The child followed Tian Shu almost every step of the way, helping to carry and gather firewood, and carefully avoiding getting his cloak dirty.

A simple lunch was ready quickly; now that we have a large family and many dishes, we have plenty of bowls and chopsticks.

While eating, the child glanced nervously at Hong Xiaoduo and immediately lowered his head. Before Hong Xiaoduo could speak, Tian Shu reminded Tian Xuan to break half of the dry food and give it to the child.

"It's not that I'm not letting you eat your fill, it's just that you've been hungry for too long and can't eat too much. Eat a little to get used to it," Tian Shu explained to the child again.

The child nodded. This time, he didn't grab the food recklessly like before. He ate the hot dry rations in small bites, picking at the vegetables that Tianxuan had put on his plate.

"Mother, this brother is so pitiful," Yao Guang whispered to Hong Xiaoduo.

Hearing Yao Guang's words, Hong Xiaoduo just smiled at her, thinking to herself, "Girl, you're wrong. No matter how pitiful this child is, he's not as pitiful as you were back then."

Hong Xiaoduo hadn't forgotten that Tian Shu and the other seven didn't even know how to use chopsticks.

This child not only knows how to use chopsticks, but he uses them very well.

Although the child's past is still unclear, one thing is certain: the child was definitely not a beggar from a young age.

According to Hong Xiaoduo's observation of the child, although his clothes were tattered, he was dirty, and his hair was messy, his condition, exposed skin, and other aspects indicated that he had not been a beggar for very long.

The child had clearly eaten only half a meal, but his complexion had improved considerably.

After lunch, I helped tidy up. I was worried about getting my cloak dirty, so I wanted to take it off first. Tian Shu said it wasn't necessary, and he would wash it if it got dirty.

The weather was nice today. After setting off at noon, Hong Xiaoduo let Tian Shu sit in the carriage while she sat on the carriage shaft.

"I think you should inform the court and set up a charity hall," Quan Jinghuai joked from his horse.

Upon hearing this, Hong Xiaoduo immediately said, "I don't want to. I don't have the heart of a bodhisattva, nor do I want to do good deeds to be reborn into a good family in the next life. But if you have this idea, I can help you communicate and negotiate with the court. Whether you need a place or money for expenses, I can help you get it. In the future, all the people you take in will become your disciples. Before long, you will have the most disciples in Fengliang Kingdom, and you can even establish your own sect."

"I don't have that kind of ability. Having those seven is enough for me in this life," Quan Jinghuai quickly declared, afraid that if he was too slow to respond, the girl might actually have those kinds of thoughts.

After saying that, Quan Jinghuai reined in his horse and slowed down, falling behind the four carriages.

However, the jokes between the two of them reached the ears of Tian Shu and the others. The four brothers were no longer worried that she would abandon them, and they were very happy to hear their master's words.

They didn't notice that the one they had just picked up pursed his lips and clenched his fist tightly under his cloak.

"When we camp tonight, I'll boil some water for you to take a quick bath, and then you can change into new clothes from head to toe," Tianji said with a smile as he noticed the child staring at the ripped cuffs of his trousers.

The child nodded upon hearing this.

"Don't be nervous. Although our mother looks fierce, she's a very kind person. There were only a few of us before, and we were all beggars like you. She found us and took us in." Tianquan looked at the child's sullen expression and comforted him.

When Tian Shu and the other two heard this, they didn't think anything of it, because it was the truth.

The child looked shocked when he heard this. He looked up at Tianquan, then at the other three, and saw them nodding and smiling.

“What he said is true. There were originally seven of us, plus a little sixth brother. He found his family and went home,” Tian Shu also spoke up.

Outside the carriage, Hong Xiaoduo, sitting on the carriage shaft, listened to the conversation inside without giving it much thought.

In the evening, we set up tents and camped in the wild again.

After Tian Shu and the others set up their tents, they divided up the tasks. He and Tian Quan helped boil water, carry water, and light a charcoal fire in the tent. Since they didn't have a bath tub, they used a large wooden basin for washing clothes as a makeshift bath tub.

When Tianxuan finished preparing dinner, Tianshu came over with the child who had changed into his new robes. However, the boy's hair was impossible to comb properly. Tianshu wanted to cut it, but the boy refused, so he had no choice but to give up and simply tie it up for him.

The child, who had been washed and dressed in new clothes, was not as good-looking as Tian Shu and the others. He had a very ordinary appearance, but Hong Xiaoduo felt a strange sensation about him, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

Hong Xiaoduo couldn't help but recall the reactions of Tian Shu and the others when they faced her. Although she was fierce to them, and although they were obviously afraid of her, what was the look in their eyes?

Yes, that's it. Back then, Tian Shu and the other seven children would secretly observe her and occasionally glance at her. When she looked at them, although they were a little uneasy, they would not avoid her gaze and would look back at her.

The child she had just picked up didn't dare to look her in the eye. When she looked at him, he would either look away or lower his head.

Hong Xiaoduo found the reason why she felt strange, so she observed carefully and found that this child not only dared not look her in the eye, but also avoided the gazes of Brother Quan and Fei Yan.

On the contrary, there would be no such relationship with Tian Shu and the other six.

Is he timid and afraid of adults? Or not afraid of his peers? Hong Xiaoduo couldn't be sure.

Dinner consisted of two dishes served in a copper basin with charcoal burning underneath. One dish was wild duck stewed with bamboo shoots and mushrooms, along with radishes. The other dish was stewed carp.

The bamboo shoots were dried bamboo shoots bought from farmers along the way and soaked in water before noon. As for the mushrooms, they were picked and dried by Hong Xiaoduo and her team on the mountains along the way in the autumn.

Although there are only two dishes, they contain both meat and vegetables, making them very nutritious.

The dishes are delicious, and the broth is even more flavorful. The little ones love to pour the broth over their rice, or dip their dry food in the broth.

Tian Shu acted like a big brother, picking up a wild duck leg for the child, while Tian Xuan also helped by using chopsticks to pick up the fish meat with fewer bones from the belly.

The child kept his head down and ate heartily. Occasionally, he would look up and notice Hong Xiaoduo watching him, then immediately lower his head again. Perhaps he had thought of something, he would slowly raise his head and look at Hong Xiaoduo.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that Hong Xiaoduo was no longer looking at him, but was picking fish bones out of Yao Guang.

At night, without needing to coax Xiaoduo to make any arrangements, Tian Shu offered to let the child sleep with them.

The next morning, after Hong Xiaoduo woke up, washed up, and stepped out of the tent, Tian Shu came over.

He has something to say to her, and it's most likely about that child...