Chapter 102: Exiles in the Capital
In mid-December, the first snow fell on Tubei Mountain.
Overnight, the sky and the earth were covered in silver, and snow was everywhere.
There are many thatched houses and straw huts at the foot of Tubei Mountain. Even so, every now and then there will be another wave of people rushing over from other places.
"People have moved here from Madongpo, Hulugou, Hongtuya... all over the place, even from Tunan Mountain."
A brazier was lit in the main hall of the Su family, and the whole family huddled together in the house to warm themselves by the fire during the winter.
Su Da sighed frequently as he spoke of the new arrivals. "I heard from them that they all came here because they couldn't make ends meet in their previous places. The two families from Tu Nan Mountain came to protect their wives and children from being robbed or sold. The fifty-plus people from Ma Dong Po didn't want to be forced into tenant farming..."
The firewood in the brazier crackled continuously. Su Er used his tongs to poke the ashes left on the burnt wood. "Most of them are trying to avoid greater trouble. Those people really think I'm capable of protecting them. I don't dare go out every day now. If I go out, I will be worshipped because of this incident."
"It's a place where people eat each other." Old Lady Su said with a heavy face, "Those who ran over here are more or less connected to the Twelve Piers. Now everyone is gathered in Tubei Mountain. Even if we didn't do anything, the Twelve Piers will blame us and think we are going against them."
The whole family was pushed to the top like a duck to the tree.
I'm not afraid.
Besides, there's no point in being afraid.
The family has been in this place for a long time and has experienced a lot of things. When encountering problems, they can now look at them more calmly and rationally.
Today the whole family gathered together to talk about these things, and most of them were sighing.
While they can live a peaceful life here because of the protection of others, many people in other places are experiencing separation from their families and death.
Their understanding of the exile land is just a small part.
Finally, Old Man Su sighed, "I don't want to think about it so much. We'll just live the same way as before. Didn't Mr. Huo tell us not to worry about how many people come to Tubei Mountain or what kind of people they are?"
The whole family nodded.
It was still snowing outside.
The sound of reading aloud in the Huo family courtyard drifted out through the snowflakes, and the voice was clear and tender.
"Gold comes from Lishui, jade comes from Kungang. The sword is called Juque, and the beads are called luminous."
"Fruits are precious, such as pears and pears; vegetables are rich in mustard and ginger. The sea is salty, the river is fresh; fish swim and birds fly."
Four little kids were in the Huo family's main hall, swaying their heads around the brazier, and they could recite a thousand-word essay by heart.
Huo Ziheng was standing by, serving tea in one hand and holding a ruler in the other. Every time he shook the ruler, the three boys would become nervous.
Only the little sweet baby is as steady as a rock.
She had never been hit with a ruler. Every time her master came with the ruler, she would bounce it away.
After so many times, the master's ruler ignored her.
After reciting it again, Huo Ziheng called for a halt, "That's all for today, come back tomorrow."
The three little brats immediately cheered. get out of class was over, and the ruler crisis was over. "Master, let's go home!"
"Yeah." Huo Ziheng nodded, and called the little kid who was trudging along behind his brothers, "Tianbao, stay for a moment and go for a walk outside with Master."
Tianbao stopped and pointed outside with his little finger, "Master, it's snowing."
"I have an umbrella." Huo Ziheng pulled out an oil-paper umbrella from behind the door and opened it. He held the umbrella in one hand and held Tianbao's hand in the other, but did not pick her up. The two of them walked into the snow.
I left the yard and walked along the road covered with a layer of snow.
There were thatched houses and straw huts on both sides of the road. When the residents saw the master and his disciples, they would bow to them devoutly from a distance.
The two didn't stop until they reached the intersection at the foot of the mountain. The little baby's red tiger-head shoes were already wet with snow.
She stood in front of the man, raised her little face and waited quietly for the master's next instruction.
No matter why.
Huo Ziheng also lowered his eyes to look at her, his face equally calm and his eyes without any ripples.
A small oil-paper umbrella could barely cover the two figures, one big and one small. The snowflakes that could not escape from the umbrella gently fell on the sleeves and shoes of the two people.
"Are you happy that those people bowed to you?" the man asked.
The little girl replied, "I don't know."
"They respect you, but you're not happy?"
"They're afraid of me."
Tianbao didn't know what respect was, but she could feel that people who bowed to her were afraid of her.
"Because they need you."
"Need me?"
"They hope to get your protection and that you can stand up for them when someone bullies them."
Tianbao frowned and said, "I don't want to."
"Why?"
"None of my business."
Huo Ziheng pinched his brows, chuckled again, and tapped the kid's brows with his index finger, "What did you learn from your poisonous grandfather?"
The kid tilted his head and shook his finger, "Master, are you coming back?"
"Return."
"Do you want me to protect them?"
"As you like."
He curled his lips in another silent smile.
Tu Beishan's power has been established, and if someone is to lead it, he hopes it will be Tianbao.
She has the qualifications, ability, and connections.
After a few years, Tu Beishan will also be the overlord of the exile land.
But whether he wanted it or not, he never thought of forcing Tianbao.
If she likes it, she does it.
If you don’t like it, don’t do it.
On the way back, the snow was still falling, and the people I met along the way still bowed to Tianbao from afar.
Tianbao didn't look at it for long, because the person she wanted to protect was only in that small space.
Just as the master and disciple were halfway back home, a figure flew over, his bird-nest hair staggering in the wind and snow. "Huo Ziheng, you bastard! You actually let Tianbao walk back here by himself in the snow?"
The bird's nest head landed on the ground and kicked Huo Ziheng, then picked up the child. Seeing her shoes soaked by the snow, she cried out in pain, "Oh my, little one, if Huo doesn't care about things, you won't care about things either? Your feet must be frozen! If you just jump on his back, how can he throw you off? You are so stubborn, you have learned the pedantry of scholars! Be smarter next time!"
Tianbao sighed quietly.
She can't even get a word in.
The old man rushed back to the Su family's courtyard, holding the baby in his arms and shouting all the way. He squeezed a gap next to the brazier where many people were sitting, picked up the baby's two little feet and put them on the fire to roast.
"Look, I told you guys you couldn't take care of the baby without me! How long have I been out? Sweetie's been carried around in the snow! - What was I talking about just now? Come on, let's continue."
Old Lady Su took off the child's shoes and socks and said helplessly, "They say there are more exiles outside."
"Oh, right." Du Buqin nodded. He had gone for a stroll in the inner city today, hoping to bring back some goodies. He had heard some gossip while lingering in the corner of the Maowangque Tower. "The people who came this time said they were exiled from the capital, and they were the family of a high-ranking official. I didn't find out what crime they had committed, but since they're from the capital, their family must be high-ranking officials, so they must have brought a lot of goodies with them!"
Su family, "..."
No, you came back excitedly telling me this gossip, so you're eyeing something that someone else doesn't even have?
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