The time of the two teas slowly passed in the conversation between Bai Ling and Lao Xu.

Lao Xu, who was lying on the ground, changed his expression from resignation to disbelief - the expected explosion did not happen.

No matter how long the lead outside was laid, it didn't burn for so long, and it didn't burn to where it should be.

…… Did Mu Cheng succeed?

Lao Xu struggled to get up, and the third child on the other side kept screaming, trying to break free from the knots that Bai Ling had tied.

Bai Ling dragged the third child with both hands, pulled him to a corner of the storeroom, and tied him to the wooden box.

Then she did the same, removed the hemp rope from the wooden box, and trapped Lao Xu in the corner of the warehouse.

"I suggest you don't move." Bai Ling said while tying the knot, "Whether you want to run by yourself or the third child runs with you, you will probably die here first due to excessive blood loss." ”

Lao Xu laughed with a complicated expression.

"Of course, when the government comes tomorrow, it is estimated that the lives of the two of you will not be saved." Bai Ling patted his right shoulder lightly, "Let's do it for ourselves." ”

"Wait......" Seeing Bai Ling get up to leave, Lao Xu suddenly shouted, "You three...... Who the hell is it? ”

Bai Ling glanced back, "The two of them don't know, I'm a cloth cloth anyway, a flat-headed people." ”

Following the crack in the door that Mu Cheng had slammed into earlier, Bai Ling jumped out.

……

In the faint light of the morning light, the three of them walked together on the bare rock of the ridge—Li Yiru was still lying on Bai Ling's back with a pale face.

"There's a tree in front of us, shall we go and rest?" Mu Cheng proposed, "I still have the last bit of dry food on me, let's divide it." ”

"Let's go." Bai Ling nodded in reply.

The three of them quickly sat down, and Mu Cheng broke the dry food in his hand - each piece of dry food was printed with his black fingerprints, but Li Yiru and Bai Ling still took it as usual and chewed it heavily.

After a fight last night, Mu Cheng and Bai Ling's faces were covered with ash, only Li Yiru was still as white as before, but he was also coughing constantly.

"How did you come up with the idea last night?" Mu Cheng looked at Li Yiru.

"Their second child came back with the child first," Li Yiru swallowed the hard dough with difficulty, "and then the person who looked at me asked the second child, 'Why didn't the third child come back together'." ”

Bai Ling smiled, "And then you heard it all?" ”

"Yes, they also deliberately went far away, trying to avoid me," Li Yiru raised his eyebrows slightly, "Then I heard them say that you stayed in the well, as if you were planning to find trouble with Lao Xu, so the third child went down, just in case, ......"

"Thanks to your ears," Mu Cheng leaned against the trunk of the tree a little tiredly, "and for the last moment, if it was just me, I really couldn't find out where the fuse burned." ”

"Shall we report to the police, then?" Li Yiru looked at Mu Cheng.

Mu Cheng's eyes were half-closed, as if he was about to fall asleep, and he whispered, "There is no paper and pen at this time, when we get to the next town-"

"I brought it!" Li Yiru took out a pen from his boot, and then took out a stack of crumpled white paper from his sleeve, "You say, I write?" ”

Mu Cheng and Bai Ling were a little surprised, "You still carry a pen and paper with you?" ”

Li Yiru laughed dryly twice, and then glanced at his hand with some embarrassment, "Yes." ”

"Then Songqing, you say, it's best to write down all the things that Lao Xu told you last night." Mu Cheng closed his eyes, "I can't do it anymore...... I'll sleep for a while. ”

Bai Ling nodded.

"I want to think about ......"

……

"I have something to ask you." In the dim warehouse, Bai Ling squatted down and looked at Lao Xu.

"Looks like I'm going to die here today." Lao Xu covered his wound and sneered, "Ask, you can be regarded as helping me...... I'll let you die too. ”

"You've worked in the well before, Master Xu." Bai Ling asked again.

"Is this important? You always stare at ......" Lao Xu coughed a few times, "Yes, there is coal in Qingzhou, and we have mines in several villages, both public and private." ”

"The children often go down the well with you?"

"Sort of." Lao Xu said softly, "As I said before, there are some places in the well that can't be dug too wide, and the dolls are in the right shape." ”

"You said these children were visiting relatives, is it true?"

"......" Lao Xu coughed and didn't answer immediately.

"I thought it was strange just now, if the adults who were caught here might not survive for five years, then how did those children survive these three years here?" Bai Ling said softly, "Six children, none of them is bad, either they are taken care of here, or they are sensible and know how to avoid danger." ”

Lao Xu's face was a little ugly.

“…… Yes, we sent the children away, but we didn't want to send them here. ”

"How?"

"Previously, it was the yamen of Qingzhou Mansion who posted a notice saying that several official kiln dignitaries in Huizhou who made porcelain. Place...... It happens to be between Qingzhou and Huizhou, and it is ...... away Not far. Lao Xu said softly, "Let's just discuss, send the child to learn a craft, thinking about it...... It's better than staying underground all the time. ”

"Hmm." Bai Ling nodded.

"It's strange to say that notice, we didn't see anything famous at the beginning," Lao Xu said softly, "Don't say that it's a lone seedling in the family, and don't want to have a brother who died of anti-gold...... The conditions are still very ......

"As a result, the dolls were sent here after leaving home, and the government also paid us a sum of money at that time, saying that the car overturned on the road, and several children did not see anyone dead or dead...... "Lao Xu glanced at the third child at the other end of the warehouse, "The third child loves the child, and has been raised at home to go to school, thinking about how to provide a show before coming out, so he didn't go with our children......

"At that time, I was glad that when I came to Huizhou to visit relatives, the doll was gone.

"He just looked for it, and a few of us thought it was strange, so we ran to look for it together." Lao Xu said in a low voice.

"Found it here at last?" Bai Ling asked.

Lao Xu nodded.

"How can you think that it was the hand of someone from the official family?" "Is it possible that they were taken by human traffickers halfway?" ”

Lao Xu sneered, "Tell you...... It's not clear either. ”

“…… Master Xu will talk about it. ”

Lao Xu glanced up at Bai Ling, "We didn't understand it before...... In previous years, when the yamen wanted to do something, where could they keep this hand, the people of the official family directly went to the chiefs of each village to ask for people and food...... Why bother with such twists and turns.

"So are we...... I didn't know it long ago......"

"Why?"

"Because in previous years...... The imperial court issued a death order," Lao Xu smiled, "and said yes...... Local yamen are not allowed to levy additional taxes......"