Chapter 114: A Clever Escape
Now, Gong Changan was being guarded by Lu Yaba and his son. These two men were almost constantly by the cellar, taking turns sleeping, rarely letting their guard down.
Gong Changan was initially worried about how to escape, because these two were mute and also deaf.
If it were ordinary people, one could try a stratagem of sowing discord. The guards were only after money, so one only needed to tell them that if they let him go, not only would they not be punished, but they would also receive more money.
Since ancient times, wealth has moved people’s hearts. Gong Changan felt he had a seventy to eighty percent chance of success with his eloquence.
But unfortunately, these two were deaf and mute, and couldn’t read writing either. Therefore, this method could not be used no matter what. Gong Changan couldn’t help but regret not learning how to deal with mute people before.
He figured that person had let this father and son guard him for the same reason.
However, Gong Changan didn’t remain dejected for long, because he immediately thought that since these two were deaf, it wouldn’t matter if he made some noise, as long as they didn’t see him.
He usually carried many things on him, and they hadn’t searched him when he was captured. After all, he was just a child, so they weren’t as wary of him.
Gong Changan felt his sleeve; he always kept a wire saw there. A veteran border guard had told him about this. This tool was small and exquisite, easy to hide on one’s person, but very useful.
It could be used to saw wood, saw ropes, and even to pick locks.
Therefore, this wooden cage couldn’t hold him. He just had to be careful when sawing the wood, so as not to be discovered by the mute father and son.
So he explained his plan to Heming: “We only need to saw through one piece of wood in this cage to escape, but when sawing, you must use your body to shield it so they don’t notice. Also, make sure to saw at intervals. Even if the wood is sawed through, as long as it’s not pushed, it will still stand there as if it’s intact.
Then I’ll find a way to create some smoke to obscure their vision, and we can escape.”
Heming was naturally happy to hear they could escape. He was truly afraid that in another half a day, his fingers would be chopped off again.
The little rascal Gong Changan first faced inward, lying by the cage and pretending to cry. In reality, he was secretly sawing through the top of a piece of wood with the wire saw.
Then he pretended to be tired from crying and lay down in the cage, sawing through the bottom as well.
But he sawed very cleverly, sawing one end inward and the other end outward. Thus, although it was broken, it was still fitted together like a mortise and tenon joint.
If one didn’t look closely, it was impossible to tell, and it would only take a slight push to move the wood.
After he finished, he took the opportunity when the two mutes weren’t paying attention to toss the wire saw to Heming.
Heming followed suit and didn’t exert much effort.
Gong Changan had noticed that there was a lot of dried mugwort in the cellar, which could produce smoke.
Besides the wire saw he always carried, the other two things he always brought were a fire starter and a realgar pill.
Both of these were for self-defense, especially in the wilderness.
A realgar pill could also produce smoke, and when combined with mugwort, it was twice as effective.
Gong Changan first gathered a lot of mugwort leaves. The two mutes didn’t pay it any mind, thinking he was just a child with nothing to do in the cage and was using it as a pastime.
“Heming, when the smoke rises, you need to take off your upper garment, wet it with urine, and cover your mouth and nose,” Gong Changan told Heming. “Crouch down and hide in the smoke. Hold onto the piece of wood you sawed off; it can be used for defense.”
Gong Changan knew that running out during the day was impossible; they could only escape at night.
He could tell the time of day by the light filtering through the open cellar entrance. Estimating that it was late at night, the younger mute was asleep, and only the older mute sat there like a wooden carving, staring with bloodshot eyes.
Gong Changan mixed the realgar pill and mugwort leaves together, lit them with the fire starter, and tossed them not far in front of the cage.
Soon, thick smoke billowed up.
The older mute suddenly stood up and quickly walked over.
Gong Changan shouted, “Run!” and then lit a few more mugwort balls. Soon, the smoke obscured the wooden cage that held him and Heming.
The two of them escaped from the cage, covering their mouths and noses with one hand and dragging a wooden club with the other.
The older mute hurriedly tried to stomp out the smoking mugwort balls, making a lot of noise, but the younger mute, completely deaf, slept soundly.
Gong Changan told Heming to follow the wall outwards. As long as they kept touching the wall, they would definitely find their way out.
Moreover, they had already noted the direction and rushed towards the cellar entrance at top speed.
By the time they reached the cellar entrance and began to climb out, the entire cellar was almost filled with smoke.
“Fourth Young Master, this… what kind of place is this?” Heming asked, looking around outside, bewildered.
“It’s a vegetable patch,” Gong Changan replied. “And quite a large one! There are probably holes along the wall, convenient for stealing vegetables.”
As Gong Changan spoke, he pulled Heming towards the wall. Soon, in a spot overgrown with grass half a person’s height, they found an exit resembling a dog hole.
“This is it, hurry and crawl out!” Gong Changan and Heming were both thin and small, and they easily squeezed through.
“Run towards the farmland over there!” Gong Changan knew the father and son would catch up soon, and if they were caught on the road, they would be taken back.
But hiding in the farmland was different; it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, and they wouldn’t be easily found.
They entered a large field of sorghum. Because of the wind, the crops swayed back and forth, so they didn’t have to worry too much about being discovered while moving around inside.
The two of them walked for an unknown amount of time inside before they could gradually see daylight.
“Let’s hide here for now.” They could faintly see a road at the end of the farmland. Gong Changan grabbed Heming. “Watch the passersby. If we meet someone reliable, we can go out.”
They squatted there for a long time, and then began to see pedestrians. Ox carts and horse carriages also appeared on the road one after another.
“It looks like many vegetable farmers are heading into the city to sell their produce,” Heming said. “Why don’t we stop one and ask the driver to take us back to the city?”
“That’s what I was thinking, but let’s try to pick an older person, preferably a woman, who is less likely to have malicious intentions,” Gong Changan said while observing.
Then they saw an ox cart with an old couple sitting on it. He and Heming stood by the roadside and stopped the cart.
“Please, kind elders, do us a favor and take us back to the city. We got separated from our families yesterday while playing and have been wandering around here all night.” Gong Changan and Heming were both disheveled, their hands and faces dirty.
But after all, they were just two children, so the old couple naturally didn’t see them as villains, but rather felt they were quite pitiful.
Gong Changan and Heming got on the cart and deliberately hid themselves among the vegetables, fearing they would be discovered by anyone who might be chasing them.
Fortunately, nothing happened until they entered the city gate. Only then did they dare to show their faces.
