The Legend Of Jewelry

Chapter 2

      The night was deep. In Duan Wu's dream, she was awakened by a loud anchor drop.

      The cabin was crowded and stuffy. Male and female slaves crowded together, sharing a single toilet every day. Therefore, there was a strong, unpleasant odor in the damp air. To prevent suicides or escapes, opportunities for fresh air through open windows were rare. Most of the time, slaves ate poor-quality food, equivalent to prisoners, never seeing daylight or moonlight.

      Duan Wu sat up, moving her sore limbs due to the cramped sleeping position. Since being forced onto the slave ship, twenty days had passed, with stops at five different places. Every time they docked, it meant some people would leave the cabin, and others would come in.

      The old woman with swollen eyelids had been bought by someone already. Duan Wu didn't speak much with other slaves, and they didn't have the strength to talk to her. She often kept her head down, pretending to be lethargic and unlucky. No one paid attention to her, allowing her to conserve energy and quietly strategize.

      Duan Wu listened attentively. She thought, they will open the windows once they're anchored, right? She quietly climbed over the crowd, crouched below the window, and waited.

      Sure enough, someone removed the window board. Duan Wu took a deep breath, eyes wide open. Although her world was less than a mouse's, she had already figured out some rules among the ship's servants.

      Through the crack in the window, she saw fishing boats and red lanterns on the shore. Drunk people on the dock were loudly saying, "Since yeye has come to Citong Port..."

      Ah, this must be Citong! Duan Wu was excited, grinning widely. She leaned against the window sill, murmuring, "We've arrived! I've arrived!"

      The cry of a baby interrupted Duan Wu's thoughts. The mother, a fairly attractive young woman, tried to feed him, but he kept spitting it out. The woman blushed in embarrassment.

      Duan Wu inviting the young woman, "Come here, I'll make room for you."

      The young woman thanked her profusely, opening up to Duan Wu. The baby seemed to come to life, finally latching onto her breast.

      Duan Wu's eyes, like black grape beads, curiously touched the baby's nose.

      "The baby is so small," she immediately withdrew her hand.

      "It's only been five months. If it weren't for my husband dying from tuberculosis or my poor uncle losing all his money, I wouldn't be suffering like this," the young woman said with resentment.

      Duan Wu stared blankly at the young woman caressing the baby's soft hair, wishing she could become that infant. If she could be with her mother, even as a slave, there would be something to look forward to, she thought somewhat wistfully. But where was her mother? She had no family to love.

      The young woman said, "I'm afraid that when they buy me, they won't want the child. I'd rather die than be separated from him."

      Just as Duan Wu was about to speak, a young man pushed open the door. He had some authority on the ship, and she had heard people call him "A Chang."

      A Chang surveyed everyone, saying, "All the women come out to eat porridge. After eating, wash your faces and rinse your mouths."

      The young woman was puzzled, "All the women?"

      Duan Wu's heart sank; she knew they would all be shipped out tomorrow. In the big port, women fetched the highest prices. The old woman, who had been sold before, was experienced and had shared many stories about the slave market with Duan Wu.