Old Master Tai's guess was pretty close, so he shook his head and said, "No need. Let someone bandage him up briefly to make sure he's not dead. Keep him hidden from outsiders first, and then escort him back home. I'll think about what to do next."
Of course Chen Zhao agreed, and personally instructed the leader of the guards to properly arrange the three thieves and stuff them into the middle of the truck, covering it tightly with bamboo baskets and other things. If someone hadn't deliberately searched for them, they would never have been found.
The bloodstains in the camp were also covered by the remaining snow, and the campfire was extinguished completely, leaving no trace.
Soon, everyone set off again.
Old Master Tai, Chen Zhao, and two other boys were riding in a carriage, with Zhimaqiu lying at the back of the carriage, resting with his eyes closed.
Yonglu was finally rescued. He felt close to everyone in the family. He leaned over and hugged Zhimaqiu and stroked him, causing Zhimaqiu to shake his head impatiently.
Old Master Tai quickly protected Zhimaqiu, scolding him with a smile, "Don't mess with Zhimaqiu! He's been crossing mountains and rivers since yesterday morning, bringing everyone to look for you. We're all exhausted, not to mention he's a dog."
"Let him rest well. From now on, you should be like Zhuzhu and share half of the good things with Zhimaqiu. He is your life-saving dog. Without him sniffing the stinky shoes and socks you left behind, we wouldn't have arrived so quickly."
Yongyue nodded after hearing this and walked forward to touch Zhima Ball. However, he suddenly found that one of Zhima Ball's legs was curled up. He looked at it carefully and shouted in surprise.
"Grandpa, it's bad, Zhimaqiu's foot is injured!"
Everyone rushed over and found out that Zhimaqiu's feet were pierced by several sharp thorns, which had penetrated deep into his feet. Perhaps because he had walked a long way, the pierced areas had become swollen and festered due to dirt and decay.
Everyone who saw this gasped and couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
Zhimaqiu was half asleep, half awake, and looked at everyone in a daze for a few seconds before lying back down. But his injured foot was still trembling slightly...
It’s not that it doesn’t hurt, it’s just that I’m too tired to care!
Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue burst into tears. It was because of looking for them that Zhimaqiu suffered so much.
You know, this dog usually lives at home, either eating or sleeping on a warm bed, and has a better life than anyone else. He would bark twice when drinking hot soup, but now his paws are rotten and he hasn't even made a sound.
The old man quickly hugged Zhimaqiu in his arms and shouted, "Quick, find some liquor, medicine, and clean water!"
Chen Zhao also quickly called for help and delivered things.
Soon, everything was delivered and the candles were lit.
The old man pulled out the thorns himself. The pain made Zhimaqiu wake up several times, but he was too tired to struggle.
Tai Yonglu and Tai Yongyue kept holding the dog's head, choking with sobs as they comforted Zhimaqiu, and promised to give him all their pocket money and delicious food for the year.
The hair on the dog's paws was also shaved off, the pus, blood and dirt were cleaned, medicine was applied, and then it was wrapped tightly with fine cotton cloth.
The big black horse and the big white horse often fought with Sesame Ball for his favor, but now they stopped quarreling. They put their big heads on the car windows and looked inside as they drove. It was really funny and touching to watch.
The people in Taijia Village and the veterans were used to it, but many of the people in the Chen family caravan had never been to Taijia Village. When they saw this scene, they couldn't help but gossip.
"Our shopkeeper always said that the Tai family valued friendship and loyalty, but I didn't take it seriously. Now I see that this Tai family is indeed different. Not to mention the dog in the carriage that is being cared for so carefully, even this horse seems to have become a spirit, as if it is afraid that the dog will be seriously injured and die!"
There were also people who knew the inside story and gave them explanations and reminders.
"You don't know, the dog and the big black horse in the car were brought back together by the old man from the cattle and horse market. They were both half-dead at the time, but the Tai family raised them until they are this big. And before that, the Tai family's precious granddaughter was abducted by human traffickers, and it was this dog who searched all over the city before finding her in the cellar of an abandoned yard.
"It was the time when our young master got lost and was found! It was all thanks to this dog! Not only did the Tai family treat this dog and the horse like humans, but our young master also doted on them.
“Our boss specially found a golden collar for the dog and a good saddle for the big black horse in the south this time.
"I'm afraid we'll have to live in Taijia Village for the time being. It's okay if we're impolite to others, but we must remember not to bully their dogs and horses."
Everyone was amazed and nodded repeatedly.
"No wonder they made such a big fuss about this dog being injured. If my dog was this smart, I would treat it like a family member too."
"That's right, it's rare for a dog to be so smart and recognize its master."
"Our shopkeeper made the right decision to place the young master with the Tai family! Such a family is so kind to dogs, and they are even more dedicated to our young master."
As they spoke, the convoy moved slowly forward. After more than two hours, they finally saw the shadow of Tai'an County.
At this moment, the sky was already turning pale, and the sun was faintly visible. The entire county was gradually waking up.
The city gate had just been opened, and the soldiers, who were rubbing their eyes and yawning, were too lazy to check the burdens and luggage of the people coming in and out. After all, there was nothing good except cabbage, radishes and some coarse grains.
Rich people are not so anxious. Even if they have something to do, they will wait until it is warm at noon before going out.
But today, their experience is wrong.
As soon as the city gate opened, two carriages came out one after another. They were from the prominent families in the city, the Min family and the Wu family.
The soldiers couldn't help but talk about it, just to refresh themselves.
"What's going on? What's the big deal? Why are these two coming out so early?"
"I don't know. He looks very anxious."
"I heard a few things. It seems that the kid from the Tai family was taken away by kidnappers. Yesterday, the Min family and the Wu family were helping to look for him."
"What? Another child is lost! These kidnappers are so wicked. Why do they always come to our place to steal children? Do they think we in Tai'an are easy to bully?"
"Who says it isn't? Winter is coming soon, and I'm afraid these wicked things will be even more rampant before and after the New Year."
"Hey, stop getting off topic. It seems the Tai family has found the child, otherwise why would the Min and Wu families come out?"
"Hurry up, who's free? Come over and take a look."
Not only the soldiers were curious, but the common people were even more confused. It was rare to see so many people so early in the morning!
There were seven or eight cars and thirty or forty people from Taijia Village who came to meet them. Uncle Tai San was wrapped in a fur coat and stood in the morning breeze. His face was blue and purple from the cold, but he still stretched his neck.
After finally seeing the convoy, everyone started cheering and ran towards it.
"Where is Yonglu, where is Yongyue? How are those boys? Are they hurt?" When Master Tai San saw everyone in the convoy, he started asking questions.
Old Master Tai pushed the door open and shouted, "Don't worry, Third Brother, everything is fine!"
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