Chapter 90: Chao Chao’s New Friends
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
The carriage sped away from the capital city.
Inside, Lu Chao Chao sat in a corner, holding a small milk bottle.
A four-year-old boy, dressed in fine clothes, looked around with tearful eyes, clearly terrified. “They are kidnappers; we’ve been abducted,” he stammered, his voice shaking.
Lu Chao Chao glanced at him, surprised. “Little Brother, you just now realize this?”
The boy was stunned. She had known all along? How could someone so young understand their situation? His fear intensified, and tears streamed down his face.
“There must be someone in the capital who helped them. How could such a large group kidnap us without any noise?” he continued, his voice filled with innocence. “My father and mother must be so worried. My grandfather is the prime minister. Do you think they will let me go if I tell them this?”
Prime minister? Lu Chao Chao was momentarily startled. Her maternal grandfather was a royal tutor, similar in significance to a prime minister before he retired. Since his retirement, her family’s influence had waned compared to the prime minister’s family, which had ten generations of prominence.
Lu Chao Chao watched as the boy looked at her uncertainly. “Then… they might kill you.”
His tears flowed even more.
“What’s your name?” Lu Chao Chao asked.
Through sobs, he answered, “My name is Yuan Man, but you can call me Man Man. Do you think we can ever escape?”
As the carriage journeyed on, other voices emerged from outside.
A girl suddenly awoke, alarmed. “Where is this? Who are you? Let me go back…” She appeared to be around fifteen or sixteen, one of three women in the carriage, all notably beautiful.
Two of the women wore patched clothing, indicating their poverty.
Another girl, though dressed as a maid, had a delicate appearance suggesting she came from a wealthy background.
“Where is this? Let me out,” the women pleaded, the maid-like girl retreating into a corner, cautiously observing her surroundings.
Noticing Lu Chao Chao and Yuan Man, she furrowed her brow slightly.
“Why cry? I’m taking you all to the mountains to enjoy good fortune! Once we reach Fufeng Mountain, you’ll have plenty to eat and drink. Consider it your luck. Don’t even think about escaping,” a menacing man said, silencing everyone.
The tension was palpable; everyone drew back in fear.
Meanwhile, Lu Chao Chao crawled to the window, holding up her empty milk bottle. “Milk!”
The scarred-faced man stared at her, then sighed. “Wah! One year old, milk!” she said, pointing at herself, clearly indicating she was just a baby.
The man reluctantly took the bottle, grumbling, “Next time, don’t kidnap such a small child. Having to fetch milk on the road!”
A woman whispered, “She’s pretty, could be sold as a child bride.”
“Getting milk is alright; at least she doesn’t cry. Seems her mind isn’t fully there, just sits there and giggles stupidly…” The two muttered as they passed through the next town and fetched another bottle of milk for Lu Chao Chao.
Unperturbed, Lu Chao Chao eagerly drank. While others cried and wailed, she contentedly drank. She noticed her clothes had become smaller.
Deep into the night, they were ushered out of the carriage at the foot of the mountain. Only then did they notice the carriage had been followed by four or five men armed with knives.
“Up the mountain, quick, now,” the men urged. “You’ve been away from the capital for half a day, and the city gates are locked. Lucky we left quickly. Who knows what’s happened back in the city; a full-scale search was underway before we left.” The men were visibly shaken.
“Please, let me go. If you want money, let my family gather it, please?” a woman pleaded on her knees, tears streaming.
In the darkness, sheer cliffs loomed ominously.
A few men sneered, “Gather money? We don’t need money. If we did, we’d rob. What we lack are people. Quick, up the mountain! No more words, or we’ll chop off your hands and feet, throw you up there to feed the black bears. Here in Fufeng Mountain, what we have in abundance are black bears.” The scarred-faced man announced, causing everyone to freeze in fear.
The women sobbed and stumbled forward, Yuan Man trailing behind, his feet slightly bloodied by thorns.
Lu Chao Chao reached her hands toward the scarred-faced man. “Carry,” she mumbled with a pout.
She pointed at the bushes, then at herself. He couldn’t expect her to climb, right? She was still a baby.
“Carry her, she can’t walk,” a woman suggested. “Bring that boy too, to save time. The head of the village is returning to the camp today; let’s make him happy.”
Another man lifted Yuan Man, and everyone marched up the rugged mountain path. During the ascent, the women cried almost continuously, frightened by occasional wolf howls.
“Why are there so many birds tonight?” a woman waved her hand at the constant bird encounters.
“Friend, my friend…” Lu Chao Chao pointed at the small birds while imitating a bird call.
“I’m talking to them…”
“I’ve made new friends again…”
“Awooo awoo…” she howled softly, her voice milky and adorable.
But no one took her seriously.
A one-year-old child babbling nonsense, isn’t that normal?
Little did they know… On the other side of the mountain, a responding howl came, each one more urgent, seemingly gathering more wolves.
Everyone’s expressions suddenly changed.
“Quick, quick, there’s a wolf pack! Hurry, move!”
“If you don’t want to walk, feed yourself to the wolves!” With these words, even the reluctant women quickened their pace.
Lu Chao Chao lay on the man’s back: “Awooo awoo… Awooo awoo…”
“Why is this wolf pack so relentless? Bad luck to run into a wolf pack!” The man carrying Chao Chao complained, sweating.
“This little one keeps howling, you’d think she called them here!” The woman, sweating profusely, kept looking back to determine the wolves’ position.
“Just a child making noise, ignore her, as long as she’s not crying.” Everyone ignored her after another said.
Lu Chao Chao clapped her little hands, excited, eyes sparkling. [I’ve made new friends! They’re so welcoming; it’s like they’re here to greet me. They are such enthusiastic buddies. It’s really fun. Fufeng Mountain is really fun. I’ll definitely make friends with everyone!]
Yuan Man glanced at her, then at the wolf pack. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the wolves were responding to her, almost deliberately!
Lu Chao Chao isn’t in danger, SHE IS THE DANGER!! xD
Lu Chao Chao has always been the danger to those who opposes her, from her father to old madam, her half sister Jing yao