Chapter 203 Reward Notice
After the meal, the men of the Wan family went back to sleep, while the women sat on the kang and did needlework.
Wan Ersao made some chicken soup for Liu and kept it warm on the stove.
It rained all night in the village, so the ground was a bit muddy and fewer people came to visit.
The Wan family's yard was quiet. Several children were in the house, being restrained by Old Lady Wan and playing catching stones on the kang.
Old Mrs. Wan saw little Fubao sitting among her brothers, acting like a spoiled child and insisting on playing catching stones, but she didn't know how to play. The brothers patiently coaxed her, asked her to make way first, and then taught her how to play, and then they moved her aside.
When Old Mrs. Wan looked at little Fubao, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up.
"By the way, second son's wife, I haven't seen Mo'er recently. I heard from his mother that Mo'er went out to do business and made a lot of money. Do you know what happened?"
Old Mrs. Wan helped Wan Ersao to divide the lines and also talked about Wan Xingmo's matter.
Wan Ersao raised her head and frowned slightly when she heard this. "I haven't heard of this either. But Mo Er used to be a major general. Now he's a merchant, which is a bit of an insult to his talent. But we are all peasants and don't understand the affairs of scholars. Speaking of which, I have something to discuss with you."
Old Lady Wan looked at Second Sister Wan, waiting for her to continue. Second Sister Wan simply put down the work in her hands, moved closer to Old Lady Wan, and whispered, "Mom, when Mo'er was at home, he taught the children to read and write. Now that he is gone, I have some extra money, so I wonder if I can let the children continue to study? I found that Wen'er has been holding a branch and lowering his head to review the words that Mo'er taught him several times. But he is sensible and never opens his mouth. I wonder if I can send the children to school?"
Old Mrs. Wan also took a look at Wan Wen. Among her children, this child was the most intelligent and might be a good student.
Moreover, it is not impossible for the family to send several children to school. Although the tuition is expensive, if the child is a good one, the family will sell everything they have to support him. If the child is not good at studying, it is better for him to learn some words for a few years and then find another way to make a living than to dig for food in the dirt.
"Okay, but our village is so poor that we can't even afford to eat. I haven't heard of any children having the money to go to school. We don't even know where this private school is, so we still have to look for it."
Wan Ersao also nodded, "Mother is right. I'll ask the child's father to ask around when we go to town tomorrow. Wan Wen will be eleven years old this year, so it's a bit late for him to start learning."
Mrs. Wan Er was a little worried, but she believed that her son would definitely cherish the opportunity to study.
The mother and daughter were chatting on the kang, and before they knew it, mid-morning had passed. At this moment, there was a knock on the gate, along with the voice of Wan Laosan.
"Mom, open the door."
Wan Ersao quickly put down the work in her hands and hurriedly got off the kang, feeling confused.
"Mom, it's not too early or too late, why is the third brother back? I heard it sounded like his voice."
Old Mrs. Wan was also a little anxious, so she quickly asked Mrs. Wan Er to open the door.
"Stop talking, go open the door and check, is there something wrong in the store?"
Wan Ersao did not delay and hurried to open the door.
As soon as the courtyard door opened, Wan Lao San saw that it was Wan Ersao, and hurriedly shouted: "Second sister-in-law, something bad has happened, look at what this is?"
Wan Laosan came back jogging. The road was very muddy. He was holding up his shoes with one hand, his trouser legs were rolled up high, and his calves were covered with yellow mud.
He panted heavily, handed a notice in his hand to Wan Ersao, then hurried to the kitchen, opened the lid of the jar, scooped a bucket of water, and drank it in big gulps.
Wan Ersao looked puzzled. She lowered her head and opened the paper that Wan Lao San stuffed into her hand. When she opened the paper, there was a notice written on it.
Wan Ersao could recognize words, but not many, and she could only learn some names of medicinal herbs from her father.
However, this did not prevent Wan Ersao from understanding the content of the notice, because below the two words "notice" was a portrait. The little baby in the portrait was surprisingly 70% similar to their little Fubao.
When Wan Ersao saw the portrait, her eyes could no longer move. She had no idea what was written below, and she didn't even know how Wan Laoer brought her back to the room.
Wan Ersao held the paper tightly in her hand, and no one could pull it out even if they wanted to see it.
"Second son's wife? What's wrong with you? Don't scare me, mother."
Old Mrs. Wan waved her hands in front of Wan Ersao, but Wan Ersao was unaware. Old Mrs. Wan gritted her teeth and pinched Wan Ersao's philtrum with all her strength. This time, she used all her strength and Wan Ersao let out a howl.
Then she threw away the notice in her hand and hugged little Fubao, who had been frightened silly by Wan Ersao on the kang, into her arms. Little Fubao was suddenly hugged by Wan Ersao and was a little breathless. She also opened her little hands and hugged Wan Ersao's neck tightly, and the mother and daughter cried together.
Wan Ersao cried because she was afraid of losing little Fubao, and little Fubao cried because she was afraid of his mother crying.
Wan Laoer hurriedly picked up the notice on the ground, unfolded it and read it, and stood there in a daze.
"What the hell is going on? Are you two trying to drive me crazy?"
Old Mrs. Wan sat on the kang, slapping her thigh and frowning.
Wan Laosan then explained the whole story.
It turned out that a group of people came to the town early this morning. They were not wearing official uniforms and it was not known whether they were from the yamen. They were holding a stack of notices, which were posted all over the town. One of them happened to be posted in front of the door of Wan Laosan's shop. Wan Laosan had nothing to do, so he went out to join in the fun. He took a look and was shocked to see that they were looking for the notice of Xiao Fubao.
The notice stated clearly that the girl was one year old when she went missing, and she was wearing a small gold lock around her neck and had a red koi birthmark on her back. Wan Laosan was not very clear about these features because only Wan Ersao knew about them. Even Wan Laotai did not know that Xiao Fubao had a birthmark.
The notice also said that if anyone could provide information about the girl, he would be rewarded with 10,000 taels of silver and countless fields and estates.
However, the notice did not reveal Xiao Fubao's identity, which shows that it was intentionally concealed. But judging from the amount of the reward, Xiao Fubao's family is definitely wealthy enough to rival a country.
After Wan Lao San finished speaking, Wan Lao Tai was also dumbfounded.
"Oh my God, I said at the beginning that little Fubao's identity was not simple. Look at it, this reward is ten thousand taels of silver, and there are countless fertile fields. How rich is this family? Could this little Fubao be a princess? But we haven't heard of any princess missing in Da Qi?"
Old Mrs. Wan looked at Mrs. Wan Er, and seeing that she neither looked up nor let go, she sighed heavily.
"Second daughter-in-law, does little Fubao have a birthmark on his body?"
Mrs. Wan Er sobbed in silence, and Mrs. Wan knew that it was probably true, and that little Fubao did have a small golden lock.
Old Mrs. Wan looked at Old Third Wan again.
"Third brother, you must hurry back to the town. If there is any disturbance, you must come back and report it immediately. Little Fubao should not go out for a while. Stay out of the limelight. Don't go to the town for a year or two. In two years, when little Fubao grows up and his appearance changes, no one will recognize him."
After hearing Old Lady Wan's arrangement, Mrs. Wan Er quickly raised her red and swollen eyes.
"Mom, tell me, Xiao Fubao has been to the town quite often in the past six months. Will anyone remember her?"
What Wan Ersao was more worried about was that little Fubao looked outstanding and it was obvious at first glance that he was not from the Wan family. Anyone could find out the clue at first sight, not to mention the huge reward. Wan Ersao now felt that the border was not safe at all and that someone was coming to snatch her child away.
Just when the Wan family was in a panic, someone suddenly knocked on the door. The Wan family members immediately pricked up their ears to listen, their hearts beating like thunder.
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