Chapter 38 Chapter 38 Beautiful and Strong Miserable Dad 8
Although he had made a big profit, Feng Pansheng remained calm and composed. The dangerous journey back to Beijing made him feel like he was on a sightseeing trip.
That day, the carriage was stopped again. The sleepy Zhuozhuo suddenly woke up and nimbly got out of Feng Pansheng's arms. He stretched out his hand to grab the carriage curtain, but was grabbed by Feng Pansheng when he was about to lift it up.
Feng Pansheng poked her in the itch and said in a gruff voice, "Ah, Zhuozhuo has been caught by a big tiger. The big tiger wants to eat you!"
"Daddy!" Zhuozhuo giggled and hid. She finally managed to hold Feng Pansheng's arm to prevent him from moving. She looked up and pleaded, "I want to go down and take a look."
Zhuozhuo spent the day in the carriage. Initially, she found it novel, but later, she couldn't stand it any longer. Every lunchtime, she was like a pony, unable to stop running. And for Zhuozhuo, the occasional highway robbery was a very interesting activity, a very attractive one.
But Feng Pansheng never let her get off the carriage at this time.
The more he is not allowed to watch, the more he wants to watch. Zhuozhuo has been competing with Feng Pansheng in wits and courage recently, but of course he loses every time.
There were sounds of fighting and screaming outside the carriage. Zhuozhuo knew there was no hope of getting out, so she simply stared at the small window, hoping that the wind would blow up the curtains so that she could see what was going on outside.
Unfortunately, there is no wind today.
Just as Zhuozhuo turned back in disappointment, an assassin's throat was slashed outside the carriage window. Blood spurted onto the curtains, causing them to sway. Then, blood seeped through the tiny gap and splattered into the carriage. Feng Pansheng pressed Zhuozhuo's face against his chest with one hand, then raised his wide sleeve with the other to completely cover her.
Blood splattered on the sleeves and quickly disappeared into the red fabric.
Zhuozhuo sensed something and shook his head, saying in a muffled voice, "Daddy, what's wrong?"
"Nothing." Feng Pansheng tore off his sleeves to avoid touching Zhuozhuo. The autumn rain and wind had already covered the window with a thick blanket.
Finally released, Zhuozhuo glanced at the tightly covered window and called out angrily, "Daddy!"
Feng Pansheng was instantly unable to resist and changed the subject before Zhuozhuo could say anything else, "Has Zhuozhuo memorized the Three Character Classic yet?"
"I know." Zhuozhuo subconsciously began to recite: "Man is born good..."
At the foot of a remote mountain, beside a lush forest, nearly a hundred people engaged in a life-or-death struggle, corpses strewn across the official road, blood staining the ground red. Amidst this scene of purgatory on earth, a child's voice suddenly drifted from a carriage amidst the corpses. Its voice, carefree and tender, carried a touch of emotion, yet it inexplicably created an atmosphere of terror.
Zhuozhuo recited a few lines before she began to feel sleepy. She'd been in the carriage all day these days, bored and sleeping, and now her days and nights were practically reversed. Amid the familiar sounds of fighting, Zhuozhuo quickly fell asleep. Feng Pansheng placed Zhuozhuo on the flat couch, realizing he couldn't go on like this.
No matter how comfortable a carriage is, it's not suitable for children to travel for long periods of time. Zhuozhuo's sleep schedule is now disrupted. Every night, she plays in the inn until midnight and still isn't sleepy. This results in her being unable to wake up in the morning and being half asleep during breakfast. Furthermore, she can't get a full night's sleep in the carriage, which is bad for both her body and mind.
Arriving in the city that evening, Zhuozhuo's first action at the inn was to survey the carriage. As usual, she found nothing. She wasn't disappointed, and with a cheer, she rushed into the inn, exploring the new map like a small animal, with Qiuyu Qiufeng following behind to protect her.
Zhuozhuo was dressed elegantly and wore expensive ornaments. The maids who served her were better dressed than the young ladies of ordinary families. One could tell at a glance that she was someone not to be messed with, so no one would stop her from running around.
In a short period of time, Zhuozhuo has become accustomed to this lifestyle. He is no longer restrained in new places. After playing around, he will tell Feng Pansheng which inn is the largest, which waiter is the most welcoming, which food is the most delicious, and which kitchen is the cleanest.
Feng Pansheng didn't just listen; he also fed Zhuo Zhuo's opinions back to the inn, asking them to correct their shortcomings and enhance their strengths. After all, except for the first inn, all the inns they stayed in were owned by Prince Li's mansion, though some were openly owned and some were hidden.
This time, Zhuozhuo accidentally ran to the backyard, which was a more private place. When she was about to leave, she heard a teenager crying at the back door, accompanied by the impatient sound of someone driving him away.
Zhuozhuo couldn't leave, so she tiptoed over to listen to what was going on. She saw the crying boy being violently pushed away by a burly man who yelled, "It's just ten cents, whether you want to sell it or not. If you keep crying here, I'll break your legs!"
"Hey, why are you hitting me?" Zhuozhuo yelled, running out the back door. He saw the boy stumble a few steps and bump into the wall, and the bamboo cage he was holding fell to the ground. A large golden-red fish jumped out of the bamboo cage and fluttered on the ground.
The sturdy man saw Zhuozhuo and smiled ingratiatingly, "I apologize for offending you, our distinguished guest. I didn't hit anyone. It was this guy who tried to blackmail me with a fish, and I was just about to chase him away." He knew Zhuozhuo didn't understand, so he looked at Qiuyu Qiufeng and said, "Sisters, this place is very dirty. Please take the young lady back home."
Qiuyu Qiufeng just looked at Zhuozhuo and ignored this person.
Zhuozhuo looked at the golden-red fish curiously for a few seconds, then looked at the boy and said childishly, "Does it hurt?"
The boy shook his head and muttered that it didn't hurt, but as he moved, a few tears fell from the corners of his eyes. Seeing this, Zhuozhuo's eyes widened. He leaned close to him and asked mysteriously, "Are you a mermaid? Your tears will turn into pearls."
The boy wiped his tears with his sleeve in embarrassment, "No, I am a human being. I am a fisherman."
"What is fishing?"
"Catch fish in the river and sell them for money." The boy hurriedly caught the big fish and put it in a bamboo basket. He then handed the basket to Zhuozhuo and said shyly, "This fish is so beautiful. Do you want to buy it?"
Zhuozhuo clung to the bamboo cage and peered inside. A lot of water had just spilled out, leaving only half the fish submerged. But it was still fierce, lashing out with its tail as if to bite Zhuozhuo. Zhuozhuo let out a "wow!", and just when the boy thought she was frightened, she poked her little head inside and let out an even louder "wow!"
The big fish was powerless and unable to fight back against the burning provocation, so it collapsed in the bamboo cage and flapped its tail.
Zhuozhuo said happily: "I won."
The boy smiled, the innocent and pure child was so cute. Then Zhuozhuo said, "I want to eat you, eat your flesh!"
Zhuozhuo turned around and said, "Sister Qiufeng, I want to buy this fish."
Qiu Feng approached the young man and asked him the price. The strong man quickly said, "Sister, this boy is trying to extort money. Miss, you want to eat fish. We have the freshest fish in our shop, freshly caught from Ding River."
The young man couldn't help but say, "You're the one trying to extort money. You're trying to buy my fish cheap and sell it to the rich and powerful at a higher price! My fish is golden and red, more beautiful than the sunset. There's no way it's worth only ten cents!"
"Shut up, you little bastard!"
Seeing the sturdy man and the young man arguing, Qiuyu Qiufeng protected Zhuozhuo. Zhuozhuo looked at the sturdy man and said, "Don't say anything. Brother doesn't want to sell it to you, he wants to sell it to me. It's none of your business. Don't talk here."
The sturdy man knew he couldn't take advantage of the situation today. He didn't dare offend Zhuozhuo. He glared at the boy, muttered "Just wait," and left. The distinguished guest would leave after just one night, and as long as the brat continued to sell fish in the city, he would be under his control.
The young man's face darkened, and when Zhuozhuo was about to leave, he stopped her and said, "I have a golden-red fish at home. If you want it, I'll send it to you tomorrow."
"OK!"
Zhuozhuo went to find Feng Pansheng with the bamboo cage in his arms, and called out from a distance, "Daddy, we're having fish today. Super delicious fish!"
Bai Zhu silently opened the door. After a few breaths, Zhuo Zhuo climbed the stairs and ran over, panting. He showed the bamboo cage to Feng Pansheng like a treasure.
Feng Pansheng took a look and said "Oh", and deliberately said: "How do you know it tastes good?" Such beautiful fish are usually raised in the lake for viewing.
"It looks so good, how can it not taste good!" Zhuozhuo said confidently.
"That makes sense," Feng Pansheng said flatteringly. He took the bamboo basket and placed it on the ground, wiping the water off his burning face with a handkerchief. "How do you want to eat it?"
"I want to eat sweet and sour fish!" Zhuozhuo pointed at the big fish and said, "It looks just like sweet and sour fish."
Big Fish: “…” This is very offensive.
Anyway, the fish was served as sweet and sour fish at dinner, and Zhuozhuo ate half of it. After dinner, Feng Pansheng told Zhuozhuo that they would not take the carriage tomorrow, but a boat instead. The boat was faster and could reach the capital in a day and a night.
"Why didn't you take a boat before?"
9972 thought to himself, of course it was because Feng Pansheng was fearless and yet he got seasick.
Feng Pansheng was vague, "It was inconvenient before, but now there's a dock right next to the city we're in."
Zhuozhuo had no objection to riding anywhere, but she still hadn't figured out what was going on outside the carriage during the day. She felt a little regretful, but immediately turned her attention to riding on the boat. "What is a boat like? Why is it faster than a carriage? Why do I have to ride on a boat on top of a horse? Won't the horse be angry?"
Feng Pansheng smiled as he explained everything to Zhuozhuo. However, because Zhuozhuo had no memory of the ship, she kept asking wild questions. But before she could finish, she fell asleep. Feng Pansheng tucked Zhuozhuo in, asked Qiuyu Qiufeng to keep watch over her, and then walked back to his room.
Gan Song appeared quietly and reported the information he had found, "The boy's name is Xu Wenchang. His parents died early, and he grew up with his grandfather. Because he was smart, he studied from a young age. A while ago, his grandfather fell ill and spent all his savings, so he started fishing and selling fish to earn money to buy medicine."
However, Xu Wenchang was raised by his grandfather and was out of touch with the real world. He was cheated when he went to a fish stall to sell fish, was asked to pay protection fees by thugs when he set up a stall in the city, and was almost forced to sell at a low price when he sold to an inn.
Zhuozhuo had come into contact with two strangers, so Feng Pansheng naturally had to investigate and confirm their identities. The bully had already been punished by the inn. Knowing the young man was also an ordinary person, Feng Pansheng casually said, "Go buy his fish tomorrow morning, and don't let Zhuozhuo see him anymore."
Having slept so late today, it’s even a question whether Zhuozhuo can wake up and have breakfast tomorrow, not to mention having to board the ship early.
Gan Song hesitated, "I didn't find any live fish at Xu Wenchang's residence, but he went fishing in the river after returning home today."
He didn't have a second big golden-red fish at home. He just lied under the threat of the strong man in order to get more contact with Zhuozhuo and seek protection.
"Then leave him alone."
Anyway, Zhuozhuo won’t remember this when he wakes up.
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