In the living room, Chen Jie sat in the main seat, while Su Yunjin was getting accustomed to her role as the lady of the household.
Beside Chen Jie sat Zhou Chu, and behind him stood Chen Xiaohu.
Not far away, little Su Yunrui was running all around the room, looking here and there. It was her first time seeing such a big house; there were dozens of rooms, and even a pond in the courtyard. *How wealthy must they be!*
She was born into a humble family. Although her father was a scholar, they weren’t wealthy, and after her father’s death, she followed her elder sister into the Chen family.
At that time, the Chen family lived in a brick-tiled house, and she thought Chen Jie was already very wealthy.
But now, seeing such a big courtyard, she felt like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden: *Everything seemed new and strange, so she was very curious.*
Chen Jie let her be, and even though Su Yunjin wanted to scold her, the little girl dashed out happily as soon as she saw her brother-in-law indulging her.
She even wanted to find a net to catch fish in the pond.
Chen Jie couldn’t let her go to the pond alone, so he sent a clever servant to specifically watch over Daisy.
As Daisy ran ahead, the servant kept chasing behind, shouting, "Oh, miss, slow down, slow down... this old woman can’t keep up with you."
Her voice was loud, partly because she was genuinely exhausted by keeping up with Daisy, and partly to earn some favor, letting the Chen family see her effort and leave a good impression.
Meanwhile, in the room, Chen Jie and Zhou Chu called the young girl they had noticed among the maids earlier to come forward.
The young girl came forward and bowed to Chen Jie and Su Yunjin.
Chen Jie gave Zhou Chu a look, and Zhou Chu carefully examined the young girl, while Xiaohu also looked on.
After a while, Zhou Chu said, "Yin Hongmei."
The young girl looked up at Zhou Chu and smiled as she spoke, "Mr. Zhou!"
"It’s really you! Why have you sold yourself into servitude?"
Zhou Chu couldn’t help but ask.
*Who was this Yin Hongmei, and why did Zhou Chu, Chen Jie, and Xiaohu all recognize her?*
*Do you all remember recently when Ruirui went missing, and Chen Jie and his group followed the clues to the child-trafficking den run by Golden Saber Feng San’s brother, Feng Si?*
Inside, there was a group of children with broken arms and legs, stripped naked and kept in cages like dogs.
After Chen Jie’s group stormed in, a little girl locked in a cage informed Zhou Chu and Chen Jie about Ruirui being taken away.
And that little girl was Yin Hongmei.
Later, that group of children was brought out by Zhou Chu. Peng Shizhong ordered notices to be posted in Mianshui County, asking their parents to claim them. If no one claimed them, they would be cared for under the White Tiger Hall, with the hall providing aid.
If any relatives wished to take them in, travel expenses would be provided.
No one expected Yin Hongmei to end up at the Chen Residence, selling herself into servitude.
When Yin Hongmei heard Zhou Chu’s question, she replied, "My parents died a long time ago. I used to stay with my aunt, and my uncle liked me well enough, but after I was kidnapped, my aunt’s family moved away, and I had no one left."
"With no means of living, I decided to sell myself, thinking of finding a household to settle in."
Zhou Chu responded, "Don’t you have any other relatives?"
Yin Hongmei said, "How could I have any? I have no property, no looks, and I eat a lot. Who would want to take me in without treating me like a jinx? It’s better to sell myself into servitude. If I don’t do well, at worst, I could get beaten to death by the masters—no big deal."
As Yin Hongmei spoke, everyone looked at her appearance, and she indeed was not considered attractive.
Ordinary looks, a face full of freckles, not very large eyes—if not for her unattractive appearance, she wouldn’t have ended up in Feng Si’s cage, treated like a dog for over half a year.
Becoming Feng Si’s longest-standing captive that couldn’t be sold.
Xiaohu looked at Yin Hongmei and said, "Even so, you didn’t have to sell yourself into servitude. You could always stay at the White Tiger Hall. Although it couldn’t provide big feasts, it could at least give you two bowls of porridge a day."
Yin Hongmei shook her head, saying, "I have hands and feet. Why should I let others support me?"
This statement left Xiaohu speechless.
Xiaohu then looked at Chen Jie and Zhou Chu, and by this point, Su Yunjin also understood.
*This was a child who had been kidnapped with Ruirui, and thinking about Ruirui’s helplessness on that day, her heart couldn’t help but feel compassion.* *Especially after hearing from Chen Jie about how Feng Si treated people like dogs.*
*Regardless of gender, they were stripped naked and kept in dog cages.*
*How pitiful that was.*
Thinking this, Su Yunjin said, "Alright, alright, stop asking. A child is not a criminal. Do you need to interrogate her ?"
After saying that, Su Yunjin went to Yin Hongmei’s side, took her hand, and looked sincerely at the twelve-year-old girl, saying, "You can stay with me from now on."
"Don’t call me madam, just call me sister."
Su Yunjin tenderly patted Yin Hongmei’s frail body.
Yin Hongmei stepped back and said, "Madam, there should be a distinction between master and servant."
Su Yunjin paused, then sighed, saying, "Fine, let it be so, but you stay with me from now on."
With that, she looked at Chen Jie, asking if she could have her as a personal maid.
Chen Jie pondered for a moment—this twelve-year-old girl who had remained calm and composed after being locked in a dog cage for months did not seem ordinary at all.