Chapter 2, National Dream (Part 2).

The crowd seemed to finally find a release for their previous shock upon hearing this sentence, and burst into laughter together. Some even laughed until tears came out. Perhaps only this reason could convince people that a teenager in his teens had the courage to cut his finger to save someone, and could calmly leave in front of everyone.

The human trafficker saw the girl's family really coming to his door, and desperately tried to avoid it, using his hand to forcefully push away Zhou Tingchen's hand grabbing his collar, saying, "I don't know what you're talking about, what government office? What trafficking? This is my daughter!"

You can see human traffickers and pimps everywhere, negotiating prices in the terrified eyes of children. The human trafficker tapped the girl's cheek next to him and said, "This one is worth fifty wen, not a penny less. Look at this face, buying her will guarantee a full pot of money."

The human trafficker, afraid of causing trouble, did not tell the truth. Instead, he stubbornly insisted, "Where did you get her? This is my daughter."

The madam, dressed in gold and silver, pursed her lips and swung her thick wrist adorned with over a dozen gold bracelets. She picked up the girl and scrutinized her from head to toe, dissatisfied, she pushed her away without even looking at the child who fell to the ground. She stepped over the girl's head and continued to pick through the crowd, saying, "This batch of goods is not good at all. I can't even find a decent maid. If you don't have better goods next time, don't bother calling me."

The human trafficker smirked and used his foot to step on his fingers, then pulled out a self-defense dagger from his waist. The tip of the dagger pointed at Tong Jiayu Wan as he asked, "No money to ransom your sister? Then you can exchange it with your fingers..."

Tong Jiayuwan tightly closed her eyes and did not see the cruel scene in front of her. She just opened her mouth and couldn't make a sound, as if her breath was being choked and she couldn't speak.

Before she could rush out of the crowd, a brothel keeper dressed in a red gown grabbed her, lifted her up by the collar, and examined her carefully by pinching her chin. The gold tooth in her mouth gleamed ominously as she said, "This little girl with delicate skin and features is different from those country girls. How much can we sell her for with the books?"

Tong Jiayuwan, who was intimidated by his threat, first shrank back and hid her body, but her dark eyes kept scanning around. Suddenly, she stood up and bit the human trafficker's hand, then ran out of the circle again, shouting, "Help, help!"

The human trafficker became impatient with the questioning and pushed the crowd with his hand, saying, "What are you looking at? Haven't you seen people being sold before?"

At this moment, Zhou Tingchen is embarrassed because he doesn't have anything to exchange. He even considered pretending to claim Tong Jiayuwan because he has a large sum of ransom to give to his mother for a living. When asked about the conditions for redeeming Tong Jiayuwan, he didn't know what to do.

When they were in a mess, the old madam behind them said coldly, "Your sister? Poor ghost, look at the silk embroidery she's wearing, and then look at the black mud that can't be washed off your body. How could you two possibly be siblings? Clearly, you are pretending!"

The human trafficker sneered when he saw the situation, and then slapped Zhou Tingchen in the face, saying, "Your brother? Alright, then ask your brother what he is willing to give up to exchange for his sister."

The human trafficker was terrified by the scene in front of him. He trembled and pointed at Zhou Tingchen, who was tightly biting his lips without making a sound, and said, "You, you're crazy!" Then he quickly regained his composure and called out to everyone, "You all saw it, he did it himself, it has nothing to do with me!"

Most of the people around watching probably thought that this young man wouldn't be joking with his own fingers. At first, they watched with great interest. When the silver light flashed, everyone closed their eyes with a gasp, and couldn't bear to look anymore.

This matter has been deadlocked. Zhou Tingchen knows that if he doesn't take action now, not only will Tong's family not get the ransom, but the human traffickers may also call their accomplices to beat him to death. His mother is still waiting at home for his father to bring back the money... He doesn't know if she has eaten anything these past two days. He must get the money quickly... Zhou Tingchen closed his eyes in distress.

As soon as the human trafficker loosened his grip, the little girl found an opportunity and shouted loudly, "I am a Banner person, you cannot sell me! My mother is Tong Jiahongshi, the newly appointed cabinet scholar. You cannot sell me!"

It seems that Yu Wanxin has already understood something in her heart. She wants to cry and make a fuss, but her body trembles slightly without making a sound. He and she lean against each other, with a strong smell of blood. She notices his hand taking something from under her eyelids, and her fan-shaped eyelashes tremble with a dark color, but obediently she doesn't open them.

Zhou Tingchen walked a short distance and felt a piercing pain in his severed finger. He bent over, clenched his lower lip, and stood still, unable to move. Tong Jiayu gently held his arm and said, "Does it hurt? Let me blow on it for you."

Zhou Tingchen still had his mother, who was waiting anxiously at home, on his mind. He continued to hold Tong Jiayuwan and deliberately smiled at her, while quietly increasing his pace: "It doesn't hurt. You tell your brother, where is your home?"

Steel yourself and strike with the knife.

The madam grabbed the clothes and carefully examined the exquisite workmanship of the garment in her hand, lost in thought: "This is made of Kesi golden embroidery, a genuine tribute, with good material and good needlework, this..." Such a girl, unless she is from a high-ranking family, is either a noble or a wealthy person. If she were to be brought into the brothel, it might cause trouble.

Tong Jiayu Wan blinked her eyes and pointed to the northeast direction: "Qiaodun Road, Tong Yuan."

He took advantage of everyone's inattention and whispered in her ear, "It was your mother who asked me to pick you up. Be obedient and don't cry for now." Tong Jiayu, who was very vigilant, initially didn't believe his words. However, seeing the numerous injuries on his body and the way he tightly held onto her, he didn't seem like a bad person. She obediently nodded and immediately lay down on Zhou Tingchen's body, while her big, shiny black eyes kept observing his every move.

The old brothel keeper grabbed the girl and lifted up her tattered clothes to examine her skin, saying, "This child doesn't look like she was raised in an ordinary family. Where did you kidnap her from?"

The human trafficker immediately approached upon hearing the sound. With triangular eyes, he carefully examined the madam up and down, noticing the thick silver bills tucked in her cuff. Immediately, he flattered and pushed the little girl forward, saying, "Take a look, this child looks good. If you buy her and make her a servant, you will definitely earn a lot of money."

In the suburbs of the city, there are girls squatting everywhere with grass tags inserted in them. Children who are abducted are often sold here. Wealthy families buy them as maids, while poor families buy them as wives. In short, this is the largest gathering place for human trafficking in Shanghai. Even the madams of brothels come here regularly to select good-looking girls for future customers.

The human trafficker looked at the dagger he used for self-defense, then looked at the blood on the ground. After thinking for a while, he finally blurted out: "Damn it, this kid must be crazy about finding a wife, even daring to snatch a woman from me!"

Suddenly, a sharp cry came from the crowd. A disheveled little girl rushed out of the crowd and ran away while shouting, "Help, help!" But before she could run a few steps, she was grabbed by a human trafficker who tore at her clothes and hit her, saying, "I told you to shout, to shout!"

Zhou Tingchen was wrestling with Tong Jiayuwan and the human trafficker. Tong Jiayuwan leaned against Zhou Tingchen, not daring to make a sound. She took a few punches on her back and tightly pursed her lips without making a sound. Zhou Tingchen felt even more heartbroken seeing her like this. He used his arms to protect Tong Jiayuwan's body and fought back against the human trafficker.

Zhou Tingchen struggled to hold Yu Wan and walked forward. The human trafficker wanted to stop him, but was intimidated by his fierce gaze. As someone who didn't even care about his own life, he was simply not worth provoking. The onlookers watched in astonishment as Zhou Tingchen carried Tong Jia Yu Wan away, and then looked down at the blood-stained ground, as if they couldn't believe what had just happened.

Zhou Tingchen struggled to open his arms, supported his body with his knees, snatched a dagger from the human trafficker's hand, and pressed it against his own little finger, saying, "If I exchange my little finger for my sister, will you let her go?"

Zhou Tingchen held Tong Jiayuwan and stood up, pointing his injured finger at the human trafficker's bridge of the nose. His eyes were almost shooting fire: "This is my sister. How dare you kidnap and sell girls? Come with me to the yamen and explain yourself!"

Yuwanshi's delicate body trembled slightly, and her heart pounded wildly.

The intense pain in his fingers forced Zhou Tingchen to clench his teeth. His determined face suddenly lifted up, and his eyes shot out a cold and fierce gaze, frightening the human trafficker into silence. Tong Jiayu calmly looked at her bloodied big brother, his gaze swept over her, revealing a hint of tenderness in his smile. He used his other hand to touch Tong Jiayu's eyes, which were covered in darkness. Suddenly, he softly said, "Be good, don't open your eyes." Tong Jiayu fixedly looked at her bloodied big brother, his gaze swept over her, revealing a hint of tenderness in his smile. He used his other hand to touch Tong Jiayu's eyes, which were covered in darkness. Suddenly, he softly said, "Be good, don't open your eyes."

The human trafficker originally just wanted to scare the foolish boy. He didn't believe that the boy would dare to cut off his own finger. He sneered, "Go ahead, as long as you dare to cut, I'll let you go. Boy, I bet you don't even have the guts to perform surgery on your own finger yet! Damn it, how dare you ruin my business? I'll have someone break both your legs in a moment!"

The disheveled human trafficker heard the little girl's nonsense and couldn't help but smirk. He raised his hand and slapped her, knocking her to the ground, saying, "Your mother is a cabinet grand academician? I'm still the damn Prime Minister Bao! Get out of here, or I'll kill you right now!"

Zhou Tingchen ignored the trafficker's words, enduring the pain of cutting off his finger, his forehead covered in sweat, his face pale. He used his uninjured hand to grab Tong Jiayuwan's clothes and wrap them around his own hand, which was missing half a little finger. He stood up stiffly and embraced Xiao Yuwan in his arms. Yuwan threw herself into his embrace, her eyes constantly glancing at his hand.

The little girl whose mouth was covered couldn't shout, she just twisted her body and whimpered. Soon she would be tied up with a rope by the human traffickers. The crowd around the two people were discussing, "Hey, is she really your own daughter? Or did you buy or kidnap her?"

Upon hearing the sentence, everyone present was stunned. Zhou Tingchen, who was exposed, was frightened and stopped in his tracks. Before anyone could react, the human trafficker immediately rushed forward and pinned him to the ground, saying, "You little brat, how dare you deceive me!"

As more people gathered around, the human trafficker felt increasingly uneasy. He covered her mouth and said, "You little brat, now you're in my hands, and I am your boss!"

The human trafficker who was exposed felt a bit disgruntled. He rummaged through and threw out the girl's original clothes, saying, "I don't know where she came from, but as long as you give me some money, you can take her wherever you want."

The translation result is:The old brothel owner spat at him and said, "Why don't you take a piss and look at yourself? How can a toad like you give birth to such a delicate and beautiful daughter? Even if you hold it in for ten years, you still won't be able to give birth to someone like her! Where are the girl's original clothes? Show them to me quickly!"

The madam stopped in her tracks upon hearing the commotion, and looked at the little girl with suspicion as she bit the human trafficker. The girl was small and her appearance and figure were not yet discernible. She just kept biting the trafficker's arm and shouting, "You're not my mother, I want to find my mother!"

Recently, Xiao Yuwan, who has been frightened for several days, is now afraid to speak easily. Her dark eyes are fixed on Zhou Tingchen, who is crying in front of her with tears streaming down his face. She just wanted to struggle, but Zhou Tingchen immediately held her arm tightly and did not let go.

The old madam was still pondering, and Zhou Tingchen, who was covered in injuries, suddenly squeezed out of the crowd and hugged the girl, crying out, "Sister, sister, how did you end up here?"

Zhou Tingchen, who was not yet fully grown, was punched in the face by a human trafficker. His nose bled, and he couldn't use his arms. Yu Wan immediately fell to the ground. She saw Zhou Tingchen covered in blood on the ground and crawled over to hold him, crying: "He is my brother, really my brother."