After dinner, Wang Yang had A-Wu take the four children to bathe and change, then bring them before him. He asked about their pasts, particularly how Xiao Hong had bought them and what had happened in his residence.
The children had been locked up as soon as they entered the residence, so they knew nothing of what went on there. They did know a little about how they had been sold, but they were anxious, afraid of saying the wrong thing, and had been threatened by the servants. In short, every one of them kept her head lowered, and none spoke.
Wang Yang did not press them. He merely had A-Wu bring over several plates of steamed cakes, wisps of heat rising with the sweet fragrance of rice flour. All four children glanced toward the cakes at once. Wang Yang took one himself and ate it, then invited the children to help themselves:
"Let's eat while we talk."
After a brief hesitation, one girl was the first to give in. Mustering her courage, she reached for the smallest cake. Seeing that Wang Yang did not stop her, she took a tiny bite, then stole a glance at his smiling face. Once she was certain he was not angry, she abruptly gulped down three large mouthfuls, choking so badly that she craned her neck.
A-Wu hurriedly handed her a cup of tea. She gulped twice, then suddenly blushed, keeping her eyes lowered and not daring to look up. Taking small bites of the remaining cake, she began speaking indistinctly through puffed cheeks:
"I... my father sold me. He said our family owed money and couldn't pay it back, so, so he sold me..."
The second girl also took a cake, but after nibbling a corner, she could not bear to eat