The journey in the previous world had ended, and a new one began. As soon as she arrived in this world, she found her hands and feet bound.
She quickly surveyed her surroundings. All she could see was dirt. The room had only a small window and a thatched roof, clearly indicating extreme poverty.
With no one around, she quickly absorbed the memories and soon understood her predicament.
She meticulously scanned the room but found no sharp objects. She couldn't help but feel anxious. She had arrived at such an inopportune time. Turning her back to the door, she tugged at it with her hands and discovered it was locked from the outside.
She could only slowly hop back to the bed, lie down, and wait patiently.
As dusk approached, she finally heard movement. Wu Caiwei called out through the door, "Mother, could you come here for a moment? I have something to tell you."
Soon, a woman whose face was weathered by hardship stood before her. If one didn't know her age, Wu Caiwei would have thought she was forty or fifty, but in reality, she was only in her early thirties.
"Mother, can you let me out? I'm still so young, I don't want to die." Wu Caiwei looked at her with tear-filled eyes.
"I don't want to part with you either, but you are the bride chosen by the mountain god. If you don't go to the mountain, it will retaliate against us. The villagers are also unwilling; they will bind you and take you there even if you resist. There is no choice." Mother Liu said with some sadness. She was a piece of flesh that had fallen from her own body. Did she want this? It was simply unavoidable.
"Mother, I'm hungry. Can you get me something to eat? I promise I won't run away." Having accepted the original host's memories, she knew that her father and the villagers, fearing her escape, had not given her food all day. This wouldn't do; without food, how could she escape at night?
"But... but your father instructed me not to let you eat your fill." Mother Liu hesitated. Hearing her daughter's soft, gentle voice, she seemed to be transported back to over a decade ago when she was just born, so tiny. Although she was a daughter, she had a way of softening people's hearts.
"I'm starving to death. The thought of dying tonight without having eaten a meal made by my mother's own hands fills me with regret." Wu Caiwei choked back sobs as she spoke.
Seeing her daughter become increasingly distressed, Mother Liu couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with grief. In fact, the Liu family had many suitable girls. The reason they were chosen was not because the old lady was biased, but because she herself was incapable. She couldn't prevent her daughter from going, so why couldn't she at least get her daughter some food?
She wiped away her tears, made up her mind, and said firmly, "Wait here. I'll secretly bring you a bowl once the meal is ready."
"Thank you, Mother. Mother still loves me the most."
After their conversation, Mother Liu hurried back to prepare the meal. Once the laborers returned, if the food wasn't on the table, there would inevitably be a scolding.
It is worth mentioning that the Liu family, after eating their fill, specifically opened the door to look at her. Seeing that she was behaving herself, they nodded in satisfaction.
Taking advantage of their inattention, she flickered and slipped into the room. "Eat quickly."
"My hands are still tied, how can I eat? With so many people at home, I can't possibly escape. My hands are already chafing from the ropes. Mother, please loosen them for me first. You can tie me up again after I've eaten." Wu Caiwei looked at her pleadingly.
Mother Liu hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she did as she was asked. Wu Caiwei then picked up her chopsticks and began to eat slowly, even as she reminded her, "After I'm gone, no one will stand up for Mother anymore. Mother needs to be strong and protect my younger siblings. If life becomes too difficult, find work in the city."
The more Mother Liu listened, the sadder she became, tears streaming down her face. What a good daughter she was, even at this moment, she couldn't let go of her mother.
After eating her fill, Wu Caiwei handed the ropes back to her mother and asked her to tie her up again according to her instructions.
As the moon hung above the treetops, the entire village, carrying torches, arrived at the Liu family's doorstep. Wu Caiwei walked forward, pushed along by the crowd.
They soon reached the edge of the deep mountains. The villagers skillfully tied her to a large tree and then silently departed.
It was pitch black all around, and occasionally the cries of wild beasts could be heard. An ordinary woman would have been terrified into a stupor in such an environment. Armed with the original host's memories, she knew it was all a setup and quietly waited for that person to arrive.
Soon, a figure shrouded entirely in black, wearing a terrifying mask, appeared before her. Wu Caiwei's eyes widened in horror, and she promptly fainted.
The figure deliberately lowered his voice and cautiously called out a few times. Seeing that she remained motionless, he finally felt at ease and untied her ropes.
Wu Caiwei collapsed softly onto the ground. The figure picked her up and walked away. They soon arrived at a wooden house at the foot of the mountain. He set her down and hung a lamp outside the wooden house.
Two people hiding not far away saw the lamp light up and approached, leading a horse-drawn cart.
"What kind of merchandise is this this time? How much do you plan to sell it for?" the other person asked immediately upon seeing him. Although they had done business like this many times before, it always felt unsettling under the cover of darkness.
"This one is even more beautiful than usual. Ten taels, a firm price."
"Ten taels? Are you robbing us? If we had ten taels, we would have waited until now and bought one from a trafficker, wouldn't we? Why do we have to do such wicked things?" The other party was unhappy upon hearing this. They had been shivering in the woods for so long, and now he demanded such a high price. Besides, in their eyes, these were just village girls; how beautiful could they be?
Seeing that they were about to leave, the man quickly called out to them, "Let's talk. We've done business so many times. How could I deceive you? Take a look at the goods first, and then decide if it's worth ten taels. If you truly feel it's not worth it, we can discuss it further."
The two men exchanged glances and nodded slightly, then slowly stepped forward. "We've agreed, even if we look, if the price isn't right, we won't take it."
"Yes, yes, I know." The man then led them inside, but upon entering, they were stunned. Where was the person in the house?
Seeing that things were not going well, the two men quickly retreated. No matter how the man tried to detain them, they wouldn't stay.
The middle-aged man hurriedly searched all around. By daylight, there was still no progress. He could only return reluctantly, fearing that any further delay might attract attention.
Hiding at the top of a tree, Wu Caiwei confirmed that he had indeed left before slowly descending. The saying goes, "The most dangerous place is the safest." No one would have thought that she had slept in a large tree next to the small wooden house all night.
Of course, it also helped that it was only early autumn, the leaves had just begun to fall, and the branches were lush and leafy, completely concealing her. It was dark, so she managed to get away with it for a while.
She quickly followed the path, asking for directions as she walked, heading towards the prefectural city.
Passing by a relatively prosperous village, she stole a set of men's clothing and went to a cloth shop to apply for a job.