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墨書 Inktalez
"Looking for someone?" Zhang Linglong finally came to her senses and said, "Oh, never mind, I'm tired." The words "never mind" slipped out without a hint of hesitation.
Sang Qingxiao listened carefully to her response, suspecting that her nightly outings were not for Chen Xiucai but for the Chastity Tower instead. "Then let's go back," she said.
Sang Qingxiao reached out to support Zhang Linglong, who leaned slightly toward her, making it easier to walk.
When they returned to the Zhang Family, Zhang Butler had long been waiting at the door. Seeing how well Sang Qingxiao and the others took care of his young lady, his expression softened considerably. He politely inquired about their well-being and thoughtfully prepared some late-night snacks for them.
Li Cu returned just before dawn, looking quite upset, her belly noticeably rounder. Sang Qingxiao hugged her and gently rubbed her belly to ease the discomfort.
"Did you go inside?" Li Cu exclaimed, "I'm so furious! Men are all worthless! What do they want by locking women up in that place?!"
If widows can be imprisoned, then what about bachelors? Why is it only women who are confined while men can still take multiple wives after their wives die?
Sang Qingxiao continued to soothe her, "Don't be angry; it's not worth it to ruin your health over them."
"How can I not be angry? Do you know what I've seen? They say the women inside are being taken care of. It's clear they have to take care of themselves!"
"They only send food in every few days. With so many people and so little food, especially in summer when it's hard to store anything, they often end up with spoiled food."
"When I first went in, no one had delivered supplies for several days. There was barely anything left; they diluted it with water and made a thin porridge. The entire high wall reeked of rot—pigs eat better than they do!"
"Even the water is rationed. With so many people living together, at least there should be a well, but there's nothing. Water is delivered only every few days; how much can that provide for so many?"
"I don't know how many days it's been since they've bathed; it's dirtier and smellier than a pigsty."
"And their living conditions—there are only about ten small, dark rooms. Each room crams at least seven or eight people. The buildings are in disrepair; they can only patch up one wall with another. One wall has a huge hole that they covered with torn pieces of their own clothes."
"But what can a cloth wall protect against? As the weather gets colder, many have fallen ill without any medicine; they just have to endure it because no one will call a doctor—doctors are all men."
Sang Qingxiao had already mentally prepared herself for the plight of the women inside the tower, although Li Cu's words confirmed her suspicions. Still, she felt a knot of anxiety in her heart.
Li Cu kept lamenting the poor conditions of the women inside until she finally called out, "Xiaoxiao, I was terrified today."
"Was it because those women looked so emaciated and lifeless?"
"Not entirely; I got used to their appearance after a few glances. It was the sounds from inside that scared me. Xiaoxiao, did you hear any singing outside just now?"
I heard it, felt it, and it was particularly tragic.
Outside, it sounded sorrowful; inside, it was terrifying. The singing emerged after all the lights in the rooms were extinguished, coming from all directions—various voices of female ghosts filled the entire high-walled space. I thought the women were singing, but after searching all around, I found no one who was singing.
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