Raising Orphans, Not Assassins

Vol. 1 - Ch. 5 - Cage

Bang~

Chen Da Ming felt himself being thrown heavily onto the ground. He opened his eyes and found himself lying on the floor, surrounded by five or six other children about his age.

Clang~

The sound of chains echoed.

Chen Da Ming looked in the direction of the sound.

A man with a plain face and a sinister look in his eyes stood outside the wooden fence gate, looping a chain around it several times to lock it.

The man noticed Chen Da Ming's gaze and glared at him fiercely.

After noticing Da Ming's blank expression, he exclaimed, "Why is there a fool here?"

"Hmm... I didn't notice when I caught him."

The man pondered for a moment, then shrugged it off, turning to shout, "Apply acupuncture to the mute points every two hours."

"Remember to give him some water to drink. Don't let him die. Huang, make sure nobody dies."

"Got it... hic..."

Inside the room, a disheveled man sprawled on a table, holding a chicken bone in his hand. Beside him were four or five wine jars, his face flushed and greasy from eating.

The sinister-eyed man covered his nose, looking at the disheveled man with disdain.

The children had to relieve themselves in the room, and he couldn't imagine how anyone could eat amidst the stench. He didn't linger, pushing the door open to leave.

The room was left with a group of children and the disheveled man, separated by a wooden fence gate.

Chen Da Ming stood up and saw a boy in a yellow short-sleeved shirt next to him. The boy opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.

The only noise in the room was the sound of the disheveled man gnawing on the chicken bone. Occasionally, the man would pick up a wine jar and take a big gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Chen Da Ming stood dumbly, then suddenly remembered the thing he was supposed to give to his dad.

He looked down to see a pink fan in his hand. Seeing that the fan was still there, Da Ming smiled with joy and quickly tucked it into his shirt. Once the fan was safely inside, he patted it through his clothes and smiled foolishly.

Dad said we could talk about this when we had money.

He thought his dad would be very happy when he gave it to him.

Da Ming, with his simple thoughts, found a spot against the wall to sit down, staring blankly at the ground, waiting for his dad to come and get him.

He didn't notice a little girl in a green dress with a face smeared with dirt watching him for a long time.

Xiao Lian took her gaze off the two new children, her eyes dimming. She buried her dirt-smeared face in her knees, feeling utterly hopeless.

Would she be sold to a brothel?

The thought made Xiao Lian's body tremble and her limbs go cold. Despair filled her heart.

Mother, if they sell me to a brothel, I will come to join you...

Xiao Lian gripped her dress tightly, the veins standing out on her pale hands, filled with resolve. The other children sat on the floor, eyes red and swollen from crying. Some tried to touch the wooden fence, but a chicken bone would fly at them, hitting their fingers and making them cry silently.

After a few tries, no one dared to touch the fence again.

The disheveled man finished his wine and looked drunkenly at the children, yawning. He stumbled to the bed and collapsed, snoring loudly.

Seeing this, a glimmer of hope sparked in Xiao Lian's eyes.

A chance!

If she could get the key, she could escape.

She glanced around the room, her hope fading as quickly as it came. The key hung from the man's waist, impossible to reach.

Unwilling, Xiao Lian bit her lip, her eyes losing their light.

Most of the children had cried themselves to sleep, their eyes swollen. Only Chen Da Ming sat there, staring blankly at the ground.

Suddenly, he stood up and walked to the wooden gate, banging on it with all his might.

The room filled with the clanging of iron chains. The children woke up in shock, realizing they were still trapped, and started crying silently again. The drunken man snored loudly, oblivious to the noise.

Da Ming's dumb face showed anxiety as he kept banging on the wooden fence.

Why hasn't dad come to get me?

In Da Ming's mind suddenly came a frightening possibility – could it be that Dad doesn't want me anymore?

With this thought, tears welled up in Da Ming's eyes. His grip tightened, exerting more force, his mouth open wide as if to call out for Dad, but no sound came out.

Beside him, Xiao Lian, who had been lowering her head, was drawn to Da Ming's movements. She lifted her head, her face filled with astonishment as she watched Da Ming.

With each hit, she noticed, the wooden fence trembled slightly.

‘This fool has quite the strength.’ Xiao Lian thought to herself.

After observing for a moment, she lowered her head again, trying to think of a way out.

Seeing no one coming to let him out, Chen Da Ming became even more anxious. He grabbed the wooden bars of the gate and shook them with all his might.

The gate shook but remained firm.

Da Ming's eyes grew redder, as if blood could drip from them. He took a few steps back and rammed into the gate with all his strength.

Bang!

The sound was so loud that the drunken man on the bed furrowed his brows, turned over, and continued sleeping.

The loud noise drew the attention of the other children. They all looked up, watching the fool bang against the gate. Xiao Lian looked up too, her eyes dull.

Suddenly, she noticed that one of the wooden bars was bending!

How is that possible?

Xiao Lian's eyes widened in disbelief. She looked at Chen Da Ming. This fool seemed younger than her, yet his strength was incredible.

Da Ming panted heavily, his eyes bloodshot. He rammed into the gate several more times.

One of the wooden bars bent more and more under the children's astonished gazes.

Finally,.

Kachak~

A loud snap echoed.

A wooden bar as thick as a bowl broke in half, and Da Ming crashed through, falling to the ground.

The other children stared at the broken bar in disbelief. Xiao Lian was stunned for a few seconds but quickly reacted, her face lighting up with joy.

A bar as thick as a bowl was really broken by this fool! Great, this is our chance, we can escape!

The gap between the bars was small, but with one bar broken, it was just enough for a child to squeeze through.

Xiao Lian glanced at the drunken man, who was still snoring, and suppressed her excitement. She gestured for the children to stay quiet and then led them through the broken gate to the other side of the room.

The children were overjoyed, some of them sobbing silently, wanting to shout but unable to.

Xiao Lian urged them to stay quiet. She cautiously walked to the door, pushed it open, and peeked outside.

It was a normal courtyard, and no one was around.

Xiao Lian breathed a sigh of relief and signaled the children to follow her one by one. Da Ming, having gotten up from the ground, his eyes bloodshot, wanted to follow the other children and find Chen Ye.

Xiao Lian's eyes flickered with an idea, and she grabbed Da Ming.

Da Ming was puzzled, not understanding why this girl was holding him back. Xiao Lian pointed to the back window, signaling Da Ming to follow her there.

Da Ming stood there dumbly, looking at the door, then the back window, confused.

Xiao Lian opened the back window, seeing it led directly to the backyard. She breathed a sigh of relief.

She turned to see Da Ming still standing there, and couldn't help but twitch her mouth in frustration.

This fool!

She dragged Da Ming to the back window. As they moved, she noticed several unopened wine jars under the table.

A cold glint flashed in her eyes.

She pushed Da Ming to the back window, opened one of the wine jars, and poured the liquid all over the room.

Then, Xiao Lian took out a pair of firestones from her pocket, lit the oil lamp on the table, and prepared to set the bed on fire.

As she moved, she noticed a book with a purple cover sticking out of the disheveled man's clothes. She carefully pulled it out.

The cover read “Jin Hua Zhi (Amazing Finger Techniques).” {ED: That’s what she said.}

No time to think, Xiao Lian stuffed the book into her own pocket, walked to the back window, and threw the lit oil lamp onto the bed.

The oil from the lamp spilled out, and the flames ignited.

Instantly, the bed was engulfed in flames.

Xiao Lian looked back, seeing Da Ming still standing at the window, and felt a surge of anger.

This fool!

She pulled Da Ming and jumped out of the back window.