As Zhao Yonggeng went further north, he found more and more children.

Upon inquiry, most of them said it was because they were swarmed at the border, their parents were killed, or their parents starved or died of disease.

There's no limit to how bad things can get. Okay, now that we know, we can't just sit idly by.

Whether they took in one or a whole group, it was all the same, so they decided to place the orphanage under Xu Dongsheng's jurisdiction.

The children were initially very resistant to going north, but at the same time, they still held a glimmer of hope.

If I could return to the north, at least I would have a chance to collect my parents' remains.

Even if we can't find it, at least we can kowtow nearby.

The bodyguards left with Zhao Changgeng and his group.

Three carriages were actually enough for Zhao Qingyan and her group. As the number of children they took in increased, they hired more and more carriages.

Five, ten, fifteen...

A car can fit at least six or seven little kids.

Although they are called little kids, they are actually not that young. It is very difficult for young children to survive in such harsh conditions.

The youngest are at least six or seven years old, and the oldest are twelve or thirteen. Occasionally, there are a few who are fifteen or sixteen.

They weren't strong enough because they were hungry and cold and couldn't get enough to eat.

Some are even disabled, making it impossible for them to do manual labor or find any work.

Wherever the group went, all sorts of rumors circulated.

In the end, Zhao Qingyan and her group were rumored to be human traffickers.

Otherwise, what kind of person would be so stupid as to adopt so many animals and let them eat for free?

That day, Zhao Qingyan and her entourage, who had been kicked by a donkey, were blocked by a group of women.

"Why are you blocking our way?" Zhao Minggeng asked.

A rather plump-looking woman grabbed a dry stick from beside her.

"Master, I heard you're buying someone. What do you think of my girl? She's 12 this year, and in a few years she'll be old enough to serve people."

Don't let her skinny appearance fool you, she'll be fine with some rest.

She's still got that cute look in her eyes. You little brat, call him Master!

As he spoke, he pinched the withered stick, which hurt so much that tears welled up in the girl's eyes.

The woman's greedy eyes kept scanning back and forth between Zhao Minggeng and his group.

The Zhao family already detested this kind of behavior that didn't treat girls like human beings, and Zhao Yonggeng was somewhat disgusted.

"Who told you we bought people?" Huang asked.

The woman heard someone respond,

"Now the whole city of Ankang is talking about it: if you don't buy people, where will the children in the cars behind you come from?"

"Did you kidnap her? That won't do. We can't just give our girl away for nothing."

The woman spoke in a very loud voice, as if she wanted everyone to know she was going to sell her child.

"Judging from your attire, you must come from a well-off family. Why is this little girl so thin and frail? Who are you to her?"

Seeing that the woman did not resemble the little girl at all, Huang immediately thought of the kidnapper.

“I am her mother. There are reasons to sell her. So, old lady, would you like to buy her or not?”

Ms. Huang smiled faintly, "I won't buy it."

The woman was stunned for a moment, then immediately started throwing a tantrum.

"If you're not going to buy anyone, why are you dawdling around for so long and asking me so many questions? Aren't you just playing with me?"

Huang maintained her previous expression.

"Oh, tell me, someone like you needs some strength to play around with."

Huang's words amused the gossip-loving crowd on the street.

"Yes, yes, Sister-in-law Wu, only her husband can handle her, it's really not something an ordinary person can do."

With that build, he must be at least 170 or 180 pounds, right?

He's fatter than a pig that's been raised for two years.

It's clear that the person speaking knows the overweight woman.

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter, and some of the street thugs even started whistling.

The bloated woman glared fiercely at the woman who had exposed her secrets, but dared not utter a word of disrespect.

That woman has seven or eight brothers in her family. Anyone who dares to mess with her can forget about having a good life.

She didn't dare to mess with the thugs on the street.

On the contrary, Huang and her group were easier to bully. Didn't you see that the old lady was always smiling when she spoke to her?

Besides, even if they have status, so what? A powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake.

That's right, the overweight woman considered herself a local bully.

"You damned old hag, how dare you flirt with me! Believe me or not, I'll tear your mouth apart!"

If you're not going to buy it, then shut up already! You're wasting my time, do you know how much money that costs? You're going to buy it today, you brat, whether you like it or not.

"Don't even think about taking him away without 20 taels of silver."

Huang was fine with it, but the rest of the Zhao family were not happy about it.

Zhao Qingyi and Zhao Qingyang clenched their fists tightly, and were about to jump off the carriage when they were stopped by Zhao Qingyan's movements.

A walnut, with a snap, went straight for the bloated woman's mouth.

"Ah ah..."

The woman screamed, feeling her teeth falling out.

The thing that was put into my mouth, I don't know what it is, it's stuck really tight.

Unable to spit it out, I had to reach into my mouth and try to get it out.

But the sight of those black claws being stuck into their mouths made everyone feel nauseous.

Dark, bloody saliva dripped down the corners of his mouth.

After much effort, the bloated woman finally managed to remove the walnut from her mouth.

He also spat out quite a few teeth.

Even if he opens his mouth again, air will leak out.

I was just about to curse when I remembered how I lost my teeth.

This time, she didn't curse or act aggressively. She lay on the ground and didn't move.

"Oh dear, you rich people from out of town are just bullying us poor folks."

Not only did they harass me, they even knocked out my front teeth! I can't live like this anymore! There's no justice in this world! I'm going to report this to the authorities.

Zhao Qingyan took out a small piece of silver from her purse, tossed it into the air, and the silver fell back into her hand.

"Whoever reports this to the authorities for me, this piece of silver is theirs."

As Zhao Qingyan finished speaking, a child who looked about twelve or thirteen years old jumped up and shouted,

"Me, me, me. Oh, miss, my name is Little Kitten."

Zhao Qingyan glanced at him.

"Okay, little kitten, I'll remember you."

"Just say there are human traffickers, selling people on the street, and they're even trying to extort money from government officials. Go ahead."

The kitten had a good memory; after repeating it, it was dumbfounded.

"Officials appointed by the imperial court, young lady, who are you?"

Zhao Qingyan laughed and said, "Hurry up and go, or you won't earn this money."

The kitten was dazzled by Zhao Qingyan's smile and, in a daze, turned its head and ran towards the yamen.

It doesn't matter what kind of officials Zhao Qingyan and her entourage were.

Importantly, a beautiful young lady smiled at him, and very gently at that.

At this moment, the kitten had completely forgotten that he had helped report the case to the authorities only for money. Now he was thinking that even if he wasn't paid, he would still be willing to report the case to the authorities.