are there so many birds tonight?” one woman muttered, swatting at the swarming birds overhead.

Chao Chao occasionally imitated the bird calls. “Friends! My friends!” she chirped, pointing at the birds. “I’m talking to them!”

“I’ve made new friends…” she trailed off, her voice filled with childish joy. Then she mimicked a wolf’s howl, “Awoo! Awoo!” Her soft voice sounded almost cute.

No one took her seriously. [A one-year-old babbling nonsense—isn’t that normal?]

But then…

A wolf’s howl echoed from the other side of the mountain, each cry growing more urgent, gathering momentum. The men’s expressions shifted instantly.

“Hurry up! There’s a wolf pack! Move faster, quick!”

“If you don’t want to be eaten, get moving!” the men yelled, dragging the reluctant women forward. Their pace quickened.

Meanwhile, Chao Chao clung to Scarface’s back, chirping happily, “Awoo! Awoo!”

“Why won’t this wolf pack give up? Just our luck to run into them tonight!” one man cursed.

“And that kid keeps howling. Someone might think she summoned them!” A woman, drenched in sweat, glanced nervously at the persistent cries behind them.

“She’s just a kid. Let her howl if she wants. At least she’s not crying,” another man said dismissively.

No one paid her any more mind. Chao Chao clapped her hands in delight, her eyes sparkling.

“I’ve made new friends…” she giggled. “They’re called Howlies.”

Her grin widened. “They’re so enthusiastic… welcoming me… Oh, such friendly companions!”

Yuan Man glanced at her, then at the pursuing wolf pack. His brows furrowed. [Why does it feel like their howls… match hers? As if they’re responding to her?]

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