Chapter 265 Arrival at the County
It was almost dark when Wan Laoer, Wan Laotai and a few kids arrived at the county town. This time they did not take a horse-drawn carriage, but drove directly to the county town by ox cart. The ox cart moved slowly and took quite a while.
Fortunately, Wan Ersao put an extra quilt on the ox cart, otherwise the children would have been freezing cold.
At this time, several little heads were sleeping, lying next to each other in the quilt, each wearing a small fur hat.
The ox cart creaked into the county town and drove all the way into the alley where Boss Wan lived.
Wan Laoer parked the ox cart, went forward and knocked on the door, and soon the doorman opened it.
"It's the Second Master. You've worked hard on the journey. Please come in."
Wan Laoer was respectfully invited in by the doorman.
"My mother and several children are on the oxcart. The children are all asleep. We need to carry them inside. Please help."
The servant quickly stuck his head out and saw an ox cart parked not far away. Old Lady Wan was sitting on the cart. The servant quickly trotted out.
"Oh, it's the old lady. Please give the child to me. I will carry the child inside for you."
Old Mrs. Wan's legs were a little numb after being bumped all the way. She also had been holding little Fubao the whole way, so her arms were sore and numb and she could hardly lift them.
Little Fubao was sleeping soundly in her arms, drooling, but Old Lady Wan did not let the servant touch little Fubao. Instead, she asked him to take the grandchildren in.
"Second brother, hurry up and pick up your daughter. Mother needs to be slow. I can't even lift my arms."
Wan Laoer hurried forward and took little Fubao from Grandma Wan's arms, and then stretched out a hand to support Grandma Wan.
It happened that at this time, Boss Wan was returning home from government office and saw his own ox cart from a distance.
"Mom, second brother? Why are you here?" Boss Wan was very surprised and ran over with an excited smile on his face.
When Old Lady Wan saw her son dressed in the uniform of a detective and looking very impressive, she was very happy. She reached out and touched the clothes on Boss Wan, her eyes full of smiles.
"Boss, you look really like a real detective in this police uniform. You have a bit of the aura of a police officer."
Boss Wan felt a little embarrassed after being praised by Old Lady Wan. He touched the back of his head and chuckled twice. Then he saw the boys on the ox cart still sleeping soundly.
"These guys can still fall asleep after entering the city. It's cold outside, let's go in quickly."
Boss Wan picked up the two little ones, one in each hand.
As soon as they stepped through the gate, Shen came over after hearing the news.
"Mom, second brother, you are here, come in quickly, it's cold outside, why is the child asleep?"
Shen quickly ordered the maids to make the kang and heat the bed, and also told the kitchen to prepare a richer meal in the evening.
After settling the children, Old Mrs. Wan also calmed down. She was just too old, and had been walking for such a long time that her bones were almost broken. She looked tired and listless.
For dinner, Shen prepared a large table of dishes, including chicken, duck, mutton, and rare small green vegetables. Old Mrs. Wan was very fond of the green vegetables and asked, "It's rare to have small green vegetables at this time of year."
"Mother, you don't know that this plate of vegetables is worth one or two taels of silver. It was given to you as a gift, and you asked me to bring some back. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to afford it."
When Old Mrs. Wan heard that a plate of vegetables would cost one or two taels of silver, she shuddered with fear and almost dropped her chopsticks on the ground.
"Mom, this is not eating vegetables, this is eating silver. I eat a hundred coins with one bite, right?" There were not many vegetables in the plate, and they were gone in just a few chopsticks. Seeing that she liked it, everyone didn't move their chopsticks. Old Mrs. Wan ate half a plate by herself, so isn't that half a tael of silver?
"Mom, it's okay. We didn't spend any money. They gave it to Jinyuan. Jinyuan can't eat so much by himself. These vegetables don't last long. It would be a pity if they rot if we don't eat them."
Shen explained with a smile, and Old Mrs. Wan felt that this was indeed the truth.
She picked up the chopsticks again and picked up a piece of food, but she was silently thinking in her heart that another hundred coins were gone.
Everyone looked at Old Lady Wan's painful expression, smiled secretly and said nothing. Second Brother Wan also thought that the dish was expensive, but he was open-minded. After all, things are valuable because they are rare. Rich people eat rare food, so they don't care how much it costs.
Little Fubao sat on a stool next to Wan Laoer, pointing at the roast duck and braised pork on the plate with his little finger from time to time.
"Daddy, I want to eat braised pork, roast duck, and lamb skewers. Lots of meat."
Shen loved little Fubao very much. She had loved little Fubao since she was in Shizi Village. Now little Fubao looked even more adorable than he did half a year ago. His eyes were bigger and brighter, and he looked more grown up and more lively.
"Auntie, can you give Fubao some meat to eat?"
Shen looked at Xiao Fubao and asked with a smile.
"Okay, thank you, aunt." Little Fubao's voice was so sweet that Shen's eyes narrowed into slits.
The small bowls in front of Xiao Fubao were soon piled up like a small mountain.
“Don’t spoil her, eldest son’s wife. She can’t live without meat and won’t eat any vegetables. If she eats too much, she will have indigestion and we will be the ones who will feel bad.” Grandma Wan watched her granddaughter eating with her mouth full of oil. She even threw away her chopsticks and just held a roast duck leg with her chubby little hands, gnawing on it with relish like a little squirrel, which made people’s appetite grow.
"Mom, don't worry. I know Xiao Fubao likes to eat meat, so I prepared hawthorn water. After dinner, she can take a walk and drink some hawthorn water. I guarantee she won't have indigestion." Shen said with a warm smile on her face as she looked at Xiao Fubao.
Old Mrs. Wan nodded secretly, thinking that Shen was thoughtful, and she stopped caring about Xiao Fubao.
After dinner, little Fubao was taken to the next room by his brothers to play. There were two maids watching over them, so nothing would happen. Old Mrs. Wan, Mrs. Shen, and the eldest and second Wan brothers stayed in the living room to sit and talk.
Old Mrs. Wan felt a little sleepy, but since she had just finished her meal, it would not be good for her health to go to bed directly, so she thought about talking about the children's problems, and then Old Man Wan could leave directly after buying the things tomorrow.
Mrs. Wan looked at Mr. Wan and said, "Big Boss, the court has issued a decree of amnesty. You should know that Mr. He from our village is the president of Lushan Academy. He has returned to Lushan now. The children are now without a teacher and are playing at home. I think this is not a solution, so I came to discuss it with you. Do you think you should bring Huzi to the county town or let him study in the town with the others? I will not interfere."
Boss Wan glanced at Shen, who smiled and took over the conversation: "Mom, Huzi is your husband's child, which means he is my child. There are only two of us in and out of the house, and it's lonely. Why don't you bring the child over to live with us?"
Seeing that Shen had spoken, Old Lady Wan nodded and said, "Okay, as long as you guys agree on it. The second son is coming to the county town to buy potatoes. We'll go around tomorrow morning to see where they're for sale. After we buy some, we'll go back to the village and won't be back tomorrow."
"Mom, you've finally come here, why don't you stay a few more days? Now everyone is hibernating, there's not much work to do in the fields, and we haven't lived together for a long time. Why don't you stay in the county for a few more days and I'll accompany you for a good walk, okay?"
Shen spoke sincerely, but Old Mrs. Wan was worried about her family, and she was not used to living in the city. Even at her son's house, she felt like an outsider and did not feel comfortable at home.
"My eldest daughter-in-law, I appreciate your kindness. There are still many things to do at home. Even if it's winter, we can't stay idle at home. I can go back to take care of little Fubao and your fourth brother's wife's baby. She can't take care of them alone, so I need to lend a hand. When the children grow up, I can come and live with you."
Shen didn't try to persuade them much. They were all family, and if they said too much, it would be considered as outsiders.
At this time, Wan Lao Da said to Wan Lao Er: "Lao Er, it's not easy to buy potatoes at this time, why are you buying this?"
"It's a little useful. I don't buy much. Just ten kilograms is enough. If there are more, I will buy more."
Seeing that the second Wan didn't say anything, the eldest brother Wan probably had something to hide, so he didn't ask any more questions and continued, "Okay, then I'll take half a day off tomorrow and go shopping with you. It just so happens that I haven't seen the children for a long time, so I'll take them to the street to buy some delicious food."
After the family had made their decision, they went to bed.
The next morning, Wan Laoer was about to drive the oxcart with the children away, but Shen Shi advised him, "Brother, leave the oxcart here first and let's go on foot. Your oxcart can't move on the street and it's not as convenient as walking."
"OK."
Several people walked down the street with a group of children.
The county town is much more prosperous than the town. The houses are no longer thatched huts, but buildings. The children were so excited that they kept chattering all the way.
However, no one noticed that two men with shifty eyes were staring at the little Fubao in Wan Laoer's arms from afar.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
