The next morning, Quan Jinghuai looked at his seven young disciples, who were all a bit clumsy than usual. He thought to himself that his disciples were just children, and she was the one who had rescued them, so they would believe whatever she said.

When Hong Xiaoduo came out of the tent, she was wearing a cotton vest.

Quan Jinghuai couldn't help but look up at the sky. The clouds were thick, blocking out the sunlight. Could it be that she was right and it was going to snow?

About fifteen minutes after setting off, snow began to fall from the sky. Quan Jinghuai, on horseback, reached out to catch the snowflakes and was surprised to see them melt instantly in his palm. It was actually snowing!

Feeling someone watching him, he turned his head and, sure enough, there was his eldest disciple, who was driving the carriage, looking at him with a beaming smile. The meaning was clear: "See? Our mother said it would snow, and it really did snow, didn't she? You still don't believe me!"

Seeing him looking over, Tian Shu quickly turned his head away and tapped the carriage door with his finger: "It's snowing."

The other children in the carriage who were reciting the English alphabet immediately leaned towards the windows on both sides, excitedly looking outside.

Hong Xiaoduo also peeked out and saw that the snowflakes were very small and didn't accumulate on the ground, so she lost interest.

Yuheng, who was beside her, suddenly leaned closer to her. Hong Xiaoduo was startled. This child was not usually like this. What was wrong with him now?

"Cold?" Hong Xiaoduo asked tentatively.

Yuheng, who was leaning against her, shook his head. Hong Xiaoduo felt that something was wrong with the child. She looked down slightly and saw that Yuheng's eyes were full of tears.

“Mother, I’m fine. It’s just that I used to be terrified of snow. It was so cold, and when it was cold, I was even hungrier. Back then, I thought it would be better if I froze to death, so I wouldn’t have to be beaten, scolded, or starved anymore.” Yuheng choked up as she spoke and couldn’t continue.

Upon hearing the child's words, Hong Xiaoduo's tears welled up instantly. She reached out and hugged Yuheng's little shoulder, then looked at the other children, whose eyes were also red.

For a moment, Hong Xiaoduo didn't know what to say, she just hugged the child even tighter.

But at that moment, she made a decision in her heart: she must make sure the children were well taken care of, that they had enough to eat and wear. If all else failed, she would simply not go back to the modern world!

The atmosphere in the carriage became very oppressive because of Yuheng's words.

The other children also recalled that the icy and snowy days of winter were the most difficult days for them to endure.

The wicked man was dressed warmly and was warming himself by the firewood they had gathered, but he wouldn't let them come near to warm themselves.

The seven of them could only huddle together in a corner, tightly packed together, seeking warmth.

Quan Jinghuai, on horseback outside, overheard the conversation inside the carriage and felt deeply distressed. Although he hadn't witnessed his disciples suffering from cold and hunger firsthand, just imagining the scene made his heart ache even more.

Now it seems understandable why those seven little disciples called Hong Xiaoduo "mother" back then.

She saved them from their suffering; she was their lifeline!

There was a vine that pulled them up from the abyss, so they had to hold on tight! They thought calling for their mother was probably the most effective way, and they didn't care about whether it was appropriate or not.

Quan Jinghuai began to think that he couldn't just focus on teaching them kung fu anymore; he also had to figure out how to earn some money.

They are my disciples, and as their master, I naturally have an obligation to care for them as they grow up.

You can catch the wanted criminals for whom the imperial court has offered a reward, and you can also learn from your third and fifth senior brothers how to do business and make money. If you are not good at business, you can invest in their businesses, inns, restaurants and the like, and you can get some dividends in the future.

He used to be good at robbing the rich to help the poor, but to support his disciples, it was best to earn the money himself.

Just then, Hong Xiaoduo's voice came from inside the carriage: "It's been a while since we told a story, how about we continue telling Journey to the West? Where did we leave off last time?" Except for the youngest child, Yao Guang, all the other children understood that she was trying to ease everyone's mood, and someone immediately told them where they left off last time.

The oppressive atmosphere finally eased after a short while of telling the story.

At noon, when they stopped to rest and start a fire to heat up lunch, Hong Xiaoduo and the other children noticed that their master was working even harder.

After a moment's thought, Hong Xiaoduo guessed that Quan Jinghuai was acting this way because he felt sorry for the children after hearing what Yuheng had said earlier.

Seeing a grove of trees not far away, Quan Jinghuai suggested they go take a look and see if they could hunt some wild game to add to the dishes.

"How about I go?" Hong Xiaoduo suggested.

Quan Jinghuai immediately objected, saying, "You stay here with them, I'll be back soon."

Upon hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo had no choice but to stay, as she couldn't just leave the children on the roadside.

About half an hour later, Quan Jinghuai returned, not empty-handed, but with two wild rabbits and a few doves in his hands.

"Look, how about that? Isn't your master amazing?" Quan Jinghuai said to the other disciples while gesturing to his two older disciples to help him prepare the game.

He wasn't trying to show off; he just wanted the children to know that with him as their master, they would never go hungry.

"Master is amazing."

"Master is amazing!"

Seeing that none of his younger siblings responded, Tian Shu quickly took the lead in speaking and even gave them meaningful glances.

"Sister, I think Master is still more capable than Mother. Mother can hunt more game." Yao Guang whispered to Yu Heng.

Upon hearing this, Yuheng quickly looked towards his master, but the distance was too great for him to hear.

"Shh, we should keep this to ourselves. Don't say it out loud, or Master will be unhappy if he hears it." Yuheng said seriously, lowering his voice to remind Xiao Yaoguang.

Yao Guang nodded and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

"Sister, does Master not know that Mother is more powerful than him?" Yao Guang thought for a moment and then asked softly.

Yuheng nodded and said, "They probably don't know."

Both the hare and the dove are roasted, and you can smell the aroma in no time.

"Oh right, I just met a woodcutter over there in the woods. He said there's a small path over there that's much closer to Dawu Pass," Quan Jinghuai told him, remembering the path.

Hong Xiaoduo thought for a moment and said, "The side road is not as easy to travel as the official road."

“That path is said to be quite smooth, and it doesn’t lead all the way to Dawuguan. It’s about a two-day journey, and you still have to get to the main road. It’s just that you skip a town along the way.” Quan Jinghuai said as he broke off a twig and drew it on the ground for her to see.

He didn't say that we had to take the back road; after saying that, he still let Hong Xiaoduo make the decision.

Hong Xiaoduo looked at the line drawn on the ground and compared it with the line in her mind: "The drawing of the side path, the town to be avoided, is Baishi Town..."