The little girl suddenly called out "little brother" and seemed to be quite familiar with her. Yang Ning asked curiously: "Do you know me?"
"Hmm...!" The little girl nodded excitedly: "I know, I know, Sister Xiaodie told me about you, she said... She said you are her only relative, little... Little brother, why are you here? Already?"
Yang Ning raised a finger to her mouth, signaling everyone not to make too much noise. The girls all nodded obediently, and then Yang Ning came closer and asked, "Why are you all locked up here?"
The girls looked at each other, and the older girl said: "I... my name is Xiu'er, we... we were all tricked into coming here."
"Being cheated?" Yang Ning was startled.
"My parents and I fled to this city a few months ago. A man came to us and told my parents that they could let me be a maid, taking care of food and housing, and I could also get two coins a month." Xiu'er said lowly Sheng explained: "We couldn't live anymore, so we didn't refuse. The man took me to another courtyard first. When I arrived, there were already several sisters like me inside, and they waited there for two or three days. , one night we were called into a carriage, and then... then we came here. Since then, we have never been out again, and my parents don't know I am here. "
"I see." Yang Ning frowned and asked, "Do you know why they brought you here?"
The little girls all shook their heads in confusion, Xiu'er said: "After we got here, someone started to teach us how to practice folk music. We were not allowed to do other things, and we were not allowed to ask any more questions. If we practiced well, we would be treated better. , if you don't practice well, you won't be able to eat, and you will be whipped...!" At this point, his eye circles were already red, and his voice was lower: "I heard that someone was... beaten to death because he failed to practice well. "
"So, Xiaodie is also singing and practicing dance with you?" Yang Ning frowned and asked in a low voice.
Xiu'er nodded and said: "Xiaodie came earlier than us. When we came, their group had already practiced very well." After a pause, she lowered her voice and said: "I heard that practicing dance is the best. Okay, you can go to the kitchen to do some work in the evening."
"kitchen?"
"Well, Madam sometimes needs to eat at night, so sometimes she leaves two people in the kitchen to serve her at any time." Xiu'er said, "Xiaodie is a good dancer, so sometimes she can go to the kitchen."
Yang Ning felt relieved, thinking that if Xiaodie could sneak out of the house, she probably took advantage of the opportunity to work in the kitchen, but that would be quite risky.
"Then Xiaodie is also in the kitchen tonight?"
Xiu'er shook her head and said: "In the past, even if they were in the kitchen at night, we could still see them during the day, but this time I haven't seen them for many days. Maybe... maybe they have left."
"Gone?" Yang Ning frowned and said, "You mean they are not in this house? Yes, who are they you are talking about?"
Xiu'er thought for a moment and then said softly: "I heard them talk about it before. Many people came and went in this house. If they came and went, if they learned to sing and dance, they would be sent away. And no one would be allowed to leave here." I can't find them anymore. Xiaodie... Xiaodie and the others came early and have been learning singing and dancing for a long time. They haven't been seen for several days, so... So I guess they have been sent away."
When Yang Ning heard this, his heart sank and his eyes grew cold.
He pondered for a moment, then asked softly: "How many people are here?"
Xiu'er immediately said: "There were originally about twenty people, but today...!" He looked at the girls beside him and said, "Four more have been sent today, there should be more than thirty."
Yang Ning nodded slightly, thinking that this number matched the number that Mrs. Hua said before, and lowered her voice: "If you leave here, maybe you can find your parents?"
"Leave here?" Xiu'er's eyes showed joy, "You...you mean we can leave here?" The other girls also showed joy and excitement. At this time, they no longer had any fear of Yang Ning, but felt It was a savior sent by God, and everyone couldn't help but gather around him.
Yang Ning whispered: "If you want to leave here, you must first find out how many thugs there are in this house. Do you know?"
The girls looked at each other, and Xiu'er said: "I've seen four or five different ones, all of them fierce. But I know that there are two people guarding the main entrance of the house day and night. They... they still have knives in their hands." .”
Yang Ning thought for a moment, then handed the bunch of keys to Xiu'er and said softly: "These are the keys to several houses. Please prepare them first. Don't make too much noise. I don't have them." Don’t act rashly before I come back, and I will take you away after I come back.”
"Then... how do you take us out of the house?" Xiu'er asked worriedly: "There are people guarding the gate. They have knives in their hands, and we can't get out."
Yang Ning secretly thought that they didn't know there was a hole under the wall of the back garden, and they didn't tell it immediately. After the girl took the key, she quickly went out. First, she took a big knife in her hand and copied the case in the courtyard. He put a wine bag on the case and ran to Lao Xing at the base of the wall. Seeing that he was still unconscious, he poured the wine on his face.
Lao Xing was aroused by the drink and woke up immediately. The back of his head hurt. When he opened his eyes, a masked man appeared in front of him. He was about to shout when he suddenly felt a cold sensation in his throat and heard a cold voice. Said: "Ask a question, tell me something, if you are not honest, I will cut your throat immediately."
After saying that, the blade made a gesture and wiped his throat. Lao Xing shivered all over and said "hmm" twice.
In order to be sure, Yang Ning tore up a piece of linen and covered half of his face. He held a knife to Lao Xing's neck and asked, "Why are so many girls imprisoned here?"
Just as Lao Xing was about to open his mouth, Yang Ning repeated: "I remind you, if you say a wrong word, your throat will be cut immediately."
Lao Xing said: "None of this... none of this was done by me, it was... Boss Xiao... Boss Xiao did it, I... I also did it to make a living, I... I am a catcher under Xiao Boss... !”
Yang Ning was startled and said coldly: "Then the other men in black in the house are all spies?"
Lao Xing said: "We are all agents in the yamen. We obey...obey Boss Xiao's dispatch. Including me in the house, there are a total of six agents here."
Yang Ning took a breath of cold air.
He originally thought that these men in black were just hired thugs, and the government officials involved were nothing more than Xiao Yishui and his cronies, Detective Feng. But now he found out that the real identities of the thugs in the house were all county government officials. The catcher.
The police maintain order in a place and protect the country and the people. Who knew that these people were doing such things behind the scenes.
"Did you trick these girls here?"
With the cold knife at his throat and Yang Ning's stern eyes, Lao Xing became obviously more honest: "Boss Xiao specially arranged for people to find this kind of little girl among the refugees. She must be under... ten years old." He is under five years old and looks good-looking. If he catches his eye, he will use the excuse of hiring a maid to deceive him... If he succeeds, he will stay somewhere else for a few days, and then... then he will come here without anyone noticing...!"
"Then what?"
"Then... then hand it over... to Mrs. Hua to teach them folk arts." Lao Xing said: "When they have some foundation, they can... then they can be sent out."
"Send it out?" What Yang Ning wants to know most is where Xiaodie is going now, "Send it to where?"
Lao Xing said: "Then... then I really don't know... ah, don't... don't do anything, I'll tell you anything...!" He hesitated for a moment, then said with a grimace: "I only know... I only know that when the time comes, Feng Lao Er... Well, he is Agent Feng in the Yamen. He will take people away in a carriage. As far as I know, it is to... to be sent to the capital!"
"Capital City?" Yang Ning was startled and frowned: "You mean Agent Feng personally sent them to the capital city?"
Lao Xing said with a bitter face: "Feng Laoer... As long as Feng Laoer sends people out of the city, someone will pick them up outside the city, and then... Then someone will send them to the capital. I only know this much, and I really don't know the rest. I know. Xiao... Xiao Yishui works carefully and will never let us know too much about things we shouldn't know. Even when he was sent to the capital, it was... Feng Laoer also said it out loud once when he was drunk. "
Yang Ning looked at him, and it didn't look like he was lying. He asked in a deep voice: "How many people did you send to the capital? When did you start doing this dirty thing?"
"Already...it's been two years." Lao Xing didn't dare to move. "After the Battle of Huai River started, many refugees fled. The first ones who came were the rich and nobles, who fled here with gold, silver and jewelry. , and then went south. At that time... At that time, Xiao Yishui began to use the Beggar Gang disciples to keep an eye on the wealthy businessmen and nobles in the city, steal their money, and get a lot of gold and silver. Later, the rich merchants all went south, and the rich There were fewer and fewer Jia, and more and more poor refugees came to the city, so Xiao Yishui began to target those refugees."
"Is this the girls you're talking about?"
Lao Xing said: "Yes, he came up with it all. Since two years ago, no less than two hundred people have been sent to this house one after another, and most of them were later sent away."
"Since you are a police officer, you should keep the people safe. Why do you want to collude with him and do such evil things that cannot be justified by nature?" Yang Ning was shocked when he heard this, his eyes were cold and his voice was cold.
Lao Xing said: "It is because of him that all of us became agents. From the day we became agents, we have been on his ship. If we disobey his orders, not to mention that the whole family will not be able to keep their jobs. I'm afraid he won't even be able to save his life. Xiao Yishui is ruthless, he... He is a head catcher on the surface, but he has friendship with both black and white. There are several groups of bandits in Huize County who have always existed because of their good relationship with him. Those few A bandit leader even became sworn brothers with him...!"
"This is a family of gangsters." Yang Ning sneered, but he knew in his heart that Xiao Yishui not only had backers in the capital, but also weaved a terrifying black network in Huize County.