Zhao Xun had already heard from Grandpa Zhou that Madman's Mother had been trafficked here.
However, that probably wasn't the point the Short-Haired Female Ghost wanted to make, so he didn't interrupt her. Instead, he gestured for her to continue.
With his encouragement, the Short-Haired Female Ghost gained a little confidence, and her voice grew slightly louder. "Madman's Mother was trafficked here around the same time we were."
"But she always acted very obedient, so the villagers treated her better. Not only did they let her wash clothes in the river, they also put her in charge of persuading the newly trafficked women to accept their lot."
"She got pregnant three months after she was brought here. The child she gave birth to was Madman."
"Madman wasn't mad at first. He just had some intellectual limitations. But it wasn't that severe. He was a little slow to react and started talking later than other children, but otherwise, he seemed healthy."
"The family was quite pleased that she'd given birth to a son. Even if he wasn't as lively as other boys, they thought it was enough to have a descendant who could carry on the family line. So they imposed fewer restrictions on her. She was even allowed to go into town with the villagers to buy daily necessities."
"She was actually the one who gave us our escape route."
Zhao Xun finally interjected, "So she was your leader."
"Yes," the Long-Haired Female Ghost, who had been very quiet beside them, volunteered. "She decided both the route and the timing of our escape. She also planned the fire and assigned everything each of us had to do."
"That's right." The Short-Haired Female Ghost nodded repeatedly. "She'd already earned most of the villagers' trust, so she could move around more freely