Reborn in the 80s, Get Rich by Eating Melons

Chapter 533: Chapter 533: Encounter with Danger 4

Aside from a bed, the room had nothing else, with a window that was pitifully small, just big enough for a person to stick out their head.

The door wasn’t closed, but Tong Yao noticed two men lingering outside, obviously keeping an eye on them.

The three of them had walked a considerable distance, their shoes filled with mud, their feet aching from fatigue. Even so, they had no choice but to sit on the bed and rest for a while.

Tong Yao wasn’t sure whether it was due to sheer exhaustion, but she felt a slight, throbbing pain in her lower abdomen. Fortunately, the pain subsided after a short while.

Concerned about Tong Yao’s condition, Hu Haiyun inquired after they had rested, "Yaoyao, are you feeling okay? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"

"I’m fine," Tong Yao shook her head, glanced outside to make sure no one was eavesdropping, then whispered, "These men are clearly no good. They’re always looking down, avoiding eye contact, probably trying to conceal their identities. We need to be cautious. Unless necessary, let’s not provoke them. Safety first."

"Who are these men?" Cheng Feng inquired, pursing his lips.

"I’m not sure, but they’re definitely not good people," said Tong Yao. "They haven’t confronted us openly, so they presumably haven’t decided how to deal with us yet. As long as they’re only after money, there’s not too much to worry about."

In Tong Yao’s view, if the men were only after money, they were relatively safe. The frightening possibility, though, was if they intended to harm them while robbing them.

Hu Haiyun agreed with Tong Yao’s reasoning, adding his own analysis, "I also think so. After hearing we come from wealthy families, their demeanor changed noticeably. I guess they are more likely to try extortion or kidnapping."

"If it’s a kidnapping, there must be a plan to let one of us leave to deliver the ransom note," Cheng Feng speculated, bracing himself for the worst, and addressed Tong Yao, "If possible, you’ll go back to convey the message, and we’ll stay here."

Since Tong Yao was pregnant and it was he who had brought her here, Cheng Feng felt a deep responsibility for her safety. Allowing her to leave the dangerous situation first would make it impossible for the kidnappers to threaten her.

Tong Yao gave a wry smile, "These people are very cautious. They are clearly not involved in any legitimate activity. They wouldn’t give us three opportunities to escape."

After a moment’s thought, she added, "Once my parents arrive at the Breeding Farm, they’ll call me. The Nanny will tell them that I came here. When they realize we haven’t arrived since we left, they’ll guess that our vehicle is stuck somewhere and come looking for us. As soon as they find out we’re not in the car, they’ll call the police. Our best strategy now is to buy time."

On their way here, Tong Yao had taken a good look at the landscape. The location was not particularly hard to find. As long as the police were alerted, they could easily locate them.

Upon hearing Tong Yao’s words, Cheng Feng and Hu Haiyun heaved a sigh of relief. Cheng Feng looked at Tong Yao with deep admiration, recalling her wise decision.

Honestly, he had been so frightened at the time that he was holding his breath, expecting the men to shatter the car window and drag them out. He had never imagined that Tong Yao would make such a sensible and bold decision in that moment.

If Tong Yao hadn’t opened the car door then, there would have been only two possible outcomes once the men broke in: they would either have killed them on the spot or brought them back in captivity, treating them even more harshly than they were now.

Even though their current situation wasn’t great, at least they were safe, and no one was injured.

As they contemplated their situation, a heavily pregnant woman entered the room, carrying two bowls of noodles. She innocently smiled, "There’s not much good food up here in the mountains. I cooked some noodles for you. Have some to fill your stomachs!"

Hearing her, Hu Haiyun quickly stood up and accepted the noodles, "Thank you, ma’am."

"You eat first. I’ll bring another bowl of noodles for you," said the woman, before turning to leave the room. Tong Yao hadn’t had a chance to refuse.

Looking at the two bowls of noodles in Hu Haiyun’s hands, Tong Yao suddenly felt a wave of nausea. Not because there was anything wrong with the noodles, but the bowls that contained them were so dirty that they had turned pitch black at the edges.

Cheng Feng frowned, and even Hu Haiyun, who had experienced hardship as a child, seemed displeased.

The three of them hesitated, unsure how to handle the bowls of noodles. Besides the issue of cleanliness, under the current circumstances, who would dare to eat anything offered by these people?

Tong Yao looked around the room and suggested, "Let’s place them on the window ledge for now."

Relieved, Hu Haiyun quickly placed the bowls on the window ledge. The room was so bare, even a rat would be disappointed to find nothing.

No sooner had Hu Haiyun placed the bowls on the ledge than the woman entered again carrying a bowl of noodles. Seeing the noodles on the window ledge, she paused, asking, "Don’t you like it?"

Hu Haiyun shook his head awkwardly, "No, it’s just a bit hot. We’ll wait for it to cool down."

The woman didn’t appear bothered. She walked over and placed her bowl next to the others, "If you want more, I can prepare more later."

"No, it’s enough," Hu Haiyun quickly replied.

They assumed the woman would leave immediately after this, but instead, she stood there, scrutinizing the three of them. As she studied them, Tong Yao also observed her in return.

The woman’s belly was bulging, making it look like she was about to give birth. Her skin was a little dark, and she was thin and not very tall, giving the impression of malnutrition.

Physically, the woman appeared as if she had been abused, incredibly thin and unclean, and emitting an unpleasant odor, as if she hadn’t bathed for a long time. But mentally, she seemed to be in good spirits, alert, and not much different from an ordinary rural woman.

The woman’s gaze lingered on Tong Yao and Hu Haiyun, and finally settled on Cheng Feng.

At the moment Cheng Feng was beginning to feel a little disturbed by her stare, the woman suddenly turned to Hu Haiyun and asked, "You are all city folks, are you not?"

"Yes," answered Hu Haiyun, nodding. And he actually started a casual conversation with the woman, "Looking at your belly, you must be about to give birth. How many births have you had?"

A maternal glow spread across the woman’s face as she lovingly stroked her belly and laughed, "This is my fifth. It should be born in a few days."

Hu Haiyun expressed his surprise, "Oh, you’re about to give birth and you’re still living in the mountains? When it’s time for delivery, there’s no way you’ll be able to find a midwife in time."

Tong Yao carefully observed the woman’s reaction.

"Find a midwife?" The woman seemed amused at Hu Haiyun’s astonishment, "I’ve always delivered my babies myself."

This statement shocked all three in the room. She delivered her babies by herself? She was carrying her fifth child?

So, she has already delivered four babies by herself?

No matter what era you lived in, such information was mind-boggling.

Fighting her astonishment, Tong Yao, now more curious, asked the woman, "Big sister, are your other children also living up here in the mountains?"