Hong Xiaoduo felt that dealing with someone like Lin Ansheng was quite troublesome, and it was much easier to deal with the seven children, including Tian Shu.

"Carry, carry?" Lin Ansheng thought he hadn't slept well last night and had misheard.

"General, you don't believe me? Then how about I carry it again?" Seeing his reaction, Hong Xiaoduo immediately stood up and gestured for him to stand up as she spoke.

They actually don't believe her? Who do they think they are?

Even if Lin Ansheng didn't believe it, she couldn't possibly get up and let her carry it as she said, so she quickly said, "I believe you, I believe you."

He also told himself that as long as he made sure he didn't say or do anything inappropriate to her, that was enough. As for how he got back to the inn, there were some details that he didn't need to know so clearly.

"Regardless, I still want to thank Miss Hong properly. I heard that you will be leaving tomorrow. If you have the opportunity to come here again in the future, please don't hesitate to ask if you need any help from me," Lin Ansheng said very generously.

Now he also thinks that this Miss Hong is a good person, someone worth befriending, it's just a pity she's a young woman.

"General Lin, don't worry. My greatest strength is my honesty. If I ever need your help in the future, I will definitely not hesitate to ask. Just don't think it's too much trouble for you." Hong Xiaoduo replied, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"No," Lin Ansheng replied with a smile, seemingly understanding why Peng Xi and his confidants were willing to associate with her.

Although she was a young woman, she was poised and graceful in her speech and manners, neither shy nor coy.

"General Lin, now that we've talked things out, you should feel at ease, right? Then this humble woman will be heading back now." Hong Xiaoduo sensed the change in his state of mind from his eyes and couldn't help but tease him.

"Ahem, Miss Hong is too kind. Then I won't keep you from going back to rest any longer." Lin Ansheng quickly covered up his embarrassment after being caught out.

As the two walked out, they watched him pay at the counter, but Hong Xiaoduo didn't go over to argue with him about paying.

Upon arriving outside the teahouse, Hong Xiaoduo was about to say goodbye when she saw a young girl walking towards her. She looked very familiar. Wait, wasn't this the girl she had helped before who sold herself to bury her father?

"Why are you still here? Hasn't the matter been resolved yet?" Hong Xiaoduo asked, puzzled.

According to her understanding, in the girl's case, there shouldn't be any special customs regarding her father's funeral arrangements, such as choosing an auspicious day for burial, and paying off debts shouldn't be a complicated or troublesome matter, right?

Shouldn't we have finished the arrangements and gone to stay with relatives in another place?

The girl knelt down before her with a thud: "Everything has been resolved, the debts have been paid off, and my father has been buried. This is the remaining silver, which I return to you, my benefactor. From now on, Feiyan will be your servant, by your side, serving you for the rest of my life to repay your kindness."

"Stop, stop! Get up right now!" Hong Xiaoduo hurriedly reached out and pulled her up.

Seeing that the girl looked several years older than her, she could accept that the girl was her benefactor, but the fact that the girl was kneeling and addressing her with such deference was unbearable.

The girl insisted on not getting up: "If my benefactor agrees to accept Feiyan, then Feiyan will get up."

Pedestrians had already stopped to watch. "If you have something to say, stand up and say it." Hong Xiaoduo was a little impatient and directly lifted the person up, her tone also a bit harsh.

Feiyan was frightened by her straightforwardness and stood obediently, no longer daring to kneel down.

Lin Ansheng, who was standing to the side, raised an eyebrow. He already knew from his subordinates about Hong Xiaoduo helping the girl who sold herself to bury her father.

I just realized that this young lady Hong has quite a temper!

"Your name is Feiyan, right? Now listen carefully, I'm helping you only because I can, not because I want anything in return. Use the remaining silver sparingly; it should be enough for your travel expenses to visit your relatives."

"You only think about repaying my kindness by insisting on being my servant, but to me, your actions are putting me in an unjust position," Hong Xiaoduo said patiently.

Upon hearing this, Fei Yan panicked a little: "No, that's not what I meant."

"She probably had no relatives or friends, no one to rely on, and had no other way out or choice but to follow you to repay your kindness," Lin Ansheng couldn't help but interject.

Lin Ansheng's words brought tears to Feiyan's eyes.

Hong Xiaoduo also thought of Xie Xinyu from the escort agency. She knew martial arts, but she was still captured by human traffickers. She sighed and said, "Here's what we'll do. I'll give you some more silver. Go find the escort agency and they'll escort you to your relatives' place." After saying that, she lowered her head to untie her purse to get the silver.

In any case, she can no longer bring anyone else with her.

She finally found someone she could entrust those seven children to, but who knows how she feels? She feels guilty and ashamed towards Brother Quan!

I always feel like I've let Quan Jinghuai down!

"By the way, General Lin, you know this place best. Do you have any reliable escort agencies or caravans that you can recommend?" Hong Xiaoduo asked, looking up as she remembered.

Seeing that she was asking very seriously, Lin Ansheng thought for a moment and said, "You don't need to give her the money. I'll handle this." After saying that, she waved her hand, and the soldier who was waiting not far away ran over.

Lin Ansheng instructed him to take Feiyan to find a place to settle down first, and to arrange for her to go and seek refuge with relatives the next day.

Feiyan knew she could no longer follow her benefactor, so she didn't persist in pestering him. She straightened her clothes and bowed deeply to Hong Xiaoduo: "Benefactor, may I ask your name?"

Hong Xiaoduo smiled and shook her head: "It's nothing."

Seeing that she still wouldn't say anything, Feiyan had no choice but to leave with the soldier.

"You can take care of those seven children, why can't you have one more? Besides, at her age, she can help you with chores and take care of the children." After the person walked away, Lin Ansheng asked curiously.

She's the one who meddles in other people's business, and she's willing to spend money on it. She's not afraid of going to court for it, and she's not someone who's afraid of trouble! That's why he can't understand why she would refuse to take that girl with her.

"Well, I don't know how to tell the general. Just think of it as me finding it troublesome. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now." After saying this, Hong Xiaoduo raised her hand, clasped her hands in a fist salute, and turned to leave.

Lin Ansheng stood there, watching the somewhat frail figure recede into the distance and disappear into the inn.

Could it be that she has some unspeakable secret?

As soon as Hong Xiaoduo entered the inn, she saw Quan Jinghuai sitting at the tea table in the lobby, so she walked over and asked, "Brother Quan, were you waiting for me? Were you worried about me?"

"What are you worried about? They're practicing calligraphy in their room. I came out to sit for a bit. By the way, the girl you rescued came looking for me here. I told her you went to the teahouse. Did you see her?" Quan Jinghuai asked.

Hong Xiaoduo recounted what had happened, and then she saw him looking at her with a half-smile...