In a tile-roofed house tucked away at the end of an alley, seven or eight children, ranging from four to six years old, were curled up.
Zooming out, one could see there were a total of six such tile-roofed houses in this dilapidated courtyard, all devoid of windows and light, covered with oil tiles that barely let in any light.
The children inside lay haphazardly, with occasional cat-like moans and sounds of bodies shifting.
Little Qingyu slowly woke up, her surroundings were very dim, and she immediately called out in her childish voice, "Mother, mother?"
However, that familiar voice that usually calmed her did not respond, and instead, another childlike voice replied, "Your mother isn't here."
In the darkness, little Qingyu struggled on the mat and realized she was tied up, the burning pain at the back of her neck reminding her of the attack she had suffered earlier.
The events before she passed out gradually resurfaced in her mind, and little Qingyu remembered.
