With a handful of scallions, three eggs, and some dough, Tao Wanniang divided the dough into ten portions and fried ten scallion and egg pancakes after the porridge was cooked.
The aroma of scallions and eggs made everyone, young and old, drool.
"Mom, can I have two of these pancakes?"
Ling Dahu counted them; there were ten. It was impossible for each child to eat one, so there were too many!
"Eat first, so you can travel faster." Tao Wanniang didn't say this to anyone explicitly. Men's appetites are a bit bigger than women's. Among the children, Xiao Qiao'er could probably eat a pancake and drink a bowl of porridge, while Gouwa, Huani, and Er Gou would be lucky to chew a few bites.
"Mother, we're out of flour, aren't we? Did we borrow this from someone else?"
Wang Hongyu, being cautious, deliberately asked a question.
"No, it was given to me by your father."
Tao Wanniang glanced at Wang Hongyu and said directly that this was a pound of flour that she bought from the system for one hundred coins.
"I guess things aren't going well for him either. He only had one pound of flour, and he used it all up. After all, nobody's been burning money for him, right?"
Tao Wanniang's serious-sounding nonsense left the Ling family members stunned.
"Mother, let's burn some paper money for Father when we get to the provincial capital."
Ling Dahu suggested, "I thought so before, but Mother, we... we don't have a single word left!"
The eight taels of silver found from the bandits all ended up in Tao Wanniang's pocket!
"What's wrong? You're eyeing your mother's money?"
Tao Wan's mother put down her chopsticks and put on a stern face: "If this money were in your hands, wouldn't it be spent even faster? Think about it yourselves."
"He's not very bright, he's clumsy with words, and he doesn't have any cooking skills. If it weren't for your mother, would we be able to live here for free?"
"Mother, don't be angry, we didn't think that far ahead," Ling Dapeng immediately said, trying to appease her. "With you, Mother, we have shelter and food; we're content!"
“Yes, Mother, I didn’t mean anything by it!” Ling Dahu immediately said. “Mother, you eat this pancake. You’ve worked hard, you should eat more!”
"Heh!" Tao Wanniang snorted coldly, picked up her chopsticks again, and thought, "Hmm, the pancakes I made myself are really delicious. I haven't eaten vegetables in so long, even the scallions taste especially good!"
Before leaving, Tao Wan's mother instructed her son and daughter-in-law to clean up the kitchen and, after making sure nothing was left behind, she locked the door for them.
As you walk out of the alley, you can see from afar that the wonton shop is doing a booming business, with He Dazhu and his wife extremely busy.
Zhujia Town was not affected by drought or locust plague, which shows that it is quite wealthy!
The provincial capital, which is not far from here, must have even more people. Tao Wanniang began to look forward to it. She would start her journey to wealth in the provincial capital!
The rest of the journey went exceptionally smoothly. When they saw the towering city gates of Shanhai Prefecture, a surge of emotion welled up in the hearts of the Ling family members.
It's been so tough, so incredibly difficult!
"Mother, I feel my eyes are a little wet," Ling Dahu said, wiping his eyes. "We've gone through so much hardship, and we've finally arrived at the provincial capital!"
"Ha, are you hungry or injured? You've gone through all this trouble, but look at your face, it's even fatter than it was in the village!"
Tao Wanniang sarcastically remarked that although they couldn't say they ate their fill every day along the way, they had eaten meat, and plenty of rice and noodles.
Not to mention the adults, even the children's faces have become noticeably rounder.
"Let's go, it's still early, let's go find Xiao Qiao'er's father."
Tao Wanniang looked at Xiao Qiao'er, her heart heavy. It was a blessing or a curse. She should take care of the child's affairs first.
"Grandma Tao, even if I find my father, I will never forget you."
Little Qiao'er was also looking forward to reuniting with her father, her eyes shining with hope.
"What are you doing here?" The soldiers guarding the city stopped Tao Wanniang and her entourage.
"All migrants entering the city must register and tell me which village they came from."
“Since you’re being so strict, fine, let’s register then. We’re from Lingjia Village. My name is Tao Wanniang, my eldest son is Ling Dahu, and my eldest daughter-in-law is Wang Hongyu…”
Tao Wanniang was surprised for a moment, then immediately revealed her identity.
"Oh, by the way, this little girl isn't from our village. She's here to see her father. Her father's name is Liang Laifu, and he's an official in the government office..."
"Who? Who are you talking about?"
The official in charge of registration interrupted Tao Wanniang, staring wide-eyed at Xiao Qiao'er.
"Liang Laifu, what's wrong? Does this official know the child's father?"
"Little girl, what's your name?"
The official in charge of registration looked at Xiao Qiao'er and asked.
"My name is Liang Linglong, and my father's name is Liang Laifu. Uncle, do you know my father? Where is he?"
"Go inside. Also, I advise you not to look for your father."
Tao Wan's mother discovered that this person had not registered Xiao Qiao'er's name at all. Her heart sank. Why couldn't Xiao Qiao'er find her father? Had her father committed a crime?
"I'm looking for my father. My grandmother came with me, but she was killed by bandits. Before she died, she told me that I must find my father. Uncle, please tell me where my father is!"
Xiao Qiao'er sensed that the man in front of her seemed to know something, so she immediately grabbed the official's sleeve and asked anxiously.
"How can this little girl be so stubborn!"
The officers pulled back their sleeves. "You, hurry inside and keep a close eye on the girl. Don't let her run around or say anything out of line. If anything happens, you'll regret it."
Xiao Qiao'er was about to say something, but Tao Wan's mother stopped her!
"Thank you, sir." Tao Wanniang thanked the official and quickly walked into Shanhai City with Xiao Qiao'er in her arms.
"Little Qiao'er, your father's affairs may not be simple. Let's not rush to find him. Let's find a place to stay and secretly investigate first!"
"Dad, I want my dad! Grandma Tao, I want to find my dad!"
Little Qiao'er burst into tears. Her initial anticipation was dashed, and the girl was heartbroken.
Tao Wanniang sighed, wondering if Zhao Laifu had committed some offense or something else that would make the official say such things.
"Mom, where are we going now?"
Seeing Xiao Qiao'er crying so pitifully, Ling Dahu also looked somewhat troubled.
Yes, where to?
"Let's go to the brokerage firm and see if they have any houses we can rent. Let's rent a place first!"
Tao Wanniang thought for a moment and said, "Let's settle down first and then talk about everything."
Tao Wanniang asked passersby for directions to the brokerage firm, and the group headed towards it.
"Father, that's my father!" Suddenly, Xiao Qiao'er pointed at a young man riding a horse, dressed in fine clothes, and said. After saying that, Xiao Qiao'er broke free from Tao Wan's hand and ran straight towards the man.
"Father, it's me, Xiao Qiao'er, Father..."
"Little Qiao'er!" Tao Wan's mother immediately chased after him. This was not what she had expected. Zhao Laifu had not committed any crime, but had instead become rich?
The man seemed to hear Xiao Qiao'er's call, stopped his horse, and frowned as he watched Xiao Qiao'er run towards him.
"Where did this country bumpkin come from, running around in the street claiming fathers randomly? Aren't you afraid of getting kicked by a horse?"
The man said coldly, "Little girl, I'm not your father, I'm the prefect's son-in-law. You'd better leave now!"
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