Stone followed his parents on their journey. When they reached a desolate place with nothing to eat, they would gnaw on grass roots and tree bark. When they came across a house, they would beg along the street, and some kind people would give them some food.
They continued their journey, enduring wind and rain, sleeping in the open, day after day. Eventually, Stone's mother could no longer bear it and passed away.
Stone's father heard from passersby that the capital was very prosperous, and the houses of the wealthy were built with gold and jade. They ate abalone, sea cucumber, and shark fin every day, and the streets were lined with shops selling all kinds of things.
Stone's father thought that since the capital was so prosperous, they would surely be able to find a way to survive there.
However, the journey was too long. Stone's father finally managed to bring him to the capital, but he fell ill and passed away not long after. Stone became an orphan.
Even in a prosperous capital city, it is not easy for an orphan to survive.
He was young, but he was often hungry, which caused malnutrition. He was so thin that he looked even younger. Even when people offered him jobs, they wouldn't hire him. So he had to scavenge for scraps and trash to get some food.
But here, even begging requires paying respects to the locals, let alone scavenging. Stone was all alone, and wherever he went, he was easily bullied. Over time, he had no choice but to avoid crowded places and try his best not to be seen by those people.
This made his life even more difficult.
After hearing this, Min Yueqing realized that Shi Tou was actually eleven years old this year. Before, Min Yueqing had mistakenly thought he was only seven or eight years old.
Upon hearing this, Pei Ji's two round, bright eyes welled up with tears.
Although he only vaguely understood some of what Shi Tou was saying, he understood that Shi Tou had lost his parents and was all alone with nowhere to live, often going hungry, which was unimaginable to him.
Pei Ji couldn't help but tug at Min Yueqing's hand, her small voice still trembling with tears as she asked, "Mother, we have many empty rooms in our courtyard. Can Shitou stay here?"
Min Yueqing didn't rush to make a unilateral decision, but gently asked Shi Tou for his opinion: "Shi Tou, would you like to stay here? Look, there are many empty rooms here. You can stay without any problem. We all welcome you."
Shi Tou wiped the tears from his face, trying to look as clean as possible, then nodded vigorously and replied, "I'm willing to live here, and I'll do a lot of things. I definitely won't slack off!"
Min Yueqing knew that this was a sign that the child was insecure in a strange environment. Because of this insecurity, he was eager to prove himself useful so that he wouldn't be kicked out.
Min Yueqing did not discourage the child's enthusiasm, but simply said, "I believe you are very capable, but the most important thing for you now is to eat well, exercise well, grow up quickly, and you will definitely be even more amazing in the future."
Upon hearing that his benefactor thought so highly of him, Shi Tou became even more excited, his face flushed red, and he nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Shi Tou hadn't forgotten that his benefactor was a hidden martial arts master. If he could satisfy his benefactor, he might be able to beg him to take him as a disciple. As long as he could learn even a little bit of his benefactor's skills, he could one day be able to scale walls and leap across rooftops.
Pei Ji was delighted to hear that his new friend was staying at his home, and immediately took him to look at houses.
After taking a short walk around the courtyard, Shi Tou decisively chose to stay in the west wing room, which was closest to Min Yueqing and Pei Ji. He had decided to repay his benefactor properly, so of course he wanted to stay in the place closest to his benefactor.
Min Yueqing did not express her opinion; she was happy for the two children to communicate more.
Shi Tou is a simple and honest person. Although he has been wandering for the past few years, these hardships have not worn down his spirit. On the contrary, they have made him stronger. He is a brave child, and it is fate that Pei Ji was able to become friends with him.
The next day, the servants of Hejing Courtyard discovered that there was a person inexplicably in the courtyard, and it was a boy who was supposedly the young master's page. However, no matter how much they asked, they could not find out how the child came to be there.
With new topics for conversation, the group discussed them enthusiastically for several days, and no one noticed that someone had quietly left and then sneaked back.
Min Yueqing has been very busy lately, as she has been training two children.
The two children each have their own unique characteristics.
Pei Ji was raised in luxury since childhood, and his food was always exquisite. However, in the past six months, he has been tricked into using water to fill his stomach. As for Shi Tou, he needs to be properly cared for to recover to his normal appearance for his age.
For both of them, dietary supplements are essential, but eating alone is not enough; they also need to add appropriate exercise so that their bodies can truly become strong.
This is not only for the health of the two children, but also for their future.
Min Yueqing and Pei Ji are living a very comfortable life now, but Pei Han's fate is still unknown. If there is any news about Pei Han, she will definitely take the little one there, otherwise the original owner will die with regrets.
And now there are not just one cub, but two.
After overcoming her language barrier, Min Yueqing made a point of researching relevant materials and also asked Amei to inquire about the area. Because of this, she knew that the mountains of Southwest China were no ordinary place.
In terms of natural disasters, the mountains of Southwest China are plagued by miasma, which includes various toxic gases from forests and swamps, as well as toxic gases produced by the decay of dead plants and animals.
In terms of man-made disasters, the mountains of Southwest China are rife with bandits. The living environment there is extremely harsh, and there is not much arable land. Some mountain people simply become outlaws, making a living by robbing civilians and passersby.
Therefore, the training of the two children is urgent.
While pondering a suitable diet plan, Min Yueqing directed the two children to complete the prescribed amount of physical training every day. The current training program mainly consists of running, horse stance, and push-ups.
The training is mainly conducted in the yard, which is limited by the space and requires us to be wary of being watched by those with ulterior motives, so we can't make too much noise.
However, the two children had very weak foundations but high potential. Even with many restrictions, with the support of a balanced diet and appropriate exercise, they looked completely different after two months.
The one who changed the most was Stone. His parents were actually quite tall, and his previous thinness was entirely due to hunger. After eating well, his height and frame grew rapidly.
Two months later, his stature was significantly different from before, and his eyes now held a sharp edge that had settled down, no longer the gloom and anxiety of the past.
Pei Ji, on the other hand, was like a bamboo shoot breaking through the soil. She had transformed from her previous soft and cute appearance into a more refined and upright one. Her health had visibly improved, and she had become even more beautiful with her red lips and white teeth, making her even more endearing.
At least Amei and Azhu have clearly gone from being the young master's "mommy fans" to being die-hard fans.
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