The children were happy to do this and all agreed.
After Qiao Lian'er left, A Da poured a pot of porridge into five bowls, which were steaming hot.
"Eat quickly, and then we'll do things for Sister Lian'er."
The children picked up their bowls and, ignoring the scalding heat, ate with gusto.
This was the first time they had eaten a meal they had prepared themselves. Although it was simple, the feeling of self-reliance was very different from before.
After finishing a bowl of porridge, the children regained their strength and waited for their eldest son to give them instructions.
Ah Da thought for a moment: "Sister Lian'er came into the city early this morning, saying that someone was following her. It's probably in the direction she entered the city. Let's split into three people and go towards the city gate to look for her, while the rest of us go to check other places, just in case that kid has already gone somewhere else."
Everyone split up and acted separately.
Before long, they saw a child who matched Qiao Lian'er's description. He first asked people how many markets there were where he could set up a food stall, then went to each one one by one, finally heading towards the central street and then circling around to Changqing Street.
Yongguan County is very large, and it took Song Ruier half a morning to do these things.
The sun was scorching the earth, and Song Ruier's forehead was covered in sweat. She was tired, thirsty, and hungry.
But this did not dampen his enthusiasm; he was determined to find out everything.
In fact, Changqing Street is the closest to the city gate. The reason he didn't look for it here at first was that he thought the Qiao family would choose one of the other markets with cheaper rent first.
It is now almost certain that the Qiao family must have set up a stall on Changqing Street.
So Song Ruier was a bit sneaky, trying her best to hide her presence.
In the distance, we finally spotted the Qiao family at stall number eight. Their stall had several kinds of food that we couldn't identify, and there was a long queue in front of them. The Qiao family members were so busy that they were practically using both their hands and feet to throw the coins into the bamboo basket, which was almost full.
Song Ruier was astonished; after a day like this, who knew how much money they would make?
It must be at least ten taels, I'm sure.
He was about to walk forward to see what was being sold at the stall when suddenly two people blocked his way.
The two men looked to be around his age, one slightly taller than him and the other the same height.
"Hey kid, where are you going? You're acting all sneaky, you're obviously not a good guy." As he spoke, A-Da blocked Song Ruier's way into a nearby alley.
"Get out of my way! I don't know you. What are you doing blocking my way? Do you own this street? Can't I even walk on it?" Song Ruier said angrily.
"Oh, you've got quite a temper, haven't you? I just can't stand you, so what? I don't want you hanging around here like a scoundrel." Ah Er laughed and patted Song Ruier on the head.
Song Ruier was in pain from the slap. He wanted to fight back, but seeing that there were two of them, he was no match for them. So he had to change his mind and adopt a different attitude.
"Brothers, I'm here to find my parents. I've gotten separated from them and I'm very worried. Please don't block my way."
"Hmph, trying to play tricks on me? Do you think I'll believe you?" Ah Da crossed his arms, looking every bit the adult.
"Then what do you want me to do? I don't have any money. I only have a little money for the carriage, and the rest is enough to buy two steamed buns."
Ah Er: "Do we look like robbers to you? You look more like a thief to me."
“Here’s what we’ll do,” said A-Da. “There are a lot of rats in this alley. You catch three rats in here, and I’ll let you go once you’ve caught enough.”
Song Ruier was furious; he never expected to run into these thugs.
This is purely for his amusement.
"But I'm really busy looking for my parents. How about this, I'll catch mice for you after I find them."
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